The Regressed Son of a Duke is an Assassin

Assassins tend to use back alleys more often than the main entrance.

Since the moment I was able to create my own space, I freely traveled between Aeru’s space.

So, this time I tried to use that route, but what’s this?

The leader blocked my space from connecting to Mist’s space.

As someone who doesn’t like to think too much, it was so complicated that I almost gave up as soon as I saw it.

I had no choice but to turn back and take another route.

There’s one fact you need to know: Since the leader and I graduated from the academy, Mist no longer needs to maintain a hideout in Luwen.

Instead, they’ve created gates to access spaces all over the empire.

One of them is right here in the Imperial Library.

Didn’t they say it’s darkest under the lamp?

If you go to the secret library on the second floor over there, there’s a gate to Aeru’s space.

So, did I rescue Princess Arin through there?

That’s technically the main entrance.

Blocking one path doesn’t mean the main entrance is blocked.

When I say back alley, I mean another route to Aeru’s space, not here.

“I thought so, did you finally come back?”

The leader asked as soon as I opened the door.

“Didn’t you have time to block it all the way?”

“There was no need to block it. I didn’t think you’d go to such lengths to save that child.”

“If you have any resentment, direct it to the god rather than me.”

That’s right.

Where I went is the route to Luwen, where the Royal Academy is located.

I went there and rescued Princess Arin in five days.

Why is it still there?

Why not?

Because the owner of the space, the Mysterious God, didn’t bother to close the door out of annoyance.

-Ching!

After exchanging brief greetings, I drew my sword and distanced myself.

The leader smashed one side of the main entrance and entered.

I didn’t see any other members around.

“Did you come alone?”

“Thanks to you incapacitating the officers who were supposed to persuade you, there have been various delays. They’re all on-site now.”

“On-site?”

The leader’s gaze soon turned to Princess Arin, who was making a complicated expression.

“Given the circumstances, you didn’t take her out for a date, so where are you going to take her?”

“I haven’t decided on a specific place. I’ll just have her witness everything that happens in front of me from now on.”

“Interesting. Are you really determined to make that child a puppet named Emperor?”

“I don’t see any harm in it.”

“…?!”

Although I could feel the princess’s bewildered gaze from behind, I deliberately ignored it and continued speaking.

“Rather than being manipulated by others, wouldn’t it be better for me to use her?”

“You’re really selfish.”

I’ll take that as a compliment for now.

“Is it fun for just the two of you to chat without the person involved?”

The princess, who I thought was sleeping, finally spoke up with a somewhat annoyed tone.

“I don’t know what significance I have in causing this chaos, but it’s a little uncomfortable. I’m not just a doll standing idly by.”

In the tense atmosphere, it was a difficult but courageous and thoughtful response, which wasn’t particularly surprising for her now.

However,

“Princess, you might have felt somewhat pleased that Cyan has appeared, but…”

Sometimes, it’s better to remain silent according to the situation.

“No. If you had just stayed still, you could have lived a much better life than before. As a common woman, not as a princess.”

“Who said I wanted that kind of life?”

The princess asked confidently without being discouraged.

“Currently, our members are in a standoff with knights using a fake double disguised as the princess in the Inquiry Hall. We’ll stage a false situation where the princess is being assassinated using that double. People will be shocked, and their anger towards us will increase.”

The leader continued without hesitation.

“But Cyan blocked it.”

As someone who didn’t care much, I just shrugged.

“So what can we do? We have to change the plan. From today, the princess named Arin Sevellerus… will not exist on this land!”

With a cold smile, the leader turned the blade that had been aimed at me towards the princess.

“…!”

The princess’s eyes, overwhelmed by the atmosphere, were intensely shaking.

I turned to her and said,

“Please leave first.”

“What?”

“If you leave, there should be other knights waiting to protect you in my place.”

“What about you?”

“I’ll follow soon.”

It was a very familiar situation, as if I had experienced it somewhere before.

Whether she felt it too or not, she just trembled without saying a word, keeping her lips tightly sealed.

“Do you need to remind me who should be worried right now?”

“No. There’s no need. I know enough.”

I could see her determination from her clenched fists.

-Ching!

Without fully observing the situation, the leader approached us.

“I don’t remember agreeing to let her go.”

“It’s now!”

At my signal, the princess dashed out of the main entrance.

“…!”

This time, I blocked the leader’s way as she tried to turn her gaze.

“Are you so eager to shed blood?”

“Isn’t it an unexpected situation?”

“It’s not unexpected! But, neither you nor I should shed blood here!”

With her other hand, which didn’t hold the sword, the leader created a black mist along with mana.

“There’s only one of her!”

Then, without hesitation, she threw the created mist towards where Princess Arin was.

“Shadow Arts 5th Form: Mist Doppelganger!”

The thrown orb reached in front of Princess Arin, and in the blink of an eye, it transformed into a person resembling the leader.

In the doppelganger’s hand was a black dagger.

Although the princess quickly twisted her body to avoid it,

“…!”

The doppelganger’s dagger was already swiftly heading towards the princess’s neck.

Just as the shadow of death was about to loom over the princess once again,

-Ching!

Another sword suddenly sprang out from outside the library’s main entrance, blocking the doppelganger’s dagger.

Arin blinked in surprise and called out the person’s name.

“Ressimus?”

It was her guardian knight, Ressimus.

“Step back, Your Highness!”

With a powerful strike, Ressimus disrupted the balance of the doppelganger and swiftly swung his sword.

-Splatter!

The doppelganger, struck by the sword, immediately turned into dust and vanished.

Watching the bewildered leader, I quietly spoke up.

“All I can do is assassinate; I’m not here to protect.”

“Just with one guardian knight?”

“She will be the strongest knight on the continent. She will dedicate herself to protecting her lord, even if her muscles tear and her organs rupture from the pain. Even with several officers, it won’t be easy to defeat her.”

Although the leader’s lips still wore a cold smile, there was no trace of positivity in her emotions.

I signaled to Ressimus, who was watching us from the side.

Accepting the signal, Ressimus immediately led the princess out.

“Our stubborn disciple never seems to fully listen to the master’s words.”

A thicker fog began to appear from the head of the family’s sword that touched Kaeram.

“As a disciple, that’s what they are. That’s why there’s a taste in teaching them, isn’t it?”

“Yeah! Do as you please! But don’t think lightly, Cyan! I’m so enraged right now that I wouldn’t hesitate to kill you…”

My arms tensed, and sweat poured down my back.

The leader’s appearance, filled with anger, was truly unsettling no matter how many times I saw it.

For me, she must be the only woman who reawakens the feelings of fear that I thought had become dull.

But that’s what gets me excited!

Despite being a situation that shouldn’t happen to us, both the leader and I wore genuine smiles filled with excitement.

* * *

That’s how Arin, along with Ressimus, escaped from the library.

Although she was somewhat concerned about Cyan, it wasn’t the time to worry about him now.

“How did you know to come here, Ressimus?”

“After Your Highness disappeared from the room, Cyan appeared before me shortly afterward. He told me what I needed to do, saying that if I headed to the Imperial Library at the time of the inquiry, I could meet Princess Arin.”

Ressimus still had a sharp look in her eyes as she recalled the situation at that time.

“It’s just my speculation, but at least Aschel and Boris seemed to know that Princess Arin would go missing! They casually brushed it off, saying we should just watch the situation!”

“What about His Majesty? Did His Majesty say anything?”

“Absolutely nothing…”

“In the end, something happened among them that we didn’t know about.”

Despite her anger, Arin didn’t lose heart.

“Cyan said that if he couldn’t follow, I should take Princess Arin to the Inquiry Hall. After witnessing everything there, I should decide what to do.”

Cyan said similar things directly.

It seemed simple, but it was a very difficult spell.

As it might require taking full responsibility for decisions,

Arin, who still didn’t know anything properly, felt extremely dizzy.

“Where are you in such a hurry to go?”

Someone appeared in front of them.

Arin and Ressimus stopped walking and blinked.

“It’s fortunate that you’re safe, Princess Arin.”

“Aschel?”

With a gentle smile on his face, in stark contrast to the seriousness of the others, Aschel stood beside a rather indifferent Mia.

“I sensed his energy from the library. Can I go first?”

“Of course.”

Mia, seemingly uninterested in the princess, passed them and headed towards the library.

The two women could only send anxious glances at her, unable to stop her.

“Are you heading to the Inquiry Hall?”

Aschel asked quietly, addressing them.

“Why is Lord Aschel here?”

“To escort Your Highness. From now on, I will protect you, so let’s go together.”

Aschel offered his protection, but Arin didn’t approach him.

“Oh, you’re doubting me, aren’t you? We’ve been sharing our thoughts and worries together for seven years. Do you not trust me?”

Aschel shook his head sadly.

“Doubt can be the driving force behind human progress, but it can also be the source of our downfall. I admit it. I know many things that Your Highness does not, but I never told you out of concern for you.”

“For my sake?”

“Yes. Your Highness may not realize it, but I’ve always seen you as a very valuable person. This is sincere.”

With praise for Aschel, Arin naturally extended her hand.

“Come with me. I’ll show you everything the princess needs to see.”

It was the same thing Cyan had said.

Ressimus glanced anxiously at Arin, but her anxiety vanished in an instant.

Arin’s eyes were already so firm that they wouldn’t be swayed by any sweet temptation.

“Ressimus, lend me your sword.”

Ressimus hurriedly took out an emergency sword and handed it to her.

Arin aimed the received sword at Aschel without hesitation.

“I, Princess Arin Sevellerus as the 5th imperial princess of the Empire, command you.”

“…….”

“Aschel Vert, the eldest son of Duke Vert, step back from my presence immediately.”

Aschel’s eyes flickered noticeably for a moment.

“What did you just say?”

“Lord Aschel is someone who means a great deal to me. From our first meeting until now, you have never been stingy with your advice and kind words to me. You have never said a single bad thing to me. You have simply instilled in me boundless faith, as if the path I am choosing is the right one.”

Aschel did not deny it.

“But such unwavering beliefs are not only ruining me, but also my very character. Sometimes we must question even such beliefs. That’s how we gain the experience and perspective to discern what the more righteous path is. Then we can make better decisions next time.”

“You are right. But…….”

“Lord Aschel has only given me unwavering faith, never once allowing me to question. No one, including Lord Aschel, has ever made me question, except for Cyan!”

Mana began to surge from Arin’s sword, fueled by her emotions.

“I say again, step back from my presence. The one who will lead me is not Lord Aschel.”

A silence of about five seconds ensued, and then,

“Kyahahahaha!”

Aschel’s laughter, filled with delight, echoed around them.

“You are truly remarkable!”

Gold aura shimmered from Aschel’s hands as he clapped his hands in admiration.

Soon, the body of the holy sword emerged from the aura, and Aschel pointed its tip towards Arin and said,

“It seems that the one I should share my future with is not Princess Violet, but Princess Arin…….”