The Regressed Son of a Duke is an Assassin

In the shadowy darkness, a little away from where the residents were gathered, Karun quickly erected a soundproof barrier, ensuring no one could eavesdrop.

Luna observed his actions with an indifferent gaze.

“Do the society members know that you’re here?”

“If they did, I wouldn’t be here,”

She replied, her tone implying, ‘Why ask if you already know?’

Karun’s discomfort grew, and he raised his voice.

“Do you still not realize how much of an impact your solo actions have on the society? Haven’t you suffered enough unpleasant incidents before?”

“Well, I’m still alive and kicking, aren’t I?”

Her attitude remained unwavering.

“Let me assure you, besides the instructors at the Academy, there’s no one more reliable than those men. I’ve brought along the strongest guardian knights who can protect me.”

Karun stared at her with distrust, but Luna met his gaze without flinching.

“Are you here to confirm the truth about Tome?”

“The name of the creature living in this nameless ruin matches that of Tome, right? As a member of a society that pursues the advancement of magic, I simply wanted to confirm that. I requested companionship, and my companions are only interested in the creatures living there, not in Tome.”

There was no hint of hesitation in Luna’s words.

Karun spoke firmly.

“I’ll hold off reporting to the society for now. But don’t think I’ll hide the fact that you’re here. Once this is over, I’ll report everything to the head of the society, from start to finish.”

“Suit yourself.”

She replied nonchalantly and walked out of the barrier.

“Do you think that man, Cyan, also doesn’t know about Tome?”

“If he did, he wouldn’t have come along.”

She replied casually, not even bothering to give him a glance.

With that indifferent response, Luna continued walking towards where Cyan was.

* * *

Honestly, I was expecting more of a respectful gathering of information rather than an intrusive interrogation.

It makes me wonder if I’ve been living too impurely all this time.

Look at those faces filled with excitement and curiosity.

A sight that would truly embarrass anyone who rushed in with impatience.

Watching this scene, Set couldn’t help but burst into a bewildered laughter.

“Se-Set, Your Highness?!”

Some of the residents who spotted him couldn’t hide their shock.

It’s as if they’re seeing a troublemaker who caused a commotion in the village and got chased out, again.

Finally, Set, unable to contain himself anymore, shouted at them.

“Have you all seen ghosts or something? Why are you looking at people’s faces like that?!”

An elderly man with a puzzled expression on his slightly wrinkled face asked.

“What did you come here to break this time, Prince Set?”

“What do you mean, ‘break’? Do I look like some kind of troublemaker to you?!”

The reactions of the nodding residents explained everything.

This guy, I expected it, but he seems to be quite the habitual troublemaker.

“Geez, instead of welcoming someone who’s returned to their hometown after a long time, you’re saying nasty things. What a shameless town.”

“Hometown?”

“Oh, I didn’t explain it to you? I spent my childhood here. So, I know almost all the faces of the residents around here! That old man over there is the village chief.”

“Why leave it intact then?”

“Oh, well, you see, it’s personal reasons!”

Seeing him cut the conversation short so abruptly, it seemed like there was something he couldn’t talk about.

So, maybe a while ago, rather than just as a prince, he was angry for the sake of the residents as someone who lived in this village?

I’m not mocking him.

I think it’s a perfectly natural reaction as a royal.

In such a situation, not just the foolish prince, but also a certain princess from the Academy would have dashed out as well.

“But aside from that, what’s all this about, Grandfather?”

“It seems they’re from some society in the Garam Kingdom, and they suddenly gave us a gift, saying they have some questions about our village.”

In a remote village, uncommon ingredients, clothing, household items, and other specialties from the Garam Kingdom were divided into several packages.

“But is it wise to just accept things from strangers? These people seem like they could cause big trouble, really.”

Honestly, I find the idea of an intrusive situation quite odd.

To the members of the Garam Society, this place is clearly a village in another country.

They should adjust the residents’ responses to their liking through appropriate persuasion and compensation.

Otherwise, conducting an intrusive investigation is no different from openly declaring war on the Spania Kingdom.

“Wow, so I came running here expecting some kind of trouble, but instead, they’re having a grand old time.”

Set muttered his complaints and flopped down on the ground.

Although he spoke like that, his face seemed relieved inwardly.

“So, why are you here, Prince Set? Shouldn’t you be at the Academy or something?”

“I came to have another round with that monster living in the ruins! This time, I brought some comrades to fight alongside me!”

“Why do you keep bothering someone who’s perfectly fine? Anyway, it seems like you came here for the same purpose as that Karun fellow. He also wanted to ask about the monster living in the ruins.”

At that moment, Luna, who had finished talking with Karun, came towards us.

She whispered in my ear as soon as she arrived.

“The conversation ended well.”

It seemed like she was trying to reassure me.

“Did you really handle it well?”

“At least there won’t be any harm to the seniors.”

That might not have been a good outcome from your perspective, though.

Well, from the brief conversation they had gone to have, I had already anticipated how she would justify it.

I didn’t know how the conclusion of this unexpected encounter would unfold, but my body was already warning me that it wouldn’t end peacefully.

“It’s quite a surprise. Who would’ve thought that such a neglected ruin would attract so much attention? Come this way. Since you’re here, let me tell you about my ruin.”

The village chief led us, along with some members of the society, to his house.

“From your side, you’re quite lucky. It was quite a dilemma for me as well.”

“What do you mean?”

“The ruins aren’t open to just anyone. You need permission from the ruins to enter.”

“Permission? Was there such a thing?”

Set asked with a bewildered expression, as if hearing this for the first time.

“You might already know, but the ruins are from the ancient times before the Holy War. We, who live in the present, have no way of knowing the purpose they were built for. However, according to the stories passed down through generations, to enter the ruins, you need the permission of the gods, and currently, only the Shaharkhan tribe, who worship the Sand God Sabulom, are known to fulfill these conditions.”

“Hey, Grandfather! You never told me about that!”

“Frankly, you never asked. Prince Set? You just barged in without hearing my explanation…”

“Oh, right. When you think about it…”

I sympathized with the sigh the village chief let out.

“In summary, to enter the ruins, you need the help of the Shaharkhan tribe. For those who came with Prince Set, there shouldn’t be any problems, but for those who have no connection… ”

It was a story that meant entry into the ruins could only be granted with Set’s permission.

Karun’s eyes subtly changed as he realized this.

“Hey! Are you guys interested in entering the ruins too?”

To my surprise, Set asked his question first.

“Yes. As scholars studying magic, we simply want to explore the magical power emanating from the ruins. I assure you, we have no impure intentions.”

I knew, as did Luna, that his words were lies.

However, since we couldn’t refute them, we decided to remain silent for now.

“Alright! But I have one condition.”

“Please, go ahead.”

“You won’t disclose the fact that we were here to anyone, including your society! Just promise me that, and I’ll gladly let you accompany us to the ruins!”

This unexpected decision from Set left everyone astonished, including the members of the society, the village chief, and Luna.

Karun couldn’t bring himself to respond immediately.

“You can’t? If you can’t, then just pack up and leave! It doesn’t matter to me.”

“W-why are you making such a demand…?”

He wanted to hear the reason, at least.

“It’s nothing special! Cyan and I came here as part of an educational experience, but that friend didn’t! It wouldn’t be good if word got out to others while she sneaked in, right?”

I barely managed to suppress a laugh internally.

This idiot still thinks it’s an approved educational trip, but strictly speaking, the three of us came here secretly.

Amidst this, offering such conditions to accommodate her, although it seemed cool, made me feel sorry for some reason.

“Understood. On behalf of the esteemed Garam Kingdom Magic Society, we promise not to disclose your presence here to anyone, including our society.”

After some hesitation, Karun accepted the conditions.

In this unbelievable situation, Luna cautiously glanced at Set.

-Grin

As he responded with a smile that held a mysterious meaning, her expression froze for a moment.

It seemed like she pitied his unfathomable foolishness rather than feeling grateful.

“Seems like the conversation went well. Now, let me give you one last warning about the ruins.”

The village chief, who had been silent until then, spoke up again.

“The demon living inside is quite gentle. It will only drive you away if you don’t cross a certain line, but it won’t chase or harm you. However, if you try to cross that line… I can’t guarantee what will happen.”

With a cloudy tone, the village chief warned us not to cross the line with the creature.

I briefly glanced at Karun, who was diagonally across from me.

“…”

In his determined gaze, there was a strong will to cross that line, no matter what.

* * *

With an agreement from Prince Set and a warning from the village chief, the only thing left now was to enter the ruins.

Karun, the head of the society, returned to camp to prepare the necessary items for the exploration.

While doing so, a member of the society entered the camp.

“Um, Karun?”

“What is it?”

“Are you really okay not reporting to the society?”

He was another person who had overheard Karun’s conversation with the village chief earlier.

“Didn’t we agree with Prince Set? We’ll just follow through with that.”

“B-but…”

“Either way, it’s a good thing for us. We’ve been given the key to unlock the sealed doors of the ruins. Moreover… another unexpected opportunity has come our way.”

“What?”

The confused society member’s eyes widened.

“Come closer.”

As he approached, Karun immediately erected a privacy barrier.

“In any case, our options here are limited. Even if we can gather information about the artifact, the artifact itself won’t be in these ruins.”

This was a fact not only anticipated by Karun but also by most of the participants in the investigation.

“Send a messenger to the society immediately.”

A sinister smile suddenly appeared on Karun’s usually expressionless face.

“Tell them that we’ll… kidnap once again, Regens’ granddaughter, Luna Rainriver.”