REAPER SCANS
Regressing as the Reincarnated Bastard of the Sword Clan
[Translator – Mr.Ghost]
[Proofreader – Harley]
Chapter 78 - Joint Disciple (3)
Late into the night, Theo was soaring through the chilly night sky with Umbra.
Kiiiiiegh!
Delighted by his first free flight in a while, Umbra screeched with joy.
Meanwhile, Theo was reading over a document atop Umbra.
<Promotion Exam Date Notice>
‘They already want me to take the promotion exam? This is even sooner than I expected.’
Theo had intended to take the promotion exam as soon as possible. However, he thought it would require at least three or four missions before he could take it. He didn’t think he’d get an opportunity so soon.
Normally, in cases like this, the Central Intelligence Bureau tried to deny the recommendation by saying the candidate needed to be watched a little longer.
However, the list of recommenders had made it impossible to reject him.
<Recommenders>
-Commander of the White-Armored Dragon Cavalry. The Demon Dragon Julius Ragnar.
-Lady of the Plum Blossom Palace. The Sword Dragon Osa Ragnar Plunus.
-Director of the Black Snow. The Black Dragon Robert Ragnar.
…
…
Among the Nine Dragons, three of them had recommended him. Even the CIB would have had a hard time blocking such a request.
‘But why did the Black Dragon throw his name in?’
Julius and Lady Plum Blossom made sense, but Theo couldn’t understand why the Black Dragon would have gotten himself involved. Other than during the nomination ceremony, Theo hadn’t had a significant point of contact with him yet.
‘Is it perhaps because Black Snow failed to deliver good intel in the most recent mission?’
From what Theo had heard, Black Snow was on high alert. Not only did they have to track the Black Skull, but they also had to figure out who the mysterious third party was. Perhaps they saw him in a favorable light since Theo helped them out by preventing a tragedy.
‘I don’t know why this person’s name is here either.’
Among all the names on the list, it was another name that was the most enigmatic.
-Commander of the Black Iron Cavalry. The Iron Puma Thorkell Ragnar.
‘Thorkell… I can’t figure him out at all.’
Theo knew that Thorkell had wanted to recruit him into the Black Iron Cavalry. After all, he had sent his vice-commander, Ayan Sosoli, to try and recruit him. Theo thought Thorkell had given up at the nomination ceremony due to how many other high-level personnel threw their names in the hat, but maybe that wasn’t the case.
‘I should go see him if I ever get the chance.’
Theo folded the notice and put it inside his pocket for safekeeping.
‘The promotion exam is in five days. I should get myself in the best condition possible before then.’
The promotion exam was conducted by a total of three proctors. One from your own unit, one from the CIB, and one from another unit.
You would duel the proctors, and you got a pass if you either defeated at least one proctor or received the acknowledgment of at least two proctors. That was what Hazel was talking about when she said he needed to defeat her if he wanted to be acknowledged as the successor of the Plum Blossom Palace.
‘She gave me a death stare after I told her I turned down becoming Lady Plum Blossom’s disciple. I wonder what’ll happen if she does manage to be my proctor.’
Theo chuckled while thinking back to the way Hazel glared at him while he left the Plum Blossom Palace.
‘Anyway…’ Theo looked down while organizing his thoughts, ‘I should be almost there.’
Theo squinted his eyes.
The reason he came out on a night excursion with Umbra was none other than to search for the Spectral Castle.
‘Found it,’ Theo’s eyes lit up.
At a quick glance, it looked like a normal coniferous forest. However, Theo noticed the faint specter energy that lingered above the forest.
“In order to find the Spectral Castle, you have to pass through the area at midnight,” Evelyn had explained.
“Midnight? Is there any particular reason?”
“For security reasons, the Spectral Castle’s exact location is obscured by a barrier to prevent entry. But exactly once a day, there is a time when you can enter.”
“And that’s at midnight.”
“That’s right. It’s said that the time in which one day crosses into another is when yin energy is at its thickest. That’s also when the magic of the barrier is at its weakest. That’s your window.”
Upon asking about the Spectral Castle, Evelyn went on an inquiry to uncover these secrets for Theo.
Finally, midnight was upon him.
‘Two minutes ‘til midnight.’
After checking the pocket watch he borrowed from Cecilia, Theo tightly gripped the reins.
“Let’s go, Umbra.”
Kiiiiiigh!
Umbra roared loudly as he started his descent. Theo continued to check the time while approaching the barrier.
When the clock marked midnight exactly, something white appeared and disappeared above the coniferous trees.
‘Now!’
Theo and Umbra passed through the barrier in one go, landing on the ground.
Thump!
Theo immediately noticed that the air that flowed through the forest felt off. It was humid, gloomy, and ominous.
Fsss…
Screeee!
The winds crashing into the large conifer trees sounded like the wails of ghosts, and the thick fog made it nearly impossible to see ahead.
‘I can’t properly perceive the area. It’s as if my senses are being blocked by something. I’m assuming that I’ve found the correct place.’
Looking up at Umbra, Theo said, “Since we don’t know what to expect, you should wait up in the sky. Signal me if something happens.”
Umbra furiously shook his head.
Kegh! Kiegh!
“…I told you that this place is dangerous. Who knows what’ll pop out. You can’t fight well on the ground. I promise I’m not abandoning you.”
Kiiiiigh!
No matter what Theo said, Umbra wasn’t having any of it. However, he didn’t seem upset at the idea of being apart. Instead, he seemed worried that Theo might be in danger.
Unsure of what to do, Theo scratched the back of his head.
That was when…
Kiieeegh!
Umbra spread his wings wide and roared loudly as he started crumbling apart.
“......?!”
No, rather Umbra was sinking into Theo’s shadow until he fully disappeared.
Theo’s eyes widened at this unexpected development, and Umbra’s smug laughter rang in Theo’s mind.
Kekekekek!
‘Did he awaken the abilities of the Evil Shadow Dragon?!’
Theo let out a baffled laugh.
Originally, the Evil Shadow Dragon was a demonic fiend that nested in the shadows. Theo had worried that without the Demon Shadow Toxin Umbra, he might be unable to use the power to control shadows in this life. However, it appeared that it was an unnecessary concern.
Kiiiegh!
The shadows rippled as Umbra boasted that he’d be of much more use to Theo like this than being up in the sky.
“You’re right. I was wrong. Let’s go together.”
Kiiiiigh!
As Umbra’s cries echoed throughout the forest…
Shing—
Theo slowly drew his Drake Blade while stepping forward.
It was time to find Hilda.
* * *
Reaper Scans
[Translator – Mr.Ghost]
[Proofreader – Harley]
Join our discord for updates on releases! https://dsc.gg/reapercomics
* * *
Rustle, rustle—
Theo trudged through the thick fog, which made it difficult for Theo to gain his bearings. However, Umbra guided him, letting Theo know that they weren’t far from their destination.
Not long after, they discovered an old castle on the side of a mountain in the distance.
It was the Spectral Castle.
It looked hazy, like a mirage, but to Theo, it looked a little bit special.
Vwooo—
He saw the same blue light he saw whenever he found a primordial dragon’s relic.
‘This has to be the right place.’
Theo smiled, confident that he had arrived at the correct destination.
Suddenly, a shiver ran down his spine and he quickly turned his head.
Fsss…
Screech!
A ghastly wail echoed from the forest, followed by the appearance of a mysterious figure.
‘A little girl?’
She looked twelve years old, thirteen at most. The little girl slowly walked towards Theo, dragging a long, skinny sword.
At first, Theo wanted to cut it down, thinking it might be a demonic fiend. However, he held himself back.
The little girl wasn’t looking at him.
With a dead look in her eyes, she was staring at nothing before silently disappearing into the wind.
“What was that…?”
Theo was worried that she was going to attack him after hiding, but he couldn’t sense her presence at all. Instead, a similar phenomenon happened again, but from the opposite direction.
This time, it was a fifteen-year-old girl. She looked like a slightly older version of the girl from earlier. However, this girl was busy training, gritting her teeth.
She swung her sword again and again. Her eyes dripped with poisonous intensity.
Soon, this girl disappeared into the wind as well.
‘What’s going on?’
Again, from another direction.
A nineteen-year-old young lady appeared.
She looked like she was in the midst of a fierce battle. One after another, she cut down her enemies. Showing no mercy, cutting the heads off of even those that surrendered, her face was filled with demonic bloodthirst.
Once again, she disappeared into the wind.
And then…
‘Another one.’
Time and time again, the woman appeared and disappeared, looking older each time. With each appearance, she radiated a more ominous bloodlust as she swung her sword.
By the time she reached middle age, her face was devoid of all emotion. It was as if she were wearing a mask.
She showed no hesitation when cutting down her enemies. Sometimes, she even cut the heads of what appeared like her long-time comrades.
But even then, she showed no hesitation. It was as if she was doing the most natural of things.
Eventually, the girl reached old age.
She now sat on a throne, and no one around her dared look her in the eyes. They all desperately kept their heads down.
This was the result of iron-fisted power.
One day, a fire broke out in the castle, followed by an uprising. The woman on the throne faced the rebels by herself, as if daring them to try their best.
The rebels were too scared to challenge her at first, but when one person charged in with courage, everyone else followed.
With a mad smile on her face, the woman swung her sword.
From the fire, the castle collapsed.
That castle looked similar to the Spectral Castle that stood far off in the distance.
‘These apparitions, they’re showing me someone’s life. The life they lived.’
They were events of a past that people no longer knew happened…
Having finally figured out what these illusions were, Theo started walking towards the Spectral Castle once again.
The apparitions showed him a new scene.
The twelve-year-old little girl that he met first appeared once again, but this time, she held a mirror in her hand instead of a sword.
Unable to believe what she was seeing in the mirror, she screamed in disbelief. However, she soon stood up, as if she’d made a decision.
The next actions that the girl took were completely different from before.
She started dressing as best as she could.
She hadn’t completely given up on the sword. However, realizing that her beauty was highly effective against others, she decided to weaponize it. It wasn’t just men, even women were unable to resist her charm.
Everyone who had been antagonistic to her in her past life died of unknown causes, and she surrounded herself with a terrifying steel wall.
She started building a massive castle. A castle that no one could ever dare challenge.
But her castle, built from schemes and ploys, soon crumbled.
It was brought down in an insurrection by the people who followed her in her past life.
What hurt most was the betrayal from the man that she loved the most.
Stab—
The woman, wearing a saddened face, asked her lover why.
With a disheartened look, the lover answered, “Too many people died because of you,”
The woman, her face consumed by spite, replied, “Then I will become even more terrifying, so terrifying that no one will ever dare look me in the eyes again.”
Fsss—
The apparitions faded once again, and once again, a twelve-year-old girl appeared. This time, the girl was not surprised by her once again youthful face. Instead, she reacted as if she was now used to it.
She got up and grabbed the sword that she had semi-given up on in her past life.
Then she headed to an unknown destination.
…
…
Every time Theo took a step forward, the various lives of the woman appeared in order.
When the woman first opened her eyes, she always looked twelve. She would then make different attempts than her previous lives.
She would be praised as a genius, quickly rise through the ranks, have loyalty sworn to her by many, and eliminate the known-to-be traitors. Ultimately, she would sit on her throne while being called a wicked woman.
In front of her iron-fisted power, everyone bowed their heads. The entire nation felt like it was in the palm of her hands.
However, the ending was always the same.
Betrayal.
No matter what kind of life she lived, that was how her life always ended.
Pathetically. Or Tragically.
‘Every life, she seems like she’s lost. Even though she’s able to gain new opportunities with her unending regression. Even when she attains new realizations, she’s always alone in the end. How did this woman continue to live such a life?’
Theo felt sympathy for this woman stuck in this never-ending wheel of fate.
But at the same time, he felt a bone-chilling madness.
That’s right. An obsessive madness that was hellbent on seeing this through to the end.
She crushed her opponents, even at the cost of her own self.
Even though she knew that she would be surrounded by traitors, she continued to try and rule them by fear.
She gained hold of anything that she wanted.
This was a madness that only a Ragnar could exhibit.
‘If I can ‘repeat’ regressions, is this what will happen to me as well?’
With that though, Theo looked up.
He had arrived at the Spectral Castle.
Atop the half-collapsed castle walls, a woman was looking down at him, a woman who had the same face as the apparitions he saw on his way here.
The woman smiled with madness, “What did you think of the display you saw on your way here? Was it entertaining?”
It was Hilda Ragnar.
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