The Regressed Son of a Duke is an Assassin

Her heart was in turmoil and her blood flow had hastened

Arin was currently feeling an inexplicable awkward emotion.

If one thing was certain, it was that this emotion did not originate from within herself.

She looked at her endlessly trembling right hand.

“……”

Unbearable anger and hatred.

It was the same emotion she felt when her hand was grabbed by Cyan the day before.

It was as if the emotion from that time still lingered in her hand, showing that it had not yet left.

From this, Arin could tell that Cyan was very indignant now.

“I came sooner than expected, in my haste. I hope I wasn’t interrupting your exercise?”

Instructor Boris spoke with the same playful smile as yesterday.

When she was unsure of what to say, Cyan, standing by her side, spoke up in her stead.

“It’s fine. We just finished.”

Cyan’s face momentarily shifted to a normal expression, as if he had switched masks.

“I see. Then, if it’s okay with you now, could I have some of your time? I have a conversation I really want to have with student Cyan.”

To an outsider, it might seem like a normal conversation between teacher and student, but Arin did not see it that way.

“Let’s do that.”

Contrary to the expectation of declining, Cyan showed no objection.

“Thank you. Shall we go to my office then? And if it’s okay, could student Arin accompany us?”

“Me? Oh, but I…”

Arin was suddenly taken aback, unsure of what to reply.

Cyan spoke up for her.

“The princess has not yet completed her prescribed amount of exercise.”

It was not a lie.

In fact, Arin was planning to start strength training after her jogging.

Whether Cyan knew this or not was unclear, but at least, it was evident that Cyan did not want her to accompany them.

“I see. Then, it’s unfortunate, but we must look forward to another time.”

“Yes… I will make time next time.”

Arin’s gaze returned to Cyan.

Cyan bowed to her with his usual indifferent eyes.

“I will take my leave now, Your Highness.”

“Y-Yes, Cyan! See you later……”

Briefly exchanging goodbyes,

-Swish

Cyan then quietly took one of Arin’s hands and whispered into her ear swiftly.

“Go straight to your room……”

“……?”

Before she could even question what he meant, Cyan had already left with Instructor Boris.

* * *

Just half a day ago, I visited his laboratory.

Nothing had particularly changed.

The warmth of the room, the arrangement of research materials, even the history book spread out on the desk.

Handling my gaze ambiguously could arouse suspicion, so I sat down without looking around too much.

Like other instructors, Boris was brewing tea for the visiting student.

“I haven’t brought in anything yet, so this is all I have to offer.”

It was a common tea that could be found anywhere.

There seemed to be nothing impure in it…

“Before we start our conversation, Cyan, I think we should start with this story.”

I made eye contact with him as he sat opposite me.

Then, memories of the past surged up as if they were being revived.

However, I wouldn’t show it.

Regardless of why he came here, I wouldn’t reveal anything.

“Luna came looking for me at dawn.”

“!”

I couldn’t help but react to his words.

“When I asked what was the matter for coming at such an early time, she immediately confessed her wrongdoing. She said she had come to the research building in the middle of the night to meet me. Alone…”

Alone?

Did she exclude me from her statement?

I roughly understood her intention.

She had preemptively confessed to avoid leaving any traces behind.

A needless action.

“However, I was not present, so she couldn’t meet me, and, although she shouldn’t have, she admitted to trespassing. She said she had seen this history book on the desk.”

It was the same history book Luna and I had seen.

“The real point of interest wasn’t this history book, though. What she found intriguing was this scribble on the very last page…”

He deliberately turned to the last page and showed me the scribble.

It was the same one I had seen yesterday.

“Do you, by any chance, know what this scribble means?”

I answered in exactly 4 seconds.

“I’m not sure.”

“Then, let me give you a hint. This large thing at the center is the sun. It represents the sun floating in the sky. What, then, is surrounding it?”

I answered nonchalantly.

“Nothing comes to mind but clouds or wind.”

There was another thing I thought of, but I didn’t particularly want to mention it.

Then, Boris, with an inscrutable smile, said,

“This is fog.”

It was the same answer Luna had given.

“Typically, the sun and fog do not coexist. Where there is fog, the sun is not visible, and where the sun is visible, there is no fog. The sun is always with us, always in the same place wherever we go. But what about fog? It is truly an unknown existence that can appear anytime, anywhere.”

Then, Boris took out a pen and began to draw over the scribbled drawing.

“To the sun, which is like an immortal being, fog is but a trivial existence. However, it cannot be ignored. What would happen if this mere speck of fog were to obscure our eyes?”

“…We wouldn’t be able to see the light of the sun.”

It was a perfectly logical conclusion.

“Exactly. Therefore, perhaps to the sun, fog might be considered an unnecessary existence.”

I barely managed to suppress a laugh that was about to burst out.

Yes, he was right.

It took me too long to realize that.

“It seems you’ve been wary of me since the first time we met. May I know the reason why?”

Boris asked again, maintaining his smile.

“I am wary of everyone I meet for the first time. It wasn’t anything special because you are an instructor.”

Of course, the latter part was a lie.

“I serve a lord. Someone who recognizes my value more than anyone else and who has saved me. To me, this person is like the bright light emanating from the sun.”

I could guess who he was referring to without him having to say it.

“As soon as I arrived at this Royal Academy, I reviewed the records of all the students enrolled. Why do you think I did that? To learn more about the students? Of course, there’s that reason. But the ultimate reason I came to this academy is something else.”

He looked at me with a curious gaze, as if eager to see my reaction.

I maintained an indifferent look, though I was dying to know.

Why you came to this place at this time.

“To find the existence of fog.”

“…….”

During another moment of silence,

I said nothing and showed no reaction.

That was the best response I could manage.

“…Do you enjoy writing fiction?”

After dismissing his statement as absurd, he laughed heartily.

“Ha ha ha! I tried to be somewhat serious, but it seems it didn’t work on Cyan.”

I continued calmly.

“Anyway, I understand your intention, instructor. You’ve come to the academy to find someone, haven’t you?”

“Cyan, you are quick-witted indeed.”

He clapped as if to praise me, but to me, it was nothing more than a disgusting tactic.

Do you know what I’m thinking right now?

It’s trivial.

And yet, so repulsive.

The master he serves?

That demon is not even worth discussing.

The fog he’s looking for?

It’s obviously me.

But he probably doesn’t know that yet. So, why did he reveal his reason for coming here to me?

He’s testing me.

I was within his sights from the beginning, and he’s slowly tightening his grip to unveil me.

It’s laughably absurd.

But strangely, I’m not angry.

It’s so ludicrously repulsive that I’m holding back a laugh right now.

“Let me tell you in advance, I don’t have many connections at this academy. I don’t have many friends, nor am I interested in people.”

“Is that so? It doesn’t seem like a very pleasant life. I heard you hardly ever attend classes…”

“If you’re thinking of giving me unsolicited advice, save it. If there’s nothing more to say, I’ll take my leave.”

Boris did not try to stop me.

“Thank you for your time, Cyan. Let’s meet during class next time.”

Without giving him another glance, I immediately left the room.

* * *

After Cyan left, Boris remained alone.

His expression was so ambiguously complex that it was difficult to discern.

However, the faint smile lingering at the corner of his mouth didn’t seem to suggest anything bad.

[I thought he’d be as stiff as a rock, but to my surprise, he’s capable of smiling?]

An unidentified voice reached his ears.

“I tend to laugh when faced with an unsolved puzzle. It’s the anticipation of the joy when I finally solve it.”

Once again, it must be noted that Boris was the only one left in the room.

[So, what do you think after speaking to him directly? Does the boy seem like the fog that threatens the light?]

“It’s quite ambiguous. There seems to be something there, but it’s like it’s shrouded in fog, impossible to see through. He’s undeniably an interesting student.”

Boris looked at the scribble he had shown Cyan with a satisfied gaze.

“Honestly, I still can’t believe it. That such a vile demonic sword exists within this academy. What exactly did Aschel see?”

Then, a strange laughter came from the air.

[Keke! The owner of a demonic sword always stands out, Always thirsty. But this time, it might be harder to find.]

“Do you know something about the demonic sword?”

[It’s not really important to focus on the owner of the demonic sword. Eventually, the demonic sword consumes the body and soul of its owner, that’s its nature. A demonic sword that has absorbed the power of many owners is the truly terrifying entity. However…]

The owner of the voice chuckled as if recalling something amusing.

[The current demonic sword might not be the one I know. It’s showing characteristics so unlike her…]

Boris had no way of knowing what that meant.

The laughter continuing from the void only further piqued his intriguing curiosity.

(To be continued)