The Regressed Son of a Duke is an Assassin

On the opposite side of the landfill, the refuge of the zone wardens.

As the guard checked on the child’s condition, he shook his head after a moment.

“He’s already dead. It seems like he was intended to be killed from the start. It’s been about an hour or so…”

The state of the body made it evident.

One arm severed, bruises scattered across the body—a clear indication of extensive torture.

The child probably endured unimaginable agony until drawing his last breath.

“Gunther!!”

Lisa emitted a roar of anger, her face expressing a desire to rush towards the perpetrator and exact revenge.

“Hold on, Lisa! For now, we need to contain the situation, don’t we?”

At the mention of containing the situation, Lisa let out a hollow laugh.

“Containment? Of course, we should! Then tell me, what do we do to contain the situation?”

The question was posed, but there was no answer.

With nothing else to say, after some time, one guard spoke up after much deliberation.

“I-I’m not sure if this is the right thing to say, but couldn’t we just stand by and watch?”

“…What do you mean?”

Lisa inquired, her expression demanding an explanation.

“Anyway, wasn’t the plan to dispose of that boy soon? If Gunther takes care of it, wouldn’t it be a good situation for us? We wouldn’t have to exert any effort…”

Some guards nodded in agreement.

They hadn’t said it, but they too were considering it.

After all, if the two of them fought, one of them would surely die.

Just watching and reaping benefits seemed like the best option.

On the other hand, Lisa wore a desolate expression, her thoughts inscrutable.

“Is that really a good thing for us?”

Once Gunther had drawn out the boy, the reason was simple: to kill him.

To achieve this, he kidnapped a child with whom the boy had a relationship, and the boy responded and ended up going to Gunther.

Then what?

Could Gunther really kill the boy?

Lisa doubted it.

Almost to the point of perfection, it seemed impossible.

Because, in the eyes of the boy who came to the landfill to find Gunther, she encountered a suffering so intense and vile, unlike anything she had ever experienced before.

She couldn’t even fathom the thought of the boy dying, or even the possibility of killing him.

“……?”

Suddenly, a strange presence, accompanied by the smell of blood, was felt from behind.

“G-Guest?!”

Lisa turned her head, thinking she must have seen wrong.

But soon, her heart started pounding, and her nerves tingled.

What on earth was happening?

She had just closed her eyes and opened them again, only to find the boy, who hadn’t been there a moment ago, now standing before her.

“……”

The boy, without any expression, simply gazed at the child’s body.

He didn’t ask anything, nor did he say a word.

It was as if he could understand the situation just by looking at it.

The boy’s impassive gaze spoke volumes.

After a considerable silence, the boy finally lifted his foot.

From his pocket, he retrieved something and wordlessly placed it on the child’s chest.

“As of today, you’re out of the game….”

With these emotionless words, the boy turned away.

Until he completely vanished from sight, nobody dared to speak.

Only the golden name tag placed on the corpse shimmered bleakly, marking the end of an era.

* * *
You know, it’s hard to say.

I wasn’t particularly happy or sad, but it wasn’t like I didn’t care at all.

It just felt a bit strange.

As I mentioned earlier, I didn’t feel any particular anger about the kid’s death.

I already expected him to be dead.

But when I saw the body for the first time, I could tell.

The blood had started to congeal, and the face was already starting to discolor.

It had probably been about an hour since he passed.

For some reason, at that moment, I had this thought.

If I hadn’t hesitated and just taken out the Gunther right away, could I have saved the kid?

[Our master, you seem completely downcast. Are you regretting something?]

Kaeram was enjoying seeing me like this, mocking me.

Regret, huh?

Do I really have to call what I’m feeling regret?

“Haha!”

Was it some kind of thrill from experiencing something new?

I couldn’t help but laugh, even though it seemed absurd.

It’s ridiculous.

The last time I felt regret was when I was pierced by the Holy Sword.

Didn’t I promise then?

I swore I’d achieve everything for myself, by myself.

And now, here I am, regretting my actions.

It’s simply unacceptable.

“In the end, I couldn’t say it…”

[Say what?]

“His name…”

It’ll probably linger in my mind for quite a while.

* * *

“Gunther is dead?”

A slight tremor ran through Morris’s voice.

“Yes! The body was fragmented into hundreds of pieces, making identification difficult, but it was definitely Gunther!”

“The Gravity Zone?”

“It seems completely destroyed to the point where it cannot be used…”

At the mention of destruction, Morris smirked bitterly.

“It’s regrettable that we let it go so easily. Did that brat really not make proper use of it and just destroy it? Tsk tsk. What a waste of goods…”

Morris’s reaction was calmer than expected.

After all, he had once dominated the arena, and now he was the lord of the western district of Lambert.

How could he not be surprised to be defeated by a mere boy?

His subordinate, who had come to deliver the report, found it incomprehensible.

“So, where did that boy Zion go?”

“Well, according to the them, he didn’t return to Cage. I think he might have escaped, but I’m not sure…”

– Bang!

Excited, Morris slammed the desk.

“What! That means he could leave the city?!”

“Well, yes, but…”

The reaction had changed 180 degrees from earlier.

“These idiots! What were they doing instead of keeping a tight watch? He couldn’t have gone far. Go out and find that boy! Mobilize all available personnel if necessary!”

“Yes, sir!”

His sudden command sent his subordinates rushing out.

“It’s unthinkable to let the found demonic sword slip away like this! No matter what happens, it must come into my hands!”

A strange, inexplicable smile played at his lips.

“Morris!”

About a minute later, the subordinate who had left in a hurry returned to him.

“We received a message from Delkia Bridgette!”

“From Delkia? What’s the matter?”

“They say that boy Zion has come to the entertainment alley! It seems like an opportunity, so they’re asking you to come quickly!”

His heavy body rose from the chair in an instant.

“Looks like the gods are on my side!”

* * *

– Tick tock

The urgent and hopeful footsteps of a woman echoed through the corridor.

Delkia Bridgette, the ruler of the eastern entertainment alley.

Her elegant makeup and glamorous yet subtle attire showcased her confident figure.

While her face remained quite restrained, occasional uncontrollable laughter caused her lips to twitch, presenting a bizarre sight.

Finally arriving at a door, she took a short breath before opening it.

Inside, there sat a black-haired boy with the same arrogant gaze as when they first met.

“I appreciate your acceptance of my invitation, Zion…”

She gently lowered her head, revealing her ample cleavage, but the boy didn’t even glance at it.

He simply looked around with an indifferent gaze, not acknowledging Delkia’s presence.

“Did you expect me to come?”

“I’m not bragging, but there hasn’t been a single person who hasn’t set foot here after receiving my invitation. At least among men.”

But Delkia didn’t know.

The reason this boy came to such an inappropriate place was completely at odds with her thoughts.

“You don’t look too good. Is something bothering you? Just say the word! There are many entertainments prepared to lift your spirits! I’m sure you’ll enjoy them!”

Despite being an offer no man could refuse, the boy remained silent.

His indifferent gaze was fixed precisely at the bottom left of the table, where there was nothing.

“… ”

A bead of sweat trickled down Delkia’s forehead, sliding down her neck to her chest.

With each passing moment, she felt the heat rising within her body.

‘It’s dangerous. I can’t bear it…’

The more she looked at the boy, the more her desire surged.

Her demeanor was like that of a starving lion desperately restraining itself from its prey.

– Swoosh

Finally calming her heart, she took out a small vial from her pocket.

Quietly approaching a corner out of the boy’s sight, she brewed the tea.

“You should have a cup of tea to soothe your mind for now. If you have anything to say, feel free to tell me! I’ll listen to everything…”

As she offered the tea with an odd smile, the boy’s gaze finally returned to her.

“…”

From the steaming vapor, a rich floral scent blossomed.

Another minute passed in silence.

The boy’s gaze, previously fixed on the tea, finally turned to Delkia.

“I wasn’t feeling like this until I came here…”

His voice carried a weighty air.

“Just one question. How many have you killed?”

“W-What are you talking about?”

At her bewildered response, the boy’s gaze returned to the empty floor.

“Now you can clearly see the ugly evil that appears when a person commits an act…….”

She was momentarily speechless, unable to even retort.

“That manager from Cage warned me, right? She said the ruler of the entertainment alley has quite eccentric tastes, so be careful. But maybe even that manager didn’t know what to be careful of.”

“W-What are you talking about?”

Though she managed to speak, her body refused to move now.

As if an invisible force were pressing down on her.

“Heh…!”

The boy, who had remained expressionless, suddenly laughed.

His gaze still fixed on the empty space.

Delkia was completely at a loss.

– Clang

Suddenly, the boy drank the tea she offered in one gulp.

“…”

– Thud

Not even three seconds later, he collapsed face-first onto the table.

Another ten seconds of silence.

Regaining her senses, Delkia burst into uproarious laughter.