The Regressed Son of a Duke is an Assassin

Yet a closer look revealed something different.

The posture with which they held their weapons, their lined-up formation, and even the aura that emanated from them—all suggested that they were knights who’d undergone collective training as part of an organization.

“Identify yourselves.”

The imperial knights, sensing something amiss, immediately demanded identification, but the response was silence.

—Whoosh

Instead, a chill wind carried a foul miasma.

Feeling this, Brian immediately realized:

This unfamiliar group had come to kill them.

—Thud!

As this realization dawned, the assailants charged with swords drawn, and the imperial troops quickly prepared to counter.

“Lady Emily, please dismount!”

Brian hurriedly pulled Emily from the carriage.

“Why? What’s happening?”

“We must get to safety first!”

Confused by the sudden urgency, Emily only grasped the situation after stepping out and clinging to Brian in shock as the assailants ambushed them from both sides of the road.

—Pop!

“Wind Twister!”

Brian swiftly drew his sword and swung it horizontally, creating a whirlwind that engulfed the vicinity.

The assailants felt the threat and hastily retreated, and those who failed to evade were caught in the whirlwind, being flung into the air.

Without hesitation, Brian kept a vigilant lookout in all directions.

The imperial troops, scattered by the skirmish, quickly regrouped around the carriage.

“These attackers, they’re not… targeting me, are they?”

“That’s unlikely. Don’t worry…”

“What do you mean unlikely? Their eyes are all fixed on me—doing everything but turning blue! What on Earth did I do to deserve this?”

Indeed, the attackers, forming a circle around the carriage, were indeed all staring at Emily.

It was as if they had come specifically for her from the beginning.

As time passed, more ambushers revealed themselves from their hiding spots, and soon, they outnumbered the imperial troops two to one.

Frozen with fear and with her eyes darting around helplessly,

—Sssss

Suddenly, a strange mist enveloped the attackers.

Wondering if a fire had broken out, they glanced around, but before they could process the scene,

“Cough!”

One of the attackers emitted a single scream before collapsing, a fountain of blood gushing from his throat. The sight distorted the faces of some.

“This isn’t smoke!”

A few of them, sensing something amiss, muttered to themselves as an even denser mist surrounded them.

“It’s fog! Black fog!”

—Creak! Plop! Crack!

Amidst cries of alarm, a grim symphony of slaughter echoed around them.

The attackers menacing the carriage began to fall, spewing blood, and were soon replaced by assassins clad in black masks.

“Retreat! Retreat!”

Realizing the situation had turned dire, the remaining attackers fled.

The assassins simply watched without pursuit.

“What in the world?”

As the remaining imperial troops maintained their vigilance, unaware of the full situation,

“Does this make sense?”

Emily, still clinging to Brian’s back, quietly inquired.

“It seems so.”

Brian nodded, though his gaze remained fixed on a figure amongst the assassins who looked oddly familiar.

“You don’t need to be on guard! They’re with us!”

Attempting to calm the still cautious imperial soldiers, the assassin approached them and removed his mask.

“Are you injured anywhere?”

Emily, ready to confront, asked:

“Why are you here?!”

“I was following Lord Sian’s orders.”

The assassin revealed herself to be Mia.

She explained that she had been following Sian’s instructions to protect everyone, including Emily, during her absence and had thus been trailing the carriage with her fellow Mist members.

“I thought my heart was going to jump out of my chest for a moment there!”

Emily let out a sigh of relief and slumped to the ground.

“But why did those attackers target us?”

“It seemed like they knew we were in the carriage from the start. Perhaps they had set their sights on us for the ambush.”

“Why would they do that?”

Emily pressed them for answers, but there was no way to know for certain at that moment.

“Will you please wait here for a moment? We will catch some of the fleeing attackers and bring them in for questioning.”

The imperial troops intended to capture the attackers for interrogation, but Mia dissuaded them, suggesting it would be futile.

“It would be best not to go. By now, they will have disappeared without a trace.”

Confused by Mia’s cryptic response, the imperial troops were puzzled.

In contrast, Brian and Emily, realizing something, looked visibly alarmed.

“Don’t tell me you’ve brought him, too?”

Meanwhile, deep within a densely wooded forest:

“Huff! Huff!”

Despite wounds from branches scraping their arms and legs, the attackers ran like their lives depended on it, hearts pounding as if ready to burst.

“What is this? No word of Mist being here!”

“Why did they let us go without pursuit? I can’t sense any sign of them…”

“If you have time to wonder that, run another step further! A moment’s hesitation and you could be dead…!”

While they ran frantically, they suddenly came to a halt.

“What?”

In the midst of the untamed forest stood an out-of-place white-haired girl of arresting beauty, her appearance seeming to soften their frenzied hearts for a moment.

“An, an elf?”

Some narrowed their eyes upon noticing her sharply pointed ears.

‘…….’

Silently gazing at the attackers, she suddenly clasped her hands together in prayer and closed her eyes.

At that moment, a shadow enveloped them from above.

—Drip, drip

An unidentified liquid dropped from the canopy, followed by a sudden chill behind them.

Managing to turn their heads amidst the trembling fear, the attackers shrieked:

“AAAAAH!”

Unable to believe their eyes, they either collapsed or froze in place.

“I’m grateful for this meal…”

—Crunch

Accompanied by the sound of flesh being brutally severed, pitiful screams filled the forest.

When the screaming stopped, Hastia unclasped her hands and opened her once-closed eyes.

“You’re not surprised?”

‘I’ve heard of dragons’ merciless nature. This is my first time seeing it, but I’m less shocked than I thought I’d be…’

While she said that, Hastia’s heart was pounding uncontrollably.

“I don’t just eat anything. I only dine on those with a bad scent.”

‘Isn’t that entirely up to your own discretion, Nana?’

“What’s the problem with that? Bad people to me are bad people to Papa. Is there anything wrong with that?”

Now back in human form, Nana licked the blood from the corner of her mouth as she spoke.

“Don’t worry. You don’t smell bad to me, Hastia. In fact, you smell quite nice, like someone who could be a great help to Papa…”

Despite the seemingly complimentary words, they brimmed with thorns.

“So, keep that scent with you in the future. Got it, Hastia?”

Nana’s smile bloomed like a fresh bloom, in stark contrast to Hastia’s guarded porcupine-like expression.

* * *

“What do you mean by an attack?”

Startled by the unexpected news, Arin rose swiftly from her desk.

“How’s Emily? Is she safe?”

“Yes. She and her imperial guard companions are all unharmed, according to the reports.”

Arin let out a breath of relief.

“The reports suggest that the attackers seemed aware that they were interrupting Her Highness’s mission.”

“Any leads on who the attackers were?”

“Most seem to be mercenaries with no allegiance. However…”

Glancing around cautiously, Resimus whispered into Arin’s ear.

“Reports indicate that some of them appear to be knights from Count Averico’s household.”

“Averico Count’s household?”

“The evidence isn’t conclusive; it’s still a theory at this point.”

Holding back an emerging excitement, Arin calmly pursued:

“What proof points to the Averico House?”

“Upon examining the deceased attackers’ bodies, many were found wielding swords customarily used by knights of the Averico House. Moreover, the location of the attack was nearest to Averico territory…”

Lost in thought, Arin bit her lip.

“What could be the motive for the Averico House to suddenly…”

“Your Highness!!”

Amidst their serious conversation, a knight rushed in with another report.

“Lady Emily’s maid has just arrived at Belias!”

Thinking she had misheard, Arin narrowed her eyes and inquired:

“Emily has already arrived at Belias?”

“Yes! She’s currently waiting at the Belias gates!”

Without further inquiry, Arin, along with Resimus, immediately headed for the gates of Belias.

It would take at least three to four days on an uninterrupted ride from the imperial palace to Belias.

So how could they have arrived so soon after receiving the report?

It seemed unbelievable to Arin, but…

“Emily, a maid from the Duke of Burt’s household, requests an audience with Princess Arin!”

There she was, indeed.

Emily, accompanied by Brian, Hastia, and a waving Nana.

All of them sat square in the middle of Belias, the western border of the empire.

Strangely, there was no sign of the imperial troops.

“How did you get here so quickly? This journey should take far longer than a few hours.”

“It’s just that the matter was so urgent…”

Both Emily and Brain hesitated to speak, and it seemed they were stealing glances at Nana for some reason.

“Let’s discuss that later since we do have an urgent matter right now! Emily, I need to speak with you directly!”

“Yes, Your Highness!”

Emily was escorted by knights and moved inside with Arin.

“Thank you for coming to me so promptly despite the sudden summons.”

“It’s my duty! But is the young master… where is he?”

Emily cautiously inquired about Sian’s safety.

“He’s gone somewhere else for a while. Since this matter also concerns Sian, please answer my questions honestly, Miss Emily!”

“Yes, of course. I’m not sure if I can be of assistance but…”

She seemed unaware of the reason she had been summoned to Belias.

“Emily. Do you happen to know a person by the name of Haniel Faccini?”

Emily’s face stiffened visibly as she scrupulously answered the question.

“Haniel Faccini?”

“Yes! I heard from Knight Yulken. Emily, you know something about this person. Please share everything you know about her.”

Despite the princess’s urgent prompting, Emily hesitated for quite some time before responding.

“Emily?”

“Why are you looking for this person?”

“Pardon?”

“Where is young master Sian now?”

Arin felt it immediately, albeit briefly.

With that question about Sian’s location, Emily’s voice seemed to carry a faint hint of murderous intent.

This was an unfamiliar response she had not encountered before.

Just as Arin was starting to be on alert, watching Emily’s movement:

—Boom!

She heard a familiar explosion, one only heard near Belias—the signal of a demonic beast’s emergence.

“A demonic beast has appeared!”

(To be continued in the next episode)