The Regressed Son of a Duke is an Assassin

A turbulent heart and a hastening bloodstream.

Arin currently felt an inexplicable sense of awkwardness.

One thing was certain: these emotions didn’t stem from within herself.

She glanced at her trembling right hand.

“…”

Unbearable anger and hatred.

The emotions she felt when Cyan grabbed her hand the day before were the same.

It seemed as if the emotions from that moment were still lingering in her hand.

From this, Arin could tell: Cyan was currently very angry.

“Because I was in a hurry, I arrived sooner than expected. I wonder if I interrupted your exercise?”

Boris, the instructor, asked with the same casual smile as the day before.

Unable to respond, Arin stuttered, but Cyan, who was beside her, spoke up in her place.

“It’s fine. We just finished.”

As if putting on a mask, Cyan’s face suddenly returned to normal.

“I see. Then, if it’s okay now, can you spare some time for me? I have something important to discuss with Cyan.”

It might seem like an ordinary conversation between student and teacher, but to Arin it didn’t look ordinary at all.

“Sure, go ahead,” he said.

Contrary to her expectation of refusal, Cyan showed no objections.

“Thank you. Shall we go to my research lab? And if it’s okay, would Arin like to come along?”

“Huh? Um, I mean…”

Flustered, Arin was suddenly thrown into a dilemma of what to say.

It was Cyan who answered in her place.

“The princess hasn’t completed her designated exercise yet.”

It wasn’t a lie.

Arin was indeed planning to start strength training after her jogging.

Whether Cyan knew that and mentioned it was unknown, but one thing she could infer was that Cyan didn’t want her company.

“I see. Then, unfortunately, I’ll have to wait for next time.” ”

Yes… I’ll definitely make time next time.”

Arin’s gaze turned back to Cyan.

Cyan bowed her head to her as usual, with the same indifferent eyes.

“Excuse me now, Your Highness.”

“R-Right, Cyan! See you later…”

Just as Arin was about to bid farewell in surprise…

– Swoosh

Cyan stealthily grabbed Arin’s hand and whispered quickly in her ear.

“Go straight to your room…”

“…?”

Without a chance to question what she meant, Cyan promptly left with Boris, leaving Arin bewildered.

* * *

The research lab he had visited just half a day ago.

There wasn’t anything different.

The warmth of the room, the arrangement of research items, and even the history books spread out on the desk.

To avoid suspicion from ambiguous glances, I sat down without any fidgeting.

Boris, like other instructors, was brewing tea for the visiting students.

“I don’t have much to offer you yet, so this is all I have.”

It was a common type of tea that you could find anywhere.

There didn’t seem to be anything suspicious in it.

“Before we start the conversation with Cyan, let’s talk about this first.”

I met his gaze as I sat across from him.

Then, memories of the past that had been suppressed surged up in an instant.

But I wouldn’t show it.

No matter what reason he had for being here, I wouldn’t reveal anything.

“Earlier this morning, Luna came to visit.”

“…!”

I couldn’t help but react to those words.

“I asked what was happening at such an early hour and she immediately admitted her fault. She came to the research lab to meet me in the middle of the night. Alone…”

Alone?

Did she mean except for me?

I had a vague idea of her intention.

Perhaps she was afraid of leaving traces behind and decided to reveal herself first.

What a pointless thing to do.

“But because I wasn’t there, she couldn’t meet me. Nevertheless, she proceeded to trespass without permission. Then she claimed to have seen this graffiti on the desk.”

It was the same history book Luna and I had seen.

“But the important thing wasn’t this history book. What she was interested in was the graffiti on the last page…”

He unfolded the back page and showed me the graffiti.

It was the same as what we had seen yesterday.

“Do you happen to know what this graffiti means, Cyan?”

I answered exactly 4 seconds later.

“I’m not sure.”

“Then let me give you a hint. The large figure at the center represents the sun. It signifies the sun floating in the sky. So what surrounds it?”

I gave an indifferent answer.

“I can only think of clouds or wind.”

There was something else I could think of, but I didn’t want to mention it.

Boris smiled mysteriously.

“It’s mist.”

It’s the same answer Luna gave.

“The sun and mist don’t usually coexist. Where there is mist, the sun is not visible, and where the sun is visible, there is no mist. The sun is always with us. It stays in the same place wherever we go. But what about mist? It’s a truly unknown presence that can appear anytime, anywhere.”

Boris took out a pen and started drawing on the graffiti.

“To the immortal existence like the sun, mist is just a trivial existence. But we can never ignore it. What if this tiny mist covers our eyes?”

“…We won’t be able to see the light of the sun.”

It was a very natural conclusion.

“Exactly. That’s why perhaps, to the sun, mist may be an unnecessary existence.”

I barely suppressed the laughter that wanted to come out.

That’s right, it’s a valid point.

It took me too long to realize that.

“You seemed to be wary of me from the first time we met. Could you tell me why?”

Boris maintained his smile and asked again,

“I’m always cautious of anyone I meet for the first time. It wasn’t anything special just because you’re an instructor.”

Of course, the latter part was a lie.

“I have a master whom I serve. He’s someone who recognizes my worth more than anyone else and has saved me. To me, he’s like the bright light emanating from the sun.”

It seemed apparent who he was referring to with that master.

“As soon as I came to this Royal Academy, I scrutinized the records of all the students. Why? To get to know the students better? Of course, that’s one reason. But I have another ultimate reason for coming to this academy.”

He looked at me with a curious expression, as if he wanted to see my reaction.

I maintained an indifferent gaze, but in truth, I was dying to know.

Why had he come here at this time?

“I came here to find the existence of mist.”

“….”

Once again, during a period of static silence, I said nothing and showed no reaction.

That was the best response I could muster.

“…Is writing novels your hobby?”

A moment later, he dismissed it as a frivolous remark and laughed heartily.

“Hahaha! I tried to be serious, but it seems it didn’t work on you, Cyan.”

I replied calmly,

“Anyway, I understood your intentions, Instructor. Ultimately, you came to this academy to find someone, didn’t you?”

“Indeed, Cyan, you’re quick-witted.”

He applauded as if to praise me, but to me, it was just a disgusting maneuver.

Do you know what I’m thinking right now?

Pathetic.

But strangely, I don’t feel angry.

He serves a master?

That devil bastard is not worth discussing.

And the mist he’s looking for?

Undoubtedly, it’s me.

But why did he reveal to me the reason he came here?

He’s testing me.

My existence was always within the bounds from the start, and now he’s slowly trying to unearth it.

It’s truly pathetic.

But oddly enough, I don’t feel like getting angry. Amidst my disgust and pettiness, I’m holding back the urge to laugh.

“Let me tell you in advance, I’m not well-liked in this academy. I don’t have many close peers, and I’m not interested in people in general.”

“Is that so? It doesn’t sound like a very good life. I heard you’re not doing well in class either…”

“If you’re going to give me such unsolicited advice, then I’m done here. If you have nothing more to say, I’ll take my leave.”

Boris didn’t stop me.

“Thank you for your time, Cyan. Let’s meet in class next time.”

I didn’t even spare a glance and left the room immediately.

* * *

Left alone after Cyan’s departure, Boris’s expression was so enigmatic that it was difficult to judge.

However, judging by the faint smile lingering on his lips, he didn’t seem to be in a bad mood.

“I thought you’d be as rigid as a rock, but surprisingly, you’re smiling?”

A voice with an unknown identity reached his ears.

“I tend to laugh oddly after facing a challenging puzzle. It’s because I anticipate the joy of solving it.”

Again, there was only one person left in the room now: Boris.

“So, what are your impressions after talking to him? Do you think that kid is like the threatening presence of mist against the light?”

“It’s quite ambiguous. There seems to be something there, but I truly can’t decipher it, like being enveloped in mist. He’s certainly an intriguing student.”

Boris was happily looking at the doodles he had shown to Cyan.

“Frankly, I still can’t believe it. That vile presence of the Demonic Sword hiding in this academy. What did Aschel see in it?”

At this, laughter echoed from the empty air.

“Hehehe! The owner of the Demonic Sword stands out like a sore thumb. Always thirsting for power. But this time, it might be hard to find.”

“Do you know something about the Demonic Sword?”

“Actually, the owner of the Demonic Sword isn’t that important. Eventually, the sword consumes both body and soul over time; that’s its nature. The truly frightening entity is the Demonic Sword that has absorbed the power of many owners. But…”

The owner of the voice laughed for a while, as if something amusing had occurred to them.

“Maybe the current Demonic Sword isn’t the same as the one I knew. It’s showing a side that doesn’t seem like her at all…”

For Boris, he had no way of knowing what that meant.

The laughter from the empty air only heightened his curiosity further.