The Regressed Son of a Duke is an Assassin

Already five hours have passed.

From the city center to the outskirts, through villages and fields, such a journey would not be typical.

While he continued to silently follow, Schurz began to feel increasingly uneasy as he followed Luna Rainliver.

He had heard of her before, but he never knew she would be so obsessed.

It was like searching for a needle in a haystack.

Was it reasonable to search the entire city for one clue that might not even exist?

The members of the society following her seemed accustomed to it, silently trailing behind her without any expression.

Though Schurz had experience with long-distance travel from his mercenary activities, he felt he could endure it for a while longer, but it seemed like he could spend several sleepless nights at this rate.

‘Are you not tired?’

Even as she continued to move forward without a single drop of sweat, bravely traversing the rough mountain path, Schurz couldn’t help but admire her determination.

It was beyond mere obsession; it bordered on madness.

Who was this black-haired demon that she was so determined to find?

“…?”

After five hours of starting her journey, Luna suddenly stopped walking.

It was in the midst of a grassy clearing in the mountains.

Scanning her surroundings, Luna eventually turned her gaze to the ground.

Suddenly, without warning, she squatted down, pressed her nose to the earth, and sniffed like a dog, as if trying to catch a scent.

Without any sign of abating as if the ritual was just beginning again, each member of the society either bowed their heads or pressed their foreheads.

Perceiving this, the somewhat clueless Schurz inquired.

“What exactly are you trying to smell?”

After a moment, Luna stood up and addressed her companions without any explanation.

“Here.”

As if waiting for her command, the society members quickly advanced, forming a circular formation around her.

-Wooo

They each transmitted their mana into the ground, and a blue magical circle formed around Luna.

“…!”

Surprised, Schurz instinctively tried to step back, but Luna reassured him.

“You don’t need to be alarmed.”

“Yes?”

“Just feel it from where you are. When you reach the highest point of your darkness attribute power, see what happens…”

Schurz was utterly bewildered.

With her eyes closed, Luna sat back down and gently placed her folded hands on the ground.

-Wooooo

The ground began to resonate in response to the magic.

Schurz realized that, just like in the previous mine, she was casting a spell called Replay.

But he wasn’t the only one sensing an unknown energy.

Feeling a large amount of mana coursing through his entire body via the magic circle, Schurz sensed a strange yet familiar energy.

‘Dark attribute magic?’

It was a darkness attribute magic, similar to his own but distinctly different in quality.

“There was a carriage… and knights.”

Luna, who had quietly opened her eyes, spoke softly.

“Someone attacked them.”

Everyone around her held their breath, watching her intently.

“Perhaps they targeted something inside the carriage? Or…”

-Whoosh

Luna’s gaze, which had been reflecting on the past events, suddenly shifted elsewhere.

Surprised momentarily, everyone watched as Luna threw herself down the steep slope beside the dirt path.

“L-Luna!”

Startled, the society members followed suit, and Schurz, caught off guard, also followed.

They slid down the slope and arrived at the mouth of a valley where clear water flowed gently.

There, in front of them, was a small wooden carriage with missing wheels.

As Luna gently caressed the carriage, a sinister smile tinged with joy and madness formed on her lips.

“I finally found you. Senior….”

* * *

Sometimes I dream.

I stand alone in a desolate wasteland, surrounded by thousands of knights.

Each of them holds a sword or a spear, ready to kill me at a moment’s notice.

While the golden aura above tries to offer them protection and encouragement, all I have is a single demonic sword in my right hand.

Nothing else is by my side.

When the knights charge with thunderous shouts, I kill them all.

Every single one of them,

Mercilessly.

And then, soon after, the golden aura that protected them all disappears, leaving only me surrounded by the dark mist of ignorance, alone in the wasteland, looking up at the sky.

Usually, this is where I wake up from the dream, but sometimes I wonder…

What expression would I have in the end, after killing every living being and being left alone?

“…”

I opened my eyes.

The sky was on the verge of dawn, covered in a deep blue veil.

Reflecting on the moment I woke up, it seemed like I had slept for at least three hours.

It was a relatively long sleep after a long time.

‘…’

While casually turning my head, I furrowed my brow slightly.

Hastia, who had wrapped herself tightly in my cloak, was suddenly sleeping right next to me.

I distinctly remember her being on the other side of the tree when I closed my eyes.

When did she come all the way here?

Feeling somewhat awkward, I glanced at her intently, only to have Kaeram, who couldn’t stand leaving this situation alone, appear and poke at my cheek.

[Why? Disappointed you didn’t get ambushed?]

I didn’t bother answering, knowing it would only give me a headache.

Instead.

“What exactly is divine protection?”

[Hmm?]

“It sounds nice enough, but it doesn’t seem to serve its purpose properly, does it? A White Elf claiming divine protection got kidnapped by just a few humans?”

No matter how many times I went over it, it still didn’t make sense to me.

Divine protection means receiving attention and care from a supreme being called God.

If I hadn’t happened to pass nearby, wouldn’t this woman have been dragged away by those evil knights and never known what cruel things she would have suffered?

[You know, those pompous bastards wouldn’t bother offering such grand protection to just protect from a few worthless humans, would they?]

“What do you mean, ‘protected from’ then?”

[You.]

Kaeram’s sharp finger jabbed my forehead.

When a person is so absurdly perplexed, they often burst into a laughter without realizing it.

That’s exactly what I did.

[Those arrogant beings wouldn’t offer such grand protection to humans without some ulterior motive. They must have some impure purpose in mind.]

“An ulterior motive?”

[Exactly. I don’t know what deity offered the protection, but that deity probably wouldn’t even bat an eye if this kid were kidnapped or suffered bodily and mental harm. They wouldn’t even consider non-threatening beings like humans a threat, so their power wouldn’t even be activated.]

“Then does that mean I’m considered someone who can unravel that secret?”

[To be more precise, you were rejected for being seen as someone who could threaten the deity’s secret.]

Kaeram, as always, raised her chin with a hint of interest, looking down at me.

It’s a secret as grand as the pride of the deities who pierce the sky.

I’m not a scholar seeking the truth, and I don’t care much about others’ lives.

I don’t want to meddle in such grand privacy.

But…

That secret must not be something as trivial as a first love.

Whatever the reason the nameless deity hid a secret within this vulnerable elf, it’s definitely not good for her.

‘….’

Especially considering that the future ahead may not be so bright.

-Whoosh

As she slept soundly, she suddenly turned her body.

Then, her closed eyes naturally met mine.

“… … .”

Seemingly unconcerned about such a bleak future for now,

Hastia was smiling softly at me.

* * *

Gaul, the capital of the kingdom of Garam.

Usually, capitals tend to be located at the heart of the territory, but Gaul is relatively skewed towards the bottom of the continent.

It’s a significant location chosen for its own reasons.

It’s said that Gaul is where humans first manifested magic to protect themselves.

Although there are hardly any properly documented records, it’s practically a legendary tale.

Nonetheless, it can be considered a place of great significance not only for the kingdom but for humanity as a whole.

‘Wow…’

Hastia, gazing at the central spire, couldn’t help but admire.

At the top of the spire, a giant, iridescent magical stone, emitting a brilliant mana light, served as the symbol of the Garam Kingdom.

‘The development of humans is truly remarkable! I never knew mana could be utilized to such an extent!’

Well, it could be considered a result of centuries of struggle just to survive.

“Where are your companions gathering?”

‘That… they said it would be at the headquarters of the Mage Guild!’

“The Mage Guild headquarters?”

It wasn’t a particularly appealing place for me.

“Are you saying the person in charge there is a member of your clan?”

‘I’m not sure. We only communicated through letters beforehand, and they mentioned meeting there…’

If the White Elf was an official within the Garam Magic Society in the first place, there was no way she wouldn’t have known about it.

Although she generally ignores anything unrelated to her, well…

Anyway, it’s not a place I’d like to get too close to.

Seeming to sense my sentiment, she suddenly took a step away from me.

‘If you’ve brought me this far, it’s enough! I shouldn’t burden you any further, so I’ll go on alone from here! Is that the way to go?’

Hastia pointed to the Mage Guild building right behind the spire.

‘I wanted to keep this as a souvenir of our meeting with Cyan, but unfortunately, I’ll return it.’

Hastia neatly folded my cloak and handed it back to me.

“What are you going to do alone when you can’t even speak?”

‘It’s okay! Besides, I’ve already sensed the presence of clan members nearby! If I mentally communicate with them, they’ll surely hear my voice and respond!’

There was strong conviction in her eyes.

‘It may be a small token of gratitude, but…’

Hastia took out a white jade from her bosom and handed it to me.

‘Just think of it as a protective charm! Someday, if Cyan encounters danger, this charm will protect him!’

Despite wondering why such a good thing was with her and yet she got kidnapped, I suppressed the question rising to my lips with a calm heart.

Lowering her head, she took a few steps forward, then waved at me.

[Are you going to let her go without any regrets?]

“If that were the case, we would have parted ways at the city entrance.”

All I can do for now is this.

What’s left is to observe her from a nearby place to see what happens.

Well, in terms of security, it’s the second-best place on the continent, so I don’t think there will be any major problems, but…

-Thunk

“Oops!”

Right next to the main street where I sent off Hastia.

In a dark alleyway shrouded in shadows.

I grabbed the neck of an unknown assailant who was aiming a sinister dagger at me and slammed them against the wall.

However, that doesn’t mean there were no problems at all.

On the writhing face of the assailant, white and sharp elven ears protruded on both sides.