The Regressed Son of a Duke is an Assassin

Chapter 262: In Search of a Witch (1)

“I know it must have been tough! But I didn’t want to just stand there in that situation!”

“…….”

“Wouldn’t that make me a useless princess, just a shell who can do nothing? I made Lunab and Prince Set come, and even you! So of course, I think I should have taken responsibility for that!”

“…….”

“If I hadn’t stepped up, you would have tried to shoulder everything alone again! I’m really curious about what happened between you and that demon king and what kind of deal you struck, but I won’t ask! Because what I should be doing right now is…!”

“What you should be doing right now, Your Highness, is….”

Sian, who had been silently listening to Arin’s words, finally spoke.

“A search.”

With his expression unclouded by emotion, as if carved out of ice.

“Search for Echel Berth and find that witch. That is what you must do now, Your Highness.”

“I know! But…!”

“Do not concern yourself with me.”

Sian’s resoluteness was like looking at a massive boulder.

“What you should keep in mind, Your Highness, is not me, but this empire and the continent itself. Always remember this point, and do not forget what task lies before you.”

I understand.

All too well.

As a princess, I feel the responsibility weighing heavily upon me day by day.

However,

“It isn’t wrong for me to worry about you, right?”

“Huh?”

Caught off guard by her unexpected question, Resimus asked with a puzzled look.

“It’s, it’s just talking to myself! Don’t mind me, Resimus!”

Arin, flustered, waved her hands to dismiss the topic.

Resimus, though confused at first, soon caught on to Arin’s true feelings and asked in a straightforward manner.

“The two of them who headed to the demon realm, you’re worried about them, right?”

“No. I’m not worried.”

Arin shook her head in denial.

It had only been two hours since Sian and Lunab followed the demon king to the demon realm.

Like always, Sian left indifferently after telling her to fold away her worries and to focus solely on what must be done.

“I’m not worried. I’m not even paying attention to that, because that’s not what I need to focus on right now.”

It wasn’t the first time something like this had happened, so she was used to it by now.

But now, Arin wanted to ask.

‘What task do you have?’

She hoped that, in order to get an answer to this question, Sian would return safely sooner rather than later.

“Your Highness, you are here!”

While passing through the hallway, they were approached by Schurz who came running.

“I have just finalized an agreement with the Garam Academy through a messenger. They said they would compile all the academy’s records and research related to the witch and send them to us as soon as possible.”

Thinking she misheard, Arin immediately asked.

“Did you say the Garam Academy agreed to cooperate?”

“Yes. Reflecting the will of Lady Lunab, not mine. The academy has said it will take about one or two days.”

Schurz mentioned that he merely did what he was instructed to.

“Lunab… she really knows what her task is and carries it out perfectly.”

Unable to respond, Schurz just averted his gaze.

“Please tell the Garam Academy that we will definitely return the favor for this cooperation.”

“Yes, I will.”

With that, Arin resumed her walk with Resimus to carry out her duty.

“The Princess has arrived!”

The doors opened amid a chorus of vigorous announcements by the knights and inside sat two gorgeously dressed figures.

“It’s an honor to have you step into such a humble abode, Princess Arin. I am Margaret Erzges.”

“Crantz Berth.”

Though their drained faces were poorly covered by makeup, Arin didn’t show any signs of noticing.

“Thank you for agreeing to meet despite the sudden nature of the request. Considering the circumstances, I would greatly appreciate your active collaboration.”

Arin sat down immediately to start an investigative conversation.

“You must have heard about the series of events from my retinue. So, if there’s anything you know, please tell us everything. About the duke, and about Echel Berth….”

“There’s no need for you to search for anything else, Your Highness.”

Margaret soon began to speak with a solemn expression.

“We have to find that woman. She’s the root cause of everything! That woman confounded him—no, the duke!”

With her voice already agitated from emotion, Margaret’s tone grew more intense.

“She should not exist! A woman who is already dead! We’ve lived all these years believing so, but…!”

“Calm yourself, mother!”

Crantz tried to restrain her as her excitement rose.

“Who on earth are you talking about?”

“Haniel Pasinity!”

“……!”

“Echel’s biological mother.”

* * *

The more you know about some things in the world, the harder it becomes to find the answers—like a labyrinth.

Maybe I am in the middle of an unknown maze, trying to find a way out.

Arin leaned against the windowsill and sighed deeply, her mind in turmoil.

Resimus came to her side after a while.

“Investigating the Pasinity surname revealed that it does not appear in any noble or prominent families across the continent or the empire.”

Meaning it probably wasn’t from a noble or influential family.

“The mansion’s knights mentioned feeling as if they were being enchanted?”

“Yes. That was their exact description.”

“Echel was escorted to the border outpost where Duke Berth was, as soon as he arrived in Belias. Since then, he hasn’t come near the mansion. However, during the time he was at the front lines, a person claiming to be Haniel Pasinity, his biological mother, came to the Berth family.”

“Was there some prior agreement?”

“It feels too sudden for that. Even when Violet ruled with the Empire, there was never a sign of her. And then suddenly she appeared and took over the mansion, threatened Lady Margaret, the original mistress, to gather opposition against our Empire.”

“It looks as if she appeared precisely to save her child in crisis.”

Everything was in question at the moment.

“Still, it seems like we might know what those two are after.”

“What do you think it is?”

“Chaos.”

As soon as she uttered the word, Arin bit her lip.

“Those two want chaos to occur on this continent. The kind of immense chaos we might not be able to cope with even with our strength.”

“We can’t let that person re-emerge as the savior of the world….”

They realized through this series of events that he was not a savior.

“But, to prevent that from happening, we must find them soon.”

Arin merely nodded slightly.

“Ah, Your Highness. Do you know of a knight named Yulken Darius?”

“Yulken Darius? Isn’t he the Duke’s aide-de-camp?”

“Yes. According to the mansion’s knights, during the time when Haniel had taken over, he was being held captive here. It appears Sir Sian saved him.”

“Where is he now?”

“He’s left Belias on a personal mission.”

Resimus passed her a letter that had been left behind.

“Before departing, he left a letter through the knights. He instructed them to pass it on to Sir Sian or any member of the touring party when they arrived.”

Arin immediately tore open the letter and checked the contents.

Upon reading it, she couldn’t hide her astonishment.

“It appears Yulken was not affected by that beguiling power.”

“Was there any reason?”

“He doesn’t know the details, but he speculates it was the strong conviction and loyalty he has for Duke Berth. An unwavering faith that resisted even beguilement—If true, this information could be a significant clue in dealing with that mysterious power.”

“That means we need strong mental fortitude.”

As Resimus solemnly agreed, Arin continued reading the letter.

“And if you want to know more about Echel’s biological mother…?”

Arin’s eyes suddenly widened.

“What is it, Your Highness?”

“Well, that’s because, that person known as Haniel, the only one who really knows her at the mansion, they recommend looking for her?”

“Come to think of it, the household attendants mentioned something similar. There used to be a maid there who was the only one who knew Haniel Pasinity’s face….”

“A maid?”

Not a knight or a general attendant, but a maid.

Ironically, Arin knew very well about the maid mentioned in the letter.

Someone with a deep connection, not only to the Berth family but also to herself…

* * *

“Look here, Brian. Do you know what I’m thinking right now?”

Emily, who was stirring with a ladle in the kitchen, suddenly asked Brian.

“I, I’m not sure.”

“As I think back, I’ve realized I’ve prepared meals for that little one more times than for the young master. At this point, I’m getting confused whether I am a maid to the young master or to that kiddo.”

“But you’ve spent much more time with the young master, haven’t you? Much more than me or Nana, Emily is…”

“And what good is that? We don’t even know where the young master is or what he’s doing now.”

“Emily, sister! Is the food ready?”

Emily sighed lightly and moved the pot of soup to the table.

Nana cheerfully began her meal immediately.

“Well, she [Nana] does eat better than the master at least. There’s some satisfaction to behold….”

Brian smiled awkwardly, scratching his face.

Sitting next to Nana, who was eating, Mia joined for the meal.

“I will enjoy this meal.”

Like Nana, Mia also began eating right away.

“Madam Mia, you have a good appetite as well.”

“This is part of the mission. If I’m to protect everyone here properly, I need to always eat well.”

Despite her words about the mission, her appetite rivaled Nana’s.

In no time, more than half the soup in the big pot had disappeared.

“Bring that person, no, the elf here, quickly. At this rate, I won’t even be able to have a taste.”

“You mean Hastia. I’ll bring her right away.”

Brian hurried to the room where Hastia was and knocked on the door.

“Hastia? The food is ready.”

‘…….’

Without a response, Brian knocked again.

“Hastia? The meal is…”

—Thud

Suddenly, the door opened, and Hastia’s arm reached out, grabbed Brian’s arm, and pulled him inside swiftly.

“Hastia, why are you suddenly—?”

Hastia hushed him by covering his mouth.

She then peeked outside through the slightly opened door.

“Is, is there an issue?”

Hastia seemed to be cautiously pointing at someone through the crack of the door.

“Are you talking about Emily?”

Indeed, it was Emily.

Hastia nodded, hesitated as if the sign language would be complicated, then rushed to the table, grabbed a piece of paper, and began to write something on it.

She then showed it to Brian.

“Is that Emily outside…?”

Brian read Hastia’s note with a puzzled expression.

“Is she a witch?”

Hastia’s expression was dead serious, as if some confirmation had dawned upon her.