A Dragonslayer’s Peerless Regression

Chapter 56

'Bring down the Drakers?'

Sieg met Abel's gaze, attempting to grasp his true intentions.

The vivid crimson eyes stared back at him.

Within them, Sieg could sense the power of destruction and madness.

'Does he know I've aligned myself with Sister Kali and came here to sway me?'

Though Sieg's strength was currently lacking, once he graduated from Valhalla and joined the household as an official knight, his status as a Pureblood Awakener would allow him to rapidly rise to a central position of power.

Moreover, as the official disciple of Duke, who was once a Black Knight, Sieg could even pull Duke into his faction with the right support.

In that sense, Sieg's potential value was greater than it appeared.

When Sieg remained silent, Abel took another sip of wine before speaking again.

"Do you find it hard to believe what I'm saying?"

To further understand Abel's intentions, Sieg decided to match his words.

"I'm not sure how I'm supposed to interpret talk of bringing down the household."

At Sieg's response, Abel smiled at him.

"Unlike the other siblings, I thought you would understand what I meant, Sieg."

He looked into Sieg's eyes and continued.

"You and I share the same scent. Should I call it the stench of blood and battle deeply ingrained in you? Perhaps it's because you've inherited the blood of the Dragonslayer most intensely."

'The constant talk about Dragonslayer blood again.'

Sieg decided to test Abel further.

"Bringing down the household... Is that why you're forming close ties with the Empire?"

At Sieg's sharp question, Abel paused for a moment before nodding slightly.

"I can't exactly deny it. Sieg, have you ever been to the Empire?"

Sieg shook his head.

In his previous life, he had infiltrated several cities on missions, but in this life, he had yet to visit it.

Seeing Sieg's response, Abel began speaking slowly.

"Many call Atlas the greatest city on the central continent, but I disagree."

He continued in a deliberate tone.

"Atlas is ultimately just an autonomous city. Without the Drakers' backing, it's nothing but a sandcastle ready to collapse at any moment. But the Empire is different."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Every part of the Empire is connected to its capital, Rom. The Empire is relentlessly building roads, aiming to connect through the central continent, up to the northern continent, down to the southern continent, and even further to the eastern continent."

"Is there truly a reason for such relentless road-building?"

"Sieg, that is the unseen strength of the Empire. Uniting the continent into one. Different languages, different cultures, different resources—this continent has always suffered because of those differences. The Empire can connect all of it through roads and create unity. And when that happens, the world will surely be a better place than it is now."

Sieg looked at Abel, who was elaborating on his grand vision of the Empire, and replied, "That sounds like something the Emperor of the Empire would say."

For a brief moment, Abel's gaze shifted.

It was a fleeting change, but Sieg instinctively caught it, realizing there was something more to it.

'Cain, who bore the name Constantinus. His middle name was Zimmens. Abel has maternal ties to the Zimmens family and receives their backing. Without a doubt, Abel, Zimmens, and the Empire are connected in some way.'

If that were the case, it made sense why Abel might offer the Drakers entirely to the Empire.

Abel then addressed Sieg directly.

"Sieg, I want to reward exceptional talents with titles and positions befitting them. You, in particular, deserve the brightest sword and gem at my side."

The meaning was clear. Abel was promising Sieg the powerful position of his second-in-command if he joined his faction.

Sieg observed the ambition burning in Abel's eyes.

They were the eyes of a man filled with the madness befitting someone who would plunge the continent into a vortex of war.

Sieg remembered the chaos and wars Abel had caused in his previous life.

And so, he spoke slowly.

"I'm sorry, but I don't think I'm suited for that position."

Sieg sought to become the strongest on the continent, not a butcher.

He rose from his seat.

Abel called out to him as he was about to leave.

"Are you certain you won't regret this?"

Sieg turned to look at Abel and replied, "I don't think I'll regret it much."

With that, Sieg left the room, leaving Abel behind.

Alone at the table, Abel turned his gaze to the night view outside as he sipped his wine.

Not long after, William entered the room.

Seeing Abel alone, William was startled.

"Why are you alone? Where is Sieg?"

Abel looked at William and answered, "He said he's taking a different path."

At that moment, the wine glass in Abel's hand began to melt, dripping onto the table in a molten state.

The hot, melted glass burned through the table and fell to the floor.

Clenching his fist tightly, Abel spoke in a cold voice.

"William, it seems I'd better nip this in the bud before it's too late."

Today was Abel's final chance to offer Sieg his proposition.

Abel turned his head to gaze at Atlas's noble night view.

The moonlight shone particularly somberly on this night.

* * *

Upon returning to Atlas, Sieg immediately began preparing for the new semester at Valhalla.

Since Valhalla only had one semester per year, Sieg was already entering his second year.

Unlike most students who graduated after the standard five-year course, Sieg, at just seventeen years old, was already preparing for early graduation.

Having already been promoted to a Blue Knight and holding the official title of knight within the Draker Household, it wasn't impossible if he focused solely on the mandatory credits.

When Sieg applied for the unprecedented early graduation, he was promptly summoned for a meeting with the principal.

Sieg headed to meet Principal Flaubert for the first time in a while.

However, in front of the principal's office, he wasn't the only one present—there were two others.

"Yo! Bro!"

One of them was Diego, someone he was quite familiar with.

The other, however, was someone Sieg had never seen before.

'Who's that?'

The unfamiliar youth was tall and thin, with a lethargic appearance and weary eyes clouded with fatigue.

Sieg, Diego, and the weary-looking youth sat side by side before Flaubert.

Flaubert greeted them warmly.

"It's been a while, hasn't it? Sieg, Diego, and young Aster as well."

At Flaubert's words, Sieg was inwardly shocked.

'Aster? Could he really be Aster Alladof, the Knight of Illusion?'

Sieg had a good reason to be surprised.

In his previous life, during the Continent's Third Great War, Aster Alladof, known as the Knight of Illusion, was one of the Five-Star Knights who demonstrated exceptional skill.

Except for the fact that he was a Valhalla graduate, no personal information about him was ever disclosed.

Nothing was known about his activities after graduating from Valhalla, other than that he was affiliated with the Imperial Army.

Always clad in full plate armor, complete with a helmet, Sieg never would have guessed that the Knight of Illusion would appear so frail and unremarkable.

It was no wonder Sieg was astonished to see Aster, whom he had thought of as a powerful knight, sitting before the principal, clutching his head with a feeble demeanor.

"Ugh, I'm sorry, principal. I haven't been able to sleep properly for a week."

"Oh dear. That chronic condition of yours hasn't improved, I see."

That's right.

Aster Alladof suffered from severe insomnia.

His nerves were highly sensitive, and his perfectionism only exacerbated his condition, leading to such acute insomnia that he struggled to keep up with his studies.

Diego, noticing Aster's plight, began making exaggerated gestures.

"Yo, bro! When sleep doesn't come, just vibe with some music, and you'll be out in no time!"

At that moment, Aster pressed his temples firmly and spoke.

"Ugh, sorry, but my head's pounding, so could you tone it down a bit?"

It seemed that the loud and boisterous Diego and the quiet, lethargic Aster would never get along well.

Sieg looked at Aster, who was clearly struggling with insomnia, with a sympathetic expression.

'Insomnia, huh. I suffered from that in my previous life too, thanks to that bastard Don Juan and the endless nightmares he caused.'

Understanding the torment of insomnia, Sieg could somewhat empathize with Aster's predicament.

An idea suddenly crossed Sieg's mind.

'This might actually be a way to bring Aster over to my side.'

At that moment, Flaubert addressed the three of them.

"The reason I called you all here together is simple: all three of you have applied for special early graduation at the same time."

Though Diego might appear carefree and Aster might seem frail, both were among the most exceptional talents in Valhalla.

Diego wanted to focus more on his music career, while Aster, due to his insomnia preventing him from attending classes properly, applied for early graduation out of sheer frustration.

Flaubert tapped his fingers on the desk and continued.

"Diego and Aster have completed all the required courses up to the third year. Sieg, you've opted to replace your credits with written exams, correct?"

Sieg nodded.

"Yes, principal. I want to graduate as quickly as possible so I can take on missions for my household."

Feigning politeness, Sieg tailored his words to what Flaubert wanted to hear.

The principal nodded in approval and spoke to the three students seated across from him.

"Very well. After discussing it with the other professors, there's no objection to having all three of you take the special early graduation exam. The question is how to evaluate it..."

He pulled out a letter from the desk.

"This is a cooperative letter from Delfoa."

Sieg immediately realized what the principal was getting at.

'They're planning to send us on a real mission as part of the graduation evaluation.'

Indeed, for Valhalla's senior students, it was common to participate as trainee knights in missions conducted by knight orders from other kingdoms.

Moreover, students who achieved outstanding results during these missions were often recruited directly into those knight orders after graduation.

Most of the organizations Valhalla collaborated with were prestigious knight orders from the central kingdoms.

However, Delfoa was unique. Though it was one of the five great kingdoms of the central continent, its reputation as the ancestral homeland of magic meant that within the kingdom, mage corps held more power than knight orders.

Thanks to that, life in the knight order was relatively relaxed, but in terms of prestige, Delfoa wasn't a place Valhalla students particularly favored.

Flaubert slowly began to speak.

"Have you ever heard of the Black Yaksha?"

At his words, Sieg nodded.

"I know of them as outlaws declared public enemies of the continent."

"You're well-informed, Sieg. That Black Yaksha has been gathering mercenary groups and forming a force in Delfoa, after taking root in the central continent."

The outlaws from the border regions had developed their own methods of learning aura, distinct from the knights of the central continent.

Though their techniques weren't proper aura cultivation methods, they were highly specialized for killing, making them effective in actual combat.

It was no wonder cartels paid large sums to hire outlaws.

Sieg looked at Flaubert and asked, "Are we cooperating with the Delfoa knight order to eliminate the Black Yaksha's group?"

Flaubert nodded.

"Most of the work will be handled by Delfoa's knight and mage orders, but they've specifically requested knights of at least Purple rank."

Given that a knight order the size of Delfoa's was requesting Purple-ranked knights, the situation was clear even without seeing it firsthand.

'The combat mages will likely handle most of the fighting, while the knights clean up afterward.'

It seemed they had deemed it too ambiguous to send graduates but also couldn't ignore the request entirely, so they had assigned it as a special graduation mission.

Flaubert addressed the three students.

"Returning safely after participating in the mission will count as passing the first phase of the exam."

"How many phases are there in total?"

"There are three phases. After the first phase, the second and third will involve completing missions alongside other graduation candidates."

It was essentially an opportunity to make up for the lack of classroom hours with real combat experience.

Sieg nodded.

"I'll participate, principal."

Diego and Aster also expressed their intent to participate.

"Good. Departure is in a week, so prepare yourselves well. Especially you, Sieg. This will be your first official mission, so make sure you're thoroughly ready."

"Understood."

In truth, Sieg was more experienced than anyone, having been through countless battlefields in his previous life. But there was no way Flaubert could know that.

As they left the principal's office, Sieg sent Diego off first, who suggested heading to the clubroom to play music. Then, Sieg approached Aster.

"Aster Alladof."

Hearing Sieg call him, Aster turned his weary, hazy eyes, clouded with fatigue, toward him.

"Ugh, my head. Huh? Are you talking to me?"

His dazed expression and gaunt demeanor made it hard to associate him with Aster Alladof, one of the Five-Star Knights and the Knight of Illusion.

Sieg walked closer and spoke to Aster.

"Do you need treatment for your insomnia?"

He grinned mischievously and whispered, "I've got some great medicine for that."