The Regressed Son of a Duke is an Assassin

A tranquil sunlight filtering through drifting clouds in the blue sky.

A forest lush with foliage and a clear-flowing stream.

Though it may seem like an utterly ordinary sight of nature, to someone, it could be a fascinating spectacle.

“Papa, look at that! It’s so fascinating!”

Nana, couldn’t seem to take her eyes off the window.

Well, it’s understandable that she’d be excited.

Despite occasional walks, this is the first time she’s ventured out this far.

“Nana, do you remember what I told you?”

“Of course! I’m Papa’s attendant right now! I’ve learned from books how an attendant should behave towards their master!”

What kind of book did she read to learn that?

Honestly, I was a bit worried that her intellect might not catch up with her physical growth, but it doesn’t seem to be a big issue.

Just looking at her sitting there, she’s taking on the posture of a mature lady, not a cheeky child.

She’s always been smart like me, but now she seems more mature.

Is this the joy of raising a child?

-Clatter clatter clatter

Suddenly, the carriage began to slow down.

Brian leaned out of the window on the side where the carriage driver’s seat was.

“What’s going on?”

“It seems like there’s something ahead.”

As he spoke, an unfamiliar presence could be felt from the front.

About seven to eight individuals, roughly.

They were split evenly on both sides of the forest path.

A band of robbers.

It’s a very common event to encounter when traveling through remote forests – carriages passing through and bandits aiming for them.

Normally, if it were a noble’s carriage, there would be several guards surrounding the carriage, but right now, the only person beside me is Brian, who’s driving the carriage.

It would actually be foolish not to target such an unprotected honey pot.

-Screech

Brian, who had finally stopped the carriage, got down from the horse and said,

“I’ll take care of this quickly. Young master.”

Then he smoothly drew his sword and stepped forward.

I leaned back inside the carriage, waiting for the situation to resolve.

“What’s happening, Papa?”

“It seems like we’ve encountered a little trouble. Brian will take care of it.”

-Swish

Through the window, a ruthless sound of cutting could be heard.

If someone heard it, they might think someone was slicing fruit.

There were no loud screams, just the sound of bodies falling.

“It’s done, Young master! We can continue our journey now!”

In less than a minute.

Brian resumed his place at the driver’s seat and started the carriage again.

Peeking out the window, I could see the neatly cut bodies of the bandits scattered around.

It wasn’t just Nana who had grown rapidly in the past two years.

Brian has now grown into a full-fledged guardian knight.

Well, it would be strange if he worked so hard and didn’t see any improvement.

Starting from basic physical training to swordsmanship, martial arts, and even mastery of magic.

He achieved a level of growth that couldn’t be achieved even under any mentor’s guidance in just two years.

The dragon’s blood he consumed back then played a significant role.

It greatly enhanced his physical abilities in various aspects.

By the way, Brian’s magical attribute was wind.

Being adept at swift and agile movement magic, it was suitable for swift assassinations, dispatching enemies in the blink of an eye.

Now, he wouldn’t be the one getting caught off guard and dragged away alone.

How far had we traveled?

At the point where the forest breaks, I felt the familiar presence of mist.

Seeming to sense it too, Brian gradually slowed down the carriage.

This time, I got off myself.

A man with black hair wearing an eye patch.

He was a member of the Mist.

-Nod

He briefly bowed his head at me and handed me a small envelope.

“It’s a message from the leader.”

I immediately opened the envelope and checked the letter.

“Alright, I’ve checked it.”

After carefully inspecting it, I immediately burned the letter on the spot.

The member of the Mist bowed his head once again before promptly leaving.

I, too, climbed back into the carriage to resume our journey to the royal castle.

While gazing out of the window, a subtle smile formed on my lips out of the blue.

“Papa, why are you smiling?”

Nana asked with a curious look in her eyes.

“Hmm? Oh, it’s just because I’m looking forward to something…”

Nana tilted her head in incomprehension.

They say anticipation arises when imagining something unfamiliar that one has never encountered before.

That’s exactly how I feel right now.

I’m the only one from the Mist attending the banquet.

And seeing the well-dressed leader.

Isn’t this incredibly exciting?

* * *

Under the overcast sky, in a quiet space.

A maid approached a woman who was reading alone in her room.

“Madam Silica, it’s been reported that the carriage of Cyan has entered the royal castle.”

“Who are the companions?”

“There’s one knight and one young maid.”

At the mention of “maid,” she titled her head.

“A maid? Cyan wouldn’t have a maid, would he?”

“I heard she’s a girl with pink hair, about ten years old.”

“Pink hair? Could it be Nana they brought along?”

“It seems so for now.”

“Well, leaving her alone at the academy would be worse than bringing her along.”

However, the term ‘maid’ was a bit puzzling.

The last time she saw Nana, she was clearly a little girl of about six years old, so the idea of her being about ten didn’t quite fit.

But for now, she decided to overlook it.

“This is the list of attendees for this banquet.”

The maid handed her a list with several profiles written on it.

Silica carefully examined the names written on the paper.

One by one, they were influential figures from the Empire and other countries.

Then, as if there was a somewhat unexpected person, her brows furrowed slightly.

“Is the granddaughter of the head of the Magic Society, Regens, also coming?”

“Yes. She’s currently on her way to the Empire with members of the Garam Kingdom’s Magic Society.”

“That’s surprising? They’re sending this child from the society…?”

She wasn’t someone of great concern for the mission.

But Silica didn’t seem too pleased as she looked over the list.

“It seems like there will be more guests at this banquet than expected. If you don’t have the opportunity, perhaps it’s best to postpone the task for a while…”

Far more attendees than last year.

This could undoubtedly be detrimental to the progress of the task.

“Well, there’s no need to force ourselves into clearly risky situations. Let’s just observe for now. There’s still time until the banquet.”

“Yes, Madam Silica.”

“What’s that?”

Silica’s gaze suddenly fell on the maid’s left hand.

“Oh, this, um, it’s a letter about Drenian, but…”

The maid seemed hesitant, as if reluctant to hand it over.

At this, Silica silently tapped her finger, and the maid had no choice but to reluctantly hand it over.

Upon reading the contents, Silica immediately furrowed her brow.

“Drenian Nepilis… Urging for a swift execution.”

At that moment, all thoughts of postponing the task vanished from Silica’s mind.

Reading the letter and clenching her fist, Silica’s eyes revealed a strong determination to kill the target at this banquet, no matter what.

Without hesitation, Silica burned the letter and spoke.

“Inform the members. Tell them to stay focused and prepare well until the day arrives. There will be no postponing.”

“Yes, Madam Silica.”

Having delivered the message, the maid left.

Silica, who had intended to focus on her reading once again, soon closed the book and gazed out of the window at the thick clouds outside.

The sky had been unusually gloomy lately.

It was as if it was a precursor to something significant, intensifying the somber atmosphere.

* * *

“Wow…!”

They say when someone is too surprised, they can’t even make a sound of admiration, and these kids were the perfect example of that.

“Is this really where people live…?”

Brian was so astonished that he couldn’t close his gaping mouth, inviting bugs to enter.

Well, when will you ever get the chance to stroll through the streets of the royal capital?

It could be a once-in-a-lifetime moment, after all.

So, he wanted to savor it a bit more.

Sevellinus, the capital of the Ushif Empire.

The land where Emperor Rashtat Sevellerus laid the foundation of the country.

For over hundreds of years, it had been the first city responsible for the prosperity of the empire.

While the magnificent and splendid view of the city might remind one of a divine realm, the reality was that just like any city thriving for a long time, it inevitably had its share of corruption.

In other words, it wasn’t all just a beautiful city.

-Thud!

“Ouch!”

Nana, who had been looking around the streets and moving here and there, suddenly bumped into someone and fell over.

“I-I’m sorry!”

As she hurriedly got up and bowed her head, the man she bumped into smiled kindly and said.

“It’s alright, little miss. Just be more careful from now on.”

Usually, in situations like this, it would lead to conflicts with harsh words and gestures, but this time, it just passed by with generosity.

“Wow, Papa! People here are so kind! They don’t even look angry!”

I looked at Nana’s bright smile.

“Well, not everyone is like that.”

I said as I ruffled Nana’s hair.

Looking at you now, no one would think you’re just an ordinary maid.

Everyone passing by glances at Nana’s face.

With a cute face like yours, you could charm the pants off most of the noble households’ heirs.

Maybe there won’t be any discomfort if you attend the banquet instead of me.

“S-So, where should we go now, Young master?”

There’s still two days until the banquet, so there’s no need to go to the castle just yet.

“Well, since we’re hungry, let’s grab some food first.”

We casually entered the fanciest restaurant nearby.

“Um… Are you going to dine with us?”

Normally, they would ask.

“How many people?”

Perhaps he said this because my attire, while I appear to be the master, doesn’t look particularly good.

I nonchalantly pulled out my wallet and said.

“Three people. Preferably somewhere secluded where there’s no coming and going.”

The waiter was taken aback when he saw the wallet.

“R-Right away, sir! Please come this way!”

There aren’t many ways to change people’s attitudes.

You just need to show your status.

It’s a very natural law in this land where status determines everything.

I told them to order whatever they wanted from the menu.

Considering Nana’s taste, they might end up ordering everything on the restaurant’s menu anyway.

While waiting for the food, I briefly pondered about the target.

Drenian Nepilis.

A member of the Nepilis Marquisate and the younger brother of the current Empress.

In other words, he’s the Emperor’s brother-in-law.

In this country, just that alone could wield a lot of power.

He’s in his late thirties, with children but no wife, essentially a widower.

Above all, he had a notorious reputation among the nobles for indulging in dirty pleasures.

He’s a despicable philanderer who preys on married women, especially those with husbands and families, committing heinous sexual crimes that make him seem less than human, more like a vile creature.

While he’s someone who deserves to be killed, he’s not an easy target to deal with, given his position as the Emperor’s brother-in-law, the Empress’s authority makes it difficult to handle him easily.

Actually killing him isn’t the issue, it’s the aftermath that’s challenging.

Given his status, if it’s revealed that Mist is responsible for Drenian’s death, it would eventually turn the organization into an enemy of the imperial family.

This would not only diminish our activities but also lead to a widespread manhunt for Mist across the empire.

Perhaps the leader has pondered a lot about this cleansing operation, considering it’s been one of the riskiest missions so far.

However, the leader will never withdraw from the operation.

I know the reason why.

Choosing the day of the banquet, where many dignitaries gather, is also deliberate.

-Clatter

Footsteps echoed from around the corner.

Just when I thought it was the waiter bringing the food.

Sensing an unusual mana energy, I quickly turned my head.

It wasn’t accompanied by any hostility.

I didn’t know who it was, but the energy itself felt extraordinary.

A moment later, a strange girl, dressed in a blue robe, stood in front of our table.

She was about the same height as Nana.

She stared at my face with a stern gaze.

“Are you Cyan Vert…?”