The Regressed Son of a Duke is an Assassin

“I must have been around three years old. By the time my brain had developed enough to understand most of what was said, my grandfather told me this.”

When asked why, she suddenly started an old tale.

“’As long as you’re born into the Rainriver family, you must live for the advancement of the Garam Society. That is the reason for your existence, your duty, and Luna, you absolutely cannot refuse this.’ It’s a memory from when I was three, but it still comes to mind clearly.”

It seemed to be too much.

That’s probably because it was a painful statement that shocked even the young brain at the time.

I’m not defending it.

After all, it’s natural for a noble family’s child to prioritize the family’s ideology over the individual.

I feel the same way.

“From then on, I received early education. Not only the textbooks from the academy but also research materials from the empire’s academy, my grandfather didn’t limit anything related to magic.”

“Weren’t you too young to even have mana then?”

It was like asking a toddler just learning to walk to run.

“That’s why it was early education. Whether it was helpful or not, my grandfather just told me to learn blindly. And then, when I was about ten and my mana began to manifest, he immediately had me take an elemental test. Senior, do you happen to know what my magical element is?”

“I don’t.”

That was a lie.

I knew very well what her element was, even if I hadn’t heard it in this life.

“Fire, water, wind, light, darkness. I had an equal 20% in all five elements, a balanced composite element…”

As I said before, while it’s rare, it’s not exactly a welcome attribute.

The range of magic that can be utilized is wide, but since each has a clear limit in terms of power, it essentially becomes a mediocre attribute that can’t advance to a high rank.

I asked without showing my thoughts.

“What did your grandfather say about that?”

“He was happy.”

It was somewhat unexpected.

“He was happy?”

“Yes. It was the first time I saw him so happy.”

A slightly bitter emotion seeped through her words.

“If you just do it, you’ll become an unprecedented being in this world. If you become a holder of multiple high-ranking attributes that no one else has mastered, then you’ll stand at the pinnacle of magic, fulfilling our Rainriver family’s long-cherished wish. He still says the same thing even now.”

It’s not theoretically impossible.

If we were to compare the five different elements within her to “vessels,” then it would be possible if these five vessels were much larger than the single vessel others possess.

That is, if her 20% darkness attribute is higher than my over 90% darkness attribute, and the same applies to the other elements, what would be the problem?

According to the academy’s president, she could indeed reach the pinnacle of magic.

Of course, that’s theoretically speaking; in reality, it’s impossible.

Given the innate limitations of the human body, there’s undoubtedly a limit to how much these vessels can be expanded.

No matter how much magical power is poured into such unstable vessels, they will eventually overflow and cannot be contained, and this is not something that can be resolved with human effort.

Both Regens, the president of the academy, and she herself are likely aware of this.

“Do you think it’s possible?”

“I’m not sure. Based on the knowledge I have, I thought there would surely be a limit, but it seems my grandfather didn’t.”

A hollow laugh escaped me internally.

There are things that can be achieved with bravado and things that cannot.

Unless he’s gone senile, did that old president really think it was possible?

That would be impossible unless it involved modifying the human body itself…

Wait a minute?

In my enthusiasm over the practical possibilities, I had momentarily forgotten which group this girl belonged to.

The Garam Kingdom’s Magic Society.

They are the types who wouldn’t hesitate to conduct human experiments for the sake of advancing magical research.

Considering the insane things they did in a past life, using his own granddaughter as a subject for experiments wouldn’t be too far-fetched…

“Could you lend me your hand for a moment, senior?”

“My hand?”

Without realizing, I extended my hand.

Luna gently took my hand, and in that moment, a faint light of mana manifested from her hand.

“93% darkness attribute with a magic grade of 5 stars. You’re quite skilled in not only darkness but also other elemental magics.”

“…What did you do?”

“I manifested my mana to check your physical grade.”

“Is that possible?”

“It’s a result of experiments. My body has been a subject of the academy’s research and involved in various experiments since that day. I gained new abilities each time.”

My suspicions were exactly right.

“The ‘scanning ability’ I just showed you is one of them. I confirmed it when I hugged you in Sevelinus, and I reported all that information directly to my grandfather.”

Fortunately, it seems she couldn’t completely detect my magical power.

It appears to be at a level similar to a standard elemental test, but even so, this cannot be taken lightly.

As her magic power increases over time, the range of magic power she can detect will inevitably expand as well.

However, the current issue is not that.

A new ability from experiments?

That’s nothing special.

Reaching a 6-star level is enough to easily scan the physical grade of those beneath oneself.

I can assure you that what this girl gained through those experiments is not just an enhancement of her physical abilities.

There’s a disconcerting presence within this girl right now.

“The more experiments I undergo, the more I find myself unable to adapt to my own body. It seems like I’m gaining something, but it’s being forced upon me regardless of my own will.”

“Is there something wrong with your body?”

Luna answered with a faint smile.

“I can’t say there isn’t. Actually, it’s pretty bad. I haven’t shown it to my grandfather, but I probably won’t live long. About 3 years? It could be longer or shorter.”

“On what basis?”

“I know my body best. My body is gradually breaking down because it can’t withstand the magical power infused into it through experiments. Based on what I can endure, I think that’s about the time I have left.”

A chill ran down my spine, and cold sweat trickled down my back.

This is almost like a divine prophecy.

Her prediction was accurate.

Exactly 3 years later, the granddaughter of the Rainriver family, who held the title of academy president, suddenly passed away.

“You asked if it was okay to tell you this? It’s nothing. It’s of no use to me anyway, so I told you. The duty of the Rainriver family? What does it matter to me when I don’t have much time left? I’d rather gain your trust by telling you.”

She explained methodically, citing her reasons, but to me, it sounded like a cry of despair.

Yet, she maintained a chillingly calm demeanor.

“The reason I want to gain your trust? Honestly, I don’t know. I just felt drawn to you since the first time I saw you in Sevelinus. Maybe I felt a sense of kinship? I thought we were very similar.”

“Similar?”

“Yes. Do you like your family?”

That was something I couldn’t lie about.

“No.”

“Then we are similar. I really hate my family too. But you’re trying to escape from it, aren’t you?”

“…That’s one way to put it.”

“Then we’re different again. I can’t even think of doing that.”

Similar, yet not.

Hearing her words, I felt a tightness in my chest.

So what?

What am I supposed to do about it?

I’m not a savior.

I’m busy enough taking care of myself and those around me.

I’m not a divine being who can afford to care about the life of a poor girl foreseeing her own death.

Just listening to this conversation is the best mercy and salvation I can offer.

I spoke with a bland expression.

“It’s good to live your remaining life as you wish. But you’ve chosen the wrong direction. At least, I’m not as good a person as you think I am.”

“You’re not a bad person, either. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have gone out of your way to save me.”

“I just did what I had to. There were no other emotions involved.”

That too was for me, not for her.

I slowly stood up.

“Where are you going?”

“To the bathroom. It won’t take long, so wait here.”

Of course, that was a lie.

When I return, she probably won’t be here.

“Take care. Senior.”

As if she took my words to wait seriously, she sat still as a statue, with her hands neatly folded.

* * *

While Cyan was away for a moment, Luna thought to herself.

Had she unnecessarily spoken, burdening him?

Initially, she hadn’t felt this way, but as the conversation went on, she ended up revealing all her secrets.

She knew.

She was very much fixated on Cyan.

But she didn’t know why.

Although she explained it as feeling a sense of kinship with him, the emotions Luna felt towards Cyan were more than that.

From their first meeting, she had a slowly emerging desire to lean on and rely on someone who went beyond mere kinship.

But could he just be another person after all?

Cyan had firmly drawn a line, dismissing himself as unrelated to her.

Luna couldn’t help but feel disappointed.

“……”

Suddenly, a group of strangers wearing blue robes appeared before her.

They surrounded her as if to prevent her from going anywhere else.

Without needing an explanation, she knew.

They were sent by the academy to take her back.

“We’ve come to escort Lady Luna.”

“Can’t I stay a bit longer? Just two hours, or even one hour would be enough.”

“Lady Luna, the academy president is very enraged due to your unauthorized departure. It’s best for you to return as soon as possible, even a minute matters.”

Her bold request was met with an indifferent response.

Realizing her defiance was futile, Luna stood up.

Then, sensing something odd, she looked around and asked,

“Which department do you belong to? You don’t seem to be the same people who usually monitor me.”

Luna had been monitored since birth.

Although Regens, the academy president, periodically rotated the watchers, and she had encountered hundreds of them, she generally remembered faces she had seen once, and could recall where she had met them if she saw them more than twice.

However, these five surrounding her were not familiar.

She had neither seen them before nor remembered them.

“……”

Despite her question, they gave no answer.

Luna’s curiosity quickly turned into suspicion, and the man standing in front of her extended his hand towards her face.

“Sweet Sleep.”

A white powder emanated from his hand, entering her nose and mouth.

Not long after, Luna fell into a deep sleep, and the magicians, holding her, slipped away from the place unnoticed.

(To be continued)