The Regressed Son of a Duke is an Assassin

They say you can’t understand the bitter pain of raising a child dearly only for them to rebel against their parents with malice until you’ve experienced it yourself.

At such times, a parent’s heart is divided into two major responses.

One is to be deeply shocked and fall into a sense of powerlessness, prompting a self-reflection,

while the other is to rigorously discipline the arrogant spirit of the child to ensure they never defy again.

The choice of Regens Rainriver, the head of Auram Academy, was the latter.

Three years ago, after concluding post-war discussions with the Empire, Regens intended to impose a harsh punishment on Luna, who had betrayed him and the academy.

He wanted to force her to quit the academy and brainwash her to dedicate her talents solely to the academy.

However, it seemed Luna had seen through Regens’ intentions, as she expressed her willingness to actively cooperate with the academy’s magical research in the future.

In exchange, she proposed that she be allowed to continue attending the academy.

Regens scoffed at the notion, but Luna then presented a second condition.

It was the Warp Gate.

She proposed her involvement in the secretly ongoing Warp Gate project at the Luwen branch of Auram Academy.

Regens was taken aback.

This project was known to only a very few within the academy, and it was something that had never been mentioned to Luna.

Not only did she know about it, but she also submitted a report that analyzed the overall progress, achievements, and flaws of the project,

As a magician before being a chairman, Regens could not refuse Luna’s proposal.

Fearing the potential repercussions of not accommodating his granddaughter’s determined intentions, he could hardly even speculate what might follow.

Ultimately, Regens accepted his granddaughter’s proposal, and thus, for the past three years, Luna had been a student at the Royal Academy and the chief in charge of the Luwen branch.

Her achievements were so tremendous that it was almost painful to discuss them all.

The original Warp Gates had a malfunction where they would explode if a certain amount of magical power was injected, but Luna identified and perfectly remedied the cause of this phenomenon from the very beginning.

Here, they thoroughly revamped the overall project plan, completely overhauling the previous inefficient methods. Thanks to this, only the necessary research proceeded, noticeably accelerating the development speed. As a result, they managed to create a perfect artifact capable of long-distance travel anywhere on the continent, provided there was sufficient magical power. Everyone at the academy agreed that all these achievements were due to Luna alone.

That was the situation, having completed all simulations and only needing to put it into practical use, when suddenly an unknown assailant invaded the branch and wiped everything out.

“There’s no bigger robber than this,” Luna said, surveying the surroundings where a whirlwind of magical power had swept through. The warp gate operated purely on the user’s magical power. The distance it could travel depended on how much magical power was stored in its core, and the magical power of an ordinary human wouldn’t even allow travel beyond the vicinity of Luwen.

With a calm expression, Luna stepped onto the gate and injected her magical power into it.

-Woosh-

The surface of the gate rippled like water.

At the same time, a translucent screen appeared before Luna.

To see in a mirror, one must show their face in front of it.

Luna checked the coordinates of the warp gate that the robber had used last night.

“North?”

In a region of frozen wilderness, far from any country or inhabited village.

Soon, Luna seemed to realize something, lowered the screen, and focused again on the gate.

She was checking for traces of magical power.

Drawing a line on the ground with the magical power at her fingertips, the remaining traces of magical power faintly rose like smoke.

Though it was unclear whose magical power it was, the traces were left very cleanly.

So clean that nothing else could be discerned.

Finally, Luna brought her nose close to the smoke.

“Ah…”

An exclamation naturally escaped.

It smelled familiar.

Not a pleasant scent that one would desire to immerse in, but rather like a perfume made from human fatigue.

A scent she had only ever smelled from one person throughout her life.

“So you’ve finally shown up? Senior…”

A manic smile spread across Luna’s usually indifferent face.

* * *

Snow falls from the sky, and the cold breath escapes my lips.

It’s cold.

Not just cold, it’s damn cold.

Somehow, it was fine to have come to the frozen land in one go, but I can’t quite figure out exactly where I am.

It would be manageable if there was a path to follow, but there’s not even a path.

At this rate, I might freeze to death before the two weeks Aer has set are up.

If only I could tell if this place was anywhere near Pruina or its vicinity.

For now, I’m just trudging through the pristine snowfield and frost-covered shrubs aimlessly.

Could it have been about ten minutes?

-Whoooosh!

Suddenly, the path ended, and I was greeted by cliffs opening into vastness and the sharp, knife-like wind.

Below the cliff, unknowingly familiar, the scenery of a canyon unfolded.

Kaeram, who was looking at the view with me, asked.

[Our master, is this your first time in the frozen lands?]

“I’ve been here before. In my past life.”

Though I didn’t stay long.

“And you?”

[Where on this land haven’t I been? Mostly not good memories, that’s all.]

“Was it with a previous master?”

[Well, yes.]

“Didn’t the previous master make it fun for you?”

[…….]

Normally quick to respond, Kaeram unusually fell silent.

-Woooong!

Then, once again, the wind howling below the cliff brushed my face.

Mixed with the wind, although faint, a familiar scent was carried up.

As soon as I smelled it, my face involuntarily scrunched up.

[Does it smell interesting?]

Kaeram expressed it as interesting, but I didn’t think so.

The smell of blood.

From this peaceful and supposedly quiet frozen land, the scent of blood from not just one, but several people wafted up from below.

A moment of dilemma came.

Surely heading down there would entangle me in some trivial affair, I felt it,

But then again, there wasn’t really anywhere else to go in this situation.

I didn’t hesitate for long.

I jumped off the cliff without hesitation and headed for the canyon below where the scent was coming from.

* * *

The gorge covered in ice cliffs was usually dark as sunlight did not penetrate.

However, this place was an exception.

The ice, having absorbed the sunlight, did not reflect the light directly but transmitted it downwards, illuminating the darkness of the gorge.

It was a curious phenomenon, but now was not the time to focus on it.

The smell of blood grew stronger with each step, and faint signs of life were perceptible.

The source of the smell was not far off.

I frowned at the mysterious scene unfolding before me.

“What is this?”

If one had to define it, it was a massacre.

Dozens of bodies, limbs torn apart, were scattered around, tragically buried under the snow that covered them.

I sat down and checked the condition of the body under my feet.

White hair and pointed ears.

An ordinary human could not have such features.

A White Elf.

Not just this body, but all here were bodies of White Elves.

And not long dead…

Finding the bodies of elves near their habitat could happen.

The problem was, who or which organization had massacred so many elves, not just one or two.

Fellow White Elves?

No.

As far as I knew, the Elf species did not handle weapons like swords or spears favored by humans.

Looking at the wounds on the deceased elves here, most were sword injuries.

What does this imply?

All these,

had been killed by humans.

This meant that right now, in this frozen land, there were other humans besides myself.

I moved past the bodies towards the deeper part of the gorge where I felt the presence.

The source of these signs was not far off either.

Suddenly, amidst an intensifying blizzard, multiple humans with blood-stained swords appeared.

Familiar golden armor and a pure white longsword.

On this continent, there’s only one group that can be equipped like this,

The Knights of the Light.

[Are those guys, the ones who fought with you at the front lines against the demonic beasts?]

“It’s different. Even though the knights stationed at the front are part of the Knights of the Light, the command belongs to my father, Willius Vert. In fact, it’s fair to say they are knights of the Vert family.”

[Then who are they?]

“They must be knights of the Light following the orders of someone other than my father…”

At that moment, about half of the knights turned towards me.

I quickly hid my body and silenced my presence.

I then watched the remaining knights’ movements.

There was a cave where the knights were stationed.

A cave big enough for giant beasts like trolls or ogres to enter.

At a glance, it seemed like there might be something special about it.

“What could be inside?”

As I muttered to myself, Kaeram suddenly answered.

[The Divine Tree.]

“What?”

[There’s a Divine Tree inside. It’s a massive tree revered by the White Elf tribe. It’s inside that cave.]

“…You seem to know a lot?”

[I told you, I’ve been here before.]

I didn’t expect her to tell me so willingly.

Encouraged, I asked more.

“What else besides the Divine Tree?”

[Maybe a guardian who protects the Divine Tree?]

“What exactly does this guardian do?”

[Of course, from the Divine Tree… You’re trying to get information for free, huh?]

Caught.

Kaeram cooled her smirk but soon gave a sly smile and pointed towards the cave.

[If you’re curious, shouldn’t you find out by bumping into it yourself? I’ve told you as much as I can, the rest you need to figure out on your own!]

Naturally.

The remaining knights had already formed ranks and were entering the cave.

I waited until all of them had entered and followed them in at the last.

The cave was as bright inside as it was outside.

I had to maintain a safe distance to avoid being detected by the knights ahead, since any mistake in speed control could reveal me.

The cave expanded as it went deeper, continuing down a straight path without any forks.

After about five minutes of walking?

I stopped and looked around.

Something was off.

A strangely familiar terrain.

With a hint of suspicion, I left a mark on one side of the cave wall.

Then I continued walking for about five minutes.

It was only when I stopped again that I realized something was wrong.

The mark I had drawn on the cave wall five minutes earlier was blatantly in front of me.

There had been no forks in the path.

I hadn’t turned around.

I had simply followed the continuous path, yet the same scenery unfolded endlessly.

“Is this place originally structured like this?”

I asked Kaeram, but she only let out a haughty laugh, offering no answer.

It meant I had to figure it out on my own.

Surely, the knights who had led the way were facing the same situation as me now.

I took a moment to focus my mind and sensed the flow of magical energy around me.

Nothing unusual was detected.

So, it wasn’t an illusion created by magic…

“Dark Art No. 2: Spatial Transference.”

I cast a fog technique that allowed for spatial movement.

The fog enveloped my body as usual, and to see if there were any possible points to move to, I extended my hands towards the ceiling, floor, and both walls.

It was futile.

There were no spaces available for movement around me.

To sum up this perplexing situation in one sentence,

“I’m trapped.”

Stuck without any means to move, I was completely trapped.

Realizing that half-hearted methods wouldn’t allow for escape, I resigned myself and gripped Kaeram’s handle.

Finally, Kaeram spoke.

[What are you trying to do?]

* * *

I did not respond and arbitrarily chose a wall to brush with my hand.

As the saying goes, if there is no path, you must make one yourself.

Creating a path where none exists is said to be a difficult task, but—

—Bang!

For someone like me who has always been doing this, it wasn’t particularly hard.

—Bang! Bang! Bang!

Alternating between the powers of magic and mist, I channeled that energy into Kaeram, and mercilessly slammed the magic sword into the wall.

Each strike brought down shards of ice and snow, but I paid them no mind.

After all, if it’s merely an illusion and not reality, it would not directly harm me.

—Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Before I knew it, my view was obscured and my body was buried under ice shards, feeling increasingly heavy.

Nevertheless, I continued to smash down with my dagger.

—Crash!

Exactly at the 28th strike, the wall, along with the ceiling and the floor, completely collapsed.

However, I felt no pain.

The oppressive weight of the ice had also vanished without a trace.

—Crackle! Clang!

The sound of breaking glass rang in my ears, and my vision cleared once again.

The first thing I saw was a massive tree, its leaves all frozen white.

It looked unmistakably like the divine tree Kaeram had spoken of.

Though I was momentarily in awe of its majestic presence,

My gaze quickly shifted to a structure resembling an altar underneath the tree, where an unfamiliar figure was seated.

“……?”

It was a young White Elf girl.

‘……!’

She seemed quite startled to see me, and I too could not hide my surprise, furrowing my brow.

Indeed, encountering an unfamiliar being in a strange place is not something astonishing.

However, what surprised me was the posture this young Elf girl had taken.

She held sharp pieces of ice in both hands, aimed at her own neck.

Undoubtedly,

It was an act of suicide.

(To be continued)