I Regressed to My Ruined Family – 42

 #I returned, and my family was ruined (43)

“A book praising the Yongin tribe?”

Ethan immediately asked.

Of course, in his previous life, there were humans who were overwhelmed by the power of the powerful Yongin tribe.

However, such humans were very few, and their activities were very passive.

If you went anywhere and started spouting praise for the Dragon Clan, you’d be surrounded by people ready to attack you with sticks, not to mention the food waste that would be thrown at you.

A book praising the Dragon Clan?

It’s the kind of thing that would be classified as heresy as soon as it was discovered, and it wouldn’t be surprising if it were burned at the stake on the side of the road.

From Ethan’s perspective, that was definitely the case.

“Would you like to take a look?”

Silvia handed him a book.

[The Book of the Dragon Clan]

Ethan laughed when he saw the title. He never thought a book like this would appear.

It looked like a children’s storybook, with pictures and simple words that even commoners who were not well-educated could easily understand.

Chu-rak.

The pages continued to turn.

Ethan’s eyes lit up as he read the contents.

“This…”

It was a breathing technique.

It was a breathing technique that focused on gathering mana in the heart.

Although several techniques were mixed together like a stew, it was clearly a breathing technique based on the methods of the dragon tribe.

The merciful one grants power to all people. Memorize the incantation over and over again. The protection of the dragon god will be with you.

It was also a breathing technique that was far below the training method shown by the black mage.

“It would be possible to quickly build up power to the level of a 4th-rank knight.”

But that was the limit.

Furthermore, in Ethan’s opinion, there was one major problem with this method.

“It’s an unstable breathing technique.”

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It was a very crude method that could put a lot of strain on the heart during training.

Very few of those who trained using this breathing technique would survive past the age of forty.

“This is how they expanded their influence.”

The power to grant strength.

There was no phrase more alluring than that. Ethan stared blankly at the book.

It wasn’t just a matter of writing down each character.

“It’s a sophisticated print.”

Various preparations were necessary to print a book. Ethan closed the book and looked at his bookkeeper.

“Lawrence.”

“Yes.”

“What do you think of the Yongin tribe? You don’t have to read my mind, just say what you think.”

“I think they are monsters who invaded our Kingdom of Haiden.”

“Do other people usually think so too?”

“At least most people in the Duchy of Ardan think so. They’ve heard stories about them since they were children.”

Ethan nodded.

Even though, unlike in his previous life, the Yongin tribe had been stopped from destroying humanity by signing a non-aggression pact.

It was only natural for ordinary people to hate the Yongin tribe.

Why would anyone like monsters that had invaded their territory?

Praising the Yongin tribe was definitely not something a normal person would do. “That too.”

That was especially true now that those monsters had been driven out by the Gong family and were unable to show their overwhelming power.

“Where did you get this book?”

“It was in Jifron’s personal library.”

“Is he one of those who praise the Yong tribe?”

“I don’t think so. When he mentioned it to me, he added, ‘Those crazy cultists.’”

“Cultists?”

“Yes. Jifron called them the ‘Narakus Sect.’ He didn’t seem to have a good opinion of them. I think he may have obtained this book for research purposes.”

“Did you find out where he got the book?”

“Yes. It’s from one of the merchant guilds in the Romenton Viscountcy. It’s called the Mimiron Merchant Guild, and they’re distributing this book there.”

“Openly?”

“No, not openly. They said it was ‘through connections.’ However, they mentioned that a significant amount has already been distributed. Jipron suspects there might be a printing press in the vicinity.”

‘A merchant guild.’

I needed to investigate further to determine whether this book was produced directly by the guild or simply imported by them.

“By the way, the Naracsus Sect.”

How coincidental.

Ethan knew what the word “Naracsus” meant.

The six legion commanders who followed the Dragon Lord.

One of those legion commanders was named Naracsus.

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Ethan also remembered that guy’s race and alias.

“Shape-shifting dragon of deception.”

The dragon tribe was not a single race.

Even among the dragon tribe, each member had a different appearance and characteristics.

For example, the dragons called “shape-shifters” could change their appearance in various ways.

From plants to beasts, and even humans and other races. The forms they could take were incredibly diverse.

“They were truly despicable creatures.”

The lowest-ranked and lower-ranked Shape Shifters were not particularly troublesome.

This was because lower-ranked creatures could change their appearance to look human, but they couldn’t change the shape of their heart, known as the dragon heart.

Generally, those with a skill level of 5 or higher could sense something strange just by encountering them.

“The duration of their transformation is also relatively short.”

Even if they transformed, they couldn’t completely erase their dragon traits, so their true identities were usually exposed within a week.

However.

Shape-shifters of intermediate rank and above were different. From this point on, every time they changed their appearance, they could mimic not only their outward appearance but also the personality, habits, attitude, and lifestyle of the individual they were imitating.

Their acting skills were so incredible that it was difficult to notice anything unusual unless you had known them for a long time.

Furthermore, from this point on,

they could even alter the shape of their dragon hearts, the only distinguishable feature, to make them look human.

“This is when things really started to get crazy.”

Intermediate level was roughly 7 stars.

Advanced is 8 stars.

The highest level is 9 stars.

To recognize the strangeness of these creatures, one would need to be roughly at that level of skill as a knight. However, from 7 stars onwards, it was not a level that could be easily attained.

Even in a count’s domain, it was difficult to find more than one or two people with that level of skill. So, from this point on, he was able to remain hidden from those around him for a long time, imitating his target.

As dragons go, they didn’t have much power, so it was easy to kill them once their true identities were revealed.

Among the dragon clan, they were considered the most troublesome, ranking first among the most difficult species to deal with.

Even Ethan had killed thousands of shape-shifters in his previous life.

Among these creatures, a legion commander like Narakus was at the top of the hierarchy.

“Even if he transformed himself into the king of a country, it would be difficult to recognize him.”

In his previous life, magicians had even created a special tracking device called “follower scent” to kill this creature.

Even an transcendent being would have difficulty seeing through Narakus’ disguise, so this device was created to identify him by smell instead of sight.

“One year.”

That was how long it took to track him down after somehow getting the Tracking Scent on his body. It took a full year of relentless pursuit before I could finally sever the neck of the deceiver.

“His name has appeared again.”

It was clearly not good news.

“Has Zifron been doing nothing about the cult?”

“I hear that the nobles are tacitly allowing the cult to exist.”

“They’re turning a blind eye to these crazy cultists?” That was exactly the problem.

“Yes. The western region, where the duke’s domain is located, does not have a favorable opinion of them, but other regions are a little different.”

“In what way?”

“The Narakus cult is one of the cults that appeared fifteen years ago. I heard that in the early days, the local residents reported them to the nobles.”

“Really?”

“Yes. However, the nobles did not take proper action, and instead, those who reported them were silenced, so a culture of turning a blind eye to them developed.”

Silvia took a moment to catch her breath before continuing.

“Perhaps due to their long-standing missionary activities, the Narakus Sect has become quite prevalent in some areas. Even after seeing this, the nobles are turning a blind eye.”

Ziphron thought he understood why the nobles were treating the Narakus Sect as a cult but leaving them alone.

With most of the nobles acting that way, it would be ridiculous for him to go after the cult on his own.

“Do you know where the cult is located?”

“Unlike other regions, the cult operates very secretly in the western part of the kingdom. That’s why even Zifron doesn’t know its location.”

Ethan nodded.

The largest family in the west was the Ardan family.

As the stronghold against the Yongin tribe, it would be much more difficult for the sect to operate here than in other areas.

If they openly preached here, they would be burned at the stake without a word.

“Arrogant bastards.”

Ethan clenched his fist at the thought of the Church. The duke’s territory was land that his ancestors had defended with their lives.

How dare those filthy creatures set foot on such land!

Right now, it was only spreading quietly due to the fierce opposition of the local people, but if left unchecked, it was obvious what would happen. The sect that worshipped the dragon clan would become as prevalent as in other regions of the kingdom.

This was clear from the breathing technique these guys were teaching.

“They must be dealt with.”

The merchant guild known to have distributed the Dragon Clan Scriptures. If we go there, we might find a clue about the cult.

“They made books with printed materials.”

That means they have established a base of power there.

If it is in this area, we will proceed with the extermination without hesitation.

But first, there was something we had to do.

“Where is Hwan?”

“Here.”

Silvia approached Ethan and knelt down. At that moment, she pressed something under the desk.

Click!

With the sound of a lock opening, a drawer popped out.

Inside was an antique box. Inside the box was the black liquid he had seen before.

“So, this is where it was.”

Ethan saw the second Hwan and put his hand into the liquid.

A massive amount of fire mana entered the liquid. It took only a moment for the black liquid to be absorbed into his body.

Ethan’s mana began to rise between the illusions spreading throughout his body.

His body felt much heavier than when he had only one illusion.

“It’s okay.”

After taking the elixir, it was difficult to see the effect of increasing the amount with only one illusion, but this was a good result.

He injected enough energy to make the two illusions swell up.

“Double.”

In a situation where he needed to explode his strength, he could now draw out up to twice as much energy.

There was a saying that to survive for a long time, one must hide about three-tenths of one’s strength.

However, the strength Ethan had hidden…

Considering the amount of energy that increased when he used the liberation function, as well as his lighter body, it was close to seven-tenths.

The reason why the duke could continuously emit energy.

It was because of the eight rings.

“The preparations are complete.”

Now it was time to visit the upper ranks who had distributed the Dragon Clan Scriptures.

Ethan lifted the book and asked with a cold smile.

“Those who distributed this book. Where exactly are they located?”