A Dragonslayer’s Peerless Regression

Chapter 48

Even with a knife pressed against his second-in-command's neck, Don Juan remained unshaken.

He calmly pulled out a fresh cigar, placed it in his mouth, and lit it.

Don Juan exhaled a thick puff of smoke and greeted Sieg.

"Pleased to meet you, Sieg Murray."

After taking a deep drag, he spoke again.

"It happens to be my birthday today. And yet, you bring weapons instead of gifts."

Though his tone was composed, there was a sharp, undeniable force behind his words.

Sieg pressed the blade closer against El Mencho's throat and responded, "I brought you a gift right here."

At that, Don Juan's eyebrow twitched.

"Are you saying my beloved brother Joaquin is a traitor?"

Sieg grabbed a handful of El Mencho's hair and shook him roughly.

"Come on, El Mencho. Why don't you explain it to him yourself?"

With Sieg's grip choking him, El Mencho couldn't move or speak properly under the oppressive force bearing down on him.

If he so much as twitched, the blade might slice his throat clean through.

'Damn it. What the hell is this mess?'

El Mencho kept signaling frantically to the hitmen opposite him.

Use magic, aura, assassination techniques—anything to kill this cursed intruder.

But the hitmen with their weapons drawn hesitated to act.

Sieg had completely subdued El Mencho and was sticking close to him, minimizing any openings for an attack and keeping himself in a blind spot where countermeasures were impossible.

If they attempted a ranged attack, Sieg would undoubtedly use El Mencho as a shield to evade it.

'That bastard is definitely a professional. Where the hell did he come from?'

Despite the tension-filled standoff, Sieg remained utterly calm as he delivered his statement.

"If he won't speak for himself, then let me show you the evidence."

At Sieg's nod, Kay stepped forward and placed the prepared documents in front of Don Juan.

Don Juan reached out slowly, picked up the documents, and began flipping through them.

Soon, his eyebrows twitched again.

He opened his mouth slowly.

"The Pavela Cartel are pirates from the Southern Sea?"

At his words, the bosses of the Mechain Cartel began murmuring among themselves.

There wasn't a single Southerner who liked the pirates of the Southern Sea.

For generations, they had fought against pirates to protect their families.

In Don Juan's case, his hatred ran even deeper because he had lost family to pirates in the past.

It was that very grudge that drove him to lead the Mechain Cartel in relentlessly pursuing and dismantling the Pavela Cartel until their complete downfall.

When the mention of the Pavela Cartel being pirates arose, El Mencho's expression shifted noticeably.

He had already known the true nature of the Pavela Cartel.

With each page Don Juan flipped through, his expression subtly changed, and the other bosses in the room likewise had their faces undergo various shifts.

After finishing the review of the documents, Don Juan raised his head.

"Sieg Murray, I've read through the materials you've provided. However, if you thought this alone would make me doubt Joaquin, who is like a brother to me, you're gravely mistaken."

At that, Sieg nodded.

"Of course. You're both intelligent and cautious, boss."

Don Juan felt a peculiar sensation at Sieg's words.

It was as if the man knew him all too well.

At that moment, Sieg leaned in and whispered something to El Mencho.

Hearing those words, El Mencho's face turned pale.

"H-How do you know that...?"

In his previous life, Sieg had held the secrets of all the cartel bosses in his hands.

Unbeknownst to others, El Mencho had a young wife and daughter whom he loved more than his own life.

Sieg had whispered a threat, implying that if El Mencho didn't tell the truth, he couldn't guarantee the safety of his wife and daughter.

Trembling, El Mencho opened his mouth.

"P-Please... anything but that..."

"Then why not reveal the truth? If you do, I swear by the gods I won't lay a finger on them."

In the South, an oath sworn to the gods was an absolute covenant.

Breaking such an oath meant eternal damnation, even in death, and not even the cold-blooded members of cartel organizations dared to violate it.

Still shaking, El Mencho raised his head.

Looking at Don Juan, he spoke.

"B-Boss... what Sieg Murray says is true."

Don Juan's expression hardened.

"Joaquin. Are you telling me you betrayed me?"

"T-That's... at first, I didn't realize they were the Pavela Cartel, and we traded with them without knowing..."

Don Juan abruptly rose from his seat, slamming his hands on the desk as he roared.

"How dare you! Betray me!"

El Mencho trembled violently as he stammered.

"M-My apologies, boss! B-But I swear, I never intended to betray you! I... Gahk...!"

Before El Mencho could finish his sentence, Don Juan grabbed the axe hanging behind him and hurled it at him.

The axe struck true, splitting El Mencho's head open.

Thus, the second-in-command of the Mechain Cartel met his abrupt and tragic end.

Don Juan walked up to El Mencho's lifeless body and yanked the axe out of his skull.

Blood and brain matter splattered around him.

Don Juan, as if indifferent to the unfolding chaos, returned to his seat and flipped through the documents Kay had handed over once again, his bloodstained fingers leaving smudges on the pages.

Then, he glared at the Syndicate's executives.

"So, you were planning to abandon the Mechain Cartel and join the Pavela Cartel. That's why you burned down the warehouse full of Soma."

At Don Juan's accusation, one of the Syndicate executives began trembling uncontrollably before dropping to their knees on the floor.

"B-Boss! That's absolutely untrue! I swear it! Please believe me!"

The executive turned toward Kay, pointing a finger in her direction.

"That damned witch of a mage must have tampered with the evidence! I swear to you, boss, I didn't do it!"

But it was too late.

Don Juan's axe came down, splitting the executive's skull in one clean stroke.

With a sickening CRACK, blood sprayed everywhere, and the executive's head split open. The force of the blow caused the blood to splatter across the room, drenching Kay in the process.

Stunned by the sheer brutality, Kay froze in place, her face pale and her body trembling at the grotesque sight.

Wielding his axe like a butcher, Don Juan turned to the other bosses, pointing the blood-soaked weapon at them.

"Who else betrayed me? Step forward! Now!"

"Calm yourself, boss."

At that moment, Sieg approached from behind Don Juan.

Still consumed by rage, Don Juan swung his axe at Sieg, but Sieg effortlessly dodged the attack.

Even at his best, Don Juan, who was no more skilled than a Purple Knight, couldn't so much as graze Sieg.

Breathing heavily, his face flushed with rage and bloodlust, Don Juan stormed back to his seat. He pulled out a packet of Soma powder, snorted it through his nose, then chugged from a bottle of strong liquor.

Wiping his mouth, Don Juan turned to Sieg.

"Sieg Murray! What in the hell are you? Are you an angel sent by the gods to help me, or a devil risen from hell to destroy me?"

Sieg shook his head and replied, "I am neither angel nor devil. I am a business partner with a new deal to propose to you."

"A partner? What sort of deal are you proposing, Sieg Murray?"

"The Syndicate's executives betrayed you, boss. But the Mechain Cartel still needs a network to transport goods. Kay and I will take over the Syndicate's role."

Hearing this, Don Juan burst into laughter.

"So, you're asking me to take care of those trashy bastards for the sake of a new partnership with you?"

"I'm saying you need a justification."

At those words, Don Juan laughed even louder.

"Justification, huh? That's a fair point."

Don Juan gestured to the hitmen standing behind him.

In response, the hitmen grabbed the Syndicate executives, who had been standing awkwardly, and dragged them out of the meeting room.

Don Juan returned to his seat.

After wiping the blood off his face and hands with a towel brought by one of his subordinates, he began to speak.

"Fine, let's say I entrust the distribution network to you. What's in it for me?"

"I'll help you eliminate the Pavela Cartel."

At those words, Don Juan's expression shifted.

"You mean to erase those damned pirates from the face of this earth?"

"With your name and the name of the Mechain Cartel, we will erase them completely."

Suddenly, Don Juan leaped to his feet and burst into laughter.

As his loud laughter echoed through the room, the other cartel bosses, who had been watching, also began to laugh along.

Eventually, Don Juan stopped laughing and looked at Sieg with a serious expression.

"You're something else, Sieg Murray. Truly impressive. Fine, then. How do you plan to deal with the Pavela Cartel?"

Without hesitation, Sieg replied, "If you provide me with an elite unit, I'll destroy one of the Pavela Cartel's main camps. We'll carve the fear of the Mechain Cartel into their hearts."

Don Juan's gaze sharpened, as if he were trying to dissect and understand Sieg's very being.

After a moment, Don Juan approached Sieg and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Sieg Murray, I, Don Juan, am deeply moved by your courage and valor today."

He then kissed Sieg on the forehead.

"There's no need to doubt you any further. You've already given me many gifts."

"In honor of our partnership, I'll bring you another gift, boss."

Don Juan nodded.

"Excellent."

He slowly made his way over to Kay, taking her hand and planting a kiss on it before speaking.

"While you show your valor against the Pavela Cartel, I'll treat this lady as an honored guest."

Though his tone was soft, his words carried an unmistakable implication—he intended to hold Kay as a hostage.

While Kay looked visibly flustered, Sieg remained unfazed and nodded calmly.

"Understood, boss."

At this, Don Juan smiled and raised his glass.

"To the Mechain Cartel! And to the brave warrior, Sieg Murray! Salute!"

"Salute!"

The other cartel bosses followed suit, emptying their glasses in unison.

The room was thick with the scent of blood, ominous schemes, and a pervasive aura of damp fear.

Sieg felt, at last, that he had truly returned to the South.

He gazed at Don Juan, who was laughing heartily.

'Laugh all you want. Soon, you'll find yourself caught in the trap you set with your own hands, struggling to escape.'

***

Whoosh!

Shadows darted swiftly through the dense jungle.

The Mechain Cartel's combat unit had infiltrated the jungle territory of the Pavela Cartel.

Manuel, the squad leader, couldn't hide his astonishment as he watched Sieg, the man running ahead of him.

'He's from the Central Continent, so how is he so proficient in Southern-style martial arts?'

In the South, unlike the Central Continent, there was no systematic aura training method.

Instead, martial arts and weapon techniques had developed more extensively.

Yet, Sieg displayed movements far faster and more covert than those of the seasoned killers in the unit.

Initially, Manuel and the other members, dismissive of Sieg and quick to assert dominance over him, had no choice but to follow his commands the deeper they ventured into the Pavela Cartel's territory.

Suddenly, Sieg signaled for them to halt.

The unit members concealed themselves behind trees, holding their breaths as they scanned the area ahead.

Soon, a group of figures emerged from beyond the forest.

Manuel froze.

'Damn it. Of all things, it had to be the Wolfkin.'

Among the beastfolk, the Wolfkin were renowned for their superior combat abilities.

Being bipedal, they could wield human weapons, and in close combat, their sharp teeth and claws made them relentless adversaries.

Manuel stole a glance at Sieg, standing beside him.

Despite being the squad leader, Manuel found himself instinctively waiting for Sieg's orders.

However, Sieg gave no verbal command. Instead, he silently drew a dagger from his belt and rose from his position.

Before Manuel could stop him, Sieg swiftly climbed a tree.

Whoosh!

Using Ether, Sieg summoned a gust of wind, leaping effortlessly from tree to tree as if flying.

It had been a long time since Sieg felt the thrill of a real battle, and he was brimming with anticipation.

Completely concealing his presence atop the trees, Sieg observed the Wolfkin below.

His instincts quickly identified the strongest among them.

Swish!

With the sound of wind, Sieg dropped straight down from the tree.

Slick!

Infusing wind blades into his dagger, Sieg cleaved the Wolfkin leader cleanly in half.

Squelch!

As the leader's bisected body collapsed to the ground, the other Wolfkin warriors looked around in shock.

But it was already too late.

Whirl!

Sieg moved like a shadow, slithering across the ground as if crawling, and swiftly eliminated the remaining Wolfkin.

"Gah!"

The moment he reached the center of the group, Sieg targeted only their necks and hearts, dispatching eight Wolfkin warriors in an instant.

'Th-this is impossible.'

Manuel and the other unit members gawked in disbelief, their mouths agape as they witnessed Sieg's movements.

Standing as if nothing had happened, Sieg casually dusted himself off and gestured for the squad to move.

Manuel and the others responded far more promptly than before, their movements sharp and efficient.