The Regressed Son of a Duke is an Assassin

“I found him! Over here!”

At the break of dawn, in the dim light of early morning.

Those who heard the call gathered in one place, unable to close their mouths in shock.

Surrounded by knights, in the center lay a strange being, his body limp as if he had fainted, amidst the moisture-drenched underbrush.

Exactly 24 hours after he had fallen into the Blood River and gone missing,

Cyan Vert, the youngest son of Duke Vert, was found.

Considering his completely drenched body from head to toe and the proximity to the Blood River, it was assumed that after escaping from the river, he had dragged himself here and eventually fainted from exhaustion.

What remained was to check whether he was alive or dead.

-Swish

A senior knight carefully lifted his body to listen to his heart.

Silence enveloped the surroundings.

Focusing all his senses on his heAireng, the knight checked for any remaining breath of life.

-Thump.

“…!”

The clear beating of the heart.

Breathing was faint but definitely present through his nose.

“He’s alive!”

Everyone around could only think of it as a miracle.

“From now on, we will escort Sir Cyan to the rear. Be prepared for any possible attacks by monsters!”

Having completed the search, the next step was safe transportation.

They encountered no monsters during the transport, and thus, Cyan was safely returned to the rear without any issues.

* * *

-Clomp, clomp

The hurried footsteps of Duke Vert echoed through the corridor.

Everyone he passed bowed their heads to him, but the Duke had no time to care about such formalities right now.

He stopped in front of a door.

Ignoring the salutes of the guards, the Duke opened the door and hurried inside.

“Cyan Vert, the youngest of the Vert family, greets father…….”

As if he knew his father would come, the man greeted him calmly.

It was Cyan, the Duke’s son.

Though he was sitting on the bed, making the gesture indirectly, the Duke’s face was a mix of several emotions upon seeing him.

Calming his excitement, he approached Cyan with a composed stride.

“Are you alright?”

“I am trying to recover quickly. I know you must be very busy with matters at the front, so I am sorry for causing you such great concern.”

The place where Cyan was recuperating was a monastery located outside the border walls in Vellias.

It also served as a military hospital for knights wounded on the front lines, and the Duke had already been informed via message that there was nothing wrong with Cyan’s body.

“…….”

There was much he wanted to ask, but no words came out.

Cyan was too calm for a child who had been on the brink of life and death.

It felt not like dealing with a ten-year-old child but as if he was facing a veteran who had been through many battles.

“Do you remember what happened that day?”

“My lord. I managed to evacuate the princess and successfully elude the pursuing trolls, but unfortunately, near the Blood River, I encountered a formidable monster, a Demon Dragon. The dragon seemed to recognize me as prey and snatched me up immediately, leaving me no choice but to be dragged away.”

His answer flowed smoothly, as if prepared.

The Duke continued his questioning.

“Weren’t you scared?”

“They say that even if you are caught by a dragon, you can survive if you keep your wits about you. I desperately fueled my desire to live and kept stabbing at the dragon’s foot, hoping to at least inflict some damage.”

Now he understood why the dragon had continued to circle the area.

Not only had he saved the princess, but he had also stood his ground against a Demon Dragon.

While the situation was certainly commendable, the Duke found it hard to feel happy.

“Given the circumstances, I will not make excuses. As you have seen, my thoughts were more on killing that Demon Dragon than on saving you. In the end, the Demon Dragon escaped, and you fell into the river, nearly knocking on death’s door, but I do not regret my actions. I hope you can understand that.”

“On the contrary, I believe it’s only natural. After all, the primary goal here is to subdue the monsters. One must take care of their own life on the frontline, shouldn’t they?”

Cyan remained composed to the end.

Could this really be the mindset of a ten-year-old child?

Though he was a child of his own blood, the Duke felt an inexplicable distance between them.

‘It would be nice to see him act a bit more like a child…’

(PR: you say that, after telling him you don’t regret not saving him -_-)

It all seemed to stem from himself.

Bearing the heavy duty known as the family’s creed, that burden seemed to have been passed down to his children as well.

Could it be that his lack of care as a father had resulted in the creation of such a mature child?

The Duke’s heart was heavy with turmoil.

“Nevertheless, we must acknowledge your merit in safely protecting the princess. I wish to grant you a reward.”

“A reward, you say?”

“Yes. If there is anything you want, feel free to ask.”

At the mention of a reward, Cyan appeared to think it over.

What could he possibly ask for in his current situation, the Duke wondered, genuinely curious.

“Then, I would like to make one request.”

“What is it? Speak freely.”

“Please do not dismiss me from the front lines because of this incident.”

Silence filled the room for nearly ten seconds.

As the Duke looked down at Cyan, myriad thoughts crossed his mind.

And he realized, regardless of age, this child was already fully prepared to uphold the family’s honor…

The fleeting glimpse of the child he had seen during their swordsmanship practice had completely vanished.

All that was left was to silently watch how much further he would grow.

The Duke spoke with a steady tone.

“I shall grant your request. But remember, nothing changes. You must continue to protect yourself, as always.”

“I will bear that in mind.”

Having concluded his business, the Duke turned to leave, pausing after a few steps to look back at Cyan once more.

A faint smile lingered on his face.

“I look forward to witnessing your endless growth.”

With those final words, the Duke left the room.

* * *

[You still haven’t come to your senses?]

“… again?”

[Are you planning to go back there after all that chaos?”]

“Chaos? At most, I was swept away by the river and took a quick trip to the demon world, right?”

[Oh really? You were all confident, saying it would be fun if the Demon King appeared, but where did the person who was trembling with fear as soon as they encountered one go? Was it so shocking that you lost your memory?]

“Did I? Maybe I felt a thrill without realizing it.”

[Enough already! It’s a miracle you came back alive.]

Kaeram’s teasing was naturally brushed off by him, and she shook her head as if tired.

The front line he had returned to after walking half a day in the demon world.

As soon as he sensed the search party’s presence, he laid down to be naturally discovered, orchestrating the situation.

On the way back, he heard that if he had not been found by then, the Duke had already ordered to consider him dead, which he thought was only natural.

Surviving with such a small body was already a slim chance.

Continuing a dangerous search unnecessarily would be imprudent, so he believed the Duke made the best decision as a leader.

Truthfully, even he was baffled about how he managed to return.

[But was that guy really the Demon King? Was the Demon King you fought as light-hearted as him?]

That remained an unresolved question.

The Belkarion he knew was supposed to be a ruthless incarnation of evil with not a shred of mercy, yet somehow, the demon he encountered that day seemed as clueless as Emily.

People change in an instant, and it seems demons are no different.

It appears that a significant event I overlooked in my previous life must have occurred in the demon world,

Given my knowledge of the future, I can not simply dismiss it as something from another world.

First and foremost, since the deal was made under the guise of insurance, there is nothing immediate to be done, but it is something that requires time to observe.

[Hmm?]

Suddenly, Kaeram looked towards the door.

At the same time, there was the sound of urgent yet restrained footsteps from beyond it.

[Ho~?]

“What’s with that laugh?”

An unsettling feeling rushed in at her suddenly seductive smile.

[It must be nice to have so many people worried about you~]

“What?”

[So, please, try not to be so gruff. Being disliked by a woman can lead to an inescapable quagmire. I’m off to sleep~]

Leaving behind words I could not quite understand, Kaeram vanished into the sword like mist.

-Knock knock

A moment later, there was a knock at the door.

“Come in.”

The door carefully opened, revealing Emily with a delighted expression.

“Wow, sir! You really are alive?”

Not “I’m glad you’re alive,” but “You really are alive?”

“I knew it! While everyone else was clucking their tongues, saying you were dead, I believed you’d come back perfectly fine! See, my intuition was right!”

She rushed over and hugged me tightly, but somehow, I did not feel a hint of desperation in her embrace.

Though I am thankful she believed in me, why does it not make me feel entirely pleased?

She was not the only visitor.

Another guest was hesitating at the opened door, Princess Airen, who seemed unsure of what to do.

When our eyes met, she was startled but then gathered her courage to approach.

“I’m… I’m glad you’re alive.”

“I’m relieved to see that you’ve evacuated safely as well, Your Highness.”

Her demeanor was as awkward as ever, not just checking on my well-being but seemingly with something more to say.

Emily glanced at her then made a strange gesture as if to say “Hang in there,” and left the room, leaving just the two of them.

“Now it’s just the two of us.”

“Your maid is quite something. No one else thought you were still alive… It was clear she believed in you a lot.”

Would she say the same if she knew us better?

For the moment, I remained silent.

“Are you feeling alright?”

“Fortune was on my side, as I’m surprisingly unharmed.”

“I see…”

As expected, silence fell between us again.

“If you’re thinking of apologizing, there’s no need.”

“Eh? Why not?”

“Because it’s not your fault. The appearance of monsters isn’t something you should apologize for, right?”

“Well, yes, but if I hadn’t gone to you that day, you wouldn’t have had to… for me.”

“If that’s the case, you shouldn’t have come to the front lines at all. The root cause is the monsters, not your actions. Please, let’s not speak of this anymore.”

Reluctantly, she nodded.

Having dismissed the preliminary matters, it was time to address the main issue.

“That day, when you told me to become the emperor… what did you mean by that?”

Her voice dropped significantly.

I, too, lowered my voice and spoke softly.

“Exactly as I said. If you wish to be of help to the empire as a member of the imperial family, I meant that you should try to become the emperor yourself.”

“Do you think I have the potential to do that?”

“That’s for you to decide, Your Highness. I’m merely suggesting a direction. I’m not a kingmaker who can make you the emperor.”

Disappointed by my unexpected response?

Princess Airen once again fell silent, merely looking at me.

“…You can’t help me?”

She did not understand my point.

“What power do I have to do that? I’m just the offspring of a ducal family.”

“No, that’s not true! You have exceptional insight and abilities. I feel that with you by my side, I could achieve much more than now!”

Determination shone in the princess’s eyes.

Finally, she revealed the real reason for her visit.

“Can’t you become my person?”

(To be continued)