A Dragonslayer’s Peerless Regression

Chapter 94

"Damn it, it's magic! Run!"

Boom! Boom! Boom!

In reality, it was Sieg's explosive magic scroll that had activated, but the power was so similar to real magic that Doner had mistaken it for such.

"Find the mage! Find the mage!"

When magic suddenly flew in from behind, the knights retreated, tense, and began searching for the attacking mage.

However, this was the wrong choice.

Sieg had already planted explosive scrolls where they might try to avoid them.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The hidden scroll activated, causing an explosion.

"Ugh!"

Had there been any other knights, they might have been annihilated by the explosion, but these were Draker's knights.

In that situation, they quickly protected themselves with their aura and rolled their bodies to a place the explosion couldn't reach.

Draker knight squad uniforms, effective at blocking magic, also contributed to their protection.

Doner drew his sword and shouted, "Damn it, who are you?!"

An enormous whirlwind then blew towards the knights who were disoriented from the continuous explosions.

Seeing the whirlwind, Doner shouted, "Evacuate!"

Some knights leaped into the sea, while others rolled behind rocks for cover.

The whirlwind Sieg created swept the surroundings, blocking the view.

During this time, Sieg, utilizing invincibility, cut the throats of the knights hiding behind the rocks.

"Urgh!"

He covered their mouths and struck the vital points at once, rendering even Draker's knights useless.

As the whirlwind dissipated, Doner, the squad leader, finally regained his senses and tried to gather the squad members.

But when he looked around, all the squad members had already fallen dead.

"H-How can this be..."

At that moment, someone stood behind Doner.

He felt the sharp touch of a dagger at his throat.

"Where is Abel?"

Doner cautiously looked for an opportunity to swing his sword.

Swish!

With a sword held in his other hand, Sieg cut off Doner's arm.

"Argh!"

Sieg, holding Doner's severed arm, asked again, "If you answer now, I will give you a potion. The sooner you answer, the more likely it is to reattach it."

Doner grabbed his severed arm, panting heavily.

A knight with a severed arm was worthless.

He trembled and finally spoke with a quivering lip. "The commander... at the terminal..."

Swish!

Before Doner finished speaking, Sieg beheaded him with his sword.

He had no intention of keeping him alive from the start.

Sieg signaled to Boris, who had been hiding.

While Sieg guarded Carus, Boris negotiated with the smugglers inside the cave.

Shortly after, Boris returned with a few armed smugglers.

The smugglers, who had been on guard, came out of the cave with their weapons.

Sieg spoke to one of the smugglers, who seemed to be the leader, in the southern language.

"Is there a ship? We need to go to the Southern Continent immediately. We will pay."

The smuggler replied to Sieg, "You saved our lives, so no payment is necessary. However, it is difficult to launch a ship right now."

"You mean there's a storm coming?"

The smuggler shook his head.

"It's because, in this kind of weather, a big one appears."

Boris chimed in from beside him.

"He means a monster from the sea."

Sieg replied to the smuggler, "If a monster appears, I'll take it down, so don't worry and set sail."

The smugglers murmured among themselves before nodding.

"People of the south repay their debts, even at the cost of their lives. We'll launch the ship, but we can't guarantee the arrival."

"Understood."

The smugglers headed back into the cave.

Surprisingly, they laid rails to the coast and pulled a ship out of the cave.

The ship was soon afloat at sea, and Sieg boarded it with Carus.

Using his Dragon Eyes, he checked the ship for any hidden traps, and fortunately, there were no concealed assassins or explosive devices.

"Please rest here for a while."

Surprisingly, Carus had kept pace well with Sieg and Boris's grueling journey. Potions were given whenever his stamina waned, but he was better than most soldiers.

Sieg asked Carus, "Your Highness, have you ever received military training?"

Carus nodded in response. "Yes, I did field training. How did you know?"

"Those who have only undergone knight training find it difficult to endure marches or field conditions."

In response, Carus nodded again. "Among the noble knights preoccupied with appearances, there are such people. But I served the full term of three years and was discharged from active duty."

Sieg was even more surprised by Carus's words. "You mean you answered the draft despite being of royal blood?"

Rom Empire had a conscription system.

All young men and women had to serve three years in the squadrons.

But many nobles found various excuses to evade this obligation.

The royals were no exception.

Consequently, it became quite ordinary for royal family members or nobles not to serve in the military.

In such a situation, it was surprising that Carus, a prince with succession rights, completed his military service actively.

"Is it strange that I'm a reservist?"

"It's unexpected. I thought you only liked drinking and gambling."

"Quite an impertinent statement, but I'll let it slide since you saved my life. Sir Sieg, I'm an artist. An artist should know how to enjoy the finer things and have a wealth of other experiences. The illustrious bard Paris of the Holy Empire was a legendary bard, a distinguished soldier, and also a swordsman who represented that era."

Sieg admired Carus's unexpected side somewhat.

In a past life, he had been tasked with rescue missions involving VIPs a few times, and each time it was more challenging to deal with the childish nobles than to face ten knights.

While chatting with Carus about various topics, the preparations were completed.

"Boss, it seems we're ready to depart now."

"Got it. Boris, you should rest a bit too."

Soon, the ship set sail, and the Dortha Republic gradually faded into the distance.

At that time, the captain of the smuggler's ship approached Sieg.

"With this wind, it should take about ten days. However, as I mentioned, I can't guarantee safe arrival at the Southern Continent."

"Is it because of the monster you mentioned?"

"It is partly the monster, but also because pirates' actions are unpredictable outside the scheduled times and their territories."

"Pirates, you say? I thought the Pavela Cartel disbanded and scattered."

The captain shook his head.

"They abandoned pirate honor and went ashore, so they aren't considered pirates anymore."

"So, are there other pirates besides them?"

"Yes, there are fierce ones centered around the sea of death. While we usually pay a toll, on a bad day, we might end up as fish food."

In other words, it was up to the pirates' whims.

Sieg nodded, understanding.

"Alright. If we encounter pirates, I'll handle them."

The captain nodded and returned to the deck.

Sieg was worried that Abel's side might chase them with ships, but fortunately, there were no pursuing vessels in sight.

'I hope Sir Feynon arrived safely. I can only hope Mohammed did his part properly.'

Sitting inside the ship, Sieg took the opportunity to check his status window for the first time in a while.

『Intermediate Administrator Status Window』

Name: Sieg Draker

Class: Immortal (Unique Grade)

Title: Blessed by the Ancient Dragon, Successor of Terakan Draker, Successor of the Sword Saint

Authority: Dragonkin Domination, corruption

Constitution: Divine Physique, Immunity to Hundred Poisons

System Functions: Inventory (100 slots) / Mini Map (Portal Travel) / Intermediate Quest Book / Skill Shortcut Slot / Potion Shortcut Slot /

Passive Skills: Healing Factor / Unyielding Mental Defense / Endless Stamina / Combat Sense

Special Skills: Swift Wind Technique 『A Rank (Proficient)』 / Elemental Sword 『S Rank (Proficient)』 / True Dragon Sword Art 『S Rank (Proficient)』

Active Skills: Thunderbolt 『A Rank (Beginner)』 / Flash Bomb 『C Rank (Proficient)』 / Dissonance 『C Rank (Proficient)』 / Magic Reflection 『A Rank (Beginner)』 / Area Buff 『A Rank (Beginner)』 / Invisibility 『A Rank (Beginner)』 / Curse Reflection 『A Rank (Beginner)』

Dragon Skill (Stage 2 Unlocked): Dragon Eyes (Proficient) / Dragon's Majesty (Proficient) / Devour (Expert) / Word Magic (Locked) / Dragonscale Armor (Proficient) / Dragon's Claw (Proficient)

Karma Points Owned: 2410 points

'There have been significant increases since I last checked.'

Sieg examined the newly acquired authority, 'Decay'.

―Authority Information―

Corruption: Anything touched by the hand can be decayed.

'The ability to make anything decay...'

The ability didn't immediately resonate with Sieg, so he decided to explore it gradually.

Satisfied by the over 2000 karma points, Sieg smiled contentedly.

Next, he opened three random boxes he received.

―Upper Armor Information―

Description: Made of solid yet lightweight Meteorite Iron

Unique Ability: None

Special Note: If the Meteorite Iron full set is completed, a unique ability will activate.

―Helmet Information―

Description: Made from solid yet lightweight Meteorite Iron

Unique Ability: None

Special Note: If the Meteorite Iron full set is completed, a unique ability will activate.

―Longsword Information―

Description: Made from solid yet lightweight Meteorite Iron

Unique Ability: None

Special Note: If the Meteorite Iron full set is completed, a unique ability will activate.

All three equipment pieces were made of Meteorite Iron.

'The gauntlets and boots from last time, as well as the lower armor, were also made from Meteorite Iron.'

At that moment, a message window popped up.

『Meteorite Iron full set has been completed.』

『Wearing the Meteorite Iron full set will automatically trigger the unique ability 'Magic Shield'.』

"Magic Shield, huh? Does this mean a shield forms automatically? How lucky to instantly acquire a full set."

Sieg promptly equipped the Meteorite Iron armor full set.

The armor itself wasn't plate armor; it was more like clothing woven tightly together, making it extremely comfortable to move in.

"Alright, I'll use this when I need to disguise my identity."

* * *

During the voyage, Sieg taught Carus basic survival skills on the ship.

Although he had received knight and military training, Carus followed along better than expected.

Sieg focused on teaching Carus how to use a crossbow and shield more than anything else.

"Most other knights train endlessly only with swords, but you're different, Sir Sieg."

"Those fools are the ones who would most likely die from arrows."

Carus nodded at Sieg's firm statement.

In actual combat situations, the most threatening thing to knights was arrows that flew suddenly.

Unless maintaining an aura state, a single arrow could inflict a fatal wound in times of fatigue.

This is why, even as they ascended to the rank of Purple Knight and their armor gradually became lighter, crucial areas were always covered.

With his life on the line, Carus diligently learned survival techniques.

The relatively leisurely voyage without imperial warships in pursuit made this possible. However, a problem soon arose.

On the third day, the sea suddenly turned rough.

"What's going on?"

The smugglers, pale with fear, shouted.

"A b-big one... the big one is coming!"

It seemed the sea monster they worried about before setting off was approaching.

Sieg, holding Bahamut, scanned the sea.

However, nothing was visible amid the rough waves.

In his past life, he had faced sea monsters a few times.

But back then, they had lured the monsters to the land and employed various equipment to hunt them.

Sieg, despite being in a more challenging situation than then, stayed calm and took a 'Whale's Breath' he had purchased in advance from his inventory and drank it.

As a result, he could now breathe even if he fell into the sea.

It was then.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

A massive sound resonated from beneath the sea.

The crew, terrified, began to pray.

At that moment, something approached from beneath the sea.

Splash!

A powerful wave struck the side of the ship.

The smuggler's ship nearly capsized.

Sieg shouted to Boris.

"Take the prince inside!"

Boris immediately took Carus to the inner cabin, and Sieg, confirming this, drew his sword and swung it towards the wave.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

The wave shattered against Sieg's sword strike.

However, another wave surged forward.

Simultaneously, within the wave, a giant beast revealed itself.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

A massive Kraken extended its tentacles to entangle the ship.

Its size was so enormous that the suction cups were as large as humans.

As the crew stood frozen in fear, praying, Sieg shouted.

"Get inside the cabin immediately!"

Simultaneously, Sieg swung his sword at the Kraken's tentacle.

Swish!

With the Dragonslaying Art, he sliced through the tentacle, causing the Kraken to shriek and retreat.

Roar!

With a long cry, more tentacles surged towards the ship.

Sieg assessed that the odds weren't in their favor if they stayed on the ship.

After a brief hesitation, he shouted towards the sea.

"Nahuel!"

At Sieg's call, the allied dragon responded.

A grand magic array appeared over the sea, and Nahuel was summoned from within.

Rumble!

Nahuel, just as mystically vocal as when seen in the lake, gave its entrancing cry.

Sieg leaped onto Nahuel's back with Bahamut in hand.

"Nahuel, let's take down that damn squid."

Roar!

With Nahuel's mystical beastly cry, Sieg felt his mind clearing.

The tentacles of the Kraken, seeing Sieg riding the spirit beast, surged towards him.

Like a tower, a gigantic tentacle leaped towards Sieg.