The First Imperial Princess Assassination Incident (1)

The days passed, and at last, the day of the main quest had arrived.

I was heading toward the special pavilion where the banquet was being held, dressed in a formal suit. The rattling of the carriage wheels erased the surrounding silence. I stared blankly out the window, turning my thoughts over in my mind.

"......"

The First Imperial Princess Assassination Incident.

It was the episode that marked the true beginning of the story in the original work, Heroes Who Erase Sorrow. After lying dormant for the past year, the Seekers would finally reveal themselves to the world again. As their opening move, they would attack Reynolds Academy in order to eliminate the First Imperial Princess, the Second Imperial Princess, and the Saint all at once.

In the original story, thanks to Allen’s efforts, the Saint and Neria only suffered minor injuries. But Lucy lost her life on the spot.

From the moment of this girl’s death, the peaceful atmosphere of the story plunged straight into darkness and despair.

The fact that an imperial princess had been assassinated sent shockwaves throughout the entire empire. First, the Emperor—who cherished his family above all else—collapsed from the grief of losing his eldest daughter. Having lost his wisdom and clarity, he withdrew from politics, and the empire’s affairs fell into complete chaos.

The maids and escort knights responsible for Lucy were all executed for failing to protect a member of the imperial family. The academy’s headmaster, Korn, was held accountable for the incident and expelled from the empire. This became the catalyst for the academy’s weakened defenses, which later made the demon race’s invasion far more devastating.

'......In short, if I fail to stop this assassination, the entire empire will crumble.'

While the story would grow darker and Allen would rise to the occasion, it would still be better if such a tragedy never happened at all. It wouldn’t be easy, but if I could succeed in this quest, the future events would unfold far more smoothly.

I began to recall every detail of the incident I remembered.

'First, the assassins appear at exactly nine o’clock.'

There was no infiltration route. They simply materialized out of thin air. One might wonder if the Seekers used some kind of teleportation magic… and that guess would be correct.

The leader of the Seekers, like Raiden, was one of those blessed by space itself. In other words, he was one of the fewer than five spatial mages existing in the entire world.

'As far as I know, there are currently three spatial mages alive.'

The first was Raiden. The second was Allen’s ally who would appear in the latter half of the story. And the third was the leader of the Seekers.

'The Black Pontiff, Elios.'

Among the three, Elios boasted the longest range. He could leap anywhere from five hundred meters to a staggering six kilometers. Of course, such an overpowered ability came with a restriction—after using it once, he couldn’t use spatial movement again for three months. Still, that handicap was negligible compared to the advantage of being able to scatter terrorists anywhere he desired across the continent.

'Then the key is… whether I can block the assassins’ first strike or not.'

Since I couldn’t predict the direction of the assault, defending the targets put me at an overwhelming disadvantage. But if I could overcome that critical moment, I could steer the situation according to the plan I had prepared.

Therefore, in an emergency, I would have to protect Lucy even if it meant taking the blows myself.

"......I’m a little nervous."

I took a deep breath to calm my wildly pounding heart. Inside me, unidentifiable emotions were boiling up in real time—sorrow, resentment, rage. And an incredibly thick, viscous murderous intent.

It seemed the lingering traces of Raiden still left in this body were influencing me.

'Well, from Raiden’s perspective, the Seekers are people he’d want to tear apart.'

They were the ones who had murdered the mother he respected and pushed his life into the abyss. And now, they were even trying to kill the lord he had once served.

"......What a stubbornly persistent grudge."

If only the Seekers had never existed, Raiden’s life could have been so much happier. Still, don’t be too sad. In your place, I’ll save Lucy. And while I’m at it, I’ll get revenge for you too. I’ll just toss them in prison or something.

"So you’re saying you won’t get in my way?"

"Haha, sorrow, huh… I keep forgetting, but I’m not Raiden."

I had decided to take revenge for him… but that was that. There was no connection between me and his tragedy to begin with.

"Sometimes it feels like you treat me and Raiden as the same person."

"It’s fine. It’s not a big deal."

I shrugged and leaned back against the seat. The current time was exactly eight o’clock. Only about an hour remained until the attack.

I straightened my clothes one last time and checked the items in my pocket.

-Clink.

Two small glass vials, each the size of a pinky finger, filled with deep green and deep blue liquids. Next to them was a pure white mask. And finally, a neatly folded magic scroll.

"......Seriously, all this preparation cost me that much money?"

The gold coins I had spent were enough to buy an entire viscount’s mansion. Part of it was because I had to pay several times the market price due to scarcity, but the base cost itself was ridiculously high. Thanks to that, my once plump wallet had achieved a miraculous weight loss.

Well, it wasn’t like I needed the money anyway. I could let an expenditure of this scale slide.

I shook my head slightly, brushing away the faint regret.

"We’re almost there."

The scenery visible through the window announced that the carriage had reached its destination. I let out a shaky breath and rubbed my dry face. All I could do now was hope that everything would go smoothly.

......

-Neighhh!!

The carriage dropped me off in front of the special pavilion and then galloped away with renewed vigor. I watched its retreating figure for a moment before beginning to walk toward the banquet hall.

The area was already crowded with many students. They probably wanted to shake off the fatigue of the grueling midterms. Commoner students, in particular, rarely had the chance to attend a noble-hosted banquet, so they were even more excited. The academy also lent out dresses and suits, which eased the burden on the students.

Seeing this, it was clear the academy managed its operations quite well. In an environment where various social classes coexisted, they had maintained a surprisingly good balance for the commoners.

'Well, they have to be at least this good to be called the continent’s top educational institution.'

With those thoughts in mind, I made my way through the crowd of students. Perhaps because of the unexpected appearance of the infamous delinquent, eyes began to gather on me one by one. The children glanced at me and whispered among themselves.

-Hey. Isn’t that the Lisite heir over there?

-What…? It really is him.

-Didn’t the Lisite heir usually have no interest in academy banquets?

-Right. He used to call them low-class livestock pens mixed with commoners and sneer at them…

-By the way, this is the first time I’ve seen the Lisite heir dressed up like that.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

-Yeah… He actually looks pretty sharp.

-I guess he was just overshadowed by handsome guys like Allen or Professor Lucas, but if you look closely, the Lisite heir is actually quite—

-Hey, hey! Snap out of it, you idiot!! That’s the ‘Lisite’ heir we’re talking about!

-I’m not saying I like him! I’m just saying he’s good-looking!

......I wonder if they realize I can hear every word they’re saying. It wasn’t exactly blatant slander, but it left me with a strange feeling.

I ignored the murmuring atmosphere and showed my student ID to the guard standing at the main entrance of the special pavilion.

"Raphael Class, Raiden Lisite."

The guard stiffened for a moment upon hearing my name, then opened the way with a stiff, polite smile.

"I hope you enjoy your time."

I gave a light wave of my hand in response and stepped inside the banquet hall.

Unlike the noisy exterior, the atmosphere inside was relatively calm. Since the children of ducal families and even the imperial princesses were present, everyone was being cautious with their behavior.

"I need to hurry a bit."

It was already thirty minutes before the terror attack. I seemed to have spent more time than expected at the entrance. As I moved, I pulled the mask from my pocket.

It was a masquerade mask that covered the eyes and nose—a pure white one that reminded me of The Phantom of the Opera. I placed it over my face.

Raiden was far too famous. And not in a good way. If someone like him suddenly appeared at the banquet and started wandering around, he would draw every ounce of attention possible.

My plan was to stay hidden like a ghost and make a surprise entrance the moment the incident began. I had no intention of drawing aggro from the very start. Since quite a few people were wearing masquerade masks as accessories, it wouldn’t look too strange.

"Now I just need to find where Lucy is."

Muttering to myself, I walked through the hall. It wasn’t difficult. After all, there wasn’t a single girl in the empire with hair as brilliant as her golden locks.

"......There she is."

Lucy was standing at the center of the banquet hall, surrounded by her followers. Dressed in a vivid red dress, she exuded an intense beauty.

I took a position a short distance away. Fifteen minutes remained. Feeling a sudden dryness in my throat, I downed a drink from the table.

"Ugh..."

It was alcohol. I frowned and set the glass down. As I clicked my tongue at the bitter aftertaste, I began to catch fragments of the conversation between Lucy and her followers.

-Haha, is that really true, Young Lord Deron?

-Please continue, Lady Leon. What happened after that?

-Yes, Your Highness. Right at that moment, my friend and I......

I listened to their conversation in a daze. Lucy and the people around her were enjoying the banquet with bright laughter. It felt strange. A churning yet bittersweet feeling.

"......Originally, Raiden would have been standing among them."

The words ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠slipped out unconsciously. Because I knew Raiden’s pain, it seemed the loneliness and sense of loss he had felt were being transmitted to me as well.

This was pity toward him. Or perhaps a sense of kinship. Cheap sympathy for two lonely souls standing side by side. Or maybe it was something I didn’t yet understand.

'In the end, none of it means anything now...'

I shook off my thoughts and refocused. The time was now 8:57. It would soon be nine o’clock.

-Tick. Tock.

The sound of the second hand crossing the numbers echoed in my ears. I steadied my tense breathing and sharpened my senses. Timing was everything. I would only have one chance.

-Tick.

Three seconds until the attack began.

-Tick.

Two seconds.

-Tick.

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One second.

-Tick. Ding!

Now.

"Blink ×6."

The moment the clock bell rang to announce nine o’clock, I chanted the spell. With a crackling spark, my vision flickered.

-Crackle!

The next instant, Lucy’s face, drenched in panic, appeared before my eyes. Before she could react, I kicked her slender body with my foot.

"Eut…?!"

With a short groan, the golden-haired girl tumbled to the floor. Even in that split second, I didn’t stop moving. Mana glowing with blue light gathered at my fingertips. I swung my arm while chanting once more.

"Reflect ×4!!"

-Crackle…!!

Swish! Thud!!

The magic I deployed in an instant deflected the arrows flying toward Lucy. I hadn’t been able to pinpoint the terrorists’ location in that brief moment, so I had simply altered the arrows’ trajectories to slam into the ground. But that was enough.

The person I was protecting—Lucy—remained completely unharmed.

The only problem was…

-Kyaaaak!!

Suddenly arrows are flying…!

-Someone’s been hit!!

"Cough..."

I couldn’t avoid the barrage myself. A burning pain radiated from my lower abdomen. When I looked down with a dry cough, I saw four arrows piercing through my stomach.

It seemed my proficiency with Reflect was still lacking, so I couldn’t deflect them perfectly. As expected… mastering an inherent magic in just three days had been too much.

I stared numbly at my shirt, which was turning bright red.

'Good thing I bought it in advance.'

It was a special effect I had purchased from the status window shop for the hefty price of 500 points. With this, I would be able to fight much more efficiently. Not feeling pain in battle was an enormous advantage.

-Crunch. Rip!!

I roughly yanked the arrows out of my stomach one by one. Screams could be heard from all around, but I paid them little attention. The situation was too urgent right now.

Since the first long-range ambush had failed, the enemies would soon appear in person.

-Rip. Crack!! Crunch!

-Kyaaaaak!!

-What the…! Why is that guy doing that?!

-G-guards! Someone go call the guards!

Calm down. Just stay back and don’t waste your strength. This entire banquet hall is currently isolated by a high-grade barrier anyway. No matter how hard you bang on the doors, they won’t open.

The professors might be able to intervene… but it would take them at least fourteen minutes to reach this place and dismantle the barrier.

'I have to assume there will be no help from outside.'

Muttering to myself, I pulled out the last arrow. Crimson chunks of viscera clung to the barbed arrowhead. As expected of a weapon made for assassination, its design was brutal. Thanks to that, my stomach was horribly torn open, and things that should never see the light of day were spilling out.

"Cough, ugh… ptui."

It really is quite grotesque. No wonder everyone was screaming. I couldn’t feel any pain, so I hadn’t realized. Even now, it only felt like a mild sting.

I spat out the blood that had risen in my throat and rummaged through my pocket. I pulled out the two tiny glass vials, didn’t even bother removing the corks, and shoved them straight into my mouth.

-Crunch…!!

Along with the sound of glass shattering, thick liquid filled my throat. The moment I swallowed it all, a familiar mechanical sound rang in my ears.

The moment those messages appeared, my abdomen—which had been gushing blood—stopped bleeding and began to regenerate.

-Crack. Crunch!

With bizarre sounds, the holes closed up and my shredded insides returned to normal. The effect was even better than I had expected. It was worth paying several times the price.

I shook the blood off my sticky hands and turned my head behind me.

"......Hic."

Where my gaze landed was a golden-haired girl trembling helplessly. She was sitting on the floor, tears welling in her eyes. She must have been very frightened.

Feeling pity for her fragile appearance, I quietly reached out and wiped her tears away.

"Hic…!"

Ah, I didn’t mean to smear blood on her. I had unintentionally left a red handprint on her pure white cheek. For a moment I wondered if I should wipe it off, but decided against it since rubbing it with dirty hands would only make it worse.

I patted the girl’s shoulder lightly and spoke.

"Do not worry, Your Highness. Your knight is here."

An awkward smile formed on my lips. I saw Lucy’s face fill with confusion at my words, but regardless, my mouth was already moving again.

"Blink ×10."

-Crackle.

With a small noise, the girl’s figure flickered. Lucy was now safely deposited near her followers. This should be enough. There were escort knights beside her as well. They all seemed fully alert, so even if I let one or two slip through, they should be able to handle it.

Of course, the best outcome would be if I took care of everything myself.

"Haa......"

With a long exhale, I turned around. In the center of the banquet hall stood figures clad in pitch-black robes. The purple butterfly emblem engraved on their chests revealed their identity.

'The Seekers.'

There were seven of them in total. Roughly the same number mentioned in the original work. There would probably be a few more where Neria and the Saint were, but since our protagonist was there, they should be fine.

As I organized my thoughts and scanned the surroundings, the one standing at the very front of the robed figures stepped forward.

"Get out of the way. If you don’t want to die."

"As if I would."

I reached into my subspace and grasped Bitan. Feeling the chilling cold at my fingertips, I recited the activation phrase.

"Bitan, awaken."

-Kiiiiiiiii!!!

Along with a bizarre cry, the special skill Super Sensory activated. I felt every sense in my body awaken and extended my other hand into the air.

"Status window, purchase ‘Ordinary Iron Sword’ from the shop."

A heavy grip settled into my palm. Before I knew it, a sharply forged sword was in my hand. I pointed the tip at the robed figures and slowly assumed a stance.

"Hah."

"This is quite the unexpected development."

"How ridiculous."

Perhaps they found it amusing that a mere academy student was blocking their path. A few of the robed figures let out dry laughs. Even so, I stared at them without the slightest tremor.

"Seekers."

The robed figures froze at my words. They quickly cooled their expressions and glared at me. The one who appeared to be the leader raised his sword toward me and spoke.

"To recognize us just from the pattern on our robes… you must not be an ordinary fellow."

"Hah, of course I know it. It’s a pattern impossible to forget."

"You seem to know quite a lot about us?"

Know a lot? At that short question, the rage buried deep in my memories exploded. I accepted the crimson emotions of Raiden flooding my mind and narrowed my eyes fiercely.

Yes. I know you all too well. How could I possibly forget you?

Every night I suffered from nightmares of my mother’s death and nurtured my hatred. Every time I slashed my wrists in unstoppable self-loathing, I cursed your names. How could I not recognize you?

Don’t worry. Ever since that day, you have been everything that makes up my world.

"......Don’t you know me as well?"

"Hm?"

Perhaps because Raiden’s fury was too intense, the line separating Kim Naru and Raiden blurred, and I felt myself gradually assimilating with him. My trembling hand gripped the sword hilt tightly.

"My name is Raiden Lisite."

The eldest son of the Lisite family. The second executor of the Blue Talent that protects the empire. And at the same time—

I am the vengeful spirit who grew by devouring the despair you scattered.

"In the name of Philippa Lisite, the empire’s flower and my mother—"

For revenge over my mother’s death.

"I shall pass judgment on your sins."

I will tear you apart until those vile mouths beg for mercy. No—until they beg me to kill them.