The Regressed Son of a Duke is an Assassin

A structure formed by rusted iron bars, reminiscent of a giant birdcage.

At first glance, it had the appearance that suited the word ‘cage’.

The current state of this place was unusually noisy due to a rare commotion.

Although the scheduled matches for today had all ended, news had spread that the organizers were hosting a new match.

It was called the debut match.

However, rather than positive reactions, there were mainly negative responses of skepticism and cursing.

“Oh, come on, now they’re putting kids in as fighters?”

“Seems like Lambert Cage has hit rock bottom. Or are there just no decent fighters left?”

From the VIP seats to the regular ones, the audience couldn’t quite conceal their disappointment.

Whether they knew it or not, the boy inside the cage was just standing there with his arms crossed.

“Isn’t that the brat who caused a ruckus at the betting booth earlier?”

“It seems so. The one who turned that troublemaker into a mess, right? Could he be the one behind those rumors?”

“The one who said he’d turn anyone who touched him into a cripple? Oh, and now apparently the Delkia gang is going crazy trying to find that kid. Even if he’s a noble, messing with Delkia’s employees…”

“If you don’t want to die, you should’ve left here already. Otherwise, the moment you get caught, every hole in your body will be filled up. Heh heh.”

Despite the high-spirited banter and mockery, the boy showed no signs of being shaken, merely waiting silently for the match to begin.

Shortly after, a burly man emerged in front of the boy.

“What? This wasn’t a debut match, it was an event match?”

“Ha, we might finally see something quite intense!”

The audience’s response, which had been rather lukewarm, changed completely with the arrival of a certain player.

The player’s name was Gelberd, a figure here known for overwhelming strength and cruelty.

“Wow, the organizers are really ruthless. This poor kid won’t stand a chance against Gelberd as his first opponent.”

“Who doesn’t? No wonder they gave him Gelberd as his first opponent. It seem like that kid might not survive today.”

In some quarters, even expressions of sympathy were emerging.

Betting overwhelmingly leaned towards Gelberd, and the audience was eagerly anticipating how badly the boy would be beaten, regardless of the outcome.

-Boom!

With a fierce horn blast, the match began.

Gelberd, wearing a sinister smile, immediately charged at the boy.

“Crush him, Gelberd!”

“Trample that kid to the ground!”

-Thud!

Along with a dull thud, the arena fell silent in an instant.

Normally, the audience would have expected to hear clear, crisp blows one after another, but besides the initial strike, nothing else could be heard.

-Thump!

Instead, a sound of something massive falling echoed through the arena.

All the eyes of the spectators widened, and their mouths hung open.

It was Gelberd who fell.

Moreover, it happened with just one blow.

* * *

“Wha- what’s happening?”

In just one second, an unbelievable situation unfolded.

Gunther, who was watching the match, doubted his eyes.

After avoiding the opponent’s fist with minimal movement, he smoothly followed up with a turning motion, stepping forward.

Seizing the moment when the opponent lost balance, he swung his right foot without hesitation.

Gelberd, who had his face struck, fell without even a whimper.

It was truly a concise yet perfect movement.

For someone like Gunther, whose confidence in his fists was at its peak, it was undeniably an exhilarating scene.

It wasn’t just a move that someone could show off from learning a bit of fighting somewhere.

It was the movement of a truly perfected individual, one that couldn’t be achieved without years of training and suffering.

“Was that all?”

Gunther could understand.

It was indeed a perfect movement, but it didn’t necessarily reveal his complete skill.

How would that boy fight if he used his fists, wielded a sword, or cast magic with various attributes?

Gunther’s mind was consumed with thoughts of what abilities the boy possessed.

Then, he hastily got up and dashed somewhere, none other than the betting booth.

“G-Gunther?!”

The guide, seeing his face, was utterly astonished, with a look that seemed to be harboring some reluctance.

For him, today must have been quite a tumultuous day.

“What’s his name?” Gunther demanded.

“W-What?!”

“What’s the name of the boy in the cage right now!”

The flustered guide frantically searched through the documents on the desk and checked the document containing the boy’s personal information.

“I-It’s Zion! His name is Zion!”

* * *

The night at Cage, after all the scheduled matches had ended, was supposed to be a time when the spectators dispersed elsewhere, making it quite quiet.

But today was an exception.

A crowd gathered in front of the normally quiet building, and soon the main gate was thrown open.

“Oh, welcome…….”

The face of Lisa, the employee guarding the lobby, hardened.

It’s as if she faced with someone she don’t want to see.

A woman, adorned extravagantly with chunky jewelry, confidently approached her.

Behind her stood several men with a somewhat androgynous appearance, as if they had put on makeup.

“What’s going on?”

Lisa asked in a firm tone.

“I don’t want to stay long either, so I’ll get straight to the point. Among your guests, there was a young chick, right? Bring him out here! Right now!”

The woman’s threatening tone didn’t faze Lisa; instead, she seemed amused.

“What audacity! Coming here without notice and demanding our guest for no reason? Have you lost your mind? Do you want trouble?”

“Trouble? You are lecturing me about trouble? Forget it! If you don’t want to see a scene, bring him out now!”

An unexpected and volatile situation unfolded.

Cage’s guards, who were informed of the situation, also flocked in large numbers, but this only aggravated the bloody atmosphere.

“Is this about what happened during the day? If so, you have no shame. Making a scene over a mere junior employee? Aren’t you embarrassed?”

“Say one more word? I’ll rip your mouth apart.”

The two women showed no signs of backing down.

“Final warning! If that kid isn’t in front of me in three seconds, you’ll regret sleeping tonight!”

“Ha! Try it. Just once! You said you’d destroy us, so I won’t stop you!”

The woman defiantly extended her fingers.

Lisa, with steely eyes, returned the stare.

“One…!”

“Looking for me?”

“…?”

I couldn’t even properly count one, let alone three.

All eyes immediately turned to one place: a boy with a nonchalant expression, calmly seated in a chair, sipping tea.

‘What the…? How did he…?’

No one in the lobby had noticed the boy’s presence until now.

* * *

I thought something quite interesting was happening, but it turns out that I was the culprit.

They were looking for me, so I showed up, but everyone is as silent as bees after honey.

Since there’s nothing to say, I decided to wait for someone to speak first.

“Um, guest? Where did you…?”

“It was probably from the moment of the last warning, right?”

I said, looking at the woman by the door with a dry look.

“Y-You! Your name is…?”

The assistant by her side whispered something in her ear.

From the look of it, she must have told her my name.

“Mr. Zion… Is that correct?”

I just nodded silently.

[Talk about naming sense…]

It doesn’t matter anyway, as it’s just a pseudonym to be discarded.

I hastily scribbled down a name to participate as a player.

But there’s something strange about the way this woman is looking at me.

She had the look of someone who was frustrated just a moment ago because she couldn’t catch someone, but now she’s staring at me as if she’s enchanted.

“Guest! You don’t need to engage! What are you doing! Quickly, we’ll escort the guest to the room…!”

“Nice to meet you, Mr. Zion.”

The atmosphere changed in an instant.

“It’s the first time I’m seeing you in person. I was quite surprised by your handsome appearance.”

She placed her hand on her chest and respectfully bowed her head.

“Let me introduce myself properly. I’m Delkia Bridgette, running a small entertainment business at Lambert.”

Not the kind of greeting I was expecting?

One thing’s for sure, this woman is not ordinary.

And it’s understandable, considering the inexplicable obsession in her eyes as she looks at me.

“You seemed to be looking for me?”

I asked with a consistent tone.

“Yes, that’s right! Our junior staff was trampled by an unruly young boy, so we’ve been looking for you. We heard you were staying here, so we came looking.”

“I’m not sure if they were from your side, but yes, I did trample someone on my way here. I wish you hadn’t misunderstood. It was your side that started the altercation.”

“Yes, I know! We fully admit that it was our fault.”

Then why did you come? I wondered.

Surely she didn’t come to apologize, and from the atmosphere just now, she clearly came for revenge, but now it seems like that purpose has vanished.

“If you have time, please come visit us sometime. There are many things that will pique Mr. Zion’s interest. If you have any questions, I’ll answer anything!”

She handed me a business card with an odd smile.

Are you crazy?

Even though I’m an adult who has been through a lot, giving a brothel business card to a newly emerged kid?

I wasn’t the only one who thought it was crazy.

“Delkia, are you out of your mind? What are you giving to the guest? Your target audience is all wrong!”

“It’s not for business. I formally invited him!”

Despite glaring at the employee, she smiled broadly again and said to me,

“If you ever come by, just bring yourself! You don’t need money!”

There was an eerie feeling in her words.

“Then I’ll look forward to seeing you soon. Have a good night, Mr. Zion!”

I couldn’t help but smile coolly.

After her entourage left, a puzzled employee came up to me.

“I-I’m sorry, sir! You must have felt very uncomfortable?”

It wasn’t so much discomfort as it was puzzlement.

“Just to let you know, please don’t wander around the entertainment alley! It could lead to big trouble!”

Of course, I have no intention of going there now, but this employee seemed to have some kind of concern about that woman, beyond just her being from the entertainment district.

“Why shouldn’t I go there?”

“Um, sir, you may not understand because you’re still young… A-anyway, there’s something strange about that woman’s taste…”

“Don’t beat around the bush. Just tell me.”

She shouted as if she didn’t know what to say.

“…?!”

What did I just hear?

[TL/N: If it’s what I’m thinking then…. The woman is fucked in the head bro.]
[PR/N: I like older women but this age gap is wayy too fucking much ☠️]