The Regressed Illegitimate Child is a Genius Dark Magician

Chapter 11

There are still quite a few assassins to deal with, whereas only two people on this side can properly fight. The cowards crouching and trembling in fear are, in reality, worse than baggage. However, the situation is much better than expected. Originally, he would have had to face all the assassins alone.

‘Lucky.’

When he learned that Agnese was attending the ball, he had thought she might make such a decision. She is as upright in character as the swordsmanship she has mastered. Even during their engagement, which was more of an act, that much was clear.

“Arghhh!”

Damian lunged toward the enemy in front of him, slightly lowering his waist. The tip of his sword traced a bold arc, striking the opponent’s wrist. It was the swordsmanship of the Steel Wolf, taught by Derrick. Though it seemed free-spirited, its movements contained a refined form. The assassins’ eyebrows twitched at Damian’s dazzling maneuvers. They had trained for situations where magic was restricted, but even they found it uncomfortable to move within the barrier. Most martial arts, including swordsmanship, assume the use of aura. It was inevitable for their movements to be sluggish. Yet Damian moved without hesitation, like a swift ship sailing with a favorable wind. Such movements were only possible after years of training to exclude aura. Who in this era would undergo such training?

‘When did he learn such swordsmanship?’

Thus, even while slicing through an opponent’s thigh, Agnese couldn’t help but focus on Damian’s movements. Few knew the details of Damian and Arkin’s duel; only the outcome was widely known. Arkin was a mage, and Damian, though not as talented, also had some aptitude for magic. People assumed that, whether through some realization or finding an excellent teacher, Damian had awakened his magical abilities over the years, leading to his victory. Even as an illegitimate child, he carried imperial blood, making such a feat plausible.

But then, what was this swordsmanship? This was not something one could learn simply by gaining enlightenment. Only through meticulous instruction and constant practice could one reach this level. Why would a mage like him do this? Agnese could not understand. Yet beyond being enigmatic, Damian’s sword had an undeniable allure.

“Now! Aim for his side!!”

With a shout, two assassins charged in from the left. Had they exchanged glances and coordinated their attack, it would have been more effective. But their desperation was evident. Agnese swung her sword horizontally in a counterattack. Her swift strike sent the assassins’ fingers scattering in all directions. They must have thought they found an opening while she was focused on Damian’s sword, but they failed to realize their own attack had many flaws. Thus, the assault became one-sided. Even when Agnese was fighting alone, it was a balanced match. With Damian joining, the equilibrium was utterly shattered. Naturally, there was no room to monitor the hostages. Damian shouted at the still-trembling fools.

“If you don’t want to die, jump down already, you idiots!!”

Though he was a member of the imperial family, it was quite a harsh remark for the children of nobles. But there was no time for objections. Instead, the harsh words snapped them out of their daze, allowing them to move their frozen legs. However, as they reached the railing, they froze again.

“F-From here…?”

“I can’t. I can’t do it!”

“Uwaaah! I shouldn’t have come! I shouldn’t have come!”

It wasn’t just the height, it was also the considerable distance to land. Moreover, the barrier around the pleasure ship was larger than expected. They would have to swim a certain distance without the aid of aura or magic, and none of them seemed confident.

“Ah!”

But soon, their faces lit up, and they boldly leaped down. Numerous small boats were stationed near the pleasure ship.

“Over here, over here!”

Servants holding lanterns waved from the boats. They were the ones who had been captured and tied up by the attackers, but Damian had freed them all while Agnese was fighting alone. The assassins had focused only on external ships and paid little attention to the boats within the pleasure ship. Thus, they had failed to notice the servants’ movements. One after another, splashes echoed as the captives escaped. There was no way to stop them. The remaining forces were barely holding their ground against Damian and Agnese.

‘Damn it.’

Watching this unfold, their leader, Kellen, gritted his teeth. He had no idea where things had gone wrong. So much effort had been put into this operation. A significant amount of funds had been invested to create a large-scale anti-magic barrier, and they had even trained for combat without magic, just in case. The ball had been thoroughly researched beforehand, and an escape route had been flawlessly prepared. Even Agnese’s resistance had been accounted for.

Just one person. They had not anticipated Damian Renekt. When he heard that Damian had taken Arkin’s invitation by force, Kellen had believed that the infernal demon they served had granted them a blessing. Whenever Arkin attended a ball, he was always accompanied by a royal knight in disguise. Naturally, they had planned to subdue that knight in advance, but there was a risk it could be someone as troublesome as Agnese.

However, if Damian attended instead, they wouldn’t need to worry about such a case. Rumors said the benevolent empress even embraced an illegitimate child with love, but there was no way she would treat him the same as her own children. Yet things had gone completely awry from Kellen’s expectations. Damian’s skill had far exceeded their preparations. Without aura or magic, only a truly exceptional warrior could hope to defeat Damian.

‘I can’t retreat now.’

The number of hostages wasn’t the important factor. What mattered was whether they had someone valuable enough to draw Anya Hilton to the negotiating table. In that regard, Damian still had value.

“Release it.”

At Kellen’s signal, a subordinate manipulated a magic device. Immediately, the anti-magic barrier began to break from the top down. Kellen instantly gathered all his magical energy to the limit. Speed was crucial. He had to act before they could react. As he opened his palm, the surrounding air compressed into a sphere, then exploded, generating a powerful gust.

“Khugh!”

It wasn’t something Agnese intended. Before she could even use her aura, her body was flung backward. The impact shattered the ballroom’s fixtures. Fortunately, in her trajectory was Damian. Agnese reached out and grabbed Damian’s forearm. The intense wind pressure caused Damian’s body to be pushed back as well.

“Th-Thank you. Just hold on a little… Huh?”

Agnese let out a dumbfounded sound before being hurled out of the cruise ship. It was because Damian had forcefully shaken off her hand.

The source of the wind pressure was Agnese. As long as she maintained a certain distance from Kellen, the magic would not dissipate. Waiting for the opponent’s mana to be completely drained was an option, but it was inefficient. Moreover, now that the barrier was gone, there was no reason for Agnese to stay here.

“Huff, huff. Now, not even that fancy sword of yours will be able to do anything.”

Kellen spoke while being supported by one of his subordinates. Due to the wind pressure blast earlier, his mana was nearly depleted. But since the tide had turned, it no longer mattered. Between Damian and Agnese, the more dangerous individual when the anti-magic barrier was lifted was, undoubtedly, Agnese. With her aura, which was beloved by swords, she could easily slaughter everyone present. But Damian was different. Though his swordsmanship was at a high level, he was ultimately a mage. With only physical strength and technique, he could not stand against those who wielded aura.

Though the anti-magic barrier could not be reactivated, the remaining forces were more than enough to subdue Damian. Furthermore, Damian was far more valuable. Even if he was an illegitimate child, he was still an emperor’s son. Holding him hostage meant there was still room for negotiation.

“…”

Damian indifferently sheathed his sword. Kellen assumed this was an act to conceal his fear. Regardless of his swordsmanship, Damian was still not an adult. Being surrounded alone, nervousness was only natural.

“Hmm?”

At that moment, something caught Kellen’s eye. Blood was dripping from Damian’s left hand.

Click.

Damian snapped his fingers. Immediately, four of his fingers became engulfed in green flames. At the same time, the drops of blood that had been falling from his palm ignited in green fire.

BOOOOOM!

With a deafening roar, the floor exploded, and dozens of pillars of fire shot up toward the sky.

“AAARGH!!”

“F-Fire! It’s fire!”

“L-Lord Ridocaine!!”

The assassins’ screams erupted simultaneously. The green flames burned through their aura and seared their flesh.

Crack.

The fire pillars did not only target people. A massive mast, engulfed in flames, toppled to one side and struck the ship’s hull with great force. The cruise ship’s sinking was now inevitable. Just as Damian intended.

‘I’m feeling a bit lightheaded.’

Leaning against the railing, Damian glanced back at the assassins writhing in hellfire. It was the effect of the pain from the searing flames and the blood he had lost. After freeing the servants tied below the ship, Damian had wandered around the vessel, leaving traces of his blood.

Using pre-extracted blood would have been ideal, but this method only worked with freshly spilled blood. Like most magic, black magic’s hellfire was usually cast around the caster.

However, by using blood as a medium, he could ignite a large area in a way that normal fire magic could not. Losing blood made him feel faint, but this was the best option. With just four fingers’ worth of firepower, it would have been impossible to burn down the entire ballroom.

“S-Save me…”

He had thought all the assassins were dead, but Kellen was still alive, dragging his half-burned body forward. He should have been completely drained of mana by now. Yet he had somehow endured, which meant his skills were quite exceptional.

“I-I’ll talk. I’ll tell you everything. Who we are, who sent us, and why. So please, spare me…”

His lifeless fish-like eyes now welled with tears. The sheer agony had forced emotions back into him.

“You’ll tell me everything?”

Damian squatted down and looked at Kellen. A flicker of hope appeared on Kellen’s face. This time, the tears he shed contained the emotion of relief.

“I-I swear. I’ll tell you e-everything…”

Kellen’s words were cut short. A sword had pierced his throat.

“This is why it has to be this way.”

Muttering those words, Damian rose to his feet again. He already knew everything. The identities of these people, the one who commissioned this attack, and their true objective. They were the Children of Ridocaine, worshippers of demons who operated in the shadows of the continent. The one who hired them for this job was a noble who would later become a member of the orthodox faction. That noble had once lost a power struggle over trade rights with the Hilton Merchant Guild and planned this incident in revenge.

Before the regression, many hostages had perished, though Arkin had managed to survive by sheer luck. Afterward, Arkin reported his ordeal to the Hilton Guild. Though he had long since lost his place in the succession line, his status as the fourth prince held considerable influence in the empire. Furthermore, due to future events, the Hilton Guild’s decline accelerated, disrupting the balance among the continent’s three major merchant guilds.

Forest, Marriott, Hilton. Among the three, Hilton was the weakest. However, it still had enough power to keep the other two in check. Because of this, neither the Forest Guild nor the Marriott Guild could act freely. But after the Hilton Guild collapsed, the two remaining guilds immediately aligned themselves with Michael and the Empress, fanning the flames of their rivalry. Thus, the Hilton Guild’s fall could not be allowed. At the very least, none of the three major guilds should be allowed to interfere in the succession battle.

Crrrack!!

Unable to withstand the inferno any longer, the cruise ship began sinking further. The masterminds of this attack, along with all traces of their involvement, would disappear. It had to be that way. The world could not yet know about them. The Children of Ridocaine had taken on this job for money, to acquire sacrifices for the demon they worshiped, Ridocaine.Even thinking about it now, Damian could not help but scoff. There was no such demon named Ridocaine in Hell.

Yet these people possessed a significant number of grimoires detailing Hell’s scriptures. Therefore, until Damian could deal with them himself, they must remain hidden from history. This incident involved many nobles, including Damian himself, a member of the imperial family. Naturally, a large-scale investigation would follow. Before the regression, the enemy’s plan had succeeded flawlessly, and their escape had been perfect, making pursuit impossible.

This time, they had failed. However, they must not be traced. If the empire’s investigators pursued them, they would focus on hiding, and the locations Damian knew to be their bases would change. Watching the bodies sink into the water, Damian fell into thought.

In their final moments, as they burned in hellfire, did they catch even a glimpse of the demon of the hell they so desperately sought? No, they did not. That was why their actions, as terrifying as they were, also felt strangely pitiful.