Professor Drake

Biodata

Feature	Information
Name	Kansas Drake
Alias(es)	Professor Drake (德雷克教授)
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Huntington Technical School (former)
Occupation/Role	Retired History and Folklore professor; researcher of Huntington and Pantanal folklore
Status	Deceased; his corpse later reappeared as the earth-defilement entity Gravel Worm 2117
First Appearance	Chapter 864: Invitation

Background / History

Before his retirement, Drake was a respected scholar of History and Folklore, regarded by Professor Tirith Manning as an authority on Kasonlik history. Manning particularly valued Drake’s exceptional “inspiration”: he could notice flaws in ancient relics, recognize their meaning, and react to dangers others missed. 936

Drake helped compile the 1840 edition of Huntington Folklore Research and pursued occult aspects of folklore despite the dangers involved. His correspondence with Manning shows that he was ambitious, intensely curious, and dismissive of warnings against probing hazardous knowledge. 956 962

In the period before his visit to the Lake of Cherub, Drake experienced an unnatural surge of health, red and swollen eyes, double vision, and hallucinations. He wrote enthusiastically about his renewed physical potential and intended to lead archaeological work in Kasonlik’s southern forests. 932 956

Evidence later connected this transformation to Halder Ondiba, a Ring Arcanist and holder of the Aiken Ola Knowledge Arrow. A photograph places Drake and Ondiba together in the Pantanal Great Swamp, while an ancient script in Drake’s own book proved to be writing he had produced but could no longer understand. 962 966

Shade concluded that Drake encountered the Arrow, awakened supernatural sensitivity or possible Ring Arcanist abilities, discovered knowledge that frightened him, and wished the Goddess in the Lake to erase his powers, memories, and perhaps much of his intellectual talent. The wish left him physically frail, unable to perceive the Arrow’s influence, and unable to remember the decisive events of his life. 966

Appearance

Drake was a thin elderly man with a long face, slightly dark complexion, upturned eyelashes, and brown-rimmed reading glasses. He lived alone in a courtyard house in Huntington’s old western district, attended by a maid. 864 865

• His legs were disabled after an accident, requiring him to use a wheelchair. 864
• He commonly covered his legs with a red checkered blanket. 865
• His poor health included high blood pressure and heart problems. 889

Personality

Drake combined a scholar’s curiosity with caution born from experience. He believed that wisdom was equivalent to wealth, tested Shade’s intentions before sharing his knowledge, and refused to reveal dangerous truths directly to an unproven visitor. 865

His pursuit of knowledge remained fundamental to him even after his memories were erased. When Shade offered him the possibility of a peaceful, ordinary life instead of painful answers, Drake chose to confront the truth of his past despite the risk. 966 967

“I may regret it in the future, but at least I won't regret it now.” 967

Research

Goddess in the Lake

Drake was among Huntington’s most important researchers of the Goddess in the Lake legend. He believed the being truly existed and that its lake could only be reached by particular people under specific circumstances. 865

He compiled five conditions for encountering the Goddess:

1. Visit a lake in western Huntington alone; animals or mounts are permitted, but no other intelligent humanoids may accompany the seeker.
2. Encounter the lake before sunset.
3. The reported seekers and folklore protagonists were all male.
4. Carry a book and a weapon as proof of “wisdom” and “courage.”
5. Forget the purpose of seeking the Goddess; deliberate pursuit prevents the encounter. 887

Occult Folklore and Relics

Drake’s investigations shifted from conventional folklore into occult research after encountering unexplained phenomena. He retained a photograph depicting a lake whose hidden human figure manifested as a curse-bearing humanoid Relic when observed by Shade; Drake himself could not perceive the entity. 865

• He warned that the Pantanal region’s folklore was “strange, evil, and twisted.” 865
• His former supernatural sensitivity let him identify abnormalities in relics and archaeological sites before others could. 936
• After his wish, he showed no reaction to the Aiken Ola Knowledge Arrow, even when its influence affected Shade. 966

Story Role

Huntington investigation

Shade first approached Drake while posing as a Delarion writer researching the Goddess in the Lake. Drake questioned Shade’s motives, shared his personal theory of the legend, and showed him the cursed lake photograph. 865

After Shade reached the Lake of Cherub, Drake became alarmed and hopeful that the legend had been proven true. He provided his collected information, including his encounter rules and records of other alleged witnesses. 887 889

Recovering the forgotten past

When the Goddess assigned Shade to investigate Drake’s past, Drake admitted that he could not remember why he had sought the lake. He opened his remaining research materials to Shade, providing a diary, letters, and a worn book that became the foundation of the investigation. 931

Shade’s investigation identified Drake’s connection to Halder Ondiba and the Knowledge Arrow. After Drake reproduced ancient writing from memory and received fragments of knowledge when cut by the Arrow, he accepted that he had once belonged to a supernatural world he no longer remembered. 966

Drake insisted on accompanying Shade back to the Goddess in the Lake rather than dying with his life’s central mystery unresolved. 966 967

Death and reanimation

By the time of the earth-defilement incident, Drake had died and been buried. Shade later encountered a severely deformed version of his corpse, infested with worms, represented by the card Gravel Worm. 2114 2117

Relationships

• Shade Hamilton — Investigator of Drake’s lost memories and supernatural past; Drake trusted Shade to uncover the truth and escort him back to the Goddess in the Lake. 865 931 966
• Professor Tirith Manning — Longtime academic correspondent and fellow folklore scholar. Manning admired Drake’s inspiration and repeatedly warned him not to pursue dangerous knowledge. 932 936 956
• Halder Ondiba — Former associate or companion connected to Drake’s awakening; Ondiba possessed the Aiken Ola Knowledge Arrow and appeared with Drake in a Pantanal photograph. 962 966
• Goddess in the Lake — Granted Drake’s past wish, apparently removing his memories, supernatural sensitivity, and much of the knowledge he had gained. 966