The Regressed Son of a Duke is an Assassin

It is said that humans are naturally inferior in their senses to beasts.

However, that does not mean they are completely dull.

At the very least, they possess a sense of kinship with their fellow humans, able to discern whether the being before them is human or not.

Luna, having been sucked into the mysterious hole and facing an unknown entity, could be certain of one thing amidst the whirlwind of thoughts in her mind.

The man she was looking at,

Was not human.

He seemed more like a massive accumulation of magical power that had taken on a human form for its amusement.

Why would a being with such an aura reside in these ruins?

Luna thought to herself that she might already know the answer.

“How interesting.”

The man, who had been staring intently at her, let out a smirk and spoke for the first time.

“Five different attributes, each balanced with impeccable precision… It’s far rarer than being overwhelmingly strong in just one attribute.”

With just a glance, the man had accurately assessed her attribute levels.

Luna, without showing much reaction, cautiously got up.

“Did you save me?”

“I suppose you could say that.”

The man’s tone was rather friendly.

“May I ask why?”

“Nothing special. Saving a woman in danger is something that should naturally be done by all men, regardless of being human or divine.”

The man replied as if it were nothing significant.

“Well, saving you was intentional, but the fact that it was you was coincidental.”

“What do you mean by that?”

Confused by his somewhat cryptic words, Luna tilted her head in curiosity.

“What’s your name?”

“Luna Rainriver.”

“And your age?”

“Twelve years old.”

The man paused for a moment.

“To think a human who has barely lived over a decade could possess such potential… Even I, who pride myself on having observed humans for a long time, am impressed.”

The man seemed moved by the immense potential she possessed.

“However, looking at your condition, it seems your potential was sealed until very recently?”

Startled, Luna immediately asked back.

“What, what do you mean? Could it be the Heart Curve…?”

“Heart Curve? Sorry, but I don’t know much about that. What I’m talking about is the boundless potential lying dormant within you, waiting to be awakened by willpower.”

“Willpower?”

“Yes. Humans are often called the most capable of evolution for a reason. If the desire to achieve something is supported by effort and latent ability, the heights that can be reached are unpredictable. Right now, I can see your will to desperately want and achieve something.”

As if he had discovered a gem in an unexpected place, the man’s eyes shone brightly.

For Luna, it was simply bewildering.

“It seems, upon looking again, that there were traces of strange magic suppressing your body all this time. But it’s also peculiar, isn’t it? It doesn’t seem like it was a structure that could be easily removed, yet someone removed it quite cleanly.”

She had seen such content in the research materials of the Garam Academy before.

Sacred swords and sacred scriptures, demonic swords and demonic scriptures, etc.

It is said that the so-called divine armaments, which are believed to have received the power of different gods, possess souls and personalities along with them.

These personalities can freely materialize in the form of humans like us when the time comes and can even engage in conversation with humans.

From the outside, it’s nothing more than a human body.

But the unfamiliar magic emanating from within.

Luna was about 50% sure of what this man’s identity could be.

“Are you the owner of these ruins?”

After pondering for a while, she finally broke the silence and asked.

“Hm? No, not really. Am I just crashing here? Visiting? Think of it as something along those lines.”

“Then, do you have any relation to the magical beast guarding these ruins?”

“That’s correct! There was a human who was with me before, who received a request from the owner of these ruins to summon a guardian. The friend had quite peculiar tastes, so he summoned none other than Balrog.”

At his words, her 50% certainty surged to 99%.

Without further ado, Luna asked the most direct question to identify his identity.

“Are you the demonic scripture known by the name Lemiharam?”

“…”

Unlike before, when he had answered promptly, this time he did not respond immediately.

He just looked at her with a strange smile, lifting one corner of his mouth.

“Well? Even putting aside the name Lemiharam, wouldn’t it be a bit awkward for both you and me to say I’m a demonic scripture? To you humans, demonic scriptures are forbidden texts that shouldn’t even be approached, right?”

Luna couldn’t respond immediately.

“Come to think of it, it’s strange of me to ask if I’m Lemiharam, isn’t it? Even though the guardian I summoned is being called that among the locals here, the fact that the demonic scripture’s name is Lemiharam isn’t something that can be easily known, right?”

“Truth, if it remains, will eventually be uncovered. As you said before, humans can find out anything if they have the will.”

The man laughed heartily, as if he was satisfied.

“Hahaha! You’re a much sharper lady than you look. Totally different from a certain disgusting pervert woman!”

At this point, Luna couldn’t guess who that woman might be.

“Ah, now is not the time to be making such comments. So, what brings our lady to this unremarkable ruin?”

“I came looking for you, someone named Lemiharam.”

With not a moment’s hesitation, the man scratched his head at the response.

“Um. Hey, little lady. As I said before, have I ever told you I was a Maser? Aren’t you, our little lady, looking for a Maser, not Lemiharam?”

“You never said you weren’t a Maser, did you?”

“…….”

Without giving him a chance to hesitate, she immediately followed up with another question to confirm.

“Are you not Lemiharam, sir?”

The man averted his gaze and coughed awkwardly, seeming to find it difficult to respond.

“Well, since you came looking for me, I’ll tell you this first: my main body isn’t here right now.”

“What does that mean?”

“What you’re seeing now, this ruin’s remnant of me, is like an avatar. Capable only of having this sort of conversation…….”

“Then, where is the real Lemiharam right now?”

“I can’t tell you that! I’m somewhat of a divine being, so I can’t just blabber about to humans as I please.”

Waving his hands, the man made it clear that he couldn’t divulge that much.

“Agh! If I stay any longer, the owner of this place will start nagging about disrupting the causal laws, so I must get going. But don’t worry, little lady. I’ve only facilitated a simple spatial transfer. If you keep this up, those who were following you will show up again.”

She wanted to ask more, but as the man said, she wasn’t in a position to linger.

Given the possibility of encountering the academy members again at any time, she had to find Cyan and Set as soon as possible to devise a plan.

“I’m not sure why you’re looking for me, but if you need me to fulfill the wish you hold, try to find where I really am. If you do, I’ll gladly help. I’ve taken quite a liking to you, little lady!”

The man stood up with a content smile.

To him, Luna posed one last question.

“Then please answer just this one thing. Who are you to us, Mr. Lemiharam?”

With a twinkle in his eye, the man replied.

“Another existence that can only be possessed by those who realize the truth within the endless darkness…….”

“Truth?”

“Nothing much. If you achieve what you yourself desire and wish for, that’s the truth.”

With those words, the man turned around.

Soon, his body gradually became transparent, and before long, he disappeared completely from her sight.

* * *

Small scraps of paper though they may be, a power undeniable and not to be overlooked resonates within.

Regrettably, as I am not a sorcerer, I can’t precisely determine how much magical power or in what manner it is contained within this paper.

It occurred to me that perhaps that prodigy of a child could analyze it.

“So, you’re saying that instead of the Grimoire’s main body, a separated spirit is somewhere around here?”

[Yes. If we’re lucky, we might stumble upon it while roaming around.]

According to Kaeram, currently in these ruins, not the main body of the Grimoire Lemiharam, but a spirit detached from it like this torn scrap of paper remains.

Even if it’s just a separated spirit, I see no reason for disappointment since it is still connected to the main body in terms of personality. At the least, we should be able to ask where the real one is.

“Ouch…”

Meanwhile, a groan was heard from behind.

The knocked-out Set had awakened.

“Uh, was I knocked out?”

That he overcame a blow that would have left a normal person unconscious for hours in just a few minutes was utterly unbelievable.

I was so stunned that I couldn’t even speak.

“I’m sure I was keeping a close eye on that demonic beast… Eh? Where did the beast go? Don’t tell me you took it down all by yourself, Cyan?”

I simply turned my gaze away without a word.

“Wow, this is truly remarkable! To think you handled by yourself what I couldn’t even scratch. You’re indeed a rival worthy of my recognition!”

Is this foolish prince not curious about how I dealt with it?

Well, trying to understand him would probably just give me a headache anyway.

At least, I thought it was somewhat fortunate that it was just the two of us left.

“Ah! By the way, what happened to that prickly junior and the academy members?”

“They’re probably safe beyond that pile of rocks.”

I pointed towards the collapsed rocks with a look of displeasure.

Originally, I planned to use spatial transference to get us both over while Set was unconscious, but he woke up before we could attempt it, so that plan was scrapped.

“Hmm, it doesn’t seem like clearing one or two blocks will open a way out. Guess we’ll have to dig a new path?”

Set stroked his chin, pondering, then suddenly placed his hands on the rocks and concentrated.

-Kugugung

Soon, along with brownish mana, vibrations began to emanate around him.

“Rebuild Aisle!”

Upon chanting the spell, some of the chaotically piled rocks began to crumble into dust.

Before long, a space wide enough for two people to pass through comfortably was created, and Set, with his arms wide open, proudly displayed it.

“How about it? This should be passable, right?”

“What did you do?”

“It’s a sand attribute spell, ‘Rebuild Aisle’! It’s a magic that breaks through blocked points made of stone or dirt with magical power to create a new path!”

It was a surprisingly practical spell that seemed entirely out of character for him.

It goes to show, you really can’t judge a book by its cover.

With a broad smile, Set entered the path he created, and I followed him through the rocks.

“…!”

The moment we emerged from the path, we locked eyes with the academy members who had entered the ruins with us.

However, only two were visible.

They looked as if they had seen something they shouldn’t have, unable to hide their bewilderment.

“Eh, why are there only two of you? Where are the others?”

Despite Set’s questioning, they did not answer.

Then, they looked at each other and nodded as if exchanging a silent signal.

The moment I understood the meaning of that signal.

“…!”

I rushed to the nearest one and grabbed them by the throat.

(To be continued)