The Regressed Son of a Duke is an Assassin

For an assassin, secrecy is as vital as life itself.

Even if it is as insignificant as a speck of dust, anything about oneself must never be discovered by others.

Boris L’Hellem, he crossed the line.

Since the moment he was aware of Cyan’s surveillance, he had been marked. However, Boris had already seen through much more than expected.

At this moment, Silica, the head of Mist, thought:

For an assassin, hesitation is akin to death.

This man must be dealt with here and now, in the name of Mist.

Even for the sake of the heir not present here.

-Swish

With a signal, the assassins who had been standing by rushed towards Boris all at once.

-Pavavak

What was a storm-like charge was only momentary, as soon, half of them were launched into the air.

The human body, despite appearing solid, is in fact incredibly fragile, possessing numerous weaknesses.

The crown of the head, ribs, neck, eyes, lower back, groin, anus, etc.

The basics of assassination involve quickly subduing these vulnerable spots of the human body, which can be fatal with just one hit.

But who are these individuals?

Elite assassins capable of beheading a hundred men with a single stroke of their sword.

Even without opening their eyes, they could target every vital point with just their senses, like monsters.

If such individuals focus solely on one vital point each, excluding all else, what would happen?

Ten assassins rushing from ten different directions.

The lethal blows they are preparing do not overlap; each targets a different spot.

This is known as the Ten Limb Points.

Though it may seem somewhat inefficient for ten elite assassins to be used against one person, it is, conversely, the most certain technique to kill a single individual.

Among the ten swords rushing towards the target, if even one makes contact, that individual will cease to be of this world instantly.

-Thump!

A dull sound that struck the eardrums echoed across the wilderness.

It was neither the indifferent sound of slicing through the air nor the refreshing sound of blades clashing.

While their specific targets varied, ultimately, the members aimed for one body—Boris L’Hellem.

However, what their swords encountered was not Boris’s body.

“……!”

The members doubted their eyes.

Their dynamic vision was arguably at the pinnacle of human capability, yet what was this enigmatic presence that had appeared before them now?

-Gooey

The unpleasant gooey sensation that made it hard to believe it was penetrating a living body gnawed at their nerves.

Silica, witnessing this, murmured with displeasure.

“Marionette…”

A lifeform reborn as a puppet by infusing magic into a soulless corpse.

The main culprit behind turning the royal banquet into a bloodbath and thwarting their purification efforts.

Though it was a magic she had anticipated, Silica couldn’t bring herself to laugh.

This contrasted sharply with Boris, who was smirking as if nothing had happened.

Looking down disdainfully, Silica observed Boris’s feet.

They were no longer touching the ground of the wilderness.

It was as if a piece of the night sky had been placed beneath him.

A two-dimensional space, reminiscent of a divine subspace, had formed under his feet.

Dimension Room.

A space created by utilizing a significant amount of magic power.

Feeling threatened, the members quickly retreated without a moment’s hesitation.

-Woong

Then, from within, bizarre-shaped marionettes began to emerge one after another.

“Quite the peculiar taste, isn’t it? Carrying around such grotesque dolls, you wouldn’t be popular with the students, would you?”

“Better than hiding a knife behind a loathsome smile, I’d say.”

Silica chuckled at the ease with which Boris handled the sarcasm.

“I wish you wouldn’t see them in such a bad light. My dolls, even if they appear this way…”

-Swish!

“They’re actually quite fond of people…”

“……!”

The eyes of the members watching Boris swiftly turned behind them.

A new dimensional space, not known when it had formed, appeared beneath them, and from it, more marionettes emerged.

“Click-clack…”

The dolls, making strange noises, rushed towards the members.

-Clang!

Although blocking them posed no major issue, the problem was that the number attacking was far from just one or two.

“Cackle!”

The number of dolls gradually increased, and soon, one member had to face more than three marionettes, the number becoming overwhelmingly large.

It wasn’t just the numbers that had increased.

These weren’t the dull dolls they had seen in the capital; their movements were on a different level.

Despite being controlled by magic, their agility was comparable to that of the executive members, showing no sign of inferiority.

“……”

Suddenly, they found themselves at a numerical disadvantage.

While it would have been reasonable to panic, what Silica was truly concerned about wasn’t the immediate threat.

‘Is this really magic?’

Even though it’s called ‘black’ magic, fundamentally, it’s still a branch of magic that operates on the basis of mana.

The marionette and Dimension Room spells Boris displayed weren’t the type easily wielded by reaching a mediocre level of mastery.

Starting from calculating formulas to predict movements, to then manipulating the manifested mana to one’s will requires tremendous concentration.

Is it any wonder magicians are often called geniuses?

Only when one has mastered this array of calculations, supported by overwhelming mana, can they earn the title of a grand sage.

Yet, look at that contemptible, nauseating face.

Is that truly the face of someone concentrating?

So carefree, almost to the point of debauchery, it didn’t seem at all like someone casting high-level magic.

And there was another oddity.

‘What is he holding?’

It was the mysterious book in his right hand.

It wasn’t some forbidden grimoire that might appear in a ludicrous novel.

When observed with an assassin’s vision and the discernment of an academy instructor, that book was clearly…

‘A history book?’

It appeared to be a common historical text on the continent’s unified history, something you might find in a library.

Whether it contained any black magic techniques, Silica couldn’t say, but Boris hadn’t let go of the book throughout the battle.

It was naturally suspicious to any onlooker.

“Are you just going to stand there watching?”

Boris, smiling lasciviously, asked her.

“Having revealed your true form to kill me, wouldn’t it be a shame to just fold your arms and leave?”

“Oh, aren’t you considerate…”

The fleeting smile of gratitude quickly passed,

-Thwack!

Without a moment’s hesitation, Silica lunged towards Boris.

“Keeck!”

Marionettes rushed to block her, but

-Swish

They were effortlessly sent flying with a single stroke of her sword.

Boris then extended his hand forward.

“Summon: Hell Hounds!”

Following the control magic, now it was a summoning spell.

With the chant, a summoning circle was drawn from his outstretched hand, and soon after, the famished predators of the demon realm emerged.

“Keng!”

However, such mindless pups stood no chance of blocking her path.

-Slash

With a light stroke of her sword, a Hell Hound’s mouth was split in half, its body crumbling to pieces alongside it.

The fountain of blood erupting from the body covered Silica’s face, making it seem impossible for anyone to witness the scene without wetting themselves.

-Woong

Boris, now slightly more desperate, manifested even stronger mana.

“Let the sacred light of judgment punish thee!”

With the spell, a white magic circle formed in his hand, sparking with light.

7-star light attribute combat magic ‘Spear of Punishment’

“Ha!”

Silica burst into incredulous laughter upon seeing this.

Casting such a powerful magic that could instantly kill even a giant superior monster without any preparatory actions; It was no exaggeration to say this was the realm of a great sage, like Chancellor Kundel or Chairman Regens.

But there was no time to marvel.

If she allowed this attack at close range, not only she but also other members nearby could suffer significant damage, so she had to counteract it right there and then.

-Kyiing

Silica did not stop her charge; instead, she manifested mana in her other hand that did not hold a sword.

“……!”

Boris’s face, which had maintained a smile, froze for the first time.

He seemed to have a hunch about what she was about to do, but it looked like he hadn’t expected it.

What Silica intended to do was nothing special.

Just like Boris, she was about to activate magic.

However, it wasn’t combat magic like the Spear of Punishment.

The magic attribute known to the public as Silica’s was fire.

Though it was a very common attribute, this was merely a disguise as an instructor.

The moment was now to reveal the attribute of an assassin, kept hidden deep within so no one could see.

“Into nothingness…”

Along with the spell, a black sphere formed in her hand.

At the same time, the Spear of Punishment Boris had created flew towards Silica, but…

-Whoosh!

It was absorbed into the sphere before it could get far.

“……!”

The Sphere of Nothingness.

A unique dark attribute magic that nullifies all mana energy around it.

Silica’s magic attribute was darkness.

“The- the light mana…!”

Boris, now even more desperate, attempted to chant a new spell, but no further opportunity was given to him.

-Bang!

Silica, having grabbed his neck, mercilessly slammed him into the ground.

“Cough!”

The fierce grip seemed like it would sever his blood vessels, and blood spurted from his throat.

“Already screaming in distress? How troublesome.”

-Crack!

Silica’s merciless sword sliced through Boris’s right hand.

In the severed hand, his mana, having lost its way, dispersed into dust.

“Aaaah!”

Witnessing this, Silica barely suppressed a burst of laughter.

“You’ve made quite an effort, Instructor Boris! I was hoping for a bit more of a struggle, but unfortunately, it seems we must end it here~!”

-Thump!

The cleanup of the marionettes by the members was nearly complete.

With the last marionette falling powerlessly, there was no one left to save Boris.

“Speak now if you have any last words. I’ll grant you that much mercy…”

“Cough!”

Instead of a will, only dark blood spurted out.

In a truly desperate situation with not much time left even to breathe.

From within, Boris barely managed to utter.

“For an assassin…”

“…?”

It wasn’t clear yet, but from the first word, it didn’t seem like he was trying to say a will.

“Hesitation is said to be death for an assassin…”

The smile that had been on Silica’s face once again turned cold.

“How dare you show such arrogance…?”

Sensing some danger, Silica quickly raised her sword.

-Whizz!

At that moment, light emanated from somewhere, obstructing Silica and her members’ view.

Hurriedly adjusting her vision, Silica gauged the source of the light. “…!”

Silica couldn’t believe her eyes.

It could be a simple luminescence.

It might be his last hidden trump card.

It could even be a misperception.

But Silica didn’t think so.

Despite facing a pure and flawless light, a sense of rejection welled up inside her.

This was a light that followers of the dark mist god could never find favorable.

“Why… how…”

Silica’s eyes were fixed on something in Boris’s left hand,

“The scripture is here!”

Directed at the white scripture, the contents of which were unknown.

(To be continued)