The Regressed Son of a Duke is an Assassin

-Knock Knock

Despite Resimus knocking, there was no response from inside.

“Miss Arin, I’m coming in.”

Upon opening the door and entering, she saw Arin sitting on a chair, staring blankly at the ceiling.

“I brought some snacks. Wouldn’t you like to eat something? You haven’t eaten anything at all.”

Arin’s state was the epitome of lethargy, having lost all will to do anything.

Her usually lively and spirited demeanor was now replaced by a sight that evoked pity.

“Am I pathetic, Resimus?”

She spoke feebly.

“It’s not like I didn’t anticipate the rejection of the engagement, but why do I feel like my world has ended, sitting here so miserably?”

After the meeting with the royal family at the academy, Cyan had suddenly announced their breakup.

He said he could no longer stay at the academy, without going into further detail.

Shortly after, news spread throughout the academy that Cyan had submitted his withdrawal.

“I think it’s natural to feel this way right now. Especially since Miss Arin, you were so fond of Cyan…”

“Very fond of him?”

“…!”

Resimus found herself at a loss for words.

“I’m not going to deny it anymore. Yes, I really liked Cyan.”

Despite her candid admission, Arin’s face remained impassive.

“I think I’ve liked him since we parted on the front lines. I tried to express myself in various ways to catch his interest, and I worked hard to become a better version of myself. But in the end, it seems I couldn’t become Cyan’s person. Precisely, Cyan didn’t need me…”

Resimus wanted to offer some words of comfort, but found she had none.

No matter what comforting words she could muster, it didn’t seem they would be able to alleviate Arin’s feelings at the moment.

“When my sister and brothers came to visit in the afternoon, I was honestly scared. It felt like I was reverting to my past self. A powerless princess who could do nothing. That was my true self.”

The shame from being unable to respond to Violet’s comment still made her feel embarrassed.

“But the moment Cyan came, all that anxiety disappeared, and I felt relieved and at peace. Maybe he became my pillar of support? The way I could face my brothers so boldly, I even felt admiration for him…”

In her hand was a document Cyan had given her during the day.

“Why did Cyan give this to me? Perhaps it’s his way of telling me to protect myself. Because you never know what might happen, where, or when, so he wanted me to always be cautious and prepared.”

It was like a final gift.

Interpreted differently, it also meant there would be no next time.

“Cyan took care of me until the very end, but what have I actually done for him? I haven’t done anything for him, nor do I know anything about him…”

Only that he was a child of a duke’s family, somewhat special compared to others.

Cyan had never once opened up about himself to Arin.

“Cyan always said he lives for himself, but what does that mean exactly? Can’t I be a part of the life he’s striving for?”

“Don’t be too heartbroken! If Miss Arin truly meant nothing to him, Cyan wouldn’t have given you such advice! I think he said it harshly because he wants you to live well even in his absence!”

“Right. That must be it. Cyan has always been like that. Now that he won’t be by my side to say those things, it must mean I have to overcome this on my own…”

Arin nodded slightly, as if agreeing with Resimus’s words.

But,

“Resimus, do you think I can do well?”

Arin was not sure.

“Cyan might not need me, but I still need him. Can I, who still needs Cyan, navigate through this daunting future without him?”

Her voice began to choke up.

“I… I’m not confident…”

Tears that had welled up in her reddened eyes began to fall to the ground.

“I know I should live well to show him, but I don’t have the confidence… It would be so nice if he could just stay by my side a little longer, or even forever… Why can’t I beg him to do that?”

One by one, her tears fell like rain, and now her sobs could be heard.

“I’m such a fool…”

A powerless princess who could do nothing.

The ugly side of her that she never wanted to show again was fully revealed through her tears.

* * *

“Stop! I give up, Cyan!”

Declaring his surrender, Set collapsed onto the ground, exhausted.

“The sky is unbelievably clear today…”

The stars were exceptionally bright, scattered across the night sky.

Lifting his head suddenly, he asked me.

“Be honest! How much of your power did you use while fighting me?”

“Whatever you’re thinking, less than half of that.”

“You’re a monster…”

He clicked his tongue, then flopped back down.

“So, in the end, I, rushing in with an entire unit, can hardly scratch you? Doesn’t even feel disappointing anymore.”

Do you know one of the driving forces behind human advancement?

It’s the frustration that blooms from having come close to a goal yet not reaching it.

That frustration serves as a foundation for humans to strive for greater growth.

However, if there’s such a vast wall that even that feeling becomes unreachable,

Then it’s not frustration that comes calling, but despair and helplessness.

Instead of growing, one might simply lose all will to try, leading to natural obsolescence.

That must be exactly how he feels right now.

“Can I ask you something?”

“Go ahead.”

Contrary to what I expected him to immediately ask, Set took his time.

“If I had gone berserk in the ruins, would I have still stood no chance against you?”

His tone was unusually serious, not typical of him.

“That’s hard to say. We didn’t fight to the end, after all.”

That wasn’t just to make him feel better; it was the truth.

Why would a human in a coma be frightening?

At that moment, it’s not a human you’re dealing with but a being of a different dimension, which is what makes it terrifying.

Given that the sand deity had intended to use him to kill me,

I couldn’t be sure of the outcome if we had fought to the end.

“Is that so?”

Seemingly having gained some insight, he quickly got back on his feet.

“It might sound trivial, but I always thought I was the strongest human in the kingdom Because whenever that unknown entity would come and I’d go into a frenzy, no one could stop me.”

It was not exactly a false statement.

At least within this academy, there doesn’t seem to be any other student who could rival your strength.

“So, I realized I need to make myself stronger. Strong enough that even if that entity comes back, it won’t be able to take over my body! That’s what I thought would allow me to truly protect our kingdom!”

Yes, your previous life had already surpassed that realm…

“People say that what enters my body is the guardian deity of this land, Sabulrom. If that’s true, then the day I went berserk, you must have possessed a power similar to that deity, right?”

I simply nodded, silently agreeing with his assumption.

“The more I think about it, the more amazing it seems. Unlike me, who doesn’t even remember what happens when I go berserk, you have complete control over your power. Beating you, as I am now, would be harder than plucking stars from the sky. Thank you, Cyan Vert! For letting me know my place…”

He gave a thumbs up, sincerely expressing his gratitude.

“But don’t think it’s over! You should look forward to the day we meet again! By then, I’ll be many times stronger, not just a few times but dozens of times stronger than I am now!”

“You still haven’t given up?”

“Of course not! What kind of rival would I be if I did? I’ll endlessly become stronger with the goal of surpassing you. Be on your guard, Cyan!”

I couldn’t help but let out a laugh.

Right. This straightforward and determined guy wouldn’t give up that easily.

Even though it felt a bit clingy, it didn’t seem bad at all.

“Getting stronger is good, but take care of your health first.”

“What?”

“It would be a shame if you caught a cold and died.”

“Ha! Catch a cold, with my body stronger than a rock! I’m not so frail as to succumb to such a trivial illness!”

Well, that’s yet to be seen.

The tragedy of being human is that no one knows when death might strike.

Watching him stretch as if nothing had happened, it didn’t seem like he was going to head back right away.

Leaving him confidently laughing by himself, I turned around and headed back to the academy.

-Whoosh

A lonely night breeze blew from ahead, stirring the stuffiness in my chest as it passed.

Why is that?

For some reason, my heart feels cold and tight.

People are not dying, and yet they make such heart-wrenchingly sorrowful faces just because someone decides it’s time to leave. I couldn’t wrap my head around it.

Especially Princess Arin’s face…

Anyone would think the world was collapsing around her.

Her lingering image was frustratingly annoying.

[Will making such a sullen face bring you meals or cakes? It’ll only crease your face.]

Kaeram, appearing out of nowhere, pointed out my pathetic state.

For some reason, today, even being scolded by this perverted magic sword didn’t seem unjustified.

[Isn’t it curious? Those trivial things you thought little of are actually caring for you deeply. And yet, you hardly know their true nature…]

“What are you trying to say?”

[You think I don’t know you? You’re denying it. You think those who don’t know your true nature are showing you trivial concern.]

Isn’t that obvious?

If they knew that this seemingly ordinary academy student was actually a ruthless assassin stained with the blood of thousands, their gazes would change in an instant.

Knowing this, I had planned to leave without a second thought, not my problem anymore, yet I couldn’t understand why my heart felt so heavy and constricted.

“How pathetic…”

The words were directed at no one but myself.

-Swish-

To the right, at my one o’clock.

Feeling a familiar presence, I immediately turned my head.

Without needing confirmation, I knew it was a member of Mist.

“The lord has ordered you to urgently come to the subspace.”

The urgency was evident as they revealed their purpose right away.

“For what reason?”

“It seems the target has been located.”

The moment I heard the word “target,” my body reacted sharply, like a predator that has spotted its prey.

This wasn’t about some new target for purification we hadn’t encountered before.

It meant we had relocated someone we had missed before, someone who must be eliminated without fail.

The sensation of lethality, which had dulled for a moment, began to surge within me again.

“Have you found Boris?”

(To be continued)