The Dragon Slayer Who Regressed After 1,000 Years - Chapter 40

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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 Who Regressed After a Thousand Years — Episode 40
When I was young, my mother once said to me:
“Cain, this is a family heirloom your father left behind. Don’t you think the colors are beautiful?”
What she held out was a jewel box no larger than a palm.
Red and blue light alternated across its surface, gleaming brilliantly even to a child’s eyes.
She likely didn’t expect a child not yet past his first year to understand her words, yet I remember them still.
‘Mother loved Father. Otherwise, she would never have treasured an empty box so dearly.’
Then one day, that same mother sold the heirloom.
She bartered it to the Caravan Merchant Guild in exchange for bread.
‘I don’t know why. But…….’
It was not a simple box.
Concealed in the bottom of the jewel box was something Father had hidden away in secret.
In my past life, I found it only after losing everything else.
I wandered for decades before finally obtaining it, yet there was nothing left to recover.
‘This time, it’s not too late.’
To reclaim it, I left the palace.
Sitting alone in the carriage, turning over my options, I withdrew something from my pocket.
It was the Prophet’s Earring I had obtained from the Lair in Glasione.
Given the unique patterns carved into it, there was no doubt this was a Relic.
Only…
‘It shows no reaction whatsoever.’
Normally, merely touching a Relic would cause it to seep into the body and mark itself upon the skin like a tattoo.
But this earring was different.
I tried placing it against my ear, attempted every conceivable approach — nothing worked.
‘This has never happened before. Before the regression, I could accept Relics without any problem.’
Why was this happening?
As I sank deeper into contemplation, my eyes suddenly widened.
‘In my past life, I obtained three Relics. And now, I’ve also acquired three.’
Counting it up, this earring was the fourth Relic I’d ever obtained.
‘Could there be some restriction starting from the fourth one?’
In my past life, I had absorbed up to three Relics, but I’d never even attempted a fourth.
By then, they had all fallen into Arcadion’s hands.
‘There are fifteen Relics in total. Three cannot possibly be the limit.’
There had to be some condition I needed to fulfill in order to advance to the next stage.
Brooding wouldn’t yield answers.
I set aside my thoughts about the earring for now.
The carriage had arrived at our destination.
“Much obliged. I’ll walk from here.”
I nodded lightly to the coachman and made my way toward the commercial district.
The pretext of purchasing materials for medicinal preparations would shield me from suspicion.
The trading post of the Caravan Merchant Guild.
Its location remained vivid in my memory from my past life.
As I entered the establishment, a clerk greeted me with a smile.
“Welcome. How may I assist you?”
“I’ve come to see the Merchant Guild Master.”
“I’m afraid the master only meets with those who have made prior appointments.”
“I want to see him now.”
“Sir, that simply won’t be possible. If you could first arrange a schedule——”
Unwilling to hear another word, I climbed the stairs to the upper floor.
“Wait, sir!”
I threw open the largest and most imposing door I could find.
“Ah!”
“W-who in blazes——!”
Before me were the Merchant Guild Master hastily adjusting his clothes and a woman covering her nakedness.
I paid them no mind.
I fixed an unwavering gaze solely upon the bare-headed middle-aged man, comparing him against the figure in my memory.
‘It’s him. The Merchant Guild Master from back then.’
The face I had seen in the village when I was five years old.
He never returned after that, yet I remembered him perfectly.
“I have something to discuss with you. Clear this room.”
“You madman! What do you think you’re doing, crawling in here? What is the meaning of this!”
At the Merchant Guild Master’s roar, the sound of footsteps thundered from outside.
Half a dozen burly men rushed into the room and surrounded Cain.
Yet Cain showed no sign of fear.
‘Rabble.’
If he displayed an Aura Blade, they would scatter on their own—but men like these wouldn’t recognize it.
‘I need to show them something more obviously impressive.’
That was when the Merchant Guild Master issued his command.
“Seize that ruffian at once—!”
Whoosh!
Flames erupted from Cain’s shoulders.
A fifth-circle spell—Flame Burst.
The fire dancing in the empty air flickered with threatening intensity.
“A, a mage…”
“Ugh…!”
While not everyone knows swordcraft, there’s no one ignorant of magic.
Least of all men who’d never seen a mage in their lives.
The men hesitated, taking no step forward.
‘Effective.’
The spell’s effect was not limited to the men alone.
The Merchant Guild Master’s face drained of color; he hastily threw on his outer robe and slicked down his sparse hair with saliva.
“Everyone, stand back! This is an honored guest!”
A ruffian had become an honored guest in an instant.
The Merchant Guild Master approached with a deferential smile.
“Ah, ha ha… I’m terribly sorry for the inconvenience. I had no idea a mage from Esstar would visit so suddenly. You lot—why are you still here? Get out!”
The men filed out one by one.
Soon only the Merchant Guild Master and Cain remained in the room.
“Please, sit here.”
Though the Merchant Guild Master assumed Cain was a mage from Esstar, Cain made no effort to correct him.
For now, he wanted to hear what the man had to say.
“You could have sent word, at least. I never expected such a sudden visit.”
“I was passing through and thought of this place. Any objection?”
“No, of course not!”
As the Merchant Guild Master waved his hands in denial, Cain watched him calmly with folded arms.
Perhaps sensing the pressure in that gaze, the Merchant Guild Master volunteered his words.
“You’ve come about the order from before, haven’t you?”
Cain nodded slightly.
“We’ve been searching far and wide, but it’s such a rare item. It’s proving difficult.”
“Then there’s no reason for me to deal with you.”
As Cain rose to leave, the Merchant Guild Master hurriedly caught him, his expression flustered.
“No, no—I’m not saying we can’t find it. Please, sit, sit.”
Cain, feigning reluctance, settled back into his seat.
Of course, he still had no idea what this transaction concerned.
“If it’s truly difficult, tell me now. We need the item as soon as possible.”
“Yes, of course I understand.”
The Merchant Guild Master lowered his voice and leaned forward.
“A Black Dragon Venom Sac… it’s such a precious thing that we need to expand our search network. If you’ll just wait a bit longer, I promise to bring it to you.”
“Then I’ll wait.”
Cain spoke flatly, but inwardly he was amused.
‘The Magic Tower of Esstar requested a Black Dragon Venom Sac?’
Black dragons possess potent venom.
But since it can only be obtained by hunting a dragon, it’s extremely difficult to acquire.
And naturally, it’s dangerous to handle being a poison.
‘So they were already searching for venom sacs at this point in time?’
Cain knew exactly what that venom sac would be used for.
‘I can put that to use later.’
Now, perhaps it was time to broach the real matter.
Cain opened his mouth at a leisurely pace.
“Actually, that’s not why I came today.”
“Yes?”
“A decade or so ago, your merchant guild bought a jewel box from a village, didn’t it?”
The Merchant Guild Master’s expression hardened subtly.
“A jewel box, you say…… We handle so many kinds of goods that I’m not certain exactly when you’re referring to.”
“For just a few loaves of bread.”
……
The Merchant Guild Master’s pupils trembled.
It was a face that remembered buying something dirt-cheap.
“I’m afraid I don’t recall. How could I possibly remember every transaction from a decade past?”
“You don’t remember?”
Cain rose slowly from his seat.
Flames blossomed across his shoulders once more.
“I’ll ask you one more time, so think carefully. I don’t repeat myself three times.”
“H-hey……!”
The Merchant Guild Master threw his hands up.
“Wait, wait! Just a moment! I think…… I think I’m starting to remember!”
“Good. Take your time.”
Cain sat back down.
The Merchant Guild Master wiped cold sweat from his brow and began to speak haltingly.
“A jewel box…… A jewel box. That would be…… an item with a reddish and bluish glow, wouldn’t it?”
“That’s right.”
“Ah, yes, now I remember. But that left my hands long ago.”
“Where did it go?”
“Items adorned with expensive-looking gems are typically purchased by mages. So I…… sold it to someone in the Asel Kingdom.”
The Merchant Guild Master stole a quick glance at Cain.
“A mage should be able to trace it, I would think.”
“Do you think the Magic Tower handles only a handful of items? You think they have the leisure to track every jewel box that passes through their hands?”
“Ah, right, of course…!”
“Who exactly did you sell it to?”
“We have a fence in Esstar we do business with. I sold it to them!”
Cain’s eyes narrowed.
“Where is this fence located?”
“That place, well……”
The Merchant Guild Master hesitated before finally spilling the location.
‘Esstar.’
A city where those mad for magic gathered.
He could have gone alone, but Cain’s mind drifted to a familiar face.
‘Walter Ragnar.’
Thanks to the mana he’d planted in Bernatus, he could find that man anywhere.
‘I should bring him along.’
Cain accepted the letter of introduction the Merchant Guild Master offered and stood.
“Listen carefully. Don’t speak a word of this to anyone.”
“Of course not! Even with ten mouths, I wouldn’t breathe a word!”
As Cain left the merchant hall, his steps did not lead directly to Esstar.
There was someone he needed to pick up first.

* * *
At the same moment, in the Northern Mountain Range of the Asel Kingdom.
“Boss, another jackpot today!”
A subordinate grinned widely as he held out a pouch of gold coins.
Walter sat on a tree stump and took it from him.
‘Not bad.’
An Aura Blade master at the fifth tier running a bandit gang—anyone who heard it would laugh.
But Walter was content enough.
The income was decent, his men were obedient, and life didn’t get better than this.
“Boss! Someone’s approaching from down the road!”
Walter lifted his head.
A man in a worn coat appeared at the end of the mountain path.
He was trudging forward with his head bowed low.
“Should we take him?”
“Take him.”
Walter began counting the gold coins with studied indifference.
A vagrant wasn’t worth the boss’s personal attention.
Half a dozen subordinates rushed forward in a clamor.
And then.
Thud. Thud-thud. Thud.
Dull impacts rang out in quick succession.
Walter’s hand froze.
The direction of the sounds was wrong.
They weren’t the sounds of striking a vagrant.
They were the sounds of striking his men.
He turned his head, and all six subordinates lay scattered across the floor.
And there, in their midst, a man slowly lifted his head.
Walter’s eyes widened.
“C-Cain…?”
Cain smiled wickedly.
“Long time, Walter.”

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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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