The Regressed Son of a Duke is an Assassin

Honestly, I was a bit surprised.

The stance with the sword, the grip strength transmitted from the tip of the blade, even the ability to utilize the space around.

I had anticipated that she was more than just a simple manager, but it turned out she was even more than I had thought.

And above all, those eyes.

A strong intent to kill me no matter what was spreading like flames.

Didn’t she say to leave this city as fast as possible if I wanted to live?

It was just a few hours ago, it is a complete turnaround from her indecisive appearance.

Rinze was watching from behind with a pleased smile on her face.

-Sreung

After a brief standoff,

She drew another sword from her waist.

-Chang Chang Chang Chang

Four sword strikes followed, with smooth curves.

Not too big, nor too monotonous, it reminded me of the fluttering of a butterfly’s wings.

Of course, none of the attacks were close enough to reach me.

Given the narrow space of about 3 square meters, big movements would be meaningless in this situation.

She must have known that too.

I subtly stepped back to create a distance of about two steps.

Then, I naturally adjusted my grip on the sword hilt and stepped forward again.

I raised the sword and slashed diagonally once, then lifted it halfway and struck straight another time.

-Chang Chang

She blocked it effortlessly, as if she had predicted my path, but it would be a mistake to think it was over.

I naturally connected the previous two strikes and resumed my attack.

-Swoosh

Once diagonally from the lower right,

-Chang

Quickly flipping the sword hilt to adjust my grip, then straight up once more.

She was somewhat flustered by the fourth attack, which she hadn’t anticipated, but still managed to block without faltering.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t over yet.

Just 1 cm before my foot touched the ground again.

I lifted my vertically slashed arm once more up to my chest and then gently thrust it towards the center.

-Kkaang

The final consecutive strike that she couldn’t block sent one of her swords flying into the air.

A look of confusion was evident on her face.

“……”

About 5 seconds passed before the sword that had been launched embedded itself into the ground.

During that time, I did not make any move.

Sometimes, taking no action at all can inflict a greater wound.

I believe she understood the meaning behind my action.

-Eudeuk

After hesitating for a moment, wondering what to do, she finally gritted her teeth.

She realized it.

That she had been underestimated.

Now, her eyes held not just a murderous intent but were also filled with venom.

Indifferent, I silently waited for her to come back in.

-Swish

With a movement quick as lightning, she picked up her sword and stamped her position again.

-Clang

This time, without any grand sword strikes, she pushed forward, leading with both swords.

A significant pressure was felt from the crossed blades.

Though she was a woman, she appeared to have chosen to overpower me with strength, as she was physically superior to me in terms of weight class considering she was grown.

“……!”

It wasn’t just strength that I felt.

There was a will to kill me at all costs, and a desperation that came from beyond that.

Caught up in these interesting emotions, my body was being pushed against the wall and pinned down by her before I knew it.

“……none.”

In the midst of trying to fend her off, she suddenly whispered something.

“What did you say?”

“No personal feelings…….”

I couldn’t help but snicker internally.

I didn’t care about feelings or any of that nonsense to begin with, but it seemed like she was seriously misunderstanding something.

“Listen here, Manager.”

Breaking the silence, I calmly opened my mouth.

“……!?”

“Such words should only be said when you have absolute confidence that you’re in a superior position to your opponent.”

She didn’t reply, but her eyes said she understood perfectly.

“Do you think you have the right to say that to me?”

I released the suppressed power and thrust it out as is.

“……!”

She lost her balance due to the unexpected force, her stance getting tangled.

-Thunk

Not missing this opportunity, I immediately grabbed her neck and pressed down on her in return.

“Ugh!”

It wasn’t a complete suppression.

Her neck was caught, but her hands were still free,

So she quickly corrected her grip on the sword she hadn’t dropped and swiftly counterattacked.

-Clang!

Of course, this strike was also futile against me.

I flowed like water, receiving her strike from left to right, and her sword was sent flying with a large spin.

Now, she was left completely defenseless without any means to attack.

As her decisive counterattack was effortlessly blocked, her burning will faded as quickly as a candle being extinguished.

“Ha…….”

With a helpless sigh, she even closed her eyes.

She sensed her defeat.

Whether it was quick acceptance or quick surrender,

Without any hesitation, I brought down my sword, Kaeram, onto her.

-Thud

As her body was slammed to the ground, dust rose with a loud noise.

After another 5 seconds of silence passed,

I blandly lifted my head.

“Ha, ha…….”

Below me, the breaths of a woman who had just escaped the brink of life and death were harshly rising.

Rinze, who had been watching the situation all along, asked me with a very tense voice, unlike her previous mocking tone.

If I were to rephrase it, it could be said like this:

Why didn’t you kill her?

“Rather, that’s the question I want to ask. What are you doing?”

“What?”

“Even though it was a phantom, it was a situation where you could have easily intervened. Why did you just stand by and watch?”

She clearly stated that she wanted to see how much power I had compared to her own child.

I admit it.

This manager showed quite remarkable movements.

Far superior to the trash of that waste yard.

Her mindset as an assassin, having not a moment’s hesitation in killing her target, was also excellent.

It was just that she was no match for me.

The problem is that I know it, the woman in front of me knows it, and the manager below, gasping for breath, knows it too.

The moment her last counterattack was blocked, she closed her eyes.

A face that seemed to have resigned all will to live.

Not only I but also Rinze was clearly watching that face.

However, she did not lift a finger.

She just watched endlessly with an inscrutable smirk.

That was what I was asking about.

She clicked her tongue as if it was laughable.

“Hah? Did you really think I would step in to save that child?”

“…….”

“How foolish this assassin child is. To show mercy to someone who was trying to kill you, of all things.”

Why?

Didn’t she say it was her child?

To leave her to die so easily?

At least, this manager was sincere towards me.

She gave her all to try and kill me, and when that was blocked, she cleanly admitted defeat and laid everything down.

For that woman who was merely spectating.

Why would I stand to see that?

“You’re quite arrogant. What was Silica thinking sending a child like you?”

Her cold gaze briefly flickered, and her body, wavering like waves, was suddenly enveloped in mist.

Not mana drawn from magic, nor the power of artificially created artifacts, but an omnipotent power bestowed by a supreme being.

This was unmistakably the aura of Aer.

“Are you finally showing your true colors?”

She opened her mouth with the same arrogant smile as before.

“Yes. As you might have guessed, I too was once an assassin who had been part of Mist. I entered around the same time as your leader Silica and crossed swords with her.”

I wasn’t particularly surprised, as I had anticipated this.

“You might not know this. If I hadn’t left Mist and was still there, the person you’d be calling ‘leader’ might have been me, not her…….”

With a brazenness that went beyond confidence, her eyes shone.

It wasn’t a boastful claim but a statement that genuinely came from the heart.

“You don’t believe me? From the time Silica and I were mere members, neither of us could be said to be superior to the other; we both achieved remarkable growth. Swordsmanship, magic, the application of secret techniques… Climbing to the rank of an officer was done in no time.”

The mist that slowly spread began to gradually engulf the small room.

As if it intended to constrict me within it.

“The god of mist, Aer… Even though he was banished from the realm of gods, his power is undeniably immense. It’s a realm unreachable by the meager strength of humans, capable of achieving much, and allows for endless development.”

She asked me, looking into my eyes.

“Let me ask you this. Assassin of Mist, what do you think is the purpose of Mist’s existence?”

The only response I could give was the textbook answer.

“To negate the existing world order centered around the light, to reveal the ugly side of humanity that remains hidden.”

As if she expected such an answer, she nodded.

“You know well. Then, another question. What has Mist done for that goal?”

I was about to say assassination but hesitated.

As I’ve mentioned before, Mist hasn’t been continuously active.

It disappeared for 50 years due to the whims of a foolish god.

During that long time, all they could do was wait without promise.

“They did nothing! Despite having the power to achieve much and change many things, Mist remained inactive! Waiting for an heir whose arrival time in the world was unknown!”

Ironically, that heir turned out to be me.

“Isn’t that pathetic? With the power of a god, what is there to fear? Why hide from the world? I couldn’t understand why this power had to be wasted!”

One might think it was a power she had earned on her own.

“That’s why I left the organization! I couldn’t stand to see my power wasted! But it wasn’t just a simple departure! It wasn’t just me rotting away there…”

I thought about listening quietly for a bit, but it seems I can’t bear it any longer.

Having revealed her true nature, I was about to proceed with the real purification task as ordered by the lord,

“……!”

The power of the mist that had been concentrated finally dispersed, transforming the space in all directions.

Are we going to unfold this here?

The old wooden floor disappeared as if dust was blown away, and an immense mist covered everything.

If my senses are correct, this is undoubtedly…

“A pocket dimension?!”

A surreal space created by the power of a god.

An absolute domain that allows no external access.

This was definitely not an illusion.

(To be continued)