The Regressed Son of a Duke is an Assassin

“Haap!”

Sweat pours down as the spirited shouts resound loudly.

This place is the academy’s pride, a physical training ground.

It’s where the students train their physical and swordsmanship skills, along with receiving personal guidance from the knights.

As the academy places great importance on the training of mind and body, the facilities for individual training are of the highest quality.

Of course, I didn’t come here to train myself.

I came to train our foolishly outstanding knight.

“Heugh…”

Brian, having completed his target number of repetitions, collapsed onto the floor.

“I’ve- I’ve done it all, young master!”

“Rest for 30 seconds, then move on to the next exercise.”

“…”

He had the look of someone who would rather be killed, but he couldn’t bring himself to say it.

With a forced effort, Brian got into position and started doing push-ups.

“Is it hard?”

“It- it is… No, I’m okay!”

His true feelings slipped out for a moment.

“All of this will become your strength and flesh later. If it’s too hard, tell me now. I might even send you on a snack errand.”

“No, young master! I’ll see this opportunity through to the end!”

With a spirited shout, Brian resumed his training.

It’s always important to start with the basics.

Physical strength is the most fundamental tool for all physical activities,

And you need it before you can train in swordsmanship or any other skill.

Well, it seems he wasn’t formally knighted in Vellias just for show.

I don’t know how they raised their livestock in their territory, but he had some level of physical strength.

In fact, if it were just for physical training, we could do it inside the dormitory.

As someone who prefers less crowded places, that would be more comfortable for me.

But there’s one reason I brought Brian here.

To show him.

Watching others train can be just as beneficial as direct practice.

Not only students but also their knights and knights affiliated with the academy can be seen training around here.

Of course, it won’t help me much, but it will be a very good textbook for Brian.

“Kuk, Aaah, Hrgh!”

Whether he knew my intentions or not, Brian continued to groan unintelligibly, veins bulging and teeth bared.

“Cyan…?”

Amidst this, I turned my head automatically at the sound of a familiar voice calling me.

Princess Airen was approaching with a pleasant smile.

“Do you see everything from here? Did you come to train with the knight?”

“Ah, yes, something like that.”

But of course, I came here for Brian’s training.

“Did you come for physical training too, Princess?”

“Yes! Every weekend, I come for physical and swordsmanship training with Resimus. I’m learning a lot from Resimus!”

Behind the princess stood Resimus and five other knights.

It feels like there are more knights than usual.

“The number of knights has increased?”

“Hm? Oh, yes, that’s right… With the recent events, I thought I should be more cautious.”

At the mention of recent events, Resimus flinched.

It’s nothing major.

A new academy student, Barrett Luymil, was found in front of the healing center early in the morning.

One of his ankles was broken, and he had severe internal injuries. It was said that it would be difficult for him to generate mana properly in the future.

No matter how much they pressed him, he wouldn’t say who was responsible…

Well, it’s not that he didn’t want to say it; he probably couldn’t.

It’s not exactly praise, but I think he’s doing quite well.

As long as he keeps his mouth shut, at least he won’t have to confront me.

“Who could it have been? They must not be a good person, to go after a noble’s child within the academy…”

Exactly.

I’d like to see the face of such a malicious person.

Is it just my imagination, or does my ear itch from curiosity?

“Anyway, Cyan, you be careful too. You never know what might happen with people.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

I’m not sure who should be worrying about whom, but I nodded along appropriately.

Still, I have to acknowledge her strong spirit.

I’ve heard she even stands out in those tedious theory classes, and training physically on weekends is no easy task.

I don’t know if she still intends to make me one of her people, but if she continues to grow like this, at least the chances of her being labeled an unfortunate princess might decrease.

That is, if she manages to build a proper power base for herself.

“Young… young… young master…?”

Suddenly, Brian called out to me in a voice as thin as a mosquito’s.

Turning to him after somehow catching his whisper, I saw him sweating profusely, as if he were about to have a dire accident.

“What’s wrong all of a sudden?”

“Over- over there… right now…!”

Brian’s anxious gaze was directed somewhere beyond the training ground.

Curious, I turned my head and,

“…!”

Huh? Did I see that wrong?

Across the stream that surrounds the outskirts of the training ground,

On a grassy lawn covered with bushes, stood a familiar figure.

This is strange.

It’s like being hit on the head with a hammer, a dazed feeling.

It’s an emotion I haven’t felt in quite some time.

Why? Why is that?

Why is the kid, who should be napping in his room, out there!?

The audacious kid, wrapped in a magic training hood provided by the academy, strolling leisurely in the middle of the academy grounds.

Those pure, sparkling eyes made me break out in a cold sweat without realizing it!

It was Nana.

* * *

Airen had been visiting the training grounds every weekend without fail since the academy started.

She had made significant improvements through continuous training with Resimus, striving to develop herself further without becoming complacent.

All for the sake of one person, Cyan Vert.

And there he was, appearing in the training ground for the first time, a place he had never been seen before.

Given his rare appearances in classes, despite being in the same year, there weren’t many opportunities to see him.

As rare as this meeting was, Airen wanted to spend more time with Cyan and mustered up the courage to ask.

“Would, would you like to train with us? I thought it might help us improve if you could watch over…”

“…”

However, Cyan didn’t even glance at Airen.

Seeing his unusually flustered face, Airen tilted her head in confusion.

“Cyan…?”

“I’m sorry, Princess. Something urgent has come up, and I must leave immediately.”

With that, Cyan left the training ground abruptly with his knight.

Airen couldn’t say anything for nearly 10 seconds as the situation unfolded so quickly.

“Air- Airen? Are you okay?”

Resimus approached and asked cautiously.

At this, Airen’s face, which had been pale, suddenly flushed red.

“What the! He just leaves while I’m talking to him! Am I nothing to him?”

The feelings she had moments ago vanished, replaced by jealousy and anger towards Cyan.

“Really annoying! How great does he think he is? Fine! I don’t want to train with him either!”

No matter how much she vented, the person in question was already gone.

Airen stomped her feet in vain towards the empty air, but she couldn’t help but sigh.

“I guess I still have a long way to go…”

Was she still not enough to catch his eye?

Despite her daily efforts and dedication to fulfill her resolution from a year ago.

The realization that he still had no interest in her at all was utterly disheartening.

“Let’s start training, Resimus.”

Finally, as if resigned, Airen began to warm up.

They say to wear out your body to forget a troubled mind.

As she took off her outer garment and stretched her arms forward to loosen up,

“……?”

Her body, in the midst of loosening her muscles, suddenly froze.

Her eyes, clear and sparkling like dew at dawn.

Looking into those eyes, the irritation that had been building up until a moment ago quickly subsided.

It felt like looking at a forest fairy filled with curiosity.

“A- a child?”

Four or five years old? A young girl, who seemed just about to have started speaking, was standing in front of her, wrapped in a red magic cloak that was too large for her, dragging on the ground.

“……?”

The child was also staring intently at Airen.

This was a child that had not been visible when Cyan had left.

Forgetting about her intention to train, Airen bent down to match the child’s eye level.

“Little one, how did you get here?”

The child just tilted her head without saying a word.

“Why is there such a young child in the academy?”

“Maybe she’s a child from the city? Or perhaps a child of someone affiliated with the academy…”

Resimus and the other knights were just as surprised.

They were shocked to see a child, but above all, she was too cute.

With her pink hair that seemed unique and her small body wrapped in a hood, she exuded an adorable charm that made anyone want to hug her.

“Can you tell me your name? My name is Airen.”

As she asked for the child’s name, the tightly closed lips opened in a round shape.

“……Nana.”

It was an appropriately easy and cute name to say.

“Nana? That’s a really cute name! How did you get here?”

“I came to look for Papa!”

It meant she was a lost child looking for her family.

“Looks like you’ve lost your parents? Then, are you the child of an instructor?”

“It’s likely, isn’t it? It’s not uncommon for family members of the staff to visit…”

Given the circumstances of most academy staff who lived and worked on-site, visits from their families were a common occurrence.

Airen and Resimus naturally assumed this child was one of those visitors.

“Then, would you like to come with me? I have a lot of tasty things in my room. I’ll make sure to find your parents for you!”

“Okay, I like that!”

Nana smiled brightly and took Airen’s hand.

Airen’s face flushed red once again.

Putting aside her thoughts on Cyan and personal growth for a moment, Airen led Nana towards her dormitory.

* * *

The door was locked just as securely as when I had left.

Considering I had even set up a small magical barrier just in case, it was virtually impossible for the door to have been opened from the inside.

However, seeing the curtains fluttering in the breeze and the window wide open, I understood everything.

Right, our little one, who might have been out of the egg for about a month, has progressed from crawling, walking, and talking to now flying?

And from the second floor, no less.

The speed of her growth was delightfully fast.

From the spot where I found Nana, I had searched a radius of nearly 200 meters, but there was no sign of her anywhere.

I rushed back to the dormitory, thinking she might have returned due to some homing instinct, but all that was left was the scene of an impressive escape.

“Could someone have already found her and taken her in?”

Who would have found her?

From that moment, we’d be plunging into the worst-case scenario.

Fortunately, when she was first discovered, she was wearing the magic cloak I had carelessly thrown on her.

As long as no one takes it off or it doesn’t get blown away by the wind, she might still look like a normal child.

But it couldn’t last long.

If even a little bit was removed and any other part revealed…

I don’t know for sure, but a whole lot of troublesome matters would definitely come my way.

Given the situation, I couldn’t afford to waste any more time.

I closed my eyes gently and immediately cast the secret technique of the Mist.

“Shadowless Form 4: Detection of Vitality!”

With the incantation, the fog that leaked from between my clothes seeped into my eyes.

This technique uses the power of the fog to detect vitality around, but it’s not limited to detecting vitality alone.

Since Nana is a hybrid of human and dragon, she definitely possesses the mystical qualities of a dragon.

If she hadn’t gone too far, starting from the dormitory and gradually expanding the detection area should…?

“Hm?”

The moment I snapped my eyes open, the surrounding fog disappeared instantly.

What? Why are you there?

“Have you found her?”

“Follow me, Brian!”

I kicked open the door and rushed out with Brian, heading towards the Royal Wing’s third floor.

I knew who lived there but had never visited before.

As I stepped into the hallway and reached the top of the stairs, I saw three unfamiliar faces at the far end.

Nana, smiling brightly with a carefree face.

And between them, two women holding her hands.

This is driving me insane.

Finally, they seemed to have noticed me, looking back with shocked expressions.

“Cyan?”

(To be continued)