The Regressed Son of a Duke is an Assassin

-Swoosh

While wiping the blood with a towel, I collected all the fog in the room.

This room had been enveloped in my barrier since that crazy woman entered.

Since it utilized the power of mist rather than mana, there was no way for ordinary people to notice it.

After finishing the work, my gaze naturally turned to the floor.

I had entrusted it to her, but somehow I felt uneasy.

I decided to go down to the basement where another task was being carried out.

Oh my.

I almost laughed but hurriedly covered my nose.

I was standing in front of a basement door.

It was located right below the room where that perverted merchant was dealt with.

It wasn’t locked, but I couldn’t enter.

Another entity had created a barrier blocking the door.

This means, whatever is happening inside, there’s no way to know from the outside.

But what is this strong smell of blood coming from between the door cracks?

What on earth was done for the smell of blood to seep through the barrier?

The barrier was soon lifted, and I entered without delay.

[You’re here~?]

Kaeram greeted me with an endlessly innocent face.

But I couldn’t help but be drawn more to the scene around her than to her.

It’s like a banquet table for demons.

“What on earth have you done?”

[What? It’s a proper purification process!]

It seems the meaning of purification has been distorted at some point.

The body of that crazy woman that should be there was nowhere to be seen.

It’s not like it’s completely gone.

Perhaps those fist-sized pieces of flesh and white fragments I can see are what remains of her.

How desperate must I be to cover my nose, when I, who have smelled blood more than the scent of rice, find it unbearable.

[Shouldn’t things be done thoroughly? Half-hearted efforts are worse than not doing anything, right?]

Kaeram licked the blood off her lips with a sly smile, looking cheerfully.

I couldn’t help but let out a snort at her shameless demeanor.

[You’re one to talk, aren’t you? How badly must you have beaten him to have your hands all torn up. I must have been that precious to you, huh?]

It’s best not to respond to such blatantly obvious remarks.

Turning my gaze from Kaeram, I finally noticed the bodies stuck to the wall.

Not just one or two, but enough to nearly fill the entire wall.

The bizarre poses, hard to understand what they were meant to express, involuntarily made me frown.

They were all boys of similar age to me.

Who knows how long they’ve been here,

Already dead but not decomposed, forever suffering in this place.

Yet, like that kid who sold cigarettes, they would not receive any attention for this plight.

Continuing to look at them only spoiled my mood.

Leaving them be wouldn’t do any good anyway.

I created a small fireball in my hand and immediately threw it towards the wall.

-Whoosh

The fire spread across the layered bodies and soon engulfed the entire wall in flames.

I’ve really changed.

Whether it was a mission from Mist or an order from the Empire, I used to just complete the given tasks and leave. When did I start meddling in others’ affairs so much?

[Seems like you felt quite sorry for those chicks, huh? Going as far as to give them a proper send-off?]

I replied nonchalantly.

“I do it because I can. There’s no other reason.”

Better to do something when you can than to live with regret.

* * *

“What- what are you talking about?”

Unable to contain her excitement, Lisa finally kicked her seat away and stood up.

It had been just a few hours since she had seen Gunther’s body.

Without time to recover from the shock of the gruesome sight, which was hard to believe was the work of a human, new news had arrived.

It was a fire in the entertainment district of Delkia.

Judging by the serious look on the guard’s face, it seemed it was no ordinary fire.

“Well, it seems they’re trying to extinguish the fire in the entertainment district and figure out the situation… But some strange rumors are circulating.”

“Strange rumors? What are they?”

“There was someone who met with Delkia before the fire broke out…”

The guard hesitated to speak.

“Speak up! Who was she meeting?”

“That- she was meeting with a boy named Cyon!”

Her face contorted in an instant.

“Who- who did you say?”

Despite having clearly heard, she had no choice but to ask again.

Just hearing a single name had made her feel a tingling sensation throughout her body.

“Cy- Cyon?”

Lisa’s face looked as if half her soul had left her.

But that expression did not last long.

As if something had suddenly occurred to her, Lisa hurriedly dashed out of the cage.

“Li- Lisa!”

The guard called out to her, but she paid no heed.

While sprinting with all her might towards an unknown destination, her face was a mix of complex emotions.

-Burst

She arrived here with a more urgent heart than ever before.

As always, a dignified woman was sitting there, welcoming her.

“Ri- Rinze. There’s a fire in the entertainment district right now! It seems that boy…”

“Calm down. I know, you don’t have to tell me.”

The woman’s expression was much more serious than before.

“I thought I was the only target for their scheme, but could it have been otherwise?”

As if wrapped in doubt, the woman stroked her lips with her hand.

The time for contemplation did not last long.

“Lisa?”

“Yes, Rinze…”

“Get ready.”

At the word “prepare,” Lisa’s eyes suddenly flashed with vigor.

“It seems that boy will be coming this way soon…”

The woman’s lips were now curving into a semi-circle.

Along with this, an unknown smoke began to rise around them.

* * *

-Creak

The inside was emptier than I expected.

There was nothing but an old desk and a chair.

Not to mention a barrier, I couldn’t feel any mana at all.

This is almost embarrassing to call a secret space.

However, it wasn’t devoid of people.

A woman with a bob haircut, who had been there for who knows how long, was giving me a strange smile as if she knew I would come.

“Welcome. It’s been a while since I’ve let someone else in here.”

I definitely don’t know her.

A complete stranger I’ve never even passed by.

But she doesn’t feel unfamiliar.

Not that she feels familiar either, but somehow, I felt there might be something in common between her and me.

“Who did you come through? Morris? Delkia? Surely I don’t think Gunther told you…”

“Gunther.”

She raised her eyebrows as if surprised.

“Really? He doesn’t seem like the type to spout information willingly. Well, I guess there’s no standing up to torture. He’s dead now, but somehow, I feel a bit sorry for him?”

Do you know the best way to hide your feelings?

It’s to keep smiling consistently.

Not a smile because you’re happy, but a smile that mocks the other person.

The woman in front of me is a perfect example of that.

I don’t like it.

She’s exactly the type of person I really dislike.

“Are you Rinze Nihalov?”

“Well, that’s what I’m called here. Whether I’m the Rinze Nihalov you’re looking for, I can’t say…”

“What do you mean?”

-Zzzt

Suddenly, the hands of her, who had her arms crossed, blurred slightly.

Unless it’s a soul, a normal human body shouldn’t blur like that.

Meaning, the woman I was seeing wasn’t in a normal human body.

“You’re not corporeal.”

“I can’t exactly show my full self to an assassin who came to kill me, now can I?”

She already knows my purpose?

“Looks like you’re in the same boat, aren’t you? I doubt there’s anyone in this city who remembers your face.”

I frowned immediately.

“What are you?”

“You lack manners for someone so young. You should introduce yourself before asking who someone else is. Didn’t she teach you that?”

She?

“Silica Nigriti… I mean her. She’s the one who sent you to kill me.”

“…”

About 10 seconds of silence passed.

It seems she needed some time to gather her thoughts.

She knows about the assassination, and though not certain, it seems she knows what abilities I’m using too.

Let’s assume that’s possible.

The most important thing is that the name of the clan leader came from this mysterious woman.

There’s only one conclusion I can draw from this situation.

This woman, she’s related to Mist.

-Sssss

A black mist, both unfamiliar and familiar, unfolded ostentatiously in front of me.

“This is why the ways of the world are so unpredictable. That old-fashioned woman becoming the leader of Mist, it’s almost a miracle they’ve managed to survive until now.”

My mood soured drastically.

There could be many reasons, but the biggest was the look in the eyes of this mysterious woman.

The negative emotions inside her that couldn’t be hidden behind that detestable smile were clearly visible to me.

“Now that I think about it, something doesn’t add up. If you found out where I was through Gunther, you could have come straight here without hesitation. Were they also included in your targets?”

“No, it was just you.”

Thinking there was nothing to hide, I told her, and she burst into loud laughter.

“Ah, I haven’t laughed this much in a while. So, you killed for purely personal reasons? How interesting. An assassin making their presence so blatantly known.”

“I never said I killed them.”

“If you’re going to lie, at least try to wash off the smell of blood next time. I don’t know what you did, but I’d appreciate if you knew that the scent of their screams is emanating from your body.”

Whether it’s from the way she speaks or the aura she emits, she’s not some low-level member with a superficial understanding of Mist.

At the very least, she’s of a rank equivalent to an executive.

She might even be comparable to the clan leader.

Did the clan leader send me knowing this?

She looked at my face as if she was appreciating a piece of art, resting her chin on her hands.

“The more I look at you, the more interesting you become. You have the merciless eyes of someone who feels no distance from killing, yet there seems to be a hint of hesitation somewhere.”

Hesitation?

It was so absurd I couldn’t even laugh.

Regardless of her relation to the organization, my mission ultimately lies in killing her.

“So how long do you plan to hide in the mist? You must be quite fond of wagging your tongue, aren’t you? Or perhaps, you’re hoping I’ll find you in the end?”

“Of course not. I just wanted to check something! I was curious about how much power Silica’s child really has. Furthermore…”

A sinister smile, filled with murderous intent, formed at the corners of her mouth.

“I wonder how they would compare to my own child…”

“…!”

Suddenly, a sharp killing intent surged from directly beneath the desk where she was sitting.

-Bang!

I quickly retreated, and as the desk split in half, a wave of energy erupted.

Along with this, my view was obstructed by the broken desk.

-Clang!

A dagger flew out from between the split desk, which I blocked with my own weapon.

“What?!”

The moment I saw the owner of the sword, I involuntarily flinched.

Although the face was familiar, the atmosphere felt entirely different, as if I was looking at a different person with the same face.

“…”

The gold nameplate attached to the right side of her chest was shining brightly.

(To be continued)