The Regressed Son of a Duke is an Assassin

“How can you not even flinch when someone unknown appears behind you in the dead of night?”

Her straightforward gaze slightly furrowed.

“Maybe it’s because of my previous kidnapping, but are you seeing me as some dumb, clueless fool?”

Unable to deny it, I remained silent.

“If you thought I reacted without any thought, that’s a big misunderstanding. I knew you were coming this way from exactly 20 meters away.”

“On what basis?”

“By smell.”

“Smell?”

“There’s a distinctive scent that comes from you. It’s not exactly pleasant enough to want to bury my nose in, but it’s like a perfume made from human fatigue, you could say. Anyway, thanks to that scent, I could tell you were coming.”

For a moment, I was so taken aback, it even seemed absurd.

Is an enhanced sense of smell a result of the experiments?

“Moreover, I don’t easily allow others to approach me in the first place. If someone other than you had approached me with bad intentions, I would have created several mana spheres and shoved them into every hole in their body to let them explode from the inside…”

That kid really doesn’t hold back any words.

“Do your guardians know you’re here?”

“Of course not. They’d freak out if they knew. I left an illusion of myself with magic before I came out. To them, it’ll look like I’m sleeping in bed under the covers.”

Huh?

I involuntarily tilted my head in curiosity.

Magicians sent from the Garam Academy would be at least 6 to 7 stars, but she slipped through all their surveillance?

“Don’t be surprised. It’s somewhat less monitored because it’s an academy, and I’ve even escaped to meet you before, you know.”

I bit back the question of why such a meticulous person was kidnapped in the first place.

It seemed better to just agree at this point, as it would only make the conversation longer.

“So, what brings our impressive junior here in the middle of the night?”

“Probably the same reason as you, I guess?”

“And what reason do you think I have for being here?”

“To investigate the newly appointed instructor Boris, aren’t you?”

A single drop of cold sweat ran down his back.

“Why do you think so?”

“It’s the first time I’ve seen it. The way senior was so furious. It seemed less about trying to protect Arin senior, and more like you really hate that person, Boris. So, I thought for sure you would investigate him.”

It’s like, I got read from the start?

It felt like I walked in without thinking and got caught in a mousetrap that was set up in advance.

“Does that mean, you knew I would come here from the beginning?”

“Well, something like that. It was a guess, really, so I wasn’t sure. But you came, didn’t you?”

She seemed quite pleased with herself for having her prediction come true, raising her eyebrows.

I’m starting to understand now.

Talking to this kid is only going to put me in a difficult position.

I seriously wondered if removing the “heart curve” from her was a mistake.

“Well, it seems like a personal matter, so I won’t pry. Anyway, what’s important now is that I am moving with the same purpose as senior.”

She’s talking weird again?

“Hey, junior. Let’s make something clear. I never said I was with you?”

She pouted all of a sudden.

Her expression of annoyance was brief, and soon she asked with a raised eyebrow.

“It seems like you’re under some misconception, senior, but I have nothing to lose.”

Hmm?

“In other words, I could interfere with what you’re trying to do right now.”

It was more incredulous than laughable.

“Are you threatening me now?”

She continued without batting an eye.

“When proceeding with a task, it’s basic to collaborate if our goals align. But senior, you’re not trying to do that? As if you’ve always done everything alone…”

The more she spoke, the more it felt like I was being stripped of my clothes piece by piece.

Seems like it wasn’t right to proceed as is.

“Then, let me ask you one thing.”

“Ask away.”

“Why do you want to investigate that person?”

As far as I know, there hasn’t been any special contact between Luna and Boris.

I hope she didn’t come with some crappy idea of wanting to know her teacher with a pure heart of a disciple.

Given this kid’s personality, there must be some ulterior motive.

She answered immediately, as if she had been waiting.

“It’s my personal curiosity.”

“Curiosity?”

“Yes. That person, Boris, I heard his magic rank is a whopping 8 stars, but I’ve never even heard his name before. I also never heard of a family called L’Hellem. Not just me, but none of the colleagues I came with knew of him either.”

It would be natural for them not to know.

After all, the name L’Hellem itself cannot be found in any of the remaining continent’s records.

The members of the Garam Academy must have had their doubts as well.

“But what was most questionable was this: despite having 8-star magic power, there was no mana emanating from him at all.”

Doubt and suspicion were evident in her eyes.

Come to think of it, she had the ability to detect others’ magical power, didn’t she?

“Well, I’d have to physically touch to be sure, but anyway, it was something new. He was the first person besides senior whom I couldn’t figure out at all.”

The latter part sounds a bit off?

I thought about picking on that but gave up as soon as I grasped her intent.

Seems like I’ll have to bring this kid along today, no matter what.

As the conversation went on, I noticed that the lights in the research facility had dimmed by almost half.

It seemed like the right time had come.

[Hey, master.]

Just as I was about to move, Kaeram, who had been silent, called out to stop me.

I couldn’t answer, so I just turned my gaze calmly.

[If you’re going in, leave me here.]

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

I found myself whispering almost loudly without realizing.

[The air over there is very unpleasant. I’ll stay quiet. Just stick me somewhere and come back.]

She sat down on a rock, settling herself.

It was unexpected.

More than unexpected, this was something Kaeram had never done before.

“Stop being capricious, Kaeram. What’s this all of a sudden……”

[Just leave me and go.]

For a moment, the cold gaze of the magic sword made my senses tingle.

It was as if I was facing the eerie sensation I felt when I first encountered her in a past life.

“What are you doing, senior? Aren’t you going?”

Luna urged me.

It seemed there was no time to hesitate.

Unnoticed by her, I quietly took Kaeram out and stuck her among the trees.

[Have a good trip, master~]

She sent me off with a comfortable smile as if nothing had happened.

“Don’t do anything foolish……”

All I could offer was a warning that may or may not be heeded.

* * *

-Whoosh-

Even as I walk, I find myself constantly looking down at my feet, fascinated.

The blue mana enveloping my feet is meant to muffle any sound they might make, and it seems to work better than expected.

For the record, it wasn’t me who did this but the kid walking beside me.

“How do you even come up with such ideas?”

“If you just think about it a little differently, it’s possible. There’s no need to only channel mana generated from our bodies into swords or artifacts. I don’t think it’s anything special.”

Once again, I realize how smart this kid is.

She seems to have a very good understanding of the principles behind magic and how humans can utilize it effectively.

It feels somewhat different from the pragmatic approach traditionally pursued by the academies, wouldn’t you say?

Though she acts as if it’s the most natural thing in the world.

Eventually, we arrive in front of a room marked with a sign that reads “Boris L’Hellem.”

The light is off, suggesting that it might be unoccupied.

Just as I’m about to press my ear against the door,

“…!”

Luna beats me to it, pressing her ear first.

After a brief moment of listening and even closing her eyes to sense the energy beyond the door, she opens it without any hesitation.

-Creak-

“It doesn’t seem like there’s anyone here.”

“Maybe you should have knocked and said something before opening the door?”

She pouted as if it didn’t really matter.

Although I wasn’t expecting much, the room was more ordinary than I thought.

Like other research rooms, it was filled with research materials and books, and there were no signs of suspicious magical activity anywhere.

“Maybe he hasn’t brought in his personal belongings yet? It doesn’t look suspicious at all.”

She was actually feeling disappointed by how ordinary it all seemed.

Realistically, simply looking around like this probably wouldn’t reveal anything significant.

After all, the room of the leader of Mist, Silica would appear completely normal to anyone else.

It made me wonder if I should check to see if a knife or something was hidden among the books.

While she was preoccupied with the seemingly insignificant items, my attention was drawn to a book placed on the desk.

I naturally checked the cover of the book first.

“Is this a history book?”

Luna, who had followed me, asked after seeing the title of the book.

It was a comprehensive history of the continent, quite familiar to me.

“Wasn’t he supposed to be a history instructor?”

Judging by the book left open, it seemed he had been reading it before leaving the place.

I wasn’t sure if he was reading it out of personal interest, but it didn’t seem like something he would pick up casually without thought.

I examined the book thoroughly, wondering if perhaps there was something hidden within, but it was just an ordinary history book with nothing concealed.

Nor did it seem worth sitting and scrutinizing for a long time.

Checking for any codes would take a significant amount of time.

“……?”

In the midst of this, I discovered some indecipherable scribbles on the last page of the book.

It was more of a doodle than a drawing.

Hmm.

What exactly was drawn here?

If I had to describe it, there was a large sun with unclear objects, possibly clouds, swirling around it—a doodle difficult to interpret with my limited knowledge.

“That’s an interesting doodle.”

On the other hand, Luna, looking at it with me, showed an intrigued reaction.

“What’s so interesting about it?”

“It’s obviously fascinating. It looks like unidentified shapes are swarming around the sun, which symbolizes light, as if they’re rushing in with the atmosphere of trying to devour this sun.”

Unidentified shapes trying to devour the sun…

Now that she mentioned it, it did seem to look that way.

“So, what do these shapes look like to you?”

She rubbed her lips thoughtfully for a moment before finally speaking.

“Mist.”

“……!”

It felt as if a stone had suddenly dropped on my head.

(To be continued)