The Regressed Son of a Duke is an Assassin

It was a dull afternoon at the academy library, with Arin wandering around in search of class materials.

Suddenly, she spotted a familiar face among the shelves.

“Luna?”

Though it was indeed Luna, Arin couldn’t help but notice the thick hardcover book she held in her hands.

It was hefty, resembling a tome more suitable for scholars than students, yet somehow, it seemed to suit Luna perfectly.

Approaching cautiously so as not to disturb her, Arin greeted,

“Hey, Luna.”

Luna wasn’t surprised by the sudden greeting, as she had already sensed Arin’s presence.

“S-sorry! Did you get interrupted while reading?”

“No, it’s okay. I wasn’t really focused; I’ve read this book a few times already.”

Arin couldn’t believe her ears for a moment.

“This is the book you read?”

“Yes. I remember seeing it about three times. It’s been a while since I read it, so I was reading it again, but it’s not as interesting as it used to be.”

Luna replied, returning the book to its place.

“Oh, you enjoy reading?”

“Yeah, it’s pretty much all I could do during my time in the society.”

“But still, the book you were reading earlier looked quite difficult…”

At first glance, it was a book that only academic researchers would read.

“It did? I’ve read everything here at least once.”

If it were any other student, Arin might have dismissed such a claim as boastful, but she couldn’t bring herself to do so with Luna.

“Everything here?”

“Yeah, we had plenty of books in the society. All we could do was read and practice magic… anyway that’s it”

“Wow, that’s impressive…”

Arin wondered if Luna seemed so uninterested because there were no books on Cyan.

Luna appeared bored, as if she had lost interest in everything.

“How about requesting a book you want to read?”

“Requesting?”

“Yeah! You can write down the book you want and ask the librarian. They’ll get it for you. Don’t you want to read something new?”

“Well, it seems like it would be hard. Even if I request it, the academy probably won’t be able to get it for me.”

“Really? What’s the name of the book?”

“It’s Hezekeah…”

[PR/N: hezekeah means “Yahweh strengthens” in hebrew, like jesus is my strength.]

The title sounded more like a person’s name than a book.

Although Arin felt like she had heard it somewhere before, she couldn’t quite recall.

“It sounds like a rather enigmatic book from just the name.”

“It’s not that strange. The author is just… unique,” Luna replied cryptically.

“Unique? Who wrote it?”

“Not a person…”

Arin pondered silently.

What could that possibly mean?

“Non-human?”

“Yes. It’s more like a magical textbook written by beings slightly above us…”

Supernatural entities authored the book.

If we were to call it such, there’s only one book she knows of that fits that description.

“Um, are you talking about the Scriptures?”

Luna nodded cautiously.

* * *

In one of the historical tomes commonly found in the academy, there’s a passage on the first page:

“Resembling the external appearance of the gods but lacking their omnipotent abilities, humans are considered the weakest of all races.”

In this harsh continent, they are so fragile that their disappearance would not be surprising.

For humans, the paramount tool for survival is magic.

Unable to survive in the wilds of nature with just their bare bodies, humans were forced to pursue relentless knowledge and growth.

Their struggle for survival eventually led to the development of their own unique system of magic, akin to the teachings of the gods, and even now, they continue to grow for their own existence.

However, as mere creations, humans are inherently limited.

Magic itself is nothing more than a borrowing of the power of the creator, the gods, and thus, there are limitations to what they can achieve.

To complement these limitations of humans, the god of light, Lumendel, is said to have bestowed upon them one book.

That book is none other than the Scriptures of Hezekeah.

If someone among humans were to understand and use this Scripture correctly, it is said that at that moment, the dark fog threatening human existence would dissipate, leaving only the true light of salvation.

Therefore, beings of darkness should beware of it.

Though now considered a forgotten legend or an artifact of a bygone era, before Silica’s eyes lay the very Scripture itself.

[PR/N: Bible is also known as Scripture, Holy Book, Holy Writ. Good Book. Polyglot.]

“Ha…”

A momentary daze left Silica unable to react.

It was a feeling she hadn’t experienced in a long time.

Was it arrogance?

Or was it ignorance?

For someone like her, who knew all too well that hesitation meant death, why was she now facing this situation?

“I must admit, I’m quite surprised. I knew Lady Silica was hiding her attributes, but I never expected you to conceal your rank as well.”

The Boris who had been lying on the ground moments ago had disappeared.

Instead, all that remains is Boris, who is looking down at Silica with a triumphant expression that has been around for some time.

In one hand, he held the Bible that was shining brightly.

“Shall I help you up?”

Boris extended his hand to the still-seated Silica.

Upon this, Silica hastily retreated backward.

In that moment, a sudden *splurt!* was heard, and a fountain of crimson blood erupted in front of her.

“Ah!”

Simultaneously, screams echoed around as one by one, the comrades began to collapse.

Silica, too, lost all of her strength and fell down.

“W-what’s happening?”

A searing pain, vibrating through her bones, as if the scarlet sword had pierced through flesh and reached the very marrow.

It was a familiar agony to assassins accustomed to wielding swords, but in this context, it was incomprehensible.

Why?

How?

She hadn’t been struck by the blade, nor had she been attacked invisibly.

She had only dealt with the marionettes he summoned, so why this situation?

“It seems the curse has been triggered.”

Boris remarked as if expecting this.

Realizing something, Silica turned her gaze to the marionettes her comrades had been dealing with.

“Didn’t I ask for retribution? Love for love, pain for pain… My dolls merely executed that.”

The destroyed dolls, now in a state beyond repair, seemed to have inflicted the same damage on the comrades, as if receiving back the harm they had caused.

“What… What have you done?”

“The [Doll Curse]. It’s a magic that curses summoned marionettes to return a portion of the harm inflicted on the target.

Such magic was unheard of to her.

Even as someone who was not an amateur who had just started learning magic, this fantastical concept of magic was beyond belief.

Boris, as if pointing out what the problem was, continued,

“Black magic is ultimately a hoax concocted by some narrow-minded individuals. Unable to perform it themselves, they draw the line for others not to do it either.”

Boris then demonstrated his fluctuating mana as if to reassure her.

“What I did is ultimately no different from that kind of magic.”

“Is this the magic of the Scriptures?”

Divine magic unreachable for the feeble humans.

What kind of change would the countless magics contained within that white book bring to this continent?

One thing was certain: the change wouldn’t be positive for them.

“Lumendel, the god of light, may have high regard for humans as the first race to reach the realm of the gods, but I don’t quite agree with that notion. The power of the gods is still too much for humans to handle. Don’t you agree, Silica?”

Her gaze deepened upon hearing his words.

“Then, let me ask. Why are you protecting Cyan Vert?”

“I guess that’s not written in that great Bible, right?”

Boris wasn’t going to get a straightforward answer from her.

“Let me rephrase the question. Is Cyan Vert truly the wielder of the Demonic Sword?”

“…!”

This time, she couldn’t say a word.

“In truth, I had my doubts. I heard that the essence of the Demonic Sword is to possess the owner’s body, yet I saw no sign of that in the boy.”

Silica’s true thoughts, unseen even to the possessor of the Scriptures.

It felt like peering into an endless fog.

“I was rather perplexed, to be honest. There seemed to be no connection between us, yet he treated me as if I were some enemy from a past life. As if he knew something about me…”

For the first time, a sense of discomfort emanated from his previously composed voice.

“Who are you, exactly? And Cyan Vert…”

Silica remained silent, not because she couldn’t speak but because she couldn’t grasp what to say.

However, her pondering didn’t last long.

After a brief silence, her first words were simple.

“Heh!”

It was a laugh, as if the question itself was ridiculously petty.

Then, she continued.

“That boy is just perfect. Even more so than you think…”

Thinking of her audacious disciple, a smile naturally formed on her lips.

“If that boy had any flaws, he would have fallen into the hands of someone like you, exploited and discarded like a puppet. But now, there’s no chance of that happening.”

As if the injury she had suffered earlier was not a big deal, she even brushed off her knees and stood up.

“However, it’s out of the question now.”

“….!?”

“To think a mere underling like you would dare to challenge a child who even the vilest demonic sword can’t match… It’s absurd, isn’t it?”

For a moment, Boris, feeling a sense of unease, flinched.

“That child is destined to change many things….”

Having risen to his feet, Silica adjusted her posture once more.

But it wasn’t the stance of an assassin aiming to kill her opponent.

– Ooooooom

“As I speak, it almost sounds like a farewell, doesn’t it? But nothing will change. I will end you here today, and my beloved student will await my return.”

It wasn’t an assassin’s stance but a posture to cast magic.

She emanated the harmonious glow of murderous intent and mana from her body.