The Regressed Son of a Duke is an Assassin

Alice Vert, the eldest daughter of the Vert Ducal family.

From an early age, she took up the sword at the command of her father, the Duke.

It was to follow in the Duke’s footsteps and take on the role of a guardian who maintains peace across the continent.

Though she was forced to have a life goal from the moment she was born, Alice never complained.

She was, after all, the second child and the eldest daughter of the Vert family.

As the eldest daughter, she thought it was only natural to continue the legacy of her family.

The hard and difficult tasks were enough for her and Aschel to handle, and nothing more was needed.

If the younger siblings could escape the chains of the family and enjoy a life of freedom, that would be more than satisfactory.

This mindset had not changed even as she was graduating from the academy.

But what is this?

The youngest, whom she had not seen in a year, suddenly decided to carry on the family legacy.

What was this little kid, who hadn’t even grown up yet, thinking?

Alice thought.

The child, who had shown no interest in martial arts or swords, seemed too naive about the world.

Though her heart was moved, this was truly an unwelcome development.

How could any sister burden her delicate younger sibling with such arduous and difficult tasks?

Honestly, she too knew that the current situation was not right.

A sword duel with a sibling seven years her junior? Anyone hearing this would criticize her for being such a sister.

But studying the world is always necessary.

Alice wanted to make Cyan feel the walls of the family legacy.

If he could feel a complete sense of powerlessness through an overwhelming difference in skill, it would bring about a significant change in his heart.

Although she felt somewhat sorry, she thought it would still turn out well if she managed to comfort him afterwards.

That was until the first strike was blocked so effortlessly.

“……!”

She had not planned on dragging it out.

She aimed to end the match by targeting the neck right from the start.

A thrust that glided through like cutting through water, natural in execution.

A very basic and simple motion, but depending on the swordsman executing it, it could lead to a myriad of outcomes.

Moreover, Alice was proud to have mastered this move to perfection, never having missed once since.

But it was blocked.

And very anticlimactically at that.

Caught off guard by the unexpected, her mind went blank for a moment.

Did this child just block her sword?

And precisely at the targeted spot, without a single inch of deviation?

Moreover, Cyan’s sword was a rapier, not even wide in its blade.

This meant that he had perfectly anticipated her target and assumed a defensive stance until the end.

Cyan was just as surprised.

Judging by the expression, it seemed that Cyan had instinctively blocked the attack after sensing a momentary threat.

Alice took a step back to create some distance.

“Wow, Cyan, you have a better sense than I thought?”

Cyan, without answering, just made a face as if he didn’t know what to do.

It was certainly a remarkable reflex.

After all, it wouldn’t have been possible to overwhelmingly defeat Cranz without it.

Alice quickly regained her composure and launched the next attack.

Thud

Her next target was not Cyan’s neck but his sword.

She thought that by using her momentum and weight, she could force Cyan, who was still inexperienced, to drop his sword.

This applied to everyone who was inexperienced in swordsmanship, including her past self.

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

Her sword whirled from top to bottom, left to right, precisely in four directions.

The red glow of her sword dance decorated the cold night sky.

“…….”

A bead of sweat trickled down Cyan’s face.

Yet, contrary to that, his sword was perfectly parrying Alice’s.

“……?”

It was blocked.

The earnest strike was blocked so effortlessly.

Though it seemed futile to call it effortless when he was gasping for breath as if he had given it his all, what mattered was that Cyan had blocked it.

Far from dropping the sword, not even a finger had slipped.

Strictly speaking, Cyan, being 10 years old, could not have matched the strength of 17-year-old Alice.

If even one strike had properly hit, he should not have been able to withstand it and would have dropped his sword. Yet, he withstood it?

To be precise, it was not so much withstanding as diverting.

Alice felt that her strength had been misdirected in all four strikes.

This meant that at the moment their swords touched, Cyan had diverted all the incoming force.

‘What is this child?’

Alice was genuinely bewildered.

Whether it was luck or talent, he had blocked her earnest strike twice.

Her sword, once called divine, was blocked by a mere 10-year-old child…

A part of her heart was stirring.

It was more than astonishment; it was now a matter of pride.

The desire of a swordsman, long suppressed, was rekindling, and now she even wanted to subdue him.

Without a word, Alice took her stance again, creating distance.

At the same time, a blue aura was flickering on her sword.

* * *

When was the last time I was this out of breath in a one-on-one fight?

It must have been almost 10 years since the duel with the continent’s greatest sword, ‘Resimus’.

I don’t know how my sister sees this, but right now, I am making very profound and meticulous adjustments to my strength.

With the first thrust and the subsequent four consecutive strikes, I’m not lying when I say there were more than ten opportunities to counterattack.

Aim for the neck?

If I had aimed, I would have done it long ago.

Even now, if I set my mind to it, I could knock the sword away and aim in one move.

I can not bring myself to do that, so I am really suppressing all my instincts and enduring it.

If I focus on deflecting, I think I can somehow manage for three minutes, but…

What is my sister trying to do now?

-Whoosh

A blue aura sparkled from her sword.

She manifested mana.

The moment I saw that light, I thought:

Is she trying to kill me?

This is not about continuing the family legacy; it’s about cutting off the family’s sprout.

“Is this also a trial, sister?”

I tried asking cautiously, but my sister did not answer.

She was in a high state of concentration, transferring the mana accumulated within her body to her sword.

Is it really necessary to go this far?

To my knowledge, my sister’s current magic rank is at least 6 stars.

Even compared to her peers of the same age at the academy, she is 1-2 ranks higher.

That an elite among elites would use mana against a mere 10-year-old child,

I guess her pride must be severely hurt because her attack was blocked.

As time passed, her sword was gradually being dyed in a more enchanting shade of sea color.

Anyway, given the situation, there was only one thing I could do.

For the first time since the start of the duel, I pulled my sword back, not forward.

Then, I quietly placed my other hand, the one not holding the sword, onto the blade.

-Hum

A brief light flashed from the sword, then disappeared as if nothing had happened.

I too had transferred magic to my sword.

The moment the transfer was confirmed, I didn’t hesitate and dashed forward.

Her sword was already in a state of complete readiness.

If swung as it was, my body would fly out a hundred steps away.

Of course, such a thing will not happen.

Assuming the two scenarios I had considered fully unfold.

-Swish!

My sister’s sword finally slashed diagonally, and at the same time, blue sword energy leaked out.

I also adjusted my sword slightly to meet hers.

“That’s enough!”

At that moment, a familiar male voice intervened, and a silver longsword appeared in the air between us.

The sword blocked between me and my sister, absorbing her sword energy in an instant.

Armored in pure white with gold stripes, this was not the kind of armor that mere estate guards would have.

“You have crossed the line, Miss. Even if you are Alice, I cannot allow this any further.”

“Yo-you are… that is, Eu-Eulken, right…?”

It was Eulken who had stopped my sister.

She seemed quite taken aback that a senior knight had intervened.

“How could you use mana against a ten-year-old young master? That was dangerously close to a serious incident!”

My sister alternated her gaze between her sword and my face for a while.

Soon, her cheeks reddened with realization of what she had almost done.

“What was I really doing? I’m so sorry, Cyan! I must have lost my mind for a moment!”

Suddenly, she threw her sword aside and hugged me tightly, profusely apologizing.

Fortunately, Eulken stepped in to manage the situation, or it could have turned quite complicated.

I quickly dissipated all the mana I had transferred to my sword.

Neither my sister nor Eulken noticed.

What I had cast was one of the seven-star magics, .

It is a mental magic that infuses an illusion into a specific target, showing false visions to all living beings that come into contact with it.

Had my sister’s sword made contact with mine, she would have been unable to distinguish my position, leading to serious confusion.

Probably, a dance of swords would have ensued in an entirely wrong location, and I planned to simply watch it unfold and wait for time to pass.

While still in my embrace, my sister turned again to ask Eulken.

“Weren’t you my father’s knight? Why are you here?”

“I was on a mission to secretly guard young master Cyan, as ordered by the Duke. It was a confidential assignment, so I couldn’t inform the young master. My apologies.”

“It’s okay, Eulken.”

I had been aware that Eulken was assigned to me since my father left for the front lines.

It would have been strange not to notice his upright and generous demeanor.

Honestly, I had been wondering when he would intervene, especially since the opponent was my sister Alice, which seemed to make him hesitate.

“Let’s end the duel here. Could you give us a moment, please?”

My sister continued to use polite language, asking Eulken as if making a request.

Eulken gave a short nod and then disappeared from the spot.

“Phew…”

My sister let out a deep sigh, mixed with various complex emotions.

“Who taught you swordsmanship?”

“Not at all. Who in this house would teach me swordsmanship?”

“True, it’s not like I don’t know your circumstances…”

My sister was the legitimate second child of the family, but she was born to a concubine.

There was a favored female knight whom my father cherished while he was at the front lines, and Alice, my sister, was born from his affair with her.

Meaning, she too was a child born out of wedlock, just like me.

That is why she was particularly more affectionate towards me.

Despite the disadvantageous social status, her talent compensated for it, and no one dared to mess with her within the household, especially under the watch of Lady Margaret.

“But you have more talent than I thought? I even tried to use magic, imagine that.”

“If it weren’t for Eulken, I might have been carried away on a stretcher by now.”

My sister scratched her face awkwardly, managing a sheepish smile.

“I’ve shown you an unbecoming side of a sister. Instead of supporting you, I tried to obstruct your future…”

“It’s enough that you realize it now.”

My sister clenched her fist momentarily. Then, lowering her hand, she asked again in a calm voice.

“Are you serious about continuing the family legacy?”

I nodded in response, replacing my words with the gesture.

“Right, you must have your reasons for saying that. But it won’t be easy. It all depends entirely on you.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

I said with a smile.

All the futures that unfold before me will be determined by the cause and effect I’ve designed.

And in that designed future, my sister’s well-being will also be included.

In my previous life, my sister died in a battle with demons three years later.

Her death was too vain for someone who was considered a child of god and the next head of the Vert family, but I know the secret of her death.

My sister did not die from demons but at the hands of another human.

And from someone very close to her…

What someone who has returned to the past can change is not just their own future.

Regardless of what happens in the next three years, I will definitely prevent my sister’s death.

“……”

My sister continued to stroke my head endlessly, wearing a bright smile.

(To be continued)