The Regressed Son of a Duke is an Assassin

Already two hours.

Hastia’s drowsy eyes could hardly escape from the Soul Stone.

Black mist swirling around the white marble.

It’s called a Soul Stone, but originally it was just a stone with the meaning of a talisman.

But from the moment it passed through Cyan’s hands, an unknown power was imbued into this Soul Stone.

It became not just something symbolic, but a reliable presence that could truly protect her.

It felt like having another Cyan by her side.

The mist today was much thicker than usual.

Hastia realized this the moment she discovered it two hours ago.

It was a kind of signal indicating that the one who gave this power was near the stone.

‘Why did Cyan come here?’

She briefly entertained the futile delusion that he came to see her, but immediately shook her head even at the thought.

Surely, he had some other business here, but was the ominous aura emanating from the mist surrounding the Soul Stone the reason?

She didn’t think it was something good for Cyan.

And the image of the bitter Princess only added to her unease.

As soon as she heard about the owner of the Demonic Sword, she immediately left as if drawn to something.

Could that Princess, like the woman from the Garam Magic Society, have some kind of connection with Cyan?

With these thoughts in mind, Hastia cautiously approached the door.

-Creak

She gently opened the door, and her eyes met with Garnian, who was standing guard outside.

“Can’t sleep, Lady Hastia?”

Garnian asked with a puzzled expression, and Hastia nodded her head lightly.

“If there’s anything you need, please let me know. I’ll fetch it for you.”

‘N-nothing needed, but I wish…’

Seeming to find it difficult to speak, she fidgeted her hands.

‘Could you accompany me outside for a moment?’

* * *

I don’t know what expression I’m making on the outside right now, but inside, I’m smiling.

Am I laughing at something absurd?

No, it doesn’t seem like that.

It’s more of a laughter bordering on joy than absurdity.

Having lived two lives, there’s a sense of wonder at even the most bizarre sights.

What’s so amazing?

How can you not marvel at that face?

That stubborn and resentful Princess is finally showing a human side, a remarkable change that’s so surprising it’s almost believable even if it’s someone else’s personality.

Yeah.

You should not blabber about whether I’ve been well.

You need to harbor resentment and hatred towards me, thoroughly bend me to your will.

Because only then, can I kill you without any lingering discomfort, right?

The momentarily dulled assassin’s vigor was rising within me once again.

-Ki-yi-ing

A white light shimmered from her mana-infused hand.

Mana close to the level of a 6th grade nearing the 7th.

But reaching such a level at that age is already extraordinary.

The palace is filled with knights who don’t even have such a low level of mana.

As she transferred the mana prepared, the radiant aura of the Salvation Sword soared high into the dark night sky.

And without a moment’s hesitation, she charged towards me.

-Thunk!

A first strike laden with speed, without the burden of weight.

It was more like placing the sword rather than swinging it, such was the crispness of the attack.

However,

-Thunk! Thunk! Thunk!

She followed up the initial strike with a threatening triple assault.

Not confined to one direction, but alternating left and right with dynamic movements.

It wasn’t just a mere exchange of strength but a series of attacks exploiting fleeting openings.

Even for seasoned swordsmen who’ve swung a sword tens of thousands of times, such moves were not easy.

Yet, the motions didn’t feel unnatural.

Posture, grip, control of force, etc.

As if they had been repeated thousands upon thousands of times, they were extremely clean and natural.

In short, it was a flawless execution of fundamentals.

But,

-Thud!

If you thought that using mere basic skills honed through thousands of repetitions could overpower me, you’ll have to cancel out what you said just now.

Unexpectedly pushed back by the force, the Princess momentarily displayed a perplexed expression before quickly regaining her composure.

I’m not here to witness the process of your efforts over the past seven years.

You must show me the best power you can muster.

There’s no other choice.

“You’re making that face as if you’re telling me to do my best instead of playing around?”

The Princess immediately saw through my inner thoughts.

“Alright, I’ll show you. Even if it means my body breaking apart….”

As if extracting all the mana within her, a fierce surge of mana rose from her body.

“To respond to your one word telling me to go on. See clearly, Cyan, what efforts I’ve made!”

She then transferred all the mana she manifested onto the sword.

“….!”

For a moment, I doubted my eyes.

What’s this?

Why do I see that in front of me now?

The radiant sword resonating with mana and the determined Princess gripping it firmly.

Behind that Princess,

“Where light leads, truth follows….”

A sparkling light wing was emerging.

There was no doubt.

That was the secret of the Holy Sword, the Judgment of Salvation, which only one human on this earth, chosen by God, could wield.

Why would Arin the Princess, who isn’t even the owner of the Holy Sword, wield it…?

-Splash

A single streak of crimson blood trickled down her face amidst the white radiance.

Yet, she paid no attention and continued to draw out power.

Even if we momentarily set aside why the Princess came to wield the power of the Holy Sword, the power of God held by the Holy Sword is not something an ordinary human can handle recklessly.

When I first seized Kaeram, I struggled considerably because I couldn’t control the nature of the Demonic Sword, and the same was true for the owner of the Holy Sword.

Although she has achieved a dazzling growth beyond comparison with the past, with her current self, she could never bear that power.

“Urgh….”

The more power gathered, the more blood burst forth from her lips.

Undoubtedly, she must be enduring immense agony, as if muscles were tearing and organs were rupturing.

Yet, that foolish Princess didn’t stop.

Can she even swing a sword in that condition?

She’s more likely to collapse mid-swing.

But you know what’s truly amusing?

The sword she’s aiming at me right now, the power emanating from it, the power that tried to judge me seven years ago, the power that was nothing, has now evolved into a much more sophisticated force.

So, is this what your efforts were for, to turn the impossible into possible?

I acknowledge it.

You’re no longer the inept Princess who couldn’t do anything.

Truly, you’ve become a capable member of the royal family, capable of changing the country, even the world.

But,

“….!”

It’s useless against me.

In the blink of an eye, my body reached her.

“To return everything to nothing….”

With the incantation, the orb generated from my hand was directly aimed at her body.

The Null Sphere.

A dark attribute magic unique to nullifying all the power and magic wielded by the opponent.

You may have reached beyond human capabilities to touch even the power of gods to change everything, but even such power can be nullified with just one spell by me.

This is an immutable difference that won’t narrow down no matter how many times you rewind life.

Eventually, the Princess’s body, drained of all strength, collapsed and slumped.

“Haa….”

But she didn’t lose consciousness.

She maintained her breath somehow, seemingly to avoid falling.

It was truly pitiful to see.

I grabbed her by the neck and mercilessly slammed her onto the ground.

“Cough!”

With a groan of pain, the Princess coughed up blood once again.

However, however it ends, it was inevitable.

But, Princess Arin.

You’ve surprised me several times in this short time.

I’m honestly filled with a desire to ask what thoughts and beliefs drove you to run like this,

but it would be futile, wouldn’t it?

“Why… do you look at me like that?”

Instead of me, she asked first.

“You told me to go on. You told me to go on and make sure that someone like you never appears in this world again!”

Has all the accumulated resentment finally exploded?

I couldn’t bring myself to speak against her crying and pleading.

“I just… wanted to save you, Cyan.”

Save?

Me?

What nonsense is this again?

It seems like this Princess doesn’t know what salvation means.

Does she think I’m just like her?

I am a man who is firmly in control of myself.

I am a very selfish man who is the center of wherever I am and can influence not only my future but also others’.

So what?

Salvation for me?

What kind of foolishness does this Princess possess?

It’s now beyond pity; it’s become disillusionment.

“So, I’ve been running tirelessly all this time, yet it seems I’m still just an inept Princess. Perhaps this is the limit of my human capabilities. No matter how much further I run from here, I won’t be able to reach you.”

I saw it clearly.

Now you realize, or rather, there’s no way you didn’t know from the beginning?

The path you should have taken was not me!

It was the path of an Emperor!

I opened that path for you, I thought you were walking on it.

But this Princess has been on a difficult path from the beginning.

I opened it, but it was a path I never pointed out, a path like that….

“Stop moving! Drop your weapons and step back!”

The knights from the territory, who rushed in upon hearing the commotion, had surrounded me.

But they won’t dare to approach any closer with just those words.

They cannot surpass the barrier of mist created by me.

“Was I the target of this purification operation?”

“….”

“Is it your mission to kill me?”

With emotions overwhelmed, in a voice tinged with melancholy, she whispered to me.

“Then kill me….”

Suddenly, she smiled with resignation and even closed her eyes.

I’ve heard and seen a lot.

The despicable final moments of a human who has lost all the strong will of life and is accepting death.

But she was never despicable.

She was serene and calm.

As if the moment she had longed for had finally arrived.

It was a very unfamiliar sight to me, one I had never seen before.

“As you wish… I will do it.”

“Thank you. And I’m sorry, Cyan.”

Sorry for what?

Even now, she muttered words of gratitude to me.

Who is about to kill her?

“Because I’m a foolish Princess, this is all I can do in the end.”

Until the end, she truly remained herself.

Yes, now it’s time to put a period to this.

Just as I turned you, who were to live a life of being called a shell of a Princess and ultimately being utilized as a puppet, into someone who had control over your own destiny,

I intend to end the fate of the you I’ve turned upside down.

With my hand holding the demonic sword raised slowly, I carefully observed her final moments shrouded in the shadow of death.

The world will remember you as the unfortunate Princess who was pitifully assassinated by the existence of despicable mist.

But I won’t.

The only woman who could have done so much, yet was prevented by the world.

I will remember you as such.

I drove the sword straight down.

————