Chapter 450 - Unexpected ArrivalAfter Kahn read through the letter, he ordered Ronin to guide Szayel and his envoy to their designated accommodations. At the time of the night, he stood on the balcony of his royal bedroom and gazed at the bright moons that made the night seem tranquil at the same time. As for Kahn… he had many things to think about after he received the letter and the map of the forbidden zone.𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎 Although he found out the main reason why the Pureblood faction and the Neutral faction desperately wanted to recruit him back in the day… many things still eluded his understanding. Tablet of Arcana. Kahn had no idea about what the hell it was. The only thing he could make out of it was the shape based on its name. Even the name itself added another layer of mystery to it. Absolutely revealing nothing about the history behind it. But based on what he heard from Victor… This forbidden zone that was at the foremost end of Verlassen fiefdom and existed at an intersection of three different regions… had something to do with the Imperial family that was massacred 100 years ago. And now, Allister Mor Vandereich, one of the three strongest individuals in the entire Rakos Empire wanted Kahn to retrieve this Tablet of Arcana thing as part of the deal he made seven months ago. [Whatever this tablet of Arcana thing is… it seems invaluable to the point where all three noble factions wouldn't even mind going as far as killing thousands of innocents and even rigging the Emperor's Chosen competition. Who knows what kind of things they've done in order to get that thing in the past century. But I don't understand why have they failed to acquire it even after 100 years? Either it's something that even a semi-saint can't handle or there must some sort of condition which all the semi-saints that entered that zone failed to meet.] thought Kahn as he collected the basic information he had gathered till this point. Because there must be a reason why no one succeeded even now. And that reason could explain why things were set in motion even before he participated in the Emperor's Chosen competition and got entangled in this crusade without even knowing. If Kahn hadn't shown his prowess during the competition, he would've probably never even met the top brasses of the top three factions. [No! Even if I didn't participate in the competition, Ismaetrazel already knew about my rank and fighting capability. He would've gotten me involved in this regardless of the outcome of the competition. And if I didn't win the competition and become the Sovereign of Verlassen fiefdom… maybe those vampires would've forced me or even made me a vampire or turned into their slave through that ritual mentioned by Stronoff Mikealson.] spoke a Kahn to himself as he came to another realization. If he hadn't become the Emperor's Chosen… he'd probably be at the Vandereich clan's mercy or would've been turned into their puppet. Kahn heaved a sigh and took a deep breath. He just realized that by choosing the Sovereign storyline route, he actually evaded an invisible bullet that would've killed him for sure. [And if I'm not wrong… the dome around the fiefdom was created 200 years ago. And the previous Hero of Lightning also died in that place at the same time. There must be a correlation. Something that was hidden by both the Imperial family and even the new government that came into existence a century ago.] another hypothesis hit his brain as Kahn finally felt the connection between these two things. Plus the great war and the coup d'état against the Imperial family… Why do I feel like they're also connected to this Tablet of Arcana?] thought Kahn. What great treasure was this Tablet of Arcana that had such chaotic history and who knew how many dead bodies and blood that was spilled to get it? Kahn wasn't a fool to blindly believe whatever was told to him. But based on the current situation, he had no idea what the hell was happening either or what secrets were buried. His mind was completely discombobulated after trying to connect all the dots. Thinking that he had all of it figured out just by making some assumptions would be a great mistake. This was something that he'd only find out after actually going into that forbidden zone when the time came. ---------------- The next morning… Szayel, Kahn, and Albestros had breakfast together and shared a lot of happenings each of them went through and reminisced about the old times when things seemed easier. While Kahn and Albestros had struggles of their own in the Verlassen fiefdom, Szayel was getting dragged into the power struggle and politics of the Pureblood faction now that he was the sole heir of the Vandereich clan. And finally, Kahn bid farewell to this old friend in the afternoon. He had no idea when he'd meet this vampire heir again but he was also happy to see that Szayel was becoming his own man and breaking through the mental shackles he suffered from for the past two decades. ---------------- At the time of the evening, Kahn was finally done with his duties, approving the tasks and affairs related to the fiefdom and finally took a breather. But just then… Kahn's mind suddenly went haywire and his head felt like it was hijacked by something else. But before he could ask the system anything about the matter… he returned to his previous normal state in a matter of seconds. [What the hell was that?!] thought Kahn. Suddenly… Kahn felt a familiar presence. But what caught his attention was that he could feel this presence that entered the Verlassen fiefdom from thousands of kilometers afar. Ding! Ding! Kahn then received a personal message from Ronin. And as the night came… he used one of his warships and traveled to a city on the farthest northern end of the capital Aesir. He then entered a massive mansion located outside the borders of this city and finally met the person who invited him for this meeting in the night. On the top floor of the mansion, was a broad bedroom which was somehow the meeting spot chosen by the one who sent the message via Ronin. Kahn looked at the enchanting woman with peerless beauty standing in front of him. Step! Step! She slowly walked towards Kahn and without even greeting him, she gently placed her head against his chest as she wrapped her arms around him. [System, what the hell is happening? Didn't you say none of us will be affected?] asked Kahn. Then his gaze shifted to this beautiful woman who was suddenly acting out of character. "What's the meaning of this?" He looked her right in the eyes and spoke her name… "Kassandra."