The Regressed Son of a Duke is an Assassin

“Remarkable, Delkia! I had no idea you would finish the job before I even arrived!”

Upon arriving at the scene, Morris could not help but marvel.

A boy lay unconscious, wrapped not in clothes but in fine white silk, while Delkia looked on with satisfaction.

“Morris, I’ve already taken out the item you mentioned. It’s placed over there, so take a look.”

She pointed in the direction of a silver chest.

Without hesitation, Morris rushed over and opened the chest.

“Oh…!”

Inside was a purple demonic sword, its beauty laid bare for him to admire.

Morris, overwhelmed with emotion, let out an unintelligible moan of appreciation.

“To be honest, I was a bit surprised. It doesn’t matter to me what the item is, but for a merchant like you to not buy it, but instead attempt to steal it…”

To this, Morris replied with a laugh.

“Haha. A true merchant, when faced with a once-in-a-lifetime item, will purchase it at any cost, even if it means spending all his wealth. If buying is impossible, then stealing it is the only way. This sword is such an item to me.”

The intense obsession he felt for the sword was palpable as he caressed it with his fingertips.

Delkia felt the same way.

Now that they had what they wanted, what they both desired was some uninterrupted time together.

“Now that we’ve both gotten what we wanted, our deal is over, right? I don’t mind if you stay and enjoy yourself, but don’t look for me for a while.”

“Don’t worry, Delkia. That’s exactly what I wanted to say.”

Delkia then picked up the boy’s body and carried him outside.

Now, the only person left in the room was Morris.

“Now it’s just the two of us, oh noble demonic sword! You have no idea how long I’ve waited for this moment!”

As if performing a ritual, he knelt and began to pray fervently.

Soon, a black mist began to rise from the silent demonic sword, as if moved by his heartfelt words.

Sssss

The room filled with mist, and something seemed to stir within it, watched eagerly by Morris.

Before long, the black mist transformed into the figure he had so longed to reunite with.

At the peak of his joy, Morris let out a triumphant cheer.

Pop

But the figure vanished as if it were an illusion.

“…”

Morris, unable to hide his dismay, was at a loss for words.

“Demonic sword? What is this…?”

The dense mist that filled the room had disappeared as if it had never been.

Instead, a strange presence spread behind him, as if the tip of an unseen blade was aimed at his neck.

More precisely, it felt as though the scythe of a death-bringing musician enveloped his entire neck.

Morris could not bring himself to turn around.

Indeed, he could not move at all.

As if nails were hammered into his bones, no matter how hard he tried, he remained immobile.

In that moment, Morris thought,

Behind him now,

Stood a demon from hell, contemplating when to claim his neck.

“Disappointed?”

And the voice of that demon,

“Because it wasn’t the demonic sword you were hoping for?”

sounded strangely familiar, much like that of the boy’s.

* * *

From the room where the boy was put to sleep, exactly one floor below.

A basement space permitted to only one person among the staff of this entertainment alley.

Delkia, after laying the sleeping boy on the bed, hurriedly lit the room.

As each candle was lit, the hidden details of the room emerged from the darkness, but Delkia paid them no mind.

“Finally! Finally! You and I have come to this place together, Cyon! A place where no one else can come, where we can be together without any interference!”

Delkia gently caressed the boy’s cheek.

“You have no idea! How much I’ve longed for you! Your face is so beautiful and lovely, unlike anything else in this world! It’s unimaginable for it to ever fade away!”

The high-pitched laughter filled the basement, showing no signs of stopping, echoing a strange mirth.

“But don’t worry, Cyon! I’ll make sure that doesn’t happen! You will retain your beauty forever, like an everlasting gem, here in my space!”

As if preparing to savor the finest meal, Delkia slowly undressed.

She thought to herself.

At this moment, in this space, no one else could enter.

Only the boy and she were allowed.

She had no doubt that they could enjoy this blissful moment without any disturbances.

“…?!”

However, she soon had to doubt her eyes.

What greeted her after all her preparations was nothing but white silk.

The boy, who had just been lying there, had vanished without a trace.

“What- what?!”

She searched the bed hastily, but the boy did not reappear just by looking for him.

Instead, something unfamiliar was caught among the silks that had wrapped the boy’s body.

“…?”

It was a dagger.

A purple blade with a black gem embedded in the hilt.

If her memory served correctly, this was undoubtedly the same dagger she had taken from the boy and handed over to Morris.

“How- how is this even…?”

[You seem disappointed?]

A chill went down her spine as her body suddenly froze, numbed by the cold.

A strange woman’s voice she had never heard before.

Thinking she had misheard, Delkia hurriedly tried to look around, but for some reason, her body wouldn’t move.

[Pedophile, was it? Feeling sexual attraction towards young chicks? What an interesting taste you have.]

Struggling to raise her eyes, Delkia soon realized that there was a mysterious presence before her.

Of course, she couldn’t see its face.

All she could see was black hair that fell down to its knees.

[Hmm, I’ll admit it! You’re among the top three craziest people I’ve encountered.]

The owner of the voice seemed to find the surroundings of the basement intriguing, wandering around freely.

Delkia couldn’t even watch its movements.

All she could focus on was the dagger caught in her sight.

[Feeling sexual desire towards a young boy is bad enough, but to preserve that appearance as it is… Well, I can understand the sentiment! The unchanging beauty is the ideal that everyone pursues, as it is an immutable ideal.]

A cold touch caressed her cheek, gradually moving downward.

Then, gently lifting her chin, numerous works mounted on the wall finally came into view.

[Still, you’ve got talent? Truly, even I would applaud these works.]

“…!”

Could those truly be called works of art?

It was an abhorrent sight, enough to make one vomit blood and clutch at their face.

Corpses were mounted on the wall in bizarre poses, indiscernible in what they were meant to express.

Each and every one of them was a boy.

Some were naked, some were only in their underwear, and some had even been stripped of their skin

It was so grotesque that it made one wonder if it was truly the work of human hands, it was beyond just being bizarre.

Delkia was disconcerted but not surprised.

After all, she was the creator of this space.

However, her trembling pupils betrayed her current state of mind.

“What are you? Why are you here…?”

Delkia barely managed to ask.

A chilling laugh that seemed to slice through nerves followed.

[It’s understandable to be envious. You do have an eye for beauty. A bit picky, but they are all irresistibly attractive enough that anyone would want to devour them. But there was a saying back in my day, touching someone else’s man could very well end in disaster…]

“What do you mean?”

[You wouldn’t have known. Probably he didn’t either? How much I gritted my teeth seeing you drool over that boy, both a few days ago in the cage and just a moment ago…]

The voice that had been carrying a tone of interest suddenly changed.

[How dare you…! Cast such vile eyes on my master?]

A surge of negative energy, indescribable by mere words like anger or resentment, made Delkia’s face tremble intensely, not from her own fear, but from the unidentified hand gripping her chin shaking uncontrollably with emotion.

“Ugh!”

Delkia managed to regain her senses and shook the hand off.

-Bang

She hurried towards the door to escape, but couldn’t even touch the doorknob.

An invisible barrier completely blocked her path.

[It’s useless. This place is already sealed by my barrier.]

-Click-clack

The slow approach of death’s footsteps.

Yet, Delkia saw nothing.

An unknown fear, not knowing from where it approached or what was about to happen, tightly constricted her body.

[But I am a generous demonic sword. I’ll give you your final moments. Say goodbye to the children you’ve passed through your hands. It’ll be your last chance to see anything with your own eyes…]

However, her surroundings were already dominated by an unidentified black mist.

-Snap

Suddenly, a pale hand emerged from the mist, gripping Delkia’s face with a chilling coldness.

A coldness that could seemingly freeze blood.

No ordinary human could maintain their sanity feeling this sensation.

[Ah, but there’s no need for that, is there? After all, once you fall to hell, you’ll meet those children again. Share the joy of reunion there~]

Delkia finally faced it.

The owner of the red eyes, sitting within the black mist, looking intently at her.

An entity that could not be described as human, beyond any earthly description,

A being from another dimension.

Soon, a deathly scream tearing through the darkness and silence filled the basement.

* * *

“If you encounter something once in a lifetime, you should seize it no matter what. That’s not wrong. If there’s something you want, you should take it, even if it means stealing.”

The problem is that it’s not a rightful acquisition.

“But, you should also consider the opposite, shouldn’t you? If it’s something you’re willing to give your all to obtain, surely the person who possesses it would desperately try to protect it?”

To the point of never allowing access again.

“Why- Cyon… why are you here? Delkia must have taken you…”

“Ah, it’s nothing. That mad pedophile found someone who wanted me even more…”

Though if we’re being precise, she’s not even a person.

I continued speaking, seated at a desk where a chest had been placed.

“Well, I can see the appeal, to be honest. A bit picky, but after all, it’s a sword like no other in this world…”

It’s said that flowers attract bees, and jewels attract thieves.

Why would it be any different for a sword?

Renowned swordsmen would flock to experience her touch.

But this is a different case.

It’s just trash that doesn’t know its place, indulging in petty desires, how could I not be enraged?

-Thump

After knocking him down by kicking his ankles, I grabbed the back of his neck to meet his gaze.

“She’s something you can never touch…”

Coincidentally, it seems the number of targets has increased by one, no, two, but what can you do?

It’s not like it’s something I can’t handle.

I slowly raised my clenched fist.

I don’t particularly like using fists.

The sensation is mediocre at best, and it’s not easy to control, but rather than letting scum tarnish Kaeram, it’s better if I get dirty instead, isn’t it?

So, I hope he lives as long as possible.

To experience the greatest pain possible.

(To be continued)