The Dragon Slayer Who Regressed After 1,000 Years - Chapter 12

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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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The Dragon Slayer Returns After a Thousand Years: Episode 12
“Who the hell are you? Move.”
Dario tried to push past him with those words.
But his opponent shifted his body, refusing to yield.
And then.
Shing.
The moment the blade came free from his waist, Dario’s brow couldn’t help but furrow.
“I’ve never seen such a mad bastard.”
Blocking the path and drawing a blade when time was of the essence?
“You must have a death wish.”
Dario, Short Sword in hand, rushed forward with menacing force.
He didn’t even ask why.
‘If he wants to die, I’ll grant his wish.’
Obstacles were meant to be swept away, nothing more.
But then.
Ting!
The Short Sword bounced back from the recoil.
‘What? A Protective Barrier?’
This blade carried enough Aura to reach the sixth rank.
Yet the barrier repelled it before it could even make contact.
There was something familiar about this.
“So it was you. The one who cast a Protective Barrier on my target.”
“You’re the one? The assassin who tried to kill Walter?”
Cain asked, though he already knew.
“I’d love to see your face. Would you mind removing that mask?”
“Stop wasting my time.”
Feeling belittled, Dario adjusted his grip on the Short Sword.
He immediately closed the distance and struck at the barrier repeatedly.
‘A mage’s weakness is closing ground — never let them have space.’
Ting! Ting! Ting!
‘If I concentrate the assault on one point like this, I can shatter the barrier!’
Dario poured all his strength into that singular conviction.
Within seconds, fine cracks began to spider across the surface.
Yet Cain maintained his composure throughout.
“You won’t hand it over peacefully, then. So be it. I’ll just have to tear it away by force.”
Watching Cain assume a Thrust stance, Dario smiled beneath his mask.
‘A mage playing swordsman. How pathetic.’
An attack without an awakened Aura would seem sluggish as a snail to him at sixth rank.
He was certain he could see it coming and dodge in time—lost in that thought, he redoubled his assault on the barrier.
Crack!
Electricity suddenly coursed along the blade’s edge.
Shriek!
It cut through his shoulder with lightning speed.
“Ugh!”
Dario dropped the Short Sword and staggered backward.
He’d been certain he could evade it, but his body hadn’t responded at all.
‘How did he generate such speed in an instant?’
Beyond the pain, that blow had moved at a velocity too fast to dodge, even unprepared.
“Who… who are you? Are you even a mage?”
“I’m not a mage.”
Cain chuckled and snapped his fingers.
Crack-crack-crack—
Tree roots erupted from the earth, coiling tightly around Dario.
‘Damn it—he’s a mage after all!’
The protest rose to his throat, but the roots had already wound around his neck, strangling the words.
“Let’s see how handsome you really are.”
Cain tapped the mask with his blade tip to peel it away, then looked at his opponent and grinned.
“Isn’t this the eldest son of the Antonio Family?”
……
“Dario Antonio. Am I right?”
He could only stare with wide eyes, unable to give any answer to the situation before him.
Cain smiled and cut away one of the roots that had coiled around his neck.
“Now answer me.”
……
There was no point in speaking.
What enemy would willingly divulge information to their captor?
“So that’s how you want to play it? Fine by me.”
Cain snapped his fingers once more.
As if waiting for the signal, Bernatus cast Mind Control magic.
“Ugh……”
Only once his pupils had grown dim and unfocused did Cain pose his question.
“What is your name?”
“Dario Antonio.”
‘As I thought.’
His memory had not betrayed him.
Cain had recognized him the moment the mask came off.
‘The Antonio Family of the Belion Kingdom has been a dragon-worshipping clan for generations.’
A dynasty that had carried on for a thousand years, steadfastly devoted to dragons—humanity’s traitorous house.
And there were eight such families.
‘The Ragnar Family has fallen, so that leaves seven.’
A truly lamentable state of affairs.
“Why did you try to kill Walter?”
“He killed a Blue Dragon named Aolios. It was retaliation for that.”
Cain’s lips curved upward.
Everything had unfolded as he’d foreseen.
He hadn’t anticipated that the Seven Great Houses would act so directly, though.
Still, there was more to confirm.
“Who gave the order?”
“My father, Lorenzo Antonio.”
“No—I mean, there must be someone higher up who actually commanded the assassination.”
“I don’t know that much. I only did what my father told me to do.”
So the Duke Antonio knew, then.
‘I’ll have to pay him a visit.’
Cain released the Binding Magic.
“Guide me. To your family’s estate.”
Dario rose from his bonds without resistance and began to walk.
“Wait.”
Cain turned around.
“Walter?”
!!
Walter, who had been watching from behind a tree, started at the sound of his name and froze.
“I was planning to fetch you anyway, so it’s good timing. Come here. You’re coming with us.”
Walter could not dare refuse the Sword Master’s command.

* * *
Camiloas is a Red Dragon over three thousand years old.
His temperament is savage and cruel, and his Flame Breath is devastatingly powerful—potent enough to melt buildings to slag.
‘But he wasn’t the one who destroyed the Asel Kingdom.’
A different Red Dragon was responsible for that.
‘Ignision. That bastard’s work.’
Of course, it wouldn’t happen for another ten years, but the thought of his mother dying because of it set Cain’s blood on fire even now.
An infallible memory could be a curse at times like this.
‘Before I take revenge on Ignision, I need to move against Camiloas first.’
Camiloas is Ignision’s son.
No matter how independent a dragon might be, it will not spare anyone who harms its offspring.
‘Once Camiloas is dead, he’ll come seeking vengeance with a fury beyond measure.’
So Camiloas had to be the first target.
The problem was that Cain didn’t know where he was.
‘I killed Camiloas before the Regression, but that was a thousand years ahead. His location could be different now.’
Dragons had a habit of moving their lairs from time to time.
Staying in one place too long gets tedious, and it gives away your position.
‘The Antonio Family has served the Black Dragon for generations. They’re not connected to the Red Clan.’
Still, Camiloas might know where Cain is.
As a member of the Seven Great Houses, they’d have access to all sorts of information.
“But, but Prince Cain, sir. Why are you taking me along…?”
Walter, who had followed obediently until now, suddenly ventured to ask the question that had been nagging him.
For someone laboring under the delusion of being a Sword Master, it took no small courage—but Cain had no intention of answering.
‘If I told him the truth, he’d bolt for sure.’
So Cain deflected.
“Do you know why I cast a Protective Barrier on you and let you live?”
“I… I don’t know, sir.”
“Pity. I felt sorry for you.”
“…?”
The lies flowed effortlessly from Cain’s mouth.
“Your family fell apart because of me, you were banished from the palace, and you nearly died at the hands of some assassin. When I thought about it, I realized I’d gone too far. You seemed pathetic, really.”
“…”
“That’s why I’m protecting you. Why else would I have passed on the Dragon Slayer title to you? It was all because I felt guilty.”
Cain added with a slight shrug.
“Well, it’s also a bribe to keep you quiet about my identity. But think of it as compensation—a chance to build a new life elsewhere.”
‘C-compensation?’
Walter’s mouth fell slowly open—he’d never considered it in that light.
But he still hadn’t gotten an answer to what he really wanted to know.
‘So why are you taking me with you…?’
Walter lacked the courage to press the question.
And he doubted Cain would answer anyway.
“We’re almost there.”
After crossing the border into the Belion Kingdom, Cain’s party made their way toward the Antonio Dukedom.
Far ahead, the stronghold of the dukedom came into view.

* * *
Lorenzo Antonio had been in high spirits all day.
“Heh-heh, once Dario finishes this task, the prestige of our family will rise to new heights.”
Latching onto Alton Drake had been a masterstroke.
If he could win the favor of that man—one of the Crosent Empire’s most powerful figures—
the Antonio Family might prosper for generations to come.
For a thousand years. Forever.
“It’s a simple task—killing a sleeping target. Dario will handle it flawlessly, no doubt.”
He had absolute confidence in his son’s ability.
The gap between fifth and sixth rank was only one level, but it could mean a difference of ten years in actual strength.
In a direct confrontation, there was no way he could lose.
And if he launched a surprise attack while the target slept, assassination would be child’s play.
For the Drake Family’s eyes, there could be no better mission.
“Stupid fool. Why did you have to kill the dragon?”
The law was simple: those who slew dragons would face Blood Revenge.
Lorenzo, who had already written off Walter as dead, patted his belly contentedly and was about to take an afternoon nap.
But then—
Knock, knock—
A knock at the door interrupted his rest.
“Who is it?”
“Father, it’s me, Dario. May I come in?”
“Ah, yes, come in.”
Delighted by his son’s voice, Lorenzo rose briskly and prepared to receive him.
But then—
“Hmm?”
His son had entered—not alone, but accompanied by strangers.
“Dario, who are these people with you?”
“Ah.”
Dario turned his head and introduced Cain.
“My attendants, sir.”
“Attendants, my foot.”
Cain approached Lorenzo with a faint smirk playing at his lips.
“Who—who are you?”
“Doesn’t matter. Just answer what I ask.”
“Such insolence….”
Lorenzo’s pupils, which had been blazing with indignation, suddenly glazed over and went slack.
The blurring of his focus was proof that Bernatus’s Mind Control had taken hold.
“What’s your name?”
“…Lorenzo Antonio.”
“Your family has served dragons for generations, hasn’t it?”
“That’s right.”
“Which dragon do you serve?”
“The Black Dragon, Bellacors, is my liege lord.”
The corners of Cain’s mouth lifted slightly.
It matched the information he’d known before the Regression.
Up to this point, anyway.
“How many families serve dragons, including yours?”
“Eight.”
“Excluding the recently fallen Ragnar Family.”
“That makes eight.”
……?
A question formed in Cain’s mind.
There should be seven. So why does he keep saying eight?
“Name all the dragon-serving families.”
“Valerian, Albion, Lunaris, Cerulean, Verdant, Helios, Antonio, Drake—eight families in total.”

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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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