The Dragon Slayer Who Regressed After 1,000 Years - Chapter 70

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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 Returned After a Thousand Years — Episode 70
As silence fell over the assembled crowd, Cain unwound the cloth that had covered his eyes.
The first thing he saw was Cassius, unconscious on the ground.
‘Why did he insist on sparring with me, anyway?’
He’d likely hoped to grow closer and extract information, but it was reckless to the point of folly.
With access to the full power of the 8th Tier—not just the 7th—there was no earthly chance he could have won.
‘Besides, blindfolding me is no handicap at all.’
He could read every incoming attack through nothing but the subtle vibrations of Aura alone.
Even with the restriction, this had been no contest of equals.
‘Still, he brought it on himself.’
Perhaps he’d been overly harsh on a mere 4th Tier, but there was reason for it.
He wanted to make a lasting impression on Leonius Balkan, the 2nd Division Commander.
He’d deliberately scheduled the match for now precisely to catch his attention.
Once he made that impression, he could rejoin the Dragon Slaying Corps.
‘Looks like it worked.’
Evidence lay in the unmistakable gleam in Leonius’s eyes.
The man was already approaching him.
“Are you the new recruit to the 3rd Division—Cain Asel?”
“That’s correct, sir.”
“A pleasure to meet you. I am Leonius Balkan, Commander of the 2nd Division.”
Cain grasped the hand being offered.
“A pleasure to meet you as well. I’m Cain Asel.”
Though it wasn’t truly their first meeting.
He’d encountered this man before the Regression.
‘Back then he was white-haired and elderly. Now he looks rather young by comparison.’
Though he’d passed into his middle years, to Cain—who had lived for a thousand years—he appeared almost boyish.
“You didn’t kill him, did you?”
“Of course not. He’s merely unconscious for a moment.”
“Come to my office. There’s something we should discuss privately.”
“My office, sir?”
“It’ll only take a moment.”
When Cain nodded, Leonius barked an order at his men.
“You two—escort Young Master Cassius to the Treatment Chamber at once. The rest of you, begin preparing for training drills!”
“Yes, sir!”
Leonius led Cain to his office.
“There’s something I wanted to—”
“Are you interested in transferring to the 2nd Division?”
“…!”
Cain’s eyes widened.
Not because he hadn’t anticipated this.
He was simply putting on a convincing display of shock.
A normal person would have reacted exactly this way.
Leonius let out a soft chuckle at his reaction.
“Surprised? I was too, frankly. The Captain told me you were a coward who fled in terror from that Ogre, so I harbored no expectations whatsoever. Yet what I just witnessed in that match was something entirely unexpected.”
Leonius leaned in, speaking in hushed, conspiratorial tones.
“You’re actually a Grand Sword Master, aren’t you?”
“Pardon? I don’t understand—”
“Right now you’re using Aura Control to masquerade as a Sword Master.”
“…”
This time his surprise was genuine, not feigned.
‘He’s completely misread this…’
The technique of channeling Aura to burst forth with sudden force was a skill honed over a thousand years.
He’d deployed it simply because he thought a harder impact might prevent Cassius from suffering a worse blow—
‘But he’s mistaken it for 8th Tier power.’
The instantaneous output had indeed reached that threshold, so the misunderstanding was perhaps inevitable.
“It’s fine. I didn’t call you here to pry into why you’re concealing your strength.”
“Then what is your purpose, sir?”
“As I said—I want to bring you into our 2nd Division. I’ll speak to the Captain and see it done.”
This was the moment Cain realized he needed to exercise caution.
“But wouldn’t it be impossible to transfer to the 2nd Division in less than a month?”
“There’s no fixed timeline. If you have the skill, anyone can climb higher.”
Though doubt flickered across his face, Cain knew the truth of it.
The Imperial Knight Order promoted soldiers based on merit and achievement.
‘And the 2nd Division commander just guaranteed it….’
Reaching the 2nd Division wouldn’t be difficult.
Neither would slaying the dragon.
“Very well. But if you accept me without cause, it will put you in a difficult position. So what I’m asking is….”
Cain broached his true purpose.
“I’d like you to place me in the Dragon Reconnaissance Squad.”
“The Reconnaissance Squad…?”
“I need to show results first, so that your honor is preserved. After that, I’ll accept your offer.”
Leonius Balkan’s eyes widened.
He’d expected the man to accept eagerly, but instead he spoke of entering only after achieving clear results.
Leonius Balkan nodded, his eyes crinkling with approval.
Cain was satisfied.
He’d gotten into the Reconnaissance Squad as he wanted.
Even if it was conditional.
‘This will let me speak further with Cassius.’
He’d secured more than just the reconnaissance assignment—he’d also gained a chance to peer into the Drake Family’s inner workings through Cassius.
And now Leonius Balkan’s attention as well.
A man who’d lost his daughter to a dragon wouldn’t refuse a strong ally.
“Agreed. I’ll make it so.”
With a satisfied chuckle, the conversation drew to a close.
Now it was time to begin the dragon hunt once more.

* * *
Dragons were independent creatures by nature, but that didn’t mean they lived without connection.
Like humans, they formed friendships with those who shared their ideals, tastes, and pride.
After eons spent together, such bonds ran deeper than many human friendships.
In this regard, the Purple Dragon Clan was peculiar.
A clan that grieved the death of a friend but remained unmoved by the death of family.
[Morphenion… dead…?]
Harpession, the ancient dragon of the Purple Dragon Clan, had felt the Link with his offspring severed moments before.
A dragon with thousands of years yet to live, suddenly dead?
It was uncommon, but Harpession felt no great shock.
Precisely because he felt no turbulence at all.
His heart was too occupied with the death of his dear friend Belacos.
[Belacos… Morphenion has followed you into darkness….]
A Purple Dragon grieving for one of the Black Dragon Clan—a rare sight indeed.
Any other clan would have dismissed such a death without a second glance.
It would have been something to mock endlessly, but such things hardly mattered now.
Harpession had already decided his purpose.
[Ignition… you will pay the price.]

* * *
The mood within the Imperial Knight Order felt unsettled.
Though the Silver Dragon subjugation was recorded as a success, it wasn’t the knight order that had slain the beast.
The former 3rd Division commander, Groccius Almon—once disciplined and cast out.
No one knew how he’d followed the slaying corps, or what drove him to face the dragon alone.
Only that he and the dragon had been found fallen together.
Which was why Groccius Almon’s funeral rites had been elaborate.
It was only proper to honor a Dragon Slayer.
No matter how he’d been disciplined and dismissed, his achievement of slaying a dragon didn’t vanish.
“Groccius. The villagers are grateful to you. Do you know that?”
Before the gravestone bearing his name, Yandre let out a long sigh.
Reckless though he’d been—squandering his days in drink and tormenting the recruits—he’d been a comrade nonetheless.
They’d walked a long road together.
He’d been subordinate, friend, and fellow soldier all at once.
“When we marched to slay the dragon, I’ll never know what drove you to follow us, nor how you managed to fell the beast. But I’m grateful. Thanks to you, the Imperial Knight Order has achieved something worthy.”
Yandre spoke in a hollow voice, his chest heavy with grief, then sighed once more.
No matter how many words are spent on it, the dead do not return to life.
“If only I’d been kinder to him while he lived… Sigh….”
Tears did not come.
Instead.
Splash―
Yandre poured the beer Groccius had favored in life onto the gravestone, then turned away without a word.
The night was deep.
No other visitors came.
In life, Groccius had neither family nor friends.
Perhaps that was why he drank alone like that.
Alcohol alone had been his companion.
But now even that was no longer possible.
Was that what grieved him?
A visitor arrived.
The intentions were far from honorable.
The gravestone was desecrated.
When morning came at last, the tomb lay empty.
The Empire was thrown into chaos.

* * *
Though day had broken, darkness dwelt in this place always.
Darkness was companion and purpose, the direction they pursued.
To reduce all things to nothingness—that was the essence of Black Magic.
Yet conversely, it could restore life as well.
Only ever with corrupted intent.
“Kekeke, how thrilling. I wonder just how strong they’ll become.”
Nekraud, Olberik’s sixth apostle, gazed upon two corpses laid to rest in the cave.
One was an unnamed 5-star knight obtained from Alton Drake.
The other was a 7-star Dragon Slayer he himself had unearthed from a grave.
Of the two, the latter was more promising, but either would serve.
Once made into Death Knights, both would be far more powerful than in life.
“Where shall we begin? Kekeke.”
A dark smile played across Nekraud’s lips.

* * *
“Ugh…….”
When Cassius regained consciousness, he realized he was lying in the Treatment Chamber.
He had no memory of how he’d arrived.
“Ah… I lost.”
The moment his vision flashed with light, the match was already over.
He asked his comrades exactly what had happened, but their answers were uniform.
“Well, sir… it all happened so fast.”
“You didn’t see how I was beaten?”
“No, sir. There was such a bright flash that we couldn’t quite….”
What was that light?
When he asked his father through the Crystal Ball, an unexpected answer came back.
―An Aura Burst.
“Pardon?”
―When Aura explodes instantaneously, it creates that kind of flash. But why do you ask?
“Well… that is…”
Cassius had no choice but to confess the match that had taken place not long before.
―So you sparred with Prince Cain to gather information?
“Yes…. But the moment that light flashed, it was all over.”
―Light, you say…. To do that, one would need to draw on a power one step higher….
For a moment, Alton’s voice through the Crystal Ball wavered slightly.
―Could it be… 8-star?
“Pardon?”
―No. That couldn’t be.
As Cassius tilted his head at his father’s murmur, a resolute voice emerged from the Crystal Ball.
―In any case, this is intriguing. Continue to observe him. Watch what he does. Since you’ve sparred with him, approaching him will be all the easier.
“Yes, Father.”
But Cassius did not know.
That there was no need to go to such lengths to make contact with Cain.
He would come looking for him first.

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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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