The Regressed Son of a Duke is an Assassin

Episode 203. Collaboration (1)

Several days later, at the main branch of Auram Academy.

Luna, who had returned from the frozen lands, sat opposite Chairman Regens with an ancient tome placed between them.

The book was bound with a complex enchantment to prevent casual perusal—a locking spell that no ordinary person could open.

Gently touching the cover of the book, Luna said, “I had hoped you might unlock this magic too… Is it like a final safeguard?”

Chairman Regens did not respond.

He would have liked to add more locking spells to make it absolutely impossible for anyone to open it, but he knew that his granddaughter would manage to open it somehow, so he refrained from interfering further.

“It might not be much consolation, but I plan to share everything I learn and experience from this book with the academy later on.”

“Do you think there are members of the academy who would accept that?”

Regens replied sternly, “Necromancy is different from ordinary magic! It’s not something you can handle with magic power alone! It requires using your own life force as collateral!”

“……”

“Whatever being you resurrect with necromancy will continuously devour your life force! Even you can’t handle that!”

“If I can handle it, I’ll become the unparalleled being you always wanted.”

They were at an impasse.

Finally, as if resigning himself to everything, Regens sighed and leaned back in his chair.

“Just tell me this. What do you want to do with this necromancy?”

Luna looked at the book and paused before answering.

“I want the same thing that you’ve sought all these years while studying magic.”

Regens’s gaze returned to Luna.

Then, casting a spell of fire, Luna produced a small flame at her fingertips.

“You are now a great archmage, respected by all, but there was a time when even you could barely create this tiny flame, right? I was the same, and so was every magician when they first started.”

The flame, initially the size of a fingernail, grew larger until it became the size of a fist.

“Anyone seeing this flame for the first time would think: How can I increase its size? How big can I make it? Can I add other elements to it? These questions keep growing roots and branching out, allowing endless growth. I believe it is such ‘curiosity’ that has allowed our human magic to develop this far.”

Regens did not deny it.

“And that made me wonder. Not just about us living in the present but about those who lived in the old ages before us. What kind of curiosity did they have? How was our present era formed?”

“What does that have to do with necromancy?”

“Since no one alive today knows, shouldn’t we ask someone who is dead?”

With those words, Luna stood up, a twinkle in her eye.

“It seems I truly am your granddaughter, unable to resist resolving my curiosities, whatever it takes. I’ll be returning to Luwen now. If you have any questions about the warp gate, feel free to contact me anytime.”

Regens remained silent until Luna had opened the door and left.

“Curiosity…”

He agreed with his granddaughter’s words: curiosity is indeed the driving force behind human growth. His own magic academy was founded on that same human curiosity.

However, he could not bring himself to tell her that this same curiosity could also lead humanity to ruin.

* * *

At the Auram Academy’s Luwen branch.

During the days when branch head Luna was away, the academy members had been fervently working on repairing the warp gate.

Luna had sent a message in advance that she would return tomorrow morning.

Fortunately, in her absence, no significant events had occurred.

The warp gate was successfully repaired, and the academy did not take issue with the fact that Luna’s journey to the frozen lands had not been reported in advance.

For Mireia, the current acting head, it was a situation she couldn’t help but feel proud of.

She had perfectly performed her duties as the acting head while the branch head was away, which was immensely satisfying.

“Everything will be over once Miss Luna returns……”

On a picturesque night with a bright full moon.

Mireia sat alone in the rest area pavilion, indulging in a tea time as a self-celebration.

-Woosh!

“……?!”

The peaceful time did not last long.

Suddenly, a massive surge of magical resonance occurred somewhere in the branch.

The only place where such resonance could happen was undoubtedly the warp gate.

Sure enough, one of the academy members burst into the rest area.

“Miss Mireia! There’s an intruder!”

Mireia immediately put down her cup and ran to where the intruder had burst in.

Indeed, one should never relax until everything is truly finished.

For Mireia, this was a great opportunity to make up for past mistakes.

With a courageous heart, she arrived at the scene,

“This time, as the person in charge, I will fulfill my duty…!”

As soon as she faced the silhouette standing boldly at the warp gate, her body froze.

The same was true for the other academy members.

Except for the newly added members, everyone else was paralyzed in place.

The intruder, wearing a black cloak and a mask, turned to look at the frozen Mireia and smirked.

Seeing that familiar smile, Mireia thought to herself.

“Why does this man keep coming here?”

The intruder was Cyan, who had previously breached their defenses once before and vanished through the warp gate without permission.

This time, Hastia was with him.

Pointing at the warp gate, Cyan asked, “I’ve come to use this again. Is that okay?”

Of course it wasn’t.

According to the rules, both should have been captured alive for interrogation to determine their origins.

Mireia, whose lips had already sealed tight, couldn’t utter a word.

Unaware of the situation, another academy member shouted.

“Where are you from? You can’t just stay up there!”

As he was about to manifest his magic in anger, Mireia, panicked, slapped his hand.

Leaving the confused academy member behind, Mireia turned to all the academy members and shouted.

“All members, don’t do anything and just stand by!”

“What? Lady Mireia? What does that mean…?”

“Don’t you understand? Just stay put! I’ll take responsibility! Well, no, Lady Luna will take it, so if you don’t like waiting, just leave!”

Some members wondered.

Were this dark-haired man and the white-haired woman perhaps high-ranking officials from the main academy headquarters?

However, their appearances were too suspicious.

Especially since the man with black hair bore a striking resemblance to the strange intruder previously reported at the Luwen branch.

While the members were engulfed in confusion,

Hastia, who had been quietly holding Cyan’s hand, quietly asked him.

“Can we really use this?”

Cyan replied calmly.

“They didn’t say we couldn’t. That means we can.”

Despite Hastia’s momentary doubt about whether this was the human way, Cyan, indifferent, activated the warp gate naturally.

-Whoosh!

Thus, the two departed from Luwen, heading towards the Romar Plateau where the Romar ruins were located.

* * *

And the next day.

Luna arrived at the Luwen branch.

As soon as she entered the branch, she blinked a few times seeing the academy members bowing their heads.

It took her three seconds to grasp the situation.

Luna asked Mireia, who was bowing at the front, “Another robbery at the branch, I see?”

Mireia approached Luna and whispered something in her ear.

Luna’s eyes widened halfway.

“Is that true?”

“No doubt about it! It was definitely that man who came before!”

Luna immediately ran to where the warp gate was located.

Then, as before, she stepped onto the gate and infused her magic into it.

The gate resonated with her magic,

and then a translucent window appeared before Luna.

The window displayed coordinates of the location Cyan had headed to last night.

“Romar Plateau?”

It was a place unfamiliar to Luna.

All she knew was that it was a rugged plateau located in the northeastern part of the Ushif Empire.

Biting her lip in contemplation for a moment, she suddenly seemed to remember something and pushed past the academy members to leave the branch.

“Branch leader? Where are you going?”

“To meet someone. Don’t follow me.”

Stepping out into the streets of Luwen, Luna took out a communicator and requested a connection.

Soon, the communicator lit up.

“Where are you, Arin senior?”

* * *

One hour later. Chancellor’s office at the Royal Academy.

Kundel revealed a strange seal in front of Arin and Resimus, who were sitting with serious expressions.

With her eyes wide as a startled rabbit, Arin asked,

“Is that the insignia of the Imperial Guard? Why do you have it, Chancellor?”

“It was found by knights patrolling the vicinity of Luwen’s walls this morning.”

The silver seal was smeared with red blood.

“Was there anything else?”

Kundel shook his head.

“No other traces were found. That seal was just lying in front of the wall. There are no records or signs of a knight named Gale who is said to have escaped from Luwen. He has gone missing inside Luwen.”

Arin, still examining the insignia, asked again.

“Missing, could that mean he might have been assassinated?”

“If someone killed him and cleanly erased any traces, it’s possible. But if the assassin had such skills…”

“It could be one of Mist’s assassins.”

Silica, also present, chimed in.

“It might also be a ruse by this knight named Gale himself. He could have staged his assassination and left through another route. Otherwise, it’s strange that there’s no body and only this suspicious insignia is left.”

Resimus countered,

“But, it could indeed be the work of a skilled assassin from Mist…”

“That’s also possible. There have been such cases before.”

Arin’s shoulders twitched.

“Even so, it’s too far-fetched to think Mist would assassinate someone from the Imperial Guard without a reason. Anyway, Ms. Arin can ask His Majesty the Emperor about this later, right?”

“That’s a valid point.”

Arin nodded, agreeing with Silica’s opinion.

Changing the topic, Silica asked,

“What about the expedition to the Romar ruins? Since the Imperial Court has refused, reapplying would be futile, right?”

“Considering the situation, I can’t ask you to accompany us, Professor Silica. So, Resimus and I planned to go alone.”

“Without the Imperial Court knowing?”

Arin and Resimus nodded together.

“It’s not a direction I’d recommend. If something happens to just the two of you there, it could impact both the Academy and the Chancellor.”

“I might understand if it were otherwise, but how do you plan to reach such a distant and dangerous place without any escort? Perhaps you should reconsider your decision this time.”

Both Kundel and Silica expressed their disapproval, but Arin was not swayed.

Her confident gaze seemed to hold some strategy for overcoming the obstacle.

“In fact, we have another person who has agreed to accompany us on the expedition.”

“…?”

Knock, knock

Just then, someone knocked on the Chancellor’s office door.

There were no appointments scheduled today, so Kundel looked towards the door with curiosity.

“It seems they’ve arrived.”

Creak

In time with Arin’s response, the mysterious visitor opened the door and entered.

Kundel and Silica’s eyes widened at the unexpected guest.

“I came to apply for the field study.”

Luna, holding a paper boldly marked ‘Field Study Application’, entered the chancellor’s office.

(To be continued)