The Regressed Son of a Duke is an Assassin

It’s been a few hours already.

During that time, all I’ve done is gaze at the body of the Demonic Sword lying on the table.

I don’t feel any energy, let alone words.

In a situation where I should know exactly what to do next, there’s really no reaction at all.

Normally, she would have bounced back saying it’s like flowing water, but this time is different.

It’s a feeling of distance with her that I haven’t felt before.

“Surprisingly, huh!”

Just like yesterday.

The retired knight, with a smile on his face, plopped down in front of me.

“I didn’t expect you to come and wait for me first!”

Unlike him, who seemed genuinely happy to see me, my face didn’t loosen up at all.

“Is the conversation with that Demonic Sword lady over?”

Naturally, I didn’t respond.

He, who was waiting for an answer, noticed the body of the Demonic Sword casually placed on the table and let out an uncomfortable cough.

“It’s fine! Wasn’t it said that a woman’s heart is like a reed? It bends here and there but eventually comes back!”

“Cut the nonsense and get to the point?”

Contrary to my expectations, Jereon shrugged with a doubtful reaction.

“What do you mean?”

“Weren’t you going to tell me about Dio Hafenkus, the author of the book?”

“Oh, right! I was going to tell you as an act of goodwill, wasn’t I?”

The moment his sly eyes met mine, a fierce energy surged within me.

“However, at that time, our conditions didn’t quite match, so I was just trying to accommodate, but now the situation is different, isn’t it?”

“What do you mean?”

“Now it’s your turn to show goodwill towards me.”

With disbelief, I twitched the corners of my mouth a couple of times.

“Hey, are you throwing a tantrum asking me to shorten your remaining life?”

“If you don’t want to listen to the story, that’s fine. But I wouldn’t recommend it. I’ve informed my subordinates confidently before coming here.”

Jereon looked at me with an air of self-assurance.

“If I don’t come back until the sun goes down today, send a letter to the Knights of Light immediately. Real Mist followers kidnapped me, so come to save quickly! ”

This old man is….

Well that doesn’t mean I’m surprised.

“You can tell a lot about someone’s character just by looking at their eyes. You must be someone who hates getting involved in troublesome matters. Am I right?”

He hit the nail on the head.

Whether it’s the Knights of Light or the Order of Light, from my perspective, I can sweep them all away.

I’m confident I can resolve any issue faster than anyone else.

However,

“Did you climb to the position of commander with that cunning tongue of yours?”

“It did help to some extent.”

I couldn’t deny the old man’s words.

Even if I don’t get immediate benefits from getting information and killing, it’ll likely become more troublesome later.

I don’t particularly desire that.

“My intentions haven’t changed. Just exchanging information for each other’s benefit, that’s all!”

“Is it about the real Mist Followers?”

“It was until yesterday, but today, it’s slightly different. What I want to know now isn’t the Mist Follower but precisely you!”

I stared at him with a stern gaze.

With a hint of disdain.

“Your expression is terrifying. Now that it’s revealed that you’re the owner of the Demonic Sword, isn’t it also revealed that you were the central figure in the events seven years ago? Then what else could we possibly hide from each other? I promise not to reveal the stories we’ve shared at the cost of my entire life.”

He suddenly drew his sword as if to provoke a knight’s oath.

I sighed deeply, wishing things would just fall into place.

“Well, since we’ve roughly reached an agreement, I’ll tell you what you’re curious about. You wanted to know about Dio Hafenkus, right?”

I responded with silence.

“Let me briefly explain in one line first. Hafenkus is the name of a family who followed the Black Mist in ancient times.”

In an instant, my indifference shattered.

What?

The Followers of the Black Mist?

Jereon continued, seemingly unperturbed by my reaction.

“Was it about 30 years ago? Around the time I was just appointed as the commander of the Knights of Light, I had a confrontation with the Oracle of Nephrodite. At that time, she suddenly asked me if I knew why we had to eradicate the Mist.”

It was a somewhat mysterious question.

“As an answer to that question, she told me about the Hafenkus family. Ah! I should have told you this story first. You know the Saintess of the Knights of Light. In fact…”

“Is it about the White Elf?”

His triumphant face distorted in surprise for a moment.

“Oh, did you know?”

“Just continue the story.”

Jereon spoke with a cool gaze.

“If you’re someone who follows the god of the Black Mist, haven’t you ever thought about it? Why are the Followers of the Mist inevitably rejected in this land?”

If I had to answer, it would probably be because of the tricks of those who want to maintain the existing order.

Including that saintess and a few humans associated with me.

“She said, ‘Because of precedent.’ She explained that the Mist Followers not only break the peace of the ancient era but are also the root of all evil, making even the gods shed blood. She claimed to be a witness to history as a messenger who hears the voice of the god of light.”

The root of all evil.

I wondered if this was a perspective from the victors.

It probably doesn’t matter much.

“In our time, what can we know? We can only make guesses. The author of this book, Dio Hafenkus, must be related to the previous forces of the Mist Followers.”

Jereon seemed to indicate that this was as far as he could go and then fell silent.

The Hafenkus family, known for following the black Mist in ancient times.

Kaeram reacted sensitively to the name Hafenkus.

As if I shouldn’t know.

[Perhaps it was about this time. That bastard…]

Was the bastard Kaeram mentioned related to me?

If that’s the case, then the Dio person had Kaeram before me…

“Jereon!”

My eyes involuntarily narrowed at the urgent call breaking my contemplation.

A middle-aged man who seemed to be the old man’s subordinate hurriedly climbed up from downstairs and approached us.

“Weren’t you told to wait outside the tavern?”

“Forgive me! But there’s urgent news to convey…”

After looking at me for a moment, the man leaned in close to Jereon’s ear and whispered something.

As I closed my eyes, trying to ignore them,

– Bang!

Jereon, who had been dozing off, suddenly shot up from his seat.

“The saintess is dead?”

* * *

False smiles toward each other, amidst a tense atmosphere.

Even though the blade hidden in the sleeve could turn towards the throat at any moment, Boris’s face remained serene.

“There are knights outside. Even if you kill me now, you won’t be able to leave this place peacefully, will you?”

“Are you still unaware that I’m not one who cares about something like that?”

“Even if you don’t, shouldn’t you care about what will happen to the successor afterwards?”

“Don’t toy with me recklessly. I might explode to the point where I don’t even care about the successor.”

As Silica tucked the blade back into her sleeve, she sat back down.

Her face returned to its previous gentle demeanor as if nothing had happened.

“You must have known that I was at the palace.”

“I’ve saved you several times, haven’t I? You were quite capable, weren’t you? It seems like you have talents not only in magic but also in tightrope walking.”

Silica had known for quite some time that Boris was stationed at the palace.

Since then, she had assigned her members to monitor his movements, but for some reason, Boris never disclosed anything about Cyan or the Mist.

If he had, it would have been impossible for her, as the eldest daughter of the Nigriti family, to even step foot in the palace.

“It wouldn’t have been easy to turn an incompetent princess into a competent puppet princess. If you had stayed at the academy, you might have made a name for yourself?”

“You’re talking about big trouble. I just pointed out the direction. It’s something the princess achieved on her own.”

Boris’s gaze turned to the black book on the table.

“People’s thoughts are honest. They become more interested in seeing things once than hearing them a hundred times. After that day seven years ago, the princess had doubts. Is the Black Mist really such a wicked existence that it can destroy our order?”

“So what, did you decide to reveal its true nature?”

“I merely showed her the method to find out the true aspect.”

Boris said with a triumphant look in his eyes.

“It’s simple. Just give power to that something. When all things have power, their hidden nature is revealed. Isn’t it the same for you?”

“…!”

The scattered fragments of conjecture in her mind suddenly connected into one.

Silica’s pupils started to tremble violently.

“What are you scheming?”

“Nothing much. I just plan to empower you.”

Boris lifted the book and extended it towards her as if to offer.

“Dio Hafenkus. You, who currently worship the god of the Black Mist, surely know this name. Through the doctrines written in this book, the people of the continent will soon realize that the Mist is not as bad as it seems.”

“Do you have the confidence to handle it? Do you know what to do with those followers?”

“Do as you wish. I hope you’ll do everything you can.”

Silica thought to herself.

There must be a reason why this irritating man is blabbering about their plans to her, even though it might not be to his advantage.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t show such a self-assured attitude.

“Don’t worry. The princess still doesn’t know that Silica is the leader of the Mist. She probably thinks we’ll discuss the direction we want to take after the dissolution of the Knights of Light. Well, we actually are.”

They won’t just leave the void left by the Knights of Light.

Silica knew that they would fill that gap with their own and something new.

“We should probably move it up a bit.”

But without showing it, she smiled casually.

“Your handsome face will be twisted like crushed garbage. We need to advance our plans a bit further.”

“I’m looking forward to that. I’m really looking forward to whose face will be twisted first.”

With that, Silica got up and left.

Left alone, Boris looked up at the ceiling and muttered softly.

“The day of the new era is coming soon. Just like that day.”

————