The Regressed Son of a Duke is an Assassin

In the imperial mansion located in Vellias.

Princess Airen, having successfully rendezvoused with the reinforcements, was escorted by the imperial knights and crossed the boundary gate to arrive here.

From early evening until dawn, it was indeed a long day spent entirely awake.

Both body and mind were tremendously exhausted.

However, her weary eyes refused to close easily.

-Knock knock.

“Come in…”

Replying with a somewhat feeble voice, a woman with a tense face cautiously opened the door and entered.

“Ex- excuse me, Your Highness!”

It was Cyan’s maid, Emily.

“Come in. I’m sorry for calling you out of the blue when you must have been resting.”

“No, not at all, Your Highness! I’m truly grateful you called for me…!”

Her tensed shoulders and hunched neck alone were enough to tell how nervous she was.

It was a stark contrast to just a few hours ago, when she had clutched onto her and ran as fast as she could, now feeling awkwardly out of place.

Princess Airen herself became flustered in turn.

“What’s there to be thankful for? What am I, after all…”

“Ah! Meeting with Your Highness is naturally a great honor! I probably won’t forget today for the rest of my life!”

“Is… is that so?”

The maid seemed simple-minded, unlike her appearance.

Having called her without much thought, it was truly awkward to decide where to start or what to say first.

In truth, there was something she wanted to say, but it just would not come out.

She bit her innocent lips, frustrated.

“First, I want to say I’m sorry. I’m really sorry for getting you involved in this mess because of my foolishness…”

Unable to meet her eyes, she turned her head and barely managed to speak.

Unlike the troubled princess, Emily jumped up and waved her hands frantically.

“Sorry? There’s no need, Your Highness! The ones who should be apologizing are those wicked beasts! Why did they have to show up in swarms just on the day Your Highness arrived…!”

“No, that’s not it!”

The princess, without realizing, clenched her eyes shut and shouted.

Even amidst this, Emily looked around, wondering if she had done something wrong.

“Because of me, your master was in danger… Because I didn’t know my place and insisted on going to your side… Uselessly trying to protect me, your master…”

She regretted it, time and again, in that short span.

If only she had not been there at that time, at that place, perhaps this situation would not have occurred…

Due to the reckless bravery of an incompetent princess, someone’s child, someone’s master, ended up facing a tragic fate.

The sense of powerlessness as if she could not lift her head before anyone.

Emotions overwhelmed Princess Airen, and dew formed at the corners of her eyes.

However, this fourth-dimensional maid seemed not to grasp the situation, merely blinking.

“If… if you’re talking about our young master, as far as I know, he hasn’t died yet?”

Though a body had not been found, how could such a young body, without the strength to break free, possibly survive?

Frankly, it was a situation where anyone would conclude death was inevitable.

“Do you actually believe your master is still alive?”

“Of course! Our young master hasn’t passed away yet!”

Princess Airen doubted her ears for a moment.

“How could he be alive? Even if he fell into the water, the height was unthinkable! With the rain, the currents would’ve been very strong; it’s more bizarre if he’s alive, isn’t it?”

“Ah, but how tenacious our young master is! He’s not someone who would die so easily! Perhaps he swam or grabbed onto a branch, but somehow, he’ll definitely return alive?”

Princess Airen thought to herself.

Setting everything else aside, this much was clear.

This maid was speaking sincerely, without any pretense.

Perhaps she was the only person in the world who believed he was still alive…

“I’ve been hearing it all the way here, actually. Everyone lamented the impossibility of the young master’s survival, but strangely, I never thought that way! It felt like he would return any day now, as if nothing had happened!”

This strangely convincing feeling.

Surely, she had spent a long time with him, but to think this deeply seemed difficult.

However, on the flip side, it showed how much the maid trusted her master.

“You believe in him… your master…”

The princess’s anxious heart seemed to ease a bit.

It was a relief that at least someone believed he could still be alive.

“What kind of person was your master?”

The conversation naturally shifted to Cyan.

After a moment of thought, Emily pursed her lips, seemingly unsure how to express it.

“Um… originally, he was considered utterly hopeless by the family, almost invisible to the point that even the mansion’s servants wouldn’t know he was there.”

He was ignored even by the servants, an existence that received no attention among distinguished children.

That was the original image of Cyan Vert.

“Was it two months ago? Everything started to change oddly from the day of the swordsmanship duel with the fourth young master. It was as if he began to unveil abilities he had hidden all along.”

“Hidden abilities?”

“Yes! From that moment, he truly became a different person! Suddenly declaring he wanted to go to the front lines, he even earned recognition from the Duke himself. I just followed along, bewildered…”

That bright smile seemed far from superficial; it was genuinely sincere.

Somehow, it felt understandable why this indifferent man had kept this maid by his side.

“Don’t worry too much, Your Highness! It won’t be long before you see our young master’s gruff face again!”

“That would be really great if it could happen…”

Yet, reality is often cruelly indifferent to our wishes, and she could not completely let go of her anxiety.

Princess Airen could only hope, with all her heart, to see his face once more.

* * *

“Phew!”

The moment I tasted the sweet air of life, all the strength I had squeezed out seemed to drain away.

“Ptooey!”

After spitting out all the impurities in my mouth, I barely managed to crawl onto the shore.

The ground was hard and uneven, but to me now, it felt like the most comfortable bed in the world.

“Ah… this is terribly exhausting.”

Diving heroically into the Blood River was one thing, but what followed was exceedingly arduous.

Despite holding my breath, the putrid smell that penetrated deep into my nose and the sickening feeling of touching corpses made it all the more repulsive.

The attacks from the bizarre aquatic demons that fed on those corpses turned it into a complete madhouse.

That damn dragon, if it had just been captured quietly from the start, none of this would have happened.

If I ever encounter it again, I will shred its wings first to prevent it from escaping, then grind down everything from the horns on its head to the claws on its toes and devour it all!

Realizing the futility of such thoughts, a long sigh escaped me.

Sigh, I should have just done what I usually do from the start, rather than showing off and ending up feeling utterly wrecked.

It was not just me who ended up in tatters.

In my outstretched right hand was Kaeram, now looking somewhat altered.

Gone was the pale purple of the blade, replaced by a state too awkward to call a magic sword, smeared with dark red liquids.

“Did you die, Kaeram?”

When there was no reply, despite being sure it was awake, I cautiously asked.

[…Don’t make me talk.]

The muscle that had relaxed tensed up again at the single, heavily uttered sentence.

A voice filled with all the irritability in the world.

Any further provocation, and it would stab my throat without a second word.

Quietly, I stood up and created a fist-sized water droplet with my hand.

-Swish swish

The pure water, free of any impurities, gently cleaned off the foreign substances stuck to Kaeram.

After a bit of cleansing, Kaeram gradually revealed itself again amidst the mist.

[Ugh, I hate this sticky feeling so much!]

“I’ll give you a proper wash when we get back, so bear with it for now.”

The hard gaze from Kaeram still showed plenty of lingering annoyance.

[Huh? So, you’re planning to go back? Do you even realize where you’ve ended up?]

“Well, at least it’s not the front lines…”

A sky even redder than that over the front lines.

The air, as if laden with heat, was uncomfortable, and a chilly draft prickled the skin.

It was immediately apparent that this was a place infinitely inhospitable to humans.

Its name: the Demon Realm.

After all the twists and turns, I had ended up in this dreadful land.

Wow, how long has it been since I last came here?

The nostalgia is so overwhelming it’s almost maddening.

[Is now really the time to be lost in your thoughts? Pay attention!]

Such a temper…

I know it is not the time to be lost in thoughts.

Just because I have arrived in the Demon Realm does not mean I plan to stay here; I must return eventually.

By now, knights must be scouring every corner of the valley in search of me.

I need to return quickly and be found unconscious or else I might miss the chance to go back forever.

I turned my head to check the condition of the Blood River.

The gently rippling waves told me that the situation had significantly improved compared to before.

Following the river upstream should allow me to return without much trouble…

It seems I have indeed come quite far.

The distance back to the Lemea Valley looks incredibly vast.

I need to hurry if I want to be found at an appropriate time.

“Growl…”

An unexpected sound of a dog’s growl.

Turning in that direction, a pack of Hellhounds appeared.

Considering I needed to recover my vitality, could this be considered fortunate timing?

After the chaos in the Blood River, I was quite hungry.

“Keng!”

The hellhounds charged with fierce bravery, but their heads fell in droves to a swift sweep of the sword energy.

As always, I picked a head of suitable size and bit into it.

[Hey…]

It felt as familiar as drinking water by now.

The bitter smell I first sensed now almost seemed fragrant.

[Hey, Master…]

At this rate, will I start seeking blood before water?

It would be troublesome if I became addicted…

[Look behind you, you fool!!!]

Startled by the ear-splitting shout, I dropped the head I was holding.

Turning to Kaeram in shock, she was looking somewhere with a serious expression.

“Ah, why scream all of a sudden while I’m eating?”

“See! I told you something interesting was going to happen~”

“…!”

Humans inherently have a limit to their memory, unable to recall everything they have experienced.

However, there are memories, absolute in their clarity, that one can never forget, no matter what happens.

Even in a life lived twice, that memory, that presence, that voice!

I had not confirmed it yet, but I knew the owner of this playful voice.

Slowly, I turned my head to where Kaeram was looking.

A man was squatting on a low-cut cliff, looking down at me.

The moment I saw his face, 99% speculation turned into 100% certainty.

“You’re human, right?”

The man was smiling a bright, innocent smile.

Even though I have come to the demon realm, did it have to be this demon, of all beings, that I first encountered?

Why is this man, no, this demon here?

Demon King Belkarion.

The strongest of the demon realm, who had fought the most terrible blood battle with me in my previous life, was now before my eyes.

(To be continued)