The Dragon Slayer Who Regressed After 1,000 Years - Chapter 28

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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 Regression — Episode 28
Vengeance surged through him in a flash, but it was brief.
‘Compose yourself. This is nothing but an illusion. There’s no reason to waste emotion here.’
Cain, who had already recognized this as the Artifact’s trial, managed to calm his mind.
Was that the condition?
Crack!
The illusions of Ignision and Arcadion shattered like glass.
The altar revealed itself once more.
Cain picked up the Seer’s Bracelet.
The moment he fastened it to his wrist, it gleamed with light, then melted away.
In its place, a violet Mark was etched into his skin.
‘That’s another Artifact secured.’
Before his Regression, Cain had obtained three Artifacts.
Since the bracelet was one of them, he knew its power even without wearing it.
‘With this bracelet concealing all my presence, moving forward will be far easier.’
It was a different dimension entirely from the concealment he’d managed with Mana alone.
It could hide sound and scent, but more importantly, it could conceal Aura and Mana to whatever degree he wished.
Though he was a 7-Star Sword Master, if he chose, he could appear as a 1-Star beginner.
Conversely, he could hide his Aura and pass himself off as a pure mage.
‘Perfect for catching enemies off guard.’
And since it could erase all presence, it was ideal for assassination.
‘But the true value of this Artifact lies elsewhere.’
It was the ability to hide even the Artifact’s Mark itself.
He could prevent his identity as a Seer from being accidentally revealed.
‘I’ll need to hunt countless dragons. But if my nature as a Seer is exposed each time, it will create complications.’
What if word spread that a Seer was slaughtering dragons?
Mistrust would bloom among them.
They would no longer believe the prophecy that salvation was at hand.
‘If I pick them off one by one, eventually I’ll face him.’
Arcadion.
The eldest existence reigning supreme over all dragons.
But for Cain as he was now, it was impossible.
To take him down, he’d have to overcome the dragons kneeling beneath him first, and he needed time to build strength sufficient for that task.
‘Even in dormancy, killing him now is beyond me.’
Setting aside the Guardians and traps protecting the Lair, the dragons guarding its entrance were the real problem.
Before he awakened, Cain had to gather more Artifacts and grow stronger.
‘The Seer is my trump card for catching dragons off guard. I cannot lose that.’
Satisfied, Cain emerged from the Temple.
Hissssss—
A Swampland creature shambled toward him, but there was nothing to fear.
Concentrating Mana on the Mark-bearing wrist, his presence vanished.
Hiss?
The Swampland creature froze mid-approach, its head swiveling back and forth in confusion.
Without eyes, it could not detect Cain even standing directly before it.
‘Time to leave.’
Cain crossed the Swampland more easily than ever before.

* * *
Alton Drake’s attention fixed on a report that had recently arrived.
‘This Cain Asel—a royal who knows much about dragons?’
He’d heard the name before.
A princess, Serena Asel, who had fled the succession struggle and returned after twenty years, bringing back her son.
A nobody, unworthy of attention.
What could one expect from a young man raised in the countryside?
‘Yet that nobody turned out to be a hidden threat.’
The Black Dragon’s succession duel was not public knowledge.
Alton had taken pains to conceal information about dragons as much as possible, working behind the scenes.
It was both a means of protecting dragons and his duty as a devoted follower.
‘But this Cain knew. He possessed knowledge not found in any book.’
The claim that he’d read it was obviously a lie.
What I’m curious about is where it came from.
‘Regardless, it’s worth paying attention to.’
Ever since the Ragnar Family collapsed, the eyes watching the Asel Kingdom have vanished.
Ronan remains as Prime Minister, but there are limits to how much one can learn about the Knights’ inner workings.
In the first place, accepting the Ragnar Family was itself a calculated move to seize control of the Knights and gather intelligence.
But now that thread has been cut.
‘I need to plant a new spy in the Asel Knights.’
Especially now, with the dragons dying off.
Just as he was considering countermeasures, a promising thought came to him.
Alton immediately tapped the Crystal Orb.
The flickering orb soon brightened.
—Yes, Father. What is it……?
“My son. I have a task for you.”
—Yes?
“Go at once to the Asel Knights.”
At the sudden command, his son’s voice in the Crystal Orb wavered.

* * *
On the West Continent, the standing of the Empire that encompasses seven kingdoms is beyond measure.
Even between two Dukes, the station of an Imperial Duke and a Kingdom Duke are worlds apart.
An Imperial Duke could command what even a kingdom’s own sovereign could not.
And yet.
“Just now, an official dispatch arrived from the Empire.”
Adriel, King of Asel, spoke before his ministers as though it were nothing of consequence.
“The Empire is sending Duke Drake as an envoy.”
“An envoy…… you say?”
“Whatever for……?”
The Drake Family, renowned throughout the Empire, was sending an envoy.
The ministers could not help but grow tense.
“There is no need to worry overmuch. It is not to censure us.”
Adriel continued with ease.
“You have succeeded in slaying dragons in Bellion, have you not? Yet ten remain still, so it seems they wish to come and discuss their concern on that matter.”
But the ministers’ reaction was the opposite.
“Your Majesty. That is merely the pretext, nothing more. You must not take it at face value.”
“Indeed, sire. How skillfully the Empire squeezes wealth from the kingdoms is common knowledge even to a three-year-old child.”
“Surely they mean to pressure us into raising our tribute, or to bind us in chains by one means or another.”
That was the image of the Empire.
Powerful, and every bit as hungry for dominion.
Standing in a high place meant treading on someone to get there.
And the kingdoms bore the full weight of that cost.
Adriel’s face grew clouded with worry.
“Though I cannot say what their true purpose is, since the Drake Family comes of their own accord, we must be prepared for all possibilities.”
“As you command, Your Majesty.”

* * *
Word of the envoy’s arrival reached Cain’s ears as well.
‘The Drake Family is coming? Why?’
He’d already heard the reason from sharp-eared Jake.
They were coming to discuss responses to the dragon attacks.
‘But that’s merely the surface story. The real reason must be something else.’
Would the patron of dragons truly step forward to actively defend against dragon attacks?
Perhaps to think of ways to minimize their own losses, but nothing more.
‘It seems they’re coming to plant a spy in Asel.’
Recently, three dragons had died.
Camiloas, Bellacors, Drakasion.
All of them were Adult-Class dragons or higher, so alarm was inevitable.
‘The Ragnar Family used to play that role, but now there’s no one to fill it…….’
They would certainly send someone suitable.
They might even try to join the Knights.
‘Who did they send?’
One thing was certain: it wasn’t Alton Drake.
The man already renowned as an 8th-tier Grand Sword Master wouldn’t have infiltrated the Knights as a spy.
‘They’ll send someone trustworthy enough, but not too suspicious.’
Cain decided to watch the situation unfold in silence.
To see what card they would play.

* * *
A week later, the envoy arrived.
A procession approached in the distance, kicking up clouds of dust.
At the head flew the Imperial standard and the Drake Family crest side by side, followed by heavily armed escort knights and attendants.
It was a confident procession befitting the Empire’s dignity.
As a member of the royal family, Cain stood before the palace to receive them, watching the procession approach.
But he couldn’t find Alton Drake among them.
Then who from the Drake Family had come?
Cain’s eyes, full of curiosity, suddenly sparked with recognition.
There was a familiar face somewhere among the envoys.
‘I know that face…… but who is it?’
Fortunately, Dmitri was standing beside him, so he could ask at once.
“Commander. Who is that man?”
“Which one are you referring to?”
“The green-haired young man over there.”
“Ah, him? That’s Lord Valenscius Drake. He’s the eldest son of Duke Alton Drake.”
‘Valenscius…… Drake?’
Cain’s eyes narrowed.
The eldest son of the Drake Family—second only to the Emperor in power across the Empire.
The man who had driven a blade through his back before the Regression.

* * *
Valenscius Drake wore a tense expression throughout the journey to Asel.
‘Father has finally given me a real mission. I must succeed.’
Valenscius was no stranger to the fact that his family served a Dragon.
He’d heard it hammered into his ears since childhood.
That Dragons were beings to be revered and would prevent the end of mankind.
Though the world saw Dragons as objects of terror, what could be done when such was the family law?
Thus he harbored no aversion to Dragons.
He’d accepted the order his father had given him not long ago, after all.
―My son. I have a task for you.
―Yes, Father?
―Go at once to the Asel Knights.
―But why Asel……?
―You’ve heard, haven’t you? That Bellion and Asel jointly launched an extermination campaign against a Black Dragon.
―Yes, I heard. I also heard they killed an Adult-Class dragon…….
―Dragons are beings who protect us. We cannot allow profane hands to strike at Dragons any longer.
Valenscius nodded as if in agreement, but the words that followed froze his expression.
―That is why you must go. As a spy within the Asel Kingdom.
―As a…… spy?
―Go to Asel under the guise of discussing Dragon extermination countermeasures. Establish yourself within the Asel Knights.
―…….
―A son who failed to inherit the talent of his father—an 8th-tier Grand Sword Master—seeking instruction at the Knights is justification enough. They will accept it, thinking the family is grasping at straws. The pretext is sufficient.
―…….
―It is not a difficult task. You need only do this for a few months until we find a replacement.
His father was right—it wasn’t difficult.
But Valenscius’s heart felt heavy.
More so than simply changing his Swordsmanship instructor.
―Are you…… sending me away, Father?
―What do you mean?
―Are you ashamed of a son who hasn’t awakened his Aura, and that’s why you’re abandoning me in Asel?
―What are you saying!
Anguish erupted from the Crystal Orb.
―Do you not know how much your father has toiled for you behind the scenes? Abandoning you? I am trying to give you something to do, and this is how you receive it?
―I apologize. I spoke out of turn.
―Listen. Sending you is the only way to extract current intelligence on the Asel Knights. I’ve entrusted you with a grave duty to protect the Family’s dragon. Who would think I’m demoting you?
―I’m ashamed to show my face.
―For now, do as you’re told. There’s no other way.
―I understand. I won’t fail you.
Valenscius, finished with his deliberation, lifted his head.
His eyes had taken on the gleam of a warrior bearing a weighty charge.
‘But who is this man, staring at me like that?’
As Valenscius was thinking this, watching Cain—
Cain was still reeling from shock.
‘Valenscius… existed a thousand years ago…’

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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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