The Regressed Son of a Duke is an Assassin

The meaning of a person’s words can vary greatly depending on the situation and the atmosphere.

However, the words that Cyan spat out just now could not be interpreted positively in any way; they were filled with a negative connotation.

“Cyan! What are you saying right now?”

Arin was the first to react.

It seemed more like confusion about why he would say such a thing than anger.

“There’s a limit to being arrogant. Have you forgotten what kind of being stands before you now?”

“Even if you are the offspring of the Vert Duchy and favored by the emperor, how could you utter such nonsense here!”

Fabian sternly, and Nerobian angrily pointed out his disrespectful attitude.

At this, Cyan’s gaze naturally shifted to the brothers.

“I will return those words to you, Prince Fabian.”

“What?”

“There’s a limit to arrogance. With what shameless heart have you come here?”

-Crack

Enraged, Fabian finally rushed at Cyan and grabbed him by the collar.

“Do you truly wish to die? Or, intoxicated with the joy of belonging to the royal family, have you lost your intelligence? Don’t be mistaken! The skirt of such a shell-like woman won’t protect you…….”

A human unable to restrain their emotions is no different from a beast, revealing their true nature without hesitation.

Regardless of who was around or who was listening, Fabian conveyed his sincere warning to Cyan.

“Kek!”

But what returned was not an apology, but a laugh filled with insult and mockery.

It was clear he found the situation too insignificant to even consider.

“Please understand, Third Prince. My tolerance isn’t that thick, so I can’t just smile with someone who sent an assassin to kill me.”

“……!”

Fabian’s hand, holding Cyan’s collar, began to tremble.

Although it was a whisper only the person in front could hear, coincidentally, Arin also heard it.

“What do you mean by that, Cyan?”

With her hands over her mouth, Arin asked with a trembling voice, barely able to control her shock.

Like the white poplar trees fluttering incessantly in the wind, the two were trembling non-stop, in stark contrast to Cyan, who maintained a solid presence, like a great tree that had supported the center of the forest for a long time.

“Calm down, brother!”

Nerobian hurriedly ran to restrain Fabian.

Unable to hear Cyan’s voice, he could not understand why his brother was trembling like a scared person.

Finally regaining his composure, Fabian let out an awkward, forced laugh.

“There’s a limit to making assumptions! On what basis do you accuse…!”

“Please, calm down, Fabian.”

Violet, who had been silent all this while, stepped in to stop him.

As if under a spell, Fabian froze and couldn’t bear to meet Cyan’s stern gaze, averting his eyes instead.

After a not-so-brief silence,

In an atmosphere too tense for anyone to smile, Violet opened her mouth with a calm smile.

“It seems we’ve chosen the wrong time for this meeting…”

Cyan’s face remained impassive.

“It seems like the youngest has gained a strong ally. It’s truly fortunate. For the sake of the two of you getting along well, we should take our leave now.”

Violet stood up and, without anyone stopping her, turned around.

The two princes simply watched her, unable to think of moving.

“What are you doing? We should give them some space for their intimate moment.”

After she sharply remarked once more, the princes finally moved.

As each moved out of sight of the other, no greetings were exchanged.

After the royal family left, the princess’s room, which had been swept by a fierce storm, returned to calmness as if nothing had happened.

Even after the royal family had left the room, Arin, unable to recover from the shock, lay motionless, just staring at the ceiling.

How much time had passed?

Just as Arin regained her senses and began to take in her surroundings again,

“…!”

She discovered Cyan, who had not yet left her side.

“Cyan?”

It seemed impossible, but it was as if he had waited by her side until she came to her senses.

To her, Cyan silently handed over a document.

“What is this?”

“You’ll know once you check.”

Arin looked over the document Cyan had given her with a stunned heart.

“……!”

Shocked by the contents she couldn’t bear to read with a calm heart, Arin immediately asked.

“Where did this come from… No, is what’s written here really true?”

The document detailed plans that had been made by mercenaries at the behest of Fabian, a prince of the empire, and Nerobian to assassinate Cyan.

“This is my last gesture of goodwill for taking care of Nana in my absence.”

“What?”

“The attacks on the princess from other royal family members will only get worse from here on out. So, please build up your own sword and shield to protect yourself. That should suffice as a means of protecting Princess Arin for the time being.”

A sword does not exist solely to harm others, nor does a shield exist solely to defend oneself.

Sometimes, a sharp sword can serve as a means of protection from an adversary’s threats, and conversely, a sturdy shield can become an offensive weapon.

Only when these complex elements are appropriately utilized can a means of self-protection be truly completed.

This was undoubtedly meaningful advice that would enable her to stand tall in the treacherous ice-like palace,

“Why?”

Arin wondered.

“Why are you telling me this?”

Cyan’s advice and warnings had been constant towards her naive self.

Whether sincere or not, Arin had always taken them to heart, firmly believing them to be the foundation for a better self.

However, this advice felt different.

Was it not akin to a person about to depart far away, leaving their last words to those who remain?

“…….”

Cyan’s lips quivered slightly in silence.

This too was an unfamiliar sight to Arin.

Was he hesitating?

For him to show such an uncharacteristic appearance, despite never losing his boldness even in front of beasts, let alone people.

The more he did so, the greater the anxiety welling up inside Arin became.

“The engagement with the princess…….”

Finally, Cyan opened his mouth.

“I don’t think I can do it.”

The moment his intended message reached her,

“……!”

Arin felt as if the entire world was collapsing around her.

* * *

Not long after the assassination incident, the atmosphere at the academy remained unsettled as the imperial family visited.

In such an atmosphere, Luna exhibited an unusually quiet demeanor.

For Ramela, who had been watching her all this time, this behavior felt very unnatural.

“Seems like you don’t visit the library these days.”

“I don’t have any reason to.”

Just a few days ago, she was asking for materials to learn about magic scrolls, and now she was reading a completely unrelated book.

Ramela couldn’t understand what she was thinking but thought it better than her disappearing without a word.

-Burst

At that moment, the dormitory door opened, and a woman entered.

“…?”

Ramela couldn’t believe her eyes.

“Lu, Luna?”

Just seconds ago, she was sitting at the desk reading, but now she appeared at the front door.

“I’m back.”

As if nothing had happened, she walked in steadily and gently placed something over the head of another her who was reading.

-Sparkle

A blue aura sparkled from her hand, and soon, the Luna who was reading disappeared, and a large amount of mana was emanating from a small doll in her hand.

“A- An illusion artifact?”

Ramela was utterly dumbfounded upon realizing what the doll was.

After putting away the used doll, Luna faced her loud question.

“Since when? And where on earth did you go in such a situation?”

“Nodeli.”

Ramela was speechless at the unexpected answer.

“If you’re going to stand there gaping, could you fetch me a message orb?”

“The message orb, you say?”

“Yes. I have something to tell my grandfather.”

Luna’s eyes shone with the determination of someone who had made a new decision.

* * *

In the pitch-black night sky, darkness settled all around as if it were embedded into the very fabric of the surroundings.

Within this darkness, Aschel moved forward slowly yet assertively, following a faint trail of light that persisted even in the enveloping gloom.

With each step, the streak of light grew brighter.

Realizing that the long-awaited sacred sword was finally before his eyes, Aschel quickened his pace.

Light and darkness always coexist, but even a darkness vast enough to envelop the world becomes powerless before a single beam of light.

Recalling the moment he first became aware of the existence of such darkness, Aschel succeeded in finding the light of truth he had so desperately sought.

All that remained was to verify that truth.

Overwhelmed with anticipation and joy, a smile remained unabashedly on Aschel’s face.

As the radiant altar of the sacred sword finally began to reveal itself before him,

“……?”

Confronted with this sight, Aschel doubted his eyes.

The euphoria that had lifted the corners of his mouth in ascension narrowed in an instant, and a myriad of questions began to bloom in his mind.

A sight so far from glorious it couldn’t even be described as such.

The sacred sword, which should have been firmly embedded in the silver altar, lay scattered on the ground instead,

and the streak of light, once thought to be an unyielding beacon of hope, barely clung to life, dim and pathetic like a candle flickering on the verge of being extinguished.

Is this truly the esteemed essence of the sacred sword?

Struggling to calm his confused thoughts, Aschel carefully picked up the scattered sacred sword and attempted to place it back onto the altar.

-Whoosh!

Bright radiance burst forth from the blade, which had lost its light, and soon, hair as radiant as the sun and as splendid as the blue sky began to flutter in the space around.

Caught in the noble ambiance for a moment,

Aschel knelt before the holy spirit that now stood before him.

“I greet you, Durandark, the sacred sword that illuminates the continent with the light of truth!”

The woman in the light silently stepped onto the altar, and with dignified steps, began to slowly approach him.

The divine armor, said to be possessed only by the savior who can draw forth the warm light of life from the cold darkness.

As the luminous touch of that armor finally caressed the savior’s chin, Aschel, intoxicated with ecstasy, smiled in joy,

-Snap!

An unpleasant sound of harsh friction echoed through the air.

Aschel’s pale cheek flushed red, and the face of the woman who had slapped him also turned red with anger.

“From this moment on, do not even dare to utter a word and listen carefully to what I have to say. Heir of Lumendel…….”

(To be continued)