The Regressed Son of a Duke is an Assassin

Lambert Cage.

Leaving aside what kind of place it is, what comes to mind when you hear that name?

Most likely, you wouldn’t think it’s a good place.

You’d probably imagine something like a cage where human slaves are kept in groups. However, surprisingly, this place is a luxury accommodation facility frequented by numerous people every day.

A VIP room that costs 50 gold coins to enter.

The facilities themselves were incredibly luxurious, almost on par with a royal palace.

It was a stark contrast to the dismal exterior.

You could roughly gauge the main clientele of this place based on the atmosphere.

Of course, people didn’t come here just for a relaxing holiday.

Looking out the window, I noticed various individuals, including thugs who had been roaming the streets a while ago and even some well-dressed signs of affluence, gradually converging here.

However, they didn’t enter the entrance and seemed to be heading somewhere else.

With that, I turned my head and walked straight out of the room.

-Creak

As soon as I opened the door, numerous eyes fell upon me.

A plush red carpet adorned the corridor, with a total of six rooms, three on each side.

Except for my room, the other three had guards stationed, all of whom were eyeing me with suspicion.

From their attire and demeanor, it seemed like they didn’t belong to this building.

They were probably bodyguards brought by the owners of each room.

I didn’t pay them any mind and strolled down the corridor.

-Swiftly

The familiar scent of perfume and cosmetics greeted me as I descended the stairs.

It was a strong scent, almost overpowering.

To me, it was quite familiar—the smell that wafted from the bodies of many nobles I had killed in my past life.

Lost in the scent, I found myself on the first floor without realizing it.

There were a total of five floors—a pyramid structure where the space widened as you went down.

This meant that the first floor where I stood was the largest area, but that wasn’t entirely the case.

Beneath the wooden floors of the first floor corridor lay a massive underground space, estimated to be more than twice the size.

First, I headed towards the lobby near the entrance.

Next to the lobby was a space where you could eat and drink, similar to a regular inn.

While there were some people when I first entered, now it looked deserted, like a closed shop.

The only person visible was the brown-haired female clerk who had rebuffed me earlier.

“I’m Lisa, a staff member at Lambert Cage! How may I assist you?”

Even if she wore a mask, her smile was so repulsive that I couldn’t help but fake a laugh.

Whether it was a strong professional demeanor or sheer audacity, it was hard to tell.

Ignoring it, I said,

“I’d like to use the Cage.”

“The Cage, you say?”

Her lips twitched slightly.

“I’m truly sorry, but for the time being, we’re only accommodating existing customers. It would be difficult for new customers to use the Cage.”

Internally, I thought, they’re taking drugs.

Money talks, so why would they limit the use of the Cage if they’re willing to give VIP rooms to even a 13-year-old?

“If that’s the case, shouldn’t you have just denied me a room altogether?”

A single bead of sweat trickled down her cheek.

“Th-that’s because our accommodations and Cage usage are separate… What can I do? I just follow orders from above…”

Does she think I came here without any prior information?

In a city where might is right and money talks louder than the law, it’s unlikely they would impose such restrictive rules.

The woman is clearly lying to me for some reason.

That means she’s hiding something.

-Stealthily

My hand instinctively moved towards my pocket.

“….?”

There was no other meaning behind my action—I just intended to pull out a few coins and toss them her way.

But then I noticed something.

As my hand went into my pocket, hers twitched and moved…

Not an unusual reaction; even though humans might be less sharp than animals, they are highly sensitive to threats.

She may have felt wary without realizing it as my hand was heading to a place she couldn’t see.

However, it wasn’t just the initial startle—it was the subsequent movements, as if preparing for something.

Even now, her fingers were constantly glancing towards the underside of the desk, as if hiding something.

Time seemed to stand still as I kept my hand in my pocket for nearly five seconds without making any further moves.

This woman, who I initially thought was just another unassuming clerk like Emily, turned out to be anything but.

Isn’t that strange?

She’s single-handedly guarding this spacious lobby.

Normally, there should be multiple guards stationed around, especially in a city like this, where trouble could break out anytime.

Yet, besides her and me, there was no sign of any other guards or security measures.

There could be two reasons for this.

Either there’s an issue elsewhere that has drawn all the guards away, or they deem her sufficient without the need for additional security.

The only way to find out is to investigate further.

-Swiftly

Though I hadn’t initially planned it, I discreetly grasped Kaeram’s scabbard that was tucked away in my coat pocket.

It wasn’t just a simple grasp.

By holding the sword, I allowed the aura that accompanies it to spread unchecked.

“…!”

She must have sensed my aura because her pupils visibly dilated this time.

About ten seconds passed.

Just as my hand was about to emerge from my coat pocket,

-Clang

A loud clang resounded, assaulting my eardrums.

“…!?”

The clerk, with a shocked expression, was holding a dagger in her hand.

Unlike her, I had nothing in my hand.

It wasn’t that I came out empty-handed; nor did I draw Kaeram.

What I retrieved from my pocket was a single shining gold coin.

Unlike my calm demeanor, she couldn’t close her mouth in her bewilderment, looking as if caught in the act.

-Tumble

The coin I threw bounced off her dagger, spinning on the desk like a top.

After a moment, it stopped spinning, and she let out an incredulous laugh.

“W-what are you doing…?”

“I was just trying to get some money out.”

It wasn’t a lie.

As I said earlier, I had intended to take out money from the beginning.

She quickly sheathed her dagger and waved her hands.

“P-please don’t misunderstand! This was just self-defense! There are so many unruly thugs in this city that I needed to protect myself…”

“….”

I gave her a skeptical look.

“Can’t I file a complaint about this? The lobby clerk is threatening a guest with a knife right now. I’m extremely uncomfortable, you know?”

Of course, it wasn’t actually happening.

However, she was already deeply embroiled in serious consideration, trying to remedy the situation with an anxious expression.

“Um, is there something you’d like to…?”

“Access to the Cage.”

My purpose was clear.

She sighed as if she had lost.

“So, you’re the hotshot of the fresh rumors, huh? Heard about the boy who appeared on Lambert Street, trampling the ruffians and warning not to mess with him? Never thought you’d come our way.”

She grumbled as she wrote something down before handing me a badge stamped with the seal.

“It’s like an admission pass. Just a word of advice: if you’re not planning to stay here long, it’s better to leave quietly. If you don’t have multiple lives, that is.”

A clerk concerned about guest safety couldn’t be anything but kind.

She got up and opened a small door behind the lobby.

Beyond the door was a staircase leading underground.

Lights were installed along the way, so it wasn’t pitch dark.

“It looks like it’s for staff.”

“It doesn’t matter; the destination is the same. Why bother going around to the back when there’s a path?”

Well, she had a point.

There was no reason to refuse her kindness.

Without hesitation, I stepped through the door she indicated.

The facility aside, there was more than a hint of suspicion about the clerk, but for now, I decided to put it aside.

The staircase was longer than expected, descending about three floors deep, and the stuffy air of the underground was palpable.

[Why does the stride feel familiar? Have you been here before?]

Kaeram, who had been dozing, suddenly popped out in the middle of the stairs.

“I had to. Not during such a lively period, though.”

In my past life, I had come when it had almost become a ghost house.

As we descended, indistinct shouts became audible from below.

At least dozens, perhaps hundreds of them.

Listening to the noise, I reached an old door.

I didn’t hesitate and opened it, stepping out.

“Why’s the lineup so weird today? Did I come here to watch these pathetic fights?”

As soon as I opened the door, I was greeted by loud curses.

“If you’re not gonna watch, get lost! Those worth watching are everywhere else!”

Accompanied by thugs who wouldn’t be fooled by appearances, an atmosphere of exaggerated tension was created.

[I’ll ask anyway, what is this place?]

“It’s nothing special. Just a betting arena for fights.”

Traditionally, the most entertaining spectacle was watching fights, and even more thrilling than that was betting on them.

This place was the perfect venue for satisfying such primal human desires.

Humans who wanted to fight gathered here, beating each other senseless, while the spectators reveled in the brutality, exhilarated by the carnage.

And those intoxicated by the thrill of it all would bet to watch new matches, making this place, the Lambert Cage, a renowned attraction in the city.

At first glance, it might seem like a gathering of baseless thugs who enjoy fights, but they were just a small, insignificant layer.

Apart from the Lambert Cage, there were numerous similar arenas across the continent, but the core customers responsible for operating these facilities were all aristocrats.

That’s how lucrative this business was considered on the continent, in which aristocrats were the primary patrons of such facilities.

The VIP room I had booked was, in fact, just an additional facility for these aristocrats.

For now, I headed straight to the betting arena in plain sight.