The Regressed Son of a Duke is an Assassin

In the Royal Hall, the warm afternoon sun seeped through the windows.

A maid, bored with nothing to do, yawned,

A dragonkin, drowsy after lunch, slept,

And a knight, feeling empty without anyone to protect, dedicated himself to training.

The actual owner of the room was nowhere to be seen.

“Really tough. How do you manage to train for 6 hours every day without missing a single day? Are all knights like that?”

“Ah, it’s because the young master said if there’s even a second to breathe, we should not spare any effort in training, so I’m working hard to adhere to that.”

Emily waved her hand as if to say don’t make me laugh.

“Pfft! You’re better at joking than I thought. Did you think I would fall for that?”

“Yes?”

“I know our young master the best. He’s not the type to say such good things to others, let alone give such sage advice. That’s ridiculous!”

Brian was utterly baffled by her truth.

“Ah, might as well ask about that. How was the young master’s academy life?”

This prompted a conversation about the experiences of those left behind.

“He hardly attended classes, trained during the day like me, and then went out at night, returning at dawn. Sometimes he would be away for a day or even a week.”

She clicked her tongue as if she had expected as much.

“He hasn’t changed at all. He always did that even when he was in the front lines, his habit of going out is really unchanged.”

Finally, she lay sprawled on the sofa and sighed deeply.

“I was looking forward to the academy, but it’s just full of boring stuff. Really, where has the young master gone, leaving behind this weird half-pint!”

Emily’s gaze then turned to Nana, who was sound asleep in the room.

Despite growing up, Nana was still very sleepy.

“Ha ha! He wouldn’t be alone. After all, Master Kaeram has always been by the young master’s side.”

Brian said this, smiling as if to offer some comfort.

“Master Kaeram? Who is that?”

“Yes?”

Silence fell in the room for a moment.

“You don’t know… Master Kaeram?”

“I’ve never heard that name before. Was such a person really beside the young master?”

Brian was at a loss, his mouth agape.

It was perplexing to think that, despite being close to Cyan for a long time, she was unaware of Kaeram’s existence.

“Who is Kaeram? The atmosphere suggests she’s a woman. How do you know someone I don’t!?”

Emily, growing impatient, grabbed Brian by the collar and started to shake him violently.

“That- that’s… I can only say that they were always by the young master’s side, even if not often seen!”

It was something difficult to articulate, and even if it could be, Brian found himself unable to explain this entity that had become a natural part of their environment.

“What’s with our young master? Not satisfied with the princess and that noble lady, who else is by his side!?”

“Er, Miss Emily, could you please let go of me first…!”

His collar continued to be shaken helplessly.

* * *

Ushif Empire’s Southwestern Neutral City, Lamusta.

If the Luwen Academy was founded as a legally neutral city for the advancement of nations, this place was a neutral city formed by humans to implicitly satisfy their material desires.

In other words, it’s a filthy crime city where money and fists take precedence over law and order.

[How dreary! What kind of city is this?]

Even Kaeram, who had cheerfully smiled through the monster-infested front lines, was expressing severe discomfort.

It’s no wonder.

With swearing and fistfights rampant everywhere, and the ground vibrating with strange filth and the smell of blood, not to mention the only ones roaming the streets were rough and burly figures.

Yet, there’s only one reason I’m here.

To carry out a solo mission given by the clan leader.

A mission as a return gift from the clan leader.

I’m so grateful for the clan leader’s concern for her disciple that I hardly know what to do with myself.

[Isn’t she pretty crazy? No matter what, would she think of sending a kid like you here alone? I really don’t like it one bit.]

“Well, I don’t think that’s something you should be saying?”

Leaving that aside, she just seemed dissatisfied that the clan leader had given me orders.

-Thud

Suddenly, a soft mass of flesh that darted out from around a corner bumped into my shoulder.

Of course, I didn’t budge.

I stopped moving and turned to look at the one who had bumped into me.

“Oh- oh, you should watch where you’re going. How can you bump into people like that?”

They’re joking.

It was clear they came at me while sizing me up from the side.

“What? No adults around? Why is a kid wandering the streets in broad daylight?”

So, should a kid wander the streets in the middle of the night instead?

It’s a typical scenario from these thugs.

They pick fights with passersby to extort money.

They probably thought I was an easy target because I appeared to be alone, without any parents or adults around.

I have no desire to teach such worthless thugs a lesson.

So, it would be nice if they just quietly moved along without causing any trouble,

But the problem is, such obvious thugs never just move along.

“Hey, hey, where do you think you’re going? Don’t you see my stomach’s hurting from bumping into your shoulder? If you hit someone, you’re supposed to apologize and compensate, right?”

Right, well said.

If you kneel down and apologize now, I might just let it go.

“Ho? Now that I look at you, you’re a man but quite pretty, aren’t you? If you’ve got nowhere to go, why not come with me? It’s a bit niche, but there are quite a few who like guys like you! I’m offering you a job! Employment!”

Far from apologizing, he’s crossed the line.

Dripping saliva, he was pushing his dirty fingers closer to me.

It’s a predictable scenario, but it seems nothing progresses without going through it at least once.

I grabbed his finger and twisted it lightly.

-Crack

“Ugh…!”

Without even giving him a chance to scream, I immediately kicked his shin, toppling his balance.

-Thud

His hefty body fell with a loud noise.

The distracted stomach that had hit my shoulder was now facing up, and I mercilessly stomped down on it with one foot.

It was a message to never use such a clumsy belly to bump into others again.

“Kuhuk!”

With a groan, filthy secretions spurted from his mouth.

I inserted the broken finger into his mouth and stepped on it with my foot to prevent him from pulling it out.

His squirming resembled that of a pig in a slaughterhouse.

“Hey, big guy. The thing called a head isn’t just for carrying around like an ornament.”

“……!”

Unable to respond, he just groaned.

“According to your words, why would a little kid wander around such a filthy place in broad daylight? Can’t you think that there must be something going on? If you’re not smart, you should at least be observant.”

In fact, it’s their lack of perception that limits them to thuggery.

Those with some sense would have considered this at the outset.

This guy just approached without any thought.

-Swish

It seems he wasn’t alone, as four other thugs slowly gathered around the one spreading pain.

However, they didn’t dare come too close.

Unlike this guy, they seemed to have some sense of the situation.

“I’m only going to say this once, so listen carefully.”

“……!”

“Spread the word to as many people around you as possible. From this moment on, if anyone spots a boy wandering the streets of Lamusta alone, they should absolutely not mess with him. If anyone ignores this and approaches anyway……”

I stomped down even harder on the foot that was pinning his mouth.

-Crunch

“One way or another, they’ll end up crippled. Just like you……”

The sound of several teeth breaking and rolling on the ground followed.

This was just the beginning, so it ended with just a finger and a few teeth.

If anyone ignores my warning and approaches me again, it definitely won’t end at this.

“Got it?”

As I gently removed my foot, the guy with his mouth covered could barely nod his head.

It seems he understood well by the look on his face.

The bulky figure quickly regained his composure and, taking his gang with him, vanished like a shot.

Surprisingly fast for his size.

[Are you trying to make enemies on purpose? Do you really want to end up dead?]

To this, Kaeram clicked her tongue and said,

“Don’t say things you don’t mean. I can see you’re actually laughing inside.”

Having more enemies would mean more fights, which would be nothing but beneficial for a demonic sword.

[Oh, you caught me? Knowing the heart of a woman too, our master has really grown up~!]

Truly, the demonic sword was consistent.

I paid it no mind and looked around the city.

The streets felt utterly lifeless.

Here and there, it wasn’t rare to see beggars who had collapsed from hunger.

At first glance, it might seem like an abandoned city, but surprisingly, this city sees as much capital inflow as the imperial capital itself.

Of course, if that capital had been spent on the city, it wouldn’t feel so desolate.

As mentioned before, this place is a neutral city, without a real owner.

That means the city is maintained through a series of market activities that take place within it.

In fact, looking around the streets, it’s not rare to see humans armed to some degree, not just thugs like the ones I encountered earlier.

Without paying too much attention, I moved towards a luxurious building that caught my eye.

-Creak

The cleanliness inside was in stark contrast to the dreariness outside.

However, the faces of the people inside did not match this cleanliness.

“……”

A woman with brown hair, looking like an employee, was giving me a displeased look.

It’s not surprising.

My current attire was more that of a shabby wanderer than a refined noble.

“How may I help you?”

She asked, somewhat reluctantly.

“I’d like to book a room.”

I sensed a slight change in her eyes.

She probably thought there was someone else coming with me.

“How many guests will there be?”

“Just me.”

Her eyes quickly returned to their original state.

“Hey, kid. You seem to have come to the wrong building. There’s no room for you here. What’s a kid with still wet blood on his head doing in a place for adults……”

-Thud!

The employee, who was in the middle of speaking, was startled and fell backward.

It was nothing much.

I had just placed a pouch full of gold coins on the table.

“I want the best room.”

“……Pardon?”

Only then did the employee start to check the pouch with a stunned look.

“Is this how you welcome guests?”

At this, her gaze changed once again.

“We- welcome to the Lamusta Cage! I’ll escort you to the VIP room on the top floor right away!”

At that moment, everyone in the lobby turned their gaze towards me.

(To be continued)