The Regressed Son of a Duke is an Assassin - Chapter 75: Cutting off the Tail (2)
The Regressed Son of a Duke is an Assassin chapter 75
Chapter 75: Cutting off the Tail (2)
After the dreadful blood-soaked banquet came to a close, the imperial palace was left shrouded in bleakness. As the horrific night passed and dawn broke, the morning sun rose.
Exhausted but unable to fall asleep, Ellis stared vacantly out the window.
-Knock knock
“Come in.”
Her maid, Cecilia, entered.
“How did it go?”
“All the notable figures from the Garam Magic Society, including Lunev, have been taken by the palace knights. It seems they will undergo intensive investigation over the next few days.”
Ellis wasn’t particularly surprised; she had anticipated this. Given that Lunev Rainriver was found with the Daze Stone, they inevitably became prime suspects in the incident.
With a heavy heart, Ellis let out a sigh.
“Do you have any worries, my lady?”
After taking a moment to ponder Cecilia’s question, Ellis responded.
“Cecilia.”
“Yes, my lady.”
“Do you remember the first gift I received from brother Aschel when I was nine?”
“Of course. The lord gave you a magic scroll, a gift that you adored, knowing how interested you were in magic.”
A magic scroll.
It’s a sort of single-use magical artifact. It can be activated with mana alone, without any specific spells or complexities, making it a common training tool for apprentice mages or incoming academy freshmen.
“Even though I was often called a prodigy, that scroll was beyond what I could handle at the time. But Aschel said when he gave it to me…”
Ellis couldn’t forget the words he said.
“If you grow to the point where you can use this scroll, something truly tremendous will happen. Perhaps the whole world will look towards you. I hope I can see that before you start academy…”
It sounded like a warm, encouraging sentiment at first glance.
However, if Aschel truly meant it that way, Ellis wouldn’t have been wearing such a somber expression now.
“But do you know? I still have that scroll.”
Ellis took out an aged scroll from a small dimensional box on her desk, unrolling it for Cecilia to see.
“This can still be used. It’s perfectly intact, not torn or damaged in any way. However…”
“…!”
Cecilia was taken aback.
“Lady Ellis, you don’t mean that scroll is…?”
By her eyes, it was clear that this was no ordinary magical scroll.
“Yes. It’s not a magic scroll, but a summoning scroll capable of calling forth a demon beast…”
The scroll’s crimson magic circle, engraved at the center of the blue parchment, unmistakably denoted it as a summoning scroll for low-rank demon beasts from the front lines.
“Since when did you know, my lady?”
“Perhaps when I was around fourteen? It slipped my mind as I focused on my studies, but I chanced upon it again one day. By then, my abilities were about four-star, so I figured I wouldn’t have any trouble using it. I was utterly shocked… As a naive child, I had been clueless that this was a summoning scroll…”
The only requirement to activate a scroll is mana that matches its condition.
Even if the nature of the scroll was unknown, it could be activated, reacting solely to the caster’s magical power.
“I was horrified then. If I’d carelessly activated it back then, I would’ve faced a demon beast helplessly.”
Remembering that day, Ellis placed her hand over her heart.
“And then another thought crossed my mind. Did brother really think I could activate this scroll? What would have happened if I had actually done it? Was Aschel hoping for something after the activation? What would become of me?”
Ellis continued assertively, despite the grimness clouding her face.
“Didn’t Lord Aschel say anything?” Cecilia’s expression grew graver.
“I asked him once. If he still had the scroll he gave me. I lied, telling him I lost it…”
“Why did you do that?”
“I just felt like I had to. Perhaps Aschel himself didn’t know what the scroll was for. He seemed genuinely disappointed by my answer. But…”
Ellis clenched her fist as if overwhelmed with emotion.
“That look on his face, that was not one of ignorance. He knew everything from the start and seemed genuinely displeased that I hadn’t used the scroll. It was as if he wished misfortune upon me…”
Why? How could it be? Why would her own brother, her family, commit such a dreadful act against her? Ellis still could not fathom his motives.
“And now, it seems brother has sent another gift. This time not to me, but to Sian…”
“To the youngest lord?”
“Yes. I think it was a bow tie. A maid was supposed to deliver it, but she lost it somehow. He didn’t receive it…”
It was a recent occurrence that Ellis vividly remembered.
With a sense of regret and a foreboding gaze similar to what she encountered in the past, Ellis believed the item couldn’t have been a good gift for Sian.
‘Your brother might be far more remarkable than you think.’
She recalled the Duke’s words from Belias.
It was a fleeting moment, but from Sian’s eyes, Ellis could sense a definitive emotion—as if he knew everything about himself and was denying it.
“Does Sian know something?” Ellis wondered.
She hoped, just as the Duke had said, that Sian would become an incredibly great being.
That he would surpass her and even Aschel, emerging as the new heir for their lineage.
* * *
Three days had passed since the tumultuous night of the banquet.
The nobles who had attended were all investigated and then released. Most fled the capital, as if in escape.
The empire had yet to pinpoint a suspect for the incident.
Nevertheless, the Garam Magic Society was marked as a potential perpetrator, suggesting that their confinement and investigation at the palace would continue.
For the record, my sister and I were exempt from any investigations. It wasn’t because our alibis were sound, but more likely someone’s influence requested our exclusion. Not for our sake, of course, but entirely for their own.
The words I might spill wouldn’t be favorable to them.
“To think my first dining out in the imperial capital would be in such a regular tavern… It’s quite the twist in my life…”
Emily, who had buried her face in despair on the table, was consoled by Brian.
“There’s nothing we can do, isn’t there? With the times as they are, all the finer establishments have shuttered their doors…”
Rumors of assailants within the palace had spread, prompting even the slightly reputable restaurants to cease operations.
This tavern was one we fortunately stumbled upon after combing through back alleys and side streets.
“I can find places like this all over Belias! Do you even know how to drink?!”
“I’m not exactly proficient, but a bit perhaps…”
“I can eat! I’m not picky about food at all!”
“Why would a maid drink in the presence of her employer? Where did you even receive your maid training?”
Somehow, I wanted to throw these words right back at her.
“…”
As soon as I felt a familiar aura, my gaze swiftly shifted.
I stood and left the tavern, heading into the alley where the sensation was strongest.
“Are you going out for a breath of air, my lord?”
Even without asking, Emily questioned if I was going out.
This woman’s perceptiveness…
“Yes. Take care of yourselves while I’m gone.”
Without delay, I left the tavern and strode towards the alley where I sensed the energy. There, Silica the head of the Mist waited, clad in a black long coat and hood, leaning against the wall.
No need for small talk. I went straight to the point.
“What are your plans regarding that maid?”
Naturally, the reference to “the maid” meant Emily.
“I have no intention of sending her back. No good would come of that. As long as she keeps her mouth shut, I presume you wouldn’t have any need to intervene?”
“Sounds prudent. As it happens, the maid who delivered the pendant to the princess recently bit her own tongue before taking her life. It’s likely they took preemptive measures.”
It was severing ties.
They were attempting to prove that they had no relation to the incident from the start.
Had I not destroyed the butterfly necktie Emily gave and kept it, it’s quite possible she would have met a similar fate.
“How are things on the Garam Magic Society’s side?”
“They seem to be dealing with the individual who brought the Daze Stone. They’re trying to cut off ties as well. Regens, the head of the academy, wouldn’t have been plotting something like this in a group, especially not when his granddaughter is involved.”
Even if they weren’t directly linked, the culprit was associated with the Garam Magic Society, a fact that couldn’t be denied. Regardless of the investigation’s outcome, this could lead to sensitive tensions between the Ushif Empire and the Garam Kingdom.
I anticipated we wouldn’t escape the surrounding noise any time soon.
“That aside, Sian, how did you come to know?”
The family head stepped forward with a bright smile, changing the subject abruptly.
“What do you mean?”
“That I’m engaged to Drenian. It was a secret engagement within the family, and certainly, only a few members knew about it. So how did our successor come to learn of this?”
Her hand crept towards the back of my neck, pulling me into an embrace to prevent any escape. I averted my gaze with an awkward smile.
“Well, as I mentioned before, a disciple should be aware of their master’s future…”
-Squeak
“Speak up clearly…!” She tightened her grip as if to say there would be no evading the subject. I could only sweat nervously when suddenly…
-Sshhh
Smoke arose from within my clothes.
At this, the head’s expression turned stern.
[How could the head ignore my warning?]
Ceyram, emerging from the mist, gently removed the head’s hand from my neck with his chilling smile.
[Feeling grateful for not being sent to marry a wrinkled old toad is one thing, but do you really have to torment such an innocent and virtuous master?]
The head did not back down, maintaining her awkward smile.
“Ceyram is quite mischievous, I see. I heard you knew everything about the plan yet failed to properly inform Sian… Well, I’m not unaware of the nature of a demonic sword, but it feels like you’re overindulging a bit.”
[Oh my? Not coming from someone who tried to kill their fiancé under the guise of a mission? Why didn’t you tell your squad from the beginning he was your betrothed? Was it so embarrassing to reveal?]
“Why not? Better than living for hundreds of years without a man by your side, in my opinion…”
Had I let them continue, another commotion was bound to erupt, so it was time to intervene.
I regained control over Ceyram and then bowed to the head.
“Let’s meet again at the academy, head.”
Naturally, Ceyram thrashed about.
[Won’t you let go? I’ve always detested that woman! What does anyone have to say to me?]
Trying to pacify her was my burden, and I couldn’t fathom why they were making such a fuss.
Having swallowed her anger, Ceyram addressed me.
[Are you considering turning your back on me as well? Frankly, I didn’t have much fun, you know? What joy is there in barely a hundred souls?]
No need to fret over our demonic sword.
I had no intention of condemning him.
On the contrary, I was grateful for his presence, which allowed us to thwart their plans in whatever way was possible.
“I have nothing to say. In fact, I’m grateful.”
[…..]
Surprised at my unexpected response, he was speechless.
[Of course! Be thankful I was there! Where else could you find a demonic sword as sharp as I am?]
I didn’t disagree.
As he said, he was my sole cherished sword in this world.
However, increased control seemed necessary for the future…
Now that my meeting with the family head was over, I returned to the tavern where Emily and her company were.
Having spent some time, I imagined Nana, with her appetite, might have already cleared a table and headed back. However, upon my return…
“…?”
For a moment, I thought I saw incorrectly, and my brow furrowed in confusion.
Emily and Brian, equally astonished, hadn’t expected me, and Nana, indifferent, was engrossed in her meal.
And then…
“Welcome back, Senior Sian.”
With utmost naturalness, one more face was there to greet me.
(To be continued)