Dragonslayer’s Class Regression Chapter 74

Chapter 74

Thud! Thud! Thud! thud!

Dozens of carriages entered the peaceful streets of Mycenae.

Each carriage bore the crest of a noble house, making them far from ordinary.

The citizens of Mycenae whispered among themselves as they watched the carriages heading toward Agamemnon Castle.

‘Huh, could the rumors be true?’

‘Has the castle’s curse really been lifted?’

‘Otherwise, why would all these noble houses gather in one place so suddenly?’

The citizens recalled the sacred golden wave that had enveloped Agamemnon Castle a few weeks ago.

The hill that had once been eerie and grotesque was now covered in beautiful roses.

Thanks to this, word had spread among the citizens that the ancient curse of House Agamemnon had finally been lifted.

Of course, Zeke’s spreading of rumors through the Syndicate had also contributed to the rapid dissemination.

With noble lords’ carriages now flooding toward the castle, these rumors gained even more credibility.

* * *

Having returned to its original form, Agamemnon Castle was the very picture of classical elegance.

With the return of not only the former servants but also their descendants, the castle was rapidly regaining its original appearance.

The allied houses of Agamemnon and the lords of neighboring regions were astonished to see Agamemnon Castle restored to its former glory.

Among them, some shed tears of emotion, while others, belonging to a different generation, showed no particular reaction.

However, most of them shared one common thought.

‘Has the family curse really been lifted?’

The lords whispered to each other in hushed voices.

It was hard to believe at first that House Agamemnon, which had locked its castle gates and forbidden approach for 50 years, had suddenly summoned all its allied houses.

Among the bewildered lords, some wore dark expressions.

Some houses had flourished from the indirect benefits gained while House Agamemnon was cursed and restricted from external activities, so they feared losing their vested interests.

The banquet hall had a peculiar atmosphere as it contained both those who genuinely welcomed House Agamemnon’s return and those who did not.

That’s when it happened.

Pam-para-pam-pam pam-pam-paaaam!

As lively fanfare echoed through the hall, Rufus Agamemnon, the host of the banquet, made his appearance.

The lords and heads of houses were shocked to see Rufus Agamemnon restored to his original appearance after the curse was lifted.

With his sturdy build and tall stature, Rufus looked exceptionally fitting in traditional noble attire.

The lords and heads of houses flocked toward Rufus.

Through Rufus, everyone realized that House Agamemnon’s curse had indeed been lifted.

What remained was deciding what attitude to take.

“Good heavens, Lord Head! To see you return in such good health… I cannot believe it!”

Whether they truly felt this way or not, most allied houses showed exaggerated tones and movements in their efforts to gain Rufus’s favor.

One could glimpse the power of this once great house that had stood at the heart of Midland.

All the lords and heads of houses approached Rufus and kissed his hand.

Rufus naturally received their kisses with noble posture and restrained movements.

When everyone’s kisses were finished, Rufus addressed them.

“I extend my gratitude to the allied houses who filled the void left by House Agamemnon for so long!”

Those who had harbored different thoughts internally flinched at Rufus’s resounding voice.

‘Is the ruler of the Central Continent being revived?’

Just as those gathered in the banquet hall gulped nervously.

Rufus spoke again.

“The reason I have invited you all here today is to announce that House Agamemnon’s curse has ended!”

As soon as these words were spoken, exclamations of emotion and sighs flowed from the lords’ mouths.

At the same time, Rufus continued.

“Furthermore! Today, House Agamemnon will introduce its official heir to the allied houses gathered here!”

At the mention of an official heir, the heads of houses began whispering again.

House Agamemnon’s return and the designation of an official heir were matters of completely different dimensions.

Although they had once been rulers of the continent, they had been effectively sealed off for 50 years.

It would inevitably take time to regain their power.

Yet suddenly there was talk of an heir.

The heads of houses waited tensely for Rufus’s next words.

That’s when Rufus clapped his hands.

As fanfare sounded again, someone walked into the banquet hall.

Step, step.

Zeke appeared, wearing the formal attire of House Agamemnon.

Having grown considerably since turning seventeen, Zeke already looked no different from an adult in outward appearance.

That’s when one of the heads of houses shouted upon seeing Zeke.

“Z-Zeke Draker!”

It was a noble who had attended Zeke’s promotion party.

As Zeke Draker’s name was mentioned, the heads of houses whispered among themselves.

“Zeke Draker? Could it be the continent’s youngest Blue-rank promotee?”

“Is this the genius they say recently graduated from Valhalla at the youngest age?”

As the banquet hall grew noisy, Rufus raised his hand to calm them.

After everyone fell silent, they looked at Zeke standing on the platform.

Zeke opened his mouth.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​:

“My name is Zeke Draker. I am the direct successor and legitimate heir to the House of Agamemnon.”

Once again, sighs of astonishment could be heard from various corners at Zeke’s words.

He was a direct bloodline descendant of the House of Agamemnon and a pureblood Awakened of the Draker family.

Added to that were his titles as the continent’s youngest Blue-rank promotee and the youngest Valhalla graduate.

If Zeke Draker was the heir to the House of Agamemnon, which had lost its power, it would take no time at all to regain their lost strength and family status.

At that moment, someone raised their hand.

Rufus’s eyes flashed.

The House of Achilles was one of the longtime vassal houses of House Agamemnon.

They were their most reliable allies, and at times, their most fearsome enemies.

The head of House Achilles spoke to Rufus.

“Honorable Rufus Agamemnon. As your longtime friend and loyal vassal, may I speak a few words?”

“My oldest friend, Arnold Achilles. Your loyal counsel has always illuminated my ears. Please speak.”

Arnold Achilles stepped forward before the others.

Pointing at Zeke, he spoke.

“It is most joyous news that a formal heir to the House of Agamemnon has been determined. However, according to the Law of Proxies, House Achilles has the duty to verify the qualifications of the Agamemnon heir.”

Then the heads of two other houses stepped forward beside him and spoke.

“The House of Hector feels the same.”

“The House of Aegis also wishes to fulfill its duty.”

Hearing the words of the three houses, Rufus nodded.

“I fully understand the duties and rights of you all as my longtime friends and loyal vassals. Very well. How do you propose to verify the heir’s qualifications?”

Arnold Achilles stepped forward as representative and spoke.

“We will follow the ancient tradition.”

The ancient tradition they spoke of meant a knights’ duel.

A knights’ duel referred to combat that had been passed down since the Holy Empire era, where opponents would don full plate armor and determine the victor using shields and swords.

Rufus then spoke to Arnold.

“Very well. As you wish, we shall verify the heir’s qualifications through a knights’ duel.”

At the mention of a knights’ duel, the faces of the other house heads and lords lit up with anticipation and excitement.

Rufus spoke.

“The Warriors from the three houses participating in the knights’ duel shall complete their preparations and gather at the dueling grounds in one hour!”

As soon as those words ended, the entire banquet hall erupted in cheers.

* * *

Exactly one hour later, people flooded into the dueling grounds prepared at Castle Agamemnon.

The Warriors prepared by Houses Achilles, Hector, and Aegis entered the dueling grounds wearing full plate armor and equipped with kite shields.

Rufus had notified the three houses about the heir-related matters in advance, so they had come prepared for the knights’ duel.

Those who appeared at the dueling grounds were formal knights of each house and were familiar with ceremonial knight duels.

All three houses had brought Warriors who were well-versed in knights’ duels and worthy of representing their houses.

It was meant to break the spirit of the young heir Zeke from the start.

Finally, Zeke appeared at the dueling grounds.

Thump! Thump!

It was Zeke, equipped with full plate armor and a kite shield prepared by House Agamemnon rather than Hersion.

Looking at Zeke, the House of Hector’s Warrior spoke.

“Will that sword be alright?”

It was advice that wasn’t really advice, referring to Bahamut, which was longer than a normal sword in the form of a claymore.

Instead of opening his mouth to answer, Zeke responded by closing his helmet.

The first duel began immediately.

The first to face Zeke was the House of Hector’s Warrior.

Seemingly familiar with knights’ duels, the Hector Warrior showed off with performances like spinning his sword this way and that while looking at the spectators.

The lords and house heads in the viewing stands cheered.

In contrast, Zeke simply prepared for the duel calmly, minimizing his exposed area by keeping his shield forward and pointing his sword.

The House of Hector’s Warrior gestured toward Zeke.

“Heir of Agamemnon! Give it everything you’ve got!”

He provoked Zeke while spreading both arms.

That’s when it happened.

Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!

Zeke dove into the Hector Warrior’s open stance at high speed.

Then he struck the Warrior’s full plate armor head-on with his heavy shield, enhanced by the acceleration.

Bang!

With a tremendous sound,House Hector’s Warrior was knocked down in one blow.

For a moment, the nobles who had been cheering couldn’t properly understand what had just happened.

They stared blankly at the Hector Warrior who had crumpled against one wall.

Having apparently lost consciousness from a single shield charge, the Hector Warrior made no attempt to get up.

The referee, who had been standing with his mouth agape, finally came to his senses.

“Z-Zeke Draker wins!”

Though the victory had been declared, the spectator stands, still in shock, produced neither cheers nor applause.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

“Ahem!

“Cough! Cough! ”

The head of House Hector could only fake cough in embarrassment at the completely unexpected result.

The second duel began immediately amid the shock.

This time, House Aegis’s great warrior stepped forward.

Unlike House Hector’s warrior, he intended to fight without letting his guard down.

He approached Zeke slowly, holding his shield and sword.

That’s when it happened.

Whoosh!

Zeke’s sword struck the great warrior’s shield.

Bang!

Despite holding his shield, the Aegis Warrior lost his balance, unable to withstand the tremendous force.

“Ugh!”

He hurriedly regained his balance and stood firm.

But Zeke didn’t give him an opening.

Bang!

The heavy kite shield struck the warrior’s side.

The Aegis warrior went flying.

Crash!

Wearing full plate armor that was difficult to put on or take off, it wasn’t easy to maintain pace once balance was lost.

Still, being an experienced knight with many tournament battles, the Aegis warrior immediately got up.

“Huff. Huff.”

He was gradually being overwhelmed by the pressure emanating from Zeke.

‘Is this really the presence of a seventeen-year-old?’

He had heard Zeke was the youngest Blue Knight inductee, but thought he would be inexperienced.

Yet facing him now, Zeke showed no openings, surpassing even veteran warriors.

Zeke moved again, stepping in circular motions.

Despite wearing heavy armor and carrying a kite shield, he moved as nimbly as someone in light armor.

“Ugh!”

The Aegis warrior couldn’t keep up with Zeke’s quick movements.

Zeke engaged in exchanges with the Aegis warrior using the Agamemnon-style shield swordsmanship, the Golden Swordsmanship.

‘I’m finally getting used to this armor.’

He had tried to exchange blows in the first duel too, but being unfamiliar with the armor and shield, he couldn’t control his strength and ended it in one blow.

Zeke controlled his strength appropriately while deflecting the Aegis warrior’s attacks and exploiting openings.

His exceptional physical sensibility showed brilliantly, displaying agile movements even in close combat.

“Ohhh!”

The spectators cheered at Zeke’s near-miraculous movements.

Zeke sensed it was time to end it.

Whoosh!

Zeke took the Agamemnon Golden Swordsmanship stance and shifted his center backward.

Then he swung his shield to break his opponent’s balance.

“Ugh!”

The center was completely exposed.

Zeke thrust his sword forward.

Crash!

Like the Hector warrior before him, the Aegis warrior tumbled far away.

Unlike before, this time cheers and applause erupted.

And finally, House Achilles’s great warrior entered the dueling ground as the last contestant.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​