The Regressed Son of a Duke is an Assassin

92%.

It was an unbelievable figure, something I had never seen or heard of in my life.

Could this mean it’s not just the selection of a deity, but the presence of a divine being directly entering a human body?

I dare say, since the attribute test began, this is the first time a human has shown such a high figure.

“This magic circle, it’s not broken, is it?”

“How could it be? It was working fine just a moment ago…”

The two instructors checked the parchment’s writing over and over again.

No matter how many times they checked, it was something they couldn’t believe.

“Are we done?”

Cyan calmly stepped down from the magic circle and checked his parchment.

With an indifferent look that didn’t even twitch an eyebrow, he didn’t react at all to the figure of 92% and simply left the room.

The two instructors left behind were still in a daze.

“An attribute score of 92% and a physical grade of S… At least there’s some conscience, the magic grade is 1 star.”

However, it didn’t seem to matter much.

After all, the magic grade is an element that tends to rise step by step over the years.

“Surely it’s a record-breaking figure without precedent…”

Instructor Rodin seemed somewhat regretful.

“Why did it have to be the darkness attribute… It’s quite regrettable from the opposite perspective.”

The darkness attribute.

Although it’s a rare attribute, it’s not particularly welcomed in this land.

Not only are there few possessors, but fundamentally, the Ushif Empire is a nation that worships light.

In a country that prefers light, the opposite nature, darkness would not be welcomed.

This is the same for neighboring countries and other regions, and as a result, research on magic based on the darkness attribute has hardly progressed on the continent.

In other words, it’s all show and no substance.

“It’s true. If the maximum score is 92%, that means the remaining score is 8%, and it seems unlikely to grow significantly through magic.”

“You never know. With that level of compatibility, if you add genius, you could create new magic anytime.”

“Darkness attribute grand magic… Honestly, I can’t see it. At best, magic like stealth or illusion… How can such a despised attribute be developed?”

Silica shook her head as she spoke.

On the other hand, Rodin seemed to be deep in thought, with a meaningful look on his face.

“Do you have something in mind, Mr. Rodin?”

“No, not really. Just that there might be an organization that would welcome a student like Cyan.”

“Where?”

Hesitating for a moment, Rodin then scratched his head and said,

“Mist…”

“…”

“No, I mean, since you mentioned magic like stealth or illusion… I thought it might be suitable for assassins who favor such techniques…”

She looked at Rodin with a face that seemed to genuinely feel contempt.

* * *

92%, huh.

I seem to remember it being in the 80% range in my previous life, but it looks like the figure has increased.

Well, considering all the mana I’ve used hunting monsters, it would be strange if it hadn’t gone up.

It goes without saying, but the attribute scores confirmed now don’t stay the same for life.

Just as strength increases with use and dulls with disuse,

attribute scores too can increase or decrease depending on how mana is used and utilized.

While it varies from person to person, it’s said that changes usually stay within a 10% range.

Of course, there are cases that exceed this.

Well, even in my previous life, this absurd figure drew quite a bit of attention.

Mostly it was mockery, wondering if my attribute was as useless as I was, given my family’s view of me as incompetent…

Ah, thinking about the past again is starting to sour my mood.

In my previous life, I might have let it slide, but this time seems different.

I might just make an example out of someone, throwing them into the abyss of darkness to give them a taste of despair and pain…

But then, that would probably be the end of my quiet and peaceful academy life.

I drank a muscle-enhancing potion I brought from the dormitory, trying to clear my unsettled feelings.

Hmm, this is quite good actually?

The sweet and slightly bitter taste reminds me of a troll’s blood.

Not that its effects could compare, but it does bring back a certain nostalgia…

“…!”

The moment I turned the corner, I came face to face with a familiar one.

“Cy, Cy…”

Eyes and mouth trembling as if struck with acute dysentery.

Reacting as if they’d seen a dead person who shouldn’t be there.

It was Cranz.

You little, what a coincidence.

“Do you know this kid, Cranz?”

Next to him was a blonde kid who seemed to have no neck due to his plumpness, with his head directly sitting on his chest.

Ah, I remember you too.

Popper Fenelon, the son of the Duke of Fenelon from the Kingdom of Garam.

Along with Cranz, one of the ones who made my early academy life absolutely miserable.

Even when questioned by the pig, Cranz continued to stutter like an idiot. Oh, why can’t you speak?

Have you already forgotten the name of your dear brother whom you cherished so much?

That can’t be it.

Our dear brother Cranz, who wished I would disappear from this world so much that he whined to our mother, couldn’t possibly forget his brother!

“It’s my brother! His name is Cyan Vert, and he came to the academy with me this year! You arrived safely, Cyan?!”

Look at this shameless guy.

Still pretending to be unfazed as if he has friends?

I decided to stay quiet for a bit, curious to see how far he would go.

“Ah, so you’re the brother he said he treated like a slave while you were at the mansion?”

“…!”

Cranz’s face, which had somewhat regained its color, turned pale again.

Unable to face me, his eyes wandered frantically.

Ah, well, it’s true.

It’s a fact that until our swordsmanship duel, he treated me like a slave.

Being the merciful person I am, I can generously understand that level of tongue-lashing.

“Moreover, you said he was a bastard whose mother is unknown? Wow! You said he really looks like he comes from no decent background!”

-Thud

There was the sound of something heavy dropping.

Presumably, that must have been the sound of Cranz’s heart sinking.

“No, I mean, what I was trying to say is…!”

-Grab

Without bothering to listen to his excuses, I immediately grabbed the back of his head.

His hair was drenched in sweat from how much he had perspired, but that wouldn’t make me let go.

It seems beasts learn only when beaten; it looks like it’s time for another lesson for him.

After bowing my head for a moment, I soon looked up with a bright smile.

“Shall we have a little chat, Cranz?”

* * *

“Attribute score 92%?”

The white-haired old man murmured while stroking his chin as he read the report.

“Yes. But the problem is that the primary attribute itself is darkness…”

“So, it’s basically of no real use.”

The old man continued to scrutinize Cyan Vert’s report with a refined gaze.

“It’s true, it’s a record-breaking figure. Even Alice Vert, who was called the child of a god, had what, 81%?”

“Yes. By the time of graduation, it had risen to 88% for the water attribute.”

“Interesting. A figure that even that historically talented child didn’t achieve has appeared in a freshman.”

A rare, faint smile lingered on the dean’s face.

Silica found the situation very unusual as she observed this.

She was in the dean’s office, located on the top floor of the academy’s main building.

Given that she was here to report on the day’s attribute test, the old man reading the report was naturally the room’s owner.

The dean of the Royal Academy, ‘Kundel Quisel’.

He was the head of the Quisel family, one of the prominent families of the Ushif Empire, and the father of Diana Quisel, the emperor’s first empress, making him the former father-in-law of the emperor.

Additionally, he was the only person among the academy’s current members who had reached the 9-star level.

“Do you know that this Cyan boy has been assigned to the Royal Wing?”

“Yes. I heard from the other instructors.”

“What do you think, how did someone who is not a member of the royal family get assigned?”

Silica broke out in a cold sweat at this unexpected quiz show.

The answer was somewhat obvious.

A noble, not of the royal family, being assigned to the Royal Wing?

Without overcomplicating it, this clearly meant someone’s influence was at play.

The issue was that the person who approved it must possess power at least equivalent to the dean’s.

The only person fitting this description was Dean Kundel himself.

Thus, it could be concluded that Dean Kundel had been persuaded by someone to assign Cyan Vert to the Royal Wing.

“…Could it have been Duke Vert who arranged this?”

“Ha, no. How upright is Duke Vert? He’s not the type of man to request such favors just to make things convenient for his child.”

“Then who could it possibly be…?”

“It was His Majesty the Emperor…”

Silica doubted her ears for a moment.

“Are you talking about Emperor Dione?”

Kundel answered by simply raising his eyebrows.

“Why would the emperor take such an interest in that child?”

“What’s your current magic level?”

Out of nowhere, Kundel asked about her magic level.

“7 stars…”

It was the average rating for academy instructors, nothing special.

“A 7-star could easily obliterate a village with a single lethal spell. What would you do if a dragon appeared before you now?”

“A dragon?”

Asking what she would do if a descendant of the divine bloodline appeared before her?

Unsure why he asked, Silica decided to answer honestly.

“I’d fight with all my might… or rather, I’d try to run away, but soon I’d be praying to the gods for salvation.”

“Honest of you. Even a 7-star like you says so, others would be needless to say. Most would realize their death and give up on life. But…”

The dean’s gaze sharpened for a moment.

“That child came back alive. From a dragon…”

“…?”

Silica’s doubt about her ears turned into doubt about her reality.

“Hard to believe? Surprisingly, this is what His Majesty himself told me. Kidnapped by a Devil Dragon, fell into a river and went missing, then found after two days, unharmed…”

“I heard he lived on the front lines, but to think something like that happened…”

Kundel continued.

“Seems like His Majesty was deeply impressed by how he safely evacuated Princess Airen from monsters during a tour. Plus, having witnessed his return from a dragon with his own eyes, there’s nothing more to say. Who knows, in a few years, there might be talk of their marriage.”

Though he joked, the direct involvement of the emperor made it a plausible story.

Understanding the full context, Silica asked with a complex expression.

“Could it be that this child is really chosen by the gods?”

Kundel answered nonchalantly.

“No need to overthink it. All we need to do is watch. Even if he has a seemingly useless attribute, who knows? He might reach a unique pinnacle that no one else can…”

Kundel looked at Cyan’s report with a satisfied smile, as if waiting for a flower to bloom.

(To be continued)