The Regressed Son of a Duke is an Assassin

When did it start?

She couldn’t remember properly.

The same dream every night.

A burning village and chilling screams spreading in all directions,

In the midst of the village, an unknown man indiscriminately swings a dagger at people.

Behind the man, a woman with long black hair fluttering in the wind was smiling cruelly.

As if controlling him.

Whether this was reality or hell, it was a horrific scene that couldn’t be distinguished, but

For Mia Hafenkus, this was all too familiar.

That’s how it always is with anything at first.

Horrible and gruesome scenes, if repeated continuously, tend to become familiar.

For her, such nightmares had transformed from fear into curiosity.

Who are those people tormenting her every night in her dreams?

As the question grew deeper, a man appeared.

He introduced himself as Boris and said he would reveal the identity of the recurring dream.

It was the wail of Mia’s ancestors, the Hafenkus clan, hoping she could resolve the grudge they couldn’t let go of.

To which Mia asked,

What should she do to resolve that grudge?

With a smile, Boris replied.

She must kill the perpetrator of all these events, the wielder of the Demonic Sword, and to do so, she must obtain the same power as the Demonic Sword.

Thus, Boris reached out his hand,

And Mia took that hand.

Years passed like that.

Now, in front of her, alongside the current owner of the Demonic Sword, was the soul of the Demonic Sword.

‘Is that the soul of the Demonic Sword, Kaeram?’

Facing Kaeram’s true form for the first time, Mia felt a strange sensation in many ways.

Her hand holding the sword trembled.

Was it reacting to the presence of the original?

A feeling as if she would be easily drawn if she couldn’t control it.

But she didn’t care.

The ones in front of her now were nothing more or less than beings that must be killed to resolve the clan’s long-standing grudge.

For that purpose, hadn’t she been running for the past few years?

Gripping the sword again, Mia rushed at Cyan.

– Clang!

Cyan effortlessly blocked her strike.

Mia didn’t relent and continued her assault in all directions.

“…!”

Cyan calmly blocked each attack.

“Where did you learn to wield a sword?”

“I’ve never learned.”

Mia replied shortly and continued her onslaught.

Mia’s answer was true.

She had never properly learned to wield a sword before being taken by Boris, and even after that, she had never learned about swords.

However, occasionally, after receiving a series of rituals from Boris, a strange sensation about swords would be felt within her body.

Boris explained that it was the sensation of her ancestors and belonged to Dio Hafenkus, the former owner of the Demonic Sword.

Though she wondered how it was possible to inherit the senses of the deceased, she didn’t ask.

All she wanted was liberation from the nightmares.

Furthermore, she hoped those who wailed at her every night could escape from their anguish and rest peacefully.

However, despite inheriting such ancestral senses, Mia’s efforts seemed futile.

– Clang! Clang!

Cyan effortlessly blocked her strikes as if anticipating her every move.

Mia immediately backed away, realizing that merely clashing swords wouldn’t be enough to kill the owner of the Demonic Sword.

Eventually, to kill the owner of the Demonic Sword, she had to manifest the same power as the Demonic Sword.

With her blade poised forward, she murmured softly,

“Demonic Sword manifestation….”

* * *

Living in this world, one sees all sorts of strange things.

When I manifested the Demonic Sword before, how did those who witnessed it feel?

If it was just a crude imitation, they would have shrugged it off and laughed.

But that wasn’t the case.

The power she manifested was nearly identical to when I wielded the Demonic Sword.

The mist emanating sharply from the tip of the sword exuded a formidable aura.

[Huh?!]

Even Kaeram seemed baffled, letting out a bewildered chuckle.

Curious, I narrowed my eyes and noticed a strange shadow swaying behind her as she manifested the mist.

It was difficult to make out the face, just a man with slightly long hair and black hair.

It was an appearance unfamiliar to me.

“Do you know who that is?”

[…]

Curious, I asked Kaeram, but instead of a reply, she bit her lip, revealing a sense of discomfort.

From her reaction, it seemed she already had an idea without needing an explanation.

“Is it the soul of your former owner?”

[Absolutely not! I erased that bastard’s soul without leaving a trace. There’s no way his spirit could linger!]

She vehemently denied it.

Then it’s a heavenly, faintly similar illusion,

Judging by the atmosphere, that illusion seemed to be the nucleus controlling the replicated power of the Demonic Sword.

As overthinking and pondering weren’t my style,

I raised my blade and murmured softly, just like her.

“Mist 9th Style: Demonic Sword Manifestation….”

Soon, as mist emanated from the blade, Kaeram, who was materializing, merged into it.

Prepared, I immediately rushed forward without hesitation.

She, too, without showing any sign of retreat, enveloped herself in mist and struck back.

– Clang!

Experiencing the power of another Demonic Sword was truly astonishing.

A subtle yet palpable sensation of familiarity and alienation.

Rather than being bewildered, I felt a sense of intrigue.

– Kigigik

The tips of our swords slightly pushed against each other.

Though a small difference, it was clear that my accumulated strength in handling and training with the Demonic Sword had been pushed back.

The power emanating from the mist at the tip of the sword was also formidable.

It was no mere crude replication.

This is, strictly speaking, power that can kill me.

I haven’t felt this sensation in a long time, the feeling of being on the brink of being engulfed by the shadow of death.

“….”

However, even as such thoughts crossed my mind, my gaze continued to drift towards the illusion standing behind her.

The illusion, seemingly conscious of my gaze, stared back at me with empty, hollow eyes.

Dio Hafenkus.

A follower of the ancient Aeru, and Kaeram’s former owner.

Having succumbed to the uncontrollable power of the Demonic Sword, he was stripped of both body and soul, a tragic sight for someone who was once the owner of the same Demonic Sword.

I didn’t feel particularly cautious or uneasy.

It was a common future that anyone who wielded the Demonic Sword could face.

There was ample possibility that I could end up like that too.

But,

“Why did you eat him?”

“….?”

Mia, taken aback by the unexpected question, furrowed her brow.

But my question wasn’t directed at her; it was aimed at the Kaeram within me.

[This doesn’t seem like a situation where you can ask such a question casually, does it?]

I wanted to know the reason.

Even if consuming the soul of the owner to obtain their power was the nature of the Demonic Sword,

Kaeram wasn’t the kind of Demonic Sword that would devour the owner just because they were on the brink of death.

Why did I think that?

It was nothing special.

It was because of her thoughts, shared through years of fighting and sharing emotions.

How many times had I said it?

We humans are creatures created in imitation of God’s nature.

As a being akin to a god, Kaeram would also possess emotions similar to humans.

Therefore, not only me but also that man, Dio, who was her former owner, would have felt affection towards her.

She wouldn’t have simply devoured him out of instinct.

Kaeram, seeming uncomfortable, sighed heavily before reluctantly speaking.

[Because he wanted me to.]

It was an unexpected answer.

[He asked me to do that. He begged me desperately to consume his soul and rampage. Please, he pleaded desperately.]

“So, you granted his request?”

[Was there any reason to refuse? I’m not a kind woman who would follow a master who has lost even their will to live, so kindly. So, I did as he wished. Even though I’m a ruthless and merciless woman….]

Kaeram’s voice trailed off slightly.

[I’m not without affection to the extent of not fulfilling his last request.]

I wondered if that meant she couldn’t refuse.

I turned my gaze back to Mia, not Dio.

“Did this sword destroy your ancestors?”

“….?!”

“Wouldn’t it be worth considering why this sword had no choice but to destroy your ancestors?”

“What do you mean?”

“There must have been a reason why it had to be that way.”

With a rhetorical question, I pushed her sword away from mine.

Though she regained her balance momentarily, my hand was already prepared for the next strike.

A horizontal sword stroke drawn with the momentum to cleave through space.

But what I had struck was not Mia but the illusion of Dio Hafenkus standing behind her.

“Shadow Arts: Cutting through illusions.”

What is an illusion?

It refers to anything that appears to exist but doesn’t actually exist.

Like what I’m seeing now, people sometimes encounter illusions in reality.

At times, one can become so fixated on these illusions that they have a greater impact than reality itself.

However, there’s nothing good that comes from being completely consumed by such non-existent illusions.

Eliminating such illusions requires the presence of a real entity in reality.

With just one honest and righteous strike, all illusions can be dispelled.

Just like now.

– Swoosh!

Unlike the previous Shadow technique, this sword strike didn’t contain any power of mist.

In other words, this sword strike was just an ordinary horizontal slash.

– Swoosh

However, even with just one strike like that, the illusion of Dio Hafenkus reacted greatly, shaking its body in various directions.

“….”

That’s when I saw it.

In the last moment before gradually turning into dust and disappearing, a faint smile formed on the illusion’s lips.

The illusion disappeared completely with that smile.

– Thud

With the loss of its central power, she knelt down and collapsed.

Although mist was still emanating from her sword, she seemed to have lost the will to fight.

Still, out of a sense of caution, I quietly withdrew my sword and lifted her head, meeting her eyes.

It was truly the face of someone who had completely given up all hope.

Although I thought about questioning her about them, I ultimately decided it would be futile and simply rose from my position.

“Did you ask me to consider why our ancestors had no choice but to perish?”

She suddenly spoke up.

“I never had the chance to think about such things. They came to me every day, crying out in despair, without any reason or explanation….”

With no answer to give, I simply remained silent.

“You should hurry and go….”

“Go where?”

“I met Princess Arin on the way.”

Unintentionally, my brows furrowed.

“I just passed her because I came for you, but it seems Aschel was looking for. If it’s a situation where you need to protect that princess, you should hurry and go.”

After a moment, my furrowed brows relaxed.

“You may not see the princess as you know her anymore.”

Exactly three seconds later.

“….”

I walked slowly past her towards the library’s exit.

The owner didn’t try to stop or detain me.

If I were to express my honest feelings at the moment, rather than a desperate urge to go and save Princess Arub,

I felt a surge of overwhelming anticipation at the thought of seeing the distorted face of the demon again.

* * *

With that, Cyan left the library, leaving Mia with nothing to do but sit there and stare blankly at the ground, feeling like she had nowhere else to go.

“Perhaps, one could see our neglect as the cause of your situation.”

Silica approached Mia with these words.

“You are a being who ultimately inherits the ideals and currents of the humans who followed the past Aeru. The significance you hold could undoubtedly be of great value to our Mist and its successors.”

Silica gently extended her hand towards Mia, who was sitting there quietly.

For a moment, Mia just stared silently at the offered hand.

“What instructor Boris spoke of didn’t include this future.”

“….”

“Especially considering there was no mention of me sending the owner of the Demonic Sword to Lord Aschel. Yet somehow, the future he described has completely changed.”

Even the act of Silica extending her hand was not part of the future Boris mentioned.

“What should I do in this changed future?”

“Not much.”

Silica whispered secretly as she met Mia’s gaze.

“Just be there by Cyan’s side instead of me.”

————