The Regressed Son of a Duke is an Assassin

The door opened, and for exactly 10 seconds, I was unable to say or do anything.

Only my right hand, wandering in mid-air, and my gaze, trembling anxiously, represented my currently unstable state of mind.

“It seems you don’t remember me? Well, that’s possible. The last time I saw you was before I entered the academy…”

An utterly despicable smile was directed at me.

Looking at that smile made my heart boil and my veins feel like they were about to burst.

Stay calm.

Getting excited now will not benefit me in any way.

This was a situation that was bound to happen eventually, was it not?

I had vowed to personally take his life, to grind his teeth to bits, to erase his very existence.

If I can not control myself now, I will just end up ruining everything soon.

Yes, right now, I need to maintain a situation that is undoubtedly normal by letting everything go.

To continue the conversation with a relaxed heart…

With a relaxed heart…

…

Do you think that is possible?

To tear him limb from limb, to grind his bones and scatter them over a volcanic crater would not be satisfying enough!

And now, when such a person appears before me, what am I doing not killing him?

To thoroughly destroy his future?

Do I really need to bother looking into the future?

No! I just need to kill him here!

Without dragging it out, just end the bad karma of my past life here!

As if responding to my will, my wandering right hand headed into my bosom.

Soon after, it grasped the hilt of Kaeram’s sword within.

The moment I grasped the sword hilt, all the clutter in my mind was erased, leaving behind only a single emotion known as murderous intent.

-Click.

“…?!”

An unexpected hand suddenly grabbed my wrist.

[If you don’t want your head smashed, get a hold of yourself.]

The cold, yet soft whisper of the magic sword.

At the same time, the murderous intent invading my body quickly subsided.

“Vert family’s youngest, Cyan, greets his elder brother…”

After naturally pulling my hand out of my bosom, I immediately bowed my head.

It was the best action I could take under the circumstances.

“…Do you remember me?”

“Of course. As a younger brother, how could I not recognize my brother’s face?”

“I’m glad. Honestly, I was worried you might not recognize me, but it’s a relief you remembered me at first sight.”

Aschel patted my head as if he was proud.

I desperately suppressed the murderous intent that was rising again.

“First, I should apologize. I’m sorry for entering your room without permission. It must have been uncomfortable for you to have a stranger in your space.”

“It’s alright. It was just an empty room without its owner, after all.”

“You probably don’t know how long I’ve been waiting for this moment, Cyan. My coming here today was solely to meet you.”

You came to meet me? You?

In my past life, the first time I met him was after graduating from the academy.

You, who never spare a glance for those you deem unnecessary, came to meet me now?

There must be a hidden agenda; it is impossible otherwise. The moment I sensed there was an intention behind his actions, curiously, my boiling emotions cooled down, and my thoughts became rational again.

Hiding all my intentions, I softly said,

“I, too, have always wanted to meet you, brother.”

* * *

“Really, it’s not much luggage, but do you think carrying it yourself will bring a curse? Anyway, our young master really doesn’t know how to care for a lady, does he?”

Emily, carrying a sack that contained nothing but clothes, was climbing the stairs. Having finished packing with the help of the servants, she was now heading to Cyan’s room with his last remaining luggage.

But for some reason, the expressions of the servants who had helped with the packing seemed unusual.

Was it a feeling as if they were trying to hide something they all knew?

One of the maids, with whom she had been close, even pushed her towards Cyan’s room, suggesting she should go see for herself.

Emily thought maybe they had prepared a surprise for her, but that seemed unlikely.

Finally reaching Cyan’s door, Emily knocked without much thought.

-Knock knock

“…”

Silence was the only response.

Tilting her head in confusion, Emily knocked again.

-Knock knock

“Master Cyan, it’s Emily! I’ve brought up your luggage!”

After a moment, Cyan’s heavy voice came from beyond the door.

“…Come in.”

Briefly startled by the unexpected atmosphere, she opened the door and entered.

“With such little luggage, you could have just carried it up yourself, why did I have to… Huh?!”

Her usual grumbling was cut short as Emily froze, struck by the scene unfolding before her eyes.

In her gaze were precisely two men.

“Ah, so you are the woman? The maid who has been with him at the front?”

A strange man greeted her with a bright smile.

Emily recognized the man.

His appearance was so strikingly attractive, it felt as if a being from the divine realm had descended to the mortal world.

In this ducal family, there was only one person known for such looks.

“The- the eldest young master…?”

Aschel Vert, the eldest son of the family.

For reasons unknown to her, he was now prominently seated in Cyan’s room.

Suddenly covering her mouth, Emily hurriedly bowed her head.

“I’m- I’m so sorry! I had no idea the eldest young master was here, and I’ve been so rude…!”

She wished for a mouse hole to disappear into, overwhelmed by the embarrassment.

She had shown herself to be far too casual in front of the one considered the most desirable master to serve among the servants.

“Haha, it seems you two have a good, straightforward relationship. Well, considering Cyan took you to the front lines, you must have been a maid he greatly cherished.”

“…”

Cyan responded with silence.

It seemed that Aschel was ready to leave, having had a conversation with Cyan before Emily arrived.

“Returning from such a journey must be tiring, I’m sorry for taking up your time.”

“Not at all. It was an honor to have a conversation with my elder brother.”

Standing up, Aschel patted Cyan on the head, who simply accepted it quietly.

“Well then, I’ll go see mother now. If you encounter any difficulties at the academy, feel free to contact me.”

“I will do that.”

After finishing their conversation, Aschel left the room with a gentle smile in his eyes.

The moment his footsteps disappeared down the corridor, Emily exhaled the breath she had been holding.

“Phew! I thought I was going to die from the tension! Those rascals! If the eldest young master was here, they could have at least told me!”

“…”

Despite Emily’s complaints, Cyan remained silent.

“What did you talk about with the eldest young master? He wouldn’t visit without a reason! Don’t tell me he came just to see you? If that’s the case, it really means you’re…”

“Emily…”

Cyan calling her name abruptly silenced her.

Startled, Emily cautiously looked into Cyan’s eyes.

“I’m sorry, but could you leave me alone for a bit…”

His voice, low and resonant, carried an overwhelming seriousness.

“Why suddenly…?”

“Don’t make me say it twice.”

Seeing Cyan’s expression, Emily could no longer say anything.

After the duel with Cranz, Cyan had always seemed to be at ease, but now, for the first time, he was showing a darker side.

Had he been holding a sword, it felt as though he would mercilessly slaughter anyone, regardless of who they were.

Cyan’s face was filled with anger and a murderous intent to such an extent.

* * *

The moment I unleashed my suppressed nature, I felt as if the blood coursing through my veins was flowing in reverse.

Unable to bear it, I eventually ran to the bathroom inside the room.

“Uwaaagh!”

Looking at the vomit I had expelled, it felt as if I was seeing my own despicable lies and pretensions.

“Keke…”

Yet, I could not help but let out a hollow laugh, amazed at how I managed to endure that moment.

[It was him, wasn’t it?]

Lifting my head slightly, I saw Kaeram’s face looking down at me, arms crossed.

Had she not stopped my hand, I would have surely torn him apart right there.

Laughing crazily, I asked her quietly.

“Why did you stop me?”

[Shouldn’t you be saying thank you first?]

“It was a chance for you, wasn’t it? If I had killed him right there, it would have been the perfect opportunity for you to absorb me, right?”

There is nothing easier to devour than a soul that has lost its nature.

A human consumed by madness and murderous intent is the ideal prey for a magic sword. If Kaeram truly wanted, she could have exerted her nature as a magic sword to consume me, her master, and take over as the host.

But she did not.

Instead, she desperately stopped me from doing so.

That is why I am here now, able to have this conversation with her, eyes wide open.

[Don’t be mistaken. You’re just raw meat that hasn’t been aged yet. Just because the raw meat has been slightly seared doesn’t mean it’s ready to be devoured; it would just ruin the taste. You need to ripen more…]

Her gaze was cold, her lips arrogantly curled.

It was a grotesque smile that one could not find anywhere else in the world.

To any ordinary person, it would have been a sight that could chill their nerves and freeze their bones, but I couldn’t help but laugh.

This is just like my beloved sword!

[But seeing that bastard’s face, I think I understand why you were growling like a mad dog. How was it? Meeting the enemy of your past life?]

“It was fortunate, I guess.”

[Fortunate?]

Kaeram raised her eyebrows in surprise.

“I’ve thought about it countless times, living this damned life again. When exactly did the man I trusted and followed for my entire life start to dislike me? Was it because my abilities were too superior, making him anxious, and that anxiety eventually turned into jealousy? What if I had never been by his side from the beginning? Could I have avoided such a miserable death then?”

[Such naivety. Why? Did you start feeling pity for him once you considered him as a brother?]

“Do you see me as someone like that? Right now, he’s nothing but an empty shell without any real power. Swinging my sword in revenge against such a worthless person won’t soothe the rage inside me.”

It might be different 20 years later, but the current Aschel is merely an unrefined stone.

To be frank, killing him, who is practically a different person from the one who wielded the holy sword that pierced my heart, what would that achieve?

“But the moment I faced him, I immediately knew…”

[What did you know?]

The pain in my heart resurfaced, bringing back that moment.

When the golden holy sword pierced my heart, he said that he had never fully trusted me throughout the time we spent together.

That despicable look in his eyes.

His eyes were as chillingly the same then as they are now.

“That it wasn’t because of me that he changed, but that he was just inherently vile from the beginning. When needed, he’d suck every drop of blood, and when not, he’d ruthlessly discard… He was always that kind of person.”

Even if hidden behind a cunning smile, I had already seen his true nature.

It was like a brand seared into my body, impossible to erase, so I recognized it at first glance.

“So how fortunate is it? The existence named Aschel Vert, whom I wish to inflict all the world’s pain upon, exists just as I desire…”

Still, I will not kill him yet.

As Kaeram said, meat tastes best when it is properly cooked.

Rushing to eat it just because it is slightly charred will not allow me to experience the best flavor.

“The future is going to be very interesting, Kaeram.”

[It better be interesting. That way, I won’t regret what I did today.]

A life in which I vow to achieve everything by myself.

In that life, the name Aschel Vert will not exist.

Even if there are gods behind him, it does not matter.

I will thoroughly erase him from this world.

(To be continued)