The Regressed Son of a Duke is an Assassin

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Chapter 121: Grounded Faith (1)

At the moment of the incantation, mist rose from the Demonic Sword, enveloping its owner.

A benevolent energy never before encountered in this world.

Cyan’s appearance upon manifesting the Demonic Sword was no longer that of a human.

It seemed more appropriate to view him as the Demonic Sword transformed into a being that was no longer human.

His hands trembled, his breath quickened, and he felt as though his nerves were freezing, yet Boris’s face was filled with inexplicable ecstasy.

He might appear insane, but he was currently immersed in an exhilaration he had never felt before.

The surge of energy coursing through him felt like it could tear him apart at any moment, accompanied by an electrifying thrill.

Cyan Vert, who was he?

Who could he be to stimulate his curiosity to this extent?

The blackened sword seemed to be on the verge of consuming his entire being, driven by the desire to explore the unknown depths veiled within the mist.

-Taat!

Having completed the fusion with the Demonic Sword, Cyan finally charged towards Boris.

His movement was of an incredible speed beyond belief for a human.

If it were an ordinary person, they would have been effortlessly slain.

However, Boris knew better.

The owner of that Demonic Sword would not easily kill him.

The clear emotions of revenge shining in those two eyes were proof of this.

Though he didn’t know the reason, it didn’t matter. He would figure it out slowly but surely.

Even if it meant drawing out all of his mana, even if it meant bringing forth the as yet unrefined magic of the Bible, he would investigate the existence of this Cyan Vert.

“Stop.”

For a moment, the excitement of his impulses subsided.

The inner voice, like a volcano simmering with emotions, halted him.

“Withdraw as you are.”

Boris doubted his ears.

“What do you mean? The owner of the Demonic Sword has appeared before me, why would I…”

“You are not capable of facing him.”

With a firm and solemn tone, Boris found himself unable to continue speaking.

Only the soul of the Bible, which had suddenly appeared in his eyes, was glaring at the owner of the Demonic Sword with a displeased expression.

“Aeru. You were hiding something much more dangerous than I thought…”

His voice was filled not with interest, but with negative emotions.

* * *

As he seemed to be chanting something, a magic circle formed beneath his feet.

I knew what it was.

A teleportation spell.

When he seemed ready to jest and toy with me as if he had something up his sleeve, why cast a teleportation spell now?

I’m so shocked that I can’t even speak.

-Tung!

Just as I was about to sever the arms gathering mana, something thin and transparent blocked my path.

“Too bad. I wanted to have a little chat with you, student Cyan, but it seems we must part ways here.”

Part ways?

Who decided that?

Did he think I would just let him go?

Leave him alone when he’s not just any random guy?

-Jejeok

The mana barrier the guy set up started showing cracks.

He managed to create a fairly strong wall in a short amount of time, but there was no way I couldn’t get through it.

-Kwachang!

As the wall shattered, I immediately rushed towards him again.

“Marionette!”

The soaked dolls that were lying around like wet rags suddenly stood up, acting as his bodyguards.

It was so ridiculous it was almost amusing.

-Seogeeokeuk!

To prevent him from getting up again, I tore the limbs of the dolls apart right there and then.

The dolls, torn into dozens of pieces, turned into dust without even maintaining their forms.

“…Why did the curse?”

Curse?

What curse?

Did he think I wanted my body to be torn apart like those dolls?

That’s absurd.

Such a petty curse wouldn’t affect me.

-Phew!

Right above his heart, exactly one inch away.

I finally delivered the first hit of revenge of my past life to him.

“Aaaah!”

At the thrilling meeting of the chilling touch of the blade and the hot flesh, he screamed.

It was exhilarating.

Have I ever felt this good while stabbing my sword thousands and tens of thousands of times?

I couldn’t describe the indescribable thrill that enveloped my whole body.

[You’re late.]

Kaeram’s words chimed in.

“Kik…”

As if he heard the words, he smiled meaningfully.

-Shooooong

Somehow, a blue light emanated from the completed magic circle, and his body began to fade gradually.

The teleportation spell had been activated.

He dared to use the power of that damned god just to escape?

“We’ll meet again next time, Cyan Vert…”

Was I too emotionally invested?

I, who never missed a target, let my sworn enemy from my past life slip away right in front of my eyes.

Oh, that’s annoying.

-Kwasik!

“Aaaargh!”

I mercilessly twisted Kaeram, who I had forcefully shoved inside.

I still remember.

While the light of the holy sword pierced my heart, those damned looks you and that devil bastard were making!

A sneer that said you knew everything from the beginning and I was just completely taken advantage of!

But now the situation has changed.

I know your filthy intentions inside out.

However, you know nothing about me.

You won’t know what I’m thinking or what power I possess.

If you, consumed by curiosity, desire to know me madly, then continue to doubt and wonder!

By the time you truly understand the power I hold, I will have already completed the gift and left you with the worst despair imaginable!

So, until then, I hope you keep sharpening your skills.

“Uaaargh!”

With a scream that seemed like it would tear his throat, Boris bid his final farewell, and finally disappeared before my eyes.

* * *

To cool down my boiling emotions, I closed my eyes for a moment.

I wondered if I should have set up a barrier restriction to prevent him from using magic first, but it was a pointless thought, so I immediately shook my head.

[It’s a shame. I was hoping to face a decent opponent for once…]

Kaeram sighed with regret as she looked at me. I couldn’t help but retort,

“Why didn’t you say anything?”

[About what?]

“That the owner of the holy Bible was here. You must have known from the beginning, right?”

It makes no sense for a god’s weapon to not be able to recognize another god’s weapon.

Although Kaeram surely knew from the start, she hadn’t mentioned it until now.

She replied as if it was too bothersome to explain.

[If you dwell on every little thing like that, you’ll just exhaust yourself, you know? Haven’t you heard the saying to focus on what’s happening now instead of worrying about the past?]

Would you like me to explain that for you?

Just by looking at her uncomfortable expression, I could tell there was something she couldn’t bring herself to say.

Deciding to think about this matter later, I turned my head back to where the Leader was.

The assassins who had been taking cover had returned and were now proceeding with the aftermath.

The Leader, with her arms crossed, looked at me intently, silently conveying her desire for me to come closer.

I shrugged and approached her.

“Do you want to go first? Or should I?”

Either way, there was a lot to say.

While I had the option to choose, I still hadn’t organized my thoughts on what to say first.

“It seems like you have a lot you want to say, but you don’t know where to start, huh?”

The Leader accurately caught onto my inner thoughts.

“Then let me ask first. You handled the task well and returned, right?”

“Well, um, more or less…”

I replied, avoiding her gaze unintentionally.

“You said it would take about ten days, didn’t you? It’s a bit disappointing that you came back sooner than expected. I was planning to finish things up around the time you returned…”

Whether it was planned from the beginning or happened spontaneously, it seemed like the Leader was truly determined to kill Boris.

Otherwise, she wouldn’t have revealed her face.

“It just turned out that way. I felt like I needed to come back quickly.”

I replied softly, glancing in Kaeram’s direction, but she didn’t respond.

“Whatever the reason, I can’t just keep smiling all the time. I didn’t expect him to be a mere scholar, but I never imagined he was the holder of the holy Bible.”

The “Black Fog of Greed” summoned by the Leader is a powerful magic that can neutralize the magic of even a 9th-grade archmage, depending on the circumstances.

The number of humans who can survive being engulfed by that mist and live to tell the tale is guaranteed to be no more than five on this continent.

If you ask whether that would apply to the owner of the holy Bible, honestly, I’m not sure.

The Bible of Hishkrea.

I may have momentarily ridiculed it as a disgusting pile of paper, but I know better than anyone the power wielded by the god’s weapon.

The power of the god that transcends the limits of humanity predetermined from the beginning.

When he started possessing the Bible and how much he could control and manipulate that power, I can’t say.

But judging by the amount of magic manifested from the light of the Bible back then… It could have been the Leader who was devoured by that attack, not Boris.

She must have known that too.

But she didn’t hesitate.

She only had one single, unwavering thought: to kill Boris.

If you ask why, it’s probably because of me.

“I hope you don’t see me with those eyes. Didn’t I tell you? I can’t stand seeing you in danger. I’ll do my best as an instructor for the comfortable academy life of my students. There shouldn’t be any problem, right?”

She always said something like that. In the past, now, and in the future.

Regardless of whatever danger I face, she will continue her purification work for me.

As someone who knows her so well, I couldn’t possibly smile right now.

“Are you not going to ask anything else?”

“What do you mean?”

“Anything at all.”

The reason Boris came to the academy was consistent.

To find the presence of mist that threatened the light.

I don’t know where it started, but he had put me in the category of suspects from the beginning.

Although it was something I had to deal with entirely on my own, as I was busy with my sister’s affairs at the time, I had no choice but to postpone it.

But just in case, I temporarily took Brian’s group to a different location, but ultimately, this was entirely my fault.

Despite being able to ask or probe about it, she didn’t ask me anything at all.

“It’s the first time I’ve seen a student so eager to force questions with such a skewed look in their eyes. What does our student Cyan hope I’ll ask?”

As she took a step forward, she began to approach me slowly.

“The reason you have perfect power as a successor?”

“….”

“Or, how you found the sword that even Lord Aeru didn’t know the location of?”

“…..”

“Or why do you have such extreme hatred for your blood-related family?”

Did she already know everything?

Perhaps, since she is someone who watched over me from beginning to end, she may have already finished all the preliminary investigations.

Just when I was getting serious, she suddenly started patting my head.

“I told you before, didn’t I? I won’t ask anything…”

“Are you not going to say anything? No matter what I do?”

Without a moment of hesitation, the Leader nodded her head.

Knowing that there was not an ounce of falsehood mixed in with her words made me feel quite strange.

“There’s nothing more dangerous than ignorant trust.”

Why did that damn god’s words suddenly come to mind?

It’s not that the Leader has ignorant trust in me.

It’s because I am a successor.

Based on that one absolute reason, she has grounded her justified trust in me.

Yeah, that’s right.

Then wouldn’t it be good to add a bit more to that trust?

Raising my head again, I met her gaze.

“I have already lived one lifetime.”

“….?”

The Leader’s smile froze for a moment.

“Even in that one lifetime, I had met you, Leader.”

Interesting.

Have I ever seen her so flustered throughout my entire life?

I hope she doesn’t get angry.

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