The Dragon Slayer Who Regressed After 1,000 Years - Chapter 69

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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 Regression — Episode 069
‘What’s his angle?’
Cain found himself wondering what Cassius was truly after.
Fortunately, he had a means of seeing through deception.
“You’re a 4-star, aren’t you, Cassius?”
“Yes. Though I cannot compare myself to you, I’d very much like to receive some instruction from you. Haha….”
The laughter seemed natural enough, but the Seer’s mark etched upon Cain’s ear continued its warning.
A lie.
Instruction was merely an excuse.
‘So there’s a real purpose behind this….’
Why was he so eager to spar with him?
Cain decided to probe deeper.
“Did Alton put you up to this?”
“……!”
Cain caught it.
Just for a moment—the flash of confusion in his eyes.
“Suddenly… I’m not sure what you mean…?”
“You know I’m a 7-star Sword Master, yet you’re asking for a sparring match anyway. It seems to me there’s another reason. Perhaps Alton suggested we should cross swords and become better acquainted?”
“Ah… haha… you’ve struck right at the heart of it.”
His sheepish smile looked like a man caught in his own deception, but to Cain’s eye it read differently.
‘It’s a lie. The reason about becoming closer isn’t true at all.’
But when Cain had asked whether Alton had ordered him, he’d detected truth in the response.
Which meant…
‘He was given orders. By Alton.’
It appeared Cassius had been commanded to approach him.
‘So like Valentius, Cassius is also playing the spy for Alton.’
The difference was that Valentius had a careless, emotional side, whereas Cassius gave the impression of being meticulously careful.
‘I’ll need to probe further. Go on more hunts together, try to gauge his beliefs about dragons.’
Yet he doubted there would be more hunts available to him.
Yandre wouldn’t have much use for him now.
Not after he’d slipped away during the ogre hunt and earned himself a reputation as a coward.
He’d offered a reasonable excuse when summoned to the captain’s office, though the man’s expression had been far from pleased.
‘Hmm… in that case….’
An idea suddenly took shape—a clever way to turn this moment to his advantage.
Cain smiled and accepted.
“Very well. I’ll take you up on your sparring match.”
“Is that so? Shall we begin right away…?”
“No. I should warm up first. Shall we start in an hour?”
“Ah… yes, perhaps that would be best.”
“Then I’ll see you shortly.”
Cain said what he needed to say and left the Training Ground.

* * *
In the Imperial Knights, aside from Captain Yandre, there were four Sword Masters.
First Captain Asilop Gargon.
First Vice-Captain Ebolt Valet.
Second Captain Leonius Balkan.
Third Captain Grockus Almon.
When Grockus fell, it seemed their number would diminish, but a new recruit filled the vacant post.
Cain Asel, the new Third Captain.
Second Captain Leonius had taken an interest in him.
Which was why he was now questioning the captain.
“Is it true? That he ran?”
“So it seems. He was nowhere to be seen during the ogre hunt, then turned up later in the Lair.”
“Surely not. A Sword Master wouldn’t fear an ogre.”
“But it was a Rage Ogre. Against an ordinary ogre, perhaps some hesitation could be excused.”
“Even so, to actually flee….”
“Consider his position. He’s a Dragon Slayer who arrived as a 7-star—think of the pressure that carries. He needs to prove himself somehow, and facing an unknown monster risks failure, so he simply abandoned his post to avoid that risk.”
Even so, Leonius found it difficult to imagine.
A man who’d slain a dragon—would he truly fear such a creature as an ogre?
“Could it be… that catching the dragon wasn’t a matter of skill at all…….”
Yandre nodded slowly.
“I was thinking the same thing. Fortune must have played a large part.”
Given their massive bodies and long lifespans, dragons enter remarkably prolonged sleep cycles.
Once they drift off, they don’t wake for decades on end.
In compensation, they prepare thoroughly against intruders breaching the Lair.
“But what if, during all that time, countless challengers had already opened a path, and Prince Cain simply stumbled upon it by chance and took the final bow?”
“Then he could have slain the dragon after all.”
“Exactly.”
“Then the Three Commanders of Almon as well…?”
“There’s a good chance of that too.”
The greater one’s hopes, the keener the sting of disappointment.
“Did you ask him directly, sir?”
“I did. He offered a plausible excuse. But his expression betrayed him entirely.”
“So he’s not worth the effort, then. I was curious whether he could bolster our knights’ fighting strength…… It’s a shame I was tied up with other assignments at the time.”
“Yes. I know how passionately you throw yourself into Monster Hunting, but it’s best not to get your hopes up about this one.”
Leonius nodded and rose from his seat.
“I’ll take my leave now, sir. It’s time for the afternoon training session.”
“Very well. Work hard out there.”
Leonius’s footsteps down the corridor toward the Training Ground felt unusually heavy.
The commander’s words had stirred something within him.
‘Damn it… damn it…….’
A memory he’d wanted to forget resurfaced, sending ripples through his composure.
The face of his daughter, devoured by the dragon.
Unable to conduct training with such turmoil in his heart, he paused and drew a long breath.
“Hah… Remembering only brings pain……. I must focus on Monster Hunting now.”
He muttered this to himself and resumed walking.
Upon arriving at the Training Ground, he found the soldiers gathered there.
Unlike their usual orderly formation, they were murmuring amongst themselves.
“Shouldn’t you be preparing for training? What are you all doing?”
“Ah… Second Commander, sir.”
“Oh, the Second Commander’s arrived.”
The soldiers scattered like children caught misbehaving.
And in doing so, revealed who had been standing among them.
Someone stood in the center.
‘Prince Cassius? But who is that beside him….’
What were the two of them doing with wooden swords?
As Leonius approached, Cassius acknowledged him first.
“Ah… Second Commander, sir.”
“Prince Cassius, what are you doing at the moment?”
“I… I was hoping to spar with Prince Cain here and seek his instruction…….”
Leonius’s gaze shifted to Cain.
‘So this was him. The legendary youngest Sword Master.’
He carried the aura one would expect from the rumors — a presence far beyond his years.
As a fellow Sword Master, Leonius could gauge an opponent’s caliber at a glance.
‘But the levels don’t match. What kind of duel is this?’
The gap between 7-star and 4-star was heaven and earth.
“Can you truly duel under such circumstances? There’s a significant difference in your levels.”
The answer came from Cain.
“Yes. That’s why I intend to impose restrictions on myself.”
Cain dropped the wooden sword in his hand to the ground.
Then he withdrew a cloth blindfold from his pocket and tied it tightly over his eyes.
“I’ll fight without a weapon. And without my sight.”
“What?”
Cassius’s expression showed surprise — it seemed this hadn’t been agreed upon beforehand.
“Are you truly certain about this?”
“Yes. And there’s one more thing.”
Cain placed one hand against his waist.
“I’ll use only one arm.”
“…….”
“And if you land even a single strike on me, then that’s your victory.”
His weapon, his sight, even one hand.
Cassius’s expression twisted.
His pride had been wounded.
No matter the difference in rank, he too was a swordsman who had trained with the blade.
For his age, he’d even been called a prodigy.
Cassius, making an effort to compose himself, smiled thinly.
“If you’re showing such consideration, I find myself determined to win.”
Cassius repositioned his sword and stepped forward.
“Then shall we begin?”
The match commenced under the watch of countless members and Leonius.
Aura was permitted, but lethal force was forbidden.
“Hah!”
Cassius charged first.
He gathered his aura throughout his body into his feet, then pushed off with a shout.
The wooden sword infused with aura rushed toward Cain’s ribs.
The attack missed by a hair’s breadth.
Immediately, the wooden sword curved like a serpent and slashed at Cain diagonally.
Again, the blow merely grazed his hair as it passed.
‘Tch!’
Frustrated though he was, Cassius did not give up.
He deployed his aura with precision, swelling his muscles.
He unleashed a barrage of strikes with explosive force.
Tap-tap-tap-tap-tap-tap!
Yet somehow, with his eyes blindfolded, Cain dodged beautifully.
What was remarkable was how he evaded—as if barely escaping each time.
Cassius could not help but grow increasingly anxious.
‘Why won’t any land? Just one hit—that’s all I need!’
The spectators watched in admiration as Cain swiftly evaded.
Leonius was among them.
‘Hmm… Better than I expected.’
Of course, given the difference in aura, evasion alone wouldn’t be this fluid.
Especially—Cain was clearly holding back.
‘He’s deliberately keeping just barely out of reach, making the distance tight.’
A tactic to provoke the opponent’s impatience and break their balance.
There was a cunning that belied his years.
‘Cassius won’t have an easy time winning.’
Even among Sword Masters, skill varies vastly.
In Leonius’s assessment, Cain was no ordinary Sword Master.
If they were to face each other now, he couldn’t guarantee victory for either side.
At this level, he could easily suppress a Rage Ogre.
‘It seems Commander Yandre may have misjudged the situation.’
Cain was no coward.
Rather, he was a top-tier Sword Master concealing his true strength.
“Huff, huff…”
Cassius quickly exhausted himself from drawing on his aura too heavily.
Even to Leonius’s eye, his form was riddled with openings.
When Cain heard his ragged breathing, he spoke.
“With so many eyes watching, let’s finish this quickly.”
That was the moment.
A brilliant flash of light obscured the vision of all present.
When the light faded, Cassius lay sprawled on the ground.
“Huh?”
“It’s over?”
“What happened? Did you see it?”
“No.”
Everyone was bewildered, but Leonius’s expression hardened.
He had seen what Cain did.
‘In an instant, he drew up his aura and struck from behind. At an extraordinarily high level, too.’
The aura that exploded in a fraction of a second erupted as a flash of light.
The problem was that the power he’d summoned in that instant had reached 8-star level.
‘I’ve sparred with the Commander before. I know what 8-star is capable of.’
But a 7-star Sword Master was wielding it?
It made no sense.
‘That man… he’s not just an ordinary Sword Master. He’s something more.’
The thought struck Leonius with the force of absurdity.
‘Could it be… a Grand Sword Master?’

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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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