The Dragon Slayer Who Regressed After 1,000 Years - Chapter 36

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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 One Thousand Years – Chapter 36
“Brother!”
―Ah, so it’s Cassius.
Cassius shouted at the crystal orb without his father’s permission, then double-checked.
“Is what you just said true? You’ve awakened your Aura?”
―It’s the truth. I’m now a proper Aura Knight, you know! Haha!
The elated voice he’d never heard from his brother before sounded anything but false.
It sounded so genuine that it only deepened his confusion.
The achievement he’d reached after so many years came far too suddenly.
―Aren’t you going to congratulate me?
“Huh? Y-yes, yes, c-congratulations, brother.”
“Move aside, Cassius. Valencisius, did you truly awaken?”
―Of course. Why would I lie about such a thing?
“How did you manage it?”
―I told you before, didn’t I? My Mana Circuits were tangled, which is why I couldn’t accumulate power until now. Now that my body is sound, awakening is hardly strange.
“Even so, isn’t it strange? If I recall, we last communicated a fortnight ago.”
―Ah, well, yes. My master even said I was faster than most.
…….
Faster than most was an understatement.
A task that should have taken a year had been compressed into a fortnight.
It was absolutely not a normal pace.
Either his son possessed extraordinary talent, his body was born with a perfectly balanced constitution, his teacher had innate gifts for instruction, or some combination of the three.
“I won’t believe it without seeing it with my own eyes. I’ll make my way there soon.”
―You’re coming? To the Royal Palace?
“Yes. We’ll talk later.”
Alton ended the communication with those words.
He would need to visit Asel to confirm his son’s achievements.
‘And I should meet this Cain fellow as well.’
A face-to-face meeting would tell him whether the man was a charlatan or genuine.

* * *
“What did he say, Your Majesty?”
“The Drake Family will be calling on us soon, it seems.”
The name Drake carried immense influence throughout the Empire.
Even the ministers who moved the nation were made to feel uneasy by it.
But Adriel waved away any concern with a dismissive hand.
“He comes merely to verify his son’s accomplishments, so there’s little reason to be anxious.”
Word had already spread through Asel.
That the Drake Family’s eldest son, who had stagnated for years, had finally awakened to his Aura.
And those ministers present knew full well who deserved the credit.
“If that is the case, it’s not an unwelcome visit.”
“The Prince has accomplished something remarkable.”
“It seems he did not reach Sword Master at such a young age for nothing. His gift for teaching is equally exceptional.”
“Thanks to the Prince, Asel’s standing will rise even higher. Haha!”
Watching his ministers heap praise without restraint, Adriel could not hide his satisfied smile.
‘Yes. Our nephew has a remarkable quality about him.’
The tale of a twenty-year-old Sword Master’s birth had spread through the palace so thoroughly that few remained ignorant of it.
From the moment he asked to participate in the dragon subjugation, he’d seemed no ordinary prospect, but he never imagined the boy would reach Sword Master.
‘My nephew is a genius of the blade. At this rate, Alton Drake will surely try to recruit him for the Imperial Order of Knights.’
He was coming to verify the truth out of disbelief, but facts were facts—they would be confirmed in time regardless.
The true problem lay ahead.
‘If… my nephew were to join the Imperial Order of Knights…’
What would he do then, as king?
Could he prevent such military strength from slipping away?
A deep furrow etched itself across Adriel’s brow.

* * *
Alton’s procession set the Royal Palace ablaze with activity.
The surface reason was an inspection, but since he revealed nothing of his true purpose, rumors scattered in every direction.
Yet Alton himself remained composed.
He sat in the moving carriage with his eyes closed, lost in thought.
‘Valencisius awakened his Aura? I won’t believe it until I see it with my own eyes.’
Rumors of his awakening had already spread through the palace, but Alton refused to accept them hastily.
“We’ve arrived, Duke.”
Alton descended from the carriage and made his way toward where the crowd had gathered.
The fact that King Adriel had come to greet him personally was unprecedented.
“Thank you for the arduous journey, Sir Knight of the Drake Family.”
“I pay my respects to the King of Asel.”
Normally he would have knelt, but he was the Empire’s second-most powerful man.
A simple bow sufficed.
It was enough to show his courtesy.
Adriel, understanding the Empire’s standing, made no issue of it.
“You must be famished—come inside. We’ve prepared a banquet.”
“I am grateful, Your Majesty.”
As Alton followed the king, his sharp eyes swept across the assembled company.
He found the person he sought.
‘Valencisius.’
His son, the spy he’d dispatched, was smiling as he looked Alton’s way.
Something flickered in Alton’s analytical gaze the moment their eyes met.
‘So the boy truly did awaken his Aura.’
A distinct First-Rank Aura emanating from his chest.
Everyone else possessed it, but his son had not—until now. Alton could sense it clearly.
Alton turned his gaze away, suppressing the rush of emotion.
A conversation with his son would have to wait.

* * *
“Father!”
As Alton emerged from the banquet hall, Valencisius greeted him warmly.
Being called “father” in front of others did not sit well with Alton.
“Don’t call me that in public.”
“Ah, my apologies.”
“We’ll discuss the details once we’re alone.”
“I’ll show you the way.”
The two made their way to Valencisius’s quarters.
“Is this where you’re staying?”
Alton surveyed his son’s temporary residence, then looked back at him.
He wasn’t merely looking—he was sensing the flow of Mana, assessing his son’s physical condition.
“I glimpsed it earlier, but you really have awakened your Aura.”
“Yes. Do you believe me now?”
“Not yet. I need to examine you more closely. Sit down.”
Alton placed his son on the bed and gently grasped his wrist.
He sent Mana flowing through, closed his eyes, and concentrated.
After examining his son’s condition, Alton’s eyes opened.
“…That’s impossible.”
“You do sense that I’ve awakened my Aura, don’t you?”
“That’s not what I’m talking about.”
Alton’s pupils trembled slightly.
“It’s remarkable enough that your Mana Circuit has stabilized, but every channel is positioned perfectly.”
“Positioned perfectly?”
“It means your circuits have been restructured along pathways that more readily accept Mana.”
This was something even a Grand Sword Master couldn’t accomplish.
Alton swallowed the words he’d been about to say.
‘Even having confirmed it myself, it’s hard to believe. They really did repair the Mana Circuit.’
Who knew it was actually possible to fix a tangled circuit?
Concealing his bewilderment, Alton regarded his son with his characteristically impassive gaze.
“The circuit was repaired two weeks ago?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“What training did you undergo?”
“I’m sorry?”
“What did you do to awaken your Aura in a mere two weeks?”
“Ah…… that, well.”
Valencisius recounted the training process exactly as it had happened.
It was then that astonishment flickered across Alton’s eyes once more.
‘Good grief. This is absurd.’
Entering the Beast Forest was outlandish enough, but training using the tentacles of a beast called Tendral?
Absurd as it was, the account itself wasn’t impossible.
‘When you think about it, the Beast Forest has an exceptionally dense concentration of Mana. There’s no better environment for awakening.’
Yet no one else would ever dream of bringing a student there.
That was precisely what set Cain apart.
“Where is your master?”
“Shall I bring him?”
At Alton’s nod, Valencisius left the room.
The person he returned with was a young man with an boyish face.
‘So he really is the same age as Cassius……’
But what of his achievements?
Alton forgot courtesy entirely, examining the young man’s frame with a piercing gaze.
He felt a vigorous seventh-stage Aura pulsing from the heart.
“……So it’s true.”
“Did you say something?”
“Ah, forgive my rudeness. I am Alton Drake.”
“Cain Asel.”
Cain grasped the hand Alton offered.
He showed not the slightest unease before an eighth-stage Grand Sword Master.
“Is something the matter……?”
“Not at all. I heard there was a master who awakened my son, and I wanted to meet him. Would you mind a brief conversation?”
“Of course.”
Cain sat in the chair, and Alton observed him from start to finish.
‘A Sword Master at seventh stage, so young…… If he hasn’t falsified his age, this is a realm that shouldn’t exist.’
Brief though their exchange had been, his first impression was favorable.
The swordmasters he’d encountered before only spouted honeyed words and made excuses about producing results—nothing like this.
He spoke little, but his posture was upright and his eyes alert.
Yet he showed no sign of tension.
His shoulders rested naturally, and his breathing was even—proof of that.
“First, allow me to express my gratitude. My son told me you fixed his Mana Circuit.”
“Yes. It was terribly tangled.”
“How on earth were you able to repair it? Any external force applied to a Mana Circuit will sever it.”
“I administered a special medicine and proceeded from there. With that medicine, the circuit becomes temporarily reinforced. He endured it well—otherwise, I wouldn’t have succeeded.”
His voice held no tremor.
There was strength in his bearing, and confidence evident in his words.
Alton found himself increasingly impressed by the man before him.
“Remarkable. So young, and already a Sword Master. Who taught you the blade?”
“I have no master.”
“What do you mean by that……?”
“I taught myself.”
He had learned it alone, without any instruction?
His Aura awakening as well as his Swordsmanship?
It was infuriating to contemplate—and yet his eyes betrayed no pretense.
‘It seems to be true. That would explain how he reached Sword Master at this age.’
A true genius cannot be understood through the lens of ordinary comprehension.
Cain, in particular, was a prodigy among prodigies—and this realization brought clarity.
“Valencisius is fortunate indeed to have such a master……”
Suddenly, Alton’s eyebrow twitched.
‘This…… this presence……?’
That presence.
The Dragon of Time whom he served.
That presence emanated from none other than Cain.
Alton’s heart began to race wildly.
Cain regarded Alton, who stared at him with piercing intensity, with a puzzled expression.
Of course, it was an act.
‘He sensed it. The Dragon’s presence.’
Cain had been completely blocking his presence with the Seer’s Bracelet he’d obtained from the temple recently.
He revealed only his Aura at seven stars, while hiding all his Circles and the Seer’s imprints.
He’d even instructed the spiritualized Beratus to conceal his power as much as possible, lest it be detected.
But moments ago, he had opened that presence.
The head of a Dragon-Serving Family couldn’t help but react to dragon power.
‘I need to make Alton interested in me. Only then can I enter the Empire.’
It was unavoidable.
Alton had been ready to dismiss him after only a few questions.
This meeting was a test of sorts.
To pass it, he needed something more convincing.
Cain gathered his power back in.
Alton’s eyes changed at once.
Now Alton would not let him go easily.
Cain, wearing a cunning smile, opened his mouth.
“Why do you ask, sir?”

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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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