The Regressed Son of a Duke is an Assassin

Surprisingly, I too had been a part of the Order of Light Knights.

Of course, in my past life.

It was a time when I lived not for myself, but for others. Juggling a double life as a member of the Order of Light Knights and an assassin of the Mist, I helped Aschel with his tasks.

Hence, I often saw this spiritual pillar of the Order of Light Knights, the saintess.

I neither knew nor cared about the process through which she became a saintess. Nor did I know that she was not a human but a White Elf until much later.

Although Aschel spent a lot of private time with her, she had hardly ever exchanged proper words with me, but as I’ve mentioned before, we had a sadly ironic connection.

Typically, before a major battle or expedition, the saintess would perform a ceremony of baptism on behalf of the gods for the knights.

Just like any other day, the saintess went about baptizing each knight, boosting the morale of the Order.

When my turn finally came, the saintess suddenly smiled and asked,

“Isn’t it uncomfortable?”

“…?”

“I wonder if this baptism of light I offer might actually be harmful to you, Lord Cyan, since you belong to another side as well…”

Hearing this, I couldn’t manage to keep my expression in check.

“There’s no need to be so flustered. I know that you are sincere in establishing the order of light, no matter where you belong. Just keep that intention.”

With that, she concluded the baptism.

Internally, I thought,

‘I’ve been caught.’

It was the first time my double life had been exposed to someone else.

Being an assassin whose identity is revealed is akin to exposing oneself to the enemy’s blade.

Whether she had picked up on some suspicious signs from me or really had some divine revelation, I couldn’t just ignore the saintess who had discovered my identity at that moment.

I immediately started investigating her background.

I looked into the saintess’s personal schedule and monitored her every move at night, trying to see the face behind the mask she wore in front of others.

It didn’t take long to see her true face.

When I saw it, the swirling doubts and suspicions turned into emptiness.

There was even a touch of pity.

On a late, quiet night, while everyone else was asleep,

a bright golden light shone above the saintess standing alone in the monastery hall.

Thinking it was a divine revelation, she raised her hands in joy with a blissful smile.

But it was neither divine nor a revelation.

It was not God but a human.

Not a revelation but a ruse.

It was merely a deceitful whisper conveyed through magic by some scoundrel wanting to control her.

* * *

There’s nothing more pitiful than living without knowing how others perceive you.

I was like that once.

Perhaps this woman has lived similarly to me.

“What do you mean? You’re saying the voices I hear are not divine revelations?”

The saintess clutched my hand and asked, and I continued.

“I don’t care whether you’re human or an elf, or how you became a saintess. But have you ever thought about why you hear voices when no other humans or elves do?”

“That’s because God chose me…”

“So what’s the point? What are you, a saintess? What power do you think you have?”

She’s no more magical or special than anyone else.

Such powerless beings are often made to believe they are ‘special’, and they act accordingly.

This saintess, no, this elf is no different.

One day, someone exalted the voices in her head as divine, and she truly believed it.

That’s what we call such beings.

“A shell.”

Just a shiny exterior without any substance, a meaningless existence that wouldn’t be surprising if it crumbled at any moment.

“The saintess is just an empty shell, a doll, merely used to moralize in front of the masses with a fancy title.”

“That’s not true! I definitely received divine revelations! I directed Aschel to find the holy sword and taught the ignorant about ancient history unknown to them! If this isn’t a divine revelation, then what is it? Who else would have told me these things?”

It’s not unreasonable for her to think that way.

If someone tells you stories that only a god could know, of course, you would believe them.

But I know.

There is only one person in this world who could tell such stories.

I grabbed the saintess’s shoulders, leveling our gazes.

Then I said,

“Hey, are you listening?”

Addressing someone else who might be witnessing this situation.

“Boris L’Hellem!”

Another lackey of Lumendel, always planning and leading from one step behind.

The saintess’s eyes trembled.

Seemingly puzzled why I mentioned his name.

“You’ve been comfortable for three years? It’s time to be on edge again!”

“What are you doing? Why are you calling that man in front of me all of a sudden!”

I disregarded everything and continued speaking.

“I came out here to kick your asses!”

The saintess struggled with all her might to shake off my hand.

I did not let go.

You must think I’m crazy.

You must think I’m out of my mind.

But now it’s time to face reality.

-Zzzt-

A tingling sensation flowed through the hand I was holding onto hers.

Then, that familiar and disgusting voice resounded in my mind.

‘You finally came out…’

Unlike me, whose corners of the mouth were raised, the saintess’s lips trembled.

She heard it too.

‘I thought you’d never show up again after you fled and hid. Missed the light of the world, did you?’

“It’s not the world’s light I missed, but you.”

His uncomfortable breathing was clearly audible.

‘They say it’s better to roll in a dung heap than die. You could have just lived locked up alone forever. I don’t understand why you would come out to be judged…’

“You also prepared a plan for me for three years, didn’t you? Wouldn’t it be a shame to let it go to waste?”

Destroying that plan was a pleasure in itself.

‘How kind of you. I had no idea Sir Cyan thought so highly of me. I have no choice then. It seems the saintess has served her purpose, so I’ll leave her to you. Do as you wish.’

“Do as I wish?”

Trying to sneak away as if nothing happened? How dare you!

I pointed to Hastia right behind me with my hand.

“You, did you send the knights here targeting this prophetic elf?”

‘……’

“Whether it’s the power of foresight or something else, there must be something important for you to try to kidnap her, right?”

Boris only let out his characteristic laugh and did not answer.

‘Just because one plan goes awry doesn’t mean fate changes. Try as you might. In the end, you’re still in Lord Lumendel’s palm.’

“Yeah. Get ready. I’ll come find you and chew you up completely!”

You, the paper you’re clinging to, and even the god on it.

All of it.

‘Haha! Very well! I eagerly await! I truly hope you live well and until then don’t die a dog’s death…’

Rare malice could be felt in his voice.

‘I must purify you with my own hands!’

With that, Boris ended the mental connection as if fleeing.

It was then that I finally let go of the saintess’s hand, and she collapsed powerlessly.

She must have finally realized that the voices she believed were divine revelations were actually Boris’s mental impositions.

It would take quite some time for her to recover from the shock.

‘Sir Cyan!’

At that moment, the naive elf grabbed my hand from behind.

I turned my head without thinking and flinched for a moment.

‘Cy- cyan, I- I hope yo- you’re all doing f- fine…’

Suddenly, Hastia buried her face in my chest, tears and snot all flowing as she sniffled.

I couldn’t bear to shake her off, so I just stared blankly at the top of her head.

It’s not like I don’t understand.

Being an elf, a prophetess, she’s still just a young girl after all.

Maintaining her sanity in such a blatantly dangerous situation was remarkable in itself.

Even as other elves rushed to understand the situation, Hastia didn’t move her face from my embrace.

* * *

The wizards I had encountered before were a group that had infiltrated Pruina earlier than I, under Boris’s orders.

They had cast mind control magic on some elves.

While the Knights of Light openly stalled for time in front of the village, as they had done before, it was also their doing that Hastia was led to the saintess.

The brainwashed elves reproached themselves for having endangered the prophet, and Hastia had comforted them.

According to the elves who had returned, the Knights of Light had just faced off in the village for several minutes before withdrawing.

It seems they will not return again.

“I am indebted to you once again. It’s almost embarrassing how many times I must express my gratitude,” said Elphyris, expressing his thanks once more.

Afterward, the interrogation of the saintess resumed in front of everyone.

Initially uncooperative, the saintess began to speak freely.

“My name is Neria… It is the real name I was given at birth.”

Elphyris gasped in shock.

“Yes, are you talking about that Neria, who was mentioned as a candidate for the prophet before Hastia, a hundred years ago?”

“That’s right. But I ultimately failed to inherit the power and, unable to bear the frustration, fled the icy lands…”

Everyone except me was stunned.

“The consequences of not overcoming mere emotions were severe. Not long after entering human lands, I was captured by a wicked group and sold into slavery.”

I never expected to hear about her past life, which I had not known even in my previous life.

“How could such a thing…”

Regardless of the circumstances, the fact that one of their own had suffered such an ordeal brought tears to some of the elves’ eyes.

Among them was Hastia.

“Do not be so saddened. Before I suffered such indignities at the hands of humans, I had frozen my own body.”

“Frozen?”

As I expressed my confusion, Garnian responded.

“It’s a racial ability given to our tribe by the Goddess of Water. It allows us to freeze our bodies to ultra-low temperatures, turning ourselves into permanent ice forms, so that we can rest in peace anytime, anywhere.”

I understood it as the ability to comfort oneself.

Neria continued her story.

“I thought I would never open my eyes again after entrusting my body to the ice, but ironically, I did wake up. Among humans armored in suits of armor. And then I heard a voice. No, it must have been a hallucination.”

As I recall, it was about five years ago that the saintess revealed herself to the public as a saintess of the Knights of Light.

That was also around the time Aschel and Boris first made contact.

I don’t know how they discovered the ice-bound Neria, but they have been planning since then.

A plan to take control of the Knights of Light, the empire’s greatest force.

“That’s how I became a saintess. Occasionally, I would convey the hallucinations to the knights, serving as a spiritual pillar. However, three years ago, after the owner of the Holy Sword, Aschel, died, the hallucinations stopped.”

Neria said this, looking at me.

“At first, I thought the gods had simply paused their messages, so I waited. But as I waited aimlessly, I grew anxious. In the midst of this, Boris came to me and suggested that I take possession of the prescient abilities held by the White Elf tribe…”

In the end, she had been thoroughly used from beginning to end.

Just like the old me.

But I had no intention of feeling sympathy for her.

Being used just proves how foolish one was.

Neria seemed to think the same, as she didn’t make any excuses.

Instead, she looked at Hastia.

“You said I could never leave the icy lands alive, didn’t I?”

Hastia just nodded.

“Now, I have no intention of leaving either. I must pay the price for contributing to the killing of my own people, driven by selfish desires.”

Neria said this as she stood up and looked at me again.

“Cyan Vert. May I ask you for one favor?”

I shrugged my shoulders as if to say, speak.

“Please take me to Lake Ser.”

(To be continued)