Regressing as the Reincarnated Bastard of the Sword Clan

CTranslator: FenrirTL

Editor: Doodle

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< Chapter 176: Intensifying Struggle for the Throne (1) >

The personality of the Conquering Dragon, as Theo remembered, was extremely peculiar.  

On the surface, he seemed to be a stubborn and arrogant individual.  

But in truth, he was a monster harboring cunning schemes countless times over.  

The tragedy of the siblings Kishar and Ansio was born precisely because of this.  

Though the Conquering Dragon accepted the twin siblings as his disciples, he never revealed this fact to either of them.  

He merely mentioned that the other sibling was someone he occasionally helped due to an old connection.  

Thus, the siblings lived their lives believing they were the sole and special disciple of the Conquering Dragon.  

When the struggle for the throne intensified, they pointed fingers at one another as frauds, quarreling more viciously than enemies.  

‘To be precise, Kishar was merely dancing in the palm of Ansio’s hand.’  

Ansio had a quiet personality.  

She moved as if she barely existed, yet she was always counted among the top five candidates without making her presence conspicuous.  

As a result, most of the achievements were made by Kishar, and Kishar alone monopolized the spotlight.  

However, that was nothing more than Ansio’s strategy.  

Receiving the spotlight also meant receiving hostile gazes.  

Ansio cleverly used this to her advantage.  

She shifted the blame for all her wrongdoings onto Kishar.  

By the time Kishar realized what was happening, he was already surrounded by enemies.  

Ansio then mercilessly struck down Kishar, who was begging for help.  

Subsequently, Ansio embraced the enemies as her own and absorbed all the foundation Kishar had painstakingly built.  

In the end, she succeeded in becoming the Conquering Dragon’s sole successor.  

However, as fate would have it, this time, Kishar’s downfall occurred right here.  

About ten years earlier than in Theo’s past life.  

Naturally, the foundation Ansio could consolidate was much smaller.  

Still, by this point, Kishar’s groundwork was nearly complete, which made it substantial in size.  

The most pressing issue, however, was that the Conquering Dragon was still active.  

-Depending on what stance the Conquering Dragon takes, the response will vary.  

‘To think that the first person I’ll face in the now-triggering throne competition is the Conquering Dragon. The difficulty is far too high.’  

Theo felt deeply that this life was anything but easy.  

*         *         *

Theo used magic to ignite flames and burn Kishar’s corpse to ashes.  

He had no intention of letting the world know about Kishar’s death.  

Of course, if Kishar suddenly disappeared, those aware of the circumstances would start saying all sorts of things.  

The Difference between having evidence or not was significant.

‘There’s no need to be branded as someone who incited infighting right before a major war.’  

After the corpse turned to ashes and disappeared, Theo was about to withdraw his hand when Lodbrok spoke.  

「Partner.」  

“Yes.”  

「Do you intend to keep everything that happened here at the White Tower a secret?」  

“Yes, that’s correct. Is there an issue with that?”  

It seemed Lodbrok had already discerned Theo’s thoughts.  

She nodded slightly.  

「I’m of the opinion that it shouldn’t be kept secret.」  

A surprising statement.  

Theo’s eyes widened.  

「This is merely advice. It’s up to you to accept it or not. However, from what I’ve observed, you tend to be overly cautious.」  

“I… am cautious?”  

Theo blinked.  

Wasn’t being cautious a term used for those who plotted behind the scenes, manipulating events from the shadows?  

But Theo prided himself on his overwhelming performance during the Blossoming Ceremony and the bold moves he’d made since then.  

Lodbrok’s words felt somewhat unfamiliar.  

「Of course, I think you’ve built a career worthy of aiming for the throne. But there’s always a ‘line’ you don’t cross.」  

A line.  

Something elusive began to take shape in Theo’s mind.  

「What you’ve shown is only your career. You haven’t demonstrated why you deserve to sit on the throne.」  

“But isn’t Ragnar a place where the strongest take everything…?”  

「Yes, being strong is essential. Talent and ambition are crucial too; they’re the most important foundation. But that’s just the base. In human society, one more thing must be added.」  

Lodbrok’s gaze deepened.  

「Legitimacy.」  

“Legitimacy?”  

「That’s right. You need to show the people that you’re the one who can change Ragnar. How will you convince them that you can lead the North to its golden age?」  

Now, Theo started to grasp what Lodbrok was trying to convey.  

「You must prove that legitimacy lies with you.」  

Legitimacy.  

The word weighed heavily on Theo’s chest.  

Recently, Cecilia had moved her residence to the Camellia Palace.  

But in truth, Theo was merely an illegitimate child born from harem.  

Someone who should have disappeared without ever seeing the light of day.  

「There are quite a few in Ragnar who advocate for pure bloodlines, don’t they? Although to my eyes, apart from Sigurd, the rest are just a mishmash. In any case, the closer you get to the throne, the greater the backlash will be.」  

For a moment, Theo felt as if his vision had cleared.  

“You’re suggesting that I show I possess greater legitimacy than the legitimate heirs.”  

「That’s correct. And you have plenty to show.」  

Lodbrok glanced around.  

The Guardians around them all let out mournful cries.  

Just the fact that Theo had been chosen by the Ancient Dragon would likely shake many people.  

Especially the Senate, which would be most eager to drag Theo down, would be profoundly affected.  

「And you also have me, a ‘half-being.’」  

“...But legitimacy without strength only makes one a target.”  

This was precisely Theo’s concern.  

What if the top five candidates colluded to crush him?  

In such a scenario, even Theo would struggle to defend himself.  

However,  

「Isn’t it too late to be worrying about that?」  

Theo glanced at the spot where Kishar had been just moments ago.  

Perhaps she was right.  

「You already have a concrete goal—to seize control of the White Armored Dragon Cavalry within two years. Don’t you think it’s time to act more boldly than ever?」  

If you’re going to secure a position, strike first before others can move.  

That’s what Theo took from her words.  

“...”  

Theo closed his eyes, sinking into thought.  

It wasn’t until much later that he reopened them.  

Theo’s reflection was visible in Lodbrok’s gaze.  

“I’ve decided.”  

「And your decision?」  

“This place.”  

Theo smiled.  

“I’ll use it as the stage for my declaration.”  

*         *         *

“Isn’t this a bit much? You’re all dragons, yet three of you gang up to leave me out.”  

Julius tried to crack a joke, but none of the three pointing their swords at him laughed.  

The Sword Dragon, Lord of Plum Blossom Palace, and the Ice Dragon Niel, along with the Illusion Dragon Magnus.  

While the Lord of Plum Blossom Palace and Niel simply exuded a clear intent to block Julius’s path,  

Magnus was practically radiating bloodlust, as though ready to cut Julius down at any moment.  

Whoooosh—  

The murderous auras of the four collided, creating a massive whirlwind that surged skyward...  

And then... something new began to occur.  

“Huh? The sky is splitting open?”  

“No, you idiot! The sky is shattering!”  

Even the White Armored Dragon Cavalry, casually gazing at the sky,  

The Black Iron Cavalry, who had just barely caught their breath,  

The Red Sword Knights, crushed under the weight of their overwhelming defeat,  

And the Blue Sword Guard, standing solemnly,  

All turned their eyes toward the sky.  

The sky was splitting open.  

The night sky—once bright under the clear glow of the moon—was utterly shattered.  

In its place, dark clouds churned by the whirlwind spread across the heavens, swallowing the starlight.  

Lightning and violent winds poured down upon the earth instead.  

Crack! Zzzzzzt!  

Boom! Boom!  

Rumble… Rumble…  

The trembling that began made it nearly impossible to stand upright.  

The proud swordsmen of Ragnar’s four elite divisions felt utterly exposed, as though stripped bare.  

They had always carried immense pride in their abilities, but this surreal phenomenon made them feel infinitely small.  

However, the person most shaken by the events unfolding wasn’t among them.  

‘This…!’  

It was none other than Torkel.  

In this moment, he was coming to a stark realization of just how arrogant he had been.  

-You’re a genius. Someone who can surpass someone like me without even breaking a sweat.  

When was it? During the Blossoming Ceremony, perhaps.  

His peer, Naban, had once said something to him:  

-That’s why you’ll never understand why I’ve bent my sword this way. But someday, you will. When? Haha! When someone even greater than you appears, of course.  

At this moment, Torkel fully understood what Naban had meant.  

Someone greater than him.  

No—several individuals greater than him.  

There they were.  

No less than four of them!  

‘No, if I were their age…!’  

But that was nothing more than an excuse.  

Torkel was simply trying to look away from the truth he already knew deep down.  

That wouldn’t be enough.  

Even if he reached their age and his skills equaled or even surpassed theirs,  

Even if he became one of the next Nine Dragons,  

That would only get him so far.  

He couldn’t surpass them, nor become something ‘different’ altogether.  

-Because his father, the man he’d watched all his life, had always stood far beyond even the combined might of people like them.  

For the first time, dark clouds formed in the heart of Torkel, who had always brimmed with unshakable confidence.  

This is impossible!  

Torkel wanted to scream those words.  

He wanted to rise against the raging storm and prove his resolve.  

‘Do you think I’ll crumble because of this? How far have I come to reach this point? How much farther do I have to run to touch the throne? I can’t falter here… I won’t!’  

Neither Julius, the Lord of Plum Blossom Palace, Niel, nor Magnus mattered anymore.  

Torkel awakened the ‘something’ he had repressed until now—the thing that had been crouched within his heart.  

Thump thump thump thump thump…!  

His heart pounded wildly.  

Mana surged fiercely through his body.  

An overwhelming aura radiated outward, carrying a sticky, suffocating madness.  

Madness that caused those who faced it to lose their minds—or at least their composure.  

“This is…!”  

“Torkel?”  

“Commander of the Black Iron Cavalry! What are you—?!”  

Even the dragons who had been opposing him were startled, turning around to see what was happening.  

The madness boiled over, erupting like a volcano.  

There was something deeply chilling in the air.  

The madness raged.  

It sought to tear through the aura of the Nine Dragons at any cost. It fanned Torkel’s greed to claim the throne for himself.  

But then—  

BOOOOOOM!  

The White Tower, which had been relatively quiet until now, suddenly illuminated again.  

Its remaining steps lit up, one by one, until the light reached the thirteenth floor.  

At that moment, the tower emitted a deafening roar and exploded.  

“...!”  

“...!”  

“...!”  

The White Tower, which so many had risked their lives to defend, had been destroyed?  

Even Torkel’s raging madness faltered in the face of such a shocking sight.  

But the people soon realized that this was not destruction—it was transformation.  

Kwakwakwakwa…!  

The shattered fragments of the tower whirled through the air, morphing into various forms.  

Some became Drakes that landed heavily on the ground, shaking the earth with their presence.  

Others became Griffins, soaring powerfully into the sky.  

Still others turned into Fairy Dragons, spinning around in midair while scattering glittering pollen.  

Though these were lesser dragonkin, the sheer number of mythical beings suddenly materializing was enough to send chills down the spine of all who watched.  

Kukukuku!  

Simultaneously, the ground trembled as three Desert Worms erupted from beneath, surrounding the four elite divisions.  

Meanwhile, a Magara partially surfaced from the split earth, transforming the area into a swamp that made movement nearly impossible for the swordsmen.  

“What on earth… is happening?”  

Niel’s murmured words perfectly captured the thoughts of every dragon present.  

An army of dragons?  

Such a thing had never been heard of.  

“Theo! That bastard, he actually did it!”  

Only Julius exclaimed in delight.  

And then—  

Flap! Flap!  

From within the swirling debris of the shattered White Tower, a Wyvern, Umbra, emerged with powerful wingbeats, revealing itself.  

Standing atop it was Theo, gazing down arrogantly at the battlefield below.  

He stood as if he were a ruler surveying his domain.  

*         *         *

-Of course, it’s when someone greater than you appears.  

Naban’s words echoed once more in Torkel’s mind.  

Someone greater than him.  

And there he was.