The Regressed Son of a Duke is an Assassin

Dragons.

Heirs of divine blood and the beings closest to the Creator.

They are said to be noble entities that are hard to encounter even once in a lifetime, and a species that exudes an aura of unapproachable intimidation for the lower classes.

“……!”

The eyes of everyone standing on the ground turned to the sky.

A purple dragon, with its large wings fully spread, was gracefully flying through the storm.

Its body, stretched out like a snake, was big enough to wrap around a tent, and its four legs, extended on both sides, had sharp claws as if swords were embedded in them.

The black horn growing on its forehead made the onlookers feel a sinister chill; not only the knights but also the emperor and even the duke, all had their eyes wide open and mouths agape.

“Look there, Willius! No matter how I look at it, that appears to be a dragon, doesn’t it?”

“Indeed. Judging by its size, it seems to be still growing, but it’s undoubtedly a Demon Dragon.”

“Do they appear often?”

“Not at all. This is also the first time I have directly encountered one inside the garrison.”

Although it was said that many demonic beasts lived in the Lemea Valley, dragons were not among them.

Only occasionally would the silhouette of one flapping its wings be vaguely seen in the distant skies of the demon realm, but it was an extremely rare event for one to cross over into the valley.

The Demon Dragon was flying at a low altitude, close enough for its size and appearance to be directly observed, and it did not fly away but instead kept circling around the area.

“Kieeek!”

It seemed to be in an abnormal state, as it was making sounds of suffering and groaning in pain.

While everyone was confused and unable to move for a moment, watching the dragon’s movements,

“Look over there!”

Princess Airen, who had been momentarily subdued, pointed in one direction and shouted with a very clear voice.

Her finger was pointing towards the Demon Dragon’s ankle.

As everyone’s gaze turned in that direction, they soon discovered a familiar figure near the dragon’s right ankle.

Although the visibility was somewhat limited due to the storm, something that resembled a young child was precariously hanging onto one of the dragon’s legs.

“……?!”

The Duke’s gaze, which had been squinted to focus, suddenly widened.

The one hanging there was none other than his own son.

“Cy-cyan?”

“Is-isn’t that your son?”

The moment the emperor and the rest of the knights recognized the figure, their gazes unanimously turned to the Duke.

“Why is he there……?”

The same person who had evacuated the princess and lured the demonic beasts alone was, for some reason, leisurely wandering the fierce night sky with the dragon.

It was an incomprehensible situation.

Although the situation had become extremely complicated, the Duke quickly shook his head.

Now was not the time to be questioning how and why,

In any case, what appeared before them was a formidable demonic beast.

As it was his duty to exterminate all the demons that appeared, he had to kill it, even if it was a dragon.

With a resolute will, an immense amount of mana manifested from the Duke’s right hand.

“The sword of heart, imbued with conviction, shall soar to the skies!”

Along with the incantation, a blue magic circle was drawn towards the sky.

Five radiant light swords were consecutively unleashed.

The brilliant ends of those swords were all aimed at the Demon Dragon soaring in the sky.

* * *

It is perplexing.

Not just perplexing, but an incredibly complicated situation.

Below the feet I am clinging on to, over a hundred eyes are all looking at me.

This is really driving me crazy.

From the front-line soldiers and imperial knights to the emperor and duke at the center, Emily crouched in a corner, and Princess Airen with a complex, indiscernible expression of laughing or crying.

It was a situation where I had unfortunately encountered everyone I should not have.

[Hey! Why have you suddenly become a statue again? Aren’t you going to catch this guy?]

“Trying to catch him might just end up getting me caught at this rate!”

Exactly 10 minutes ago-

After dealing with the corpse of a troll in the Blood River, I encountered the supreme race of dragons.

At first, I was briefly confused about why this creature had appeared here.

It was truly an exceptional event for a formidable demonic beast from the depths of the demon realm to cross over to the front-line area, so much so that it could be considered unprecedented.

But my confusion was short-lived. Soon after, I gripped Kaeram and charged at the creature.

No one in their right mind would pass up the blood of a formidable beast, incomparable to those insignificant mid or low-level demonic beasts, right in front of them.

A noble existence?

They may be said to be the race closest to the creators, but not every single one of them is overwhelmingly strong.

Just as humans are categorized into strong and weak, not all dragons are powerful.

Moreover, the one I am dealing with is not even a fully matured entity but a growing one.

Struggling against a fledgling with no real experience would be absurd.

At first, it might have found my bold charge interesting, but it was not long before the creature turned tail and fled.

It was prey I could not let escape, so I used a secret technique to barely grab onto its ankle…

And ridiculously ended up encountering these unrelated people.

[What? Were you just sitting there because you were wary of those people below?]

“Should I put on a hacking show in plain sight, then?”

[So what are you planning to do? Just keep circling around like this!]

Having gone so far as to manifest the magic sword, Kaeram was extremely frustrated that it could not finish the job.

While I understood its sentiment, causing the creature to crash and cutting off its breath here would surely lead to being transported straight to the imperial palace.

I wondered if it might be better to appear as if I had been kidnapped by the dragon when, from below, a familiar blue light flickered.

-Wooong

A high-grade magic circle for casting advanced magic.

The caster was none other than my father.

Wait, is that magic not a bit dangerous?

“The sword of heart, imbued with conviction, shall soar to the skies!”

Simultaneously with the incantation, five radiant swords aimed at the sky, precisely at the Demon Dragon, flew towards us at high speed.

The 8-star light attribute magic ‘Sky Piercing Light Swords’.

Knowing that his son was aboard, he still launched such a dangerous spell?

So, even if it is a dragon, it is ultimately a demonic beast that needs to be dealt with?

Truly, he must be the genuine guardian of the continent.

Sensing another danger, the Demon Dragon quickly twisted its body to evade.

-Puk!

However, the last sword, shot in an unavoidable trajectory, pierced into the Demon Dragon’s leg.

“Kueeek!”

With a scream, the Demon Dragon thrashed violently.

“……!”

Unable to withstand the aftermath, my hand slipped from the creature’s ankle I was holding onto.

With nowhere to hold onto, my body became a lost child in the air.

-Whoosh

Even amidst the pain, the Demon Dragon, having confirmed that I had fallen, didn’t look back and flew away into the distance.

Ah, to lose sight of it right before my eyes…

However, now was not the time to lament over the escaped prey.

If I kept falling absent-mindedly, I was bound to greet the grim reaper of hell without fail.

Even though knights below were rushing to catch my falling body, realistically speaking, the distance was too great.

[What are you doing? Planning to kiss the ground? Fly already!]

“Do you think you could fly in this situation?”

[So, you’re going to just die while watching them from the sidelines? Know this, if you fall and die like this, you’re going to die twice over to me!]

Does that mean dying three times, including my previous life?

Though it is a joke, I am fully aware that the situation is extremely critical.

But, with so many eyes watching, I can not use my secret technique in front of them.

Wondering what to do and closing my eyes for a moment,

-Kwaah

The sound of rushing water reached my ears, making me open my eyes wide.

Directly below where my body was falling was a torrent with a red hue.

It was a branch of the Blood River, where I had disposed of the troll’s corpse.

The sight of the river brought an involuntary smile to my face.

“Guess there really isn’t such a thing as a straightforward death, huh?”

[Hey, Master! What are you thinking right now? You’re not planning to fall into that, are you?]

“It’s about time for a bath! Don’t think too badly of it!”

[Are you insane? You want to wash me in that filthy water?]

Kaeram erupted in my mind like a boiling volcano with curses, but I ignored it all.

I believed that this method was the best course of action available to me.

To ensure I wouldn’t end up kissing the ground by mistake, I rotated my body several times to align myself with the very center of the Blood River.

-Splash!

Without much delay, my small body made a dramatic encounter with the chilling waves of blood.

* * *

-Whoosh

Suddenly, a Demon Dragon, presumed to be a growing one, flew past overhead.

‘Belkarion,’ watching from the ground, tilted his head in confusion.

“A Demon Dragon flying from that direction? Unexpected.”

The dragon had flown from the direction of the Lemea Valley.

“It seems to have sustained some injuries. It looks like a young dragon that hasn’t fully grown yet took a wrong turn and ended up getting seriously hurt.”

As the middle-aged demon added, Belkarion showed an interested expression.

“Hmm, is that so? It’s a bit presumptuous, but it’s not often you see a dragon fleeing with its tail between its legs. Maybe there are some strong demonic beasts over there?”

“Who knows? If that were the case, it’s more likely that humans were involved rather than demonic beasts.”

“Humans? Those creatures so weak they’re inferior even to hellhounds? Rogers, you’ve gotten better at jokes.”

Despite the scoffing, the middle-aged demon maintained a calm expression.

“If they were inferior to hellhounds, they wouldn’t have been able to hold onto the lands beyond this point. They might start off as the most insignificant and unremarkable, but in terms of potential for growth, no race can match humans.”

“Oh! Rogers, you know more than I thought. Have you actually seen humans?”

“How could that be? I’ve lived here all my life…”

“What? And you act like you know…”

“I’m merely speaking based on historical records.”

Belkarion pouted as if deflated.

He intended to continue on his way, but for some reason, his gaze kept returning to the direction of the valley.

It felt as if he was being drawn by some force.

“Do you feel something bothering you?”

“No, it’s strange. I feel a very mysterious aura coming from the direction of the valley. It’s as if it’s both unfamiliar and yet somehow familiar.”

The middle-aged demon also looked towards the valley but felt nothing.

“I don’t feel anything…”

“But there is something! Just wait a moment!”

Belkarion continued to gaze towards the valley, undeterred.

Somehow, he felt that going there would lead to something interesting, an odd feeling indeed.

“Rogers, we’ll have to cancel our plans for now. Something urgent has come up, and I need to go.”

“It’s fine, but please, I ask you to be careful. If something angers you, don’t just smash everything. It would give me a huge headache.”

Knowing well that advising further would be futile, the middle-aged demon simply issued a mild caution.

However, Belkarion barely listened, fiddling with his ears, his gaze fixed on the valley. His eyes even turned a shade of red, as if fueled by some excitement.

-Flap

With his black wings spread wide, Belkarion soared high into the sky.

He left without looking back, evidently fixated on something.

“Please, don’t cause any trouble… Lord Demon King.”

The middle-aged demon watched him disappear into the distance, hoping only for his safe return.

(PR: omg are we gonna have DK as a friend?)

(To be continued)