The Regressed Son of a Duke is an Assassin

In the shadowy darkness, a short distance away from where the villagers were gathered.

Caron Rains, confirming that no one was around, immediately created an anti-eavesdropping barrier.

Luna, with a calm gaze, watched this unfold.

“Does the academy know you are here, Luna?”

“If they knew, I wouldn’t be here.”

Her tone implied the question was unnecessary.

Caron, irritated, raised his voice.

“Do you still not understand the impact your unilateral actions have on the academy? Didn’t you run into an unfortunate incident because of this before?”

“I’m perfectly alive, aren’t I?”

Her attitude remained consistent.

“I assure you, aside from the instructors at the academy, there’s no one more reliable than those men. I came here with the strongest knights who can protect me.”

Caron looked at her with disbelief.

Luna, unfazed, accepted his gaze fully.

“Did you come to verify the truth of the Maser?”

“The name of the creature living in these nameless ruins is the same as the Maser’s, right? As a member of the academy pursuing the advancement of magic, I wanted to confirm that. I was the one who requested the company, and my companions are only interested in the creature living there, not the Maser.”

Luna’s words were unwavering.

Caron then said with firmness,

“I will postpone reporting this to the academy for now. However, do not think that I will hide the fact that you are here. Once this is over, I will report everything to the dean.”

“Do as you please.”

She showed indifference and left the barrier.

“Does that man Cyan also not know about the Maser?”

“If he knew, he wouldn’t have come with me.”

With an indifferent response without even a glance, Luna headed back to where Cyan was.

* * *

Honestly, I had expected a coercive investigation rather than a healthy gathering of information. Maybe I’ve lived too impurely up until now.

Look at those faces filled with cheers and curiosity.

A scene that truly embarrasses someone who rushed here in a hurry.

Set, having observed the scene, couldn’t help but let out a laugh at the absurdity.

“Yo- Your Highness Set?!”

Some of the villagers couldn’t hide their shock upon spotting him.

As if they had seen a troublemaker who had been chased out of the village return.

Unable to hold back any longer, Set finally yelled at them.

“Did you all see a ghost or what? Why are you looking at people like that?!”

An elderly man with graying hair asked with a troubled expression.

“Have you come to destroy something again, Prince Set?”

“Destroy what? Do you think I’m some kind of hooligan?!”

The nodding of the villagers’ heads seemed to explain everything.

This guy, as expected, seems to have been quite the habitual troublemaker.

“Really, instead of welcoming someone who’s come back to his hometown after so long, you’re just spouting nonsense. This village really lacks warmth.”

“Your hometown?”

“Ah, I haven’t explained it to you, have I? I spent my childhood in this village. That’s why I know almost everyone’s face here! That old man is the village chief.”

“Leaving the royal palace behind? Why?”

“Oh, that’s because, well, personal reasons!”

He cut off abruptly in a manner uncharacteristic of him, suggesting there might be some unspeakable reasons.

So, was his earlier anger not just as a prince, but as someone who had lived in this village, for the sake of the villagers?

It’s not meant to be sarcastic.

It’s considered a perfectly natural reaction for a member of the royalty.

In such a situation, not only the foolish prince but also a certain princess at the academy would have rushed out to help.

“What’s all this about, old man?”

“People from some society in the Kingdom of Garam said they had questions about our village and suddenly started giving gifts.”

Ingredients, clothing, and household items, specialties of the Kingdom of Garam, were divided among several bundles.

“So you just accept things from complete strangers? These people are going to cause some serious trouble, really.”

Honestly, I think it’s strange to expect a coercive situation to unfold.

For the members of the Garam society, this place is clearly a village in a foreign country.

They should be manipulating the villagers’ words through appropriate persuasion and compensation, not coercion, as that would be equivalent to declaring war on the Kingdom of Spania openly.

“Great, I rushed here thinking something might have happened, and it turns out to be a complete mess.”

Set grumbled and plopped down on the ground.

Though he said so, his face seemed somewhat relieved to see everyone.

“So, what brings you here, Prince Set? Shouldn’t you be at the academy or something right now?”

“I came to have another round with that beast living in the ruins! This time, I’ve brought companions to fight alongside me!”

“Why bother with something that’s perfectly fine on its own? Anyway, it seems you’re here for the same reason as that Caron fellow. He was also asking about the beast living in the ruins.”

Just then, Luna, who had finished talking with Caron, approached us.

As soon as she arrived, she whispered in my ear.

“I’ve finished talking.”

She seemed to be trying to reassure me.

“Did it really end well?”

“At least there won’t be any harm coming to you.”

That’s not good for you, is it?

Well, I had an idea of how she might explain things when they went off to talk.

I’m not sure how this unexpected encounter will unfold, but my body is signaling that it won’t end on a peaceful note.

“It’s strange what life brings. Who knew there would be so much interest in that neglected ruin. Come this way. Since you’re all here, I’ll tell you about the ruin.”

The village chief led us, along with some members of the society, to his house.

“You folks are quite fortunate. To be honest, it was a bit of a problem on my side.”

“What do you mean?”

“Not just anyone can enter that ruin. You need permission to enter.”

“Permission? There was such a thing?”

Set asked with a bewildered expression, as if hearing this for the first time.

“You might already know, but that ruin predates the War of the Gods, a relic of the old era. We have no way of knowing why it was built in the first place. However, according to stories passed down through generations, to enter the ruin, one must receive permission from the gods, and currently, only those who worship the sand god Saharom, the Shaharkan clan, are known to fulfill this condition.”

“What the heck, old man! You never told me that!”

“You never asked, Prince Set? Before listening to my explanation, you went ahead on your own…”

“Ah, now that I think about it, yeah?”

I could somewhat understand the village chief’s sigh.

“In summary, to enter that ruin, the help of the Shaharkan clan is needed. It seems there won’t be any problem for those accompanying Prince Set, but for those of you with no connection…”

It was said that one needed Set’s permission to enter.

In other words, all control over the ruin currently lay with this foolish prince.

Noticing this, Caron’s expression subtly changed.

“Hey! Do you also want to enter the ruin?”

Unexpectedly, Set was the first to ask.

“Indeed, as scholars studying magic, our sole intention is to explore the magical energies that permeate these ruins. I assure you, we have no ulterior motives.”

Cyan and Luna were both aware that this statement was a lie.

However, given our current situation, we decided it was best to remain silent for now.

“Alright! But there’s one condition!”

“Please, state it.”

“Promise not to disclose our presence here to anyone, including your academic society! If you do, I will gladly accompany you to the ruins!”

This unexpected decision from Set took everyone by surprise, including the scholars, the village chief, and Luna.

Caron was unable to respond immediately.

“If you can’t do that, feel free to pack up and leave! I don’t mind.”

“Why… why would you request such a condition…?”

He seemed to want to at least hear the reason.

“It’s simple! Cyan and I are here on an official field study, but she isn’t! If someone else found out she was here without permission, it wouldn’t be good, right?”

I barely suppressed a laugh.

This fool must still think the field study was approved, but technically, all three of us snuck in.

Despite that, he was proposing this condition out of consideration for her,

It was undoubtedly a noble gesture, yet for some reason, it felt somewhat pitiful.

“I understand. In the name of the venerable Kingdom of Garam Magic Society, I promise not to reveal your presence here to the society or anywhere else.”

After much deliberation, Caron accepted the condition.

Luna, seemingly in disbelief of the situation, cautiously glanced at Set.

-Wink

His inexplicable smile only caused her expression to stiffen.

She seemed more bemused by his unfathomable foolishness than grateful.

“It seems like everything has been settled then. Now, let me give you one last warning about the ruins.”

The village chief spoke up again after a moment of silence.

“The beast that lives inside is quite tame. It will only try to drive you out if you do not cross certain lines. However, if you attempt to cross those lines… I cannot guarantee what will happen.”

With these words, the chief cautioned against crossing the beast’s boundaries.

I momentarily shifted my gaze diagonally to catch Caron’s eye.

“……”

His refined gaze shone with a strong determination to cross that line, regardless of the consequences.

* * *

With an agreement made with Prince Set and a warning received from the village chief, all that remained was to enter the ruins.

Caron, the head of the academic expedition, returned to camp to prepare the necessary items for the exploration.

During the preparations, a member of the society entered the camp.

“Excuse me, Mr. Caron?”

“What is it?”

“Are you sure it’s okay not to report this to the society?”

He was one of the members who had overheard Caron’s conversation with the village chief.

“Didn’t we agree with Prince Set? We’re just following through with that agreement.”

“But still…”

“Regardless, this is good for us. We’ve been given the key to open the locked doors of the ruins. Moreover… an unexpected opportunity has presented itself.”

“Excuse me?”

The society member looked confused, his eyes wide with surprise.

“Come closer.”

As he took a few steps forward, Caron created a soundproof barrier.

“In any case, there’s a limit to what we can do here. Even if we might obtain information about the magical tome, the tome itself is not likely to be in these ruins.”

This was a fact that not only Caron but most of the participants in the investigation had anticipated.

“Send a message to the society immediately.”

A chilling smile suddenly appeared on Caron’s expressionless face.

“We will… kidnap Luna Rainriver, the granddaughter of the head of the society, Regens, once more.”

(To be continued)