The Regressed Son of a Duke is an Assassin

It had already been two hours.

It was as if his chair and his bottom had become one, without even the slightest fidget.

Such incredible concentration was undeniable.

Still in his late twenties, not yet thirty.

To Silica, he was a man with a very peculiar first impression.

Before entering the dean’s office, the sense of unease that wafted from beyond the door was threatening enough to make her hair stand on end.

However, that unease vanished like a gust of wind the moment she saw his face.

The quintessential image of an academic scholar.

He looked like someone who could spend his life cooped up in a secluded room, devoted solely to the study of magic, seemingly incapable of harming even a bug.

With this in mind, Silica cautiously approached and spoke to him.

“You seem to be very focused?”

Unaware of her approach, Boris showed a slight sign of panic.

“Ha-ha. Since there are so many outstanding students, I thought they might feel uncomfortable with me. I wanted to get closer to them in this way, first.”

What he was looking at were the academic records of thousands of students.

From freshmen to those about to graduate,

Checking each of the hundreds of students one by one was no easy task, and most wouldn’t even attempt it.

“Checking the students’ records as soon as you take up your post… You might be the first, Instructor Boris.”

“Is that so? I wonder if I’m doing something wrong…”

“Not at all! I’d rather learn from that passion. Do you have any students you’re particularly interested in?”

Boris smiled as if he had been waiting for this question.

“Yes, there is. The student I’m looking at right now is quite interesting…”

Silica’s eyes naturally drifted to the academic record he was holding.

“…!”

She felt a sharp, tingling sensation, as if a needle had pricked somewhere on her body.

However, Silica maintained her smile without showing any sign of discomfort.

“Do you also know about this student, Miss Silica?”

“Of course. He’s quite famous in our academy.”

It would be strange if someone didn’t know him.

A student who, while not being a top scholar, wasn’t a troublemaker either, but rather ambiguously positioned and frequently mentioned by almost all students since enrollment.

Moreover, he had a very close relationship with her.

“The youngest son of the famous Duke Vert family, the guardians of the continent, and a student without precedent for having an attribute score over 90%. Talent aside, among our instructors, he’s famous for being hard to meet.”

Indeed, Cyan’s attendance record was quite splendid.

Barely avoiding repetition with a precarious attendance rate, yet without a single academic warning or suspension, and having attended every exam.

Interestingly, while he generally received failing grades in theoretical subjects, he achieved nearly perfect scores in practical subjects like swordsmanship and magic application.

Boris asked with a curious smile, “Is this student currently at the academy?”

* * *

-Thump Thump

The sound of resounding hooves broke the silence, coming from over the hill.

An experienced knight could tell whose procession it was just by the sight from afar.

A white carriage running in the center, surrounded by dozens of escort knights in tight formation.

And the golden flags fluttering fiercely in the swirling wind.

These bore the crest of Lumendel, the God of Light, belonging to the imperial royal family of Sevellus.

With the Fabian and Nerobian siblings having graduated last year, there was only one person who could be arriving at the academy under that banner now.

“Welcome to the City of Harmony, Luwen!”

The moment the carriage arrived, the guards saluted with their swords as they announced their welcome.

-Creak

The door of the carriage opened, and a short-haired woman with a sword at her waist appeared.

She was just out of her youthful years, but the firmness in her face exuded an impressive air of confidence.

After bowing to the guards, she silently presented two badges.

“I apologize, but could you ask the other passenger inside to come out as well? Due to a series of events, we’ve had to tighten our procedures…”

Immediately, another woman appeared from inside the carriage.

The moment the guards saw her face, they promptly made way.

“We greet Princess Arin Sevellus of the Ushif Empire!”

The two women were able to enter Luwen without any issues.

“I will go ahead and unpack. I would like to walk around the city with Resimus.”

“Your Highness’s orders will be followed!”

Some knights immediately proceeded into the city with the carriage upon receiving their orders.

Arin, along with Resimus and the remaining knights, slowly walked on.

“It’s very quiet. It wasn’t like this before…”

Neither students nor the merchants who usually flooded in to coincide with the start of the term were visible.

It was as if they were looking at a city evacuated before a war.

“The aftermath of the banquet incident must have been quite significant. And then there was that incident a fortnight ago…”

Arin sighed with a feeling of pity.

“It’s really unfortunate for that child. As if it wasn’t enough to experience such an ordeal in the empire, to then go through the disgrace of being kidnapped…”

Seeing this, Resimus felt even more heartbroken.

She knew.

Despite trying to act strong, Arin’s heart was far from whole.

No matter how capable and brave she appeared, in the end, she was just a 13-year-old girl.

The position of a princess, unable to show her struggles or cry in sadness, seemed especially cruel at times like this.

“Let’s go, Lady Arin. At least, Cyan will be at the dormitory.”

“Cyan…?”

Contrary to what was expected, Arin made a sullen face.

“Forget it! It’s not like I came here to see him…”

Resimus was momentarily taken aback.

“Are you serious?”

“It’s not like he cares whether I come or not. He didn’t even bother to meet me at the banquet! I don’t care anymore either!”

Arin’s face was plastered with feelings of being let down by Cyan.

But her petulant demeanor only secretly highlighted her girlishness even more.

“But, that doesn’t mean I won’t go!”

“Huh?”

“I promised Nana! I said I’d visit her first when I get back! How boring must it have been for her, being with that dull Cyan all this time?”

“Yes, well, I suppose so…”

Resimus sighed with a sense of relief, somewhat perplexed.

Just as the two women were about to head towards the Royal Hall,

“Welcome to the City of Harmony, Luwen!”

Suddenly, they heard the guards’ announcement from behind.

Typically, Luwen’s guards would not make such announcements except for nobility’s offspring or high-ranking academy officials.

Naturally thinking it must be another student, they turned their heads,

“…?”

And Arin found herself facing a very familiar person.

“Luna?”

As if they had seen someone who shouldn’t be there, both women were taken aback.

The woman who had just passed through the city gate also noticed Arin and reacted.

“Princess Arin?”

Unlike Arin, Luna seemed not to be too surprised.

Dozens of magicians in robes followed her.

“Uh… Are you okay?”

“Was there any reason for me not to be?”

Caught off guard and asking about her well-being, Luna, however, looked puzzled in response.

* * *

The moment of surprise at the unexpected reunion was brief.

Soon, Arin and Luna started walking together towards the academy.

Resimus followed behind them, and then the knights of the royal guard and the mages of the academy maintained a certain distance as they followed.

“It might be odd to ask, but how have you been all this time?”

“Nothing special. After returning from the empire, I just holed up in my room.”

“That’s exactly like me. I didn’t step out of my room, not even to the outside world, until I came to the academy.”

Feeling a sense of camaraderie, Arin clapped her hands in response.

At this, a momentary look of discomfort crossed Luna’s face.

“You can speak informally to me.”

“Excuse me?”

“We’re at the academy, not the empire. So, just call me casually. In return, can I call you Senior Arin?”

“Oh, sure, then. Let’s do that…”

Arin ended up speaking informally somewhat bewilderedly.

Feeling a bit more at ease, Luna continued the conversation.

“Actually, in my case, it wasn’t so much because of the banquet but rather, I’ve always been strictly confined by my grandfather. One day, I got so bored that I decided to escape without him knowing. Eventually, I succeeded and headed to the academy.”

“How did you manage that?”

“It was simple. The watchers around me were always stationed at fixed times, in fixed places. The shift change was also always the same. Technically, I could have left any time I wanted before that. It’s just that there was nothing to do outside, so I didn’t. Well, after that, my grandfather seemed to have tightened the surveillance a bit, but it’s not like it’s impossible now.”

Arin expressed her admiration, albeit a beat late.

“That’s amazing. I had no idea you could see through it like that. I was really worried when I heard about your kidnapping.”

Luna maintained a nonchalant demeanor as if it was nothing.

“So, why did you go to the academy, if I may ask?”

“Oh, I went to see Senior Cyan.”

Arin’s steps halted abruptly at that.

This caused Luna, Resimus, and the following knights to stop in their tracks as well.

“You went to see Cyan?!”

Unlike the excited Arin, Luna’s face remained impassive.

“Yes. I just wanted to see his face because I was bored. So, I went to find him.”

“And then? Did Cyan meet with you?”

“When I went directly to the Royal Wing, he did meet me. But it seemed he didn’t want to let me inside, so he took my hand and led me to the cafeteria instead.”

Arin immediately understood it was because of Nana.

“Anyway, we talked there for a bit, and while Senior was in the restroom, I got kidnapped. Thinking back, it was quite a mess. I should have realized immediately they were strangers I had never seen before. It was entirely my mistake.”

Luna was blaming herself for what had happened to her, viewing it as her own fault.

Seeing this, Arin felt a strange mix of emotions.

Although Luna was blaming herself, she was not in despair. Instead, a firm confidence that she would never let such a thing happen again if a similar situation were to arise shone through.

The girls continued their walk, eventually reaching inside the academy.

Perhaps because they were so engrossed in their conversation?

Neither the two women in front nor the knights following them noticed a man approaching them from the side.

“…!”

Suddenly feeling the presence of someone unfamiliar, the two women were greatly startled.

“I’m sorry for startling you. Did I interrupt something?”

Resimus quickly positioned himself in front of Arin.

The knights and mages following them

The suddenly appeared man quickly bowed his head in apology.

“Who might you be?”

“Nice to meet you. I’m Boris L’Hellem, a new instructor assigned to the academy this semester.”

“A new instructor?”

To alleviate any suspicions, the man immediately presented his identification badge.

It was a legitimate badge with the academy’s crest on it.

“My apologies. I was just walking around the academy and unintentionally approached when I saw you two coming. You’re Arin and Luna, right?”

“Yes, we are but…”

Despite it being their first meeting, the man seemed to already know who they were.

“As expected of the academy’s top students, your mana aura is very rich. I was quite impressed. If it’s not too much trouble, may I briefly check your magical power?”

“How do you intend to check?”

“It’s simple. Just create a small mana sphere and hand it to me. Of course, if you find this unpleasant, you don’t have to do it! It’s merely a request.”

Though his identity as an instructor was verified, Luna did not let down her guard.

On the other hand, Arin, perhaps intrigued, easily produced a mana sphere.

“So, I just hand it over?”

“Yes. That’s right.”

As the delicate hand began to transfer the white sphere to Instructor Boris,

-Thud

Someone’s rough hand abruptly grabbed Arin’s wrist.

“…!”

Losing her balance unintentionally, Arin stumbled backward and ended up in someone’s embrace.

Startled, Arin looked up at the owner of the hand.

“Cy- Cyan?”

His face seemed to be filled with anger.

(To be continued)