The Regressed Son of a Duke is an Assassin

The fallen Garnian quickly regained consciousness.

Although the wound was not deep, it was severe enough to be fatal for an ordinary human.

Yet, he stood up as if nothing had happened.

No matter how much stronger an elf’s body was compared to a human’s, this resilience was extraordinary.

Hastia healed the wound with her magic.

Even a glance was enough to convey a sentiment of ‘Was all this really necessary?’

Garnian simply stated that he did what he had to do.

After the healing, Hastia took my hand again.

‘I’m glad everything worked out. Now, no one will object to me bestowing the blessing on Lord Cyan.’

Her smile was bright, but I responded with a neutral expression.

Silence often implies agreement, or so she might have thought, assuming I’d comply easily,

But this naive elf had yet to grasp the situation.

‘To bestow the blessing, we need to go to the shrine of the divine tree. It’s late today, so let’s rest in the village, and tomorrow morning, you and I…’

“I’m not going.”

Hastia blinked in place.

‘Oh! Do you have another place to visit before we return to the village? I can guide you…’

“No, I mean I won’t be going to the shrine, or whatever it is.”

‘Why… not?’

Hastia, and even Garnian behind her, looked at me with eyes wide as those of a startled rabbit.

They clearly hadn’t anticipated this response.

But I had said it multiple times before.

“I don’t believe in prophecies.”

‘…What?’

“So, I don’t intend to receive whatever this blessing is.”

Hastia, as if frozen, stood still holding my hand for a while, speechless.

* * *

‘Cyan! Please think again! This is not only for your benefit but also for the good of the world! Are you listening?’

Hastia had been persistently trying to persuade me ever since she returned to the village.

‘You can’t do this alone! You need to receive my blessing, find allies, and overcome this together!’

That damn ally thing.

I thought about it back and forth too.

People say it’s important to be part of an organization and to live collectively, but that was not the case for me.

Even when I was in the Order of Light, even when I was in the Mist, I always went alone.

It was more comfortable for me, easier to handle tasks, and others didn’t bother to join me.

Now, finding an ally?

It’s annoying.

Beyond being annoying, I wasn’t even confident in pulling people to my side.

“I’m more comfortable alone.”

‘It’s not the time to worry about what’s comfortable! I clearly saw it through a prophecy! If you continue like this, you will die, Cyan!’

“You keep talking about prophecies, but honestly, where’s the proof that what you’re saying is a prophecy? You didn’t even know I would end up in the frozen tundra?”

‘Well, that’s…’

Hastia couldn’t answer and just fiddled with her hands.

‘You sure are skeptical. Have you just been deceived all this time?’

I couldn’t say no and avoided her gaze.

Tired and dissatisfied, Hastia glared at me and then sighed, getting up.

‘It’s late today, so I’ll leave now. Let’s talk again tomorrow. Please think about it while you’re alone! It’s important!’

“Wait a minute.”

I called her back as she was leaving.

A flush of color returned to Hastia’s disheartened face.

‘Did you change your mind?’

“No, that’s not it.”

Hastia’s cheeks slightly puffed up.

“Tell me about tomorrow’s weather.”

‘…?’

“You’re a prophet, right? A prophet should be able to foresee and tell the weather for tomorrow, right?”

Hastia opened her mouth in surprise and tilted her head, indicating she didn’t know such things.

“What? You don’t know? You call yourself a prophet and can’t even predict tomorrow’s weather?”

‘It’s not an important future to see up to such minor details…’

“Useless.”

‘Wait, please!’

Hastia hastily approached the window and examined the sky.

It was a night with descending darkness, but the sky was cloudy throughout.

‘It looks like a blizzard is coming, and it’s going to be very bad! You should avoid outdoor activities tomorrow!’

She sounded quite confident in her statement.

I remembered that remark and headed back to my lodgings.

After a day full of ups and downs,

morning arrived the next day.

“A blizzard is coming?”

I pointed to the clear, bright sky, free of any clouds, and looked at Hastia.

Hastia, unable to lift her head in embarrassment, covered her face with both hands.

Her usually pale skin had turned red all the way to her ears—another reason added why blessings were unnecessary.

“Useless.”

Hastia shook her head vigorously, her silent cry of dismay unmistakable.

By now, I had a rough idea why Aer had sent me to this frozen land.

It must have been his scheme to bring this girl, endowed with the power of prophecy, to foresee the future and create a force to oppose Lumendel.

But as I’ve said repeatedly, I do not entrust my future to such prophecies.

As I was pondering the necessity of staying here any longer, I saw children playing in the village through the window.

They held long sticks, clashing them against each other, unmistakably mimicking sword fights.

Wait, sword fighting?

Weren’t the White Elves a tribe that did not wield swords?

What the children held were not merely common branches rolling on the snow-covered ground.

I immediately went outside and approached the children.

“Wow! A human!”

The children exclaimed in surprise.

I ignored their reaction and closely observed the sticks they were holding.

Closer inspection confirmed it.

These were wooden swords, well-carved for human training.

“These, where did you get them?”

“…What?”

Startled by my abrupt question, the children just stared at me blankly.

“They were a gift?”

“From whom?”

“Uh, from Sister Alice…”

At the mention of a familiar name, the corners of my mouth lifted involuntarily, and a chuckle escaped me.

“May I take a look at it for a moment?”

One of the children hesitantly handed me a wooden sword after some reluctance.

Of course, I thought it looked familiar.

Both in design and form, it was exactly like the practice swords used by the House of Vert.

Then, a girl in front of me asked.

“Do you know Sister Alice too?”

“Of course.”

“How?”

“She’s my older sister.”

“What?!”

The children gasped in unison, examining my face with curiosity and some with a hint of suspicion.

* * *

Hastia, following belatedly, also grabbed my hand in surprise.

‘No wonder! Garnian had said that the name sounded familiar and that there might be a connection, but she’s actually your family!’

Thinking back, Garnian had indeed remarked that I resembled someone when we first met.

Contrary to his stoic appearance, his perceptiveness might actually be decent.

‘That’s interesting.’

“What is?”

‘Sister Alice was always so kind, polite, and considerate… but Cyan, you are…’

Hastia paused, hesitating to finish her thought.

I didn’t need her to complete her sentence to know what she meant.

One of the children asked again.

“So, do you also know how to handle a sword?”

I nodded.

“Better than Sister Alice?”

I nodded again.

“No way! Sister Alice said she’s the best swordsman among her siblings!”

Hmm.

This time, I couldn’t nod in agreement.

I suddenly remembered the time shortly after my return, when I had just come home, and my sister had decided to test me by using magic against me when I was only ten.

After all, I had never truly crossed swords with my sister in earnest, so her perception might not be far off.

“I miss Sister Alice!”

“Yeah! She said she’d visit often the last time she was here, but where could she be now?”

“Oh! Now that I think about it, I saw Sister Alice last week!”

The children scoffed, accusing the storyteller of lying.

The child insisted, frustrated.

“It’s true! I saw her alone near the Ser River! When I shouted to Sister Alice, she waved at me!”

“And then?”

“She disappeared. I ran over, but she had vanished by then…”

The child’s tale didn’t seem like a bluff.

I turned to Hastia and asked,

“When was the last time Sister Alice visited?”

‘Uh, the first time she came was about five years ago, and the last time was around three years ago.’

That was after I had killed Aschel in Brenu.

Had she come to the tundra again after that?

“What did she do when she came?”

‘She just came to see everyone, exchanged a few greetings, and then left. Oh! But she did have a longer conversation with the elder.’

As if on cue, Elder Elphyris and Garnian appeared in the distance.

Elphyris, stating he had something to discuss, invited me to his house.

Upon arriving, he got straight to the point.

“I heard about it. You’ve decided not to receive the blessing of foresight from Hastia?”

I nodded, and Elphyris let out an uncomfortable cough.

“Ahem. Our tribe’s prophecies are absolute. Even though Hastia did not foresee your arrival in the tundra, you should not ignore her visions. Unless significant changes occur, your future will unfold as Hastia has seen it.”

“I can create that change myself.”

“Isn’t it difficult to do so alone?”

“I have always been alone.”

I deliberately ignored Kaeram’s mental ‘What about me?’.

Since I had no intention of accepting the blessing, there was no need to dwell on it, and I decided to change the subject.

“Instead, I heard that my sister, Alice Vert, came here three years ago…”

“Yes, Miss Alice? That’s about right.”

“What did she discuss with you at that time?”

Elphyris closed his eyes as if trying to recall the details.

“Hmm. It’s personal, so I can’t just divulge it, but since you are family, it would be difficult to keep completely silent.”

“Did my sister want it to be kept a secret?”

“Not exactly, but the atmosphere she had at the time was so solemn that I also became cautious. Still, since I owe you a great deal, I will tell you.”

Elphyris rose from his seat and fetched a small ice statue from the corner.

“Do you know who this statue represents?”

“A goddess…?”

Elphyris nodded.

“She is ‘Aquanis’, the guardian deity of Pruina and the noble goddess of water. She blessed us to be able to settle in this harsh tundra, a deity as absolute to us as any could be.”

If I hadn’t consistently dozed off during the history lessons at the academy, this would be basic knowledge that most would know.

Aquanis, the creator of Pruina and the progenitor of the White Elves.

Here, she is considered a much higher deity than even the god of light, Lumendel.

“Alice asked about the location of a relic of Aquanis somewhere in Pruina.”

“A relic?”

“Yes. However, even though our tribe respects Miss Alice, we couldn’t just divulge the location of such a sacred place. So, I had to refuse her politely.”

Given my sister’s character, she wouldn’t have pressed them uncomfortably after being denied once.

But that didn’t mean she would just give up.

“So, she left after that?”

“No. She asked if it would be alright for her to search for it herself. I told her that finding it in this vast tundra without any clues would be nearly impossible, but she was willing to search if permitted, considering it a pilgrimage.”

That was so like my sister.

Always ready to give to others, she meticulously avoided causing harm.

She was like that in her previous life, and she still is.

“I couldn’t very well stop her at that point. If she found it despite everything, wouldn’t that truly be fate? After expressing her gratitude, Alice left, and now, three years have passed.”

Searching for a goddess’s relic.

Did a sudden curiosity about the divine spark this desire to seek such a mysterious place?

Certainly not.

It was undoubtedly a selfless act, perhaps not for herself but for someone else.

That someone must be…

Me.

There was no need to think further.

Three years ago, I had saved my sister in the Lemea Valley and helped her forge a new path.

I had hoped she would stop worrying about our family or her obligations and live a life for herself.

Was that so difficult?

What did she intend to do by finding the goddess’s relic?

Did she wish to receive divine power like someone else?

And to what end?

Even though I try not to concern myself with my sister’s life, a nagging unease remained.

Then, Kaeram’s whisper echoed in my ear.

[I know where that relic is.]

Caught off guard by the unexpected statement, I responded.

“What?”

[I know the location of the relic. I’ve been there before!]

A mist rose from within my cloak, caressing my chin as if coaxing me.

Tempting me.

[Shall we go?]

(To be continued)