The Regressed Son of a Duke is an Assassin

“Keh!”

The society member, choked, couldn’t resist and collapsed helplessly.

He belatedly raised his hand to try casting magic, but I wasn’t going to let him.

I grabbed his wrist where mana was manifesting and promptly snapped it.

“Argh!”

Even if these guys were high-level magicians with 7th-grade or higher mana, there was nothing to fear.

They were just humans who could be subdued by force, regardless of their magical abilities.

“Y-you, Flames of Purification…!”

Startled, the remaining society member hurriedly tried to cast a spell, but—

*Thwack!*

With a satisfying sound of impact, he too fell to the ground, rolling several times.

“I subdued him for now, but what’s the deal?”

Set, the perpetrator of the attack, casually brushed off his hands as he asked.

“These guys. They’re the ones who caused the collapse of the intact ceiling, separating us.”

It wasn’t the crazed attack of Balrog, nor did they trigger any pre-installed traps in the ruins.

The collapse happened suddenly without any warning or indication.

Do you think it’s a natural phenomenon?

Absolutely not.

While Karun was distracting Set to block Balrog’s attack, the others waiting in the wings must have made their move from behind.

Then they just left us, who were left alone with Balrog, waiting quietly for our deaths.

If we managed to escape, they could just kill us themselves.

“W-what are you talking about? We were just trying to assess the situation here…”

Useless excuses wouldn’t help fix the situation.

Our naive magician still doesn’t seem to understand the laws of the world.

What can I do?

Perhaps if you’re holed up in a corner studying trivial things, you might think so.

I’ve never seen an animal as honest as a human in my life.

No matter how hard you pretend to be tough, show remorse, or put on a fake front, in the end, everyone becomes the same in the face of suffering.

I mercilessly twisted his restrained arm again.

“Aaargh!”

His scream was a testament to his intense pain.

There’s no need to torture these guys, who are weak like this.

I only broke one joint, but he screamed as if he was on the verge of death, pleading for salvation.

“Stop! Please stop! We never wanted any of this from the beginning!”

He’s stating the obvious as if it were some tremendous secret.

Their primitive reason for being here was to find clues about the Tome.

Our encounter was a pure coincidence, not intentional, and they had no interest in anything like the Tome.

Luna even gave them a warning, so why would they need to act independently and separate us?

Surely, there must have been another purpose besides the Tome.

“Our only goal from the start was just Lady Luna! We just wanted to take her and leave!”

Take her away?

Luna?

Why take her away separately when we’ll all leave peacefully together once the job is done?

Even if the details are different, didn’t we all have the same goal of finding clues about the Tome?

Why would they do that unless they were planning to kidnap her?

Kidnap?

In an instant, a thought flashed through my mind, causing my pupils to dilate unknowingly.

Once-in-a-century prodigy of the Magic Kingdom, Garam.

Like bees to fragrant flowers and thieves to sparkling jewels, villains naturally flock around geniuses with endless potential.

Wasn’t it me who experienced firsthand a previous kidnapping incident?

“He’s the person I dislike the most.”

Suddenly, her face from when she first mentioned Karun flashed before my eyes.

It wasn’t just dislike, but a look of disdain.

There had to be a reason beyond just being a society member for such a look to appear.

“Ha…”

With an involuntary sigh, I rose from my seat.

“You’re from the opposing faction of the Garam Magic Society, aren’t you?”

Their eyes widened immediately.

Even without hearing those words, I could tell the reaction would be evident.

“Opposing faction? What’s that?”

Set scratched his head as if hearing about it for the first time.

I continued interrogating him, unfazed.

“Where’s Luna now?”

“Sh-she ran off in the other direction so…”

“Which way did she go?!”

“Th-that way!”

Without further delay, I turned my body in the direction he indicated.

“Hey! Cyan! Where are you going?”

Set, taken aback, followed after me, but I paid him no mind and continued running.

[This seems familiar, doesn’t it? Is the esteemed senior really such a caring person?]

I couldn’t retort to Karam’s teasing now.

“She’s such a meddlesome junior.”

All I could hope for was for her to stay safe until I returned.

* * *

Like a dream on a midsummer night, she felt incredibly dazed.

Luna couldn’t shake off thoughts of the mysterious man she had just met.

While he admitted to being a being named Remiharam with a connection to the Tome present in these ruins, he didn’t clearly state whether he was the Tome itself.

Who is he exactly?

Deep in thought, Luna suddenly shook her head.

Now wasn’t the time to be lost in thought.

She had to rectify this situation with Cyan and Set as soon as possible.

“I hope my senior is okay.”

She felt a bit uneasy, but she wasn’t worried.

Even if 10 seasoned magicians gathered, it would be daunting to face the Tome, yet only two academy students had to deal with it.

She couldn’t use it as a joke elsewhere, but Luna didn’t think it was impossible.

There was no definite proof. If she had to say, it was because of Cyan, because he was the only one in this world she could truly trust and rely on.

Since when?

It started with a good first impression, but now she was fixated on him to the point of obsession.

“….”

The sound of her heartbeat echoed throughout her body, like a dreamy sensation in the middle of a midsummer night.

Had she ever felt such a lively pulse in her life?

She had thought that living a life made by others, without any will or goal, and eventually going on aimlessly was her future.

But not now.

Her heart, which had been stagnant for so long, rang so vibrantly now.

Did she ever experience such a lively beat in her life?

If she achieves what she desires and wishes for, isn’t that the truth?

Then she would relentlessly pursue that truth.

“…!”

A familiar scent wafted from the end of the corridor.

A bitter scent that strongly stimulated her nose.

There was only one person in this world who emitted this scent.

Luna, feeling anxious, clenched her lips tightly and dashed out.

However, that was short-lived, as she soon detected another familiar presence ahead and immediately stopped in her tracks.

“Luna!”

Karun and the society members who had chased after her were there.

Luna quickly turned around and fled in the opposite direction.

Seeing this, Karun raised his hand and cast a spell without hesitation.

-Boom!

A silver wall, conjured by magic, suddenly blocked her path.

“Please stop, Luna.”

With her escape route blocked, Luna turned back with a distorted expression.

“Why are you showing yourself like this? It’s not like you, Luna.”

Luna spoke with an indifferent gaze.

“Am I different? Wasn’t there a time when I showed such behavior even while being in the society?”

Karun looked at her with indifferent eyes, without responding.

“You are indispensable to our Garam Magic Society, a necessary existence for the advancement of magic and humanity. We cannot allow any impurities to happen to you.”

Beyond the aspirations of the Garam Magic Society, an existence that would fulfill the long-standing wish of weak humans since birth.

To them, Luna was more than just a sacred being.

“There are two things I absolutely don’t believe in this world.”

She opened her mouth as if dismissing what she had heard.

“One is my grandfather’s saying that things can’t go on without me. The other is your saying that you live for the advancement of humanity.”

Karun’s brow furrowed.

“My grandfather would just find another substitute if I were gone. It’s just a moment of regret, not sadness or despair.”

“…”

“But what’s even more unbelievable than my grandfather is you, Karun Rains. Living for the advancement of humanity? It’s not for the advancement of humanity but for your futile desires.”

Karun only frowned without responding.

So Luna threw her final jab.

“Am I wrong? Karun Rains, the heretic of the Auran Society?”

“…!”

The first to react were the society members who had accompanied Karun.

They glanced at each other, unsure of what to do or say after hearing her words.

“…”

Karun continued to gaze at her with an unchanged expression.

It didn’t take long for him to finally speak up.

“Since when have you known?”

“For quite some time.”

“Then why didn’t you tell the head of the society?”

“Because it wouldn’t have changed anything for me. At that time, I had no desire to do anything, and I didn’t care which side I leaned towards. My future was already decided.”

As if feeling no need for further delay, Karun calmly manifested mana.

“Truly foolish. Despite knowing your own potential and worth, you fail to realize what is true. What on earth has made you like this, Luna?”

“Truth? Truth isn’t as grand as you make it out to be. If I have a path I want to pursue, that’s the truth for me.”

With resolve, Luna also gathered all the mana within her body.

“People like you will never understand, but…”

With nothing to hold back, she gathered all the mana she could, showing everything she was capable of.

Ready, Luna cast her spell.

“May the grace of the holy light protect me…”

With her incantation, light shone upon the ruins, and a white wall unfolded before her.

It was the Light Attribute Defense Magic, ‘Wall of Resistance.’

It gathered all the magic within the caster to obstruct enemy approaches, its power varying greatly depending on the caster’s mana.

However, upon seeing this, Karun chuckled as if in contempt.

“Will delaying time like this make any difference? Are you hoping for some savior to come and rescue Luna?”

“Why don’t you try breaking through my wall first? If you’re unsure, you can cooperate to breach it. I won’t consider it cowardly…”

As if in response to her words, Karun reached out towards the wall of resistance she summoned.

-Crack!

Even though she hadn’t properly used her magic yet, the wall began to falter.

No matter how genius her talent was, there were clear limitations when facing completed magic of 7th level.

But Luna didn’t yield.

She continued to gather more mana from within her body to reinforce the wall.

“Will you resist until you collapse? It’s pathetic, if not pitiful.”

Without showing any signs of fatigue, Karun gradually increased his mana as well.

Rather than overwhelming her with his power from the start, he seemed to want her to feel the insurmountable gap in strength.

How much time had passed?

As she repeatedly reinforced the wall and Karun continued to enhance his mana, Luna’s mana continued to deplete.

Sweat dripped from her body like rain, and her breathing began to quicken.

On the other hand, Karun continued to augment his mana without showing any signs of strain.

-Thud

Luna, who had been standing firm, finally lost her balance and fell to one knee.

Her vision began to blur, and her mind started to fog, but she didn’t lose her concentration as she continued to maintain the magic.

‘Not much time left…’

But she knew she was nearing the end.

Yet she wouldn’t give up.

Even if her body broke, her inner will wouldn’t fade away.

As long as it remained, she would resist to the end.

For the truth she desperately hoped and wished for.

“…!”

At that moment, once again, a familiar scent wafted from somewhere.

Unlike before, it approached her rapidly, and as the scent grew stronger, a smile began to form on her lips.

And finally, the figure she had eagerly awaited appeared before her eyes.

“Senior…”

Luna lost consciousness and collapsed.