The Regressed Son of a Duke is an Assassin

After a brief preparation, we finally reached the nameless ruins behind the village.

To describe the first impression, it was quite fascinating.

It was a square pyramid-shaped structure made of stones, with a steeper slope as one went up. It had a unique feel, different from the ruins I had seen before, both simple and majestic.

However, the exterior itself was not very large.

Intuitively, it felt like opening the door would lead to a path going underground.

The exploration team included me, Set, Luna, and five magicians from the Garam Academy, with Caron leading.

As we approached the door with a somewhat nervous heart, our eyes naturally went to the letters carved in the middle of the wall.

“……”

A three-year-old child could draw better than this.

It was closer to a scribble than actual letters.

Wondering if there was any meaning to it, the academy members also examined the letters intently, but they too seemed to find it difficult to understand, frowning.

“Was this what the old man was talking about?”

In the midst of this, Set spoke up.

“Do you recognize these letters?”

“Of course. This is like an ancient language that only our Shaharkan clan can read. It roughly means if you want to enter, chant a spell.”

“What kind of spell?”

“There’s a sort of prayer that is passed down only in our clan. When I first came, I thought it wasn’t important and just chanted it casually, but now I can’t do that. Step back a bit. It won’t take long.”

Following his instruction, we stepped back about ten paces.

Soon, a sandstorm seemed to start swirling around him as if he had begun the ritual.

-Kukukung

After a while, an earthquake occurred around the ruins with a vibration sound, and the moment the vibration stopped, the stone door blocking Set’s way cracked open.

“Hey, magicians over there? Before I go in, let me ask you something. What exactly do you want to do in these ruins?”

Set, blocking the entrance, asked Caron.

“We don’t know anything about this ruin, so we would like to follow you as long as we don’t get in the way. Would that be okay?”

“Well, I don’t mind, but don’t mess with that demonic beast the old man mentioned! That beast is a prey that Cyan and I have marked from the start!”

“We’ll keep that in mind.”

Caron smiled and expressed his agreement.

“Including junior! Even if we’re in danger of dying, you must never step in, understand?”

“I’ll do that only for senior Set……”

There seemed to be more to her words, but I decided to ignore it for now.

Thus began the exploration of the unnamed ruins for the purpose of hunting (?) magical beasts that guard it.

“Light of Guidance!”

One of the scholars cast a light magic spell, revealing the interior of the ruins that had been hidden in darkness.

“The passage is wider than I thought?”

Contrary to the expected suffocating underground maze, the interior was surprisingly spacious.

It was wide enough for five people to walk side by side in a straight line, and the height was about twice that of Set.

A structure distinctly different from the temples of light, where sacred and magic swords lay dormant.

It was such a space that one might even feel a slight aversion to it.

Despite being an underground space located in the middle of a desert, it was cool, an added bonus.

There was no sign of any living creature’s energy, magic energy, or even something like a murderous intent.

“I wonder what purpose this ruin was built for?”

Luna, looking around the ruins with curious eyes, asked.

“Well, according to what’s been passed down, it was used as a tomb for kings in the ancient times, and there are similar ruins all over the Kingdom of Spania.”

“Are there magical beasts there too?”

“No. Most of them are empty, not even a single corpse or insect to be found. That’s why this ruin is considered special. Unlike the others, it has living creatures.”

In theory, it’s more appropriate to consider them summoned guardians rather than living creatures.

However, the significance varies depending on why and what they were summoned to protect.

If it’s to guard mere trinkets, then the guardians themselves are not much to speak of.

But if it’s a unique relic that’s buried, naturally, a being worthy of protecting it would be present.

“Could you tell me why the beast is named Lemiharam?”

Caron, who had been quietly following, asked Set.

Luna’s brow furrowed slightly, aware of the question.

“Hmm? I don’t know the exact reason. It’s just been called that by the villagers for generations. I guess it doesn’t have any special meaning?”

Well, perhaps everyone here, except for you, might know.

There might be a tremendous significance behind the mysterious beast’s name.

Just as they were proceeding without much trouble, a crossroad appeared ahead, splitting to the left, right, and straight ahead.

“Huh? There wasn’t such a thing last time I came here?”

Set, leading the way, scratched his head in confusion.

Since they had been walking down a straight path since entering the ruins, it’s unlikely they took a wrong turn.

“Which way should we go?”

“When in doubt, straight ahead! Let’s keep moving forward!”

Just in case, after making a simple mark with chalk, the moment he stepped forward in the direction he was pointing,

-Thud!

With a loud footstep, a strong sense of life was felt from the front.

-Thud! Thud! Thud!

While the footsteps got progressively closer, our feet seemed to have been petrified, stopping in their tracks.

The heavy weight that made the walls and floor resonate.

It was definitely not a sound that an ordinary person could make.

After a moment, the pupils of everyone except Set dilated in surprise.

The unfamiliarity and aversion felt instinctively upon facing a creature from another world, which they had never encountered before in their lives.

However, my feelings were somewhat different.

Why is that thing here?

Its skin, which seemed to contain fiery red flames, the two horns protruding from both sides of its head, and the wings on its back that seemed atrophied from disuse but still maintained a clear shape.

Among all the demonic beasts I had seen until now, there was only one that resembled this creature.

Its name was also infamous: Balrog.

A major demonic beast that lives in a much deeper area than the Lemea Valley, the entrance to the demon world, and is said to rival dragons in terms of sheer power.

Of course, it looked smaller and significantly less powerful than the real Balrogs I had seen, but it undeniably bore the appearance of a Balrog.

I had no idea there would be a real demonic beast here.

Is there really something in this ruin?

“Finally, you have appeared! You’ve been waiting for me to come back, haven’t you?”

On the other hand, Set began to warm up with a smile of joy.

Despite the somewhat provocative behavior, the Balrog did not respond at all, and just quietly observed us from a suitable distance.

“That demonic beast is keeping its distance from us right now.”

Luna observed with an air of interest.

At first glance, it seemed to have no intention of attacking first.

Just as the village chief said, as long as we do not cross the line, it seemed to have no intention of stopping us either…

After all, if there’s no other living creature in this ruin, then this demonic beast’s name must be Lemiharam, right?

The person who summoned it wouldn’t have done it for no reason; there must be a special reason, right?

To solve this curiosity, it seemed that we had no choice but to defeat this demonic beast and move deeper.

“Alright then! I shall lead the way!”

Set, having finished preparing, did not hesitate to kick off the ground and run forward.

His fist, charged with transferred mana, emitted a golden aura, showing his determination not to think about the consequences.

The Balrog, preparing to counter, also thrust out its fist.

-Bang

An enormous roar ensued, and a fierce wave surged around them.

Certainly, it would be considered far more reckless than trying to crack a rock with an egg to throw a punch at a demon beast rather than using a sword or magic.

It was an act that anyone else would not even consider, but perhaps that’s why it seemed to suit that foolish prince all too well.

After a brief struggle, he dusted off his fists and said,

“Ha! Feels like you’ve gotten even tougher? Have you been practicing too?”

His jest was met with no response.

Instead, a familiar red light began to flicker from one of Balrog’s hands.

“Ma- mana?”

It was a movement that any decent mage would recognize.

It was the manifestation of mana to cast a low-tier fire attribute spell.

-Whoosh!

Soon, a fireball the size of a human head was launched from Balrog’s hand towards us.

Caron, who had been waiting in the back, stepped forward.

“Aqua Barrier!”

With the spell, a pillar of water shot up in front of Set.

The fireball met the water pillar and turned into smoke, disappearing.

“Hey! I told you not to intervene!”

Set genuinely yelled in frustration.

“I’m- I’m sorry! I was just worried about everyone!”

“Stop messing around and stay back! Just quietly enjoy the ruins exploration or…!”

-Rumble…

Suddenly, a loud rumbling noise started to echo around us.

Worried, we quickly looked towards Balrog, but he was just standing there dumbfounded, with no particular movement.

“……!”

But soon, it became clear.

The suspicious movement was not happening in front of us, but behind.

Realizing this too late, we turned around,

-Crash!

Suddenly, the ceiling above us collapsed, and rocks began to fall.

“Watch out, Lady Luna!”

Caron grabbed Luna’s arm and pulled her back.

“Kyaa!”

I also managed to move forward to avoid the falling rocks, which then blocked the passage, naturally splitting us into two groups.

“Senior!!”

Her urgent call came from beyond the collapsed rocks.

Judging by her voice, she didn’t seem hurt, but it wasn’t a situation to laugh about.

Things have gotten messily complicated again.

“What is this situation now!”

The foolish prince beside me grabbed his head and yelled.

However, his despair was short-lived, as he soon sharpened his gaze again and spoke.

“Looks like we have no choice but to break through head-on, Cyan! We must defeat him and find a way back!”

With his resolve hardened, Set clenched his fists again.

Though I hate to admit it, he’s right this time.

Our retreat is cut off, but Balrog’s eyes are still keenly watching us.

To overcome this situation, we must defeat him and move forward.

“Start warming up, Cyan! I’ll go ahead and deal with him first!”

Set charged at Balrog again with reckless abandon.

That fool prince may be brainless, but his abilities are close to a genius’.

However, that doesn’t mean he can handle a demon beast.

Even though he currently possesses mana that nearly surpasses the 5th and approaches the 6th level, it’s still not enough to pluck even a single hair from Balrog.

This situation might actually be for the better.

Fewer eyes on us means a wider field for me to operate in.

I pulled out Kaeram, which I had been carefully keeping on me.

[What’s this? I wake up to find ourselves in what situation now?]

“A very interesting situation…”

Holding Kaeram in one hand and manifesting mana in the other, I dashed forward.

Not towards the murderous intent of Balrog, but towards Set, who was distracted by it.

-Thump!

“Ugh!”

With a single cry, his body collapsed heavily.

I caught his falling body with one hand and then leaned it against the wall.

Just to be sure, I shook his face back and forth with my hand.

He’s well knocked out, not just asleep.

Having finished the preparations, I turned my attention back to Balrog.

[What’s with that lackluster guy? Don’t tell me that shell-like creature is named Lemiharam?]

“Let’s just go with that for now.”

Whether he lives up to that name, I’ll have to see, but I’m not holding my breath.

I wasted no time and charged at Balrog.

-Swish!

There’s no need to give a chance for a half-hearted counterattack.

In the 0.5 seconds when my feet left the ground,

The moment Kaeram’s blade, charged with mana, touched Balrog’s body, a refreshing sound of the sword split him in two.

Thinking there was no more to see, I landed gracefully and turned around,

“……!”

With a threatening whoosh, Balrog’s heavy claw swung before my eyes.

(To be continued)