The Regressed Son of a Duke is an Assassin

Royal Palace, 2nd floor, end of the left corridor.

A room where even the remaining warmth had completely disappeared, leaving only the loneliness and desolation of an ownerless space to fill the void.

*Creak*

Strangers had entered this ownerless space.

The first to enter the room was Iris Satwell, the Vice Principal of the Academy.

Besides the Academy staff, there were also representatives from the Garam Magic Society, all of whom seemed to have agreed beforehand and began investigating the room, each dividing the area to search.

Although a thorough investigation was conducted, there seemed to be no significant findings, as they soon gathered back in the living room.

After some deliberation, a large piece of white parchment was laid out on the floor like a carpet by the Garam Magic Society representatives.

Standing upon it with a determined expression was Satwell, who took a deep breath before manifesting her mana to begin drawing something on the parchment.

It was a magic circle for casting high-level magic.

“In the presence of the sacred light of truth, there can be no hiding from the darkness that lies within. Reveal the hidden traces of darkness!”

As she muttered the incantation in a low voice, the magic circle responded with a burst of light, emanating a resonating energy as it continued to reverberate.

[TL/N: I guess satwell is a girl….]

Gradually, traces resembling footprints appeared on the floor, but just as they began to take shape, *Poof*, they disappeared like flames extinguishing.

Perplexed, Satwell attempted to manifest her mana once again, but to no avail.

“…”

The result was no different from before.

In such a situation, there were two assumptions that could be inferred: either there were no traces to be found at all, or someone had magically obstructed the ability to find them.

Satwell and the others concluded that it was the latter.

This meant that the powerful magic permeating this space was so formidable that not even she, known as one of the most skilled individuals after the Chancellor in the Academy, could detect it.

With a stern expression, Satwell turned to the others and spoke.

“It seems that my power alone is insufficient. I may need your assistance.”

Without any objections, everyone began to manifest their mana, just as Satwell had done before.

As a result, a larger resonance occurred in the magic circle, and proper traces began to appear from where the magic circle was drawn.

“It’s not too far from here.”

The traces were leading to a city not too far from the Academy.

* * *

The scene was akin to a spectacle on a bewildered street.

A crowd had gathered around none other than the bulletin board plastered with wanted posters.

“This era is truly the end times. Who knows where this country is headed…”

“Why complain in such peaceful times? Some people are never satisfied!”

“I hope they’re not hiding in our city, of all places.”

Those who saw the wanted posters each muttered curses and fears.

Amidst the crowd, Brian happened to pass by, his steps halting as he stopped to observe.

With a cloak partially covering his face, he gazed at the wanted posters with restrained eyes.

Among the vile criminals listed for crimes like r*pe, kidnapping, and murder, there, smack in the middle, was the wanted poster of someone familiar.

Brian was so shocked that he froze on the spot.

The individual in the poster was none other than the key figure in recent noble assassination cases, the mastermind behind the Blood Feast incident, the culprit who summoned the giant beast in the Axilium, and, more shockingly, the son of a noble known and respected beyond the empire, Duke Vert.

His name was Cyan Vert, the youngest son of the renowned guardian of the continent, Duke Vert.

“Y-Young Master…?”

It was none other than his master, Cyan Vert.

“Look over there!”

As a man shouted, all eyes turned to the same direction.

“C-Crown Prince?”

Knights clad in dazzling golden armor, the royal guards rarely seen outside the palace, had appeared in Brenu.

Not just one or two, but over a hundred of them, a significant force.

Amidst the surprise at the sudden appearance of the Crown Prince, Brian hastily tore off Cyan’s wanted poster and dashed away.

*Creak*

He burst into his home like an enraged bear, quickly locking the door and sealing off all entry points, including the windows.

“Why… Why all of a sudden?”

Emily, who had been waiting quietly, asked in confusion.

“Something terrible has happened…!”

Brian gasped for breath as he handed Emily the wanted poster he brought.

“A wanted poster? Why would a heinous criminal appear here… Oh?”

Seeing the wanted poster, Emily let out a scream.

“W-What’s this? Why is our Young master here?”

To Emily, it seemed like another bizarre incident.

The crimes listed were so unimaginable that they almost equaled the annual operating costs of most estates, and the bounty written in bold red letters below was enough to make one’s head spin.

“What in the world is our Young master doing outside?”

After leaving the Academy where he was doing well, Cyan had suddenly left, leaving only the three of them behind in Brenu.

Now, it seemed like he had caused a catastrophe of monumental proportions.

Emily couldn’t help but think to herself: they might never be able to return to Velias again.

“Because of Young master Cyan, we can’t live like this anymore!”

Emily felt like climbing to the mountaintop and shouting out his frustration.

“Wait! What about us? Are we just going to sit here and do nothing?”

Emily interjected.

“W-Well, of course we can’t just sit idly by. For some reason, even the Imperial family’s knights are here now. We need to take Nana and find a safer place to hide…”

“No! Our priority should be to check on Young master Cyan’s safety first! Who knows what might be happening to him right now! If he’s in any danger…”

“Oh, no need to worry about that…”

Brian started to say, but before he could finish, the living room door suddenly burst open with a loud bang.

Nana, who should have been asleep at this hour, emerged from the room.

“Na-Nana, why are you awake?”

Brian questioned, knowing it wasn’t yet time for her to wake up.

It might have seemed like she simply woke up earlier than usual, but Brian and Emily knew better.

Because Nana’s eyes were not the innocent eyes that usually woke up hungry, but rather, they were in a dangerous and alarming state, tinged with redness and smelling something unusual.

“This is strange. It’s not dinner time yet…”

Brian murmured as cold sweat dripped down his back, memories flooding back to him.

“Why does it smell delicious?”

Nana chuckled, lips parting slightly.

“She’s up to something again! Don’t smell it!”

Emily rushed forward to cover Nana’s nose.

As Nana’s red eyes gradually returned to their original color, the situation wasn’t resolved just because she couldn’t smell the scent anymore.

Suddenly, Brian sensed a strange presence and swiftly drew his sword.

*Slish*

The sound of the drawn sword echoed through the room, followed by a tense silence where only the sounds of breathing and heartbeat could be heard.

In the tense atmosphere, Brian’s gaze was fixed solely on the door.

The faint sound of footsteps, not just one but many, was approaching, not by chance but purposefully directed towards this place.

The problem was that it wasn’t just one or two sets of footsteps; there were more than ten, surrounding the house from all directions.

After a moment, the footsteps ceased, followed by strange noises echoing through the air.

It sounded as if someone was vigorously scratching at a sturdy wall, a cacophony that demanded attention.

Brian closed his eyes, recalling Cyan’s words from before.

If they heard such strange sounds as if the walls were being scratched, it meant that the magical barrier surrounding the area was collapsing due to depleted mana, and they should replenish it immediately.

Cyan had assured he would return before such a situation occurred, but…

Brian realized this wasn’t the natural sound of a collapsing barrier but rather the sound of monstrous beings forcibly breaking through the barrier with injected mana.

They had been careless.

The moment he saw the wanted poster, he should have immediately evacuated Emily and Nana.

Though he didn’t know who exactly was outside, Brian knew they wouldn’t bring anything good.

“Nana, escape through the back door with Emily!”

“What about you?”

“I’ll follow soon. Don’t worry about me, just focus on the situation ahead…”

“What nonsense are you spouting? Do you think you’re some kind of final knight? I’d rather face danger alone than see you sacrifice yourself!”

Emily’s words, though harsh, were not wrong.

But what else could Brian do?

If they stayed, they would all be in danger.

It was better to throw himself out there and let the two of them escape, just like Cyan used to do.

As the urgent struggle between the two continued for a moment, a familiar sound came from beyond the door.

Creak, thud, creak.

It wasn’t a sound that could come from a human mouth.

It was the sharp sound of something cutting followed by the thud of people falling without a single scream.

Though unseen, the gruesome and familiar sight was vividly painted in Brian’s mind.

Thud.

“….”

Another dull thud followed by silence once more.

Amidst the ambiguous atmosphere, Brian approached the door to assess the situation.

“Open the door.”

A casual yet familiar voice came from the other side.

Reacting almost instinctively, Brian quickly undid the latch and swung open the door.

“Pa…Papa!”

Before the word “Papa” could even fully form, Nana had already dashed out and embraced him.

Naturally, the boy who had been about to pat her head hesitated for a moment upon seeing the blood on his hands.

“Sorry. I was a bit late due to some business.”

As always, the black-haired boy looked at them with a nonchalant gaze, neither flustered nor entirely relaxed.

Behind them lay the fallen Imperial guards, as if grim reapers had passed by.