A Dragonslayer’s Peerless Regression

Chapter 21

The sudden news of Arthur Draker, the head of the Draker Household, visiting the academy threw the entire place into a frenzy.

Led by the principal, Howard Draker, the academy’s instructors and cadets lined up from the main gate to the central plaza, awaiting Arthur Draker’s arrival.

At the appointed time, a resounding sound echoed through the boulevard.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

A massive black carriage, much larger and sturdier than ordinary ones, was pulled by six colossal black horses.

Emblazoned on the side of the carriage was the golden crest of the Dragonslayer.

It was none other than Arthur Draker’s personal carriage, reserved exclusively for the head of the Draker Household.

Following the carriage was an entourage of hundreds of knights.

The sheer presence of the procession was so overwhelming that even the instructors, let alone the cadets, felt tense.

At last, the carriage came to a halt in the center of the plaza.

The massive black horses snorted heavily, stamping their hooves.

Howard Draker, the principal, approached the carriage.

The door opened, and a man stepped out.

“Howard. It’s been a while.”

The man was a middle-aged figure exuding a dignified charm, his ash-gray hair swept back.

This man was none other than Arthur Draker, the head of the Draker Household, the pinnacle of one of the continent’s three transcendent families, and one of the eight strongest beings on the continent.

Everyone gathered in the plaza, including Howard Draker, immediately knelt before him.

“We greet the master of the Draker Household!”

Arthur Draker raised his hand, acknowledging their greetings.

Then, he placed his hand on Howard’s shoulder.

“You’ve worked hard.”

“My efforts pale in comparison to your achievements, my lord.”

“Reassuring as always.”

Arthur Draker raised his head and turned his gaze toward the young cadets lined up in the plaza.

He slowly began to speak.

“Cadets, rise.”

Though spoken calmly, his voice carried through every corner of the academy.

The cadets stood up stiffly, clearly on edge.

Arthur Draker’s voice sounded as vivid as if he were speaking right beside them.

“Young dragonslayers, you are the hope of our Draker Household, the new seeds of our legacy.”

Everyone focused intently on his gentle yet powerful voice, straining not to miss a single word.

“Dedicate yourselves to training—again and again! Your growth is the growth of the household.”

With his concise but impactful speech finished, the cadets saluted their lord.

“Glory!”

Arthur smiled as he received their salute.

“You’ve all got great spirit. Now, let us head inside.”

The principal escorted Arthur Draker into the main academy building.

The cadets returned to their respective buildings to attend their classes.

As they walked, they were still excited about having seen the head of the household in person.

“To think we got to meet the lord himself. My siblings in the household are going to be so jealous!”

“I’ll definitely make it into Valhalla and go to the Four Constellations.”

“With your skills? Keep dreaming.”

Amid the excitement, Zeke tilted his head in thought as he headed toward the training grounds.

‘The head of the household never visited the academy in my past life. What’s going on?’

Zeke already knew that the future was shifting little by little since his regression.

However, he hadn’t expected those changes to extend even to the head of the household, who resided in the Four Constellations.

Tilting his head again, Zeke returned to the Platinum Floor.

But soon, he had to step back outside.

The head of the household had summoned him.

* * *

Zeke headed to the principal’s office located in the main building.

Since his regression, he had rarely been shaken by anything, but even his Unyielding Mental Defense was of little help now.

Thump, thump, thump!

Standing in front of the office door, he barely managed to calm his racing heart.

The door opened, and he took a deep breath as he stepped inside.

There he was, within the splendid principal’s office.

“Come in,” said Arthur Draker.

No longer dressed in his uniform, Arthur had changed into casual clothes and greeted Zeke warmly, holding a glass of whiskey in one hand.

Zeke immediately knelt and offered a formal greeting in the household’s traditional manner.

“I, Zeke Draker, a member of the household, pay my respects to Arthur Draker, the master of all knights and the honored protector of the Dragonslayer’s name.”

Arthur laughed heartily at Zeke’s old-fashioned greeting.

“It’s rare to see someone as stiff as you, even in the Four Constellations. Stop making a fuss and come sit here.”

Zeke found himself struggling to adjust to Arthur Draker’s friendly demeanor.

His last memory of the head of the household was from when he was seven years old—called in just before entering The Cradle, briefly looked over, and dismissed.

Even up until the day he was expelled from the academy, Arthur had never contacted him or offered him any assistance.

In his past life, Zeke had only seen his father, Arthur Draker, a handful of times, and he had never truly been able to understand what kind of person he was.

When Zeke sat down, Arthur placed a prepared cup of tea in front of him.

“I hear you enjoy tea,” Arthur remarked.

Zeke flinched at the comment.

It meant that even his habit of ordering tea in the Platinum Lounge had been reported to the head of the household.

There may be things the Emperor does not know, but there is nothing the head of the Draker Household does not know—this saying now felt tangible to Zeke.

Sipping his tea, Zeke remained cautious, wary of the head’s inexplicable actions.

Then Arthur was the first to speak.

“So, I heard you’ve become Duke’s apprentice.”

At those words, Zeke realized why the head of the household had come here and why he had been summoned.

‘In my previous life, the Swift Wind Technique wasn’t passed down properly and was nearly forgotten. Now that a successor to the ultimate technique created by the household’s Black Knight has emerged, it makes sense for the head to take an interest.’

Zeke nodded at Arthur.

“Sir Knight of Gale has graciously bestowed his favor upon me.”

“According to Duke, you were so stubborn that it annoyed him.”

“…….”

For someone who was once the Black Knight, the man’s loose tongue was shockingly loose.

Arthur chuckled as he spoke.

“To be honest, I didn’t expect Duke, that picky friend of mine, to find someone worthy of his attention. Let alone that it would turn out to be my youngest son.”

At the words youngest son, Zeke’s heart pounded.

Arthur looked at Zeke and spoke.

“Well then, I’m curious—what is your goal? If you keep working hard as you are now, you’ll surely reach Valhalla…”

“To become the strongest on the continent.”

Arthur momentarily lost his words at Zeke’s response.

Looking at the stunned Arthur, Zeke spoke again.

“My goal is to become the strongest on the continent.”

For a moment, Arthur’s gaze shifted. Then he burst into loud laughter.

“Puhahahahaha!”

Vroooom!

An intangible energy radiated from Arthur’s body.

Zeke gritted his teeth as the energy enveloped him.

Wherever this energy reached, it was subject to Arthur’s will.

This meant Arthur held the power of life and death over anyone within that range.

‘As expected, he’s a monster.’

Despite his friendly expression, the man before Zeke was, without a doubt, the strongest on the continent.

If Zeke was to become the strongest, Arthur Draker was a mountain he would have to overcome.

Arthur abruptly stopped laughing.

He looked at Zeke and spoke.

“That’s the most interesting thing I’ve heard in a long time.”

In an instant, the energy enveloping Zeke disappeared.

Zeke’s entire body was drenched in cold sweat.

Arthur Draker looked at Zeke with a satisfied expression.

Then, he took something out of his pocket.

“I was originally going to give you a gift to commemorate you becoming the successor of the Swift Wind Technique… but now I see that gift won’t be enough.”

What Arthur took out was a palm-sized metal card.

On the surface of the card, the Draker Household’s Dragonslayer emblem was intricately engraved.

Zeke was startled upon seeing the card.

“Do you know what this is?”

“…I understand it to be a black card issued only to top-tier VVIPs across the entire continent.”

“If you know, then there’s no need for me to explain further.”

Arthur handed the black card to Zeke.

“It was issued in my name, but I’ll transfer the ownership to you. Use it freely.”

A black card, and not just any black card—one previously used by the head of the Draker Household—was bound to offer unimaginable benefits.

In his previous life, Zeke had received no attention whatsoever.

Now, as a Pureblood Awakener and the successor of the Swift Wind Technique, the situation had completely changed.

If Zeke were an ordinary thirteen-year-old, he would have been thrilled to receive the card.

But Zeke immediately discerned Arthur’s intentions hidden behind the black card.

‘It’s a card with incredible benefits, but with just one word from the head, it can be rendered useless at any moment.’

Furthermore, the card left a record of every use, meaning all of Zeke’s movements would be reported directly to Arthur.

Once again, Zeke recognized that the man before him wielded unparalleled power, capable of controlling the entire continent.

Arthur Draker spoke again.

“I would like to have a proper meal together since it’s been so long, but I have other appointments and must leave soon.”

“Just being able to meet you in person is an honor.”

“You’ve certainly changed from before.”

“Pardon?”

“Never mind. Off you go. I wouldn’t want to take up any more of the precious time of the continent’s future strongest.”

With a gesture from Arthur, Zeke stood, offered his respects, and left the room.

Left alone in the principal’s office, Arthur downed the rest of his whiskey in one go.

At that moment, someone stepped out from the shadows of the office.

“Quite the act, pretending to be a good father.”

It was none other than Duke Draker.

Without a hint of respect or formality toward the head of the household, Duke plopped down in front of Arthur.

Arthur smirked as he looked at Duke.

“What’s got you so riled up this time?”

“I find it disgusting how you ignored him ever since The Cradle and now pretend to be a doting father.”

“At this point, I could probably charge you with insulting the head of the household.”

“Go ahead. Arrest me.”

Duke acted as though he couldn’t care less, and Arthur stroked his well-groomed beard as he watched him.

“So, do you think Zeke can carry on the legacy of the Swift Wind Technique?”

“How should I know? I’ll only find out after teaching him more.”

“Hmm… I was curious why you took on trash who hasn’t even awakened Aura.”

Arthur’s eyes gleamed sharply.

“After today, I think I understand a little. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen someone endure the energy of the Astral Sword, even if only faintly.”

“Your twisted hobbies are as infuriating as ever.”

“I missed your sharp tongue. No one in the Four Constellations talks to me like this anymore.”

“I’ll offer my condolences to the knights suffering under a master with such a vile temperament.”

Arthur chuckled as he slipped his hand into his pocket and pulled out a bottle of whiskey from a spatial pocket.

Reaching out, he summoned a glass from the cupboard, which floated toward him and landed neatly in his hand.

Arthur poured whiskey into the empty glass.

As he swirled the glass in his hand, ice formed inside it on its own.

“Let’s have a drink.”

He handed the whiskey-filled glass to Duke and poured another for himself.

The two drank their whiskey in one gulp.

“Phew… What is this? Is this Dragon’s Breath? And it’s Red? Where on earth did you get something this rare?”

“I figured you’d like it, so I brought it.”

“Your personality is absolutely the worst, but it’s because of things like this that I can’t cut ties with you. Annoying bastard.”

Duke grumbled but savored the whiskey as he sipped it.

Arthur spoke again.

“You’re aware that something strange has been happening across the continent recently, right?”

“Do I look like someone who’d know that? I’ve been wasting my time holed up in the backwater of Troy.”

“I know your eyes and ears scattered across the continent are still alive and well.”

“Knowing that, why are you fishing for answers? You sly snake.”

Arthur swirled his whiskey glass and said,

“Something unusual seems to be happening in the Rom Empire.”

“That crazy Emperor has always been a troublemaker since his days as Crown Prince. What’s he up to this time?”

“Duke, do you think immortality is possible?”

“Are you joking with me right now?”

“The Emperor seems to believe it is.”

“Hah, he’s completely lost his mind.”

“That lunatic being the Emperor of an empire that controls half of Central Continent is the real problem. Recently, he even formed a direct unit under his command called the Hounds.”

“The Hounds? Just the name alone gives me chills.”

“The Emperor is using that unit to search for something.”

“What is he looking for?”

“An ancient relic.”

“You’re not saying he’s searching for a relic that grants immortality, are you?”

“Bad premonitions always come true, don’t they?”

“That’s… beyond just a bad premonition.”

Duke finished his whiskey and clicked his tongue in disbelief.

He had known that the Emperor of the Rom Empire was obsessed with superstitions and surrounded himself with shady figures, but he hadn’t expected things to go so far off the rails.

“Shouldn’t the household put some pressure on him?”

“It’s difficult to act too aggressively since we’re allied with them to keep the Eastern Empire in check.”

“Hah, you’ve really mellowed out. Back in the day, you’d have started a fight first and asked questions later.”

“Being head of the household isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.”

“So, what’s the real point of this conversation? Why are you beating around the bush?”

Arthur looked at Duke and began to speak.

“I’m planning to leave the Four Constellations for a while.”

“The Emperor of the Rom Empire has gone mad, and your solution is to leave the Four Constellations? Why?”

“I’m heading to the Ice Mountain Range to search for the ancient relic the Emperor is after.”

“What? Are you insane? Don’t tell me you’re doing this because of that immortality nonsense…”

“There’s a possibility that the relic is tied to the traces of an Elder Dragon.”