The Regressed Son of a Duke is an Assassin

His eyes stained with blood and his vision blurred, Brian could discern a familiar yet unfamiliar presence.

He even began to doubt his own eyes.

Jet-black hair darker than the night, indifferent eyes that cut straight through, a stern aura contrasting with a youthful face.

There was only one person Brian knew who embodied such a combination.

“M-Master…?”

The lord whom he had sworn to devote everything to, Cyan Vert, stood before him.

As his eyes flickered open, moments away from collapse…

“What are you doing?”

Although Brian felt he should respond to the question, his injured throat refused to cooperate.

“Kwaaaak!”

Meanwhile, agonizing screams tore through the air.

The mercenaries who had just been beating and torturing Brian were now inflicting pain on themselves, clutching their severed body parts.

Ignoring the chaos, Cyan gently caressed Brian’s neck.

“Your vocal cords are injured? No wonder you can’t speak. Were you beaten to the point where you couldn’t even speak, or is it that you couldn’t speak because you were beaten?”

Though Brian wanted to say it was the latter, it seemed impossible in his current state.

“Did you think I wouldn’t notice the crows lurking around? If you didn’t want to end up in a tough spot, you should have just rushed in. You pledged to devote everything to me, but here you are, offering your neck in a desolate place. Are you truly my seed?”

It was a situation of unspoken words rather than eloquent ones.

Despite the ongoing scolding, there was a strange sense of relief mixed with joy.

Suddenly, Brian grinned widely at Cyan.

Taken aback, Cyan let out a small sigh.

“Alright, alright. What more can I say to someone who’s been thoroughly beaten? You don’t seem to be at death’s door yet. Just sleep until this situation resolves.”

Cyan lightly stroked Brian’s blood-stained face.

“… ”

With just a fleeting touch, Brian began to feel drowsy, his eyelids growing heavy.

Though cries for help echoed around him, he didn’t feel inclined to pay attention.

Before long, Brian slipped into a deep slumber, oblivious to everything around him.

* * *

“An apple tree is known by its fruit from the outset,” isn’t that how the saying goes?

I’m not particularly fond of old sayings, but this one truly resonates with me as a profound truth.

What’s that? Who’s doing what to whom and how?

The idea that such words could come from the mouth of an eleven-year-old child is quite perplexing, to say the least.

Is it because they’re just sprouting, or because they’re young, that we cut them some slack?

Such leniency should be reserved for knights.

Sprouts become trees in no time, just as rascals grow into villains in the blink of an eye.

Therefore, it’s crucial to nurture those sprouts properly to ensure they grow straight.

“What, what’s going on? Why are you doing this to me?”

The baffled Barrett shouted as he sank to the ground.

To an observer, it might seem like a severe interrogation was underway.

However, Barrett’s limbs were unscathed, indicating that Brian hadn’t laid a finger on him.

“Don’t come any closer! Stay back!”

With each step forward, the f*cker retreated desperately.

“Well, well, it seems there’s been a misunderstanding, Master Cyan! I wasn’t trying to harm your knight! I was interrogating him because he seemed suspicious! I heard he was planning to kill you, so…!”

The change in demeanor brought to mind someone from a valley.

But I wasn’t about to entertain such nonsense for long.

As Barrett continued to retreat, I casually stepped on his left foot.

-Crunch!

A satisfying sound, like a snapping twig, echoed.

“Kwaaaak!”

In agony from his broken bones, Barrett screamed loudly.

I stooped down slightly, meeting his gaze.

“What are you going to do to me?”

His eyes burned with a simmering hatred.

“Do you think you’ll get away with doing this to me? I’m Barret Louisemill! No one can stop me when I’m angry! What I’m feeling now is only a fraction of the pain…!”

It seemed my words didn’t make much sense.

If I asked a question, shouldn’t I listen to the answer instead of rambling?

I gently grasped one of Barrett’s hands.

“What, what are you doing…?”

It felt rough and coarse, with traces of scars.

It was hard to imagine such hands belonging to a nobleman.

Perhaps people might mistake them for the calluses of labor or training.

But these weren’t the scars of hard work.

They were scars from self-inflicted acts of violence, not from blows received but from acts of cruelty towards others, even from a young age.

“It looks like you’ve been squeezed quite tightly…”

In other words, the marks of beatings.

They weren’t received but self-inflicted, indicating a propensity for violence from a very young age.

It’s not a promising sign for future growth.

“Didn’t you say when you have an incompetent master, the underlings suffer? Well, it seems like a valid point…”

I don’t have much else to say.

Ultimately, Brian suffered because of my negligence.

“But when you think about it, isn’t that incredibly unfair? The underlings suffer because of an incompetent master, but the master himself doesn’t take any responsibility. You’re no exception, are you?”

Look at these bodies strewn around.

They’re the followers who just bid farewell to this world, all because of an incompetent master.

They didn’t get to see a good end, all because of one useless brat.

“What, what are you saying… Ahh!”

I brought down Kaeram from my arms onto him with full force.

Barret’s body flailed like a fish lifted out of water.

If you’re willing to inflict pain on others, you should be prepared to receive it in return.

The pain I’m inflicting is almost mercy, not really pain at all.

I haven’t truly inflicted pain on him yet.

I grabbed his head and forced him to meet my gaze.

“I might be unlucky. Or I might just be bad luck. Whatever you say behind my back, I don’t care.”

After all, it’s just the self-consciousness of the incompetent.

“But why did you touch him?”

“Ughhh…”

Barret cried tears without an answer.

“If you didn’t want to see such a sight, you should’ve negotiated with me. Why did you touch him?”

“I, I was wrong, Master Cyan! From now on, I won’t even breathe near you! Please spare my life!”

Barrett who was shouting just a moment ago was now groveling pitifully.

[What a weakling. Is this the same guy who was just roaring?]

Kaeram commented casually from the side.

“I agree.”

Still, he is the guy who gritted his teeth and confronted me before.

That’s why it’s important to nurture the sprouts, right?

But I don’t trust those who only speak.

I briefly set Kaeram down and made a swift motion.

“…!”

His eyes shook as if he foresaw his own future.

“What, what are you trying to do?!”

Gradually, a dark orb of concentrated mana appeared in one of my hands.

“We didn’t finish last time, did we? It’s a game of exchanging mana orbs.”

“W-where’s the fun in that? You could really die if you mess up!”

“Don’t worry. Inserting mana orbs won’t kill you.”

You should be grateful that I consider you a nobleman.

Not that it matters, but I’d find it annoying if your death inconvenienced me.

However, you’ll feel more than just death.

“So remember this well. If you or any of your ilk catch my eye again, you won’t be forgiven so easily… Remember my words until you’re old and gray.”

If you don’t want to die a more painful death later on.

Without hesitation, I shoved the orb into his mouth.

“Aaargh!”

The sound of agonizing screams echoed through the lonely forest.

Barret thrashed around like a fish out of water.

This isn’t torture, it’s nothing like that.

Even if he tries to vomit out the mana, it’ll only bring more pain.

Once the mana starts spreading properly, he won’t have the strength to resist.

Having finished my business, I turned away without a trace of regret.

The sprouts have been taken care of.

If they show signs of crooked growth in the future, I’ll uproot and burn them to ashes, leaving nothing behind.

* * *

“Ugh!”

As consciousness returned, Brian’s head throbbed and rang.

“He’s awake!”

With a whimper, Brian opened his eyes briefly, and the owner of the sweet voice let out a short cheer.

“Did you sleep well, Brian?”

A cute little tail swayed gently back and forth.

The owner of the tail sat on the bed, watching him with innocent eyes.

“Nana…?”

Brian blinked rapidly, scanning his surroundings in a hurry.

The warm morning sun seeped through the window into the peaceful dormitory.

As he touched the throbbing pain in his head, he noticed the white bandages wrapped around it.

“I heard! Nana said you went to buy snacks and tripped over a rock, fainting? Brian, you’re such a complete fool! Papa found you lying on the street and brought you here!”

She stroked Brian’s wounds with an innocent face.

Who would get such severe injuries from tripping over a rock?

Brian made a puzzled expression as he tried to recall the events of the previous day.

He remembered being in the middle of the forest, where the scent of blood lingered.

He was being beaten and tortured by Barrett’s group when Cyan appeared, and he lost consciousness immediately.

“What about… Lord Cyan?”

Creak.

Cyan entered the room frighteningly quietly.

“Are you awake?”

His expression was as nonchalant as usual.

Yet, Brian felt a strange sense of relief at his appearance.

“Go eat, Nana.”

“Okay, got it, Papa!”

At the mention of food, Nana dashed out of the room.

Now, only Cyan and Brian remained in the room.

“Are you… alright?”

“That’s none of your concern, is it?”

Brian chuckled awkwardly and scratched his face.

Perhaps it would be better to ask the mirror such questions.

“I’m really sorry. I shouldn’t have interfered without knowing the situation… I’ve caused trouble for you.”

Cyan crossed his arms.

“I don’t really want to say anything about me stepping in, you know? But did you really think you could handle them with your own strength?”

Brian shook his head vigorously.

“To be honest, I had no intention of fighting! From the moment they started following me, I realized how aggressive they were, so I tried to run away as soon as I could. But I didn’t expect them to charge at me without any warning…”

“So, in other words, you knew from the beginning that they approached you with ill intentions?”

“Yes…”

Cyan’s cold gaze weighed heavily on Brian.

Even though he didn’t say anything, Brian could feel how lowly he thought of himself.

“In other words, you couldn’t even defend yourself, even though you pledged to sacrifice everything for your master… Once your injuries heal, remember that the training will start immediately.”

Cyan took something out of his embrace and handed it to Brian before getting up from his seat.

“Where are you going?”

“To drink.”

As always, Cyan left for somewhere unknown.

Brian, left alone, looked at the item exchanged between him and Cyan with his puffy eyes.

Despite its short length, it felt quite sturdy.

A dagger with a significant weight to it.

Carefully drawing it from its sheath, Brian felt the coldness emanating from the sharp double-edged blade.