The Regressed Son of a Duke is an Assassin

Sevellinus Monastery, capital of the Ushif Empire.

A man stood before the statue of Lumendel, which softly reflected the sunlight streaming in through the tall windows.

This man was Boris L’Hellem, a former confidant of Aschel, who died three years ago, and the current owner of the Holy Scripture.

The reason for his presence was simple. He was waiting for someone who would soon come to see him.

Before long, the 2nd Imperial Princess, Violet, arrived, accompanied by royal guards.

“Have you arrived, Your Highness?” Boris greeted her indifferently, as if nothing was amiss.

In contrast, Violet’s face clearly expressed her discomfort.

“This is already the third time, isn’t it? Taking the Knights of Light without reporting to the Imperial Court? There’s a limit to how much I can cover for you,” she said.

“I’m always grateful for Your Highness’s efforts,” Boris replied.

“It might be hard to overlook this time. We gained nothing and only lost something on this mission, and now the Saintess, who should be held accountable, is missing. How am I supposed to report this to Father? It’s really giving me a headache,” Violet said, grimacing as she touched her head.

Boris nodded calmly, unperturbed.

“You can report this: The youngest of the Duke Vert family assassinated the Saintess.”

Violet’s expression immediately changed.

Boris continued, “For some purpose, Saintess Nephrodite led the Knights of Light to the frozen lands, but the Mist assassin killed her there. If you and I say we didn’t know about this, it shouldn’t be a problem.”

“Did he really appear? That Cyan Vert?” Violet asked.

“Yes. I confirmed it clearly. I don’t know why he was in the frozen lands, but Cyan Vert has come back into the world after three years.”

Violet, as well as the accompanying royal guards, were visibly taken aback.

Some among them had witnessed Cyan kill his brother three years ago. They shuddered at the thought of that monstrous man reappearing.

Violet touched her lips before smirking.

“You’re quite intriguing, Lord Boris. You don’t engage in any outside activities, yet you seem to know everything happening outside the empire,” she said, probing. Boris merely responded with a silent smile.

“I’ll report to Father as you suggested. But, more importantly, if that man has really reappeared, aren’t you in the most danger, Boris?”

“I can’t deny that. So, I’m planning to take some measures as well.”

Boris wasn’t fazed by Violet’s provocative question.

“Select a few knights from the Royal Guard, please.”

“What for?”

“I plan to revisit the ruins we’ve uncovered so far.”

Three years ago, after the death of the Holy Sword’s owner, Aschel, Boris ousted the 1st Prince, Luinel, and took control of the royal family with Violet’s support, receiving a position as an advisor to the Knights of Light and president of the Imperial Magic Association.

With the power he gained, Boris asked Violet for one favor: to support the excavation of ancient ruins within the empire’s territory. The reason was to find clues to counter Cyan, who killed Aschel, and his Black Mist organization that supports him.

From Violet’s perspective, it was natural to be skeptical. The royal family wasn’t some group that researched archaeology, and supporting the search for vague ruins of uncertain location seemed like a waste of time and money.

Boris countered by stating that he would handle the personnel, and simply requested the emperor’s approval and to prevent objections from local lords. Additionally, he promised that whatever was discovered in the ruins would belong entirely to the royal family, not to the Knights of Light or the Imperial Magic Association.

With such assurances, Violet didn’t have a reason to refuse. Thus, 16 ruins were excavated over the course of three years. Five of them were put under royal jurisdiction, barring public access. The local lords of those areas tried to submit petitions to the emperor, claiming that the royal family was infringing on their territorial sovereignty, but all were suppressed by Violet.

Violet asked again, “Where do you plan to go first?”

“I’m still deciding, but I plan to start with nearby locations.”

Violet’s expression changed oddly.

“Since we’re on the topic, someone requested permission to survey the ruins at Romar Plateau in the northeast of the empire, which was recently discovered.”

Boris’s brow furrowed slightly.

“Weren’t the ruins only known to the royal family and a few select nobles?”

“Yes, coincidentally, the person who made the request is from our royal family.”

Violet waved her hand, and a knight standing behind her handed Boris a letter with the Royal Academy’s seal.

After checking the letter, Boris’s brow furrowed further.

“What do you think? Should we have that child join the royal party as well?”

At the bottom of the permit, the name “Arin Severus” was written in bold.

* * *

The imperial family’s support for excavation projects within the empire was common knowledge. However, the location of the ruins was known only to a select few within the imperial family. Among that select few was the 5th princess, Arin.

This was not unusual. Although she did not involve herself in imperial affairs, she was, after all, the emperor’s child and a member of the royal family. While attending the Royal Academy, whenever she had the opportunity to visit the palace, she would directly request information from the emperor under the pretext of academic research. The information she received was always shared with Kundel, the headmaster of the academy.

In the headmaster’s office of the Royal Academy. Kundel, who was reading the report on the Romar Ruins that Arin had shared, asked,

“Romar Plateau is surrounded by rugged mountains that would be challenging even for knights with decent stamina. Do you really need to go to such a place?”

“Just analyzing old books at a desk has its limits. If I’ve decided to study history, I should visit the sites firsthand.”

Kundel knew he could not change her mind, as she had already requested permission from the imperial family.

So he asked something else.

“This information. Will you share it with Silica as well?”

With a serious gaze, Arin nodded.

“I’m thinking of asking her to accompany me on the expedition. That is, if Ms. Silica agrees.”

Kundel stroked his beard in silence for a moment.

“Arin, as I’ve said before, Silica has nothing to do with him. I’ve observed Silica for a long time. While I can’t say she has nothing to hide, no human is entirely without secrets.”

“Yes, I know. But…”

“That makes her all the more dangerous.”

Kundel’s voice dropped noticeably.

To Kundel, Silica was a woman without flaws. She was renowned as a kind and competent instructor at the academy, respected by both students and fellow instructors. Her conduct was impeccable, and she received no distrustful glances from anyone. However, it was precisely because of this that Kundel considered her more dangerous.

Unless deliberately crafted, such a perfect exterior couldn’t belong to a human.

“If such a person is hiding something, it would be something extremely dangerous. So, don’t dig too deep. If you do, you might…”

Knock knock

At that moment, someone knocked on the headmaster’s office door.

“Come in.”

Upon the headmaster’s reply, Silica opened the door and entered.

“Sorry, I’m a bit late.”

“Welcome, ma’am!”

Arin greeted her with a bright smile, her expression changing as if nothing had happened.

Once seated, Silica was immediately briefed about the Romar Ruins. After reviewing the information, Silica asked,

“I have a lot of questions, but I need to ask this first. What is it that you want to find in these ruins, Arin?”

“Of course, it’s the history of the old era that might be left behind in the ruins.”

“History is history. You’re not going there to study how ancient people lived or to pursue such conventional knowledge, are you?”

Of course, she wasn’t.

Arin, who had been caught off guard, opened and closed her lips.

“Be specific. What do you want to see or find there?”

“Then, promise me one thing.”

“What is it?”

“Promise me that if I tell you my purpose, you’ll accompany me on the expedition to the Romar Ruins.”

“I’m not particularly fond of hiking…”

Despite showing a troubled expression, Silica nodded.

“Alright, I promise.”

Arin clasped Silica’s hands as she readily agreed.

“In fact, I’m not sure if I’ll find what I’m looking for in these ruins. But what I want to know is…”

At that moment, Silica was unaware of what the princess, who had been tiptoeing on the edge of crossing the line, would say next.

“How to kill a god.”

* * *

For three years, Arin hadn’t been able to forget the sight of Cyan, fighting against the Nephilims as she lay fallen. To ensure that she would never forget it, she documented the moment in writing and drawings.

As a result, another person became unforgettable for her: the red-haired stranger who disappeared with Cyan in a moment of crisis.

Arin didn’t feel that the stranger was entirely unfamiliar. She felt like she had seen them somewhere before. They were someone familiar, someone she had seen consistently for a significant amount of time.

And she felt as if that person was still lingering around her.

Having finished her meeting with Kundel and Silica, Arin exited the main building late at night, under the moonlight.

Resimus and knights in plain clothes, who had been waiting outside, greeted her.

“Did the conversation go well?”

“Yes, let’s talk as we go, Resimus.”

Arin led the way, walking side by side with Resimus, with the knights following them. The two conversed in low voices, audible only to each other.

“How much did you tell Ms. Silica?”

“I told her everything. About accompanying me to the ruins, and what I want to find there…”

“And, what was her reaction?”

“Of course, she was surprised. She didn’t expect me to say something so absurd, and she looked flustered. She suggested that we talk again once the imperial family grants permission.”

“At least she didn’t decline outright.”

Arin nodded.

As they talked, they soon arrived at the mansion. In front of the mansion, a familiar group of people in uniforms awaited her.

“We greet Princess Arin.”

As she looked at them, Arin murmured indifferently.

“It seems the answer from the palace has already arrived.”

Arin naturally approached and accepted their greetings. The person at the forefront, raising the lion insignia from his waist, handed her a letter with the imperial seal.

Arin checked the letter on the spot. Her complexion darkened as she read it. After finishing, she sighed heavily, looking up at the sky.

Seeing this, Resimus asked,

“Don’t tell me, was the request denied?”

“No, it wasn’t. They generously approved it.”

If that was all, she wouldn’t have shown such a troubled reaction.

“Instead, they want me to go with someone.”

“With whom?”

“Boris L’Hellem.”

Unable to hide her feelings, Arin gritted her teeth and crumpled the imperial message in her hand. The imperial messengers in front of her couldn’t hide their bewilderment.

Despite everything, the princess had referred to an important figure in the empire without even the slightest hint of respect.

Ignoring this, Arin addressed the messengers,

“I’ll give you my response right now. Tell the imperial family this.”

“Please, go ahead, Princess!”

“This is a request made not as a princess of the empire, but in the name of Arin Severus.”

In essence, she was expressing her refusal to have Boris accompany her, with her eyes filled with contempt for the imperial family.

(To be continued in the next episode)