The Regressed Son of a Duke is an Assassin

A surreal space crafted by divine power.

Silica, the leader of the Mist, sat alone in the vast square, continuing her mental cultivation.

Behind her tightly closed eyes, restrained emotions revealed nothing to the observer.

Towards her, a handful of black mist slowly approached.

(You sent Cyan on an interesting task, didn’t you?)

Her tightly shut eyes suddenly opened.

“What do you mean?”

(The words spoken were from that directive. Isn’t he the target of the purification task you decided on?)

Silica couldn’t bring herself to answer directly.

“…I won’t deny it.”

(There’s no intention to criticize. I merely inquired because sending that child for your personal matters was unexpected.)

She rose gracefully from her seat.

“Cyan was a perfect child from the moment I met him. His existence puzzles me. Perhaps Aeru knows the reason.”

(…)

Aier smiled invisibly.

“I don’t currently, nor in the future, have any intention of probing into that. However, Cyan needs to realize.”

(Realize what?)

“It’s about what one can and cannot do with their own power. My personal emotions are indeed involved in this mission. However, through this task, Cyan must come to understand. That way, he can wield his power in the future without regret.”

A faint smile blossomed on her lips.

* * *

As I mentioned before, I’ve used the Mist’s secrets to disguise my face, making it impossible for others to recognize me.

Yet, amidst all this, someone I’ve never seen before recognized me by my face?

This was absolutely not something to overlook.

Without revealing my concern, I asked,

“Do you know me?”

“Yeah, I do! Honestly, your face seemed familiar, but I recognized you right away after seeing your punch! It was the same movement you showed earlier.”

From the context, it seemed like he might have watched my match during the day.

But he recognized me just from my movements?

While my head might have been a bit empty, it seemed like I needed to acknowledge at least one thing.

“G-Gunther?”

The henchmen, who had been lounging, were startled when they saw him.

Gunther was a name I hadn’t heard before either.

“Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Gunther Rictus. I’m one of the rulers of this city, managing the western waste disposal facility.”

A ruler of the city?

Was this some kind of gangster?

But leaving him aside, the faces of the thugs lying around were a sight to behold.

Despite having broken limbs because of me, they were seized with tremendous fear of the man named Gunther, not me.

“I’m telling you, that’s how it is. So, for now, consider me your fan. I was impressed by your flashy skills! It was like seeing the old me!”

“You’re out of your mind.”

It was truly pathetic.

“Don’t get me wrong! I said it out of genuine admiration! That’s why I rushed straight to the big boss of the cage after the match. I asked her to set up a fight with you right away!”

In an instant, my brow furrowed involuntarily.

“The big boss?”

I heard something I couldn’t just let slide.

“Oh, you don’t know, huh? She’s such a peculiar lady, sticking to her mysticism. Don’t worry about it. You don’t need to know…”

Without a word, I calmly walked towards him.

Things seemed to be unfolding unexpectedly easily.

“Huh? The atmosphere got weird? Are you intrigued by something I said?”

Precisely a two-step distance.

If I extended my fist or swung my foot, I could reach him in less than a second.

Within that distance, I asked with a composed face,

“Do you know the owner of Lambert Cage?”

He chuckled and replied,

“Of course I do! I’m one of the few beings in this city who knows her face. That’s Lindsay Nihalov…”

-Whoosh

The moment he mentioned the name I was searching for, my body moved without hesitation.

-Thud!

My right foot swung in a semicircle towards his head.

There was a dull thud, but he didn’t budge.

He had raised his arm to block.

“Ha! What do you think you’re doing?”

The exploration was over, and my task was clear.

I was going to make him spill it right here about that Lindsay Nihalov.

As he reacted to my aggression, he clenched his fist and swung it fiercely towards me.

-Thunk!

I swiftly dodged the blow, the ground tremoring momentarily from the immense force.

“Quite fiery for someone who looks so young. Did you want to fight me too?”

I didn’t bother to respond.

“Well, there’s no need to wait until the match day! If you want it and I want it, there’s no problem fighting right here, right now! Hahaha!”

I needed to shut that big mouth first.

After adjusting my stance, I gathered strength into my fist and lunged again.

“Stop, Gunther!”

My gaze automatically turned towards a familiar voice.

-Swish

A gleam emanated from a short dagger as it sliced through the air between us.

Flustered guards, along with a neatly dressed attendant with flowing brown hair, were waiting in the aftermath.

“Are you okay, sir?”

“Hmm?”

I was slightly taken aback by the unexpected question.

“Gunther, what’s the meaning of this? How dare you attack our guest from outside? Do you want to rot in a dung barrel?”

I couldn’t help but chuckle at the rather intense statement.

Indeed, this attendant didn’t seem entirely sane either.

“What nonsense are you spouting? He attacked me first!”

“I won’t listen to your excuses! What are you waiting for? Protect the guest!”

At her command, the guards began to move swiftly.

Before long, a protective barrier formed around me.

What’s with this excessive protection?

“They’re treating him like some VIP guest. Acting all high and mighty. Shouldn’t you relax the guards a bit? Acting like uncivilized thugs, don’t you think?”

Though I didn’t say a word, just looking at the attendant’s face, it seemed like she was thinking enough on my behalf.

“Tell me, Gunther! What’s the reason for attacking our guest at such a late hour?”

“This is insane. He attacked me first! And it seems like there’s some misunderstanding here. This is clearly my territory. What business do you have interfering when it’s my fight in my territory?”

Territory, huh?

Come to think of it, when Gunther introduced himself, he mentioned being one of the rulers of this city.

Were they playing some kind of territorial game among themselves?

And how did this attendant find me?

I was unintentionally left out, creating a subtle tension between the two.

They maintained fierce gazes at each other as if a predator were encountering another predator.

“Enough! What do you gain from fighting with me?”

Surprisingly, it was the ruffian who backed away first.

“If you really don’t want to witness a brawl, then I suggest you arrange a match with that guy over there. Do you get my drift?”

He took a drag from his cigarette and glanced towards me abruptly.

“Then I’ll be looking forward to our match, Zion!”

With a last swaggering farewell, Gunther vanished into the alley.

-Squelch

“Are you alright, sir?”

I couldn’t decide how to respond at that moment.

“Why are you here?”

“T-That guy, Gunther, I came to chase after him and happened to stumble upon you… Anyway, I’m just glad I could protect you from his threats.”

“But I was the one who attacked first.”

“What?”

There was a strange silence around us for a moment.

“Oh! T-That’s right! It’s just that Gunther guy started a dispute with you first…”

“No, that’s not it. I attacked him first.”

She was seemingly at a loss for words from my impassioned words.

“W-What? Then why are you here?!”

“Well… Maybe because of that little kid?”

I gestured towards the boy crouched in an empty basket, looking startled yet endearing.

There was indeed a real reason, but there was no need to mention it.

“Ah…”

She seemed to deflate, as if relieved.

“By the way, I heard something strange from that Gunther guy?”

“W-What do you mean?”

“He said he went to find the owner of this facility because he wanted to fight you.”

“Ah… I suppose that’s what he meant.”

She bowed her head as if in resignation.

“I won’t deny it. He came to us a while ago, demanding a match with you.”

“Why?”

“Well, he wanted to fight you, I suppose. He used to be a player here at Cage, quite well-known, but he was permanently banned from the matches a few years ago for killing someone during a match. But now, he suddenly wants to fight you, so it’s been a bit of a headache for me.”

Was that kid also from here?

But considering the atmosphere from earlier and her words, it seemed like there was some kind of connection between this attendant and him.

It wasn’t my concern, but there was definitely something I needed to address.

“So, you arranged a match without my consent. I’m not affiliated with you, am I?”

As if expecting this, she swallowed hard before replying,

“Oh, it’s not confirmed yet, but both Gunther and our owner want the match. That’s why I was going to ask for your opinion.”

“The owner?”

I couldn’t help but react to that word.

“W-What’s wrong?”

“If you’re talking about the owner, are you referring to Lindsay Nihalov, the owner of Cage?”

“Yes, that’s right. Our owner, Lindsay Nihalov…”

Knowing that Lindsay Nihalov was the owner of Cage wasn’t particularly significant.

The issue was this woman.

Her previous words and her manner suggested that she was speaking as if she had received direct orders from the owner.

I decided to play it cool and said,

“Yes?”

She seemed to misunderstand my lack of reaction and smiled awkwardly.

“Arrange the match? As soon as possible? The sooner, the better?”

“Uh… Are you serious?”

Taken aback by my unexpectedly swift acceptance, she was visibly flustered.

“Y-Yes? Please, tell me your conditions! We’ll try to accommodate them as much as possible!”

My gaze shifted to the little cigarette-selling boy, lost in thought about the situation.

He seemed to be struggling with the unexpected turn of events.

“I have a condition.”

“P-Please tell me! We’ll do almost anything!”

My gaze fell on the boy, and I made my request.

“Let that kid work at your facility.”

* * *

Rumors of a comet-like rookie appearing at Cage had only spread a week ago.

Cage was packed to its highest capacity ever.

“I had my doubts, but it’s really him, isn’t it? Gunther from the waste yard is back. What on earth brought him here?”

“I heard Gunther personally requested a match. Seems like he was itching for a fight with that cheeky kid.”

“Heh! Cage is in for a show. Can you believe a brat like that is reigning over Cage?”

One week. It took the boy named Zion to dominate Cage.

In terms of actual fight time, it didn’t even reach five minutes, and he hadn’t gone beyond two rounds.

It was undeniably astonishing but not necessarily a good thing for the matches themselves.

People crave excitement, after all.

Such a figure emerged at Cage, capable of satisfying the audience’s taste for stimulation.

“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Cage, home of Lambert! The much-awaited match of today is about to begin!”

A man with sunglasses, appearing as the announcer, announced the commencement in the center.

The audience responded with excitement as the players appeared from both sides: Gunther and Zion.

While Gunther seemed somewhat cheerful, Zion maintained a stoic demeanor.

“Now, just enjoying a fiery match like today wouldn’t be proper. A special rule is added to this match starting now!”

The audience began to buzz with anticipation.

“A special rule? I hope they’re not giving that boy a handicap, right?”

“Who knows? Even if he’s a brat, he’s facing Gunther, isn’t he? There’s probably a clause about not killing each other, right? Heh heh!”

“As long as they don’t impose any weird restrictions…”

In reality, most of the audience expected Gunther to win.

Despite Zion’s performance, the memories of Gunther’s ruthless actions lingered more in the audience’s minds.

As if anticipating the audience’s psyche, the announcer chuckled and continued,

“No-rule match! Today’s match will proceed as a no-rule match!”

A moment of silence swept through the stands.

“Literal no rules! Anything goes in this match! Not just fists, but weapons, magic, even tricks are all fair game! The goal is to dominate your opponent by any means necessary!”

The silence turned into cheers in an instant.

—————