The Regressed Son of a Duke is an Assassin

Airen, along with Alice and Luna, and even the knights.

At this moment, they all shared one heart and one mind, thinking the same thought.

That the man behind the mask was at least not one of these villains.

The aura he exuded was just too different.

Unlike the white-masked villains, who didn’t even feel human, he seemed to be human, but somehow felt like a being far superior to humans—an eerie sensation.

But no one could tell exactly what his identity was.

-Swish

A splendid sword dance unfolded under the moonlight.

Petals scattered by the wind added diversity, creating a marvelous scene.

The man in the mask swiftly cut down the villains surrounding them.

Sometimes, his speed was so fast that it was impossible to follow.

Even though he was fighting in front of them, he could suddenly move to the back, freely roaming the given space.

Two minutes.

That was all it took to annihilate dozens of villains.

Without anyone’s help or support, it was an incredible sight performed by a single being.

“…!”

His gaze suddenly turned towards Airen and her group.

Airen felt as if all her senses had stopped, and her trembling legs couldn’t leave the ground.

“Don’t come any closer!”

The royal guards stepped in front of the princess, swords drawn.

“Reveal your identity and your purpose here immediately! Otherwise, you will be considered an enemy as well…”

-Swish

Before the knight could finish his sentence.

The man in the mask suddenly disappeared from their sight.

-Whoosh!

A strong gust followed soon after.

The knights realized too late that the masked man had already passed by them.

“…!”

Alice and Luna were also bypassed in an instant.

His final destination was right in front of Princess Airen.

They say you can’t speak when you’re too surprised.

Airen, in her panic, stepped back and lost her balance.

“Kyaa!”

Just as Airen was about to fall helplessly,

-Catch

The man’s gentle touch supported her back.

“…!”

The faces of the two naturally drew closer.

Airen’s face flushed red, while the man, unfazed, raised his hand.

His hand was directed towards her chest.

“What are you doing!”

Airen’s attempt to struggle was brief.

Soon, something fell from her body.

-Clatter

Gems that sparkled like falling raindrops scattered.

What the man had grabbed was the pendant Airen was wearing.

-Crack!

The red gem that had caught everyone’s attention shattered in his hand and turned to dust.

The man threw the remnants of the gem to the ground.

“Your Highness!”

The royal guards rushed over in a panic.

“Are you alright? Are you hurt anywhere?”

There couldn’t possibly be any injuries.

All the man had done was snatch the necklace she was wearing.

Airen stood there, dazed, with a blank expression on her face.

“That man, who is he?”

It felt like waking from a brief illusion.

Not even a midsummer night’s dream would be this fleeting.

The man in the mask had completely disappeared from everyone’s sight.

* * *

“Argh!”

Screaming for their lives, Emily and Nana were running away, with Brian closely guarding them.

“What’s with these people? Why did they suddenly appear and attack us?”

Just a few minutes ago.

Hearing screams from the banquet hall, they went to check and were suddenly attacked by white-masked villains.

In the chaos that had engulfed the entire palace, they had no choice but to trust their legs and run.

“Sir Knight, have you done something to offend them? Otherwise, why would they keep chasing us innocent people?!”

“Well, I don’t think I’ve lived my life that badly, but, oh, maybe I have…”

“How can a knight be so indecisive? What was our lord thinking, hiring such people!?”

Emily vented her frustration even as they ran.

Soon, they encountered a dead-end wall.

“Wall?!”

Trapped without an escape.

Emily’s face twisted in despair.

“This is actually good!”

Brian, on the contrary, drew a dagger instead of his sword, seeing it as a good turn.

There were five villains in total.

Despite being outnumbered, Brian was not intimidated.

“Are you crazy, Sir Knight? How can you handle so many people alone!”

“Don’t worry, Miss Maid! If I can’t overcome this, how will I face our lord later!”

With determined ambition, Brian charged forward.

He maximized his senses while minimizing his movements.

This was the most efficient theory he had learned over the past two years for subduing enemies.

To annihilate five enemies, only five sword strikes were needed.

Brian executed clean movements to cut down the masked villains.

-Thud

The villains fell without a chance to react.

Watching this, Emily couldn’t believe her eyes.

Her face naturally reddened.

“Are you hurt, Miss Maid?”

“That’s not something you should be asking me, is it?”

Her bewildered look was quite a sight.

“Grr…”

A chilling growl sent shivers down their spines.

Emily wrapped her arms around herself, and Brian readied his stance.

Then, the heavy footsteps of a beast approached.

A giant hellhound appeared around the corner.

Its sharp, black teeth aimed at Emily and her group.

“This can’t be! Why is a hellhound in the palace?”

Emily, with her battle experience, was terrified, and Brian couldn’t hide his tension at the sight of the monster.

“That’s a monster?!”

-Tromp, tromp

Suddenly, Nana stepped forward quietly.

“Nana…?”

Before they could ask what she was doing,

-Sniff, sniff

She seemed to be smelling the air, leaning forward with her nose.

-Swish

She smiled enigmatically, looking as if she was consumed by hunger, resembling a predatory beast.

Then she whispered softly.

“Looks delicious!”

Just as she was about to pounce with her grown sharp fangs,

-Crash!

A window nearby shattered loudly.

“…!”

Through the broken window, a man wearing a black mask flew in gracefully.

His identity was still unknown.

“Grr!”

The fearless puppy barked at the sudden intruder,

“What’s this?”

Annoyed, he kicked it out of the window with a single foot.

“Huff…”

He sighed deeply and threw off his mask.

“Papa!”

The man was Cyan, wearing a disgruntled expression.

“Sir, Sir?”

Before they could respond, Cyan simply sat down on the floor.

* * *

Having roamed the palace to exhaustion, I had only one thought.

Ah, this is ridiculously tiring.

It wasn’t so much physical exhaustion as it was mental fatigue.

I never thought I’d end up dealing with such a nuisance alone.

“Pa, no, Master!”

Nana ran into my arms with a bright smile.

But didn’t she just try to eat a hellhound a moment ago? Must be my imagination.

“What are you doing, Sir!”

Emily suddenly appeared, separating me and Nana.

“You’re really causing trouble! Where in the world does a maid hug their master? And why do you have another maid besides me? Sir, have you lost your mind? And what about the hellhound just now…!?”

Where in the world does a maid question their master like this?

I’m not in the mood to listen to her complaints right now.

“Enough. Emily, you received something, didn’t you?”

“Received something? Oh right! I almost forgot to give it to you…”

She pulled a bowtie from her pocket.

Before she could hand it over, I snatched it and crushed it.

-Crack

The gem embedded in the tie turned to dust.

I threw it out of the window without a second glance.

“What are you doing, Sir!!”

Emily was shocked and grabbed my collar, shaking me.

“That was a gift from Lord Aschel! How could you destroy his present like that!”

Does she realize they were being chased by villains because of this stone?

Daze Stone.

One of the artifacts capable of containing human magic.

It looks like a simple red gem, but possessing it is akin to suicide.

The magic within emits a bewitching aura periodically, attracting marionettes and monsters,

Meaning, just by having it, you become a target for marionettes and monsters.

So, both the princess and they were likely troubled by these puppets until I arrived.

But explaining it to her wouldn’t make much difference, so I let it be.

“Brian?”

“Yes, Sir!”

“Go to my room and bring me some clothes to change into. There should be a tuxedo similar to what I’m wearing.”

“Yes, understood!”

“Why are you asking a knight to do that? That’s the maid’s job!”

What is she on about now?

“Let’s go, Sir Knight! Don’t bring it back wrinkled, I’ll accompany you!”

She’s asserting her dignity in strange places, that Emily.

“Oh? Then I want to go too!”

Nana also followed them, wanting to go along.

Three people going to fetch a single set of clothes.

With Brian there, there shouldn’t be any issues.

Not like I’ll be alone without them anyway.

[…….]

Meanwhile, Kaeram leaned against the wall, quietly observing me with an odd smile, looking devilish with hidden intentions.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

[Just wondering if it’s really okay for you to be so relaxed!]

Her tone suggested more amusement than concern.

“I’ve dealt with all the marionettes in the palace. The summoning creatures too, and the Daze Stones you mentioned are all destroyed, so the palace guards should handle the rest.”

[You think you’ve destroyed all the Daze Stones? Really?]

“Of course. You clearly told me…”

Suddenly, I snapped to attention.

A chilling warning from the magic sword.

Her words were not meant lightly.

“One in the princess’s pendant, and one in the bowtie Emily was about to give me… That was all, wasn’t it?”

I must have heard correctly.

There were Daze Stones in those two locations, and I destroyed them.

That should be it, but why is Kaeram smiling like that?

[I never said there were only two.]

(To be continued)