The Regressed Son of a Duke is an Assassin

Chapter 31

———

Chapter 31: To the Academy (5)

The morning broke with the rising sun after the dawn had passed.

Contrary to the serene sky, the corridors of the inn were filled with tumult.

*Bam! Bam! Bam!*

Several knights clad in armor harshly knocked on the doors.

Brian, who was inside one of the rooms, hurriedly opened the door.

“W-What’s the matter?”

Brian seemed taken aback by the sudden intrusion.

“A State of Emergency has been issued throughout Sapheren! We will conduct a collective investigation targeting outsiders. Everyone in the rooms, come out!”

The knight demanded cooperation, showing a warrant bearing Sapheren’s seal.

Sweat trickled down Brian’s face as he glanced at the warrant.

“Uh… I’m terribly sorry, but could you give us a little time? Our lord is still asleep, and he instructed not to wake him until he wakes up himself…”

“Lord?”

The knight chuckled.

To think a noble would be here in an ordinary inn like this? It was laughable.

“If you don’t come out by the count of three, we’ll consider it non-compliance and start forced removal!”

The knight counted, pointing his finger.

“One!”

“Wait a moment, Sir Knights! Something serious has happened!”

The knight paid no heed.

“Two!”

“Mistakes could lead you all to an untimely end!”

“Three!”

With the count of three, the knight pushed Brian aside and forcefully entered the room.

Inside, he was met with Cyan, who was sitting on the bed wearing a shirt.

He seemed to have just woken up, his eyes still dazed.

“…?”

The knight, who confidently entered, soon fell into silence.

With a long, lean physique and muscles without a hint of fat, adorned with numerous scars, Cyan resembled not a youth but a seasoned warrior who had seen countless battles.

This was like entering a rabbit hole only to meet a tiger face to face.

Everyone who entered the room found themselves speechless.

“Have you awakened, my lord?”

Brian, the first to regain his composure, cautiously asked.

“I woke up because it was too noisy.”

Cyan’s eyes, full of life, turned to him.

Meeting his gaze, Brian stiffened instantly.

“What did I tell you last night?”

Cyan’s tone was filled with irritation.

“That, not to wake you up until you get up on your own…….”

“But what is this then? I’m not waking up on my own right now? Am I?”

“I-I tried my best not to wake you up, but there were unavoidable circumstances…!”

Trembling, Brian glanced at the Sapheren knight, as if urging him to take responsibility.

Realizing his mistake, the knight quickly bowed his head.

“A-According to the Emergency measures in Sapheren, all outsiders in the city must undergo an urgent investigation! So, we apologize for the unwelcome intrusion…”

The knight’s voice faded like a mosquito’s buzz.

“P-Perhaps, are you the esteemed guest of this fine establishment?”

Realizing that something was terribly wrong, even his tone became formal.

Cyan remained silent, staring intensely at the knight.

The inexplicable sense of pressure left everyone speechless, and the knight could no longer continue his speech.

It was Brian who broke the silence.

“He, he is Cyan Vert, Son of Duke Vert, Lord of Velias! We were on our way to Luwen to attend the Royal Academy!”

He hastily showed the knight the Vert family crest that was on the desk.

The knight, after examining the crest, immediately sheathed his weapon and bowed his waist 90 degrees.

“I, I apologize for not recognizing it! I am honored to meet the son of Duke Vert!”

The remaining knights also quickly bowed their heads.

“…….”

The silence lingered, and no one dared to speak.

Cyan, with a stern gaze, looked at the knights before finally seeming to fully wake up and slowly began to dress. Watching him, Brian couldn’t help but think that he had saved several lives today…

* * *

“A State of Emergency for outsiders?”

“Yes, that’s correct!”

“Why all of a sudden? Did someone try to steal hidden taxes from the warehouse?”

The mention of hidden taxes startled the knight.

“W-What are you talking about! It’s not that! Our lord, Lord Pachalon of Sapheren, went missing last night, and…”

Pachalon? Where have I heard that name before? It’s a prominent noble family in the empire.

“Are you referring to Pachalon Nepellis, the lord of Nepellis?”

“Yes, exactly! He took over the ruling of Sapheren a year ago, following the sudden death of the former lord!”

So, Nepellis, one of the three major noble families, is managing this place. And now the lord is missing?

“How does that concern outsiders like me?”

“Uh, well, you see, it’s… um… I’m not sure how to put it…”

The knight seemed hesitant, as if hiding something.

“If you were planning to interrogate everyone anyway, why hesitate to speak now? Just say it.”

After some internal struggle, the knight reluctantly spoke up.

“Well, you see, it’s not just a simple case of disappearance; our lord is suspected to have been kidnapped…”

“Kidnapped?”

I continued to press for information.

“And who is the suspected culprit?”

“W-We’re not entirely sure yet, but considering the recent activities of a certain organization… Mist…”

They’re rambling. I confirmed last night that those guys were nowhere around here. Now they’re suggesting that it was a kidnapping, not an assassination?

If it were the Mist, they’d have just killed him on the spot; they wouldn’t bother with a kidnapping. Maybe it’s more credible to think that a fake Mist member kidnapped the lord.

Wait a minute. The mention of a fake suddenly brought back memories of last night’s events.

Could it be…?

“That Lord Pachalon isn’t bald is he?”

“Yes…”

The knight answered without hesitation.

A black-masked kidnapper, a hairless nobleman.

I’m pretty sure that is the guy I saw last night.

Not wanting to get involved in anything unnecessary, I walked past, only to realize now that the two people I saw yesterday were the missing lord and the kidnapper.

“Well, we don’t really think it’s that likely either, our lord is not evil enough to be targeted by such creeps!”

What a fucking harvest.

Do they think I’m unaware of the filth of that bald-headed lineage? Knowing that they will all eventually be purged for treason, from Lord Nepellis down to the current empress, I might as well sit back and watch.

“Only, strange black smoke rose from the room where the lord went missing, so I thought to investigate by putting outsiders on the spot.”

“So, you were conducting investigations targeting outsiders in case any of them were in disguise?”

“Yes, precisely! You have a keen eye!”

Spilling out facts I didn’t even ask for.

Truly, he couldn’t be anything but a genuine knight.

Despite being the son of the Vert family, he doesn’t seem like one who will rise far no matter how you look at it.

I rose from my seat.

“Alright. I get it, so that’s enough. You may leave.”

“Excuse me?”

The knight looked dumbfounded.

“The investigation is over, right? You’re no longer needed, so get out.”

Of course, when I said the investigation was over, it meant my side was done, and they were no longer needed. It might be frustrating to have been grilled without any significant progress, but what can you do? At least it’s clear I’m not the culprit.

After dismissing the clueless knights, I began preparing to leave immediately.

“Where are you going, sir?”

Brian, who had been observing the situation, asked with a puzzled expression.

“I’m going for a drink.”

“Drink this early in the morning?”

“It won’t take long. Have everything ready for departure when I get back.”

“Yes, understood!”

Although the journey to the academy is long, there’s a saying, isn’t there? The faster you go, the sooner you’ll be back.

I’m not trying to solve the useless kidnapping case; I just need to look around calmly… not really.

I’m just going because it’s bothering me.

He’s seen my face, and I don’t know what kind of fireworks I’ll set off if I leave.

I turned back to the alleyway where I’d scattered the fog last night.

Despite the morning sun, the alley was just as deserted as it had been last night.

Confirming there was no one around, I closed my eyes once again.

“Shadow Arts 4th Form: Life Detection!”

A small mist emerged from my clothes and delved into my throat. The mist-shrouded sight turned everything black and white, revealing a world of monochrome.

But this black-and-white world was just a backdrop for what I really wanted to see.

*Thunk!*

A faint red glow gradually appeared in my focused pupils. The intense light radiated beyond the long walls and densely packed buildings.

It’s the same. The life force I felt last night is identical to what I’m seeing now.

I swiftly headed across the alley towards the source of the red light.

The place I reached was in front of a shabby house. It didn’t look like an abandoned house, but it was so worn out that it could pass for one.

In other words, it was a suitable place to abandon a body or kidnap someone.

I casually knocked on the door.

*Knock knock knock!*

Waiting for a minute after knocking several times, there was no response from inside.

They’re probably pretending not to sense my presence, right?

I stepped back to prepare to force my way in.

Before I could break the old wooden door with my fist…

*Creak*

The door opened with a squeak.

“Who’s there?”

“…?”

I couldn’t hide my surprise.

The one who opened the door wasn’t the middle-aged man I expected, but a young girl who seemed to be my age.

And she was leaning on a crutch, with one leg entirely twisted below her knee and tightly bandaged in white.

“Sorry. It took me a while to come out because my leg isn’t good.”

I glanced down softly, noticing the severity of her condition.

The girl’s left leg was completely twisted below the knee, tightly bound in white bandages.

Looking back up into her eyes, I saw nothing but innocence and purity.

What’s this? Did I come to the wrong place?

Just as I was about to doubt whether I had mistaken the house behind her, another person inside the house revealed themselves.

“What’s going on, Sally… Hm!”

The middle-aged man, with grayish hair, couldn’t hide his surprise when he saw my face.

The trembling eyes revealed it all.

He’s the one I’m looking for.

————