The Regressed Son of a Duke is an Assassin

There were a total of twenty members of the society who visited Nodeli.

Among them, six who participated in the exploration of ruins were not members of the Garam Magic Society, but were mages belonging to the Auram Society, who were plotting Luna’s kidnapping.

Including the responsible party, Karun, I killed four without leaving a trace.

Then, the fact that the two remaining members of the society came out first and caused trouble at the ruins.

Did they attack first out of fear of being exposed?

I speculate that the two who fled first are not all there is.

Surely, there are still members of the Auram Society hidden in the village.

Regardless of what happens, now that the hidden fangs have been revealed, they will not quietly leave this village.

“Did you know about Karun’s true identity, Senior?”

While rushing towards the village, Luna asked me.

“Aren’t those who oppose your society?”

“Yes, that’s right. To confess, I’ve known for quite some time. Even though I knew the truth, I’ve always been silent about it within the society.”

“Why?”

“Back then, I was in a state of complete indifference, not caring about what happened to the society. I didn’t bother paying attention, thinking it was irrelevant to me.”

Does that mean she has a different mindset now?

“From the beginning, no one in the society trusted me. Among them, the one I trusted the least was Karun. He tried to indoctrinate me, saying that magic is an artifact only those with abilities can possess. It made me sick every time…”

“What about your grandfather? Did he just stand by and watch those scoundrels roam the country?”

“He dismissed them as the futile struggles of ignorant people. He didn’t bother intervening. However, his attitude changed slightly after the recent incident of my kidnapping. If news of the current situation spreads in the society…”

“If it spreads?”

“Probably about half of them won’t get out unscathed.”

She said with a grim look in her eyes.

Whether it’s their necks or somewhere else being cut, it’s none of my concern, but it’s not a good thing for me either way.

It seems like achieving the original goal of quietly passing through has already failed.

“There’s someone ahead!”

Luna, who was running ahead, shouted while looking ahead.

A man in blue robes lying on the road, surrounded by swirling sand.

He was clearly a mage from the Garam Magic Society.

“Hey! Wake up!”

The society member barely raised his head and met the gaze of Luna, who was looking at him.

“L-Luna? You’re safe. Thank goodness…”

Despite wearing a smile of relief as if he had found a savior, he already seemed beyond saving.

“The Auram Society members were hiding on our side… This place is dangerous. You must evacuate quickly…”

“Don’t speak! Let’s heal you quickly…”

Just as she was about to cast a healing spell in haste, the society member collapsed heavily.

“…”

She’s not a weak woman to harbor regrets for someone who’s already dead.

Closing her eyes silently, she stood up immediately and said with a determined look.

“I never thought I’d feel like this.”

In living, there is a clear difference between a life with goals and one without.

Having no goals means there is no reason to live in this world.

Then you wouldn’t care about what’s happening around you and naturally become numb to everything.

That’s exactly how she was when I first saw her in Royal Palace.

But not anymore.

Now, in Luna’s eyes that I’m seeing, there are emotions I couldn’t see before.

Among them, the most prominent was.

Anger.

It was anger.

Anger directed towards the Auram Society, who caused the current situation.

I have a feeling that things are going to escalate…

Clang!

The unease soon became reality.

A sandstorm rising from the center of the village with a loud roar.

It was clear that Set, who had rushed to the village before us, was behind it.

Is he planning to destroy the village?

“Hurry, Senior!”

I followed her into the village.

There were no people on the streets for now.

However, uneasy glances could be felt through the windows of houses here and there.

Most of them went inside, locking their doors, seeming to wait for the current situation to pass.

After a while, we arrived at the center of the village.

The first thing that caught my eye was Set, spewing anger with furious eyes amidst the sandstorm.

Next to him were three society members barely maintaining a barrier with exhausted faces,

On the other side, there were many mages in similar robes, but they definitely didn’t seem to be on the same side.

Roughly estimating, there were more than twenty of them.

That means most of them probably weren’t originally in the village.

Their gazes were all focused on us.

“Lu, Luna?”

The society members maintaining the barrier sighed in relief when they saw Luna.

“What’s going on? Why are they here?”

In contrast, the eyes of the mages on the other side were filled with astonishment and confusion.

“Could it be Karun?”

The leader seemed quite flustered, wondering where the responsible party had gone and how we appeared unharmed.

“Don’t turn a blind eye, you brats!”

Whether he said it or not, our enraged prince was gradually increasing his power, ready to sweep everything away at any moment.

He must have recovered so much power already, even though it hasn’t been long since he woke up from the coma.

If he were to rampage, the entire village would be obliterated without a trace…

It seems the residents’ worries weren’t unfounded.

“How dare you cause a disturbance in the village while I’m not here? If you have any god you believe in, pray quickly, because I’ll crush you all today!”

Set roared like a ferocious beast and charged straight at the mages.

“The holy light’s grace will protect me!”

-Boom!

Some mages immediately manifested mana and created a barrier of resistance.

Set, blocked in an instant, shouted as if it were pitiful.

“I’ll break this pathetic wall with my fist…!”

Just as he was about to raise his fist to break the wall,

“Cough!”

With unusual bleeding and his legs giving way, he collapsed on the spot.

“Ugh!”

He tried to get up quickly, but his body didn’t move as he intended.

Because he had spent his strength recklessly, not long after waking up from a coma, his body suffered.

“The lightning of judgment!”

The mages didn’t miss the opportunity and cast attack magic.

-Zap!

The lightning made a loud noise and created a large shockwave, but it didn’t reach the foolish prince.

In front of Set, there was another wall, showing a pristine white surface without any cracks.

“That was close.”

Luna sighed with relief and reinforced the wall even more.

As she stepped forward, the expressions of some of the mages changed noticeably.

Luna looked at them with indifferent eyes and asked.

“I will ask in the name of Luna Rainriver, a member of the Garam Magic Society. What brings you here?”

At this, a red-haired mage at the forefront spoke up.

“What happened to Karun, who was supposed to serve Luna?”

He responded with another question.

“He’s dead.”

It was a reply without the slightest hesitation.

“You joke too much. A man like him wouldn’t die so easily…”

“Am I joking at a time like this? Do I seem so frivolous to you?”

With her unexpected determination, he swallowed his dry saliva.

“If you quietly follow, there won’t be any major incidents.”

As if trying to change the subject, he revealed the true purpose of their visit here, trying to persuade her.

“No, Luna! Don’t listen to them! Come over here quickly…”

At this, mages on the other side jumped up and tried to stop her.

However, judging by their condition, going over there didn’t seem like it would resolve the situation favorably.

“Do you think you can handle it? Now that the Auram Society has openly revealed its fangs, we won’t just stand by quietly in the society anymore.”

“That’s not important. The only thing that matters to us is Luna. We are here to rescue you from the ignorant fools of the Garam Magic Society.”

Listening to such a cliché repertoire was becoming unbearable.

To see how the situation would unfold, I naturally approached her from behind.

“Hey, the boy behind her is Cyan Vert!”

At this, a relatively familiar face of a mage pointed at me with his finger and said.

Then dozens of eyes, which had been looking at Luna, turned their gaze towards me.

“Cyan Vert?”

Their surprised expressions were truly ridiculous, like startled fish.

They probably couldn’t understand.

Why am I here with Luna, in this place, when I should be cooped up in the academy?

“Let me make a suggestion.”

As the silence began to flow, she opened her mouth again.

“Abandon all plans and quietly leave the village right now. As if nothing happened.”

“……?”

The moment her mouth closed, the eyes of everyone around, including myself, widened in disbelief.

What is this junior trying to say now?

“Luna, you’re speaking foolishly. What will you do if we don’t back off?”

“I’ll die. All of you… including me…”

As she spoke, she created a mana sphere in her hand.

The appearing sphere gradually sharpened in shape, soon forming a shape similar to a dagger.

Just as I wondered what she was planning to do with it,

-Stab

The sound of the blade piercing flesh echoed sharply.

She had stabbed her own throat.

Although it wasn’t a deep stab, more like a needle prick, blood flowed profusely from the pierced area, as if it wasn’t just for show.

“Luna!”

“W-what are you doing?”

Shocked society members exclaimed, but she spoke with an indifferent face, not even blinking.

“Even if you want me to, I have no intention of going to you. If I disappear, there will be no reason for you to be here. And my grandfather will never stand idly by about my death.”

Is she bargaining with her life?

If it were someone else, I might have dismissed it as a mere show off, but not her.

She might genuinely intend to stab herself.

Well, situations like this aren’t unfamiliar to me, but my junior really knows how to surprise me multiple times.

“Let go.”

Eventually, I grabbed her wrist and lowered it.

“It’s my business. Senior, don’t worry about it.”

“That’s not it. I don’t think it’s necessary.”

“What?”

Looks like I got caught.

[PR/N: No shit sherlock?]

That I’m not at the academy, but in a distant place.

-Swish

A familiar sensation carried by the rough sandstorm wind.

I anticipated it, but the allies who I wouldn’t be particularly pleased to see were rushing towards us.

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