The Regressed Son of a Duke is an Assassin

The heavy clouds looming in the sky, accompanied by thick, pouring rain, seemed to mirror her unsettled mind.

*Creak*

As the door opened, Princess Violet quickly turned her head.

“It’s Aschel.”

Not the visitor she had hoped for, the princess’s eyes grew cold.

“Seems like you’re disappointed.”

With a smirk, Aschel asked, and the princess smiled back, seemingly sarcastic.

“I’m not the one disappointed; it seems like it’s you, Aschel. Is your plan ruined, or do you still have a final plan up your sleeve?”

“…?”

“Shall we be bold and speak frankly? You tried to kill me, didn’t you? Acting on my brother’s orders?”

Aschel couldn’t respond immediately.

“Our impulsive brother wouldn’t just let this slide, right? The fact that you, someone close to our brother, were involved is evidence enough.”

With a subtle chuckle, Aschel retrieved something from his pocket.

It was an ordinary-looking parchment scroll.

“This is a summoning scroll that can summon demons. It’s a very useful artifact that can summon demons on the spot with just a certain amount of mana. Of course, it can be used right here, right now.”

It was practically a confession.

“I won’t make excuses. As you thought, Prince Louisnel asked me to kill you on the front lines. I would use this scroll to summon demons during the procession to cause chaos and then attempt to assassinate you.”

*Whoosh*

But now, seemingly unnecessary, Aschel burnt the scroll right there.

“But the plan went awry from the start. Along with the unexpected reinforcements from the imperial army, we didn’t anticipate that there would be knights loyal to you among us.”

“That’s true. But if I didn’t struggle even though I knew I would be killed, I would be no better than an unintelligent microorganism. I made the best choice I could.”

The princess crossed her arms, showing a determined expression.

“I have one question, Aschel. Did you really intend to kill just me on this mission?”

“Why would you say that?”

“Otherwise, you wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Alice as my personal guardian, right? She knows nothing about your plans…”

“…”

“You planned to kill us both, didn’t you? Me and your sister?”

Princess Violet wished to receive personal protection from the Light Knight, Alice.

This was the story Aschel conveyed when they first encountered Alice.

However, that wasn’t the truth.

It was merely something Aschel desired, and the princess had only complied with his recommendation to summon Alice.

“Not answering confirms my suspicions.”

Aschel responded with a faint smile.

“I won’t ask for reasons. Everyone has their own circumstances, don’t they? Even a household as noble as yours may have private matters more potent than water…”

The princess nodded as if understanding.

“But in any competition, it’s wise to strike first. Did you know that Alice harbors considerable distrust towards you, as Cecilia mentioned? If left unattended, Aschel, your true intentions may become glaringly obvious.”

“…Let me tell you something fun.”

After maintaining silence, Aschel finally spoke.

“The events of this expedition have yet to be reported to the palace. Not even the intelligence has been dispatched yet.”

“And?”

“While the expedition is over, reports about it can still change at any time.”

Seemingly insignificant words, yet their implications were far from trivial.

Reports about the expedition could still change anytime.

It meant the royal expedition wasn’t over yet, and it served as a warning that something more might happen to her.

The princess’s expression darkened instantly as she grasped the implication.

“Are you… threatening me?”

Aschel shook his head.

“My plans have already fallen apart. I have no desire to devise new ones now. I simply wanted to broaden the princess’s horizons.”

The princess frowned.

“Really? You’re one of our brother’s people, aren’t you? I don’t see the need to do you any favors, especially when you’re working for someone who wants to kill me.”

“Who said that I serve him? Is Prince Louisnel my master?”

*Boom!*

A sudden thunderclap outside the window accompanied the pouring rain.

“Um…?”

Princess violet seemed to reconsider if she had misheard.

Aschel continued, undeterred.

“I serve no one. Least of all the prince. Our relationship is purely transactional, driven by mutual goals.”

“Do you expect me to believe that?”

“I don’t lie as flippantly as to fabricate falsehoods. My words hold weight.”

“Then, can I relay this conversation to my brother as it is? I’m curious if he shares your sentiments!”

Aschel shrugged indifferently.

The princess, caught off guard, couldn’t continue, and there was a momentary silence between them.

“Aschel… What do you really want?”

The princess’s voice, as she spoke again, carried a slight tremor, unlike before.

The moment she realized that he was more inscrutable than she had thought, fear rose within her, along with a sense of caution.

“Do you desire this empire?”

“It’s not about that.”

Aschel promptly dismissed her speculation.

“I aspire to pursue the highest dream that a human can seek.”

“The highest dream?”

“Yes. To transcend the limits set upon humans and reach the pinnacle of existence.”

The princess laughed incredulously.

“Ha, isn’t that a bit too grandiose? Are you aiming to become a god or something?”

“How you perceive it is entirely up to you, Princess. However…”

Aschel moved closer until they were face to face with her.

The moment their eyes met at such close proximity,

“I hope you’ll accompany me on the path toward my dream.”

Aschel smiled slyly and extended his hand to her.

“Are you asking me to become your… person?”

It was a dangerously audacious statement, aiming to turn a member of the royal family into their own.

But the speaker seemed unfazed by the potential repercussions.

“Didn’t I say? I serve no one. Therefore, shouldn’t you become mine, Princess?”

Princess Violet pondered.

How should she react to this impudent and impure proposition?

Should she assert her authority to suppress him?

Her deliberations didn’t last long.

All the cluttered thoughts in her mind vanished, leaving only one conviction dominating her mind:

She needed to grasp his hand right now.

As the resolute Princess Violet reached out to take Aschel’s hand,

“Kekek!”

Laughter suddenly echoed from one corner of the room.

Sensing the intrusion, both Aschel and the princess turned their heads simultaneously.

*Thunk!*

“….!”

Another thunderclap resounded as the silhouette of a strange figure perched on the windowsill was illuminated.

He was squatting on the windowsill, looking at them with interest, as if he found this situation amusing.

Was this figure there all along?

Until the laughter, there was no sense of its presence.

Clad in a cloak of darkness and a mask concealing their entire visage, no one in Velias dared to dress in such a manner.

“Who are you?”

Aschel, now alert, was the first to inquire.

*Thud!*

The unknown figure wordlessly tossed something from their hand towards them.

The thrown object, rolling uncontrollably, came to a stop in front of Princess Violet.

Instead of the princess, who took a step back due to an uneasy feeling, Aschel checked inside.

“Ahh!”

Upon confirming the contents, the princess screamed and fell backward.

Aschel’s face contorted gravely.

“T-The…!”

Unable to continue her sentence, the Second Princess pointed at the contents of the bag with trembling hands.

What the unknown entity threw was so grotesquely distorted that it was impossible to look at it with open eyes.

It was the head of Knight Cecilia.

The level of distortion indicated unspeakable agony, inciting revulsion in the princess.

The unknown figure merely smirked as if satisfied with their gift.

* * *

I unexpectedly stumbled upon quite an amusing story.

The highest dream that a human can seek?

What a magnificent phrase.

It speaks volumes about the strong determination to overcome one’s limits and reach the highest point possible.

But to hear such an impressive phrase come out of that demon’s mouth, how could I not suppress a smile?

It’s almost ludicrous to the point of being pathetic.

“…!”

Are they suddenly struck dumb?

Why are there no words?

I thought maybe if I offered a gift, even a silent person would speak.

But to see how moved they were, enough to fall to their knees, it’s quite satisfying.

“Let me ask again. Who are you?”

How can an older brother, whom I respect so much, not even recognize his cute younger brother’s face?

Of course, there’s no intention to respond.

After all, why would I reveal what that bastard wants to know?

I walked towards him without saying a word.

He must also know that the 2nd princess and Cecilia plotted his sister’s assassination.

Yet he extends his hand to the Second Princess.

Just thinking about it makes my anger surge again.

*Ki-yang!*

Sensing a threat, he infused mana into his sword.

A brilliant light emanated, as if warning them not to come any closer.

“I’ll ask one last time! If you don’t comply, I’ll—!”

*Kkang!*

Enough of his nonsense.

Laughing at ridiculous bullshit once is enough.

If I continue listening to his voice, even my barely maintained composure might falter.

With a loud clang of the sword hitting the ground, it rolled over.

“G-Ghost! There’s a ghost in my room…!”

When people are scared, usually their senses shut down, but their mouths usually don’t.

I rushed forward and covered the princess’s mouth, inadvertently locking eyes with her.

“…!”

Her face, consumed by fear, was truly a sight to behold.

Isn’t this just a natural reaction to preserve one’s life? But for my elder sister to experience the pain suffered, it’s unfathomable. While I wish to return the suffering to this bitch, like that wretched head’s owner…

*Pik!*

She suddenly collapsed.

Fainted, huh?

How pathetic.

Oh well, I wasn’t planning to kill her today anyway.

I stood up and turned to face him again.

“…?”

He stares at me with a puzzled expression, but he can’t move.

A future savior of the continent, trembling before a mere assassin.

Even if I kill this guy now, I won’t be satisfied.

But I just turned around.

He must be puzzled.

This situation must be utterly incomprehensible to him right now.

But you must know this.

Today’s events are just the beginning for you.

Your plans, your grand dreams that you hope to achieve, they will all be thoroughly crushed and destroyed because of me.

I can’t wait for that moment to come, even though it may take a while.

[TL/N: Is the author really edging us with this bro tf just end his shit bro]