The Regressed Son of a Duke is an Assassin

Exactly 3 minutes.

It could have been faster or slower.

When I returned from the restroom, the only thing that greeted me was a hollow warmth.

She must have left.

I was aware from the moment she precisely described her physical condition.

It was the unpleasant odor of the underlings of the Garam Society.

Well, I hadn’t entertained the thought that she had received permission to go out.

Unauthorized absence was remarkable enough, but if Luna, that delicate girl, had crossed borders alone to come here, I couldn’t help but let out a bitter laugh.

If Luna’s words were true, then there was no need to confront the lackeys of the society who were keeping an eye on me.

They probably just wanted to take their granddaughter back home as soon as possible.

[Seems like our master isn’t in a good mood, huh? Sporting a face as rare as a bug chewing dung?]

Kaeram was mocking me to the fullest.

Honestly, I can’t deny it.

“It’s not exactly pleasant.”

To be more honest, it’s downright filthy.

If making me boil with indignation was her main purpose, I’d like to give her my compliments.

My feelings boiled as much as they could possibly get.

Feeling sympathy for her remaining life?

Don’t be delusional.

In the first place, human lives aren’t that sturdy.

They’re barely tougher than flies.

If I, who has witnessed countless deaths and driven many to their demise, felt sympathy for something like that, I would confidently say that I’ve lived my life poorly.

Let me make it clear: I’m not a savior.

Then why do I feel so dirty?

I don’t know.

Honestly, I don’t know how I feel right now.

What’s certain is that this disgust I’m feeling stems from a kind of discomfort, like the unease of not doing something you could do, a kind of filthy feeling.

It’s pointless to dwell on it further.

I turned away with a brief gust of air.

[Just leaving?]

“Of course. There’s no reason for me to stick around if they’re here to take back their runaway granddaughter. Getting involved will just give me a headache.”

[Hmm. Really…?]

She, who would usually provoke me with the same old words, showed a somewhat different reaction today.

It seemed like she was acknowledging something, yet at the same time, she appeared to have something to say.

That made me even more suspicious.

“What do you want to say?”

I asked bluntly.

[Well, nothing. Just about those people who came to pick up the kid. Did you happen to hear anything they were gossiping about among themselves?]

“What, gossip? They probably just said they should hurry up and take him away before they get into more trouble.”

The longer they wait, the more their lives would be at risk.

[Didn’t hear anything?]

Her ominous laughter made me turn back again.

[Did they telepathize? They were openly chatting as if the kid shouldn’t hear. Did you catch any of it?]

I couldn’t laugh at a familiar scenario.

“Telepathize?”

It’s not a simple magic.

It requires considerable computational power to convey thoughts through magic.

Even though it’s widely used by the members of the Mist, it wasn’t the case now.

Why?

Was there something she shouldn’t have heard?

They could have just said, “Let’s take her back before we get into more trouble.”

They could have even cursed, “We’re suffering because of you.”

Even though I have sharp hearing, I couldn’t have heard their thoughts through telepathy.

The fact that Kaeram said this to me…

It means she heard something interesting, but certainly not for me.

“……”

Suddenly, my gaze turned towards the chair where she had been sitting.

I could faintly feel it—the lingering traces of mana scattered by someone, still not completely dissipated.

I quickly placed my hand over it.

“Sweet Sleep…”

As I saw the faint white powder on my hand, I became certain.

It was the remnants of a 5th-grade mental sleep magic.

They had put Luna to sleep.

But was it necessary?

Did they really need to take her away, sound asleep, from a yard where there was no sign of resistance?

Unnecessary actions always invite suspicion.

My gaze turned back to Kaeram.

“What did they say?”

Kaeram leaned in as if she had expected it and whispered into my ear.

[I’ll tell you everything they said. Open your ears and listen carefully~]

A moment later, her ominous whisper echoed in my ear like a dark aria.

As her whisper continued, my expression gradually decayed, unbeknownst to me.

* * *

The outskirts of Luwen, somewhere along the border between the Ushif Empire and the Garam Kingdom.

Not a noble’s luxurious carriage, but a modest cart suitable for the upper class, traversed the untamed wilderness where the grass seemed to stretch endlessly.

At the forefront, two men steered the cart, while three others, each from different directions, guarded the cart as if setting up a camp.

The commonality among them was the blue robes they all wore, hiding a sense of urgency in their stern faces.

Eventually, the leader at the front raised his hand, signaling a halt.

What appeared before them was a border post of the Garam Kingdom.

They quickly pulled the cart back a bit to avoid catching anyone’s attention.

– Hush, hush.

They all began to remove their robes and change into shabby merchant clothes, a disguise to conceal their identities.

They even carried forged merchant registration documents of different nationalities.

Trudging along, they heard an unfamiliar sound, causing everyone to turn their heads hastily.

“…..!”

A presence emanating a somber magic stared at them, draped in a gray robe, also seemingly concealing their identity.

The leader of the cart slowly approached him.

As others watched, tense with anticipation, they dared not to approach.

“She’s inside?”

Judging by the voice, it seemed to be a woman.

“She is inside. She’s been put to sleep with a sleep spell, but it seems the magic is not as effective as we thought. It should last for over a day, at least.”

“Can I verify it?”

“Of course.”

The man in the gray robe escorted the woman to the front of the cart.

She climbed aboard, crossing over piles of clutter to find something hidden deep inside.

There, she found a frail girl, bound and gagged, tucked away.

As the girl’s identity was confirmed, the woman smiled faintly.

“You managed to bring her here.”

“In truth, it was like finding a needle in a haystack.”

“Indeed. Who would have thought the brat, destined to rot within the society’s walls, would escape on her own? And to think, to the academy of all places…”

The woman took out a letter from her pocket and showed it.

“By now, the real observers sent by the society should have arrived. Leave before news spreads to the border post.”

“Yes, understood!”

The man bowed, receiving the letter.

As the woman turned away, she glanced back at the girl once more, speaking as if she was asleep but listening.

“Don’t resent too much. Rather than a lifetime of suffering for a futile experiment, isn’t it better to act meaningfully once and die? This is actually for your own good.”

Though the words sounded convincing, there was no hint of such sentiment in her expression or tone.

Just a means to an end had arrived.

The girl inside the carriage was nothing more than a presence devoid of any emotion to them.

The woman turned around abruptly.

“Well, then, I’ll just be on my way…!”

– Whoosh!

The sound of a sword piercing flesh accompanied the sudden distortion of the woman’s face.

“Ugh…!”

Even as her gaze briefly fell on the droplets of blood trickling onto the ground, she slowly raised her head to see someone’s jet-black robe fluttering in the wind.

“……!”

Between the deeply buried sword and the faint crimson aura seeping out, before anyone could fully comprehend, the wielder of the sword mercilessly withdrew his arm with swift motion.

– Thud.

A cascade of blood gushed forth like a waterfall.

The woman groaned and slumped forward, then immediately ceased to breathe.

Those watching were all stunned.

“Li… Lightning…!”

– Swish.

The man who had received the letter shouted the spell in haste.

But the incantation was never completed.

Instead, it was interrupted by agonizing screams.

“Argh…!”

The scream didn’t last long either.

As one hand, in the midst of manifesting mana, was ruthlessly severed, and before the scream could fully erupt from his mouth, a cruel sword flew towards him, slicing his throat in an instant, sending his head flying towards the carriage.

– Thud.

They say when people are too shocked, their senses freeze, rendering them unable to move.

That’s exactly the state they were in now.

Their eyes, however, were fixated sharply on the unfamiliar figure before them.

A petite figure reminiscent of a boy.

But beneath the simple black mask, the lively eyes sent shivers down the spines of those who beheld them.

Two thoughts crossed the minds of the men facing him.

‘Why did this happen?’

Or

‘We need to run.’

The latter would be deemed a slightly quicker judgment of the situation.

If they had realized that the purpose of that masked figure was the carriage, they might have had time to quickly incinerate the carriage with magic and flee.

Of course, that doesn’t mean risking one’s life.

It just means extending the time to live by a few tens of seconds; either way, losing a limb would be the same fate.

But only one of the remaining four had such thoughts.

The rest harbored doubts about the situation while simultaneously considering the need to deal with the figure before them.

However, those thoughts did not translate into action.

Just as they were trying to relax their tense nerves to gather mana,

– Swish.

That sound marked only the beginning.

– Swish, swish, swish.

The relentless sound of brutal slaughter echoed incessantly.

When their ears recognized that sound, they did not entertain any thoughts of survival.

If it’s not just the sound of a body part being severed but rather a sound that slowly crushes the human flesh, even to the last handful of soul, then the one who perceives that sound will cease to exist as a human in a moment…

It was said to be akin to the dance of death performed by a reaper.

– Whiiiing.

In the harsh wilderness wind, a stench mingled with the scent of blood wafted through the air.