The Regressed Son of a Duke is an Assassin

Chapter 286: For Him – Flow (6)

The standoff between the two men, swirling with the ferocity of a wild storm, came to an abrupt stop in an instant. Both men turned, faces flush with shock.

“Be, Besti?”

Belkarion was the first to break the silence.

Upon seeing his reaction, Besti immediately raced out.

“It’s dangerous, Lady Besti!”

As Rogers hastily followed to dissuade her, she proudly thrust her chest forward, exclaiming loudly.

“I’m okay. I’m completely free from the pendant now, Demon King!”

The pendant of allure was no longer hanging from her neck.

The unexpected sight caused Belkarion’s eyes to shake violently.

His hand, clutching his sword, seemed to twitch for a moment, but—

-Whoosh—

Belkarion soon swung his demon blade back towards Sian.

-Clang!—

Sian, with a composed expression, re-engaged in their deadly duel.

“Why, why is this happening?”

“The Demon King is currently ensnared by the very nature of the demon blade he wields!”

“What’s a ‘demon blade’?”

Lunav, stepping close to the grave scene, posed the question.

“It’s the sword comprised of the malice of every Demon King who’s sought to protect the demon realm! It symbolizes the very essence of the Demon King! His mind is likely ensnared by that blade as we speak!”

“I’ll try to reason with him again!”

“It’s futile! Even you, Lady Besti, won’t be able to reach him now!”

The realization that she, the only one capable of calming him, could do nothing, twisted Besti’s face into an expression of despair.

“Then is there truly no way?”

“If we can suppress the power of the demon blade even slightly, there might be a chance!”

Rogers suggested that the key lay in restoring the demon king’s reason, which had been engulfed by the blade’s influence.

However, contrary to hope, the intensity of the demon blade grew only stronger with each clash against the cursed blade.

Suppressing its power in such circumstances seemed near impossible.

“What should we do……”

Besti collapsed to her knees, overtaken by despair and grief.

-Swoosh-

Gently, Lunav reached her hand to rest on the disheartened Besti’s shoulder.

“Can you do it?”

“Hm?”

“If I can weaken the demon blade’s power even slightly, will you be able to calm the Demon King?”

For a moment, Besti looked blankly at Lunav.

“We don’t have time. Answer quickly.”

“I’ll try!”

“Trying won’t do. I need a definite answer.”

“I can do it! If there’s even a sliver of reason left in Belkarion, I can reach him!”

Besti stood up with a jolt and shouted confidently at Lunav.

“Understood.”

Having ascertained her resolve, Lunav nodded affirmatively.

“What are you planning to do, Lunav?”

“Everyone, step back.”

With her stern instruction, they all silently retreated.

Lunav closed her eyes, drawing a magic tome from her bosom and opening it.

-Whoosh!—

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Then, a vast amount of magic power contained within surged forth explosively.

“Can you hear me, Remihaam?”

“Of course, My Lady.”

Remihaam responded with a heavier voice than usual.

“Use my magic power to weaken that demon blade’s force. Spare not a single drop…”

“……”

“Why don’t you answer?”

“Is this for Sian, the master of the cursed blade?”

“Do you really need an answer?”

As ever, Lunav’s heart always beat with steadfast resolve.

“Prepare yourself, My Lady……”

With those words, Remihaam entered Lunav’s body.

“……!”

The instant her soul merged with the tome, Lunav staggered violently.

Quickly regaining her balance, her hands trembled like aspens, and her breath was punctuated by a host of exhalations.

With faltering control, she pointed her trembling hands toward the demon blade.

“Weaken…”

The basic, attribute-less, first-circle magic intended to weaken the power of a target. Simple as it was, its effect depended on the caster’s magic power – and right now, this spell was desperately needed.

Her intensifying desire fueled the magic, and the light from her hands finally reached the demon blade.

“……!”

The sword, which had glowed with a red hue, flickered with a small spark of dark radiance.

Yet apparently still far from enough, Belkarion showed no reaction.

‘How pitiful.’

As if the attempt itself was laughable, a mysterious voice echoed through her mind.

Undeterred, Lunav poured forth all her strength without hesitation.

The light, once a mere flicker, grew steadily with the reinforcement of magic power.

‘You cannot hinder our will with your power. Desist…’

Even as the voice persisted, urging surrender, Lunav paid no heed.

Her lips soon released rivulets of blood, speaking faintly in response.

“Not trying to stop you. Just pause, for a moment, a brief moment.”

Eventually, her light outshone the dark aura of the demon blade.

“……?”

Alerted to the abnormality, Belkarion finally diverted his gaze to his blade.

“Mist Blade: Scatter of the Eight Petals!”

Seizing the moment, Keram’s blade relentlessly pressed the attack.

Belkarion fought desperately to parry the barrage, but—

-Clang!

Failing to block the final attack, his balance crumbled.

“Now!”

Lunav shouted loudly, signaling Besti.

Upon the signal, Besti rushed towards Belkarion with all her might.

While it was the perfect opportunity for Keram to deliver a decisive blow,

“What a commotion.”

Watching the movements of Lunav and Besti, Keram swiftly altered his attack path, striking fiercely at the demon blade.

-Clang!

The demon blade flew from Belkarion’s grasp, arcing through the air.

As the blade landed on the ground,

“Stop, it’s enough. Belkarion……”

“……”

“For the peace of the demon realm, please stop……”

Besti pulled the fallen Belkarion into a tight embrace.

-Thud-

And at once, Lunav, too, collapsed from exertion.

“Lunav!!”

Arin hurriedly came to her aid.

Fortunately, Lunav had not lost consciousness, merely exhaling in exhaustion.

“Did we succeed?”

Confounded, Rogers wavered unsure whether to approach the Demon King or maintain his distance while everyone beheld Belkarion and Besti in their embrace.

All but one,

“……”

Except Nana.

Her body had without notice moved closer to Sian.

Normally, she would have embraced him immediately, but for some reason, she refrained, instead eyeing him distrustfully.

As if the Sian before her did not seem like the true Sian.

“Where’s Papa?”

* * *

“Answer me, Emily.”

“……”

“Answer! Can’t you hear me?”

I shouted loudly, close enough to be nose-to-nose, but Emily did not respond to my call.

Unable to hold back, I reached out to her.

“……!”

Yet my hand passed right through her, failing to make contact.

What is this?

Am I being treated like a ghost?

Should I just shut up and watch from the sidelines?

It was more absurd than infuriating, prompting a hollow laugh from me.

-Plod, plod—

Then, from the direction she had walked, another presence approached, accompanied by footsteps.

What’s this now?

Though hooded like Emily, the newcomer’s face was visible from the front.

While she appeared slightly different, there was no mistaking her.

Haniel Passinity.

The frustrating woman who had detained me in that cursed sacred blade’s subspace, that demon’s very mother.

She, too, seemed not to perceive me, her gaze fixed intently on Emily embracing my corpse.

Her eyes told of supreme contempt.

“What are you doing?”

“You ask as though I’m involved in some strange affair, Mother.”

Emily answered dispassionately, not turning to face her.

“Are you grieving his death?”

“You’ve told me many times, Mother. We are human. We know joy and sorrow, we can cherish… we are humans…”

Emily embraced my body tighter as she continued.

“Yes. There’s nothing unreasonable in showing compassion to a man who lived foolishly, unaware of the truth his whole life. You’ve seen enough. It’s unsightly, so stand up now.”

Haniel ordered her to rise to her feet, but Emily remained immobile.

“Is that fine by you?”

“What are you implying?”

“Things have turned out as you wished. Lord Eshel has achieved everything. Now, there seems to be no one in this land who could oppose him.”

“You sound less than thrilled, unlike me?”

“I can’t deny it. Perhaps because I don’t share blood with Lord Eshel like you do, Mother?”

Emily continued to utter words mocking Eshel, unbothered.

Haniel’s frown deepened progressively.

“I wonder whether Lord Eshel even remembers me. Does he even know I share the same blood of witches with you, Mother?”

What?

What did I just hear?

Despite hearing every word clearly, I involuntarily denied the information as if I had heard nothing.

A witch? You’re a witch, Emily?

“Conceding that you, unlike me, could possibly develop affections for Sian Vert, I cannot tolerate you belittling my son.”

“What if I speak more frankly, then? I assure you, this ordered world of Lord Eshel’s creation will not last.”

“……!”

With a slap, Emily’s face whipped to the side.

Haniel couldn’t contain her rage and struck Emily’s cheek.

“Repeat yourself. You said something about Eshel’s world of order?”

“I spoke carelessly. Let me clarify so as to leave no doubts. Lord Eshel’s world of order will……”

With her face proudly raised, Emily stated:

“Collapse. It won’t be long now.”

A look of firm conviction, though not a familiar sight, somehow didn’t feel alien at all.

Because her gaze was nearly indistinguishable from the one she often gave me.

“You’ve crossed the line, Emily!”

Haniel’s face distorted grotesquely as mana manifested in her hand.

“There’s no need to keep you alive if you won’t act in my son’s interest! I’ll send you myself to join your precious lord!”

A golden magic circle formed above Emily’s head.

But she seemed to have no intention to dodge. Instead, she held my body even tighter.

“Lord. If by some chance, though unlikely……”

She whispered softly into my ear.

“It won’t happen, but if life were given to me once more, then I won’t live for Lord Eshel.”

Powerless being nothing but a corpse, I could only silently receive her words.

“I want to live and die for you, my lord, as I always have… from the beginning.”

“……”

“Live your life for yourself, my lord.”

The moment her scalding tears touched my face,

-Crack!—

Lightning struck my vision.

Whether Emily was struck dead, I could not tell.

Because as the blinding brilliance slowly faded, another sight unfolded before me.

Surrounded by darkness, the scene resembled my void space, though the atmosphere felt entirely different.

If all the cursed sights I’d seen were dreams or illusions, then it was all wrong.

Who could it be?

Whose memory is this, and why is it being shown to me now?

As if in answer to my question, I sensed an unfamiliar presence behind me.

I turned to face it.

Though in the shape of a person, the face was obscured by brilliant light.

From the ambiance alone, this being seemed closer to a god than human or demon.

But it was no deity I had ever seen or known.

Two things were certain:

This entity had shown me these memories, and additionally……

“It is you.”

“……”

“The one who granted me this second life…….”

(To be continued)Nôv(el)B\\jnn