The Dragon Slayer Who Regressed After 1,000 Years - Chapter 24

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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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Dragon Slayer’s Return After 1000 Years — Episode 024
I had heard that a Black Dragon was running rampant in the Belion Kingdom.
But in the end, it was another nation’s problem.
Especially since they were an Enemy State, I watched from across the river like a bystander observing a fire far away.
Yet now he wanted to participate in the Dragon Subjugation?
“You’re serious about this?”
“Yes.”
“You understand that Belion is an Enemy State, don’t you?”
“I’m aware.”
“And yet you still say such a thing?”
I’d thought he was joking, but Cain’s expression was deadly serious.
“Setting aside that they’re an Enemy State, dragons are humanity’s enemy. They don’t discriminate between kingdoms. If Belion falls, our turn will come next.”
“True enough, but it’s dangerous work.”
“Belion intends to undertake that dangerous work. We cannot leave it to them alone. They won’t view our support unfavorably either.”
“No, no. It’s too dangerous.”
Adriel waved his hand dismissively, as though unwilling to hear another word.
There was no question of sending his nephew into certain peril.
Backed into a corner, Cain had no choice but to resort to stronger tactics.
“Uncle, you said before that if there was anything I wanted, I should ask. I’m asking now.”
“No, I meant something lighter than this…….”
“Grant me permission for the Dragon Subjugation.”
Faced with such an immovable will, Adriel’s expression turned troubled.
Once words had left his mouth, there was no taking them back.
“Fine, I understand. But I can’t send you alone. Go with the captain and the other Sword Masters.”
“Understood.”
Cain nodded.
This much of a compromise was acceptable.
“And I can’t make this decision alone, so I’ll discuss it with the ministers too. They’ll probably object, but still.”
“If they object, does the whole thing fall through?”
“Not necessarily…… but I still need to get some level of agreement. You understand—you’ll need your mother’s permission before you can go, won’t you?”
“I’ll handle Mother carefully. Thank you, Uncle.”
Cain’s knowing smile made Adriel feel uneasy.
He hadn’t realized his nephew was quite so cunning.

* * *
The moment Cain left the office, Adriel summoned the ministers.
The Prime Minister, Commander-in-Chief, Court Mage, and Minister of Treasury.
The kingdom’s highest officials gathered in one place.
“You all have ears, so you’ve surely heard—Belion is moving to subjugate the Black Dragon.”
The ministers listened to the king’s words in breathless silence.
But the moment his next words came, that silence shattered.
“I’m wondering if we ought to participate in that subjugation as well.”
“Pardon?”
“Your Majesty, that would mean…….”
“That the Belion Knights and the Asel Knights would jointly undertake the subjugation, Your Majesty?”
Adriel did not deny it.
“Indeed.”
“Your Majesty!”
But at those words alone, the ministers leaped to their feet as one.
“Belion is our sworn enemy!”
“Have you forgotten the war with Belion eighty years ago?”
“To aid them? Your Majesty, this is utterly unprecedented and absurd!”
Not a single voice rose in support.
As if he’d expected this, Adriel released a long breath.
Among the ministers, Prime Minister Ronan Valerian alone remained unperturbed, his tone measured as he inquired:
“Your Majesty, what is your reason for aiding Belion?”
“Because dragons are the enemy of all mankind, are they not? If Belion falls, our turn will come next.”
He echoed Cain’s words verbatim, but the Prime Minister’s expression didn’t shift an inch.
“If they fall, it would be an opportunity for us instead. Should we venture forth to aid them, we might suffer losses ourselves.”
“Precisely. They could be annihilated by the dragon, or their knights could stab us in the back!”
“Please, grant us your wisdom!”
“I beg you to reconsider!”
As everyone voiced their opposition, Adriel’s frown deepened.
‘How do I persuade them?’
In truth, Adriel did not regard Belion as an enemy state.
The king who had waged war eighty years ago was long dead.
He maintained a certain rapport with the newly ascended monarch over there.
‘Wait. Why do I need to persuade them? I’m the king.’
Adriel didn’t deliberate any further.
“I have heard your counsel. This matter is concluded.”
“Your Majesty, what is your intention?”
“We shall proceed with the Dragon Subjugation as planned.”
“Your Majesty! This cannot be!”
“If we aid an enemy state, the people’s hearts will be gravely shaken!”
Adriel shrugged.
“You seem to misunderstand. I’m not here to aid Belion.”
“Pardon?”
“I’m undertaking the Dragon Subjugation.”
…….
The ministers understood.
That their new king was not a man to be trifled with.

* * *
“Hah.”
The news that had just arrived through the Crystal Orb was unexpected.
“Asel is sending reinforcements…….”
The effort he had invested in cultivating relations with Adriel had borne fruit.
He had not thought such welcome tidings would come.
The King of Belion summoned his commander to share the news.
“You called for me, Your Majesty.”
“Luciad. I have good news.”
“What might that be……?”
“The Asel Knights are coming to aid us. In the Dragon Subjugation.”
“?”
For a moment, Luciad doubted his own ears.
“You said who?”
“The Asel Knights.”
“But isn’t Asel an enemy state?”
“And yet they’re coming nonetheless.”
Luciad’s brow furrowed before any smile could form.
“There must be some ulterior motive…….”
“Asel’s position was that the Dragon cannot be ignored. Perhaps they too view it as a threat.”
“However…….”
No matter how he considered it—an enemy kingdom sending aid.
Even the nearby Rohen Kingdom stood idle, and yet enemies were coming?
“Regardless, this is fortuitous, is it not? We were short of able hands.”
Did you know that, yet still intended to send us to our deaths?
Luciad clenched his teeth and voiced his concern.
“I suspect they mean to claim the victory for themselves.”
“That won’t happen. Adriel promised all credit would go to Belion should we slay the Dragon.”
They won’t take the glory?
That only deepened the suspicion.
“What could their purpose be…….”
“I asked the same. Adriel said it would suffice to eliminate mankind’s greatest foe.”
…….
“A worthy king has taken Asel’s throne. Hah.”
Leaving the satisfied laughter of Belion’s king behind, Luciad departed the audience chamber.
A joint operation, they said.
It made no sense.
The Belion Knights felt the same.
The Asel Knights themselves were equally affected.

* * *
‘Are they moving with a small elite force?’
Cain, seated in the carriage, studied the faces of the reinforcement contingent.
Commander Dmitri Selow.
Vice Commander Garen Heideln.
Senior Knight Brion Calest.
All of them seven-star Sword Masters.
Himself, meanwhile, was a six-star advanced-level Sword Expert.
Though his publicly known rank was merely two stars.
‘If my achievement level is too high, they’ll find it suspicious. I’ll only reveal two stars.’
Using magical force, he concealed his Aura to appear as a two-star warrior.
A technique only he could perform—one with two hearts.
Perhaps because of this, the Vice Commander and Senior Knight’s gazes toward him were far from warm.
Even Dmitri was watching him with an expression of helpless resignation.
“Your Highness, I must confess—I never expected you to petition the throne to undertake Dragon Subjugation in an enemy state, of all things.”
“Dragons have no nationality. They are the common enemy of all mankind.”
“That may be true, but……”
Supporting Belion was indeed an uncomfortable position.
They certainly wouldn’t welcome such aid from this side either.
“If it troubles you that much, think of it as a dragon hunt, not support.”
“Yet we would still be aiding an enemy state rather than our own people.”
“And if that enemy state collapses, won’t we too suffer the consequences?”
Cain’s views on dragons remained unchanged.
They were mankind’s foremost enemy, a species that must be eradicated.
Bernatus, listening from beside him in spirit form, said nothing.
‘He assumes the Oracle’s actions all carry purpose.’
In truth, Cain did not trust Bernatus.
Though the dragon aided him, he was still a dragon and had eaten humans in the past.
‘I’ll use him and discard him when the time comes. That’s all.’
The current situation was no different.
He would infiltrate the Belion Knights’ ranks and proceed with Dragon Subjugation.
They would look down on him for his two-star rank, but he didn’t mind.
If needed, he could simply display his true strength when the moment called for it.
“Did you receive the Princess’s permission?”
“Yes. A mother’s love for her child knows no bounds.”
“Hmm…… I understand. Please limit yourself to observation and remain as safe as possible.”
The carriage, which had entered Belion territory, came to a halt.
“We must proceed on foot from here.”
The four knights moved toward the agreed meeting place.
Dmitri’s eyes fell upon the sword at Cain’s waist.
“That’s a blade I haven’t seen before.”
“I purchased it recently during an outing.”
“Even the scabbard suggests a fine piece. Still, I hope there will be no need to draw it.”
Whether he had heard the queen’s request to protect Cain well, Dmitri’s gaze hardened with resolve.
“Ah, there they are.”
A group clad in armor bearing the kingdom’s crest appeared on the ridge.
The Belion Knights.
“Greetings. We are the Asel Knights.”
Although he had spoken, no reply came back.
Every gaze was cold as ice.
They had no reason to welcome those from an enemy state.
“So you’ve come.”
Luciad, who had been perched on a boulder, rose to his feet and dusted himself off.
“I am Luciad Valenheart, Commander of the Belion Knights.”
“I am Dmitri Selow, Commander of the Asel Knights.”
“Let us first assess your strength. Are all four of you Sword Masters?”
At the blunt inquiry, Dmitri could only hesitate.
“One of us…… is not.”
At those words, Luciad’s gaze swept across the four of them.
He narrowed his eyes as if to gauge their Aura, then fixed them on Cain.
“A 2-star? What on earth did you bring him for?”
“Well, if I may introduce him—he’s royalty from Asel——”
“Royal or not, why did you bring him? Is Dragon Subjugation some kind of game?”
Dmitri couldn’t entirely fault Luciad’s reaction.
Bringing a beginner—not even an Expert—to such a dangerous mission involving a dragon was absurd.
Beyond being a hindrance, he plainly had no desire to watch someone die before his eyes.
“Please don’t worry. Prince Cain will——”
“I can look after myself.”
Unable to bear it any longer, Cain stepped between them.
“I’m Cain of Asel. I’m confident I won’t be a burden, so please allow me to join the Subjugation.”
“Hah.”
Luciad’s piercing gaze swept over Cain.
“What could a 2-star possibly do?”
“Reconnaissance is manageable. I’m also well-versed in matters concerning dragons.”
“Well-versed, you say?”
A burst of laughter erupted from somewhere.
It came from the Belion Knights.
“Never seen a dragon in your life, and you claim to know all about them?”
“Did you read it in a book?”
“So the Asel cowards send along spectators now, do they?”
At the brazen mockery, Dmitri’s expression darkened.
Before the atmosphere could sour further, Luciad stepped in.
“We all have experience hunting dragons. Our strength is 5-star or above, and there are four Sword Masters among us, including myself. It’s only natural to have doubts about a 2-star.”
“I regret to say I have faced a dragon before. I didn’t expect a warm welcome, but surely gratitude for your aid is in order? For knights to resort to crude ridicule seems beneath you.”
At Cain’s confident words, the Belion knights fell silent.
Their eyes blazed, but none opened their mouths.
Cain paid them no mind and said what needed saying.
If he was merely dismissed now, he wouldn’t be allowed to participate in the Subjugation at all.
“If you truly doubt me, why not have one of your knights step forward?”
“What do you mean?”
“A duel.”
Before his words had even finished, one knight stepped forward.
Sensing his Aura, Cain gauged him as 5-star class.
“Dave, stand down. We haven’t time for spars.”
“It won’t take long, Captain. It’ll be over the moment it starts.”
Dave spoke in a mocking tone.
Cain shrugged his shoulders and looked at Luciad.
“He seems eager for a match with me, wouldn’t you say?”
“Well… suit yourself. Just finish it quickly.”
Luciad waved his hand dismissively and turned away.
Dave charged forward immediately.
Toward Cain.
Boom!
The ground trembled.
He’d expected as much, but the conclusion came far more easily than anticipated.
With an expression of “Well, what did I say?” Luciad turned his head.
“Which is exactly why I asked you not to provoke——”
“What?”
When Luciad saw Cain standing perfectly unharmed, his expression froze.
It was Dave lying face-down on the ground.
Not Cain.
“He’s unconscious.”

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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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