The Regressed Son of a Duke is an Assassin

Honestly, I was a bit surprised.

The magic grade of Set, known from the attribute test, was 3 stars.

Among the freshmen who entered this year, it was by far the highest grade.

Therefore, the instructors installed a 4-star magic barrier, considering his abilities, which is one level higher.

But look at the state of the barrier now.

It’s so fragile that it seems it would break with just a touch.

He momentarily showed a transcendent state that surpassed his own magic grade.

If my sphere of void had been just a bit later, there might have been damage inside the arena as well.

“…….”

Set’s face was unexpectedly devoid of thought.

Given the situation where he had used up all his strength, and probably had no mana left, standing was actually an impressive feat.

“Cyan Vert…….”

He barely managed to catch his breath and called my name.

“It’s my complete defeat.”

It was a cool acknowledgment, as always.

He wouldn’t dare to challenge the situation further, would he?

“Swordsmanship, magic……. The two things I was most confident in, I lost in both. And quite helplessly…….”

“I don’t know if this will be of any consolation, but you were amazing. You momentarily surpassed your magic grade, right?”

“That’s no consolation at all! And you, you’re in perfectly fine condition unlike me!”

Hmm, that’s true.

Maybe I should have pretended to be a bit out of breath?

“This is the first time I’ve faced such a perfect defeat. But thanks to this, I realized I still have much to learn! The desire to train is surging within me!”

He seems ready to go into seclusion in the mountains for intense training.

Looking at him, it seems he won’t be coming to class for a while.

“I don’t know when, but I’ll challenge you again! You’ll accept then too, right, Cyan Vert?”

“Well, if the opportunity arises…….”

Set laughed heartily, looking satisfied.

“That’s great! But it won’t take long! I’ll train and train tenaciously to definitely beat you……!”

-Thud!

It’s nothing serious.

The guy who was rambling on by himself finally passed out due to exhaustion.

Upon this, the instructors waiting nearby hurriedly ran over and took him to the infirmary.

“Match over! The winner is Cyan Vert!”

“…….”

Despite the announcement of the winner, only a solemn silence filled the arena.

Not even a sound of applause, let alone cheers, could be heard in the place.

Instead, there was only sporadic, disdainful murmuring.

“What? Wasn’t that guy a 1-star in magic grade? Plus, his attribute was the useless darkness, right?”

“It seems the ‘Prince of Sand’ isn’t much after all. To be defeated by just a 1-star…”

“Did he learn some tricks from the frontline knights or what?”

“Look at that expression, as if it was nothing! Really annoying…….”

Of course, our noble lords filled with envy and jealousy wouldn’t look kindly upon me.

Isn’t it said that pigs only see pigs in their eyes?

It’s not worth getting upset over.

Of course, not everyone is like that.

From the upperclassmen to the instructors, researchers, and even the lord sitting in the VIP seats.

Their eyes were filled with nothing but doubt.

‘Is that really a 1-star? Looks like at least 4-stars to me?’

‘Is it because he’s from the Vert family? That household is not normal, one and all.’

‘To handle the sphere of void at that age… Even though it’s dark attribute, his future potential is promising.’

Among them, our leader, no, Instructor Silica’s gaze was the most striking.

As if saying, ‘Did you really have to show off that much, Cyan Vert?’ as if her words were ringing in my ears vividly.

And then there was one more person…

“…….”

Kundel Quisel, the head of Royal Academy.

His gaze was distinctly different from the others, hard and inscrutable, as he stared at me.

It seemed like staying any longer wouldn’t result in anything good.

Ignoring the multitude of gazes, I simply left the arena.

* * *

“Master, this is…”

“What’s this?”

While I was lying on the sofa, taking a break, Brian handed me something.

It was a thin envelope with a red background and the academy’s emblem stamped on it.

“I’m not sure myself. Instructor Silica said she couldn’t give it to you herself, so she asked me to make sure it was delivered to you…”

I immediately tore open the envelope to see what was inside.

“…A warning letter?”

It wasn’t exactly a welcome item for me.

“A bit of a disappointing gift for winning a duel, isn’t it?”

I had thought it might be an invitation to a surprise party, but maybe that was too much to hope for.

“Papa! What’s a warning letter?”

Our little one, with cheeks full of candy, asked with innocent eyes, resembling a hamster.

“Hmm… simply put, it means if we don’t follow their rules, they’ll kick us out of here.”

“What will we do then? Are we going to end up on the streets?”

“……Where did you learn to talk like that?”

Did she go out for a walk while I wasn’t around?

Well, the situation wasn’t much different from what I explained to the kid.

The warning letter contained quite provocative content, stating that continuous absence from classes would lead to further warnings and sanctions, and if one continues to show unsuitable behavior, expulsion from the Royal Wing and, in the worst case, expulsion from the academy could be considered.

It wasn’t particularly surprising since it was a situation bound to happen eventually.

The problem was that the warning letter didn’t come from the academy’s administration but from someone higher up.

-Chancellor Kundel Quisel-

That name was prominently written below the warning letter.

The highest authority of the academy had sent a warning letter to a mere freshman.

The lord had informed me that they were watching, but it seems the duel two days ago must have intensified their interest.

“Then shall we move somewhere else?”

“Huh? Not yet. We need to stay here until our little one grows up a bit more.”

I stroked her head as I spoke.

That doesn’t mean I’ll start attending classes obediently, though.

Originally, this warning letter is akin to a love call sent to me by the chancellor.

It’s a sort of summons, suggesting that if I have any objections, I should come to him directly.

To freely roam within the confines of the academy, I inevitably had to deal with the head of its domain.

So, this meeting was necessary for my free activity within the academy.

“Master, shouldn’t you also give her a name by now?”

“Huh?”

“For her emotional well-being, and it’s a bit… to keep calling her ‘the little one’ indefinitely.”

It seems it was rather uncomfortable to continuously refer to her as “the little one.”

It’s not that I deliberately refrained from naming her; I just hadn’t come across a good name yet.

Dragons tend to be very particular about appearances, so names can’t be chosen lightly.

For example, the name of a dragon I met in a past life was ‘Marian del Antkart Ruscal Dia Postarn,’ and even that was considered short by dragon standards.

Why they need such lengthy names, I couldn’t tell you. It’s a characteristic that’s been part of their species for thousands of years, what can I do about it?

But thinking about it, this little one doesn’t necessarily need to follow their traits, right? She’s half-human after all.

What matters most is her own will.

I bent down to look the little one in the eye and asked her.

“Do you have a name you’d like to have, our little one?”

“A name?”

“Yes, a name. How would you like us to call you from now on?”

After swallowing her candy and pondering for a moment, the little one smiled brightly and said,

“Nana!”

“Nana?”

It was a name that was easy to say and suitably cute.

“Yes! I want to attach Papa’s surname and be called ‘Nana Vert’! Is that okay?”

“Uh… well, sure, there’s no reason it wouldn’t be…”

I felt somewhat outsmarted.

When did this little one learn my surname?

Regardless, Nana, with her infinitely pure face, began to eat her candy once again.

* * *

Kundel Quisel.

The Chancellor of Royal Academy.

He was also the teacher of the current Emperor of the Empire, Dione Sevellus, and through that connection, he even became the Emperor’s father-in-law.

After the death of the former Empress, Diana Quisel, due to illness, he relinquished everything related to his family and is now fully dedicated to his role as the Chancellor of the Academy.

Moreover, he is one of the few individuals on the continent to have reached the 9-star magic grade, meaning he possesses enough power to obliterate a domain in the blink of an eye if he so chooses.

To put it bluntly, despite being an elderly man, he’s not someone to be trifled with.

Well, it’s not like my past life had any particular intersection with him.

Was it just a bit of harsh truth I heard from him personally?

Not that it’s something to boast about, but in my past life, I graduated from the academy with the fifth highest marks.

It wasn’t that I excelled in any one thing; I just intentionally achieved the grades that were necessary for me at that time.

In other words, I could have been the top student if I had wanted to.

Anyway, the Chancellor, recognizing me as such a distinguished graduate, called me to his office.

I thought at most he would offer me a scout proposal to work at the academy.

However,

“You’ve been hiding your power within the academy all this time.”

Although I didn’t show it, my heart sank when I heard those words.

“Joining the Knights of Light? Following in your oh-so-great brother’s footsteps? That doesn’t seem like the right path for you, does it?”

When I asked if it was because I possessed the dark attribute, the Chancellor laughed heartily and replied,

“Hahaha! So you know it doesn’t suit you, huh? Let me give you a piece of advice; you won’t end well there. Even if you think of it as a trial, in the end, it will be a life without any benefit for you.”

Back then, I didn’t take Aer’s words seriously, and such advice was nothing but slander to me. But looking back now, he really saw right through me.

Indeed, just as he said, I met a miserably tragic end in my past life, far from ending well.

But what’s truly ironic about people is how well they can see through others’ futures while being completely blind to their own.

Chancellor Kundel was exactly like that.

A man who, despite having seen so much, was blind to what was right in front of him.

Perhaps in many ways, he and I were quite alike.

Reflecting on the past only brings a bitter smile to my face.

The Chancellor’s office is located on the top floor of the main building.

Even though it’s somewhat late, the Chancellor is likely in his room.

The lights are off, and the corridors are deserted, not a soul in sight.

Today, even the guards patrolling the building are nowhere to be found.

Just as I wondered if they were hiding somewhere having a midnight snack,

“……!”

I am currently on the top floor of the main building.

About thirty steps away was the Chancellor’s office, located at the end of the right corridor.

If I continue walking straight, I should be able to reach it without any problems.

But that was impossible.

-Shhhh

An unfamiliar and chilling aura filled the entire floor, an aura not of murderous intent but one that naturally repels, making approach itself undesirable.

There wasn’t even the smell of blood, nor any other signs of life.

However, sporadically, artificially created mana brushed roughly against my skin.

A barrier of restriction…

It uses a vast amount of mana to create a limited area within a certain space that cannot be penetrated.

It’s a kind of magical barricade that induces an unbearable sense of rejection as soon as intruders step into the area, preventing their approach altogether.

If the mana felt ordinary, I might have thought it was installed for security purposes,

But this was not at the level of mere security.

At least 8-star, if not 9-star.

A level of magical power so overwhelming that only someone at the grandmaster mage level could manifest it.

In this academy, there’s only one person who could be at that level…

Chancellor Kundel, of course.

I could tell immediately.

That the Chancellor is currently, in his own way, testing me…

(To be continued)