The Dragon Slayer Who Regressed After 1,000 Years - Chapter 71

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

The Dragon Slayer Who Regressed After 1,000 Years — Episode 71
As Kasien Astron continued his research using the poison pouch, his thoughts kept drifting elsewhere.
To that mysterious man who had visited not long ago—the one who had brought him down.
‘Who in the world is he?’
He was a man who had reached the pinnacle of what humanity could achieve, even establishing a magic tower.
Yet he moved like an assassin, concealing his presence utterly, and in a heartbeat had pressed a blade to Kasien’s throat.
‘There was magical power there—not Aura, but actual mana. Seventh Circle, at that.’
With the Mana Amplification Necklace equipped, the man’s true level would be Sixth Circle, but even so, none of it made sense.
To fall to someone who had achieved the same heights as his disciple Erika Moren.
‘But the thing I can least understand is that I felt Ninth Circle power……’
Suddenly his mind grew turbulent.
This wasn’t the time for such distractions.
‘Could it be…… that man is a dragon?’
A being who had reached the apex of magic.
A being who transcended effortlessly beyond the realm humans could only barely touch after a lifetime of devotion.
If they possessed a technique like Polymorph, there was nothing strange about them enjoying themselves in human form.
‘He must have polymorphed into human form. Otherwise, how could he have obtained the Black Dragon Poison Pouch?’
Now the pieces seemed to fit together.
Yet one thing he said before leaving still eluded Kasien’s understanding.
‘He said Olberic’s subordinate was closer than expected.’
What could that mean?
Did it suggest there was a traitor nearby?
Or should he take it at face value?
As doubt consumed him—
“Master?”
Erika broke through his reverie.
“Why are you scattering the sample over there……?”
“Ah, I was lost in thought for a moment.”
Erika watched her master move the glass vial elsewhere, her eyes clouded with concern.
“Is it because of what happened then?”
……
“Don’t worry. No one saw it, and I’ve made sure to keep my silence, so it won’t harm your reputation……”
“It’s not my reputation I’m concerned about. It’s his final words—they won’t leave my mind.”
“Ah…… you mean about Olberic’s subordinate?”
Kasien nodded, and Erika’s expression grew dubious.
“You’re trusting the words of that unknown man? Perhaps you should simply let it go……”
“I can’t help but be bothered by it.”
Kasien gave Erika an instruction.
“Look into whether there are any traces of Olberic’s followers nearby—investigate whether any of them might be close at hand.”

* * *
After finishing his communication with his father, Casius encountered Leonius in the corridor.
“Ah, Second Commander.”
“Well met, young lord. How are you feeling? All well?”
“Y-yes.”
“Good to hear. I had news I meant to share with you as well.”
“What sort of news……?”
“About Lord Cain. He’s agreed to join this Scout Unit as well.”
It was only natural that Casius’s eyes widened.
A Scout Unit was composed entirely of Second Rank personnel.
Cain, who was only Third Rank, was joining it?
“That means…… you’re already promoting him to Second Rank?”
“Not quite. It’s conditional. If he distinguishes himself with the Scout Unit, then we’ll bring him into Second Rank. That was the promise made to him.”
……
Though advancement moved by merit—Third Rank, Second Rank, First Rank in order—Casius couldn’t help but feel a twinge of jealousy.
How many years had it taken him to reach this position?
It looked as though Cain would seize it in mere months.
Though it was, admittedly, still only conditional.
“Well, nothing’s been decided yet. I’m heading to the Commander now to report it.”
……
“For now, let’s proceed on that understanding.”
So Cain was joining the Scout Unit.
Casius turned back as well.
He would need to inform his father of this development.

* * *
Knock, knock.
“Commander, it’s me.”
“Come in.”
Yandre looked up from the documents he’d been studying intently.
“Leonius. What brings you here?”
“I have something to report.”
Leonius relayed to him exactly what he’d just told Casius.
Yandre’s brow furrowed immediately.
“What are you saying? You want to put Prince Cain in the Scout Unit?”
“That’s exactly what I’m saying.”
“Are you forgetting what he did during the last subjugation?”
He knew it well enough.
Cain had panicked at the sight of an ogre and retreated, only to appear later.
But Leonius wasn’t speaking without grounds.
“Did you hear that Prince Casius and Prince Cain had a sparring match?”
“What? The two of them sparred?”
“You hadn’t heard. I happened to be there and witnessed it myself.”
“There’s no doubt Cain won. A Fourth Circle and a Seventh Circle — the gap is immense.”
“Yes. But during that match, Prince Cain displayed impossible skill. He fought blindfolded, unarmed, using only one arm — imposing handicaps on himself yet still overwhelmed his opponent. He was no coward who would flee from an ogre.”
“…….…”
“Would you consider giving him another chance?”
Yandre’s expression remained doubtful.
Leonius had considered mentioning that Cain might be an Eighth Circle, but decided against it.
After saying this much and still seeing that look, he couldn’t fathom what criticism would follow if he mentioned Eighth Circle.
“Commander, Prince Cain’s skill is genuine. You verified his Aura yourself, didn’t you?”
“I did. But there’s something suspicious about the whole thing.”
“You mean his disappearance during the subjugation?”
“Exactly. To be honest, I don’t fully believe the coward story either. It makes no sense for a Sword Master to fear an ogre.”
Yandre’s expression turned grave.
“He’s hiding something. I don’t know what it is.”
“Regardless, his skill is real, is it not?”
“True.”
“Then there’s no reason not to include him in the subjugation, is there?”
“…….…”
“You know as well as I do how dedicated I am to the Dragon Slayer mission, Commander.”
“…….…”
“For my sake, won’t you give Prince Cain another chance?”
Pressed this far, Yandre could no longer hold firm.
“Fine. I’ll trust him once more. But if this scouting mission yields no remarkable results, I’ll exclude him without hesitation.”
“That’s all I ask.”
Leonius believed.
That Cain had deliberately abstained from the Dragon Slayer campaign.
That he was an Eighth Circle concealing his true power.

* * *
Before the Regression, the Imperial Knight Order had been earnest about Dragon Slayer operations.
They assembled solid expeditions depending on the type of dragon they faced, and equipped themselves thoroughly with all manner of hunting gear.
Despite such dedication, results fell short of expectations — yet when it came to their obsession with dragons, none could match their zeal.
So it was no wonder that people seeking knowledge of dragons came to the Imperial Knight Order.
The man who led such an order was Leonius Valcan.
‘He was a commander then. Now he holds the rank of vice-commander.’
Cain knew why Leonius was so desperate.
‘His daughter was devoured by a dragon.’
There existed a dragon that preyed exclusively on children.
Leonius lost his six-year-old daughter.
Because of it, he’d separated from his wife and thrown himself into dragon hunting alone.
‘Strictly speaking, it’s a Blue Dragon.’
Cain knew the dragon’s true identity.
He even knew where it was now.
He’d squeezed the information out of Anaktrass not long ago.
‘Leonius is cut from the same cloth as me. I need to make him an ally.’
That’s why he intended to leak the information.
So Leonius could hunt down the Blue Dragon—his target for revenge.
To do that, joining the Scout Unit would’ve been necessary first, but there was no need to worry.
Leonius had come to him.
“I’ve received the captain’s permission, Prince Cain. You’re welcome to participate in the next dragon subjugation.”
“Thank you. Has the quarry been decided yet?”
Leonius’s lips curved upward with satisfaction at the word ‘quarry.’
Few people used such language when speaking of dragons.
“Not yet. We’ll need to scout first and gather intelligence.”
“I’ve heard rumors that a dragon has been sighted around Seren Lake.”
As Cain casually dropped the information, Leonius’s eyes gleamed.
“Where did you hear that?”
“At a tavern.”
Leonius’s expression dimmed.
“Hmm… the talk from those places is hard to trust, but if there’s even a shred of possibility, we should investigate.”
He seemed reluctant now, but later he would be grateful.
When he faced the man who killed his daughter.

* * *
Mages and Dark Mages share a common ground.
Both pursue magic as an academic discipline.
They were equal in their command of mana, but a crucial difference lay between them.
“Come here.”
“P-please, spare me. I beg you… I’m begging you… sobbing……”
Morality.
“Gagging……”
Blood-tinged breath rattled from the woman’s throat.
Olberic’s sixth apostle, Neckraud, muttered in irritation.
“All that whimpering and noise. Wouldn’t it be nice if you’d just die quietly?”
He wrenched the dagger from her throat, and blood gushed forth.
The slaves standing beside Neckraud widened their eyes and clamped their mouths shut.
“At least you lot have the sense to stay quiet.”
He murdered without hesitation, and Neckraud didn’t bat an eye.
They were merely raw materials he’d taken from a passing slave trader.
Materials for creating a Death Knight.
“This should suffice. Tee-hee.”
After collecting the blood from the corpse into a full vessel, he stacked the drained bodies to one side.
“Why are you staring like that? Now scram!”
A Dark Mage sees souls.
That’s why Neckraud was shouting at the wall.
Though to the watching slaves, it simply appeared strange.
“Next.”
“Aaaahhh!”
Neckraud extracted them one by one from the iron cage and ultimately slew every last slave.
Their blood filled multiple vessels.
“Preparations are complete. Now let’s begin. Tee-hee.”
Neckraud poured blood into the prepared grooves.
The blood following the grooves slowly traced out a Magic Circle, and meanwhile he began dismembering the corpses to gather the materials needed for the ritual.
“Just wait a moment, tee-hee. I’ll give you rebirth.”
Once he’d finished all his preparations, Neckraud arranged bones and flesh fragments across each Magic Circle.
In the center Magic Circle, he placed the corpse he’d received from Alton.
In the adjacent Magic Circle, he placed the corpse he’d exhumed from the Cemetery.
Dagger in hand, Neckraud drew it across his own wrist without hesitation.
Blood dripped steadily, seeping into each magic circle.
Leaning on the staff, he concentrated his mana.
A shrill wind rose.
The magic circles responded to the surging force.
Beads of sweat formed on Neckraud’s brow.
The failure rate was sixty percent.
Tension etched itself across his face—and rightfully so.
“Haaah!”
As he poured the last of his mana forth, something extraordinary occurred.
Flesh and bone rose into the air, then began to knit themselves onto the corpses.
Ragged and patched though they were, they took on human form.
“Kekeke! I’ve done it! Both of them!”
The corpses that had lain moments before now stood upright upon the magic circles.
More than that—they turned their heads and moved their limbs, bearing all the semblance of living things.
Neckraud’s eyes gleamed with anticipation as he spoke.
“Your name! What is your name?”
“Walter… Walter….”
The lean Death Knight’s name was Walter.
That he remembered his life before death suggested the resurrection rite had succeeded.
He turned now to the muscular Death Knight and asked the same.
He needed to confirm whether the memory of his former life remained intact.
“And you—what is your name?”
“Grock… cus….”
“Grockus! Kekeke, an excellent name indeed!”
Both were satisfactory, yet what Neckraud anticipated most was still to come.
In life, he had been called a Dragon Slayer and was a master swordsman—Neckraud could hardly contain his curiosity about the true extent of such power.
“Welcome to this world, worms! From this moment forth, I am your master! Now that you see your master, shouldn’t you offer your respects?”
Yet.
“Cai….”
“…in.”
The Death Knights uttered only unintelligible syllables, offering no greeting.
What they had remembered, what stirred in their resurrection, Neckraud could not know.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————