The Regressed Son of a Duke is an Assassin

As the sun sets and the sky darkens, it’s time for all living beings to return to their homes.

But not here.

As time passes, more and more people continue to gather.

Mostly, it seemed, were the wealthy with presumably thick wallets.

As if on a prearranged signal, they huddled together in a line, entering the building in front of them.

“Even though it’s the first purification operation, you don’t seem to be nervous?”

The clan leader asked with a smile, noticing my utterly calm demeanor.

“Not really but who starts their first mission with a task meant for the higher-ups?”

“Well? I think it’s the perfect stage to test your skills. After all, I am the clan leader of Mist, I’m not foolish enough to send my people on a hopeless mission.”

The clan leader confidently gave a thumbs-up, as if there was nothing to worry about.

This place is Brenu, a southern city of the Ushif Empire.

We came to assassinate Zickerman Albas, a vile merchant operating the slave market.

The team dispatched includes me and the clan leader Silica, totaling five members.

For a high-ranking task, the team seemed smaller than expected.

Of course, assassinations are meant to be carried out quietly.

In a secluded place, where no one can know, swiftly and grandly cutting off the target’s life and disappearing without a trace is the essence of assassination.

But what’s this?

Assassinating someone in such a noisy place, where everyone’s attention is gathered?

We’re not some terrorist organization, nor have we officially announced ourselves yet,

Honestly, this mission was uncharacteristic of Mist.

As if reading my thoughts, the clan leader smiled and said,

“In fact, in addition to assassinating Zickerman Albas today, there’s something else we need to check out.”

“What is it?”

“According to our leading members, there’s an auction happening here today under Zickerman’s direction. Given he ran a slave market, it’s naturally related to humans.”

I nodded, as if it was obvious.

“But this time, the auction seems to have a special item put forth by the Zickerman Commerce Guild. Apparently, they didn’t even inform the empire’s officials to prevent any information leaks.”

Could it be a hero from another world?

“Is our goal to steal that item?”

“Not to steal. But we do need to see what it is. At least, Lord Aer mentioned it directly, so it’s worth checking out.”

Ho, so that fool of a god even mentioned it.

Certainly, if Aer mentioned it as special, there must be something extraordinary about it.

[……]

Unlike usual, Kaeram was incredibly quiet.

She seemed drawn to the building where our target was, observing its interior with keen interest.

“Why? Do you feel something?”

[Hmm… How should I put it? I feel a very complex energy.]

“Complex energy?”

[It’s like two familiar energies have merged into a completely new, foreign energy. Anyway, it’s a very strange energy. That target, he must be hiding something quite unusual.]

From her furrowed brows, I could sense her perplexity.

It seems I should cultivate an interest where there was none.

Is it strange that I don’t feel anything?

Following the clan leader’s orders, we quickly infiltrated the building.

* * *

A luxurious party hall reminiscent of a noble’s banquet.

Although officially decorated as a social gathering place for the Empire’s Merchant Guild, this event was merely a facade.

Not all these people would participate in the auction, presumably.

Given they didn’t even inform the empire’s officials, they likely circulated the information primarily among the top-tier clients.

Including Silica, the clan leader, four members were currently disguised as party attendees, infiltrating the crowd.

As for me, unable to mimic an adult with this small body, I was hiding near the balustrade, observing the situation.

For now, Zickerman Albas, our target, was nowhere to be seen.

He’ll probably show himself once the auction or whatever it is starts, but so far, no movement has been detected.

“……!”

Suddenly, I caught the clan leader’s eye in the center of the banquet hall.

A brief but definite movement of her eyes.

She signaled me to go down below the hall, sensing something was there.

In truth, assassinating Zickerman wasn’t supposed to be a difficult task.

It’s not like we announced our intention to kill him, so he wouldn’t have taken any special precautions.

But without securing the target’s location, it was all meaningless.

We had to comb through the entire building to find where Zickerman Albas was.

Taking her order, I immediately left the banquet hall.

The building, contrary to its exterior appearance, was smaller than expected.

Apart from the crowded banquet hall, there hardly seemed to be any other space.

For a slave auction to be conducted in such a tiny space would seem shoddy to anyone.

That left two possibilities:

Either the auction was taking place elsewhere, or there was a hidden space not visible.

If it was the latter, then this hidden space was likely right beneath my feet.

For now, as I couldn’t see any stairs to go down, I decided to use a special technique.

“Shadow Art 2nd Form: Spatial Transference.”

With the incantation, fog spread out and enveloped me.

My body, merged with the fog, naturally sank through the floor downward.

After descending about 2 meters, a new space with stale air that tickled my throat appeared.

-Click

The moment I landed, the fog dissipated.

In the pitch-dark darkness, without a speck of light,

I manifested mana at my fingertips and touched my eyes.

“Shadow Adaptation.”

Gently closing and then opening my eyes, my vision, previously swallowed by darkness, became clear.

I immediately got up and surveyed the surroundings.

A deathly silent underground space.

Scattered rusted steel frames and large tents concealing them, resembling cages for animals.

I slightly lifted the curtain of the tent right in front of me.

“……”

Shackles lay carelessly inside the empty cages, still holding a faint warmth.

It meant that there had been people here just a few hours ago.

Out of caution, I checked another spot.

“Ugh!”

The moment I lifted the curtain, a foul stench assaulted my nose.

Bodies long dead and already beginning to decay.

I quickly averted my gaze, overwhelmed by the repugnant feeling.

There was no need to look further.

This place was a prison for slaves.

Presumably, they had all been moved elsewhere for the auction.

The bodies were likely left behind, deemed of no value.

Is it because it’s been a while since I’ve done this work?

I thought I had become numb to these emotions, but…

An indescribably foul feeling welled up inside me.

[You have a face full of mixed feelings, don’t you?]

Kaeram seemed to detect my mood, asking with a smile in her eyes.

“I still have a long way to go.”

For now, I wanted to focus on the task at hand.

-Clank!

Just as I was about to move again, the sudden sound of a cage opening made me hastily hide.

-Groan

A long-haired, frail woman struggled out of the cage, a heavy shackle restricting her movement on one leg.

Somehow, she managed to open the prison and get out.

“Ah, ah……”

It was clear at first glance that she was in a grave condition, only able to moan, pitifully unable to speak.

In her state, it wouldn’t be long before she was caught again.

“The child… the child…”

A child?

It was barely more than a whisper, a sob, but I could hear it clearly.

A mother’s desperate call, reaching out for her child, echoed eerily through the space like a lingering ghost.

-Bang!

Suddenly, a beam of light pierced one side of the space.

The woman struggled to her feet, moving towards it as if it were her salvation.

Of course, those who would appear from within that beam of light would not be her saviors.

“What, what’s that?”

“Grab her!”

Sure enough, a group of men emerged from the light, rushing madly to capture her.

“Ah!”

The men mercilessly grabbed the woman’s arm, now devoid of any strength, as tears of pain streamed down her face.

“How the hell did this woman escape?”

“Does that matter right now? Zickerman will be arriving soon!”

“She’s not even going to be put up for sale, right? Just dispose of her now!”

They shoved the woman back into the prison and, without a second thought, drew the clubs from their belts.

Dispose…

To an outsider, it might sound like they were talking about getting rid of trash. Well, it’s not entirely an inappropriate metaphor for what they do to people.

Perhaps what I’m doing now is disposing of trash like them.

-Swish

With my resolve hardened, I immediately drew Kaeram.

With one step forward, the distance halved,

With two, I reached the front of the cage,

And with three, I was close enough to hear their heartbeats.

Three steps taken in the span of a second.

The moment they sensed something off and naturally turned around,

-Slash

I sliced through the throat of the man in front.

“Hiiee…!”

I didn’t even give them a chance to scream.

In a flurry within the cage, five severed heads tumbled to the ground.

“Wh-who…?”

The moment I locked eyes with her, an involuntary smirk appeared on my face.

What a sight…

Swollen eyes, a smashed nose, teeth shattered to bits.

Her face was in such a pitiful state, one might wonder if she could even see in front of her.

But to me, it was all too familiar.

Every piece of trash I’ve dealt with ended up just like that.

“My child… my child…”

Even then, her call for her child continued.

While I may have extended her life for the moment, it didn’t seem like she would last much longer.

If her exterior looked that bad, the interior would be even worse.

She was likely suffering from several diseases, beyond any hope of diagnosis.

It wouldn’t be surprising if she breathed her last at any moment.

-Thud, thud

Amidst this, footsteps echoed from beyond the beam of light once again.

This time, it was just one person.

Judging by the simplicity of the steps, they didn’t seem particularly threatening.

“Ah…”

At the sound of another presence, the woman struggled to her feet once more.

[Did she entrust her child with a gold mine or something?]

Even Kaeram couldn’t help but mock her incredible obsession.

However, before she could make it out of the cage, the owner of the footsteps reached it first.

“What is this?”

Shocked by the gruesome scene before him, the man collapsed on the spot.

-Thump

Simultaneously, a golden box he was carrying clattered noisily to the ground.

“Aaaaah!”

At that moment, the woman, who had been lying down like a corpse, let out an inexplicable scream.

With a look of madness in her eyes, previously unseen, she rushed towards the box frantically.

(To be continued)