A Dragonslayer’s Peerless Regression

Chapter 40

Zeke was confused as to why the Rangers, also known as the guardians of the Northern Continent, had come looking for him.

‘Could it be that Abel hired them? To eliminate me for agreeing to form an alliance with Kali?’

Zeke focused on the distinctive shape of the swords the men in black carried.

They were kukris, weapons used by the Rangers of the Kingdom of Gorka, located at the northernmost part of the Northern Continent. These Rangers were known to possess unparalleled skills among the Northern Rangers.

Their exceptional abilities often led the Central Kingdom to hire them as mercenaries for significant missions, even at exorbitant costs.

Particularly, Zeke knew firsthand how formidable the Gorka Rangers were, having lived with them during his time on the Northern Continent.

Standing face-to-face with a Gorka Ranger holding a kukri, Zeke prepared to assess the situation.

Zeke spoke to the man in black.

“Why are Gorka Rangers keeping an eye on me?”

The man in black didn’t respond. He merely pointed his kukri at Zeke, waiting for a chance to move toward the spear.

Zeke blocked the exit, positioning himself to prevent the man from escaping.

At that moment, something suddenly flew in through the window.

Thud!

A small ball rolled to a stop near Zeke’s feet.

Soon, a dense smoke began to pour out from the ball.

[Mandragora root extract detected.]

[Inhalation of this toxin will result in unconsciousness.]

[Due to the effects of Immunity to All Poisons, you are unaffected by the toxin.]

Thanks to the immunity gained from devouring the Hydra’s head, Zeke was unharmed by the toxic smoke.

However, Zeke pretended to collapse, feigning the effects of the smoke.

After the smoke dispersed, two men in black carried the seemingly unconscious Zeke to an unknown destination.

* * *

The men in black brought Zeke to a dark, narrow room. They placed him on a chair and secured him with handcuffs. Once they ensured he was firmly restrained, they left the room.

As soon as they were gone, Zeke quietly opened his eyes.

Activating his map, he surveyed his surroundings. He was near the outskirts of Atlas, close to a farm. The building appeared to be a repurposed grain storage facility, now used as a safe house.

‘A safe house owned by the Northern Rangers? It seems their employer is someone else.’

Zeke had allowed himself to be captured by the smoke to uncover the truth behind the Gorka Rangers’ surveillance.

Just as he had surmised, the rangers’ intentions would be clearer from within their own lair.

At that moment, someone entered the room.

Feigning unconsciousness once more, Zeke lay still as the person approached him and brought a bottle close to his nose.

[Neutralizing agent for Mandragora root extract detected.]

The antidote to the toxic smoke, it seemed.

Zeke pretended to regain his senses.

“Ugh…”

The man addressed the now-conscious Zeke.

“Zeke Draker.”

Zeke raised his head and slowly opened his eyes.

‘That man?’

A middle-aged man with a stubborn expression, wearing an eyepatch over one eye.

Zeke recognized him immediately.

‘Cliff Reinhardt?’

He was the future owner of the Reinhardt Trading Company, one of the top ten merchant guilds on the continent.

The reason Zeke instantly recognized him was because of their connection in his previous life.

In Zeke’s past life, Abel, who had consumed the Draker Household, had extended his grasp to major merchant guilds to secure war supplies. At the time, the Reinhardt Trading Company had tried to maintain neutrality, but Abel and the Empire wouldn’t stand for it. They forcibly dismantled the company and confiscated its assets.

Cliff Reinhardt, risking his life, fled the Central Continent and delivered critical information to the Northern Continent.

Zeke had been the one to make contact with Cliff back then and delivered the information to the Northern forces.

‘Zeke Murray. I trust you to safely deliver this information.’

Although Zeke had urged Cliff to seek asylum in the North, he had refused.

‘I wish to face my final moments in my homeland, Alencia.’

The present-day Cliff overlapped with the Cliff of the future who had resolved himself to die.

Cliff, noticing the way Zeke stared at him, spoke.

“You look at me as if you know me.”

Zeke changed his expression and responded casually.

“I was just curious about the fool who dared to kidnap a bloodline of the Draker Household.”

Cliff’s expression hardened at Zeke’s words.

Seeing his reaction, Zeke realized this kidnapping wasn’t a meticulously planned operation.

Zeke decided to press further.

“Why did you abduct me?”

There had to be a reason for hiring the expensive Gorka Rangers to infiltrate his residence.

If Cliff was connected to Abel, Zeke considered eliminating him here to be advantageous.

If the wealth of the Reinhardt Trading Company fell into Abel’s hands, it would only complicate matters.

Zeke activated his mini-map to gauge the positions and numbers of Rangers in the vicinity.

‘One in the room, one right outside, and ten more around the building. Judging by the aura, only the two in close proximity are actual Rangers.’

Even if they were Gorka Rangers, Zeke could eliminate them without leaving a trace if he used his full abilities.

At that moment, Cliff gestured to the Ranger behind him.

The Ranger approached and unlocked the handcuffs securing Zeke’s arms.

“This situation has turned out this way, but I want to make it clear that this was never my original intention.”

Zeke looked at Cliff, who was now speaking formally, and responded.

“That’s laughable. You break into my residence and abduct me, and now you’re saying that wasn’t your intention?”

Even while trapped in enemy territory, Zeke showed no sign of intimidation and continued to speak informally, saying whatever he wanted.

Cliff was slightly surprised by Zeke’s attitude.

No matter how seasoned a knight might be, anyone in such a situation would usually show at least a hint of anxiety. Yet, the boy in front of him displayed none of that.

‘Even at his age, a Draker is still a Draker.’

Of course, not every Draker exhibited such composure under interrogation.

Zeke’s ability to remain calm came from his extensive training during his time as a hitman in the South, where he had been conditioned to withstand all forms of interrogation and torture.

If the Gorka Ranger had initiated an intense interrogation, Zeke might have reacted differently. However, Cliff’s demeanor suggested this wasn’t an entirely hostile confrontation.

At that moment, Cliff spoke up.

“Given the circumstances, I suppose some explanation is necessary. You may or may not have heard of me. My name is Cliff Reinhardt. I run the Reinhardt Trading Company.”

Surprisingly, Cliff revealed his identity outright.

Feigning anger to gauge Cliff’s intentions, Zeke adopted a venomous tone and said, “The Reinhardt Trading Company, huh? I don’t know how big it is, but it takes a lot of guts to mess with a Draker. Kill me here, and the Drakers will hunt you down to the ends of the earth. Let me live, and they’ll still hunt you down. No matter what you do, you’ll never escape the Drakers.”

Cliff’s expression hardened.

Even as the head of a powerful trading company, it wasn’t easy to withstand the suffocating pressure of a knight’s killing intent.

A Ranger standing behind Cliff stepped forward, intending to restrain Zeke.

However, Cliff raised his hand to stop the Ranger.

Cliff pulled out a document and placed it in front of Zeke.

“Take a look at this for a moment.”

Zeke, who had been glaring at Cliff, shifted his gaze and began to examine the document slowly.

The contents were completely unexpected.

‘Elena Stone?’

Elena Stone was none other than the mother of Liam Stone, who had become Zeke’s subordinate.

The document Cliff presented contained information about Elena Stone’s recovery after contracting the Crimson Blossom Disease.

Zeke couldn’t understand why Cliff had brought him information about Elena Stone and her battle with the Crimson Blossom Disease.

“It’s a disease that has been gradually appearing in the southern regions of the Central Continent. Locals are calling it the Crimson Blossom Disease.”

Cliff looked at Zeke and spoke.

“I’ve learned that Elena Stone, the mother of Liam Stone, a cadet at the academy, was also afflicted with the Crimson Blossom Disease. She was in a life-threatening condition before recovering. Zeke Draker, do you know anything about this?”

Of course, Zeke knew.

Elena Stone had overcome the Crimson Blossom Disease thanks to the medicine he had sent her.

Zeke responded to Cliff.

“I sent Elena Stone the medicine. So, what of it?”

At this, Cliff’s expression changed dramatically.

“So, it was indeed you, Zeke Draker, who sent the medicine. But how did you know about a cure for this disease, which is still barely understood?”

“I remembered a medicine that worked well for similar fevers and thought it might be effective. I sent it, and it worked—that’s all there is to it. But why is the Reinhardt Trading Company investigating this? And even kidnapping me to do it?”

Cliff shook his head.

“I’ll say it again: that was never my intention. All I needed was simply…”

Zeke interrupted him.

“The medicine I gave to Elena Stone. Is that what you’re after?”

Cliff fell silent at Zeke’s words.

Zeke stared at the silent Cliff, trying to deduce the reason behind his drastic actions.

“Is there someone in urgent need of treatment for the Crimson Blossom Disease?”

It wasn’t a question but a statement made with conviction.

Cliff realized that Zeke wasn’t an ordinary fifteen-year-old.

The situation had now turned against Cliff. Even if he wanted to negotiate, he would have to offer Zeke what he wanted under unfavorable terms.

At that moment, Zeke spoke first.

“Cliff Reinhardt. Let’s make a deal.”

Having assessed the situation, Zeke moved to take the upper hand.

Cliff, maintaining his composure, asked, “What are your terms?”

Zeke held up three fingers.

“If you agree to fulfill three of my requests in the future, I’ll give you the formula for the medicine.”

Cliff looked at Zeke and said, “I need to know what these requests are before I can agree to the deal.”

“I’ll only ask for things within the capabilities of the Reinhardt Trading Company.”

After a moment of deliberation, Cliff spoke.

“If you agree to put these terms into a formal contract, I’ll accept the deal.”

Zeke smirked and nodded.

“Good. A contract is essential for a deal like this.”

At Cliff’s gesture, the Ranger left the room to fetch paper and a pen.

Cliff took his time meticulously drafting the contract.

Zeke carefully read through the contract Cliff had written.

“No issues here. But one thing.”

He looked at Cliff and spoke.

“The person you’re trying to treat for the Crimson Blossom Disease. You’ll need to tell me who it is.”

Cliff’s expression hardened even more than before. He replied to Zeke.

“I can’t say.”

“Then the deal is off.”

After a moment of deliberation, Cliff realized he had no choice. Slowly, he began to speak.

“I can only tell you that it’s one of Alencia’s royal family members.”

Zeke clicked his tongue in dissatisfaction.

“If you’re going to be vague, then there’s no deal.”

Cliff clenched his teeth tightly. After a long pause, he finally admitted:

“Melissa Alencia.”

Hearing Cliff’s words, Zeke’s gaze sharpened.

“The First Princess of Alencia.”

Currently, Alencia was embroiled in a dispute with the Rom Empire over control of the Jo’in Tribe Ghetto in the border region.

Alencia’s internal political situation was already unstable due to the intense conflict between royal authority and noble power. Taking advantage of this, the Rom Empire had constructed and deployed a large military base in the border region, eyeing the Jo’in Tribe Ghetto, which was part of Alencia’s territory.

Melissa Alencia was a popular figure among the people, in stark contrast to the frail and incompetent king, due to her effective policies and governance.

There was growing public opinion that her ascension to the throne could restore royal authority and put an end to the power struggle with the nobility.

Given that Melissa Alencia was a major figure in the Central Continent’s political landscape, if she succumbed to illness and was unable to inherit the throne, the already chaotic Alencia Kingdom would undoubtedly plunge into further turmoil.

Zeke asked Cliff, “Why is the Reinhardt Trading Company going to such lengths to treat Melissa Alencia’s illness?”

“We were in the middle of negotiating a major deal with Princess Melissa. If something were to happen to her before the deal was finalized, the trading company would suffer such significant losses that it could shake our entire foundation. That’s why we were desperately searching for the cure.”

In his past life, the Reinhardt Trading Company had grown centered around the Alencia Kingdom and eventually became one of the top ten trading companies on the continent.

Considering how Cliff Reinhardt had expressed a strong attachment to Alencia—so much so that he wished to die there—it made some sense that he already wielded considerable influence in the kingdom.

Even so, Zeke still couldn’t understand why they had gone so far as to hire Gorka Rangers to infiltrate the residence of a Draker bloodline.

Although the Reinhardt Trading Company hadn’t fully matured yet, its current financial resources were sufficient to buy the cure outright if the situation was truly urgent.

‘There must be something I don’t know.’

Zeke gazed into Cliff Reinhardt’s eyes.

Having mastered the Elemental Sword, Zeke had become more adept at handling Ether, allowing him to perceive the emotions of others with greater precision.

He focused on the emotions emanating from Cliff.

‘Desperation, anxiety, deep loyalty…’

It didn’t seem like Cliff was simply trying to save Princess Melissa for the sake of a business deal.

Zeke realized there was something more between Melissa Alencia and the Reinhardt Trading Company.

At the very least, Cliff’s connection to her clearly went beyond a mere transactional relationship.

Perhaps this deal could lead to something even greater.

Zeke signed the contract Cliff had presented.

Seeing Zeke’s signature, Cliff let out a sigh of relief.

At that moment, Zeke spoke.

“Alright, Cliff Reinhardt. Let’s start with my first request.”

He looked directly at Cliff and said:

“You need to hire me.”