The Dragon Slayer Who Regressed After 1,000 Years - Chapter 72

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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 1000 Years — Episode 72
Leonius gathered the unit members and made the introductions.
“From today onward, Cain is temporarily assigned to the Reconnaissance Squad. He may advance to the Second Unit later, so everyone look after him well.”
“I’m Cain. I appreciate your cooperation.”
The Second Unit members greeted Cain, who had bowed with an impassive tone, with applause.
Yet they could not hide their lukewarm expressions.
“That’s the Cain we’ve heard about, right?”
“Yeah. The youngest Sword Master.”
“That rumor about him being a coward fits perfectly. When that Ogre showed up, he vanished somewhere and we didn’t see hide nor hair of him.”
“Shh. He’ll hear.”
Though they lowered their voices, the murmuring persisted even after the Second Unit leader had left.
Not that it mattered — someone with keen Aura Sense like Cain heard every word regardless.
‘They all disapprove of me.’
Their judgment meant nothing to him.
He only cared about accomplishing his objective.
Now that he’d joined the Reconnaissance Squad, he simply needed to build a record and contribute to the hunting efforts.
‘Once I do that, their opinion of me will change.’
Cain’s plan was to climb as high as possible within the Imperial Knight Order.
‘Captain. I need to go even higher than that.’
Once he had solidified his position and wielded influence the Empire could not ignore?
Even Alton would not be able to dismiss him outright.
‘When that time comes, he’ll make contact. He’ll extend a hand with temptation.’
Joining the Reconnaissance Squad was simply a stepping stone toward that end.
“Why are you all whispering like that?”
“Ah, Squad Leader.”
The Reconnaissance Squad members bowed their heads at Cassius’s appearance.
Though young, he was the second son of the Drake Family — the second-ranked house in the Empire’s hierarchy.
Having inherited his father’s genius for rapid growth, his privileged treatment was only natural.
Cassius’s gaze fell on Cain.
“Sir Cain.”
“Please, speak casually. I’m a squad member now, after all.”
“I couldn’t do that. Not when my brother calls you Master… Besides, strictly speaking, your position here is temporary.”
The last remark could have been uncomfortable for some, but Cain took it in stride.
It wasn’t untrue, after all.
“Ah, let me introduce our squad members. Everyone, come over here.”
At Cassius’s call, the members gathered.
“Here, starting from this side — Dremilae, Barik, and Arus. They’re the core members who handle reconnaissance missions with me.”
“Pleased to meet you.”
At Cain’s greeting, the squad members bowed their heads with visible awkwardness.
“If you have questions about anything, feel free to ask them.”
“Now that I think about it, everyone in the Reconnaissance Squad is Second Unit. Is there a reason for that?”
“Yes. Dragon reconnaissance is far more grueling than it sounds. During missions, you might encounter monsters or fall into traps. And you have to endure camping for days on end — if you assigned that to Third Unit recruits, they’d simply die. It’s not work just anyone can do.”
His tone carried unmistakable pride.
‘It must have taken him a long time to reach Second Unit.’
The elite First Unit was assigned to combat operations, while the more experienced Second Unit handled reconnaissance.
It was only natural that Third Unit was excluded from dragon subjugation efforts.
But Cain’s thinking diverged.
‘I need to expand the Reconnaissance Squad to include Third Unit as well. The more dragon locations we locate, the higher our success rate in subjugation becomes.’
Searching for a Lair across such a vast continent was like finding a needle in a desert.
To commit full forces to such a task seemed insufficient, yet they only deployed Second Unit for reconnaissance?
The organization desperately needed restructuring, but there was nothing he could do about it now.
His only option was to join as a squad member and contribute to dragon subjugation efforts in whatever way he could.
‘To do that, I need to understand Cassius first… this man…….’
Cain continued with a smile.
“How are you feeling? I was a bit concerned when you were knocked out cold in that one blow.”
“Ah… no, I’m fine.”
A crack appeared in Cassius’s expression, which had been wearing a hint of amusement.
“More importantly, Sir Cain. I heard you provided the Captain with information about the dragon. He mentioned investigating Seren Lake… is that correct?”
“Yes. That’s right.”
“How did you come by that information? Do you have a separate informant source or…….”
“I just happened to hear it at a tavern.”
“Heh.”
Laughter burst from the man beside him.
It was a squad member called Arus.
“Ah, my apologies.”
Cassius warned him with a look, though he seemed just as skeptical himself.
“Prince Cain. I’m sorry, but we can’t conduct a reconnaissance mission based on mere rumors. We need at least some solid evidence…….”
“You worship dragons, don’t you, Squad Leader?”
Cassius was taken aback by Cain’s blunt question.
“W-what…?!”
“Am I wrong?”
“What kind of nonsense is that? Worship dragons? That’s absurd, isn’t it?”
But Cain had seen through him.
Cassius was lying.
“Then why are you blocking the reconnaissance? It’s already been settled with the Vice-Commander.”
“Ah…….”
“Have you calculated how many will die while we’re gathering ‘solid evidence’? What will the dragon be doing to our people in that time?”
“…….”
“Reconnaissance doesn’t require certainty. If there’s even a shred of possibility, we move—that’s the squad’s duty.”
Cassius had no choice but to back down.
“Hmm… you’re right. I spoke out of turn. If the Vice-Commander has approved it…… I have nothing more to say.”
He’d judged that holding out any longer would only breed suspicion.
Cain pressed forward immediately.
“When do we start surveying Seren Lake? I’d prefer sooner rather than later.”
“I was told to prepare, but…… I’ll check with the Vice-Commander.”
Once Cassius left, the other squad members made no effort to hide their shock.
The squad leader had lost a battle of wills.
But what Cain had gained from the exchange was more than just victory.
‘So Cassius is one who worships dragons, unlike Valenscius.’
Valenscius hadn’t panicked nearly as much under the same leading questions.
And the earring hadn’t exposed any falsehood either.
‘Once we reach Seren Lake, his true colors will show.’
The corner of Cain’s mouth curved upward.

* * *
Not long ago.
Cain had coerced Anaktras into revealing the locations of five dragons.
They were now headed toward one of them—the Lair of the Blue Dragon.
The very creature that had devoured Leonius’s daughter.
“Is this Seren Lake?”
“Wow…… it really is vast.”
“Of course it is. It’s one of the largest lakes on the continent.”
The water stretched endlessly before them.
Difficult to take in all at once.
“If a dragon lived here, this would be an ideal place.”
“But would there really be a dragon in a place like this?”
“If not, we’ll just waste our time. That’s all.”
Even as he murmured this, the squad members’ eyes kept drifting to Cain.
Cassius reproached them for it.
“Haven’t we come up empty before? Stop chattering and search.”
“Yes, sir…….”
The squad members spread out, searching the area around the lake.
Cain walked along the shoreline, scrutinizing whether there was any meaningful evidence.
He’d heard from Anaktras, but he needed to see with his own eyes whether the Blue Dragon was truly here.
‘Hmm?’
Cain’s steps halted as he walked along the shore.
A muddy patch set back slightly from the water.
Deep gouges were carved into it.
Cain knelt and examined the marks closely.
They were claw marks, raked through as something had passed.
‘That Blue Dragon.’
These were no mere beast tracks—the pattern was altogether different.
‘Going by the size, it’s a fully grown specimen. At least twenty-two hundred years old.’
That was when Cain’s eyes shifted.
A single Dragon Scale embedded in the earth caught his attention.
The moment he lifted it, a blue luminescence rippled faintly across his fingertips.
Cain held the scale aloft and called the others over.
“Everyone, come look at this.”
The team members who had been wandering about gathered around.
“What is it……?”
“It was embedded in the soil. See the blue tint? This is a Blue Dragon scale.”
He then pointed in the direction the tracks led.
The prints extended deeper into the lake, disappearing beneath the water’s surface.
“See these claw marks here? They’re traces left as the creature dragged itself up and down the shore. Blue Dragons either inhabit deserts or live near water—this one’s made its nest in the lake. The scale’s color, the marks at the waterline, the size of the claw prints—all three point to one conclusion. There’s no room for doubt that it lives here.”
Astonishment rippled across the team’s faces.
“How did you figure all that out……?”
“What, are you a Dragon specialist or something?”
Cain turned the question back on Arus, who had interjected with mockery.
“That’s why a specialist would join a scouting party in the first place. Aren’t you?”
“…….”
No answer came.
Cain turned his gaze to the lake.
Summoning his Aura, his senses probed beyond the water’s surface.
From the depths, he caught the slow, ponderous movement of something enormous.
Even the disturbance of the water—how it bent to one side and then flowed back—was laid bare to his perception.
It was proof that something alive lurked on the lake bottom.
“I can sense it through my Aura Sense. It’s down there, beneath the water.”
“A Dragon, you say?”
We can’t sense anything at all…….”
While the team members reacted in shock, Cassius approached.
“What’s the matter?”
Cain held out the scale.
It was proof that a Blue Dragon inhabited this place.
For just a moment, consternation flickered across Cassius’s face.
Finding a Dragon was hardly convenient for their faction.
That’s why he moved to deny it first.
“Are you certain the Dragon is here? The scale might have simply been dropped during flight…….”
“The tracks, the scale, and the presence I sense down there—all three point to the same location. You think that’s coincidence, sir?”
Cain gestured toward the lake.
“It’s definitely in there.”
“……But if it’s underwater, there’s no direct way to confirm it. And no way to extract it.”
“We’ll have to find a way. We’ve found the evidence—we can’t just walk away now.”
“…….”
He seemed to be searching for a rebuttal, but his face showed he could find none.
Cassius reluctantly nodded.
“…Very well. I’ll report this to the Second Commander. The decision rests with him.”
But the outcome was all but decided already.
With evidence assembled like this, there was no pretext for delaying a Subjugation.

* * *
The Crystal Orb on the table gleamed with light.
Alton stopped polishing his sword.
The moment his hand touched the Crystal Orb, a hoarse voice filtered through.
―Khehehe, Lord Alton Drake. Good news.
It was Neckraud.
“You succeeded?”
―Both came back intact. Including the corpse you sent us. Khehehe.
Alton’s eyes gleamed.
Walter Ragnar.
The man whose breath had stopped in the Dragon’s Lair.
Now, at last, I would hear what he saw in the moment before death.
The nameless Slayer who swept through the Lair and carved out the Dragon’s heart.
For I was the only witness who knew that face.
“Are your memories intact?”
―I remember my past life clearly. Only…….
Neckraud’s voice trailed off with an odd inflection.
―I do mutter strange things at times, but it’s hardly a matter of concern.
“…….”
Alton rose from his seat.
The sound of a blade sliding into its sheath echoed through the room.
“Where is he? I’ll go myself.”
The moment Alton heard the answer, he seized his sheathed blade.

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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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