The Regressed Son of a Duke is an Assassin

Tremors ran through the hand holding the Holy Scripture.

A venomous aura that instigated fear in all living creatures, a killing intent.

It was an energy that humans would instinctively react to.

It wasn’t just Boris who felt this energy; one by one, the other assassins started to leave the vicinity, as if they anticipated something big was about to unfold.

“Did you say it was the magic of the gods?”

Silica, who was gathering magical power, said with a smile.

“No matter how much it surpasses the realm of humans, in the end, it’s just borrowing that power. Whether the source of that power matters or not, doesn’t the real significance lie in turning that power truly into your own? Right, Instructor Boris?”

Hearing her words, Boris’s eyes grew cold.

“You’re right. The power of the gods is too much for us humans. But once you start to accept that power as your own, the path forward is endless.”

“What are you trying to say?”

“That you’re still far from it.”

Soon, a black mist filled with divine power started to rise behind Silica.

A power of black mist that ordinary humans could never manifest.

It was an absolute power owned only by groups that followed Aer, but the power Silica was manifesting wasn’t just of the mist.

‘The power of the mist… combined with magical power?’

Caught off guard by the unexpected phenomenon, Boris momentarily lost his focus.

The mist that rose from Silica’s body soon fused with the magic she had manifested earlier, creating a new combination that had not existed before.

A combination of the divine power granted by the transcendent and her own unique magical power.

This was, indeed, a new realm that transcended human limits.

“Summon: Black Mist of Greed!”

With a seductive smile, she lifted the fused magic above her head, and the condensed mists exploded, spreading out.

“Kikikik…”

The spreading mist began to take shape, and soon transformed into the figure of a beast intermingled with killing intent.

The Black Mist of Greed.

A new transcendent entity born from the nature of darkness that turns everything into nothingness and the power of the mist god, an exclusive summon that no one else could imitate.

“What’s with the dumbfounded look? This is also a form of magic, after all.”

It was no lie.

The origin of this unbelievable summon, after all, was magical power.

Harnessing the power of the mist drawn from within, transforming it into high-grade magic power, it ultimately belonged to a category of summoning magic.

“Even though you have inherited the power of the Black Mist God… I can’t help but applaud. It truly is an impressive realm, Silica.”

“It’s too laughable to be considered praise, so I’m not particularly pleased.”

Boris, who had been praising Silica’s realm for a moment, once again unfolded the holy scripture with a smile.

“No matter how dark the darkness may be, it eventually gets dispelled by even the smallest light.”

As he unfolded the scripture, light emerged once more, and magic power concentrated within it.

“Your darkness will never be able to cover my light.”

“Shall we see if you can still say that in a minute?”

The absolute inability of mist and light to coexist, both preparing to annihilate each other.

Witnessing this, Silica thought.

30 to 40 percent.

That was the probability of the black mist of greed she summoned swallowing his magic power.

However, as more magic power continued to gather in the light of the scripture, that possibility was diminishing.

“10 percent… maybe a bit less?”

Is this the power of the scripture?

It was a probability she had somewhat expected, so she wasn’t particularly bothered by it.

Hadn’t she decided what needed to be done the moment she first showed her face?

To kill Boris L’Hellem, who was trying to approach the successor, and eliminate that threat.

This was a must-do task as the head of the Mist and as his leader.

There was no other path.

Silica, with her mind made up, immediately gave the command, and the greedy mist, receiving the command, began to rush towards the light of the scripture.

“……?!”

But they saw it.

The moment the greedy mist and the light of the scripture were about to touch, another unknown energy was looming over them.

-Swish!

With the sound of space tearing apart, the mist and the light were dispersed in two directions.

“……?”

Both Silica and Boris couldn’t hide their astonishment.

However, unlike Boris, who didn’t understand what was happening, Silica seemed to have a slight guess, showing a faint smile.

“What- what’s going on?”

Boris’s question was brief, and soon, above the dispersed mist, blood-red eyes holding a purple blade sparkled red.

The true darkness that could cut through the brilliant light of the scripture.

Another divine artifact containing that darkness.

Boris finally realized.

That the owner of those hideous red eyes,

Was the owner of the cursed sword he had been searching for.

* * *

The subspace created as the energy of the cursed sword clashed with the light of the scripture, and standing on it, two figures, a man and a woman, facing each other.

The woman with black hair appeared far too relaxed, her smile brimming, unlike the white-haired man who was wearing a very displeased expression.

The absolute divine artifact that directly inherited the power of a god.

It was the meeting between the cursed sword Kaeram and the scripture Hiskrea.

[You’ve broken our promise, Kaeram?]

The scripture Hiskrea spoke first.

[Hm? I’m puzzled by your sudden accusation. What promise did I break?]

[Did we not agree to not meddle in each other’s affairs? If I recall correctly, you were the one who insisted on this point, weren’t you?]

[Yes, that’s right! That was the case! So? What’s the problem?]

Kaeram continued to feign ignorance, which only served to fill Hiskrea’s eyes with displeasure.

[Why are you and your master here! Just a few hours ago, you were in a completely different place!]

[Ah, what can I do if our master has good intuition? A sword must follow its master, what other choice do I have?]

Kaeram denied any involvement as if it were none of her business.

At this, Hiskrea’s face, as white as snow, turned red with anger.

[You’ve just awakened, and now you’re trying to go back to sleep. If you’re going to deny it to the end, well, that’s fine. I won’t take responsibility for what happens next.]

[What are you on about?]

Despite the threatening tone, Kaeram scoffed as if it were nothing.

[You’re mistaken.]

The corner of her mouth lifted slightly, supported by a murderous gleam in her eyes.

A smile as cold as ice and as sinister as the night sky formed on the cursed sword’s face,

A presence that no one could ignore.

[Do you still not understand why my master and I are here?]

The circumstances were irrelevant.

If they had cared about such things, they wouldn’t have come here in the first place.

There was only one absolute reason why the cursed sword and its owner appeared here.

[We just came to eradicate all of you.]

That was the sole purpose of their visit.

[Our master is particularly eager right now…]

Rage, hatred, murderous intent.

These negative emotions are what the cursed sword Kaeram loves and desires from its owner.

Being fully immersed in these emotions, Kaeram couldn’t help but continue to smile.

* * *

I hadn’t entirely dismissed the possibility, but I hadn’t expected it to unfold so blatantly.

Where had it all begun?

If pressed, I would guess it started on the leader’s side.

Not that I think badly of it.

In a way, this could also be my fault for being complacent about the situation.

I subtly turned my head to look at the leader.

The fog of greed that seemed ready to devour everything in sight was, unlike when it looked at Boris, staring at me with eyes full of questions.

Below it, the leader’s face was inscrutable, caught between a smile and a stern look, as she bore into me.

I could roughly guess what had happened, but it seemed she really hadn’t thought things through before acting.

“……”

The leader didn’t open her mouth, but her half-lowered eyes said it all.

‘I did nothing wrong.’

Of course, you would think that.

But looking at her condition, things didn’t seem to have gone well.

The rare wounds scattered across her body.

She wasn’t the type to be easily cut by a knife, but seeing the marionettes scattered around, it was easy to guess what had happened.

He must have used a doll curse.

Even for a leader skilled in magic, it was a spell she had never encountered before, so she had no choice but to be affected.

Amidst this, the fact that she had ‘summoned the black fog of greed’ was indeed remarkable.

I turned my head to finally look at the person responsible for this situation.

“……”

It would be a lie to say I was unaffected.

Though my anger and murderous intent towards him had lessened since our first encounter, they had not vanished.

My grip on Kaeram naturally tightened.

“This feels different from before, student Cyan……”

His cheerful greeting left me somewhat dumbfounded, but before focusing on his face, my attention was drawn to the white book he held.

Let me make it clear, I have no idea what that is.

But one thing was certain: it was not something I was pleased to see.

“What’s that?”

[……Hm? Are you asking me?]

“Who else here would answer?”

Kaeram raised an eyebrow as if surprised.

“It’s unexpected? He’s also an enemy from a past life, isn’t he? I thought you knew?”

If I had known everything, I wouldn’t have been betrayed and killed like that.

This book, whose brilliance is so dazzling it feels blinding, is something I’ve never encountered in all my past and present lives.

But why does it feel so familiar?

[The Holy Scripture of Hiskrea… Have you heard of it? Need more explanation?]

“No, that’s enough.”

The magical scripture that is said to have been bestowed upon humans by the god of light, Lumendel.

It was known to be one of the artifacts, alongside the holy sword Durandark, that would bring salvation’s light to the continent.

What a joke.

To me, it’s nothing but revulsion and anger boiling up. Emitting a light so similar, if not identical, to the detestable light of the holy sword, how could I possibly view this piece of paper favorably?

Not to mention its bearer…

“The youngest son of Duke Vert, the guardian of the continent, turned out to be a follower of the black mist… How very intriguing.”

It’s been a long time.

Since I’ve seen that nauseating, despicable smile.

“Leaving it be could lead to unforeseen consequences……”

Was it a precaution taken against me?

The moment he presented the scripture, he also unleashed his magical power.

Compared to our previous encounter, it feels as if the roles have been reversed.

Back then, I didn’t know what he was thinking, and I had to hide my own identity, so I had no choice but to be on guard.

But now, isn’t it different?

Both the leader and I have laid everything bare; we can’t just say goodbye as if we hadn’t seen anything,

Though it feels a bit premature, it’s not necessarily a bad thing.

“Dark Art 9th Form: Manifestation of the Magic Sword……”

(To be continued)