The Regressed Son of a Duke is an Assassin

After a brief preparation, we finally arrived at the unnamed ruins behind the village.

At first glance, it was quite fascinating.

The structure, built with square-pyramid-shaped stones that steepened as it ascended, gave off a somewhat different, austere yet majestic vibe compared to the ruins we had seen before.

However, the exterior itself wasn’t particularly massive.

Based on intuition, I felt there must be a passage leading underground once the door was opened.

The exploration team consisted of myself, Set, Luna, Karun, and five other mages from the Garam Magic Society.

As we approached the door with slightly nervous hearts, our gaze naturally fell upon the characters carved into the wall.

“…”

Even a three-year-old could draw better than this.

The characters seemed more like scribbles than actual writing.

Despite wondering if there was any significance to them, the members of the society scrutinized the characters intensely, but they all furrowed their brows in confusion.

“So, this is what the grandfather was talking about?”

Set broke the silence.

“Do you recognize these characters?”

“Of course. It’s a kind of ancient language that only our Shaharkhan tribe can read. Roughly speaking, it’s asking you to chant a spell if you want to enter casually.”

“What spell is that?”

“We have a kind of prayer that’s passed down only among our tribe. When I first came here, I thought it wasn’t that important and just chanted it casually, but now I can’t do that. Step back for a moment. It won’t take long.”

Following his instructions, I stepped back about ten paces.

After a while, the sandstorm began swirling around him as if a ritual were commencing.

-Kugugugung

Shortly after, accompanied by a vibration, an earthquake occurred around the ruins.

When the vibration ceased, the stone door blocking Set’s path swung open.

“Hey, you mages over there! Before I go in, let me ask you one thing: what exactly do you want to do in this ruin?”

Set, who had blocked the entrance, asked Karun.

“We don’t know anything about this ruin, so we just want to follow you without causing any trouble. Is that okay?”

“I don’t mind, but don’t touch that demon the chief mentioned! It’s the prey that Cyan and I have been hunting from the beginning!”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

Karun smiled, expressing his agreement.

“And that goes for you, junior! Even if we’re in mortal danger, you must not intervene, understand?”

“I’ll do as you say, Set, senior…”

There seemed to be something suspicious about the latter part of his sentence, but I decided to ignore it.

And so, the exploration of the unnamed ruins, presumably guarded by a demon, began.

“Light of guidance!”

As one of the society members cast a lighting spell, the interior of the darkened ruins was revealed.

“The passage is wider than I expected.”

Contrary to my expectations of a cramped underground maze, the interior was surprisingly spacious.

It was wide enough for five people to walk side by side comfortably and about twice the height of Set.

It was a stark contrast to the temples of light and darkness where the holy and demonic swords lay dormant.

This place even evoked a slight sense of reluctance.

Despite being located underground in the middle of a desert, there was an eerie chill in the air.

However, there was no sense of any living demons, mana, or even vitality.

“I wonder what purpose these ruins were built for?”

Luna, who was exploring the ruins, asked with curious eyes.

“According to what’s been passed down, it was used as a king’s tomb in ancient times, and there are similar ruins scattered throughout the Spania Kingdom.”

“Are there demons like the one here in those ruins too?”

“No, most of them are empty, without even a single insect. So, this ruin can be considered more special because it has a living demon unlike the others.”

Well, theoretically, it’s more accurate to consider them as guardians summoned by magic.

However, depending on the reason they were summoned to guard something, their significance could vary.

If it’s just some insignificant trinket, then the guardian wouldn’t be anything special, but if it’s a unique artifact buried here, then naturally, a guardian worthy of that level would be guarding it.

“Could you tell me why the demon’s name is Remiharam?”

Karun, who had been silently following, asked Set.

At his question, Luna’s brow furrowed slightly, conscious of his purpose.

“Hmm? I don’t know the exact reason. It’s just been called that by the village for generations. It’s not like it has any special meaning.”

Well, perhaps everyone here except for you knows.

There might be a significant meaning behind the name of the mysterious demon that we’re all unaware of.

As we continued forward without much difficulty, suddenly, a fork in the path appeared, dividing the way into left, right, and straight.

“Huh? There wasn’t anything like this when I came here before.”

Set, who was leading the way, scratched his head in confusion.

Since entering the ruins, we had been walking on a straightforward path, so we wouldn’t have taken a wrong turn.

“Which way should we go?”

“When in doubt, go straight! Let’s go forward for now!”

After briefly marking the path with chalk, Set pointed to the path ahead.

As we stepped forward as he indicated…

-Thud!

With a loud noise, a strong life force was felt from the front.

-Thud! Thud! Thud!

While the sound of footsteps grew closer, our feet seemed to freeze in place as if petrified.

The weight was so heavy that the walls and floor were trembling.

It definitely wasn’t the sound of an ordinary person walking.

Shortly after, everyone’s pupils, except for Set’s, widened.

Encountering a demon from another realm for the first time, a feeling of unfamiliarity and reluctance naturally arose.

However, my feelings were somewhat different.

Why is that guy here?

With its fiery red skin resembling engulfed flames, two horns protruding from either side of its head, and even wings behind, though somewhat atrophied from disuse, there was only one demon I had ever seen that looked similar to the one before us – the infamous Barlog.

Residing in a much deeper region than the valley of the abyss in the demon realm of Lemea, it was a colossal demon that, when purely relying on strength, rivaled even dragons.

Though smaller in size and with considerably fewer tusks than the real Barlogs I had encountered, its appearance unmistakably resembled that of a Barlog.

I never imagined there would be a real demon here.

Could there really be something significant in these ruins?

“At last, you’ve shown yourself! You’ve been waiting for my return, haven’t you?”

Set, on the other hand, began to loosen up with a joyful smile.

Despite his somewhat challenging behavior, the Barlog showed no reaction, merely observing us from a moderate distance.

“That demon seems to be keeping its distance for now.”

Observing its behavior, Luna remarked with apparent interest.

As long as we didn’t cross the line, as mentioned by the village chief, there seemed to be no intention to intervene.

But eventually, unless there were other demons in these ruins, wasn’t the name of this demon Remiharam?

Whoever summoned it didn’t do it just for fun, so there must be a reason.

To unravel this mystery, it seemed we had no choice but to bypass the Barlog and venture deeper into the ruins.

“All right then! I’ll take the lead!”

With his preparations complete, Set dashed forward without hesitation.

Golden aura radiated from his mana-infused fist, showing his determination to take on whatever lay ahead.

In response, the Barlog also swung its fist.

-Thud!

With a tremendous crash, a powerful shockwave spread through the surroundings.

Of course, punching a demon instead of using a sword or magic was far more reckless than trying to crack a nut with a boulder.

While it might be a move that others wouldn’t even consider, it strangely suited that foolish prince.

After a brief exchange of blows, Set stepped back, brushing off his fist.

“Ho! You feel tougher than before? Have you been training?”

Although he joked, there was no one to answer.

Instead, a familiar red light began to flicker from the Barlog’s hand.

“M-Mana?”

An action that any decent mage would recognize.

It was the manifestation of mana to cast a low-level fire attribute spell.

-Whoosh!

Eventually, a fireball the size of a human head flew towards us from the Barlog’s hand.

Reacting swiftly, Karun, who had been waiting behind, stepped forward.

“Aqua Barrier!”

Simultaneously with the spell, a pillar of water shot up in front of Set.

As the fireball collided with the pillar, it turned into smoke and dissipated.

“Hey! I told you not to step forward!”

Set shouted in genuine frustration.

“I-I’m sorry! I was worried about all of you!”

“Enough with the nonsense! Just stay back and watch the ruins quietly!”

-Kugugung!

Suddenly, a loud noise echoed around us, accompanied by tremors.

Although I glanced quickly towards where the Barlog stood just in case, it remained still, showing no particular movement.

“…!”

However, it didn’t take long to realize that the suspicious movement wasn’t in front of us but behind.

Realizing this belatedly, I quickly turned around to look back when suddenly…

-Thud!

The ceiling above us collapsed abruptly, with rocks tumbling down.

“Duck, Luna!”

Karun grabbed Luna’s arm, pulling her back.

“Ahh!”

I also moved forward to avoid the falling rocks, but as the debris blocked the passage, it split naturally into two directions.

“Senior!”

Her urgent cry came from beyond the collapsed rocks.

Although her voice sounded unharmed, it was not a situation to be smiling about.

Things have gotten messy again.

“What in the world is going on?!”

The foolish prince who remained by my side shouted in frustration, grabbing his head.

But his outcry was short-lived.

He quickly regained his composure and spoke with determination.

“Given the situation, we have no choice but to break through head-on, Cyan! We need to take down that thing and find a way out!”

With resolve, Set clenched his fist once again.

Reluctantly, I had to admit that he was right.

The way forward was blocked, but the Barlog’s eyes still watched us.

To address this situation, we had to defeat that thing and move forward.

“Get ready, Cyan! I’ll handle it first!”

Set dashed toward the Barlog once again, acting recklessly.

Although that foolish prince may lack intelligence, his abilities are close to genius level.

But even so, he couldn’t stand up to a demon.

Even though I currently possess magic power close to the level of a 6-star mage, it’s not enough to even scratch that Barlog.

But this situation might be for the best.

With fewer eyes watching, it means I have a broader scope of action.

I reached into my pouch and retrieved Kaeram.

[What’s going on? I just woke up and found myself in this mess?]

“A very interesting situation…”

With Kaeram in one hand and mana manifested in the other, I ran forward.

Not toward the Barlog, emanating hostility, but toward Set, who seemed to be under its spell.

-Thud!

With a cry of pain, his body slumped down.

I caught him before he hit the ground and leaned him against the wall.

After confirming he was merely unconscious, I turned my attention back to the Barlog.

[What’s with this toothless demon? Could it be that the name of that Barlog-like demon is Remiharam?]

“Well, for now, let’s assume that’s the case.”

I had to confirm if this demon truly lived up to its name, but frankly, I wasn’t expecting much.

Without further delay, I charged at the Barlog.

-Swish!

There’s no need to give it a chance for a half-hearted counterattack.

As Kaeram, infused with mana, made contact with the Barlog’s body, its form split into two with a crisp sound.

“….!”

As I landed gracefully, I turned around, only to be met with a threatening gust of wind and the Barlog’s massive claw swinging toward me.