A Dragonslayer’s Peerless Regression

Chapter 88

"Congratulations on winning the martial tournament."

As Sieg passed by, the knights of Draker delivered their greetings to him.

It was hard to believe such amiable behavior from the harsh Draker knights.

When Sieg had first received the title of a formal knight, there were quite a few within the Draker who did not take kindly to him.

However, after the martial tournament, the atmosphere completely reversed.

Thanks to this, Sieg could feel the prestige of the Draker martial tournament with every inch of his body.

Sieg acknowledged the knights' greetings and headed towards the family head's office.

At the entrance, a secretary greeted Sieg warmly.

"The family head is expecting you."

Sieg followed the secretary's guidance into the office.

As the secretary mentioned, Arthur Draker was waiting for him.

"Sieg, welcome."

Once again, Arthur had prepared some rare tea from the Eastern Empire.

Sieg sat down, savoring the aroma of the tea.

Arthur watched him and spoke.

"I thought you would partake in the victors' banquet and only return months later. I seem to have completely misjudged."

Generally, upon winning the Draker martial tournament, it was expected to hold grand parties with the sponsoring family and associates.

Afterwards, it was customary to tour the continent and attend parties hosted by invited families, basking in the widespread adoration.

However, Sieg neither held such a banquet nor accepted invitations from other families.

"I'm not particularly fond of parties."

In response to Sieg's words, Arthur nodded.

"I was the same at your age. Instead of frivolous banquets, I only repeated training, thinking it a pastime for those lacking in practice."

Arthur set his teacup down as he continued.

"But remember this. Even if you become a black knight, you can't face the entire continent alone. If two other black knights join forces, even you wouldn't escape death."

Sieg was surprised to hear such words from Arthur Draker, one of the continent's mightiest figures.

Black knight, known as a legion unto itself.

However, even a black knight had limitations in their strength.

At that moment, Sieg suddenly recalled Hero King Kaiser.

'If my master Kaiser was here, I doubt even several black knights together would stand a chance.'

The power of a black knight was close to that of a Sword Master during the Hero King's era.

However, the Hero King transcended the Sword Master to achieve the realm of a Grandmaster.

'If I could surpass a black knight and become a Grandmaster...'

He would become a supreme ruler overlooking everything.

Arthur looked at Sieg and spoke again.

"Well, my words might not sink in deeply now."

Sieg lifted his head, looking at Arthur, and replied.

"No, I understand. The family head's words that relationships with others are as important as individual power are deeply ingrained in my heart."

Arthur grinned widely at Sieg's exemplary response.

"Stop the empty talk and come over here."

Rising from his seat, he motioned for Sieg to come closer.

Arthur led Sieg to his personal collection, a gallery of his artifacts.

Inside the glass cases were rare items Arthur had collected from various continents.

With his Dragon Eyes, Sieg could discern what each item was.

'Most of these are from the pre-Golden Age, likely from the Hero King's era.'

Arthur had collected ancient relics, much like the emperor Rom.

Walking through the display stands, Arthur stopped at one spot.

It was in front of an old box.

He slowly opened the box.

Inside was an unexpected item.

'A pocket watch?'

Arthur carefully retrieved the old pocket watch from the box.

Then, looking at Sieg, he spoke.

"This is the only thing Laura left behind for me."

Sieg was startled by Arthur's words.

"You mean it's a relic of Mother?"

Arthur nodded.

"Yes, Laura always carried this watch."

Sieg observed Arthur's eyes as he gazed at the pocket watch.

The man, known for his cold professionalism, was gazing at the watch with an unexpected tenderness.

After a moment, he turned to Sieg and handed the watch to him.

"Are you giving this to me?"

"You said you wanted to know more about Laura."

"This watch doesn't hold everything about Mother."

"Through this watch, Laura peered into realms we couldn't see. She found this in the Northern Continent. Beyond that, I know little. She was always a woman full of secrets."

Laura Agamemnon, an Irregular and a gifted healer.

Even Arthur Draker, the head of the Draker family and her husband, did not fully understand her.

Taking the watch from Arthur, Sieg asked him.

"I have something to ask."

"What is it?"

Sieg clenched his fist.

"Did you ever think I might possess the talent of a healer?"

At Sieg's words, Arthur paused before answering slowly.

"I did."

Sieg's hand trembled slightly.

Arthur spoke slowly, looking at Sieg.

"But Sieg, you weren't a healer. You're a pureblood Draker awakener. Isn't that something to be proud of?"

Hearing Arthur's words, Sieg bit his lip hard.

'Were you planning to discard me if I wasn't a pureblood awakener?'

Sieg swallowed those words with difficulty.

Moments from his past life, where he had suffered near-death experiences, flashed through his mind.

Arthur said to Sieg.

"Sieg, let me tell you one thing. Don't delve too deeply into Laura Agamemnon."

Sieg raised his head at those words.

"What do you mean by that?"

"Laura was a healer, yes, but she was also an Irregular. You know what that means, don't you?"

On the central continent, irregulars were considered cursed beings. Therefore, being of Irregular blood wouldn't be advantageous for Sieg.

That's why the duke had initially mistaken Sieg for an Irregular and deliberately kept it hidden.

And Sieg replied to Arthur, bowing his head.

"I will follow the family head's command."

Arthur placed a hand on Sieg's shoulder.

"Remember, Sieg, you are the proud pureblood awakener of the Draker family. Don't forget that."

Sieg nodded and tightly clutched his mother's pocket watch.

* * *

Returning to his residence from the Draker, Sieg headed to his room to inspect the pocket watch.

"Why did Mother leave this watch as her final keepsake?"

At that moment, Sieg realized the watch seemed somewhat familiar to him.

'Where have I seen this before?'

As he pondered deeply, a spark ignited in Sieg's mind.

"Shaton Draker!"

A memory arose from when he learned the True Dragon Sword Art and awakened Bahamut's memory.

The pocket watch Shaton Draker held when he visited Bahamut, the Ruler of Dusk, matched the shape exactly.

Recalling that memory, Sieg looked at the watch.

'I remember it had the power of Chronos.'

Laura Agamemnon, his mother, had prophesied the future with this watch.

And in the memory, Shaton Draker had shown Bahamut an event of the future using this watch.

'Could the power of Chronos be the power of prophecy?'

Sieg examined the watch's surface, running his fingers over it.

The surface, despite its age, remained smooth and bore no engravings or marks.

Opening the lid, he noticed a large watch face in the center surrounded by smaller dials.

The clock hands had stopped.

Sieg observed the watch carefully, then slowly moved his mana.

'Will this work?'

Ancient relics like the Golden Mask of Agamemnon and the heirloom of the ancient Hersion had reacted to mana.

If this watch were also an ancient relic, it was likely to react to mana.

Wooong!

Sieg infused the watch with mana.

But unlike the Hersion or the mask, the watch showed no response.

"Hmm, perhaps this alone isn't enough."

Then, a thought struck Sieg's mind.

Among ancient relics, some responded to the user's blood.

Drawing a dagger, Sieg pricked his finger, allowing a few drops of blood to fall onto the watch.

There was no response yet. He tried flowing mana into it again.

Wooong!

Suddenly, the blood Sieg had shed began to seep into the watch.

Simultaneously, a message appeared before Sieg's eyes.

『The Elder Dragon's soul within the user's blood is detected.』

『Releasing the dormant state of the ancient relic.』

『The ??? watch is temporarily activated.』

『The title "Blessed by Ancient Dragon" unlocks the ??? watch.』

『The system connects with the ??? watch.』

『An authentication key is required to fully activate the ??? watch.』

『Enter the Temple of Chronos to renew the authentication key.』

"Authentication key?"

At the same time, a quest window appeared before Sieg's eyes.

―Main Quest Mission―

『Renew the authentication key to activate the ??? watch. (No time limit)』

『Quest Mission Reward: Granting of Chronos's Authority』

"Chronos's authority you say?"

Sieg, aware of the power of Bahamut's authority over ancient species, understood its immense potential.

'If Chronos, the contracted dragon of the Hero King, possessed authority of equal strength as Bahamut's...'

Sieg opened the map to determine the quest location for updating the authentication key.

"Here?"

The renewal location was none other than 'Athens', located in the eastern North Continent.

"Hmm, Athens of all places."

His reluctant response was due to Athens being one of the territories of the three transcendent families, the Nirvana family.

While the Draker controlled Central Continent, and Ishtar influenced the southern border and desert regions, Nirvana wielded power over Athens and the broader storm seas.

"Well, it's not an impossible place to go. Besides, there are many things to be gained there. When I go, I'll need to renew the authentication key as well."

In his previous life, Sieg had spent more time in the North Continent than the Central Continent.

Thus, he remembered all the hidden treasures and fateful encounters that place held.

He recalled a hidden dungeon belonging to a great arcane mage in Athens.

'That'll take some time before it gets discovered, too.'

Finding the Seal of Chronos and renewing the watch's authentication key required him to move diligently.

Sieg carefully stored the pocket watch in his inventory.

Just then, Decker entered the room.

"Master. You have guests."

"If it's another invitation to a banquet, just decline politely."

Decker shook his head.

"Miss Kali Draker and Miss Helen Draker are here."

"My sisters?"

Sieg rose from his seat and proceeded to the drawing room.

Unlike before, Kali and Helen were seated on the sofa, dressed in casual attire.

Sieg approached them and greeted, "Welcome. I didn't expect the two of you to visit personally."

Kali smiled and responded, "It's alright. We couldn't possibly beckon the busy champion of the martial tournament."

Sieg mirrored her smile and sat across from them.

Then, Kali addressed Sieg.

"As you expected, Helen is on our side. She wanted to test your abilities directly, hence participated in the martial tournament."

Nodding at Kali's words, Sieg turned to Helen and said, "Thank you for your consideration, Dame Helen. If you had used your bloodline ability, I would surely have lost."

Helen flinched at Sieg's comment.

"Knowing even my bloodline ability. Sieg, you're becoming more and more daunting."

Sieg gave a sly smile and replied, "Think of it as personal interest in the Knight of Steel."

Kali watched their siblings' interaction with fondness, then continued.

"The reason we visited is due to the current state of affairs in the Draker."

Sieg nodded at Kali's words.

"You mean to check Abel Draker."

"Yes. Soon, a meeting within the Council of Elders will address Abel's application for the title of Guardian Knight."

Sieg's expression hardened at those words.

Unlike regular knights, the Guardian Knights of Draker could directly influence family operations.

The Council of Elders leading the meeting, and the Cross Knights with internal audit authority, along with the executive branch of the Guardian Knights, were the major powers guiding Draker.

If Abel were to gain the title of Guardian Knight, his influence within the family would undoubtedly increase significantly.

Kali looked at Sieg and spoke.

"Abel is trying to persuade the elders at this forthcoming meeting to receive the title."

The word persuasion was more akin to lobbying with the empire's support.

"Sieg, there's something we wish to ask of you."

She gradually voiced her request.

"Go to the Republic of Dortha and prevent any transactions between Abel and the empire."