The Regressed Son of a Duke is an Assassin

People tend to doubt what they see, especially when faced with something completely unexpected.

That’s exactly where I find myself now.

Is this thing before me a mere illusion, or does it actually exist? I’ve been toggling between doubt and certainty in my mind over and over again.

And what is this thing, you might ask?

A doll.

But not just any doll.

It’s not cute or charming, but rather emits a profoundly disturbing aura, as if it has been sucking the blood out of its victims.

A marionette doll.

The marionette’s power lies in infusing a soulless corpse with mana, manipulating it like a puppet.

And the artifact that connects the mana and the corpse is precisely this doll.

Typically, these dolls are small enough to be fully covered by an adult’s palm.

However, the one in front of me is so large that calling it a doll almost doesn’t do it justice,

It stands tall enough to look me in the eye.

It’s so unbelievably large that it wouldn’t feel out of place if it were mistaken for a human.

And there isn’t just one.

At a quick glance, I can see at least ten.

What’s the plan here? To assemble an army of dolls?

“What is this?”

I asked, rolling my eyes at the figure who had snuck up and wrapped their arms around my neck.

“You might not believe it, but these are marionette dolls. Lord Galas prepared them in secret to show to Prince Luinel…”

Prepared for the crown prince?

I couldn’t help but let out a scoff of disbelief.

Sure, let’s say it’s a secret gift prepared with the intention of currying favor with the future emperor.

But no matter how spectacular and grand the gift may seem, if there’s no practical use for it, it’s as good as kindling.

These worthless dolls are a prime example.

Had the crown prince seen these, he would have asked how on earth they planned to imbue such large dolls with mana.

Bringing dead creatures back to life requires an immense amount of power.

As I mentioned, to cast marionette magic, the corresponding amount of mana needs to be stored within the doll.

The larger the doll, the more mana it needs to function. Unless you’re controlling the corpse of a gigantic beast, there’s no need to unnecessarily increase the size of the doll.

With such a size, it’s practically impossible to infuse it with magic.

Leaving feasibility aside, the audacity to create such dolls is both foolhardy and, in a way, admirably bold.

“Do you really think this is feasible?”

“It would be impossible to do everything with it, I suppose…”

Not being able to do everything implies that doing something is still within the realm of possibility.

“If I were to infuse all my mana into them, I believe I could animate a few…”

So, he wasn’t engaging in a completely futile endeavor.

“Do you understand what will happen if you succeed?”

“Definitely nothing good…”

Boris, in desperation, seemed to be pleading his case.

“I know! I am aware that these dolls are not meant to aid people but can bring about terrible suffering! It might sound like a poor excuse, but I never wanted to partake in the creation of these! Using my powers for such wrong purposes…”

It was indeed a poor excuse.

He knew it was wrong, but felt he had no choice.

He claimed it was for the sake of the slum residents, but attaching such reasoning doesn’t justify the act.

In the end, he can’t deny that he has contributed to an act that could bring disaster to the empire and even the continent.

The reason he asked me for death must be linked to this.

Knowing it’s wrong but having no way out, he seeks salvation in death through me.

It’s so pitiful it’s beyond words.

Despite my speechlessness, my hands instinctively reached for Kaeram.

First, I decided to get rid of these sinister dolls.

Then, this guy, the lord, I’ll deal with them all thoroughly…

-Thud, thud, thud!

At that moment, the sound of several people approaching towards us could be heard.

About thirty, by my estimation.

The heavy sound suggested most of them were armored.

“…!”

Soon, dozens of armored knights arrived, all looking our way with suspicion. Amidst them, a man with a deeply furrowed brow shouted at Boris.

“Bo- Boris! You’ve really done it this time!”

Axillium’s Lord, Galas Aiven.

The very person responsible for creating this space had made his appearance.

* * *

Back to the present.

Would you believe it if you were told that this place, which had been carefully arranged with only the most elite forces among the knights of Axillium, was breached by just two humans?

Galas could never believe it.

Despite the knights’ dissuasion, he had rushed over, unable to trust anything without seeing it with his own eyes. Yet, what unfolded before him was an even more unbelievable scene.

There were only two humans in sight.

One was Boris, who had secretly finished a conversation with him a moment ago, and the other was a boy with an unfamiliar atmosphere, standing boldly in front of a marionette puppet.

The boy, with a youthful face that contrasted with his sharp eyes, was emitting a chilling murderous intent.

As everyone was overwhelmed by the atmosphere, unable to even breathe properly,

-Swish

A cruel sound reached their ears, followed by red droplets of blood scattering in all directions.

“Pro- protect the lord!”

As the knights stepped forward to protect the bewildered lord,

-Crack!

The sound of bones and flesh being cleaved followed, and the steadfast knights began to fall one by one.

Galas’s pupils shook violently as he witnessed this scene.

“What- what is that thing?”

“You must evade, my lord!”

Feeling the threat, Galas immediately turned to flee.

“An assassin? No, that can’t be! Why would an assassin be here?”

He ran without looking back, denying the guesses that came to mind, but,

-Swish

The grim sound of the reaper’s execution did not stop.

The number of knights running with him quickly decreased, and some didn’t even have the chance to scream.

“Argh!”

As the last knight’s sword rolled in front of him with a scream, Galas stopped in his tracks, realizing that further escape was meaningless.

“What- what do you want?”

Lacking the courage to turn back, Galas merely closed his eyes tight and barely managed to speak.

“Why did you make the puppet?”

The boy with black hair spoke for the first time.

“What- what?”

“Why did you make the puppet? What on earth were you trying to control with such an absurd creation?”

“I- I just wanted to be of help to Prince Luinel…”

-Bang!

Displeased with the answer, the boy immediately grabbed Galas by the collar and slammed him to the ground.

“I- I don’t know!”

“How would I know that? I just accepted what that baseless fellow proposed!”

“What?”

“I wasn’t the one who suggested making the puppet in the first place!”

The boy’s eyes, filled with anger, suddenly turned cold.

“It was Boris! Boris was the one who first suggested making the marionette puppet to me!”

In the face of death’s shadow, Galas’s eyes were filled with genuine sincerity, not pretense.

* * *

Meanwhile, Boris was left alone after Cyan chased after Galas and disappeared.

As if intoxicated by the scent of blood scattered around, his feet hardly moved.

His bitter gaze was directed at none other than the marionette puppet.

It was a perfect creation of his own, made with his magic, yet ironically, he had no memories related to this puppet in his mind.

There were no memories, but his body’s senses reacted unknowingly, sending unfamiliar signals.

What was the reason for making this puppet, through what process, and what outcome was intended? Boris knew none of it.

Thus, Boris naturally raised his hand and gently stroked the puppet’s face.

-Whoosh!

At that moment, an unknown current of light emanated from the puppet.

The generated current flowed like the wind, leading to an unknown space behind, emitting a strange atmosphere as if urging him to proceed.

Drawn by this atmosphere, Boris followed the current and moved forward,

Walking in a sacred space, surrounded not by the ground but by a curtain of light.

Not knowing what was there or where it led, Boris did not stop walking.

And then, he arrived in another space.

Boris’s body was suddenly outside, where the lonely night air brushed against his skin.

Before him was a small grave.

It appeared as if someone had been there, with traces of digging around.

It was a place so unfamiliar it made one wonder if such a place existed in Axillium, yet it didn’t feel entirely strange.

Surely, traces of a visit to this place must remain somewhere in his erased memories.

Otherwise, the familiarity he felt now could not be explained.

-Thud

Gazing softly at the grave, Boris soon knelt down and collapsed to his knees.

In his lifeless eyes flickered an indiscernible shape, sending a plea for salvation as if begging to be freed.

Drawn by this plea, Boris began to dig the earth with his rough hands.

And soon, a shining silver box appeared.

It was so pristine, without a scratch, that it was hard to believe it had been buried in the dirt.

Boris thought to himself,

He was sure he had seen this box before.

Not only had he seen it, but he had also opened it and checked its contents.

As the scattered pieces of memory began to fit together, the anxiousness in his heart gradually subsided.

“…….”

Without a hint of hesitation, Boris opened the box.

(To be continued)