The Regressed Son of a Duke is an Assassin

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Chapter 168: The Fog That Drives Away the Light (2)

A vicious criminal who ra*ed and murdered up to twenty women.

The mere sight of them sends shivers down the spines of even the most seasoned knights, who have seen their fair share of monstrous predators.

How many individuals among humans can evoke such tension with just their presence?

They are more than mere predators; the term alone cannot fully describe their existence.

At this moment, the knights facing the empire’s worst criminal, Cyan Vert, collectively felt a sense of dread.

“The Light of the Ushif Empire! Under the esteemed decree of His Majesty, the great Emperor Dionne, I command you to comply! Cyan Vert, a member of the Vert Duchy, must cease all resistance and submit to arrest immediately! Refusal will not be tolerated!”

The only senior knight among the dispatched knights, Redback Ackerman, issued orders while presenting the royal decree bearing the Emperor’s seal.

However, Cyan paid no attention to them.

Redback, feeling a slight sense of shame, raised his hand to signal, and the knights who accepted the orders rushed towards Cyan with all their might.

A young boy, not even a senior knight yet, could not possibly escape the sharp assault of elite knights.

Everyone around thought so.

At least until their swords failed to hit anything but empty air.

“…!”

Ferocious whirlwinds roared through the air.

As the whirlwinds subsided, the knights who had been firmly holding their swords began to collapse one by one.

The fallen knights didn’t even emit a small groan, their eyes whitening as if overwhelmed by immense force, on the brink of unconsciousness.

“What is this?”

Elite knights of the imperial army, fallen without even swinging their swords.

Redback, bewildered, got off his horse and glared at Cyan, but Cyan calmly continued to advance without even a hint of concern.

Enraged, Redback drew his sword and charged straight at Cyan.

“…!”

Approaching within five steps, Cyan didn’t even flinch.

Redback, a veteran swordsman who had honed his skills for decades before becoming a knight, was confident.

This was a situation he could undoubtedly control.

Unless transcending the boundaries of humanity, no response would be effective at this distance.

With a heart full of confidence, as he swung his sword confidently, a swoosh sounded through the air, and a red streak rose before his eyes.

The sword did strike something, but it wasn’t his own.

And certainly not Cyan’s body.

Swish!

Losing strength in his legs, Redback kneeled and collapsed forward.

What on earth had happened?

As Redback turned his eyes, a mix of questions and suspicions, he realized.

The boy they had faced was never within the category of humans to begin with.

He was simply a superior being far beyond the realm of humanity.

There was no other way to explain it.

Cyan continued to advance silently, not even sparing a compassionate glance at the fallen knights.

* * *

“The Prince’s Vanguard seems to have fallen…”

Observing the situation from a rooftop a little away from where the incident occurred, the mages of the Garam Magic Society couldn’t help but be amazed, their mouths agape in astonishment.

“If it were just a few knights sticking together, it wouldn’t have come to this extent.”

Regens didn’t even utter a word of amazement, as if it were nothing surprising.

“Are you really okay, President? This is the Empire. We might inadvertently provoke friction with the Empire, as we barely have the justification to intervene…”

“Justification can be created. After all, there’s no true justice without taking risks. That boy is a necessary existence for the future of our Garam Magic Society.”

The youngest son of the continent’s protector, Duke Vert.

A wielder of darkness attribute that rival even the gods.

An assassin belonging to Mist, the continent’s foremost assassination group.

Given the recent unsavory incidents in the society over the past few years, it had become evident that they were somehow related to this boy.

That’s why they had to capture him at all costs.

It was necessary not only for the society but also for the future of humanity.

Regens’s eyes held a determination stronger than ever before.

“Release the Seals.”

Upon receiving the command, the society members immediately drew out all the mana stored within them.

Then, a faint light rose from the center of the floor they were looking down upon, and Cyan gradually approached the illuminated spot.

It was a high-level magic of spatial manipulation that confines the opponent within a space of immense mana, known as the Seal of Confinement.

It was a superior magic of the restriction barrier that created a space with mana, and once completed with the combined mana of multiple individuals, even breaking free would be nearly impossible.

In other words, once the target was confined within that space, it would be over in an instant.

A smile began to form on Regens’s face, filled with joy and anticipation.

But at that moment, a fierce gust of wind swept through from somewhere, brushing against their skin.

The rough grains of sand carried by the gust covered the vision of the society members, causing most of them to squint their eyes.

As a result, the smooth flow of mana injection was abruptly interrupted.

An unexpected turn of events.

Regens urgently looked around to find the source of the mana.

“…..!”

Not far from where Cyan was approaching, a formidable level of mana was felt from the hands of a man with a rugged physique and bronze skin.

The man looked at the bewildered group with a strange smile on his face.

* * *

A familiar gust of sandstorm brushed against my skin.

No need to see any further.

This power belongs to a certain foolish prince, though familiar, not particularly friendly.

Eleven o’clock from the front.

From a rooftop a bit of a distance away, I sense a reverse flow of mana.

It extends precisely from where I am standing to a spot five steps ahead, where a massive magic circle covers the entire square, eagerly awaiting my arrival.

Is that the Seal of Confinement they’ve set up?

Well, they’ve prepared quite thoroughly compared to those lackeys of the prince.

Though I could break free eventually, thanks to this sandstorm, it seems like I’ll endure some unwanted trouble.

I adjusted Kaeram and thrust it into the ground.

Clang!

The mana contained in Kaream travelled through the ground towards the location of the magic circle, and as it did, the blue light emitting from the magic circle gradually transformed into a black mist.

Crackle!

With a loud noise, the magic circle vanished into thin air.

And then, as if waiting for this moment, the owner of this maelstrom revealed himself, brushing aside the sandstorm to show his figure.

“So, our training exercise got rejected from the start? Thanks to you, I received a disciplinary measure.”

Ah, come to think of it, didn’t I explain earlier?

Not that I intentionally avoided it, but with so much happening, it seems I naturally forgot.

“You’ve been quite noisy lately, haven’t you? Assassin, wanted posters, and not even resembling one bit. It’s all too obvious.”

He extends my wanted poster towards me with a smirk.

Even if he’s a foolish prince, if he actually believes in the crimes listed on that paper, there’s no way he would react like this.

“Relax, will you? Men have instincts, you know. Do you really think I’d believe what’s written on this piece of paper? I know you’re not that kind of guy!”

He didn’t seem to nod in a peculiar way.

He knew I wasn’t that kind of guy…

I don’t even know myself, so how does this fool prince know about me?

That fact alone made me feel strangely conflicted.

“No need to feel burdened! It’s the law that if a man owes a debt, he must repay it. Maybe it wasn’t particularly necessary for you, but consider what happened in Nodeli as me repaying it here!”

It wasn’t really a favor, but handling it like this would be awkward, wouldn’t it?

“We won’t have another chance to meet like this! Next time, whenever it may be, we’ll definitely…”

Whoooosh!

People not happy with this situation stirred up a strong gust of wind in response to the sandstorm.

As I look up slightly, I spot a sage-looking figure gazing at me with a discreet gaze.

It’s Regens Rainriver, the leader of the Garam Magic Society.

Him personally leading the society members here means he knows everything about me by now.

Not particularly surprising.

What’s more surprising is that they came here at such a belated moment.

Probably thanks to my clever junior.

“We might not have much time to talk. I’ll block those skinny guys from making a fuss for now. Take the opportunity to escape with your servants.”

With a thunderous roar, the foolish prince unleashed his dormant mana as if it were exploding.

“That damn voice just shuts up at times like this! What a useless guy!”

From where he stood, an even larger sandstorm than before erupted.

Thanks to that, the sight of the mages aiming their magic at me was once again blocked, and some even turned their bodies away.

Without the owner of that occasional voice showing up, it won’t last long.

For a brief moment, I stared directly at his face.

“Why? Got something to say?”

“Be careful not to catch a cold.”

That was the best advice I could offer.

“I don’t catch those!”

Even if not now, you’ll have to be careful later.

For the sake of your beloved country, if nothing else.

With my final farewell, I passed by him, and suddenly, as if using spatial transition, I found myself face to face with the leader of the Garam Magic Society.

He looked at me with a mixed expression of interest and suspicion.

“This is the first time I’ve come face to face with you.”

At least in this lifetime.

“As I know about you, I believe you also know something about me.”

Half true, half false.

Not just something, but much more than you think, even the despicable side hidden beneath your bold mask…

“I won’t mince words. Follow me.”

This was unexpected.

“You probably won’t have anywhere to lean on in this empire. So, drop everything and follow me. I won’t ask about the past. Swear on the name of the Garam Magic Society to follow me.”

Isn’t it a bit too early for such a decision?

“Just to clarify, you have no right to refuse. You only have a choice. Whether to accept my offer and follow me willingly, or be dragged along by my power.”

His attempt at seeming fair while imposing his will was truly repulsive.

“In fact, I’m grateful to you. Whatever the reason, you’ve saved my granddaughter twice from the dark hands of the Auram Society.”

While listening became increasingly uncomfortable, he eventually delivered the decisive blow.

I simply stared at his calm face without saying or doing anything.

“It seems you won’t choose the former.”

As if sensing my silent intention, he gathered his mana once again.

“I sensed your mana earlier and felt that it had already reached the highest level of the dark attribute. So, let’s see all the power you possess. I, Regens Rainriver, will personally evaluate your power.”

The mana of a ninth-grade mage, a rarity on the continent, has a different flow from the rest.

Encountering it alone is enough to cause a slight tremor in the body.

“I hope you live up to my expectations. The dark attribute is not so common…!”

Thud!

“Cough!”

Just as he was rambling, he suddenly grabbed his head and slumped down.

Somewhat taken aback, I furrowed my brow, then…

“….!”

Soon, a very familiar scent wafted over from somewhere.

“It seems I’m not too late.”

Along with the indifferent voice that somehow felt full of affection.

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