I'll Stop Regressing and Raise a Baby Dragon - Chapter 29

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 29
“What do you mean by that?”
Luke set down the document he’d been reading and turned to Eria with the question.
“Young Master—no, Edward—your brother…”
Eria faltered, then exhaled a ragged breath.
“Take your time. I’m listening.”
At Luke’s words, she managed a small nod.
As she drew in a deep breath and released it, another figure approached from behind her.
“Kaiden.”
“Good day to you, Your Grace.”
He bowed with practiced courtesy, then immediately looked to Eria.
“Eria, are you all right?”
Eria answered with a nod.
“Come, sit.”
Luke gestured toward a sofa tucked into the corner of the room.
He swept all the scattered documents to the opposite end.
This way, the sofa remained in his line of sight from where he sat.
Eria and Kaiden settled onto the sofa.
“You know that Kaiden’s senses far exceed those of an ordinary human.”
Luke inclined his head as if to say, why state the obvious?
“There’s a special signal that only Kaiden can detect.”
What followed was Eria’s explanation:
Distinctive traces that typically appear in those afflicted by a Curse.
The stench and aura of those tainted by wickedness—it was visible to Edward as well.
The trouble was that this aura was extraordinarily faint and difficult to discern.
Only Kaiden could distinguish the difference.
“…Yes, I understand what you’re saying.”
Whether it was Eria or Kaiden—
neither was the sort to jest about such matters.
And Luke himself had sensed something amiss when he first laid eyes on Edward.
Just once, right after the boy was born.
It had been so fleeting a moment that he’d since forgotten it entirely.
Back then, he’d dismissed it under the pretense of not burdening his wife with needless worry while she recovered from childbirth.
Never did he imagine it would come to this.
‘…No, that’s a hollow excuse.’
Had he watched his son carefully in the years that followed,
he might have noticed.
As Tower Master, his duties had consumed him.
The loss of his beloved wife had left him struggling to survive for years afterward.
All of it was worthless justification.
Regardless of the reason, he was Edward’s father.
As such, he bore the responsibility to protect him.
‘Truly, what a useless father I am.’
Luke drank his tea in silence.
The hand holding the cup trembled noticeably.
Ren had once said there was nothing better for composure than this.
“Nonsense.”
“No, Your Grace. Please, just trust me once. I can show you proof.”
His muttering was quickly cut short by Eria’s urgent objection.
‘Here I am, indulging in empty regret in front of Eria.’
Luke caught himself, realizing the misunderstanding, and quickly composed his emotions.
He had no wish to show Eria such weakness as a father.
“Forgive me. I was speaking to myself.”
At his quick apology, Eria’s darkened expression softened slightly.
“So then, what exactly is this ‘Curse’?”
“I understand it to be a form of Black Magic.”
“If it’s Black Magic, shouldn’t it have been completely abandoned centuries ago?”
“…Did you perhaps not know much about Black Magic?”
“My knowledge on the subject is limited.”
‘Limited? That’s an understatement.’
Wasn’t he supposed to be first-rate in magic across the entire world?
Eria, flustered, kept fidgeting with her own hands.
She’d naturally assumed Luke would know the answer.
‘Come to think of it… I don’t even know Edward’s condition.’
Even if the traces of Black Magic were subtle enough that only Kaiden could detect them.
Luke was someone who transcended human limitations.
It was strange that he didn’t know.
“Then, could you tell me what you know about it, Duke?”
“Regarding Black Magic…”
Roughly two hundred years ago.
Magic had several derived schools.
Each stemmed from the power of the ten primordial gods who ruled the beginning.
But then the Imperial Court suddenly proclaimed sweeping regulations on magic.
The reason was unknown, and Croiman could not escape the repercussions.
Most books and records were buried or burned.
“…Fortunately, only one school—Astiar—managed to maintain its lineage.”
“How?”
“Because it originated from the Only God, Astiar himself.”
“I see.”
Luke’s lengthy explanation held Eria rapt, her eyes gleaming with interest.
Kaiden yawned beside her, resting his head on her shoulder.
“The other schools that were lost then are what the Empire calls ‘Black Magic.'”
“Is there no remaining record in this library?”
“There might have been once, but there’s nothing left now.”
Had they not discarded everything back then, the Croiman family would have faced complete annihilation.
With Luke’s explanation concluded, Eria nodded.
‘If that’s the case, it makes sense Luke wouldn’t know.’
And yet.
How does the Research Institute possess records erased centuries ago?
And why, exactly, did they use that Black Magic on Edward?
‘Who on earth is backing the Research Institute?’
Clearly the intent was to checkmate the Croiman family.
But the Croiman family had no connection whatsoever to illegal research.
At least not until Eria became part of it.
From the circumstances, Edward was cursed from birth…
Which meant there was something more at work than just that alone.
“Eria.”
At Luke’s call, Eria quickly turned her attention to him.
“Did you learn about that Black Magic and the curse at the Research Institute?”
“Oh, yes. I saw them use it on other children, not just me.”
Luke’s expression darkened as he listened to her words.
“For what purpose?”
“Mostly to suppress children who could use magic. That way they couldn’t resist.”
“Then Edward…”
“It’s why Edward can’t use magic.”
Eria admitted it plainly.
Luke stared blankly into empty space.
“…Because of Black Magic someone cast on him.”
From infancy—when he understood nothing.
His son had suffered for fifteen years.
“…”
Luke closed his eyes.
The emotions he’d held back in Eria’s presence came flooding in like a tide.
Who had done this, and why?
That child.
How dare they.
My son.
“Duke.”
At Eria’s call, Luke’s eyes opened slowly.
Her face overlaid itself upon those eyes—burning with rage and regret.
“I need your help.”
“Help with what?”
“I think I know who did this to my brother.”
“……!”
“I need the strength to stop them. Please, help me.”
The moment Eria finished speaking, Luke pushed back from his seat without hesitation.
***
[Kael.
I have gathered all the information you requested.
Father says he will be away on business tomorrow.
The guard detail changes once just before midnight.
Since you have visited Eria’s room before, I trust you will have no trouble finding it.
I will attach the name and face of the knight on duty that day.
I have also enclosed their schedules and routes, along with those of Eria and Kaiden.
My part in this ends here.
You must keep the promise we made.
E. Croiman.]
Drip, drip—
Ink pooled and spread in the blank space beneath Edward’s name.
“……Sigh.”
Edward exhaled deeply, a long and heavy breath.
He flung the Quill Pen into the inkwell as though discarding it.
With movements that seemed weighted down, he gathered the letter and papers into the Yellow Envelope.
A great stone pressed against his chest, suffocating him.
Ever since Kael had blackmailed him, he could barely keep food down.
Headaches plagued him all day, and on the first night he had even retched on an empty stomach.
He had barricaded himself in his room under the excuse of illness, seeing almost no one.
He avoided not only contact with Eria but also meetings with Theodore.
‘What will happen if those two find out about my situation?’
Theodore would be furious.
Certainly disappointed beyond measure.
He would never follow after him again the way he used to, calling out “Brother” with such devotion.
As for Eria…….
“……I can’t tell.”
Perhaps because he had been reading others’ moods since before he could even remember,
when it came to discerning people’s true feelings, he was supremely skilled.
Yet with her, somehow, he remained uncertain.
What she was thinking.
What she might do.
It was the first time he’d encountered someone so unpredictable.
And precisely because of that, he realized he was far more curious about her than he cared to admit.
“……I’m sorry.”
The more he offered apologies that would never reach her, the more his throat tightened.
He knew it.
At first, he had convinced himself that he was making this choice for the sake of the family’s survival.
But the truth was, he was trying to hand Eria over to protect himself.
During that single day Kael had given him, he thought and thought again, until understanding crystallized.
How utterly selfish his choice had been.
‘I know. But…….’
I’m afraid.
Afraid that my true self will be laid bare before them all.
And in all of this, I possess…….
Neither the means nor the courage to overcome the fear that has accumulated, layer upon layer, over so many years.
Crunch—
The corner of the Yellow Envelope Edward held crumpled sharply beneath his grip.
“…….”
In silence, he set the envelope down and melted red Sealing Wax over the flame of a candle.
He poured the molten wax onto the envelope and pressed Croiman’s seal firmly into it.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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