The Regressed Son of a Duke is an Assassin

“…!”

If someone saw, they might mistake this blanket for a top-grade magical robe.

Wrapped in it like a shield, trembling all over, as a means of defense was truly pitiful.

“How long are you going to keep that up?”

I asked, exasperated.

“Why on earth did you bring that in, master? How could you just decide to raise such a thing in our room?”

“You say you won’t be scared anymore even if there is a demonic beast in front of you?”

“Well, that’s a different story! Besides, she’s not even a demon, she’s just a dr—”

Her frightened eyes met those of Nana, who was eating.

“Hey, hey!”

Just as she seemed frozen in fear, Emily suddenly let out a strange whimper and bolted back to her room.

Nana approached me with a puzzled expression.

“Papa, why is Emily acting like that?”

“Don’t worry about it. She’ll adapt on her own eventually.”

I gently stroked her head and reassured her.

Nana smiled happily in response.

Eventually, Emily was brought back to the academy.

By procedure, she should return to the Velias Estate.

However, for nobles, a personal attendant is akin to personal property; if the owner wishes, their whereabouts can change at any time.

As she’s still classified as my personal attendant, I have the authority to decide her fate.

No one can interfere unless they’re the head of the household.

Emily probably couldn’t even dream of it.

That she was used as a pawn to kill me.

Though their plan failed, there’s no reason to keep her, considering the various risks.

Returning her to Velias would be the worst scenario, and I have no intention of just standing by.

Since nobody would question me taking back my attendant, they wouldn’t dare to approach her recklessly.

Well, as for Emily…

My gaze shifted back to Nana, who had resumed her meal.

Is this what parents worry about as their children grow?

Even though I’ve hidden it well for the past two years, it’s far from perfect.

Not only suspicions about the food expenses, but also from other aspects, if these things continue to pile up, it’s bound to explode.

Though she managed to suppress the mana by her ability to transform freely…

Continuing this lifestyle seems unrealistic.

In any case, I think we should enroll Nana in school instead of fake employment like Emily did.

“I’m back, Master.”

Just as Brian returned from his private training, he handed me two unfamiliar letters.

“Both were received from official channels of the academy.”

Seems like I’ve been receiving letters more frequently lately.

I was slightly anxious, wondering if they were strange invitations or something, but thankfully, they weren’t.

First, there was a letter from Alice.

Along with brief greetings, she mentioned that she had finally decided on her future.

It’s finally happening.

Joining the Knights of Light to uphold the family legacy.

It wasn’t particularly surprising.

It had been drilled into me since I was young, and I had already resolved myself countless times, so my sister’s choice was expected.

In fact, it’s not an exaggeration to say that she chose the best path available to her.

I don’t deny that the Knights of Light are the most suitable place for her innate talents to be utilized.

Normally, upon applying, there’s a period of 6 months to a year for review and probation, but my sister will likely have those periods significantly shortened.

If you ask if it’s a special recruitment, it is.

There’s no need to waste time on a talent so renowned that every citizen of the Empire knows about it.

At the very least, within 3 months, and possibly within a month, my sister will be bestowed with the title of a Knight of Light.

The problem lies in what comes after.

Despite the past hiccup, my sister’s life is progressing in the same direction as before.

That means, ultimately, her life’s end will also be the same as before.

There isn’t much time left.

Soon, there will be a day when she leaves the academy.

I carefully preserved the letter my sister had written after reading it.

Then, I naturally looked at the second letter.

“What’s this?”

Although the recipient was clearly me, there was no indication of the sender anywhere on the letter.

So I tore it open and checked right away.

The awkward title attached to my name immediately gave away who the sender was.

It was Luna.

To an observer, it might seem like an affectionate relationship between senior and junior.

The more I read the letter, the narrower my forehead seemed to become.

Was it because of my mood?

Even brushing past each other’s clothes is considered a connection, but isn’t this a bit excessive?

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that they’re forcing a connection from one side.

Or was this brat approaching me for some purpose?

While others might say, “Isn’t this girl clearly showing interest in you?”

I, on the other hand, naturally have a negative mindset, so I don’t feel anything even if I see this.

It just triggers my wariness even more.

Amidst this, my lips unknowingly curled up when I read the last sentence.

I said this out of fear of being misunderstood, but I laughed because it was ridiculous.

Coming to see me soon?

Is she coming to visit me before school starts?

A sense of unease that something annoying might happen soon began to rise strongly.

I even seriously considered going on a vacation somewhere else during the remaining vacation.

Just as I was pondering that,

-Knock, knock

A strange knocking sound echoed in the room.

At the same time, the anxiety that arose from reading the letter surged even stronger like a blazing fire.

Stopping Brian from leaving and cautiously approaching the door, I peeked outside.

As mentioned earlier, it’s currently vacation time.

That means, there’s no one living in the Royal Palace except me.

The fact that a strange visitor came here, where even the facility managers pay no attention…

Though I hadn’t confirmed it yet, I already felt like I knew who was behind the door.

Hoping it wasn’t the person in my mind, I cautiously opened the door.

-Creak

“…”

I didn’t say anything after opening the door.

It wasn’t because I was too surprised to speak, but because the situation I had anticipated was unfolding before my eyes.

The unfamiliar visitor looked at me with an unabashed gaze and said,

“It’s been a while, Senior.”

* * *

Naturally, unable to stay in the room, I grabbed her hand and pulled her outside.

Luna didn’t resist or show any sign of strength as she followed me out, like a soulless doll.

The destination we arrived at together was the cafeteria, a place I hadn’t set foot in since enrollment.

Of course, there were no other people besides us.

“You turned out to be quite a bold guy, Senior,”

She said, stroking her wrist.

“Don’t talk nonsense and get to the point. Why did you come to find me?”

“I was bored.”

Her expression was infinitely confident and upright.

There was not a hint of falsehood.

“Seeing your face, Senior, it feels like you’re facing someone with a secret agenda.”

She hit the nail on the head.

I affirmed with silence.

“I’m a bit disappointed. We’ve sat at the same table, but you didn’t seem interested.”

More like you just joined us uninvited during mealtime.

I didn’t want to waste time with idle talk.

Leaning against the waist with my arms crossed, I gave her a guarded look.

“Hey, junior. You seem to have misunderstood the proper relationship between seniors and juniors. We’ve barely spent two hours face to face.”

“Less than I think? I thought it was about 20 hours.”

She’s talking nonsense.

“Even if you live for 20 years, trust doesn’t necessarily develop in human relationships. It’s strange enough to treat you warmly for just 2 hours. Don’t you think?”

“…..”

She seemed momentarily speechless, but her face didn’t show shock.

“Senior, considering we’re only a year apart, it’s odd that you speak as if you’ve lived more than 20 years.”

There’s no retort to that.

I briefly averted my gaze.

She’s quick on the uptake.

“Okay. Anyway, trust should be built between us, right? Since I already trust you, I just need to earn your trust.”

She’s quite articulate.

Luna closed her eyes momentarily, lost in thought.

She seemed to ponder how to gain my trust.

“Shall I tell you a secret about our society that you might like, Senior?”

“…?”

“In fact, our society, including my grandfather, has been keeping an eye on you. The reason I was sent to the Imperial banquet was to investigate you.”

For a moment, I frowned, thinking I had heard something wrong.

What?

Am I hearing this right?

“You might feel unjust, but our society has been experiencing unfortunate incidents recently.”

“Unfortunate incidents?”

“Yes. A knight who supplied blood from the frontlines was suddenly assassinated one day, and a merchant who provided research materials and human test subjects to the society was unexpectedly found dead. Also, the dragons that were of great help to our magic society suddenly disappeared near the academy, among other fatally consequential events.”

It’s unbelievable, but I couldn’t laugh.

All the facts she mentioned were related to me.

Without showing any expression, I asked,

“……So, the Garam Magic Society is suspecting me as the perpetrator of those disgraceful incidents you mentioned. Is that right?”

“Yes,”

Luna’s answer was consistent.

“Do you not know that telling lies when trying to gain trust will have the opposite effect?”

“It’s not a lie. I just told you the truth.”

I understood.

At least, she wasn’t lying about the incidents.

The problem was that these events were related to the Garam Magic Society Luna belonged to, and they were suspicious of me as the culprit.

“On what basis are you saying this?”

I could only deny it as frivolous talk.

“I honestly think it’s not appropriate. However, because my grandfather has a very suspicious personality, he keeps all possibilities in mind. You, Senior, have lived near the frontlines before enrolling in the academy and are easily capable of erasing traces as a Darkness attribute user.”

“So it’s not a definite conclusion but a vague assumption?”

“Sort of.”

Regens, the society president.

I knew he was suspicious, but I never thought he’d consider me a suspect.

Moreover, the dragons I killed were actually related to the Garam Magic Society… even in my past life I didn’t know this fact.

A pact between dragons and humans.

How would other dragons, including those from other countries, react if they knew this fact?

“Well, if what you say is true, people in the magic society, including your grandfather, are now suspicious of me, and you’ve just told me about it. Is there any reason to go to such lengths to gain my trust? I have nothing to offer you.”

This is not just a secret, but classified information.

It’s not something I can casually discuss as a favor.

Why is she doing this?

What’s the reason for continually approaching me to gain my trust?

Unless she speaks out about this, she’ll never get out of my guarded target.

“…”

She continued to fixate her gaze on me with unwavering indifference.

Behind the slightly trembling pupils, I could see her inner turmoil, as if she were deeply contemplating something.

Luna soon opened her mouth.

———