A Dragonslayer’s Peerless Regression

Chapter 78

"Ah, Angelina!"

Katherine, startled, ran toward the bed.

Angelina's skin, once filled with foul-smelling pus, was now clean.

Katherine was moved to tears, seeing Angelina's luxuriant and shiny golden hair.

"Angelina! Are you conscious now?"

Angelina slowly opened her eyes and sat up, looking at Katherine.

"Mother, what happened?"

Katherine hugged the conscious Angelina tightly and wept bitterly.

"My daughter! Our Angelina!"

Upon hearing the news, the duke also rushed into the room.

He, too, was astonished to see Angelina healed and started crying.

Sieg watched Katherine and the duke before slowly leaving the room.

'With this, we can consider the Graham family secured.'

* * *

Early the next day, Katherine visited Sieg's room.

"Sir Sieg, how will we ever repay this kindness...."

Katherine's attitude toward Sieg, who had lifted Angelina's curse, had changed dramatically.

Sieg gave Katherine a broad grin.

"Could you assist in the martial tournament?"

Katherine covered her mouth and laughed at his words.

"Oh, Sir Sieg, is that all? We will do whatever we can in the name of the Graham family."

Pharel showed an expression of disbelief at this side of Katherine, the undisputed charisma of the social world.

After Katherine left, Pharel approached Sieg and asked,

"Did you truly lift Lady Angelina's curse?"

Sieg smiled faintly and made the sign of the cross, saying,

"It's all the will of the Sun God."

The central and eastern regions of the central continent were deeply rooted in the influence of the Holy Empire.

Most nobles were adherents of the Sun Church, and Pharel, too, was a devout believer.

'To possess such outstanding skill and devout faith to drive out a curse... he's truly a role model for all knights.'

Pharel's respect for Sieg grew.

Later, Sieg's party joined Katherine for a luncheon.

As Pharel and Felix arrived at the banquet venue, their hearts nearly stopped upon seeing a woman they had never encountered.

Her long, flowing golden hair resembled twilight, her skin smooth as porcelain, and her eyes were a mysterious purple, as if stars were embedded in them.

She seemed like a beautiful Goddess embodied from a myth.

"Oh, my God..."

Pharel unknowingly called out to God, witnessing beauty unmatched in this world.

Felix was equally shocked, his head filled with verses praising the beautiful woman before him, yet feeling they were inadequate to capture her beauty.

'No, I can't express this beauty with mere words!'

Unlike Felix's despair, Sieg's expression remained unchanged as he gave a light bow of greeting.

Then, she approached Sieg.

"Sir Sieg Draker. I, Angelina Graham, thanks you."

The stunning beauty before them was none other than Angelina.

Having completely escaped the curse through Sieg's power and returned to her original form, her remarkable beauty was fully restored.

Sieg spoke, watching her,

"I'm glad to see you healthy."

Pharel and Felix showed disbelief as they watched Sieg.

'To remain so composed before a woman akin to the reincarnation of the Goddess of Beauty... Sir Sieg truly is a knight among knights.'

Felix had slightly different thoughts than Pharel.

'Master, you're not thinking... being into men, are you?'

At that moment, the duke, Katherine, and other Graham family members gathered.

They approached Sieg to express gratitude, kissing the back of his hands.

Sieg's party received the highest hospitality, being the most honored guests of the Graham family.

After the meal, Angelina invited Sieg to walk with her in the garden.

He accepted without much thought, accompanying Angelina as they strolled through the garden.

Though Angelina seemed to brighten her surroundings merely by walking, Sieg didn't think much of it.

'It seems there aren't any visible side effects from the curse.'

He was only worried that any remnants of the curse might interfere with their deal.

While walking and checking if anything seemed uncomfortable for Angelina, she asked Sieg,

"Sir Sieg, how old are you this year?"

"Seventeen."

Angelina was pleased to learn there was only a slight age difference between them.

'A two-year difference is easily overcome.'

To her, Sieg seemed like a prince on a white horse.

He was the knight among knights who saved her from a curse with sacred power and came from a good family, had the continent's best abilities, and was handsome.

With a shy expression, Angelina resumed walking beside Sieg, trying to calm her fluttering heart.

Just then, Sieg asked Angelina,

"Do you have any idea who might have cursed you?"

The sudden question left Angelina puzzled.

"What?"

Sieg's face turned serious as he spoke,

"I mean, someone who would cast such a curse upon you."

Angelina was surprised by Sieg's cold gaze, but then she misunderstood, her heart fluttering even more.

'Could it be... Sir Sieg is angry with the scoundrel who cursed me?'

Having been sick from a young age, Angelina lacked worldly experience.

Her understanding of relationships between men and women was stuck at the level of fairy tale stories involving knights and princesses.

Because of this, she totally misinterpreted Sieg's intention to find the person who had cursed her to bring the Graham family completely to his side.

Misunderstanding Sieg's words entirely, Angelina said,

"Sir Sieg, it's okay. It's already in the past, and just your concern is enough."

Sieg was surprised and asked,

"Oh? You won't seek revenge?"

Angelina replied with a serene smile,

"Revenge only breeds more revenge."

Though she thought she was smiling kindly and beautifully, in reality, it didn't earn her any points with Sieg.

'Damn, nearly died from a curse, yet she speaks so carefree.'

To others, Angelina might seem the most beautiful person in the world, but to Sieg, she was nothing more than a victim of a curse who had once cried out in agony.

He clicked his tongue inwardly as he looked at her, showing a naive expression as if knowing nothing about the world.

'Tsk, tsk. How will she cope in this harsh world? Ah, but I guess it doesn't matter with all that money at home.'

Unaware of Sieg's thoughts, Angelina was dreaming of a rosy future with him.

* * *

"Javelin throwing, you say?"

Upon hearing about the preliminaries of the martial tournament from Katherine, Pharel was surprised at the choice of event.

Sieg, sitting next to him, asked,

"Sir Pharel, is it unusual for javelin throwing to be a preliminary event?"

Pharel shook his head.

"No, it's just that it's surprisingly ordinary and plain, so it caught me off guard."

Most knights used swords, but javelins were a basic weapon they learned.

Moreover, javelin throwing was a sport particularly enjoyed by central nobles.

However, it was a dull event without favoring anyone in particular, which made it rare to see in a Draker martial tournament.

Katherine nodded as she listened to Pharel's words.

"As Sir Pharel guessed, it's not just simple javelin throwing."

Pharel, surprised by her response, asked,

"If it's not simple javelin throwing, then... is it an equestrian event?"

Katherine shook her head.

"It's javelin throwing, indeed, but the distance is different from the usual. You have to throw it extremely far."

"Extremely far?"

Katherine nodded in response.

"Yes, I heard the target would be placed beyond a mountain."

"Beyond a mountain?"

"Beyond a mountain?"

The unexpected event made Pharel and Felix exclaim in unison.

Sieg nodded at Katherine's words.

"Without considerable strength and accuracy, you won't even reach the target."

At those words, Pharel's expression darkened.

He then spoke to Sieg.

"Sir Sieg, based on the preliminary event alone, I think I know which family has secured the committee votes."

"Which family is it, Sir Pharel?"

With a serious expression, he replied,

"It's likely the Zimmens family."

Sieg nodded at Pharel's words.

"Zimmens, huh. Definitely possible. Their family's major characteristic is aura control."

"That's right. Moreover, Edward Zimmens, the second son of the Zimmens family, who is participating in the tournament, primarily uses the spear as his main weapon."

"Edward Zimmens..."

The mention brought to Sieg's mind a particular knight from his previous life.

He had, alongside the slaughter knight Abel Draker, led the empire's forces and drenched the continent in blood.

Unlike his brother William Zimmens, he was known in that lifetime for being ruthless and eager to be at the forefront.

'So that bastard is participating in the tournament.'

Something crossed Sieg's mind at that moment.

'Edward Zimmens with javelin throwing...?'

Sieg asked Katherine,

"Lady Katherine, could you tell me who provided this information?"

"I heard it from the Bronx family. One of their elders was selected for the tournament preparation committee."

'Information directly from a committee member, no less from the Bronx family.'

Sieg also knew about the Bronx family.

They had deep ties with the Zimmens family.

Sieg stood up from his seat.

Pharel asked him,

"What's the matter, Sir Sieg?"

"Having learned of the preliminary event, don't you think we ought to practice?"

Upon Sieg's remark, Katherine promptly instructed her attendents to install targets around the nearby mountain for javelin throwing.

As soon as the installation was complete, Sieg, Pharel, and Felix prepared spears and stood in a clearing, aiming at the targets beyond the mountain.

Whooooooosh!

Felix's spear didn't even reach the mountain, and Pharel's fell far from the target after reaching it.

Lastly, Sieg threw his spear.

Whooooooosh!

Soaring high into the sky, the spear flew directly toward the target's location.

It fell just short, right before the target.

Pharel, with a brightened expression, spoke to Sieg.

"Sir Sieg! With this, I believe we can prepare adequately before the preliminaries start."

However, Sieg, scrutinizing the spear with a serious expression, asked Pharel,

"Sir Pharel, other participants who learned of the event earlier must have started practicing sooner, right?"

Pharel nodded.

"Of course. Other participants would have already dedicated themselves to javelin throwing and nearly concluded their practice by now."

"Is there no restriction on weapons?"

"They are to use registered weapons prior to the preliminary rounds."

"Can they not change them midway?"

"Typically, no. But why do you ask?"

Looking at the spear, Sieg replied,

"What if this spear were longer, better shaped for throwing, and tailored to hit the target accurately? What would you do then, Sir Pharel?"

Struck by Sieg's remark, Pharel appeared as though he had been hit on the head.

"My heavens, I hadn't thought of that. Making a spear well-suited for long-distance throwing in advance... it does seem like something the Zimmens family would consider."

In throwing events, the difference in performance could be significant based on the weapon's form.

Preparing a javelin specifically for throwing could give a substantial advantage in achieving better results than others.

Most knights would likely focus on honing their throwing skills rather than altering the javelin's form to enhance its performance.

Inspecting the spear thoroughly, Sieg nodded.

Then, he approached Katherine, who was sitting in the shade, keeping cool with a fan.

"I have a request to make."

"Hoho, if it's a request from Sir Sieg, I'll gladly fulfill anything."

Sieg showed the spear to Katherine and explained how it should be modified.

Katherine tilted her head inquisitively after hearing Sieg's explanation.

"Are you really planning to modify it into such a shape? While I'm no expert on weapons like you, this does seem...."

"Please, I insist."

Faced with Sieg's firm request, Katherine reluctantly agreed.

"Since Sir Sieg insists..."

"Thank you."

Sieg turned to look at the target beyond the mountain.

'With this, preparations for the preliminary match are complete.'

Sieg thought of the Zimmens family, a cold smile playing on his lips.

'No matter how much you try to jump around, you are still within my grasp.'