The Regressed Son of a Duke is an Assassin

“What’s going on? Why have you all gathered in droves?”

However, by the time the imperial army had arrived at the scene, the situation had already concluded.

“Wh-where are the demonic beasts?”

“I’ve already taken care of them all.”

Seth, whose body seemed not fully warmed up yet, rotated one of his shoulders grandly like a wagon wheel.

“They were all just small fry. Not even good enough for a warm-up! I was waiting with bated breath for when they would come, only to find such a lackluster event…”

As he said, the demonic beasts that had appeared were mainly lower-ranked ones like hellhounds.

It was somewhat fortunate under the current circumstances with the partial collapse of the defense system due to Duke Bert’s absence.

But once they appeared, there was a possibility they might come again, second and third times, so they couldn’t quite relax yet.

Arin ordered the knights to further strengthen the perimeter security.

“Where is Sian doing during all of this? Surely he’s not caught up with that Demon King, right?”

“What are you even talking about, Prince Seth?!”

“Why? It’s not entirely out of the realm of possibility, is it? You must have considered it too, Your Highness.”

Arin could not deny it and responded with silence.

An uncomfortable feeling about Sian rose again within her, but,

“It’ll be alright. Those two are….”

Arin shook her head rapidly, chasing away the thought.

Now was not the time to dwell on unease but to act practically.

“Lady Emily is waiting at the checkpoint. Shall I have her and some knights come this way?”

“No, let’s just go back. There’s no need to have her come all the way to this dangerous place.”

Arin then moved her footsteps again towards Belias’s checkpoint where Emily would be waiting.

However,

“Your Highness, I apologize!”

The situation developed rather oddly.

“Lady Emily is missing!”

She was there, and then she wasn’t.

There could be no better way to describe the current events than this.

There were ten knights stationed at the checkpoint.

Yet not one of them caught wind of her escape while all twenty eyes were guarding the checkpoint.

There was no sound nor even a trace of magic being used.

Emily just disappeared out of thin air.

“Could she have been kidnapped?”

“We need to consider every possibility, but for now, we’re focusing on the idea of her escape.”

Emily, who was the only one aware of the clue to the witch, had disappeared.

There were high hopes that she would actively cooperate with them as it supposedly pertained to Sian, but these expectations were spectacularly misguided.

“Why? For what possible reason?”

With the situation as it was, new suspicions inevitably arose about her.

Why? For what reason did Emily keep silent and flee regarding Hanuel Pasiniti?

As matters progressed, they only seemed to grow more complex.

“Your Highness!”

Having heard the news about Emily, Brian rushed over from another location.

“Is it true? That Lady Emily, or rather, Maid Emily, is missing?”

Arin glanced at him, her gaze filled with a hint of distrust.

“Did you also not know about this, Brian?”

“I swear to Lord Sian! I have absolutely no involvement in Maid Emily’s disappearance!”

Aware of her scrutinizing look, Brian immediately straightened up and answered with a restrained expression.

“While our side did unilaterally request, the truth is, Brian, you must know that there are more than a few suspicious points.”

There were too many oddities: the unnaturally early arrival time and the absence of the imperial guards who should have accompanied them, with only Emily’s group showing up.

In fact, right after Emily’s party arrived in Belias, Arin should have grilled them about these two points first.

However, finding the witch was urgently prioritized, so she had put it off for the time being.

With the outbreak of demonic beasts quelled thanks to Seth’s efforts, Arin intended to talk to Emily first.

But Emily, the one to converse with, had vanished, and only her group member Brian was present,

Now the situation demanded revisiting those unresolved points.

By now, numerous knights had gathered around Brian as if to surround him.

“Don’t leave out a single detail, Brian. How did you come to Belias?”

“Before I answer that, there’s just one thing I need you to know!”

Brian spoke up firmly, his eyes steely and unashamed.

“It’s not only Maid Emily who has vanished!”

“What?”

“Maid Emily, along with the White Elf Nana and Lady Hastia! Everyone but me has disappeared!”

Everyone’s eyes widened for a split second.

“Is that true?”

Soon after, several knights came rushing to report the very same facts that Brian had just revealed.

“Please tell me first! Where is our young master right now?”

With an urgency that looked as if he was about to sprint to Sian’s location, Brian’s eyes carried an acute sense of urgency.

Arin briefly excused the surrounding knights to speak privately with Brian.

She then concisely briefed him on the events that had transpired within the delegation, the reason they had summoned Emily to Belias, and Sian’s current situation.

Having heard all the circumstances, Brian clasped his hands over his face.

His head seemed unable to process the complexity of the situation.

“Did you say we need to find the witch? That’s why you called for Maid Emily to gather clues?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“It seems the reason why Emily Maid ran away lies there.”

“What do you mean?”

Brian proceeded to tell his side of events with a troubled expression.

Upon hearing the facts, Arin kicked the table and stood up abruptly.

“Emily was… the witch?”

“It’s not confirmed yet. However, considering White Elf Lady Hastia asked me about it explicitly, I’m sure there’s a reason for it. Moreover, Maid Emily also…”

Brian hasn’t forgotten the ominous sight of Emily’s back that he witnessed in the carriage.

“At any rate, she definitely knows something.”

“If Emily knows something about the witch, and she also knows something about it. Could it be possible that she took Hastia with her? Perhaps, even Nana…”

Arin suggested the possibility that Emily may have taken the rest with her out of fear that unwelcome truths would come to light.

“Nana is… well…”

As soon as Nana was mentioned, Brian hesitated momentarily.

“Is there a place you suspect Emily might have gone?”

“There is one place that comes to mind.”

Brian immediately raised his hand and pointed towards a building visible through the gap in the windows.

“I once had a conversation with Maid Emily. If she could return to Belias, where would she want to go first…”

“Where is it?”

Brian, who was originally from Belias, of course, replied that he would want to visit his own home.

Conversely, Emily, who was not a native of Belias, mentioned another place.

The place that meant everything to her, where it all began, which she didn’t hesitate to mention.

“The young master’s room.”

* * *

-Creak

As they opened the door, old dust greeted them.

“See? I knew it would be like this.”

Emily quickly opened the windows for ventilation and then began to shake off the dust from the bed sheets.

“A person might be an outcast, but surely they should clean periodically? Since I left, nobody has done it.”

While grumbling, Emily didn’t stop moving.

She dusted off the accumulated dirt, straightened the disheveled furniture and art pieces,

and busied herself with the duties of a maid of the Bert household, which she hadn’t done in some time.

“Is this Papa’s room?”

“Yeah. It’s no different from where we lived, is it?”

The room was unpretentiously adorned, not especially luxurious but not shabby either.

However, Nana seemed highly interested in Sian’s space she was visiting for the first time and busily roamed around.

“Don’t just stand there gawping, find a place to sit.”

‘…!’

Hastia, who had been quietly standing by the door, was startled and then swept her hand over her chest.

Then, with caution, she stepped inside the room but stopped cold at a painting hanging on one wall.

A portrait with jet-black hair and sharp eyes.

Even a stranger could immediately tell it was a portrait made in honor of the room’s owner.

“It’s from ten years ago, when the young master was just ten. It was painted to commemorate his succeeding his father’s trials and being granted to join the front line. It’s the only portrait of the young master in this mansion.”

Even though it showed his younger self, the portrait emitted a noble aura that was hard to see from Sian otherwise.

“If he had just continued living as a noble, as he appears in this portrait, it would have been great, but why does he choose a life of such hardships? It’s pointless to lament now, though….”

Emily sighed casually as she continued her cleaning.

“Why did you remain by Papa’s side?”

Nana, who was lying on Sian’s bed, asked with a wide grin, relaying Hastia’s impression.

“What reason would a maid have for staying by her master’s side?”

‘….’

Not getting the answer she hoped for, Hastia scrunched her eyebrows lightly.

“I was a bit surprised myself. Despite being a White Elf, I didn’t expect that my true identity would be discovered, and especially not by that little one. If it wasn’t for her, it would have continued unnoticed.”

“I’m not a bad person!” Nana puffed her chest out proudly.

To which Hastia clenched her fist and resumed her bright expression.

“Hastia also knew you weren’t a bad person! She said your affection for Papa shone greater than anyone else’s?”

Nana’s words were true.

The number of eyes filled with interest and affection for Sian was countless.

Yet among them, if Hastia had to choose the most remarkable, she wouldn’t hesitate to pick Emily.

It wasn’t about the amount or degree of affection.

It was about a difference in time.

The temporal bond that Emily had shared and built with Sian over a long time was much further along than anyone else’s.

“I’ve spent so much time with the young master; it’s only natural.”

Emily answered dismissively.

-Thud thud thud

Footsteps echoed up the stairs and down the hall.

At this, Emily tossed the rag she was holding and stood up.

“They’re practically racing here. Tell the people when they come to clean the young master’s room thoroughly. Why is it still like this even though we’re pardoned!”

She muttered under her breath as she walked towards the window.

-Bang!

“Miss Emily!”

The door burst open, revealing the first person to rush in.

It was Brian, sweating profusely as though he had sprinted there.

“You’re the culprit! If you’d taken your time, where would that get you? There’s still so much cleaning to do!”

“Wait, Miss Emily! There’s something you need to hear!”

“I don’t need to hear anything, and I’ve already told those two everything they need to know, so just tell the princess.”

“Where are you planning to go?”

Emily didn’t answer his question.

“Young master. Take care. Without me…”

“Step away from the window for a moment! Calm down and listen to what I have to say!”

“You’re not good with words.”

And then, with what seemed like a final farewell, she threw herself out the window.

“Miss Emily!”

Startled, Brian rushed to the window.

-Boom!

A momentary sparkle burst out from below the window, and Brian looked down to see,

“….!”

Emily had already disappeared.

(To be continued)