The Regressed Son of a Duke is an Assassin

Lake Ser.

As a stranger, I knew neither where it was nor what awaited there.

All I knew before coming to Pruina was what Hastia had mentioned – a vast lake formed at the end of the unfrozen river.

I never asked why she wanted to take me there.

I knew the elf who suggested going together would explain everything in due time.

Including me, Hastia and Garnian volunteered to guide the way.

Thus, the four of us arrived at Lake Ser.

It was astonishing to see not a single piece of ice despite the severe cold.

Neria only stared quietly at the calm lake, not opening her mouth even after we arrived.

Finally, I was the one to break the silence.

“Why didn’t you become a prophet?”

As if she had been waiting, she answered.

“It must be because I lacked the altruism necessary for a prophet.”

“Altruism?”

“A prophet has the duty to correct the unstable future with the power of foreseen prophecy. But I harbored not altruism, but selfishness to use that power for personal gain. That’s why the power did not accept me.”

Neria took off her shoes and climbed to the edge of the cliff.

Hastia was about to intervene, alarmed, but Garnian stopped her.

“There’s a legend about Lake Ser. It says that a member of our tribe who has committed a great sin can throw themselves into this lake with a repentant heart, and become the nourishment of the permafrost, thus protecting the tribe.”

“Thinking of freezing yourself?”

“No. I’m just going to fall. I no longer wish to wake up again.”

I had an inkling when she asked to be brought specifically to the lake.

Unlike Hastia, who had tried to end her life by grasping a piece of ice, in her eyes, I saw a true will to give up on life.

If she wanted to die, she could do it alone; there was no need to bring me to this unfamiliar place.

But now it was time to hear why she had brought me here.

Before jumping, Neria turned to look at me.

Or more precisely, at Kaeram.

”That magic sword… You found it before Aschel did, didn’t you?”

I nodded.

“Three years ago, when Aschel was lost and wandering, I gave him a clue to the location where the holy sword was resting. At that time, I thought it was a revelation from the gods, but now I think it was neither a revelation nor Boris’s voice.”

“What was it then?”

“I’m not sure? If I had to guess, maybe I saw the future.”

“You said you can’t see the future, right?”

“That’s why I’m confused. I still hear voices in my head that I can’t understand. This must be a revelation intended for you, Cyan Vert.”

He crossed his arms as if to consider the possibility, and soon Neria spoke up.

“Search the shadow of the light…”

“I hate cryptic words like that.”

“You don’t need to think too hard about it.”

She said this and looked back at Hastia.

“This prophet will show you the way.”

With those final words, Neria threw herself into the lake.

I didn’t stop her.

Hastia, who ran up too late, reached out her hand, but the lake had already swallowed Neria.

Eventually, unable to hold back her tears, Hastia sobbed for a while, covering her face with her hands.

She soon wiped her tears and regained her composure, then took my hand again.

‘As you heard from yesterday, there’s another special power within the gift of foresight.’

“The blessing thing?”

‘Yes!’

“Anything else besides being able to communicate without holding hands?”

‘There’s more important stuff!’

Hastia blushed and waved her hands.

Then, Garnian, who had been silent, spoke up.

“When one receives the blessing of foresight, the prophet can reveal the path that the blessed should take.”

“A path?”

“As a warrior sworn to protect my tribe, I had a duty to develop my strength. However, we elves are different from you humans; we don’t have such base tendencies like violence. So, I had no way of knowing how to grow my strength by myself.”

I nodded in agreement.

“But the blessing of foresight showed me the way. In this vast tundra, the prophet saw the means and methods to grow my strength and passed them on to me. It is because of this that I am who I am today.”

“So, this blessing was given to you by Hastia?”

“No, it was from a previous prophet, not Hastia. Just for your information, Elder Elphyris received it from the prophet before that. The blessing of foresight can only be bestowed by one prophet onto one recipient.”

The blessing that reveals the unknown direction of one’s life.

I understood once again why Neria and Boris coveted this power.

But why was Garnian sharing this important secret of the tribe with me?

Garnian looked at Hastia and asked,

“Hastia, do you wish to give this blessing to this human?”

Hastia nodded.

‘I want to give the blessing to Cyan so he can find the allies he needs!’

“I see your intent.”

Just when it seemed Garnian was agreeing with her intentions, he suddenly moved away from the lake and gestured towards me from a distance.

I immediately understood what that gesture meant.

The innocent elf blinked, not understanding.

‘Ga- Garnian?’

Garnian roared into the sky while standing on a sheet of blue ice.

His roar was so thunderous that it caused the lake’s waters to ripple and the ground’s ice to crack.

“You will be tested to see if you are worthy of the blessing of foresight! You must face this with all your might! If I deem you unworthy, I will throw you into that lake!”

Great, just great.

I never asked for this blessing.

Why they’re trying to give it to me and test me, I don’t know, but Garnian clearly wasn’t planning to back down.

Startled, I pushed past the dumbfounded elf and approached the ice where Garnian stood.

The snowstorm that had briefly paused picked up once again.

* * *

Warrior.

From ancient times, those tasked with protecting the clan’s seers were bestowed with the blessing of foresight.

Now an elder, Elphyris too had once been a warrior of the clan, blessed to protect the seers.

Hastia, the current seer, wished to pass this crucial blessing onto a stranger who was not of the elf kind.

Garnian could not simply accept this.

At the very least, he had to verify whether this human had the qualities to protect the seer, as a warrior blessed with the blessing.

Having prepared for battle, Garnian exuded vigor as he fixed his gaze on Cyan.

Without a word, Cyan stepped onto the ice and drew Kaeram.

The demonic sword’s blade emitted a chilling murderous intent, rivaling Garnian’s fighting spirit.

Garnian roared once again.

After his roar, he lifted a massive ice boulder nearby and hurled it at Cyan.

Cyan swiftly ascended, shattering the boulder in midair.

Ice shards flew, momentarily blinding Cyan.

Seizing the opportunity, Garnian spread his arms and lunged at Cyan.

-Woosh!

His fist, heavy as an ice boulder, grazed Cyan’s ear.

No matter how divine the power encased in Kaeram was, it could not block such a relentless punch.

Dodging the punch, Cyan grabbed Garnian’s wrist, spun around, and delivered a spinning kick to his face.

-Thwack!

The kick landed perfectly, yet Cyan felt a sharp pain shoot through his foot as if he had struck a rock.

-Thud!

At that moment, Garnian grabbed Cyan’s leg.

The tremendous grip nearly crushed the bone, contorting Cyan’s face.

Garnian spun around in the air with the leg he had seized and then hurled Cyan back onto the ice.

-Crash!

The impact site erupted with ice shards and snow.

‘Lord Cyan!’

Hastia covered her mouth and screamed silently.

An ordinary human would have been crippled by such a blow,

But Cyan, brushing off the debris, calmly stood up.

”Huff…”

Cyan breathed out, belatedly loosening up his body.

Landing on the ground, Garnian yelled at the sight.

”I told you to use all your strength, human! Draw out your power and face me! If not, you too shall never leave this frozen land!”

Cyan did not blink.

Instead, from between his clothes, a black mist that had been tightly concealed began to escape.

Cyan, having regained his stance, looked different from before.

Blood trickled down from the corner of his mouth, but this sight only added an eerie allure.

Garnian felt an unfamiliar sensation coursing through his body, one he had never experienced before.

“Dark Art Nine: Manifestation of the Demon Sword.”

Behind Cyan, who revealed the true power of the demon sword, the silhouette of a dark lady flickered.

The lady looked at Garnian with an amused smile and then burrowed back into Cyan’s embrace.

With the manifestation complete, Cyan charged forward.

Garnian rushed to meet him head-on.

After all, Cyan was merely human.

Garnian was confident that his elven physique and rigorous training could not be directly countered.

-Whoosh!

Garnian’s fist, enhanced by a twisting rotation, aimed at Cyan’s face.

Just like before, Cyan avoided a direct confrontation.

It was just as Garnian had predicted.

Ultimately, Cyan would rely on his agility and speed for a strategic strike at a weakness.

Dodging the punch, Cyan’s sword targeted Garnian’s nape.

Predictably so.

Instead of dodging, Garnian stiffened his neck, and a chill emanated from his pale nape, soon covering it with ice.

-Crunch!

Instead of the sound of flesh being cut, a dull thud echoed.

A variant of the White Elves’ racial power, Cryogenesis.

Garnian’s skin swiftly turned into a hard ice that shielded his body, and Cyan’s sword could not penetrate this protective barrier.

-Snap!

Garnian grabbed Cyan’s halted arm.

“As I thought, you’re not worthy of the prophecy’s blessing if you can’t even breach my Cryogenesis!”

Garnian twisted the captured arm, breaking it, and kicked Cyan to the ground.

Cyan was unable to respond and was helplessly defeated.

There was no need for further testing.

“It’s over, Cyan Vert!”

Garnian raised his fist for a final rest and thrust it straight at Cyan’s face.

-Whoosh!

“……!”

However, Garnian’s fist never reached Cyan.

It wasn’t just the fist.

The other hand that had been grabbing Cyan’s arm was now, somehow, grasping at the empty air.

A faint black mist passed before the bewildered Garnian’s eyes.

‘…An illusion?’

Realizing that he was fighting an illusion, not the real thing, was only momentary,

As a murderous intent crept up behind Garnian’s neck.

-Snap!

Cyan’s hand, covered in ice, grabbed Garnian’s thick neck.

Garnian hurriedly tried to extend his freezing protection to his shoulders and back.

Cyan had no intention of just watching.

Without hesitation, he drew his sword,

“Why bother piercing?”

-Thunk!

“Just stab where there isn’t any.”

The blade of the magic sword pierced through Garnian’s skin and burrowed into the flesh beneath.

The pierced spot was below the ribs, where the freezing had not reached.

Garnian, his mouth stained with blood, turned his head.

Seeing Cyan’s indifferent gaze, he smirked.

“Indeed… You didn’t use your full strength.”

It was now clear that he had used far less than even half his strength.

Cyan tilted his head to the side and responded.

“If I had to exert my full strength here, I’d rather just die.”

“What nonsense…”

What was all that power built up for?

Even if he was a human who had received the power of a god, the sheer potential hidden within those ruthless eyes was unfathomable.

Perhaps it was himself who was being tested.

‘Is he planning to kill even a god?’

With that thought, Garnian collapsed.

(To be continued)