A Dragonslayer’s Peerless Regression

Chapter 13

Zeke left the academy by carriage.

It was to visit the blacksmith who had refused his request.

‘Gelion Halbert.’

Zeke recalled the blacksmith’s name.

In his previous life, Zeke had a significant connection with Gelion.

Ten years from now, Gelion would earn the moniker “Blacksmith of Souls.”

He would become renowned as the greatest blacksmith on the continent for his ability to read the soul of the user and forge the weapon most suited to them.

Moreover, in Zeke’s past life, he had saved Gelion’s life during a mission.

In return, the indebted Gelion had crafted a sword that Zeke desperately needed.

Zeke thought of the claymore he had used before his regression.

‘The Solar Sword, Gram.’

Engraved with a coiled serpent design, the Solar Sword Gram was Gelion’s masterpiece.

The sword had a unique feature designed specifically for Zeke.

It could convert the mana cultivated in the Ether Hall into aura.

The reason Zeke sought out Gelion, and no one else, was to recreate Gram.

“We’ve arrived, young master,” said Decker.

At his words, Zeke opened the carriage door and stepped out.

It was a small, shabby smithy tucked away in a corner of the city.

Zeke looked up at the sign hanging above the forge.

[Gelion’s Smithy]

‘His sense of naming is… something.’

After ordering Decker to wait, Zeke entered the smithy alone.

The strong scent of alcohol filled the air as soon as he stepped inside.

In the back, a man had his head buried on a table.

Zeke walked slowly toward the table.

“Urgh!”

The man, completely drunk, waved his hand without even looking at Zeke.

“We’re not open… Go away… No business… No….”

The pale-skinned, gaunt-faced youth didn’t look like a blacksmith.

He had delicate features and a frail frame that seemed ill-suited for forging weapons.

Though his patchy beard gave him a rugged appearance, it was undoubtedly Gelion.

Zeke looked down at him and spoke.

“Gelion Halbert.”

Hearing his name, Gelion looked up at Zeke with bleary eyes.

“Huh? What do you want? This isn’t a place for kids. Get out….”

With that, he grabbed a bottle and began chugging it down.

Seeing Gelion in such a wretched state, Zeke frowned.

‘This is worse than I thought.’

Turning his head, Zeke inspected the forge, which hadn’t seen fire in months, judging by its condition.

He addressed Gelion.

“I heard you’re not taking any orders. Can you tell me why?”

Gelion let out a loud belch and wiped his mouth roughly.

“Kghh… If I can’t even make the weapon I want, what’s the point of making anything else?”

Zeke tilted his head, puzzled by Gelion’s state.

‘He’s so different from the man I knew in my previous life. I can’t figure out what happened.’

Even in his past life, Gelion had an unusually meticulous and emotionally sensitive nature for a blacksmith, but Zeke had never seen him so utterly defeated before.

After observing him for a moment, Zeke turned and walked out of the smithy.

Gelion chuckled bitterly, continuing to drink.

“A guy like me should just die. What kind of blacksmith am I anyway…?”

That’s when it happened.

*Swoosh!*

“Pffft!”

Zeke returned with a bucket of water from outside and unceremoniously dumped it over Gelion’s head.

Drenched, Gelion looked at Zeke in shock, his expression frozen.

Zeke stared at him coldly.

“Have you come to your senses now?”

Gelion blinked at Zeke before his eyes landed on the gloves Zeke wore.

His face turned pale as a sheet.

“D-D-Draker…”

In the Duchy of Troy, the Draker Household commanded extraordinary respect.

Among them, the pureblood Drakers were revered as something truly special.

Gelion instantly sobered up. He jumped up and bowed deeply from the table.

“I-I beg your pardon. I didn’t mean any disrespect to someone so distinguished…”

“I’ll ask you again. Why did you refuse my request?”

At Zeke’s question, Gelion trembled visibly.

“I-I never imagined a pureblood Draker would entrust an order to an obscure blacksmith like me…”

In truth, Gelion hadn’t even checked the details of the request in the first place.

Zeke pulled a chair over and sat down, looking at him.

“Now that you know who the client is, I’ll ask again: can you take my request?”

Though fear lingered in Gelion’s eyes, his voice was resolute as he answered.

“I’m sorry, but it’s not possible.”

Zeke narrowed his eyes.

“So, you have time to drink, but not to take my request?”

Gelion raised his head and replied, “It’s… it’s a personal issue, one I’m embarrassed to mention.”

“Be precise. If your reasoning isn’t convincing, you won’t be allowed to refuse my request.”

At Zeke’s words, Gelion hesitated before slowly rising from his seat.

“Please, follow me. I’ll explain.”

Gelion led Zeke to the back of the smithy.

There, hundreds of broken swords lay in a heap.

It was like a graveyard of blades.

Zeke looked at the remnants of the swords and asked Gelion, “What is this?”

With a bitter expression, Gelion replied, “This is the reason I told you I cannot accept your request.”

Zeke picked up some of the shattered remains from the graveyard of swords and examined them.

“This is…”

He could sense something from the fragments of the broken swords.

“Folded steel forging… and not just ordinary craftsmanship, but something far more advanced.”

Gelion was taken aback by Zeke’s words.

“H-how do you know that?”

It made no sense for a pureblood Draker to possess knowledge of folded steel forging, a technique even most blacksmiths were unfamiliar with.

Zeke glanced at the mountain of fragments and said, “Are you saying you can’t accept requests because your skills are lacking?”

Gelion nodded stiffly, his face hard. “I’ve reached the limits of my abilities as a blacksmith.”

Zeke quickly understood Gelion’s predicament.

‘He’s hit a massive wall.’

The Gelion of the future would wield fire and steel with unmatched mastery, crafting weapons perfectly suited to any user.

Looking at the young blacksmith standing at this crossroads, Zeke fell into thought.

‘What should I do?’

In truth, Zeke already knew how to solve Gelion’s problem.

In his previous life, as Gelion’s savior, he had heard much of his story.

‘Gelion, your weapons always leave me in awe. What’s your secret?’

‘Many blacksmiths want to know that. It’s the vision of my life, but I wouldn’t hide it from my benefactor.’

‘No… if it’s something so vital to you, you don’t have to tell me. I’d feel bad.’

‘The secret lies in the forge. A magical forge.’

Gelion’s vision was a special magical forge that allowed precise control of the fire’s temperature.

Looking at the pile of broken swords, Zeke’s expression turned somber.

‘The timing’s wrong. He’s not yet skilled enough to craft the Solar Sword.’

The Solar Sword Gram was a piece Gelion himself had declared his ultimate masterpiece.

In his current state, having not yet overcome the wall before him, Gelion lacked the ability to forge Zeke’s weapon.

Just then, Gelion collapsed to his knees and cried out in frustration.

“Damn it… This is so unfair. If only I had the forge… the forge…”

Zeke spoke to him. “What do you mean by a forge? Explain.”

Gelion reached into his pocket and pulled something out, handing it to Zeke.

“This is the design for the special forge I envisioned.”

Zeke was astonished as he looked at the blueprint drawn on the parchment.

‘It’s exactly the same as the one Gelion used in the future.’

With a resentful expression, Gelion spoke.

“If this forge could just be completed, I’d be able to reach the level I envision. But… money is the issue.”

Surprised by his response, Zeke blinked and asked, “Wait, are you saying those failed swords were because you couldn’t afford to build this forge? Not because of a lack of skill?”

At Zeke’s question, Gelion replied with a serious tone.

“I’ve already mastered every smithing technique currently known in existence. What I desire is something beyond that.”

Gelion was striving to surpass the existing techniques in order to reach a realm that ordinary blacksmiths couldn’t even dream of.

Zeke examined the blueprint of the forge drawn on the parchment and asked, “How much money do you need?”

Gelion sighed deeply.

“I could manage to build the forge itself by taking out a loan somehow. But… the real problem lies with the core magical drive system.”

“Magical drive system? Couldn’t you just commission a mage to create it?”

Gelion made a bitter expression.

“I’ve already tried requesting it from the Magic Tower.”

“And?”

“The Magic Tower bastards quoted ten thousand gold just to design the drive system for this forge.”

“Ten thousand gold?”

For an average family, a month’s living expenses were about ten gold.

Ten thousand gold was an amount that ordinary people couldn’t even dream of earning in a lifetime.

“Ten thousand gold…That’s like the tail wagging the dog.”

Gelion’s face twisted in frustration.

“There’s clearly a way forward, but I can’t go beyond this level with ordinary fire. Every time I hammer steel, all I feel is despair.”

Zeke watched Gelion and fell into deep thought.

‘Before my regression, perhaps the reason Gelion’s rise to fame was delayed was because he had to save money for this forge.’

If that were the case, then once the forge was completed, there’d be no obstacle to Gelion displaying his true skills.

At that moment, a person flashed through Zeke’s mind.

‘The Ether Theory lecturer… wasn’t it Fainon? That person specialized in research on magical drive systems.’

It seemed there might be a surprisingly easy solution to this problem.

Zeke addressed Gelion, who was wallowing in despair.

“Hey, Gelion.”

Gelion barely managed to straighten himself and replied, “I’m sorry… for showing such disgrace in front of someone so distinguished….”

“If I could provide you with this forge, would you accept my request?”

At Zeke’s words, Gelion’s eyes widened as he stared at him.

“Y-you’re saying you’ll make the forge for me?”

Gelion’s gaze burned with intensity.

The sheer heat of his fervor made Zeke instinctively step back.

“I think it’s worth giving it a try,” Zeke replied, steadying himself after momentary surprise.

Hearing this, Gelion fell to his knees in front of Zeke and clutched his ankles.

“If you do this for me, I, Gelion, will serve you as my benefactor for the rest of my life!”

Watching Gelion sobbing uncontrollably, Zeke recalled the Gelion of his previous life.

‘Why does he seem more grateful now than when I saved his life back then?’

Zeke tucked the blueprint for the forge into his pocket.

“I’ll talk to a mage first and let you know once I get results. And stop drinking from now on.”

Gelion, his face drenched with tears and snot, bowed his head.

“Understood. Thank you! Thank you, my lord!”

* * *

Leaving behind Gelion’s shabby smithy, Zeke returned to the academy.

While in the carriage, he glanced over the forge’s blueprint again.

Although he wasn’t formally trained in magic, he could at least understand the basics of the drive system’s design.

‘The structure doesn’t seem too complex. Why did the Magic Tower quote such a ridiculous price?’

It felt like there was something he was missing.

Upon arriving at the academy, Zeke headed toward the research building where Fainon resided.

That was when his heightened senses picked up something.

‘That place…?’

A secluded area between the academy buildings.

It was the spot where Zeke had often been bullied by Leon Conrad in his previous life.

Although the bullying had stopped since his regression, the memories of the past hadn’t faded.

Just as Zeke turned to continue toward the research building—

*Thud! Thud!*

He heard the sound of someone being struck coming from the narrow alley.

Zeke paused, intending to ignore it, but then stopped again.

‘This isn’t the time for me to meddle….’

The painful memories of his academy days held him back.

In the end, Zeke turned and walked toward the alley.

As he had suspected, Leon Conrad and his gang were gathered there.

Now that their usual prey, Zeke, had disappeared, Leon’s gang seemed to have found a new target to bully.

Zeke looked at the cadet being beaten by Leon and his group.

‘Huh? That guy is….’

It was a face Zeke recognized.

‘Liam Stone.’

The future mercenary king and Jakenn Vardec’s attendant.

Right now, he was Leon Conrad’s latest victim, being mercilessly beaten.

Upon realizing the person being attacked was Liam Stone, Zeke hesitated.

‘There’s no way Liam would just let himself get beaten like this. There must be some reason for it.’

It felt like stepping in would only cause unnecessary trouble.

After a brief moment of thought, Zeke decided to turn and walk away.

Just then, Leon’s voice rang out loudly.

“How does that feel? Did that knock some sense into you, you inferior trash?”

Zeke’s body tensed instantly.

In a flash, he kicked off the ground, ran up the wall, and leaped toward them.

Grabbing Leon Conrad by the scruff of his neck, Zeke flung him against the wall.

“Guhh!”

The sudden intrusion left Leon’s gang stunned.

Zeke, his eyes blazing with murderous intent, glared at them and said coldly, “I’ll give you three seconds. All of you, heads on the ground.”