Dragonslayer’s Class Regression Chapter 104

Chapter 104

“I’ll release both.”

Points can be collected again.

But keeping skills without releasing them would only delay getting stronger.

Zeke released both skills.

Then he opened the Dragon Race skill window.

Dragon Race Skills (3rd Stage unlocked): Dragon Eye (Expert) / Dragon’s Dignity (Expert) / Gluttony (Expert) / Incantation (Beginner) / Dragon Scale Armor (Skilled) / Dragon Claws (Skilled) / Dragon Sense (Beginner) / Dragon’s Breath (Beginner)

Zeke tried Dragon Sense first.

TSS! TSS !TSS !TSS!

Light shone from Zeke’s Dragon Eye.

“Huh?”

But nothing special happened.

“What’s this? I don’t notice anything different from usual.”

Free from the side effects of Soul Integration, Zeke slowly got up.

That’s when it happened.

WHIRRRR!

Suddenly, the surroundings began to change.

“W-what?”

The room inside the tower where Zeke was showed past scenes in all directions, like playing a magic recording.

Then Zeke paused at one spot.

“Aaaargh!”

It was the scene of Zeke treating Angelina in this room.

Like becoming a third party, Zeke could watch himself treating Angelina with the Great Purification.

Zeke approached Angelina who was being treated.

Then the surroundings changed again.

Zeke felt like he was sinking into a deep swamp.

As the surroundings changed, someone appeared before Zeke’s eyes.

“This curse should be enough. The more beautiful the target, the more they’ll suffer.”

A robed mage was talking with someone.

Zeke recognized the mage.

It was the mage using ancient forbidden techniques that he had caught in his previous life.

Zeke looked at the face of the person talking with the sorcerer.

Like in a dream, the surrounding objects and faces appeared distorted.

Zeke focused intently to examine that person’s face carefully.

A stern-looking man with sideburns and a beard down to his chin.

That man said to the mage:

“If I can’t have the jewel, it’s better for it to disappear. I should send my thanks to Abyss for introducing you.”

Zeke tilted his head at the man’s words.

‘Abyss? What’s that?’

Just as Zeke tried to move toward that man.

WHIRRR!

Suddenly Zeke felt like someone yanked his body.

FWOOOSH!

It felt like quickly passing through a dark, narrow, long tunnel.

When he opened his eyes, he was sitting in his original position.

“GASP!”

Zeke’s whole body was drenched in cold sweat.

“Good heavens. Is this what Dragon Sense is?”

Suddenly, tremendous fatigue poured in.

It was mental fatigue that couldn’t be sustained with infinite stamina.

Unable to endure anymore, Zeke collapsed on the bed and fell asleep.

* * *

Zeke, who normally never slept more than four hours, only got up from bed twelve hours later.

‘3rd stage skills aren’t something to use carelessly.’

To begin with, it was nonsensical that humans could use dragon skills.

If Dragon Sense, which was unlocked with 500 points, was like this, he couldn’t imagine how intense Dragon’s Breath would be at 800 points.

Thinking he’d have to check that later, Zeke slowly got up and looked for Duke Graham and Catherine.

He drew the face of the man he saw through Dragon Sense last night and showed it to them.

“Do you perhaps know a man who looks like this?”

Duke Graham looked carefully at the picture Zeke drew and nodded.

“Yes, of course I know him. He’s Dario Totolino, known as the Steel King in the Rom Empire, an incredibly wealthy man.”

Catherine frowned upon seeing Dario’s picture.

Unable to hide her anger, she spoke in a sharp voice.

“Just seeing this man’s picture makes my blood boil.”

“Lady Catherine, did something happen with this Dario?”

Catherine hesitated before slowly opening her mouth.

“Since Sir  Zeke is our family’s benefactor, I’ll speak without hiding anything. Dario Totolino is a pervert among perverts who likes young girls.”

Zeke was surprised at the unexpected words.

Catherine continued.

“Would you believe that after seeing our Angelina once at a party when she was ten, he kept sending love letters endlessly? Even though he was already older than me at the time.”

Zeke nodded at Catherine’s words.

‘So that’s what he meant by better for it to disappear if he can’t have the jewel. I wondered why he deliberately sought out such a curse….’

Zeke slowly spoke to Duke Graham and Catherine.

“Your Grace, Lady Catherine. It seems the one who placed the curse on Lady Angelina is most likely this Dario Totolino.”

Duke Graham and Catherine were shocked at those words.

“I-is that really true?”

“We’ll need to investigate more thoroughly, but for now, the possibility is high.”

Catherine was too shocked to speak.

Zeke told the Duke about the dungeon where he had caught the ancient mage in his previous life.

“After you capture the sorcerer who cast the curse, please contact me. Then I’ll prove that Dario Totolino commissioned it.”

“Understood, Sir Zeke. How could we ever repay you…?”

“You saved me this time, didn’t you? That’s enough.”

After getting up, Zeke prepared to leave for Atlas.

Since the Red Lion Knights were still around Panstas, he planned to secretly cross the border using Duke Graham’s carriage.

After packing and boarding the carriage, Zeke was surprised to find someone else inside.

“Lady Angelina?”

Angelina was in the carriage.

No one would dare touch a carriage carrying the Duke’s daughter.

Angelina smiled and said to Zeke,

“I’m so happy to be able to help Sir Zeke.”

Zeke felt the Duke’s family’s consideration as he boarded the carriage heading to Atlas.

While talking with Angelina in the carriage, the word ‘Abyss’ that Dario Totolino had said to the ancient sorcerer kept circling in his mind.

‘I don’t know what it is, but I have an ominous feeling.’

The reason Zeke deliberately told Duke Graham the ancient sorcerer’s location was also to catch Dario Totolino and find out what ‘Abyss’ was.

Since gaining Dragon Sense, Zeke felt his senses had become more acute.

‘Those Abyss guys. There’s definitely something there.’

* * *

Arriving in Atlas, Zeke secretly returned to the mansion.

Lady Angelina decided to stay in Atlas for a few days before returning to Panstas.

“Sir Zeke, you must come visit me while I’m here.”

“Understood, Lady Angelina.”

Zeke remained completely unmoved despite the continent’s greatest beauty pleading desperately.

When Zeke entered the mansion, Felix and Liam, who were training, came running first.

“Master!”

“My Lord!”

Since Zeke had been absent for over a month without contact, not just those two but all his household members had been worried.

Zeke asked about the crates piled up in the mansion’s garden.

“What’s this?”

Felix excitedly replied,

“The Silver Knight! Sir Kali Draker sent them!”

Zeke opened a crate.

‘Good heavens.’

The crate was full of gold bars.

She said she would compensate sufficiently, but she sent several boxes of gold.

Opening other boxes revealed many precious weapons and armor.

Liam and Felix beside him gaped at the gifts of unimaginable scale.

Zeke closed the crate and said,

“You two put these in storage.”

At Zeke’s words, Felix and Liam, born common, carefully moved the treasure-filled crates while trembling.

When Zeke entered the mansion, Duke, Farrell, and Decker all welcomed him with cheers.

After barely reporting his survival to the household members, Zeke went up to a room with Duke.

“You crazy disciple. I roughly heard what happened from Kali. Still haven’t decided whether to praise you for doing well or scold you for being insane.”

“If possible, please praise me.”

“No! Do you think you have ten times more lives than others? In the end, your life is more important than missions, you stupid disciple!”

Zeke grinned, feeling the affection in Duke’s harsh words.

“I’ll be more careful next time, Master.”

At the sudden ‘Master’, Duke awkwardly scratched under his nose.

“Ah geez, damn kid. Well. You did well anyway. Thanks to you, the Four Seasons Castle is in chaos now.”

“I suppose there’s been changes to the Guardian Knight vote.”

“Yeah, seems even Abel thought voting would be difficult in this situation and cancelled the agenda entirely.”

Zeke was surprised at Duke’s words.

He hadn’t expected Abel to cancel the vote itself.

‘Does this mean relations with the Empire have soured because the mission to eliminate Carus failed?’

The close relationship with the Empire was the biggest force supporting Abel’s political power.

If the Empire withdrew because of this incident, it was likely that many of the elders supporting Abel had withdrawn their support.

“After cancelling the agenda, Abel left the Four Seasons Castle. It’s not certain, but seems he moved towards Allensia. The Bird Tribe ghetto’s movements are concerning, and conflict between Allensia and the Empire is about to explode. But strangely, he doesn’t seem to be intervening in the conflict…”

The situation in Allensia seemed to have become more urgent than expected.

‘I should contact Melissa.’

After finishing his conversation with Duke, Zeke immediately contacted Melissa.

A response came just days later.

The message said Princess Melissa had personally entered Atlas, and Zeke headed to the hotel mentioned in the contact to meet her.

Entering the hotel, Princess Melissa was waiting for him in the VIP room.

“Welcome, Sir Zeke.”

Princess Melissa, whom he hadn’t seen in a while, was still elegant and beautiful but somehow had shadows on her face.

“It seems the border situation isn’t good.”

Melissa nodded.

“We have a problem, Lord Zeke.”

She handed Zeke a report.

Zeke tilted his head at its contents.

“The Hong-hwa Disease has increased more than before? Even with the medicine?”

Melissa replied with a worried voice.

“We haven’t finished building facilities to mass-produce the medicine yet. And worse… mysterious figures keep intercepting the medicine.”

“What do you mean they’re intercepting it?”

“Literally destroying or taking the carriages transporting medicine. If they were ordinary bandits, they’d demand passage fees knowing it’s medicine, but there’s not even such negotiations.”

Zeke frowned at Melissa’s words.

“You think it’s the Empire’s doing.”

“That seems most likely.”

“Sending knights hasn’t helped?”

“I didn’t call them mysterious figures for nothing. The knights are helpless against how they appear and take the carriages.”

“Hmm… figures even knights can’t handle.”

Zeke wondered if Abel’s move to the Allensia conflict zone was somehow related.

He stood up.

“Let’s go.”

Melissa asked in surprise.

“Where?”

“To Allensia.”

Melissa was shocked at Zeke’s words.

“You’ll go personally, Sir Zeke?”

“Yes. Abel Draker’s movements are concerning, so I should check directly.”

Giving up the Guardian Knight position he pursued so desperately and immediately heading to Allensia meant something was there.

Zeke wanted to find out what Abel was trying to do there.

He called Felix and Liam, packed lightly, and immediately headed to Allensia with Melissa’s group.

As a result, Angelina, who had been waiting for Zeke’s contact in Atlas, had to return to Panstas without meeting him.

However, during her week-long stay, rumors of Angelina’s beauty spread throughout Atlas, firmly establishing her as the Central Continent’s greatest beauty.

The increased recognition of Graham Bank thanks to her was a bonus.

* * *

“Wow, Master, this is really…”

Felix trailed off, lost for words at the sight outside the carriage.

The border situation was much worse than expected.

Everything was devastated – villages nearly in ruins from Hong-hwa Disease victims and lawless groups, people sacrificed to mercenaries turned bandits.

Princess Melissa beside Zeke spoke.

“The Bird Tribe ghetto situation is even worse. Many casualties as conflict between the Bird Tribe and Imperial army intensifies.”

The Bird Tribe ghetto was a demilitarized zone between Allensia and the Rom Empire.

The Bird Tribe, who originally lived across the unexplored western Central Continent, were forced to settle in the current ghetto due to pressure from the Rom Empire and Central Kingdoms.

But due to the Empire’s endless territorial ambitions, they were now encroaching on both the border region’s Bird Tribe ghetto and Allensia.

Zeke’s group got off their carriage upon arriving at Allensia’s border headquarters.

Just then, the commander of Allensia’s stationed forces ran toward Melissa.

“P-Princess! We have an emergency!”

“What happened?”

“The transport unit has been  completely destroyed!”