The Regressed Son of a Duke is an Assassin

A night street dominated by bright red lanterns.

The air is filled with the hearty laughter of women, and the smell of alcohol permeates the air.

Underneath a tree adorned with lanterns, two men are smoking cigarettes, discussing the events that occurred at Lambert Cage just moments ago.

“I swear, I’ve never seen anything like it. That joyous smile on Lady Delkia’s face. It sent shivers down my spine just watching her.”

“Who wouldn’t? She was totally enraged earlier, swearing to make him incapable of playing his manly role. But earlier, she seemed like a completely different person!”

When people exhibit unusual behavior, those around them are bound to be puzzled.

The sight of Delkia they witnessed today was exactly like that.

“I heard laughter and screams alternating from Lady Delkia’s room right now. There’s no sign of her coming out.”

“Huh, seems like she’s really taken with that kid. Pretty soon, there’ll be another portrait added to Lady Delkia’s room.”

Anticipating something unpleasant, the two men nodded in unison.

“But is it okay? I heard that Zion boy sent Gelberd, who was his first opponent at the Cage, packing in one go? Just like the look in his eyes, he doesn’t seem like a normal kid.”

“You know how Lady Delkia is once she sets her sights on someone, right? She’ll probably try anything to bring him back, even if it means using force.”

“Yeah, we’ll probably be really tired…”

The shoulders of the two men slumped.

“But do you remember that boy’s face?”

“Huh? He had black hair, really sharp eyes… right? Why can’t I remember?”

It had only been two hours since they went to the Cage.

Even though the memory was vivid, the faces of the boy named Zion just wouldn’t come to mind for the two men.

It wasn’t just them; Delkia, who had paid the most attention to Zion’s face, was in the same predicament.

“It won’t come to mind! It just won’t!”

Dozens of crumpled papers were scattered around the room, all depicting a figure in disarray.

“He was the best-looking boy I’ve ever seen! A man like no other! Why won’t he come to mind?”

Despite pulling at their hair and shaking their heads, Zion’s face simply wouldn’t come to mind.

The more she tried to recall, the more it seemed to slip away.

“I must! I must! I have to bring him back! The idea that his adorable face might age and change, it’s unthinkable!”

A scream filled the room, causing the frames on the walls to tremble.

-Thud

Some fell weakly to the ground, but Delkia paid them no mind.

“Zion! Zion! Zion!”

She repeated the boy’s name with eyes filled with madness.

* * *

“Did Delkia really cause a scene at the Cage?”

On the opposite side of the light, in the shadowy space, a woman with a neutral voice chuckled upon hearing the report.

“And who is this boy Zion?”

“He went out for a breather. Since we’ve already discussed Delkia’s sexual preferences, he probably won’t pay a visit. He seemed hesitant about it too.”

“Oh? Lisa, you gave advice yourself? Surprising.”

At this, Lisa’s pupils flickered slightly.

“I-I just managed VIP guests. I never had any personal feelings. Anyway, that boy is an important one who just came in…”

-Clang!

As the conversation was in full swing, the door at the back swung open loudly.

The one who kicked open the door, entering with a smirk, was Gunther Rictus, the owner of the western waste yard.

“Hey, still using this old room? Isn’t it time to move?”

“Gunther! Do you even know where you are?”

Surprised, Lisa hurriedly tried to stop him, but the woman in the shadows raised her hand to stop her objections.

Soon, she raised her chin and offered an intriguing smile.

“You’ve grown a lot! Gunther? It feels like just yesterday you were clearing garbage at the Cage. Well, you must still crave that garbage taste, hence why you’re still hanging around in a place like this…”

“Don’t mock me so lightly. Your mouth might just get torn apart. My emotional control hasn’t been great lately.”

Despite the lively warning, the woman remained unfazed.

“Okay, let’s get to the point. Register me as a participant in your arena.”

Lisa erupted in anger.

“Are you out of your mind? You were expelled long ago, now suddenly you want to do what?”

“I want to fight that Zion!”

Gunther asserted confidently.

“Isn’t it a win-win? Think about it! If it’s I, who is not just anyone, comes back to the arena, won’t people flock to see me fight that little kid? Who benefits then? It’s you guys!”

While Lisa was left speechless, the woman in the shadows chuckled pleasantly.

“Haha, you’re truly yourself, Gunther. So you really want to fight with our VIP guest?”

“Enough with the small talk, just give me an answer. Will you do it? Can you do it?”

“Fine. I’ll arrange a match with that Zion. But I can’t catch him right away. He’s only had his debut match recently. He needs to build up more heat.”

While the debut match might have been flashy, arranging a big fight right after was foolish.

It was the rule here to gradually build up victories and leverage more money from the audience.

“As hot as ever about making money, huh? Don’t make me wait too long! You know I’m an impatient guy?”

After finishing their business, Gunther left without looking back.

“Are you really okay with this, Lindsay? Since this Zion isn’t someone we’ve hired, if he doesn’t want it, the match won’t happen.”

Zion’s stance was entirely as a guest.

If he didn’t want the match right now and left, the Cage practically had no grounds to hold him.

“That boy must want something, otherwise, he wouldn’t have come here. First, Lisa, try to understand his intentions. If he has conditions, you can decide whether to accept them.”

“Me? Are you asking me?”

“Can’t you do it?”

“N-No! I’ll definitely arrange a match between that boy and Gunther!”

After finishing her report, Lisa immediately left the room.

Left alone, the woman with the mysterious smile vanished from sight after a brief moment.

* * *

The reason I joined the Cage as a participant is singular.

It’s to find Lindsay Nihalov, the owner of this facility and my target for assassination.

To achieve this, my task is simple: to defeat all the participants in the Cage.

Given the nature of the arena, if one player continues to dominate with consecutive victories, the audience’s betting will inevitably focus on them.

Consequently, they will naturally come looking for me.

I have no intention of prolonging this period.

From my perspective, this city seems somewhat sinister.

– Hweeing

As always, the streets at night are usually quiet.

As a precaution, I completely avoided the west, rumored to have entertainment alleys.

That woman, Delkia, I thought she was unusual, but I never imagined her tastes would be so unconventional.

Unless the target is in that direction, I probably won’t have any reason to go there.

– Thud

Something from around the corner collided with me.

“Sorry, sorry!”

Unlike during the day, this time an immediate apology followed.

But I can’t help feeling a bit sorry to accept it.

I extended my hand to the fallen boy and asked,

“Are you hurt?”

He seemed about eight years old.

“No, th-thank you.”

He held a basket that matched his size.

He seemed hesitant, as if he had something to say when he looked at me.

“Um, if you need it, would you like this?”

As I removed the cloth from the basket, its contents were revealed.

Cigarettes.

Not just one or two, but enough to fill the entire basket.

I couldn’t help but chuckle momentarily.

“Sorry, I’m a non-smoker.”

I never smoked in my past life either.

“Oh, I see. Sorry!”

The child lowered his head and tried to leave hurriedly.

“Where did you get those cigarettes?”

“I got them from the Gray Merchant’s Association!”

“The Gray Merchant’s Association?”

It was a group I heard of for the first time.

For now, without delving into details, I wondered if it was a place where they sent kids to sell cigarettes.

Well, considering what kind of city this was, it seemed quite possible.

“Do you have to sell all of that to go back?”

“Yes! I have to sell everything before sunrise. Otherwise…”

The child couldn’t finish his sentence.

Judging by his trembling hands holding the basket, I had a rough idea.

“Is there a place to sell? Where do you plan to sell all of those?”

“So, I was planning to head towards the west entertainment alley. If I walk around all night, on lucky days, I can sell them all. Then, I can go back.”

If you’re lucky, you can go back.

I doubted the place he’d return to would be a good one.

Probably, this child wasn’t the only one wandering like this.

I knew it was a dirty city, but this city… it was even dirtier than I thought.

“Sigh.”

I sighed and took out a gold coin from my pocket.

“Take it.”

“What?”

His puzzled expression was truly pitiful.

“If, it’s a gold coin, I don’t have change to give you…”

“You don’t need to. Take this and give me all those cigarettes. I’ll buy them all from you.”

It was quite a condescending offer, but I couldn’t help it.

“Oh, and one more thing.”

I took out another gold coin and put it in the child’s pocket this time.

“Why…?”

“You won’t have anything to lose if you give it a try. This one’s for you to use as you wish.”

Tears started forming in the child’s eyes.

“Th-thank you! Thank you so much!”

Though he seemed to be expressing gratitude, he was rubbing his hands together.

It was as if he was telling himself not to be so foolish.

[Isn’t it too late for that? Just turn into a philanthropist.]

I couldn’t bring myself to say that.

From the Luna incident to now, I felt like I was becoming more and more soft-hearted.

It’s not very pleasant to lay down traps and still not feel content.

Even after sending the child away, I lingered in that spot for a while.

[Why turn into a plaster figure again?]

“I just feel uneasy if things continue like this.”

Though it’s a gut feeling, there’s something about it.

In other words, if I don’t get out of here, I feel like I might get involved in something… like that.

“Ah!”

The scream of a child echoed faintly, spreading around.

At that moment, I felt my intuition was spot on.

Hastily turning my steps, I headed towards the source of the sound.

“Hey! Didn’t I tell you that if you sell cigarettes in this area again, I’ll kill you? Doesn’t my word mean anything?”

“I, I sold everything and was about to go back…”

The child showed his trembling hands, revealing an empty basket.

“What? You really sold everything? Did this brat hide some?”

Three adult men and the little kid I saw earlier.

Just by their stance, I could tell the situation.

“Hey! There’s a gold coin in this kid’s pocket?”

“Oh, no! That’s…”

Ignoring the child’s attempts to intervene, the man approached.

“You, you brat! Where did you steal this from? It’s not something a kid like you should have! And not just one, but two.”

Suddenly, he rummaged through the pockets and found the remaining gold coins.

“That, that was given by someone… Keck.”

With a swift kick to the stomach, the child struggled to catch his breath.

“Don’t lie! Where did you steal it from?”

“Did you steal this stuff? With this, we can have a good time at the entertainment alley today!”

“What a lucky day today is! Kiha ha!”

Silently, I approached them.

“Huh? Who’s this kid… Aaagh!”

I grabbed the hand holding the gold coin and twisted it around.

-Crack!

The sound of bones breaking mixed with screams, creating a bizarre harmony.

Perhaps this guy would have to eat with the opposite hand starting tomorrow.

“What, what’s wrong with this kid?”

As an unfamiliar fist flew from behind, I grabbed the wrist and twisted it forward.

It was the same guy who had ruthlessly kicked the child earlier.

I seized one of his ankles and without hesitation, snapped it.

“Aaaah!”

He’d probably find it difficult to walk properly from tomorrow.

There’s no one to rescue a child who’s been robbed of his money and subjected to injustice.

I picked up the dropped gold coin and handed it back to the child.

“Uh…”

The child looked bewildered, just like before.

-Clap clap clap

Suddenly, applause echoed from behind.

Turning my head slightly, I saw a burly figure resembling a bear clapping at me.

“What’s going on here? It’s too lucky to be a coincidence, isn’t it? Meeting like this in a place like this?”

Upon hearing the voice, it seemed familiar, as if he knew me.

Of course, I didn’t know him.

However, judging from the atmosphere, he didn’t seem like some random thug.

“Are you the new guy, Zion?”