The Regressed Son of a Duke is an Assassin

“Welcome, Young master……”

Returning to my room after finishing the conversation with the master, Brian, who was still awake, greeted me.

“What about Nana?”

“She just fell asleep with Emily just now. She seemed very happy, probably because she enjoyed the dinner.”

With that, I approached Nana’s room and quietly opened the door.

-Snoring

She was sound asleep, so deeply that no one would notice even if someone carried her away.

The leader might think that I rescued Nana from the dimensional space, but that’s not true.

She had already manifested the magic of the dragon and escaped from the dimensional space before I arrived.

Luckily, she didn’t go far, so I could find her nearby, but when I found her, she wasn’t in a normal state.

She was crying and making a fuss, saying sorry to me.

It took quite an effort to calm her down.

Having a talent to break the boundaries of dimensional space from the beginning.

That’s why I realize once again that lineage is not important for no reason.

Next to her, Emily, who was holding her hand affectionately, was also asleep.

She used to tremble in fear under the blanket, but now she could pass as a mother if someone saw her.

Carefully, I closed the door so as not to wake them up.

“Did you finish your conversation with Lady Silica well?”

“Well, more or less. You’ve worked hard too. Your face is swollen……”

“I-Is it?”

With the thought of giving him some demonic monster’s blood for his body soon, I turned around.

“I’m sorry, Young master!”

-Thump!

I was startled by a strange sound and when I turned around, Brian was kneeling and bowing his head to me.

I was so confused that I just blinked my eyes.

“W-What are you doing?”

“I should have taken care of Nana while you weren’t here… But I was lacking, so I couldn’t do anything. I’m really sorry…!”

Sorry?

What’s he sorry about?

Why is he apologizing to me?

If anything, shouldn’t I be the one apologizing?

I left irresponsibly, searching for information that wasn’t even certain, why should I be the one receiving apologies?

It was an awkward situation in many ways.

“Get up.”

Despite my firm command, Brian didn’t seem to show any sign of getting up.

“Don’t make me tell you twice.”

-Snap!

He suddenly got up as if to say when did that happen.

Seeing his face, which was much haggard than before I left, I could guess that he had been through a lot emotionally during that time.

I never thought I’d say these words in my life.

“I’m sorry.”

“What?”

He blinked as if he misheard.

“I unintentionally made you suffer, making you serve a foolish master. I apologize……”

He froze like a soulless body.

At least give me a response.

This guy is really nerve-racking……

“Rest. I’ll be back.”

“W-Where are you going?”

“To drink……”

Where else would I go on this night?

Despite having been part of my routine for two years,

I’ve never felt as heavy as I do today.

Not a single sound of insects in the empty surroundings.

Feeling lazy, I slumped down on the bench in front of me.

[Why is your face full of worries again?]

“That’s exactly it.”

As if to agree with Kaeram’s words, a deep sigh burst out from within.

[Where did that passionate determination to suppress the power of the 9th star go? You’ve become like a soaked doll, all torn apart?]

Normally, she would have poked around bothering me, but today she quietly sat next to me without any complaints.

Did my body become heavier as the things I had to protect increased?

In my previous life, when I heard those words from the leader, I couldn’t empathize at all.

Because back then, I didn’t think I had anything to protect.

With my body barely able to move, who would I have paid attention to?

I thought such a thing would never happen again.

Until that devil took my life.

Even after returning, I thought I had nothing to lose.

Now, if even one person disappears, I feel like my body will twist immediately.

“How did I end up like this?”

It was more of a question than a lament.

Having lived like an emotionless shadow, not even receiving human treatment, I never imagined I would have such ordinary emotional concerns.

[Yeah. I also have no idea how I ended up like this.]

Kaeram responded to my words with a smirk.

It doesn’t seem too far away.

The moment I break free from the academy, which protected my current status.

* * *

Lumendel, the god of light bringing the light of peace to the continent through the bright sun floating in the sky.

Under the statue exuding elegance and nobility,

A woman with untainted pure white hair facing the statue was offering a sacred prayer.

-Thud

After a while, familiar footsteps could be heard from behind, and the woman gently opened her eyes, offering a faint smile at the same time.

“You’ve been busy lately, haven’t you? Aschel……”

“……”

“I heard you’ve been wandering around various ruins from the ancient era in the empire recently? Did you come across some treasure you wanted to find?”

The owner of the footsteps kept smiling without saying a word.

“Prince Louisnel seems to be very worried about you. But you’re friends before being a prince, so shouldn’t you at least show your face?”

“You’re being mean……”

“I misspoke. To the rational and pragmatic Aschel, being called a friend…… Apparently, you’ve been hanging out with Princess Violet quite often these days?”

Aschel just smiled, not responding to her words.

“But your face doesn’t look very happy considering it’s been a while since you visited. It seems like you reluctantly came here after wandering around everywhere and finding no results?”

“Would I do that? I just didn’t want to cause trouble for the saint.”

“That’s even more regrettable! Can’t you share your worries a bit? We’re not strangers who don’t know each other’s secrets……”

Despite the saint’s persistent probing, Aschel maintained his unwavering smile.

“So, did you find what you were looking for? If you did, you wouldn’t have come to see me.”

Aschel responded with a silence filled with affirmation.

“In fact, there’s nothing I can do for you if you’ve come here. Even if I pray diligently every day like this, Lumendel doesn’t respond at all. Just like Aschel, keeping his mouth shut……”

Finally standing up from her seat, the saint turned around quietly.

“But you’re quite lucky. I don’t know who it’s for yet, but I heard a revelation from him last night.”

“……!”

Aschel’s smile shook for the first time.

“Did you hear the voice of Lumendel?”

“Yes! It was surprising for me too. Even when the demon army invaded, Lumendel, who remained silent, now suddenly delivered a revelation. What darkness could he have seen on this peaceful continent?”

Aschel’s gaze, which had suddenly changed, looked at the saint with hostility.

“Don’t glare at me like that, Aschel. I have no intention of hiding what I know from you. Lumendel wouldn’t want it either……”

Slowly and secretly.

The saint approached Aschel.

The two were suddenly so close that their lips almost touched.

The saint gently brushed his face like a sculpture with her hand, then whispered softly as she kissed his ear.

“O seeker of the light of truth. Do not forget that darkness always coexists with light. If you recall that moment buried in your past memories, surely you will find what you seek……”

A revelation as enigmatic as ever.

However, the time it took to interpret it was not long.

As the saint’s lips delivering the revelation parted and she gave him a charming smile, lost in thought.

“……”

A bright smile appeared on Aschel’s lips.

It was not the false smile he had always shown to conceal his true feelings, but a smile filled with genuine joy that emerged from within him.

* * *

-Bang!

Unable to contain his boiling anger, Prince Fabian slammed the desk hard.

In front of him, his younger brother, Prince Nerobian, frowned as he grabbed his head.

“You said you’d make sure, Fabian! Who did you send that made things come to this?”

“Did I think it would turn out like this? I picked the most reliable ones from the mercenary guild! Even put in some with special tastes……”

The two brothers sent assassins to the academy to assassinate Cyan Vert, the fiancé of Princess Arin.

But the result was gruesome.

Instead of the news they had hoped for, of a successful assassination, they received a completely unexpected and terrible news.

“And Arin happened to find them again. That useless woman……”

Nerobian cursed Arin, who had discovered the scene, as if grinding his teeth.

“Now that it’s come to this, we need to cut off any loose ends! No one must know that we’re involved in this!”

“No need to say it! Our traces are already……”

“Princess Violet has arrived!”

Amidst serious conversations for handling the situation, an uninvited guest appeared.

The two brothers were suspicious of the unexpected visit.

“W-Why did Princess Violet suddenly…?”

Despite not giving approval orders yet, the door opened, and Princess Violet entered.

“What secret conversation were you having that made your expressions freeze as soon as I arrived?”

Exchanging glances, the brothers reluctantly welcomed her.

“What brings you here?”

“Must there always be a reason for me to come? I just thought of having a chat with my brothers.”

“Isn’t it unlike you to act like this? We’re not on such friendly terms to just chat.”

Nerobian bluntly expressed his discomfort.

“Yeah, but still, we share the same blood. Why can’t we get along? It’s so tragic to see us causing each other misery when even the smallest acts of kindness between us would be enough. It’s truly lamentable.”

“W-What are you saying?”

“Why did you send people to the academy?”

“……!”

“Were you trying to kill Cyan Vert, Arin’s fiancé? And then plan to pin it on me and my brother?”

The pupils of the two brothers, unable to control their expressions, shook violently.

“But it seems things didn’t go well, did they? Mercenaries sent to deal with it were found dead. What on earth is going on?”

“W-What are you talking about…?”

Nerobian tried to deny it hastily, but not even a coherent denial came out.

Violet smiled brightly as if finding her younger brothers’ reactions cute.

“How devastated do you think His Majesty would be if he knew the truth? Just imagining him being engulfed in shock is already breaking my heart.”

“W-What do you want?”

Fabian, the one who grasped the situation the quickest, managed to ask with a trembling voice.

“I heard that Arin was the first to find the scene. How shocked must that young and delicate child have been? As her family, shouldn’t we at least comfort her?”

Perhaps they anticipated what would come out of her mouth?

The two brothers barely managed to swallow their dry saliva.

“Shall we go for a stroll to the academy to relive our old memories?”