The Regressed Son of a Duke is an Assassin

A heinous criminal who raped and murdered nearly twenty women.

The mere presence of these monstrous beings was enough to send shivers down anyone’s spine.

Even the elite knights, who had faced numerous predators, could not let their guard down this time.

How many could instill such tension while being a fellow human?

An existence that couldn’t be simply described as a predator.

This was the image of Cyan Vert, the empire’s worst criminal, currently facing the knights.

“In the light of the Ushif Empire! By the command of the great Emperor Dione! Cyan Vert, cease all resistance immediately and submit to arrest without protest! No questions will be tolerated!”

The only high-ranking knight among those dispatched, Redback Ackerman, displayed the emperor’s sealed orders, commanding obedience.

However, Cyan paid no attention to it.

Seeing his refusal, Redback raised his hand to signal an attack.

The knights charged at Cyan with full force.

A boy, not even a high-ranking knight, couldn’t possibly escape the elite knights’ sharp formation.

That’s what everyone thought.

Until –

-Swoosh

In an instant, a small whirlwind furiously swept up into the air.

As it dissipated, knights who had lost their swords lay scattered on the ground, unable to even groan.

Their eyes turned white as if they were crushed by an immense force and had fainted.

“What is this?”

The elite knights of the imperial army fell without swinging their swords, causing Redback to dismount and glare at Cyan.

Cyan continued forward, undisturbed by the fallen.

Enraged, Redback drew his sword and charged at Cyan.

30 steps.

20 steps.

10 steps.

Finally, at a distance of 5 steps, Cyan still hadn’t moved a muscle.

As a swordsman who had honed his skills for decades before becoming a knight, Redback was confident.

In a humanly possible scenario, no action could work at this distance.

With a heart full of conviction, he boldly swung his sword, then –

A slicing sound through the air was followed by a spray of red.

His sword had cut something, but it wasn’t his own sword, nor had it sliced through Cyan.

Thud.

Redback’s legs gave out, and he fell to his knees, then collapsed forward.

What had happened?

With eyes mixed with doubt and confusion, he struggled to look up and realized.

The boy they had been facing all along,

Could not even be called a human being.

He was an entity far beyond the realm of humans.

There was no other way to explain it.

Without sparing a glance at the fallen, Cyan continued forward silently.

* * *

“The vanguard of the imperial army seems to have been attacked.”

Magicians from the Garam Academy were observing the situation from a distance, on the rooftop of a building.

They were all speechless, surpassed by the astonishing level of events unfolding before them.

However, Chairman Regens simply curled his lips, seemingly not as surprised.

“If a few knights clashing could have stopped him, it wouldn’t have come to such a pass.”

Another academy member watching the situation asked,

“Are you sure this is okay, Chairman? This is the Ushif Empire. We barely have a reason to intervene, not to mention the potential friction with the Empire…”

“Reasons can be made. There’s no such thing as a cause that doesn’t involve taking risks. That boy is a necessity for the future of our Garam Academy.”

The youngest son of the Duke of Vellias.

A being with dark attribute powers rivaling that of a deity.

An assassin affiliated with Mist, the continent’s foremost assassination organization.

Just the facts known so far were significant, who could know what more he hid behind that indifferent facade?

Recent disgraceful events within the academy had now clearly been connected to that boy.

Therefore, Garam Academy needed to secure Cyan more than ever.

This was necessary not just for the academy but for the future of humanity itself.

Regens’s eyes held a firmer resolve than ever.

“Open the formation.”

Upon receiving the command, the academy members summoned all the mana residing within them.

Then, a faint light arose from the ground at the center of where they were looking down.

Cyan’s body was gradually approaching the spot where the light shone.

A high-level magic that traps the opponent within a vast space of magical power, rendering them immobile,

.

A superior magic to a barrier that creates a space with magic, it involves the mana of more than one person. Once completed, even Regens would have a hard time dismantling it.

In other words, if the target is trapped in that space, the matter would be resolved instantly.

Regens’s lips were curved in a smile, filled with joy and anticipation.

-Whoosh!

At that moment, a fierce gust of wind carrying coarse grains of sand blew, obscuring the vision of most academy members and interrupting the smooth flow of mana being channeled.

An unexpected situation.

Regens looked around for the source of the magic.

“……!”

Not far from where Cyan was, a burly man with dusky skin was seen.

A sphere of brownish magical power flickered in his hand.

The man showed a cheerful smile towards the bewildered group.

* * *

The familiar sandstorm grazes my skin.

There’s nothing more to see.

This is the power of some foolish prince, familiar yet not quite intimate.

From the front, in the direction of eleven o’clock.

A nauseating flow of mana is felt from the rooftop of a building too far to reach in one sprint.

This flow precisely extends up to five steps in front of where I am.

Is this a sealing formation?

Still, they’re far better prepared than the royal fools.

Of course, it’s not like I can’t escape it, but

I can’t deny that this sandstorm has lessened my troubles.

I repositioned Kaeram and thrust it into the ground.

-Thud!

The mana contained in Kaeram was transmitted along the ground to where the magic circle was, causing the magic circle that was emitting a blue light to spurt out black mist.

-Crack!

With a loud noise, the magic circle was extinguished before long.

Then, as if waiting for it, the owner of this whirlwind revealed himself through the sandstorm.

“Our field trip was rejected from the start, you said? Thanks to that, I got suspended.”

The moment I heard those words, I realized.

I never gave him a proper explanation from the beginning.

“You’ve been quite the talk of the town lately, haven’t you? An assassin, they say, and there’s even a wanted poster that doesn’t look like you at all making rounds.”

He grinned, flaunting my wanted poster.

Even if he is a thoughtless foolish prince, he wouldn’t believe the charges written on that wanted poster as they are.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have reacted like that.

“Lower your guard, man! There’s something called a man’s intuition, you think I’d believe what’s written on this piece of paper? I know you’re not that kind of person, better than anyone!”

It was a strangely touching statement.

Knowing I’m not that kind of person.

I don’t even know myself, so how does this foolish prince know about me?

Knowing my true self and still showing such an unchanged smile brought on a complex mix of emotions.

“You don’t have to feel burdened! It’s a man’s duty to repay his debts! You might not need it, but consider this repayment for what happened in Nodeli, right here and now!”

Repay?

With this?

It wasn’t something done in expectation of a reward, but settling it this way would be problematic, wouldn’t it?

“I can’t stand to see my heavenly rival caught in such a place! I don’t know when, but next time we meet, I will definitely…!”

-Whoosh

The figures who would not be pleased with this sight answered with a strong whirlwind, responding to the sandstorm.

I sneaked a glance towards the source of the wind once again.

Chairman Regens Rainriver of the Garam Academy.

That man leading the academy members here means he’s found out everything about me.

It wasn’t surprising.

Rather, it was more surprising that it took him this long to arrive.

Set also looked at the academy members and said,

“It seems we don’t have much time for a chat. I’ll hold off those skinny fellows so they can’t do anything foolish. Use this chance to escape with your servants.”

Set shouted with a powerful spirit, unleashing the mana sleeping within him like an explosion.

“That damn voice is quiet now, when we need it! Truly useless!”

Where he stood, an even larger sand tornado rose than before.

Thanks to him, the mages aiming their magic at me were once again obscured by sand.

As Set mentioned, unless the owner of that occasionally heard voice appears, this won’t last long.

I stared at him for a brief moment.

“Why? Got something to say?”

“Be careful of catching a cold.”

That was the best advice I could give him.

“I don’t get sick from that kind of thing!”

You may not know now, but you’ll need to be careful later.

For the sake of the country you so wish to protect.

With a final farewell, I walked past him, and there stood Chairman Regens Rainriver on the ground, facing me.

“So, this is our first time meeting face to face.”

He looked at me with a complex gaze mixed with interest and doubt.

“Just as I know you, I believe you also know a fair amount about me.”

That statement was half right and half wrong.

It’s not just a fair amount; I know far more about you than you think, including the hideous truth hidden behind that brave mask…

“I won’t waste words. Follow me, Cyan Vert.”

This was unexpected.

“After all, there’s no place for you to turn to in this country. So, leave everything behind and follow me. I won’t dwell on the past. I promise you, on the name of the head of Garam Academy, to accept you.”

Is this old man not in his dotage yet?

“Just to clarify, in case you’re mistaken, you don’t have a choice. The only thing you have is a selection: to willingly accept my offer and follow me or to be subdued by my power and be dragged along forcibly.”

His boast of generosity, as if he was doing me a favor, was truly laughable.

“I bear no malice towards you. On the contrary, I’m filled with goodwill. After all, you’ve saved my granddaughter from the dark clutches of the Auram Academy not once but twice.”

As the conversation became increasingly unbearable to listen to, he finally delivered the decisive blow.

I simply stared at his calm face without saying or doing anything.

“It seems you prefer the latter option.”

Sensing my silent intention, he once again gathered his magic.

“From what I’ve seen of your magic just now, I could tell you’ve reached the pinnacle of the dark attribute. So, bring out all the power you possess. I, Regens Rainriver, will personally assess your strength.”

The mana of one of the continent’s few 9-star sages is indeed different right from its flow.

A perfect example that a rank is not just a game of numbers.

The mere confrontation causes a slight tremble in the body.

“I do hope you’ll live up to my expectations, even if just a little. The dark attribute is not so common…!”

-Thud

“Cough!”

Just as Regens rambled on, he suddenly clutched his head and collapsed.

I, too, furrowed my brows in slight confusion when,

“…!”

A very familiar scent wafted from somewhere unknown.

“It seems I’m not too late.”

Accompanied by an indifferent voice filled with an inexplicable affection.

(To be continued)