The Regressed Son of a Duke is an Assassin

“…?”

A familiar yet unfamiliar scent carried by the wind.

Similar to what Cyan usually smells like, but a completely different scent that sensitively stimulated Luna’s nose.

That meant that the owner of the scent was approaching quickly from not far away.

“Hey, junior, just one request.”

“Yes?”

When the word “request” came out of Cyan’s mouth, Luna was quite surprised.

“Just calm him down a bit.”

The one his finger pointed at was none other than Set.

“Hey! I told you not to ignore me! Don’t misunderstand! If you don’t shut up in just 5 seconds, I’ll tear you all apart!”

Set, threatening murder with brutal cursing.

He was like a large, fierce dog barking wildly while being held on a leash.

Luna quietly laid her hand on Set’s head.

“Sweet Sleep.”

Shortly after, as the white powder scattered from her hand entered Set’s nose and mouth, Set closed his eyes and fell asleep immediately.

“He seems quite tired. The magic worked better than I thought.”

Set fell asleep properly, as if asking when that happened.

Now, as Luna turned his head wondering what to do,

“…?”

Luna was taken aback by Cyan’s unexpected secretive gaze.

“Why, why are you looking like that?”

“Well, it should be okay…”

Saying incomprehensible words, Cyan suddenly raised a hand above his head.

-Woooooo-

Black mana flashed and emitted light, spreading around the area where they were located.

“Restriction Barrier?”

In a place filled with mages of 7th rank and above, it was surprising that an academy student of only 5th rank could cast a restriction barrier.

Some mages chuckled at this seeming triviality.

But Luna was not like them.

What could be the intent behind him creating a restriction barrier?

Surely, it must mean that he doesn’t want whatever is about to happen to leak outside.

In other words,

No one can predict what terrible things will happen inside.

-Shooooo-

Eventually, Luna saw it.

Behind the society members who were staring blankly at Cyan’s erected barrier, figures of unidentified people wearing black masks appeared.

“Hmm?!”

The society members who sensed something quickly turned around,

-Swoosh-

Some couldn’t even confirm the identity of the presence they felt.

What they saw were heads chopped off and soaring into the sky,

-Thud thud-

And blood drops of red light falling onto their faces.

“Aaaah!”

The startled society members screamed, but the masked men continued their brutal massacre without hesitation.

“W-What?”

In disbelief, Luna lost her senses.

What could their identities be?

Knights?

Mercenaries?

Or assassins?

Dare to boast that the scene before her would be the most cruel and ruthless sight she had ever seen in her life.

With a gentle turn of her head, she looked at Cyan beside him.

“…”

As if the scene before him was insignificant, his face was incredibly serene.

To the point of overflowing with tranquility.

“May the fires of hell consume all!”

Suddenly, a mage who had regained his senses shouted a spell at them.

Inferno Flame, a 7th rank fire elemental magic.

The soaring flames transformed into the form of a gaping monster’s mouth, trying to subdue the approaching masked men, but –

-swoosh!

– the villains immediately manifested an unknown force.

Mana-like, yet mixed with something different, like mist.

It was similar to what Luna had seen from Cyan earlier near the ruins.

“Black mist?”

The mist promptly extinguished the fierce flames of hell approaching swiftly.

In an instant, the mage whose magic was nullified met the same fate as the society members who had gone ahead.

Within less than a minute, all the mages of the Auran Society were taken care of.

Watching this, the mages of the Garam Magic Society trembled like aspen leaves and managed to speak with trembling lips.

“C-Could it be? No, it can’t be true! Why are they here?”

Movements beyond human, ruthlessness unafraid of killing, and even black mist filled with all sorts of negative energy.

There was only one place on this continent where such figures could be seen.

“The Mist…”

Why were heretics who followed the Black Mist’s deity and denied the truth of the world present here on the continent?

And who is this man who looks at them with such indifference?

Eventually, the gaze of the villains turned to the Garam Magic Society mages, who were filled with fear.

Without getting any closer, they waited in their place, silently meeting Cyan’s gaze.

“I’ll ask once.”

Suddenly, Cyan, who had been silent, opened his mouth.

“Yes?”

“Can you handle them?”

Can she handle it?

That sentence could be interpreted in two ways.

Will she kill the society members instead of the assassins, or can she take responsibility for what has happened and silence them?

Luna didn’t know why, but she thought it was the latter.

In any case, since they wouldn’t want what had happened to spread outside, if she says she can’t handle it here, the assassins will kill the Garam Magic Society mages without a second thought.

Without hesitation, Luna answered immediately.

“I’ll take care of it. These society members will never report what happened today to the society. Even if I have to rip out their tongues…”

Hearing that, Cyan chuckled and slightly nodded towards the assassins.

Then the assassins immediately put away their weapons and started cleaning up the scene.

* * *

“Drrrung cool….”

Unlike the endlessly serious people around him, Set was sleeping soundly with a peaceful face.

Despite being poked and shaken around, there was no sign of waking up.

After the situation was settled, Luna moved Set to the village chief’s house.

Then, she personally apologized for the unfortunate incident caused by the society and recounted the events that occurred at the ruins.

“So such things happened. Just when I thought everything was okay, it seems another crisis has arisen.”

The village chief, having heard the truth, sighed as he looked closely at Set.

“Do you happen to know anything about this?”

“I’m not exactly sure. We can only cautiously speculate among ourselves. It’s said that the Sand God, Sabulom, visited Prince Set’s body…”

“The Sand God, Sabulom?”

She asked, her eyes flickering.

“While it may seem uncertain now, the truth is that Prince Set has always been physically weak since birth. He frequently fell ill and teetered on the brink of life and death several times. But despite that, it’s said that he manifested mana at the tender age of seven.”

It was a remarkable achievement, three years ahead of the usual pace.

Although he might have been lacking in some aspects, she couldn’t deny that he was a rare talent on the continent.

“The problem was that his talent couldn’t be controlled. One day, during mana manifestation, he suddenly lost consciousness and went on a rampage, causing a massive sandstorm right in the heart of the kingdom. The situation was eventually brought under control, but Prince Set, unable to withstand the power, vomited blood and remained unconscious for days. I recall such incidents happening about three times.”

To think his mana was so strong that his body couldn’t handle it and went into a rampage.

It was truly remarkable that he hadn’t died from it.

“At such a young age, I don’t know what he was thinking, but it seems Prince Set was extremely angry at his own weakness. So, he left the bustling city and lived in our quiet village, training his body every day. For a whole four years. It wasn’t always peaceful, but…”

“What does this have to do with the Sand God?”

“Prince Set mentioned something like this at least once. He said that before he went on a rampage, he always heard a strange entity speaking in his mind. And after the rampage ended, he didn’t remember anything. It was as if someone had taken over his body.”

“Is that the Sand God?”

“It’s all speculation! It’s just something we joked about among ourselves. Maybe Sabulom came to test the prince’s strength for a while, something like that.”

The village chief waved his hand dismissively, but his words didn’t sound entirely groundless.

For a god to inhabit a human body.

Regardless of ability, could a human handle that?

The human body inherently has its limits, and no matter how much training and strengthening one does, excessive exertion leads to side effects.

That was a fact that she, who had undergone numerous experiments in the society, knew too well.

Perhaps out of empathy, there was a faint feeling of compassion in Luna’s eyes as she looked at Set.

“You must have been very surprised, but regarding what happened today…”

“Don’t worry. What good would it do for ordinary people like us to speak out? We also bear responsibility for accepting outsiders without any caution. I will make sure to inform the villagers too.”

The village chief agreed to her request without much resistance.

Feeling somewhat relieved, Luna stood up and walked out.

In front of the house, the three society members who had risked their lives during this investigation were waiting for her.

Their expressions seemed to indicate they had a lot to say.

Luna looked at them calmly and asked.

“Do you know what I’m going to say? About this incident?”

“Are you telling us to keep quiet? About what happened this time?”

She nodded silently.

“But how can we stay silent when the situation has come to this? And what about the society leader’s face…”

“It’s not that I’m not saying anything, it’s that there’s no need for you to say anything. Everything that happened in this village will be reported directly to my grandfather.”

“A-Are you speaking on behalf of—”

“Yes.”

Her statement meant she was somewhere other than the academy.

“Then, what about the matter regarding Cyan Vert?”

“Cyan Vert? What are you talking about?”

“….?”

Perplexed, the society members exchanged glances with each other.

“What you’ve seen in this village is only me and Senior Set. There was never anyone named Cyan Vert to begin with. Do you understand?”

“T-That means…”

“Swear on the name of the society.”

Reluctantly, they recited the society’s oath and pledged not to disclose today’s events to anyone.

Luna bypassed the society members and headed towards the center of the village.

As if it had never happened, the scene quickly returned to its original state.

Not a trace of bodies or even the faint smell of blood lingered; it was as if nothing had happened.

Where could Cyan be?

Luna quietly closed her eyes and tried to catch his scent, unsure if it still lingered.

Eventually, she followed the scent towards the entrance of the village, away from the residential area.

Step by step, as the scent of Cyan grew stronger, she felt ominous gazes from all around, as if she were walking towards the realm of the dead.

Luna knew that at any moment, those gazes could lead her down the path to the afterlife if their owners so desired.

But she paid them no mind and continued forward.

The identity of Cyan and whatever power he concealed didn’t matter.

All that mattered was that her beloved Cyan was by her side.

Finally, around the corner, she saw Cyan approaching from the shadows.

“Are you finished with your discussion…?”

Just as she was about to greet him warmly, Luna felt a sense of unease wash over her and froze on the spot.

What was this situation?

The person before her, usually so calm and collected, seemed completely unfamiliar.

It was as if she didn’t recognize the Cyan she knew.

On the other hand, there was a growing suspicion that this might truly be his hidden self, concealed within the black mist.

Flushed cheeks.

Labored breaths.

Even eyes filled with a consuming murderous rage.

Luna thought to herself.

For some unknown reason, the Cyan she was seeing now seemed on the verge of losing his sanity.