The Regressed Son of a Duke is an Assassin

————

Chapter 170: The Fog That Drives Away the Light (4)

Human beings are inherently selfish and cunning creatures.

They tend to avoid situations where they incur losses.

The only factor that moves such humans is power—be it military, financial, or political power.

In the relationship of profit and loss, humans are often led by beings much stronger than themselves.

That’s what I thought, and that’s what I believed.

But can I really say that the two people who preceded me are not different from this?

They didn’t come here to help me under the influence of a specific power.

It was their hearts.

They came all the way here solely out of the desire to help me, a fellow human being.

If you ask me how I feel about it, I’m not sure.

It’s just strange.

Maybe I need more time to understand my emotions right now.

As the city’s borders drew closer, the number of swords pointed towards me increased.

Knights blocking the long road and among them, a familiar face.

It was Chancellor Kundel.

Did he finally feel restless?

Isn’t this time too leisurely for him to see my face?

But the person next to him was even more surprising.

Unlike when I met Set and Luna, there was even a hint of displeasure in her expression.

It was Princess Arin, looking at me with a complex and subtle expression.

I could understand the Chancellor, but what was this woman thinking when she came here?

Did she come to see with her own eyes because she couldn’t believe my identity?

I couldn’t help but find it ridiculous.

As the distance between us narrowed, the Chancellor, who had been standing like a statue, lifted his foot and began to approach me.

After we were close enough to hear each other’s voices, he stopped walking, and I also stopped, meeting his gaze.

– Whirr!

The Chancellor silently moved his fingers to create a restrictive barrier.

After a while, thunder accompanied by lightning began to strike around the periphery of the barrier, as if warning everyone not to approach.

“What are you doing?”

“Don’t worry. You never know when this lightning will blow off your head.”

The Chancellor responded with a warning laced with a threat.

“As a follower of the Black Mist… I can somewhat understand why I couldn’t find out about you for the past two years.”

I replied in silence.

“When did you start hiding there?”

“My answer remains the same as before. I have no reason to tell you what I was doing or where I was.”

Contrary to expectations, the Chancellor maintained a firm gaze without any sign of wavering.

“I have no intention of making you understand, nor do I have any desire to be understood. You and everyone else there are just insignificant pieces of paper to me. If you hate or despise my existence, that’s all.”

“Is that what you want?”

I didn’t answer.

“The day you first saw me, you asked me. What’s more important, the prosperity of the empire or the security of the family…?”

“Yes. You answered that the academy is more important.”

Suddenly, it felt paradoxical that someone who values the academy so much is now having this conversation with me.

“Do you have time for this? Hurry up and go to the academy to erase all traces of contact with me. If you value the academy so much…”

As if deeming it unimportant, the Chancellor didn’t even respond.

“What have I gained by forsaking the path of nobility and choosing the life of an educator?”

“Do I need to know?”

“When someone joins any group or organization, the future within it becomes predictable. Whether it turns out well or not, you can judge thoroughly.”

I understand.

So when I, in my previous life, said I would follow the devil and join the Knights of Light, they poured out all sorts of ridicule.

“The same goes for your sister. Alice wanted to join the Knights of Light, but I didn’t approve. I didn’t think it was a good place for her. However, I didn’t actively discourage her, and as a result, Alice went through something unpleasant. One could argue that I bear a heavy responsibility for watching her future unfold despite knowing what might happen.”

I don’t feel the need to blame myself.

Doing something because others told you to is nothing but a flimsy excuse.

Ultimately, the results of choices are solely one’s own.

Both I and my sister know this, so neither of us harbors resentment.

“Did you voluntarily choose to be in the mist rather than the light?”

“No one forced me.”

“Then I have no right to stop you.”

As the thunder and lightning, which had been raging fiercely, suddenly ceased, the restrictive barrier surrounding us also dissipated.

It wasn’t someone else’s power that removed it; the Chancellor himself had lifted his power.

“Why are you standing there foolishly? If you don’t want to be caught by the knights, leave quickly. No one will stop you.”

“…Are you serious?”

I asked with a furrowed brow, almost involuntarily.

“Didn’t you ask me to support your disciple’s bright future? Although the future may be closer to darkness than brightness…”

Although the Chancellor was not known for joking, his eyes showed no trace of falsehood or pretense.

“Although it may not be right in my opinion, if it’s the right place for you, then it’s enough. Despite what I said, it seems that your future in the mist doesn’t look so bad.”

I’m not one to believe in prophecies, but this was an exception to the rule for the Chancellor words.

Rather than a place where everyone’s praise and admiration are received, a place where everyone’s condemnation and scorn are received seems better to me…

It wasn’t exactly a pleasant remark, but it didn’t feel unpleasant either.

“You might regret it later.”

“If you do something that you won’t regret…”

*Kwajijik*

“…!”

For a moment, a gleam flashed before my eyes, and then a bolt of lightning struck down.

I quickly stepped back and turned my gaze in the direction where the lightning had struck.

“Urgh!”

The Chancellor, who hadn’t managed to avoid it, groaned as he clutched his shoulder.

There’s no way he would stoop so low as to send a lightning bolt over his own head to catch me.

This was clearly not the Chancellor’s doing.

“What are you doing? All knights, raise the sword of honor! Eliminate that vile creature of the mist!”

There’s always a troublemaker wherever you go.

Even though I tried to maintain my composure, the anger and bloodlust mixed in the Chancellor’s face were truly remarkable.

“Louisnel!!”

Louisnel Sevellerus, the first prince of the empire.

The chief commander of the imperial forces, who had come to capture me, seems to recognize the need for bold decisiveness.

He wouldn’t hesitate to throw lightning on his grandfather’s head.

“Louisnelll!!!!”

The Chancellor glared at Louisnel with a mixture of rage and malice.

I didn’t expect much.

After all, I hadn’t even considered quietly leaving.

In the end, such things suit someone like me…

*Sss*

A familiar yet awkward sensation momentarily froze me in place.

Within the bulging eyes, something dark was slowly coalescing.

If you were to stop a passerby and ask what it might be…

“Why did the mist suddenly appear?”

Without a doubt, they would simply call it mist.

*Wooong*

Naturally, this wasn’t my doing.

It wasn’t the doing of the leader or any other member of the Mist either.

No, this wasn’t even the power of Aeru’s mist.

It was just something entirely different that looked like mist.

Closer to dark magic than mist…

“Dark magic?!”

I quickly turned my head, trying to sense any trace of Boris’s presence that might be there.

However, I didn’t sense anything that could be specifically identified as Boris.

Instead, a much more vile and repulsive energy began to envelop me.

It was so repulsive that it made me feel like I was going to vomit involuntarily.

There’s only one person in this land who can make me feel this way.

[What’s should I do, master?]

Kaeram, who had silently appeared with the mist, said with a satisfied smile.

[It seems our savior, who has just awakened from sleep, is quite angry…]

*Thud*

A sudden sound of footsteps echoed in my confused ears.

A familiar sensation that my body, not my head, remembered.

Just like when the light of the Holy Sword pierced my heart, it resounded so vividly in my ears.

The difference from back then is that now, my face is not filled with despair but with exhilaration, smiling.

I’m not sure what emotion is causing this expression, but it’s definitely not based on negative feelings.

Otherwise, my body wouldn’t be so excited and exhilarated by now!

* * *

“Your Highness, why is there magic over there?”

“Why? That’s a question you should ask them, not me! Why are they having a friendly chat when there’s a criminal to catch right in front of them?”

For Louisnel, the well-being of his grandfather was no longer important.

Without hesitation, he ordered the knights to march forward.

“It doesn’t matter how many die! As long as we capture him, everything will be resolved! Even my tarnished reputation!”

With no choice but to follow his orders, the knights quickly formed ranks and began to advance.

However, just as they were about to do so.

*Sss*

Strange black mist flowed in from somewhere.

Before anyone could grasp the nature of the mist, it gradually coalesced and soon transformed into grotesque figures resembling humans.

Startled by the unfamiliar sight, the knights hesitated, and as soon as the numbers of the mist creatures matched theirs, the mist monsters rushed at the knights at lightning speed.

“…!”

In an instant, the scene turned chaotic, and the knights, now in a panic, swung their swords frantically, but.

*Shiik*

The monsters were unscathed, as if they were cutting through intangible mist.

Beyond confusion, the knights began to be engulfed by fear.

“W-what’s happening?”

“Your Highness, you must get away!”

The knights from the academy rushed to protect the dazed Arin.

“What? But! The Chancellor is still—!”

Kundel, who brought them here, was still by Cyan’s side.

Although he was currently healing his wounds, he didn’t seem to be in as much danger as they were.

In fact, it seemed like Cyan was protecting the Chancellor.

Arin realized this.

The current situation wasn’t caused by Cyan.

Although she didn’t know the exact circumstances, if things continued like this, Cyan might be falsely accused.

“Your Highness!?”

With that, Arin broke free from the knights’ protection and rushed forward.

She, too, knew.

Her actions were reckless and foolish.

But she acted because she knew that Cyan would never stand idly by.

“…!”

Sure enough, Cyan’s face contorted noticeably when he spotted Arin.

Just by looking at his eyes, she could tell that he found her pitiful, if not downright ridiculous.

Seeing his reaction, Arin thought to herself.

Cyan wouldn’t tolerate someone as foolish and reckless as her.

Without hesitation, he would rush forward and grab her hand, not hesitating to call her pathetic.

If he saw her, the Cyan she knew would definitely…

*Swoosh!*

In an instant, a giant beam of light slashed diagonally across, covering everyone’s field of vision.

The mist monsters, consumed by the light, lost their strength and disappeared, leaving behind a faint white glow that spread slowly.

The people, captivated by the unexpected beauty of the scene, stared in awe.

“The desire for light and the fear of darkness are undeniable human nature…”

Suddenly, a mellifluous voice echoed from somewhere, and Arin turned her head.

“Acknowledging that undeniable nature, we call those who reject it ‘heretics.’ Just like the one in front of us…”

A man with golden hair fluttering in the sunlight.

But no one saw him as an ordinary person.

The Savior.

There couldn’t be a better term for him to fit into this confusing situation.

“However, light is equal for all. Just because they reject the light doesn’t mean we reject them. If we truly seek salvation, we must embrace even the existence of these heretics.”

With a gentle smile, the man extended his hand to Arin.

“Will you come with me?”

In his other hand, he held a divine weapon emitting a brilliant light of salvation.

————