The Regressed Son of a Duke is an Assassin

It was a day in a past life.

The time was when the Ushif Empire was on the brink of full-scale war with the Garam Kingdom.

In a place where usually no one else was around, Cyan was polishing his sword when Boris came looking for him.

“You’re here. I’ve been looking for you for a while, Lord Cyan.”

“What brings you here, Boris?”

It was a somewhat unexpected visit.

Boris L’Hellem, the President of the Ushif Empire’s Magic Society.

Cyan thought there was no reason for him, who should be extremely busy preparing for the war, to come looking for him.

“I haven’t come for any particular reason. I just wanted to have a chat with you, Lord Cyan, before we embark on a significant endeavor.”

With an innocent smile devoid of any malice, he slowly approached Cyan.

Cyan’s expression was indifferent, but not friendly.

After all, Cyan had been considering assassinating this man at any opportunity, as long as he was away from Aschel’s side; he had no desire to engage in a friendly conversation with him.

“If you have something to say, then say it.”

Despite Cyan’s stiff demeanor, Boris did not lose his smile.

“If it’s not too much trouble, could you show me your mana sphere?”

“My magic sphere?”

The suspicion that had been somewhat subdued grew a bit more.

“There’s no need for misunderstanding. Your magic grade is around 6 stars, right? I know it hasn’t risen for quite some time, but I was wondering if there might be an issue with your mana and wanted to check.”

This made Cyan feel quite strange.

The idea that a prodigious magician, who reached the 9-star level in his thirties, would out of the blue offer to check his mana.

Whether it was an act of pure goodwill or an unwelcome meddling, Cyan didn’t feel particularly inclined to show him.

-Whirr-

However, contrary to his feelings, Cyan created his mana sphere and handed it to Boris.

Of course, it wasn’t a sphere of full magical power.

Boris showed a highly interested reaction upon receiving the sphere.

“This is truly an astonishing attribute value. You are indeed as remarkable as I’ve heard!”

“Can you see all that just from the mana sphere?”

“I simply analyze the magical power emanating from the sphere in my own way. It’s a modest skill, nothing more.”

Cyan’s official magic grade recorded at the academy is 6 stars.

However, this was merely a record in name only.

In reality, Cyan could freely use magic up to the highest grade, the 9-star grade, especially in dark attribute magic, surpassing grades 7 and 8.

Of course, most people who had seen this were no longer of this world.

“What can I say? Although the magical power is small, the potential it contains is tremendous. It truly shows infinite possibilities!”

It sounded like something you’d hear said about a genius freshman just entering the academy.

Whether it sounded more like praise or mockery, Cyan’s expression turned somewhat sour.

“I apologize if my words were inappropriate. To speak of infinite possibilities to the empire’s finest knight, if my words were displeasing, I offer my apologies.”

“It’s fine. It means that I have the potential to develop further, which would only benefit Lord Aschel, wouldn’t it? Don’t worry about it, Boris.”

The moment Aschel was unintentionally mentioned by Cyan, Boris’s lips twitched slightly.

“Every time I see Lord Cyan, I find it quite fascinating.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“I, too, have received Lord Aschel’s grace and sworn loyalty to him, but honestly, I think I can’t match the loyalty you show. Lord Cyan’s feelings for Lord Aschel go beyond mere brotherhood and loyalty, don’t they?

Cyan spoke nonchalantly.

“It’s nothing special. I’m just where I think I should be. Isn’t that the same for you, Boris? Whether it’s you or me, it’s only when we are by his side that our existence truly shines.”

“You are entirely correct. However, it seems Lord Cyan is somewhat distant from the light…”

At that moment, Cyan’s gaze sharpened.

He was inwardly very displeased but did not show it.

Eventually, he would end up dying by his hand, a fact that would not change,

He just hoped that moment would come a bit sooner.

…

At the time, it passed like that, but it was only later that Cyan could realize.

That man had known everything about him, not just from the moment he handed over the mana sphere, but perhaps even much earlier.

* * *

It smelled bad.

Certainly, it wasn’t a good smell.

It was like suddenly encountering trash that you had left to deal with later.

So, I went outside.

And there, I encountered him.

A face so vile, tearing it apart and throwing it to the beasts wouldn’t be enough.

Boris L’Hellem.

The chairman of the Magic Society of the Ushif Empire and the emperor’s right-hand man.

The very same person who betrayed me by shaking hands with the devil.

Yet, the anger that surged in me wasn’t as intense as when I faced Aschel, so I managed to suppress it momentarily.

But that suppression didn’t last long.

The moment I saw a foolish princess in front of him, unaware of anything, trying to transfer her mana to him, the anger I had suppressed erupted, now accompanied by a killing intent.

Squeeze

My right hand, which was holding the princess’s arm, tightened.

Touching the princess’s body, so roughly no less; had this not been the academy but the imperial palace, I would have been dragged away as a serious criminal.

Indeed, some of the knights surrounding us were ready to draw their swords at any moment, their hands on the hilts.

I didn’t care.

Even if they really drew their swords and pointed them at my neck, it didn’t matter.

To me, this one human being in front of my eyes was more threatening than the dozens, hundreds of blades aimed at me.

“Cy- Cyan! It hurts! Let go!”

The moment she cried out in pain, the grip on her wrist naturally loosened.

Glancing over, I saw red marks on her delicate and white skin.

“Are- are you alright, Your Highness?!”

Resimus hurriedly approached her.

“Yes, I’m fine…”

She seemed quite shocked, though not seriously injured.

Resimus’s gaze immediately turned to me.

“What have you done, Mr. Cyan? How dare you lay your hands on the princess…!”

A stern look from the knight, uncharacteristic of a thirteen-year-old girl, pierced through me.

“No, it’s okay, Resimus!”

The princess quickly interjected.

“Maybe Cyan misunderstood something! I reached out to a stranger, that’s why! This person is Boris, a new instructor at the academy!”

“Instructor?”

For a moment, I frowned, wondering if I had heard wrong.

“Oh, it seems I am at fault! I merely wanted to check the mana of Arin, no, Miss Arin, a student, but it seems I inadvertently caused a misunderstanding with student Cyan!”

What a joke.

A scoff escaped me involuntarily.

“Why would an instructor need to check a student’s mana?”

“Excuse me?”

“It should all be recorded in the academic records, so why the need to check it personally?”

“That- that is…”

His awkward smile betrayed his discomfort.

But I know.

That such a clumsy and lacking appearance is thoroughly acted.

“Stop it now, Cyan! A teacher can check a student’s magical power, right? There’s no need to get so worked up!”

The princess now held my hand, trying to calm me down.

No need to get worked up?

Does she even know what she’s about to face, spouting such words?

I was so dumbfounded that I couldn’t even respond.

“Did you say you are student Cyan?”

He called me.

“I wanted to have a sit-down with student Cyan and talk at length, but it seems difficult today. Would it be okay to formally visit you once your mood has improved?”

There’s an important fact to note here.

Boris L’Hellem.

The man who will later become the head of the Imperial Magic Academy and rule as Aschel’s right-hand man.

However, he had never been appointed as an instructor while I was enrolled as a student at the academy.

A new instructor?

That’s not important.

Changes in instructors, that’s always been a regular occurrence every semester.

The faces of those who had passed through, I hardly remember them and it was none of my business in the first place.

But this man is different.

I don’t believe for a second that he came here by mere coincidence.

Boris’s reason for being here must surely be related to me.

Knowing that, I must also know everything about him.

“Let’s do that.”

Boris thus disappeared from my sight.

Even after he had left, I couldn’t leave my spot for a while.

Once my excitement had somewhat subsided, my gaze finally went to the remaining people around.

“……”

Why is everyone still here?

“Although I knew it, you really are a very aggressive senior, aren’t you?”

Luna, who I thought would have been stuck in the academy for a while, said with a strange look in her eyes.

Seeing that she’s even sharper than usual, it seems there were no side effects from removing the Heart Curve.

“……Oh, long time no see, Cyan?”

In the meantime, Princess Arin awkwardly greeted me.

Instead of responding, I simply bowed my head towards her.

“I will formally apologize for the rudeness just now. It seems I misunderstood the situation.”

The princess waved her hands in denial, trying to stop me.

“No, it’s okay! As long as the misunderstanding is cleared, that’s all that matters! So, you did it out of concern for me, right?”

In that moment, my mind went blank.

Not that I had stepped in with that thought in mind…

Or should I say, yes?

If it wasn’t the princess but someone else entirely unrelated trying to hand over a mana sphere to Boris, would I have intervened just like I did?

Given the situation, it seemed right to say so.

“It was a bit unexpected, I suppose? Seeing Cyan get so worked up, it’s been a while.”

Well, I don’t remember ever getting worked up in front of this woman, but it’s true she smoothly handled a potentially troublesome situation.

But.

“Don’t do it again next time.”

“Huh?”

“Showing or handing over your mana sphere to someone else.”

She looked puzzled, tilting her head in confusion.

“It’s not really something wrong, is it? It was just showing my mana sphere, not anything else. What’s the problem with that…”

“It’s not the mana sphere that’s the problem. The problem is how easily the princess was willing to give something away. Should the empire’s princess be showing and giving away her possessions to just anyone? You should receive something in return, no matter how trivial it may be.”

The princess looked so incredulous it was as if she felt wronged.

And she would feel wronged.

I know. It’s a stretch.

But still, this was something I wanted to convey.

If you don’t want your life to get complicated, stay away from that guy.

Not that I think she’d fully take it to heart.

She’s likely to jump at me, calling it nonsense…

“Okay, I understand…”

Her voice sounded resigned, which instantly caught my attention.

“I should have remembered that I am a princess before a student, seems I was foolish…”

What?

She’s accepting it this easily?

Shouldn’t she at least deny it once, so that I can…

“……!”

It felt as though my brain had suddenly shut off.

What’s with that expression?

Though she’s desperately trying to suppress her emotions, it was clearly visible to me.

I’m certain that if I say anything more, she will definitely burst into tears.

(To be continued)