The Regressed Son of a Duke is an Assassin

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Chapter 39: Followers of the Mist (3)

People say, ‘The god of the Black Mist seeks to deny the inherent dignity and values of humanity’.

‘They incite terrible deeds that no human should commit, and they try to justify it as if it were the right thing for the world.’

But the god I know said, ‘It’s because they wanted it.’

‘I simply gave power to fulfill the earnest wishes of those who couldn’t rise up.’

‘After all, what’s right and wrong is determined by oneself, not others.’

To those who don’t know, it might seem like irresponsible indifference.

But I want to say, this god isn’t irresponsible, just lacking.

Thrown away their dignity as a god, strictly guarding only the humans who believe in and follow them…

That’s what I call a despicable god.

At the edge of the divine space where the presence of transcendence can be felt.

There stood an altar similar to where Kaeram had been sleeping.

Surrounded by the black mist enveloping the altar was the faint form of a person within.

As if he had been waiting for my arrival, he was sitting calmly on the altar.

(Do you know who I am?)

He didn’t waste time and immediately posed the question.

“The god of the Black Mist, Aeru.”

He was undoubtedly the owner of this space.

(I wasn’t particularly expecting it, but you don’t seem surprised at all.)

Though it had been a long time since we last met, I didn’t feel particularly unfamiliar, much like seeing the mist that always lingered by my side.

He continued with his questions.

(What is your name?)

“Cyan Vert.”

(I see you knew you were my successor. Since when?)

“Since a year ago.”

It wasn’t a lie. That was when I returned to the past after finishing my previous life, and considering the current timeline, it was also when I obtained the Mist Stone.

After a moment of silence, Aeru spoke again.

(There are two paths to becoming a successor. The first is when I personally appoint a successor and give them a Mist Stone inscribed with my mark…)

It was me in my previous life.

(The second is when someone with the qualifications of a successor appears in the world, and the Mist Stone automatically finds its way to them. You have a Mist Stone in your body right now, but I have no memory of giving it to you. So, it must be the latter.)

That meant that as I returned to this world, the Mist Stone transferred to my body simultaneously.

It’s what they call a swap.

The Mist Stone from my past life vanished, and a new Mist Stone from this world came into me.

And with the disappearance of the Mist Stone, and confirmation of a successor emerging, it seemed like the purification process had begun.

(Moreover, to awaken and control the Demonic Sword that even I didn’t know the whereabouts of… I’ve never seen you like this before, Kaeram…)

“….”

Even though he mentioned her, Kaeram didn’t respond at all.

She just stared back fiercely, her lips pressed tightly together.

(The look in your eyes that already knows me, a Mist Stone I never gave, and even the secret techniques they taught you… Whether outwardly or inwardly, there’s nothing I can do. It’s a finished product in itself.)

Aeru looked puzzled, yet somehow satisfied.

(Somehow, you seem like a stranger from another time that I don’t remember…)

Without any signs, a successor suddenly appeared in a complete state one day.

The me right now might just be an existence that defies all the principles Aeru and the Mist should adhere to.

The successor they should have created, the one they should have been involved with every step of the way, appeared out of nowhere, skipping all the intermediate processes.

So I thought that the cause of this absurd situation must be this exiled god.

“I thought I was somehow involved in this matter with you?”

But Aeru responded with a snort, as if denying it.

(What power do I have? The title of ‘god’ was stripped from me long ago. If you wanted an all-powerful transcendent being, it seems like you’ve come to the wrong place.)

Well, that doesn’t seem right.

At least the you I knew seems to be fully present here as well.

Aeru, too, was examining me with curious eyes.

(Hmm… It feels unexpectedly comfortable, not having to do this or that, and having a fully formed successor just appear out of nowhere. There’s less need for me to teach or guide, and I can shed my role as a patron, don’t you think?)

“You’re still the same, aren’t you?”

In my past life, I would have been puzzled, wondering what a god is supposed to be like.

But the current me knows that those words were genuine, without any pretense.

On the other hand, Kaeram wore a face that seemed genuinely annoyed.

(It seems like you have something annoying with you.)

I immediately knew what that something was and retrieved the gold-colored stone from the corner of my pocket.

It was the jewel of the holy sword Durandal, which I had ‘acquired’ from the Temple of Light when I brought Kaeram.

Even within the darkness of the abyss, it emitted a bright and intense light that never faltered.

(Did you intend to wield the power of the holy sword in addition to the demonic sword?)

In reality, it was an item of no use to me, but that didn’t mean it held no value for others.

After all, it was just one piece of a large puzzle that would be useful in the future.

I said as if it was nothing special.

“I don’t intend to do anything right now. However, no matter how bright and valuable a jewel may be, if it never sees the light of the world, it’s ultimately just a meaningless stone.”

(Seems like you have a twisted hobby despite your innocent face. I don’t need to know more, so I won’t ask.)

With a slight movement, he rose from the altar and slowly emerged from the mist, revealing his full form to me.

(However, there is one thing I will ask for sure. Even if I don’t remember, you are undoubtedly my successor, so there’s no need to deny it.)

The misty figure gradually approached me, and as all the mist dissipated, revealing the complete form of the smiling deity, he asked,

(As your absolute owner, I ask you, my successor who has inherited my power, what do you plan to do with that impressive power in the future?)

In my past life, I didn’t receive this question at such an early stage.

It was precisely when I was 17, facing graduation from the academy and contemplating my future.

Aeru asked me the same question back then, just like now, about what I intended to do.

And back then, I… I gave a pitiful answer I shouldn’t have.

‘I want to live for my brother.’

Looking back now, if Aeru had torn my mouth open right there, twisted my limbs, and thrown me into the abyss of emptiness, it would have been justified.

After all the nurturing, the upbringing, giving me everything, what was I saying? I want to live for my brother?

Honestly, at that moment, I was even considering turning Aeru and all the assassins of the Mist into enemies.

That’s how out of control I was back then, blinded by that demon.

But Aeru dismissed it as inconsequential.

‘Do as you please,’ the leader said.

‘We have no right to interfere with the future you’ve chosen.’

Why?

When they were so willing to give everything freely, why now suddenly respect my choices?

If that’s the case, why bring me here? Why make me the successor?

This world is all about give and take.

They wouldn’t give me everything without any purpose, and surely they wanted something from me too.

But they really let me go coolly.

I foolishly thought it was fortunate that they respected me, even though I couldn’t understand you.

But Aeru made one thing clear.

‘There’s nothing as dangerous as blind trust.’

Perhaps Aeru already knew that I would meet such a foolish end.

Well, dwelling on past events will only give me a headache.

Now, it’s the opposite.

As mentioned earlier, this world operates on reciprocity; if you receive something, you must return it. Now that I have the ability to do everything, it’s my turn to give back to them.

“For now, I guess I’ll have to do some purification work.”

(…)

Purification work refers to the assassination activities that Mist is currently carrying out.

Despite Aeru’s gaze stiffening somewhat unexpectedly, Kaeram seemed to have anticipated it, smiling as if she knew it would happen.

“After that, I’ll correct everything that I should have done but couldn’t. Then, I’ll do what you wanted me to do.”

Right and wrong are determined by oneself, not by others.

Whatever consequences my actions bring about, it doesn’t matter. It’s purely what I want to do, not anyone else’s orders.

Contrary to expectations, Aeru fell into a rather lengthy silence.

(Did you say it was what I wanted?)

“Huh?”

(It’s a strange feeling. Do you know what I want?)

“I don’t know. Even in the previous world, you never really said.”

In fact, although he never said it, there was one thing that could be guessed.

Until I hear it directly from Aeru’s mouth, I’ll just leave it as speculation.

Aeru, who had been staring at me intensely, spoke up again.

(Even in the previous world where you existed, I’m sure I asked you the same question. Did you give the same answer then as you do now?)

“No.”

A straightforward answer without hesitation.

Seeing that, Aeru chuckled.

(That’s enough then. Just remember one thing. The course of the world has already been greatly altered by your existence alone. Dealing with that is solely your responsibility.)

“…”

(So sometimes, take a look around. There may be many who have been touched by your hand and might come back to lend you theirs.)

Those who have been touched by my hand…

Well, honestly, I don’t remember much beyond blood-stained memories, but I should heed his advice anyway.

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

Aeru seemed more satisfied than ever with a smile.

(Well then, let’s have a talk with my daughter that we haven’t finished yet.)

[…?]

Suddenly, his gaze turned to Kaeram instead of me.

(You’ve changed a lot since I last saw you, Keiram. I don’t know how much your master has controlled you, but that dignified appearance suits you very well.)

[What are you saying, you damn god? Who said I’m your daughter?”]

With a sinister smile, Aeru tried to approach, but Kaeram swiftly blocked him from sneaking up behind me.

No, what can I do as someone barely half his height…

[Why don’t you go away? What mischief is this scoundrel planning against me again…!]

(Since I have nothing to give to your master, wouldn’t I want to give something to you instead? Just wait a moment.)

Finally grabbing her arm, Aeru drew a magic circle on the back of her hand with his finger.

– Fiiing!

As a large amount of mist flowed in through the completed magic circle, Kaeram grabbed her head in agony.

“…?”

Meanwhile, my body was improving to the point of feeling strange.

Surely, because of maintaining Kaeram’s complete materialization, my energy should have continued to drain, but it seemed like the supply had been cut off.

[What, what did you do to me?]

(It’s nothing much. I just gave you some of my life force. Since there might be occasions in the future where you need to maintain complete materialization, we can’t always rely on draining your master’s life force, can we?)

So that’s what it was.

Instead of using the life force of the owner, he’s using the life force of the creator to maintain materialization?

It’s not just a simple gift of life force.

Judging by the massive energy felt through the mist, it seemed like he had transferred most of the divine energy he possessed to her.

[What, what pointless thing…]

(Why do you think it’s pointless? How important is materialization? Won’t you be able to legally overwhelm your master in the future? Ah! Since he’s still not fully grown physically, perhaps overwhelming might be a bit of a crime…)

[ED/N: PRE-ORDER??]
[PR/N: You need to be banned. ☠️]

[What are you saying? You damn scoundrel!]

Kaeram exploded, grabbing Aeru by the collar and shaking him wildly.

It’s almost like they’re having a domestic quarrel.

Aeru, drained of strength, could only sway helplessly without much of a response.

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