The Dragon Slayer Who Regressed After 1,000 Years - Chapter 67

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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 67
Three corpses lay in Diolamir’s Lair.
One was Diolamir himself, the lair’s master.
Another was Morphenion of the Purple Clan.
And last was Nerkasion of the Black Clan.
It was rare to find three dragons gathered in one place.
Rarer still as corpses.
“…This is a mess.”
“Tell me about it. Never thought something like this would happen….”
“Let’s report it first.”
While one of them pulled out a Crystal Ball to contact Alton, the other examined the dragon’s corpse closely.
“Insane… all three have their chests torn open.”
The Dragon Hearts themselves had vanished as well.
It was unmistakably the work of the legendary Dragon Slayer.
“How strong can one person be? Taking on three dragons….”
What, was this man some kind of Sword Saint?
No—even a Sword Saint couldn’t manage this.
Those who mastered the blade were vulnerable to magic, after all.
“Yes, we’re looking at them now. Three dragons total. Two Black Dragons and one Purple Dragon.”
They could hear Alton’s voice coming through the Crystal Ball.
Meanwhile, the subordinate surveyed the surroundings for any other clues.
“Hey, over here! The iron bars are smashed!”
“Ah, we’ve found traces of the slaves escaping. It looks like they all got out—wait!”
At the rustling sound, Alton’s subordinate jumped back.
Someone was sitting alone in the corner of the cave.
“W-who are you?”
“A slave?”
Perhaps one of the slaves who hadn’t managed to escape?
As they drew closer cautiously, they could not hide their shock.
“Duke Antonio?”
“We’ve just found Duke Lorenzo Antonio. What do we do?”
“There’s something else here too? A corpse! It’s a person!”
The body was crushed flat, trampled by dragons, but the face remained intact enough to recognize as human.
―Can you make out the face?
“Yes. But it’s a face I’ve never seen before.”
A crisp voice crackled through the Crystal Ball.
―Gather everything. Antonio as well as the dragon corpses.

* * *
Cain returned to the Imperial Knights Barracks.
Though no one knew he had been out at all.
Except for Valecius.
“M-Master?”
“You weren’t sleeping?”
“I couldn’t fall asleep. But more than that—who did you bring in? Don’t you know outsiders aren’t allowed in the barracks?”
“There was nowhere else to go.”
What Cain had brought with him was a girl no older than ten.
But Valecius noticed her ears and realized she was not human.
“An elf, aren’t you?”
“That’s right.”
“But her appearance… D-don’t tell me… you bought an elf slave….”
Valecius fell silent under the cold gleam in Cain’s eyes.
“I know how it looks, but that’s not what this is.”
“Then….”
“Found her in the forest on the way. Looks like she escaped after being sold as a slave.”
“I see….”
The lie came so naturally from Cain’s lips that Valecius never suspected a thing.
“Besides, this child has the same problem as you.”
“The same problem? What do you mean?”
“Her Mana Circuit is twisted.”
“……”
“Worse than that. That’s why she can’t come to her senses.”
Valecius’s expression hardened visibly.
He seemed troubled, watching a child in the same predicament as himself.
“I intend to treat her. That’s why I brought her here instead of an inn.”
“Ah… I understand.”
If the treatment would take time, lodgings where he could watch over her closely would be better than an inn.
And supplies would be easier to procure here.
“Do you remember the materials I mentioned before?”
“Yes, of course.”
“I need you to gather those again. And…”
Cain wrote something and handed over a slip of paper.
“Prepare these items as well.”
“What are these…?”
“Food that elves eat.”
“Understood. Leave it to me.”
Was it because they shared the same circumstances?
Valecius seemed motivated.
As he turned to leave, Cain stopped him.
“No one must know that you’ve brought the child here. Do you understand?”
“Of course. I will tell no one, I swear it.”
The earring confirmed the truth of his words.
Sincerity could be read in the eyes alone, though.

* * *
Cain had been occupied with busy days of late.
When the sun rose, he participated in regular training as an Imperial Knight, and when it set, he returned to his quarters to care for the elf girl.
‘Her Mana Circuit is badly damaged.’
Malnourished as well, she had been unconscious for days.
To look at her, one might think she was dead, but since she was still breathing, there was nothing to worry about.
‘Once I repair the circuit and provide proper nutrition, she’ll recover.’
It would simply take considerable time.
‘What the hell am I doing?’
The thought would strike him suddenly, yet his hands continued their work—measuring the girl’s pulse, mending the broken pathways.
Valecius didn’t understand why his master was so absorbed.
In truth, Cain himself couldn’t explain it.
She was a complete stranger, after all.
‘Progress is showing… but I can’t keep her like this. It’s only a matter of time before she’s discovered.’
The urge to leave her abandoned in the mountains came to him.
Or perhaps to venture to the Elf Village and drop her off there.
But he quickly reconsidered.
‘Since I’ve come this far… I should see it through to the end.’
Finding the reclusive Elf Village was no easy task.
“Phew… it’s done.”
At those words, Valecius started and hurried over.
“Truly? How is she? What’s her condition?”
“I’ve restored all the twisted circuits to normal. I’ve provided nutrition as well—she should wake soon.”
“Wonderful! What a relief that is!”
Valecius beamed as though it were his own success.
Though the Spirit of the Earth was even more delighted.
[Thank you… truly…!]
A stone the size of a fist bounced erratically before his eyes, yet Valecius noticed nothing.
Spirits could only be perceived by those with affinity for them.
‘Now it’s all finished.’
Cain wore the expression of someone who’d solved a troublesome problem.
Once she woke, he would send her on her way to find her own path.
Moments later.
“Mmm…”
“Oh…! Her eyes opened!”
“Don’t make a fuss. And keep your voice down.”
“Yes….”
She opened her eyes slowly, as though waking from a deep sleep, and gazed around the room with wide, curious eyes.
Then their eyes met.
Before wariness could flicker across the girl’s face, Cain spoke first.
“I found you abandoned in the forest. I’m your savior.”
Never mind that she’d actually been sold to a slave trader—the lie served well enough.
“What’s your name?”
The girl only blinked.
“I asked what your name is.”
“Uh… um….”
No words came. The girl’s mouth fell open in confusion.
Cain’s eyes narrowed.
‘What’s going on here?’
That was when the Spirit of the Earth reached out with its voice.
[Li…a.]
So that was the girl’s name.

* * *
He walked down a dark corridor.
The dank moisture of the Underground Dungeon hung thick in the air, reeking of decay.
His footsteps halted before an iron gate.
It was little more than a cage for animals, but inside stood a man with vacant, glassy eyes.
Lorenzo Antonio.
“How did you end up like this?”
Alton muttered the words, though his true interest lay elsewhere.
“Tell me. What happened in that Lair? What have you done since Ignition captured you?”
But Lorenzo only chanted incomprehensible words, over and over.
“My… my memories… they’re not real… the truth is somewhere else….”
Clearly, the man’s mind was shattered.
A sigh escaped Alton’s lips.
‘Infuriating. It’s been days like this….’
Finding Lorenzo in Diolamir’s Lair had been a major discovery.
The most reliable lead on the Dragon Slayer’s true identity.
‘He surely witnessed it. But he won’t say a damn thing….’
He’d tried beatings, intimidation, threats—all futile.
Lorenzo’s mind had already fractured beyond repair.
There would be no clues from him now.
All Alton could do was come each day and wait for some fragment of meaning to slip through the man’s incoherent muttering.
“Snap out of it, Lorenzo. You must have seen who killed the dragon.”
“Ah… fragments… scattered….”
“Who is it? The Dragon Slayer who takes the heart?”
“Light… too bright….”
“Damn it.”
Another dead end.
Here in this dark dungeon, the man spouted nonsense about blinding light.
‘Who in the hell is this Dragon Slayer?’
Rumors had circulated that Grokcus Almon had slain the Silver Dragon during this Subjugation.
They’d elevated him to imperial hero and held a grand funeral, but Alton only scoffed.
A mere 7-star Sword Master could never single-handedly slay a dragon.
‘The real master is the one who killed three dragons and took their hearts.’
Likely someone with a deep grudge against dragons.
The hearts were war trophies, no doubt.
‘Did they lose someone precious to a dragon…?’
But no matter how much he speculated, there were no leads.
He could only assume the killer was at least an 8-star level warrior.
‘If Lorenzo would just speak, everything would fall into place….’
For some reason, the man remained utterly unresponsive.
When Alton had pressed Ignition for answers, the response had been cold.
―A useless human. I thought there might be some value in him, so I applied Mind Control. Apparently, to no avail.
―Is there no way to discern what occurred?
“How should I know? Isn’t it proof enough that the man’s mind was weak?”
“Then what of this one…?”
“Kill him or spare him—do as you see fit. The true murderer of my child, I’ll hunt down myself.”
The communication cut off there.
The moment he ceased to be useful, he was discarded without mercy. How very dragonlike.
‘There’s no helping it. I’ll keep him around until Lorenzo recovers his memories.’
With nothing accomplished today, Alton left the prison and headed elsewhere.
Deep underground, to the Mortuary.
There lay a single corpse.
Another man who had been with Antonio.
His form was crushed beyond recognition, but his face remained intact enough to identify.
‘Walter Ragnar. What was he doing here…?’
The Ragnar Family was already ruined.
The father had been displayed as a corpse long ago, and the younger brother, Servan, lived on as a cripple, or so he’d heard.
Either way, they held no interest for Alton.
They were worthless to him now.
‘Why were you in Diolamir’s Lair?’
If he’d been there during the dragon’s slaughter, he would have witnessed the massacre himself—seen who wrought it.
Fortunately, there was a way to find out.
He’d already summoned the man.
‘Entangling myself with them leaves a bad taste, but… I have no choice. It’s the only way to learn the truth.’
He would arrive soon.
Right on cue, the Crystal Ball flared with light.
“A visitor has arrived, sir.”
“Understood. I’m coming now.”
At his subordinate’s report, Alton went outside the Mansion to greet him.
To meet the Disciple of Olberic, the Death Sorcerer.

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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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