The Regressed Son of a Duke is an Assassin (Novel) Chapter 41 - 42

C41 - 42

The Regressed Son of a Duke is an Assassin Chapter 41

Chapter 41: The Greatest Sword of the Continent (2)

Princess Arin thought the current situation was quite unfair.

A boy being bullied by several students, and people passing by without doing anything to help.

None had extended a hand to the boy in need.

She could guess why the boy was being tormented.

He was probably a commoner who entered the academy with an honorary noble status.

A portion of the students who didn’t look kindly upon it were now insulting him.

She had anticipated the Royal Academy wouldn’t be all peace, but she never expected it to be this bad.

It was more than just physical assault; they were trying to force a mana sphere into his mouth.

Was this not equivalent to trying to kill someone?

She had heard one should build good relations with the nobility, but this was not acceptable.

If no one else would stand up, she had to.

“I am Beruth Luimill, the eldest son of the Duke Luimill of the Garam Kingdom. May I know who you are?”

The blond student demanded to know her name after introducing himself without hesitation.

“I am Princess Arin Severus of the Ushif Empire.”

He twitched momentarily at the mention of ‘princess’, but upon hearing her name, Arin, he offered a distasteful smile.

“Ah, I see. You’re the Princess of the Ushif Empire? It’s an honor to meet you.”

“As much as I regret saying this, I’m not in the mood to exchange pleasantries with you right now. You need to explain what this situation is.”

He shrugged as if he did not understand what he had done wrong.

“It seems there’s a misunderstanding. We were merely enjoying a bit of fun. It’s not bullying.”

“Shameless. I saw with my own eyes your cruel maltreatment. Are you telling me that wasn’t bullying?”

“Shall we ask him directly then?”

Beruth grabbed the hair of the boy who was sitting down and asked with a brazen voice,

“Tell us yourself. Are we bullying you?”

The boy hesitated.

“It’s okay! Speak freely! The Princess here is curious, so hurry up and answer!”

Seemingly coerced, the boy slowly opened his mouth.

“I-I wasn’t being bullied…”

“?! What did you say?”

“I said I wasn’t being bullied! Please don’t worry about me and just go…”

However, Arin quickly understood.

The boy’s words were meant to protect her, his frail eyes conveying the message to stay out of trouble and leave quickly.

“You don’t have to hide anything! It’s clear that you were being bullied. If these people are threatening you…”

“Kekeke…”

Arin tensed up at the sound of vile laughter.

“Threats? You do go too far with your words. Now this is starting to make me uncomfortable.”

Beruth sneered, and Arin bit her lip in anger.

“To go so far as to accuse an innocent student of being a bully and a threat, isn’t that a bit much? I think I deserve an apology, or I’m going to feel quite downhearted.”

He clutched at his chest, feigning being wounded. To Arin, it seemed only more evil.

—Swish

At Beruth’s signal, multiple men emerged from behind the trees, armed with swords and dressed in plain clothes. They were probably his guards.

In response, Arin’s knights also appeared, confronting them.

The tension simmered.

No one wanted to draw swords in the middle of the park, but ultimately, the situation would have to be resolved by Beruth and Arin, not the knights.

Collecting herself, Arin spoke again.

“Alright. Then, I will take this boy with me. I’m not sure how these wounds appeared if it wasn’t bullying, but I will ensure his healing.”

As Arin reached to help the boy up,

—Click

Beruth grabbed her arm.

“…!”

“You don’t seem to understand what I’m saying…”

He looked at her with a face that indicated his annoyance had risen.

The knights were about to draw their swords when

Arin raised her hand to stop them.

“It seems it is you who do not understand, Baron Beruth. Shall I officially report this situation to the academy?”

She glared back at him with defiant eyes.

“You are quite old-fashioned, Princess. By showing concern for such an insignificant commoner, who do you think will appreciate it?”

“I cannot find a shred of noble pride in you. If those who have the moral duty to lead don’t care about such matters, then who will?”

Beruth grinned disdainfully.

Arin was infuriated but held back showing her feelings.

“Kekeke! Very well, let’s ask the friend here then. Tell us, Resmus! Do you want to be healed with the Princess here?”

Again, Beruth passed the decision to the boy.

Arin reached out to the boy and said,

“You don’t need to be subjected to any more of this injustice. As a Princess of the Ushif Empire, I promise to rescue you. So come with me.”

The boy trembled, unable to believe that a Princess was pledging her name to help him—a situation he could never have imagined.

Amid his conflicting feelings and shaking hands,

—Thud, thud

Footsteps approached from the front.

Two legs entered the boy’s field of vision as someone plopped down in front of the boy, catching his eye.

“Si, Sir…!?”

Princess Arin stood up in surprise, covering her mouth in shock at the sight.

Beruth was also startled, having apparently not noticed the arrival of this mysterious man.

“…”

A man of similar age silently stared at the boy’s face.

* * *

I thought the situation was getting interesting:

Three nobles bullying a pitiable schoolmate, the princess stepping in unable to tolerate it, and the commoner friend saying he wasn’t being bullied and to pay him no mind.

The atmosphere was charged, and even the knights intervened, though realistically, they couldn’t do much.

What was unexpected was the firm stance of Princess Arin.

She appeared much more resolute than the hesitant and naive princess a year ago.

That blond brat, too, I remembered him as soon as I heard his name.

Beruth Luimill was already infamous in my former life for his problematic personality.

This round was quite exciting to follow.

But then, looking at that commoner friend, his face is somehow familiar.

I’m not one to remember faces well, but I do pick up on scents, as I mentioned before.

Let’s say, this friend has not an evil but an exhausted scent.

Did I have any connection with this guy in my past life?

Something tells me that he might give me quite the trouble in the future—

“Tell us, Resmus! Do you want to be healed with the Princess here?”

The name from the blond brat caught me off guard.

Resmus?

The Resmus I know?

The last guardian of the Garam Kingdom and the greatest swordsman of the continent, Resmus?

The commoner sitting here woefully, he’s that Resmus?

Haha, impossible.

It must just be someone with the same name.

It’s not like there’s only one person named Resmus in the world; it could be a mere coincidence.

—Bing

Yet against my will, my body moved first.

Drawn as if by something, I started to approach them.

“…?”

Half doubtful, half curious, I faced the boy’s face.

Ah, now that I think about it, he’s not even a boy.

The Resmus I spoke of, the greatest swordsman, is a woman.

Considering the short hair and masculine features, most people here must think of her as a man.

But with the yin energy emanating from her face…

It’s a woman.

A woman pretending to be a man.

And despite the wounds, look at those firm and steadfast eyes.

Before long, she will dominate as a true champion, a martial artist’s spirit lying dormant.

Hearing just the name, I was unsure, but seeing the face, I was certain.

This boy, no, this girl… she is the Resmus I know.

She blinked in confusion, not understanding what was happening.

“Si, Sian… how did you…?”

“Ah, it’s been a while, Your Highness.”

Arin stuttered, startled by this sudden encounter.

“Sian?”

The name makes the blond brat’s eyebrows twitch.

“That’s the youngest of the Vert family, Sian Vert?!”

Apparently, he knew of me by the reaction.

Ah, I remember now. He’s someone with ties to me.

The greatest swordsman of the continent, Resmus, and the madman of the Garam Kingdom, Beruth Luimill.

I killed them both.

Beruth, especially, was dispatched brutally.

The heir to one of Garam’s influential noble families, the Luimill family, who wielded real power in the kingdom.

Spoiled as a late-born child and pampered throughout his life, he developed into an unparalleled psychopath.

Beating servants was just the start. He would lure beggars with the promise of food, only to give them animal waste, and he’d burn animals alive under the pretense of practicing magic.

He was someone whose actions were unfathomable to other humans, doing unspeakable things casually.

His cruelty continued at the academy, culminating in killing a fellow student during a magic duel. And even that was swept under the rug by his family’s influence as an accident.

Those who knew Beruth had no doubt that he intended to kill from the start.

And so I put him down.

Under the pretense of purification work for the Mist.

He was returning home after being suspended when I ambushed him, making him experience everything he had inflicted on others, one by one.

At first, he grinded his teeth, barking that such methods would never break him, but after the torture, he pleaded—not for life, but for death.

“I’ve heard a lot about you. You survived that terrifying front line, didn’t you?”

I simply nodded without a word.

“Do you also intend to get involved in this situation? Despite what you may think, we were not bullying this student.”

“I heard the gist. Some sort of amusing game, right?”

Unsettled by my informal tone, Beruth’s face turned sour.

“Amusing indeed—to put one’s mana sphere into another’s mouth. That’s a game I haven’t heard of. Is it really so fun?”

“Haha, yes, something like that…”

“Then let’s try with you.”

With a flick of my wrist, a mana sphere, dark and condensed, formed.

Upon seeing it, his face paled.

“What’s wrong? Aren’t you brave?”

(To be continued)

-------------------

The Regressed Son of a Duke is an Assassin Chapter 42

Chapter 42: The Greatest Sword of the Continent (3)

“Your external wounds have mostly healed, but you need to rest for your internal injuries to recover. It’s best not to move today and just rest here.”

“Thank you, really. I don’t know how I can repay this kindness…”

Despite expressing gratitude, there was something insincere about their expression.

This place was a healing center located at the heart of Rowen.

Arin, the imperial princess, had brought Resmus here to be treated after being assaulted by Beruth’s group.

That blond madman had pulled out a mana sphere as if to play along, only to run away like lightning when told to do it later.

I had thought about forcibly making him ingest it, but it seemed Resmus’ healing was more important, so I accompanied her to the healing center.

Including fractures, internal bleeding, and even a slight concussion, her condition was not going to get better with a day or two of treatment.

It was quite remarkable that she was managing to stay conscious.

Perhaps, that’s the spirit of the greatest sword of the continent?

“If it’s alright, could you tell me how long they’ve been harassing you?”

Resmus hesitated for a moment at the princess’s question.

“Ever since I first arrived. It felt like they were deliberately targeting me.”

She had admitted to being the target of their bullying.

“The situation almost got out of hand. I never expected them to be so brazen as to try forcibly putting their mana sphere in someone’s mouth…”

It really was a close call.

Had Arin, the imperial princess, not arrived to intervene, Resmus would be in critical care rather than resting in a standard room.

But left as is, the harassment would likely continue.

Resmus seemed aware of this, as her expression remained troubled.

“Um, I’ve been wondering since earlier…”

Resmus’s eyes suddenly turned towards me.

“Do you know me?”

“Hmm?”

“You’ve been staring at me for a while now…”

Yes, I know.

Resmus Klein, the greatest sword of the continent.

A knight who was revered as divine with a sword after slaying hundreds with a single strike.

The last defender of the Garam Kingdom, protecting it to the very end during the continental unification war that erupted after the demon king’s subjugation.

However, as I said before, I killed her.

She was originally from the Ushif Empire.

After changing her surname upon joining the Count Klein’s martial family in Garam Kingdom post-academy graduation, she even changed her nationality.

At the time, the empire had conquered all castles of Garam Kingdom except for Klein’s territory.

Although negotiations were held for her to surrender peacefully for complete continental unification, Resmus refused to forsake the kingdom that recognized her value despite her unremarkable self.

The empire, concluding that her will was unwavering, ordered me to assassinate her.

While the empire commanded assassination, being a swordsman myself before an assassin, I wanted more than a hollow death for the greatest sword of the continent.

Truth be told, she wouldn’t have been easy to assassinate, anyway.

She was a formidable opponent who let me experience, once more, the sensation of defeat, something I thought was a thing of the past after the bloody battle with the demon king.

It’s worth mentioning she was also known as a swordsman who didn’t use magic.

While most knights proficient with swords also utilized mana and magic to enhance their swordplay, she relied purely on her own swordsmanship to reach the pinnacle.

Thinking back, it wasn’t that she didn’t use magic, she couldn’t.

That deranged blond must have shattered her mana flow from an early age.

And yet, she ascended to be the greatest sword of the continent.

One could only wonder how much more she would have grown had she integrated magic into her swordsmanship.

Maybe Aer meant this when she suggested looking around.

I decided to be vague in my reply.

“You just resembled someone I knew. But I guess you’re not them.”

“Ah, I see…”

As the conversation petered out, an awkward silence followed.

Arin, the imperial princess, tried to change the subject to lighten the mood.

“So, Resmus, how did you end up at the Royal Academy? I heard they selectively recruit especially talented commoners, did they recruit you that way?”

“Yes, that’s right. Instructor Jade from the main academy recruited me as a special swordsmanship talent. He promised to sponsor me thereafter, but… he was suddenly expelled from the academy the day before I enrolled…”

The sudden expulsion of an instructor promising support was quite suspicious, perhaps not merely a coincidence.

“So, where are you staying now?”

The answer was obvious.

The only accommodation available to commoners like her, who wasn’t royalty or nobility, was one place.

“The Communal Hall…”

The academy’s dormitory for about 5% of its students, exclusively for commoners.

Despite its use by commoners, the facility was not dilapidated in comparison to other dorms, but there was an undeniable difference.

The academy itself didn’t plan to neglect it.

But as mentioned earlier, due to our distinguished noble lords protesting how lowly commoners could receive the same treatment as them, it ended up being so out of necessity.

Not even guard knights, let alone janitors, were likely to clean the place more than once a month.

“It’s a tough situation. Having to go back there, you might be targeted by those people again…”

As things stood, even the instructor willing to offer support had been expelled, making it unsurprising if those blond madmen returned to commit more violence at any time.

The princess appeared contemplative, rubbing her lips as if searching for a good idea.

Then, I made a suggestion to her.

“Why doesn’t Your Highness take her in?”

“Hmm?”

She tilted her head as if she had misheard.

“Why not personally bring her to live with you as your servant? After all, there is no rule at the academy against living with another person’s residence.”

It’s not done because everyone refuses to share a room with a lowly commoner.

“What, what are you saying? Even so, it would be preposterous to share a room with a boy I’ve met today…”

“That fellow is a girl.”

“…?”

Arin, the imperial princess, looked at Resmus in disbelief.

“It’s not that I meant to deceive Your Highness…”

Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment, hands neatly clasped.

A demure visage resembling an eleven-year-old girl.

This too caused the princess’s face to redden.

“I’m, I’m sorry! Your short hair made me think of you as a boy without realizing it!”

“There’s, there’s no need to apologize! It’s my own fault…”

Truthfully, there was no fault.

A commoner attending the academy without a guardian, especially as a girl and not a boy?

It would be unsurprising to find her one day as a naked corpse, murdered.

Cross-dressing was merely a means to protect her well-being.

Indeed, in the empire, there were women who disguised their gender to join knight orders, so it wasn’t so peculiar.

Arin looked at her with even more pity.

“You must have had a hard time…”

Did she see herself reflected in the other’s circumstances? Emotion and empathy were evident in the princess’s gaze.

“If she was recruited on account of her swordsmanship, surely she has skills worth learning. If Your Highness were to take her in, she could teach you the way of the sword, and maybe later, even be appointed as a personal guardian. It seems like a fair arrangement.”

It didn’t seem like the princess would need to ponder for long.

“May I ask where you’re from?”

“The southern cities of Ushif Empire, ‘Brenu’…”

Furthermore, her nationality was still that of the empire.

With her being a fellow nation’s citizen, taking her in as a servant had ample justification.

“What do you think about it? I find Sian’s suggestion agreeable. Becoming my person, you won’t be harassed by bad people anymore and can live comfortably. Learn what you want, do what you want…”

Resmus looked perplexed, probably not understanding what was happening.

Suddenly the imperial princess was saving her, and now asking her to stay together.

It all felt like a dream, one she wanted to pinch her cheeks to confirm its reality.

“Why, why would you go to such lengths for me…”

“I am an imperial princess of the empire. It’s natural for a member of the imperial family to save her subjects. I’m not asking you to come without any expectations in return. If you have swordsmanship skills, I would like to learn a lot from you.”

Tears began to well up in her eyes.

“Honestly, I am just lonely on my own. It’s been dreary living alone in a spacious dormitory with no friends to talk to, so wouldn’t it be fun if we stayed together?”

At this moment, Resmus might have thought a goddess had descended to save her.

Salvation appeared on what seemed like a bleak future.

Soon, Resmus let out a tearful cry and embraced the princess.

“…”

It was a touching scene to behold, not easily watched without tears.

It seemed my role here was done.

I quietly rose from my seat and left the sickroom.

Why do I keep doing this when my hands are full with my own troubles?

Has my heart changed?

Not at all.

It was a simple judgment that having her by the princess’s side was better than taking her in myself.

For now, she’s just a sapling.

But if that sapling grows into a tree, and more trees form a forest.

That becomes one’s domain, their power.

I had merely pointed the way for the future greatest sword of the continent to join our ranks, while the princess was the one to nurture the sapling.

What came next was her responsibility.

However, there is one thing to remember.

Gaining one ally is like making several enemies.

Just as my enemies become the ally’s enemies, inevitably, the ally’s enemies become mine too.

Who knows?

Perhaps at this very moment, a new enemy, unbeknownst to the princess, is sharpening their blade for her.

* * *

– Bang! Bang! Bang!

“Aaaah!”

Overwhelmed with a humiliation he had never felt before, Beruth let out a scream.

Having always been the one to trample over others, the frustration of being overpowered was indescribable.

“Arin Severus… to think a mere fifth princess, a shell of a title, dares to lecture me?”

It was an utterly laughable claim, devoid of any noble pride.

“Who are you to dictate terms to me?! You should’ve just moved along quietly like the rest!”

Before he could suppress his anger at her, another person crossed his mind.

“Sian Vert…”

Not once had anyone ever looked at him with such disdain, as if deeming him inconsequential.

The shame he felt was unbearable; his body seemed to twist under the pressure.

“Uaaaa!” In a rage, Beruth started destroying everything around with his sword.

“This isn’t enough…! This won’t do…!”

Unsatisfied with the shattered remains, he proceeded to break them down further.

Once they were reduced to dust, beyond any further division, a satisfied grin crept across his face.

“I’ll do the same to all of you! I’ll inflict such excruciating pain that you’ll beg for death! You’ll pay dearly for angering me, Beruth Luimill!”

The powdered remnants were like a promise of their fate to come.

(To be continued)

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