The Regressed Son of a Duke is an Assassin

Demon Realm, Demon King’s Castle.

The master of the castle, who was leaning against the window, slowly raised his eyes, lost in thought, and straightened up.

‘The peace currently maintained in the Demon Realm… will be shattered.’

A week had passed since the audacious human’s visit.

One experiences all sorts of things in life.

To think that someone dared to discuss peace with the strongest and most powerful being on this continent.

Under normal circumstances, he would have immediately twisted the human’s limbs, separating bone from flesh, and devoured them right there.

But he had simply let him go.

The current Demon King is no longer the reckless maniac who acted on his impulses.

“……”

His heart was pounding.

Why?

Because of anxiety?

Nervousness?

For the almighty ruler of the Demon Realm to feel anxiety over an unknown human—what an absurd notion.

However, this tremor was undeniably due to anxiety.

The unfamiliar unease of potentially losing something due to his own mistake and ignorance.

He needed to correct this before it was too late.

Velcarion headed straight to Bestia’s room.

*Knock knock*

Despite the loud knocking, there was no response.

“Bestia, I’m coming in.”

Although he could clearly sense a presence inside, for some reason, Bestia didn’t respond.

Cautiously, Velcarion turned the doorknob.

As he opened the door, he saw Bestia sitting with her back turned, looking away.

With a sigh of relief, Velcarion approached her.

“What’s up? Why didn’t you answer when you were inside?”

“……”

“What are you so focused on that you didn’t even notice me coming in….”

At that moment.

The steps he was taking.

The smile on his face.

The outstretched hand.

Everything froze in place.

The only part of his body that moved was his eyes, trembling in shock.

“Oh? When did you get here, Velcarion?”

Bestia finally noticed his presence and quickly turned around.

“Sorry. I was so absorbed in the pendant that I didn’t notice you coming.”

Velcarion couldn’t utter a word, staring at her with trembling eyes.

“This pendant you gave me, the more I look at it, the more mesmerizing it becomes. I don’t ever want to be apart from it. It’s truly the best gift ever….”

She caressed the pendant in her hand, showing it off to Velcarion.

“Bestia.”

“Yes?”

“Why do you look so haggard?”

At his question, Bestia finally touched her own face.

It wasn’t a casual comment.

He had heard from the castle’s servants that Bestia adored the pendant he had given her, but this was beyond mere affection.

Her complexion was so pale and lifeless that anyone would find it strange.

She looked like someone suffering from a serious illness.

“Really? Come to think of it, I have felt a bit dizzy the past few days….”

“Dizzy?”

“It’s not serious, so don’t worry. Look at this pendant instead! Isn’t it beautiful? Where did you even get such a gift….”

-Whack!

When Velcarion tried to snatch the pendant, Bestia’s eyes, which had been lost in ecstasy, filled with anger and contempt.

“What are you doing?”

“Give me the pendant, Bestia.”

Velcarion extended his hand, his face deadly serious.

“Why? You gave this to me as a gift, didn’t you?”

“I’ll get you something better. But for now, give me that pendant.”

“No!”

Bestia jumped up from her chair, expressing strong refusal.

She even ran to the corner of the room, clutching the pendant around her neck, as if she couldn’t bear to part with it.

“This pendant is mine! I won’t give it to anyone! Even if it’s you!”

“Give it back!!”

Finally, Velcarion lost his temper and shouted.

Hearing the commotion, Rogers and the castle servants rushed in to hold Velcarion back.

“Your Majesty, please calm down!”

Velcarion, regaining some of his composure, took a deep breath and calmed his mind.

“Let’s talk outside.”

Rogers entrusted Bestia to the servants and immediately led the Demon King outside.

Velcarion, whose excitement had finally subsided, leaned against the wall and lowered his head.

“Didn’t I tell you? We need to retrieve the pendant from Bestia!”

Rogers scolded the Demon King for not listening to him.

“Did you anticipate that something like this would happen?”

“I only suspected it. There are no acts of kindness without intention in this world.”

“Yes, you were right. That pendant definitely has a problem…”

He had seen it clearly, even if only for a moment.

The madness in Bestia’s eyes as she clutched the pendant, unwilling to let it go.

“It’s the first time Bestia has looked at me like that. The gentle and obedient Bestia looked at me with eyes full of contempt!”

It was a sight impossible to see from her originally.

“Don’t stop me, Rogers! Even if I have to take it by force, I will get it back!”

“W-Wait, Your Majesty!”

Just as he was about to head back to Bestia’s room,

“Lady Bestia!!”

They heard the urgent cries of the servants from her room.

Startled, the two men immediately rushed into the room.

“Bestia!!”

What they saw was Bestia, unconscious and collapsed, clutching the pendant that glowed with a red light.

* * *

“What’s the cause?”

“It’s the pendant.”

“You think I don’t know that? What’s wrong with the pendant?!”

“It contains a strange power of unknown origin. It stimulates the owner’s mind, causing a feeling of never wanting to part with it…”

“Stimulates the mind? So it’s magic?”

“It’s not magic. There is no magical energy contained within it.”

“Then what on earth…!”

Frustrated, Velcarion swallowed his anger.

“What should we do? Shouldn’t we at least remove the pendant quickly?”

“We’ve already tried, but it seems too dangerous to remove it by force.”

“Why?”

“The pendant resisted. When I tried to touch it, an unknown light and sparks emanated from the gem. If we try to forcefully remove it, Lady Bestia could be seriously hurt.”

So they were supposed to just watch her weaken?

-Bang!

Unable to control his emotions, Velcarion punched the wall hard.

“So, you don’t know how to solve this either?”

“I don’t. But I have a guess.”

At these words, Velcarion turned and met Rogers’ eyes.

“Your Majesty, have you heard of witches?”

“Witches?”

“Yes. They are certain human women from the human world who possess a power that can manipulate minds, causing confusion and delusion.”

The Demon King had never heard of such a thing.

“Because they possess such dangerous power, they were involved in causing several significant incidents in the past. Seeing the state of the pendant Lady Bestia has, I dare to guess it’s similar to the power those witches had.”

“So, what should I do?”

“Bring the human who gave her the pendant.”

Rogers answered with a firm gaze.

“If you bring him, I will use all my power and knowledge to find a way to save Lady Bestia.”

“You’re asking me to go to the human world?”

Rogers answered with silence.

Velcarion closed his eyes and fell into thought for about ten minutes.

Rogers stood silently by the Demon King, waiting for him to speak again.

“Hey, Rogers.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Didn’t you say before that it was thanks to Bestia, not me, that the Demon Realm is peaceful now…”

“Yes.”

“I acknowledge it. Without her, there wouldn’t be the current Demon Realm, nor the current me. I would have remained the same reckless fool as before.”

Rogers didn’t deny it.

“Bestia was the first demon, apart from you, to point out my mistakes. Who could have imagined? A woman with no strength dared to tell me that I shouldn’t exist in this realm…”

“…….”

“And that’s not all. She stood up to me, telling me what I needed to do for a just Demon Realm, without blinking an eye, even under the threat that I could tear her apart at any moment.”

Velcarion naturally smiled as he recalled his memories with Bestia.

“If she disappears before my eyes now, what will become of me, and what will become of this Demon Realm?”

“That’s a question I’d rather not answer.”

It wasn’t because he didn’t know. It was because the answer was too horrifying to utter.

If Bestia really left the Demon King’s side like this,

‘It’s over.’

Rogers was certain that the world, whether the Demon Realm or the Human Realm, would meet its end.

“Take good care of Bestia. I’ll be back.”

As the Demon King departed, Rogers simply closed his eyes and bowed his head.

“Have a safe journey, Your Majesty.”

Velcarion left the castle, spread his wings wide, and immediately took flight toward the Lemea Gorge.

He would no longer negotiate or converse with humans.

To him now, human words were worth less than a beast’s howl. He would crush them completely with sheer force, making them submit.

For the sin of daring to insult the master of the Demon Realm and his lady, they would pay a price worse than death.

Arriving at Lemea Gorge, near Blood River, he found no one there, unlike the last time when he was greeted with a sly smile.

There were no signs of life anywhere nearby.

“Hah!”

Were they trying to avoid him now?

Determined to pursue them to the end, Velcarion continued along the Blood River.

He eventually reached the end of the gorge, at the border of the Demon Realm. Before him was a rare sight: a lush green field and a high, steep cliff.

Velcarion raised his chin and gazed steadily at the cliff above.

He caught the scent of a living being carried by the cool breeze.

Detecting this presence, Velcarion spread his wings and took flight.

-Thud

Upon reaching the top of the cliff, the air felt different.

So this was the air of the human world?

It certainly felt cleaner compared to the murky atmosphere of the Demon Realm, but such matters were irrelevant to Velcarion at this moment.

He walked quickly in the direction where the presence felt strongest.

Finally, Velcarion stopped at one spot.

In front of him was an unfamiliar residential area, expansive and stretching out before him. From its center emanated a distinct yet unfamiliar energy.

It wasn’t from a demon or a beast, but a human.

Velcarion entered without hesitation.

“……!”

After walking about fifty paces, a group finally appeared before him. His anger and hatred for humans were about to explode.

Humans.

They were humans.

He had found the humans he had been searching for.

But the human named Aschel, the one he was originally looking for, was nowhere to be seen.

Was he not here?

“A demon?”

The humans, upon seeing the Demon King, immediately adopted a defensive stance, extreme wariness evident in their expressions.

They, who had no power worth mentioning, dared to draw weapons against him. It was so ridiculous it was almost laughable.

However, there was something strange.

Among the group was a woman with unfamiliar blue hair, emanating a peculiar feeling.

It was similar to the aura Bestia had when she clung to the pendant, refusing to let it go.

Velcarion beckoned to her with a flick of his finger.

“You, come here.”