The Regressed Son of a Duke is an Assassin

(When the Almighty Light condemns your sins, only by confessing your own sins to Him can you finally attain salvation…)

Each word, when looked at individually, is familiar,

But when woven together in such a strange and eerie manner, I simply cannot understand what it means at all.

It’s probably an attempt to enlighten me with noble words.

Instead of feeling inspired, I don’t feel anything at all.

Rather,

‘Please wake up, Sir Cyan! If you sleep in such a manner, your jaw will lock! You should sleep in a comfortable place!’

The voice of the pure and naive elf sounds clearer to me.

It seems like she’s just blurting out whatever comes to mind in her eagerness to wake me up.

It’s unbearable just to listen.

“Stop it.”

‘…?’

“My head hurts.”

With that statement, I regained consciousness.

As I lifted my head, I met the gaze of Hastia, who was blinking her eyes,

For a moment, I stopped staring at her carelessly,

My gaze shifted from Hastia directly below to the Saintess glaring at me with distrust and denial.

Then without hesitation, I picked Kaeram and rushed towards her.

“Th, the judgment of the Holy Light…”

– Thud!

I grabbed the hand of the Saintess who was about to cast a spell.

“Shadow Sixth Form: Mist space of nothingness.”

As a reward for giving me this tedious time of enlightenment, I thought of giving her a meaningful time too.

A time that would be more painful for her than falling into the pit of hell.

– Swoosh

The mist spread from my fingers like rays of light, enveloping the space where the Saintess was.

Soon, a colorless space without a single trace of light was formed, and the expression on the Saintess’s face, who now occupied the center, was,

So pleasant that one could hardly refrain from smiling.

* * *

For a moment, in the dazzlingly bright space,

As Hastia’s body was engulfed by the strange mist emanating from Cyan’s hand, she was transported to an unknown space shrouded in black mist.

‘Wha, where is this?’

In the unfamiliar atmosphere she had never experienced before, Hastia’s eyes couldn’t help but wander.

Nephrodite was equally bewildered.

“This, this is the realm of the gods? No way! How is this possible?”

Unlike Hastia, she seemed to know what this place was.

It was not just a space created solely by the power of mist, but a space infused with the power of the gods.

How could such an absolute space, which even ordinary humans could never imitate, be created in such a perfect form?

Nephrodite’s gaze soon fell upon the owner of the space, who was standing just a few steps away.

“…!”

And soon, she realized.

The crimson-purple sword in the hands of the black-haired assassin and, behind him, the black-haired woman gazing at her with an intriguingly malicious smile,

What their true identities were.

“Th, the demonic sword?”

The follower of the black mist and the wielder of the demonic sword.

There was only one being in this land who could make that possible.

“Ah, I see. You are indeed Cyan Vert, the successor of the black mist. Now it all makes sense.”

Nephrodite nodded with a smirk or a smile, it was hard to tell.

“Has it been seven years? Are you tired of being called the demon with black hair? Or perhaps, is the day of prophecy drawing near?”

Cyan didn’t react.

“I don’t know what connection you have with that key, but you should know this. The current situation is entirely your doing…”

At this, Cyan’s brow twitched slightly.

“You seem to have a look of incomprehension. That’s alright. You’ll soon understand the truth. All of this is by the will of Lumendel…”

“Hey, Saintess.”

Cyan finally broke his silence.

With closed eyes, he seemed to convey that he no longer wanted to hear her words.

“Instead of rambling on with useless words, it’s better to take the best action we can immediately. Do I have to explain even this?”

At his words, Nephrodite’s eyes trembled.

Then, as if responding to his words, she spread her hands wide and manifested a large amount of mana.

“May the radiant light of guidance illuminate the darkness!”

With the spell, the sphere of light she conjured above her head radiated a guiding light that illuminated the darkness.

“Ha…!”

Enveloped in the warm aura, the Saintess smiled with relief.

However,

– Thud

The sphere of light soon flickered and died out, falling limply to the ground.

“Ha!”

Followed by mocking laughter.

As the light disappeared, the surroundings plunged back into darkness, and Nephrodite’s face twisted again with despair.

“Is it already that difficult for you to make that expression? Is shining a light once all you can do?”

Under the humiliating mockery she had never experienced before, she trembled.

“I am the messenger of Lumendel, the god of light! So any insult to me is an insult to Lumendel! There will be no rest for you who defy the authority of the gods! All of this is brought upon by you…”

Her rage, which had finally broken her composure, lasted only a moment.

Nephrodite’s body froze as if petrified by a spell.

“Ma, mana?”

The mana that had been surging within her like a volcano suddenly disappeared as if a candle had been snuffed out.

Despite trying to summon mana again in the unexpected situation,

“Why…?”

There was no trace of mana left in her body.

She realized she was facing a desperate situation where she couldn’t do anything.

“Haha!”

As if giving in to despair, she let out a laughter that seemed to have no clear intent.

“So, you truly are a heretic trying to undermine the order of light! What will you do now? Do you intend to inflict unimaginable suffering upon me? ”

“…”

“Unfortunately, you won’t be able to do that! I am under the protection of the Almighty Lumendel! No evil entity can bring despair upon me!”

Whether she had a last resort left to reveal or if it was baseless arrogance, it was unclear,

But Nephrodite provocatively stretched out her arms as if to invite Cyan.

Cyan approached her without hesitation.

One step, two steps.

In the midst of the profound darkness, the shadow of despair was gradually closing in on her.

Cyan, who had finally reached within arm’s length, slowly raised his hand,

– Thud!

He firmly grasped her chin, which was adorned with a wide smile.

“….”

She cocked her head abruptly, perhaps sensing something amiss.

“You mentioned Lumendel’s protection?”

“….?”

“It seems that god has forsaken you.”

“What do you mean?”

Cyan’s gaze suddenly shifted towards Hastia, who was watching from a corner of the space.

She was surrounded by a clear blue aura of protection.

On the other hand, around Nephrodite,

“Otherwise, it wouldn’t make sense for me to be able to touch your body, which is said to be protected by God…”

There was nothing.

Instead of light, Cyan’s mist seemed to be gradually encroaching.

There was no visible protection akin to what would shield her.

“I’ll give you one minute to pray to that mighty god of yours.”

“….!”

“Please beg for salvation from this moment of despair. If that god hasn’t abandoned you yet, he won’t let you die like this…”

Slowly raising his hand, Cyan’s cold demonic sword pressed against her neck.

Nephrodite, with a strange expression of hope or despair, had no choice but to accept the whisper of a human who had proclaimed himself a demon.

* * *

Garnian and Mihan continue the battle with the intention of ending only if one of them dies.

But upon seeing their loved ones engulfed in the black mist, they finally turned their gaze away.

“….?!”

Despite the immediate urge to rush forward, neither of them could take a step closer.

As if their feet were bound by the negativities flowing from the unfamiliar mist.

They stood there, lost in thought, without any action for several minutes.

– Poof

The mist that had imprisoned the Saintess and Hastia vanished with the sound of wind, finally revealing their forms.

“Hastia!”

“Saintess!”

Without needing to discuss who would go first, they both rushed to save their respective masters.

“Hastia! Are you alright?”

‘G-Garnian?!’

Hastia, who was suddenly embraced, blinked in surprise.

Thankfully, she seemed unharmed with no serious injuries.

Meanwhile, the Saintess,

“Saintess! Saintess! Please snap out of it!”

Whether she had received a severe shock or not, although her eyes were open, her vacant gaze couldn’t seem to focus.

Mihan’s gaze soon turned to the black-haired assassin still standing on the altar, overlooking them.

“How dare you lay a hand on the Saintess…!”

The previously affable look had now distinctly changed.

Just from that, it was evident that he had already lost his rationality.

Slowly, Mihan carefully laid the Saintess on the ground and immediately rushed towards Cyan.

Now, for the fledgling knights who had just begun to familiarize themselves with the sword, there was a saying they would hear first upon joining the knighthood.

“Do not succumb to anger the moment you grasp the sword.”

While giving in to rage might provide temporary strength, without the ability to see the essence of things through the clarity of reason, it would not yield positive outcomes.

Mihan Hasselus, a senior knight of the Knights of Light.

He was considered the epitome of respect and admiration within the knighthood.

Although he was a knight who knew the aforementioned essence very well,

“Do not think you’ll die so easily!”

In his current state, consumed by anger and lust for revenge, he couldn’t see that essence.

For a knight who had even forgotten such a simple principle,

– Thud

The only result would be an extremely cruel and realistic one.

Just a moment ago, Cyan, who was on the altar, was suddenly under it.

And where he had originally stood,

– Thud thud

Mihan’s body, now torn into eight pieces, lay motionless.

“D-Don’t look, Hastia!”

Garnian quickly shielded Hastia’s view from the gruesome sight.

But Hastia’s eyes were not on the body; they were fixed entirely on Cyan.

After inserting the sword, Cyan remained standing unscathed, looking at the two.

With the same indifferent gaze as before, unchanged.

‘Are you alright, Cyan?’

Trying to alleviate the tense atmosphere, Hastia once again spoke into Cyan’s mind.

Cyan responded with a slight raise of his mouth, accompanied by a snort.

Hastia blinked awkwardly, unable to understand the meaning.

At least she tried to speak again.

Beside her, Garnian’s lips were so dry that even his saliva wouldn’t swallow.

He seemed to be completely subdued by the unusual energy emanating from his terrifying figure.

– Tap tap

Suddenly, a sharp, unfamiliar sound of footsteps caught the attention of the two elves, who turned towards the door.

Not just one person, but many.

It didn’t seem likely that these newcomers would be friendly.

‘Someone is coming! What should we do about Cyan…?’

Looking back at Cyan once more, Hastia’s words got stuck in her throat.

What’s happening?

The eyes of Cyan, who always reacted with a blank expression no matter what was said, were now,

“….!”

Wavering.

Subtly, but undeniably wavering.

As if sensing that someone they should never meet is approaching.

Before she could ponder the inexplicable situation,

she suddenly heard someone’s urgent shout through her ears.

“Luna, don’t go alone! It’s dangerous!”

———