Reincarnated as a Genius Prodigy of a Prestigious Family - Chapter 17

6. So, What Do You Do? (1)

The climate around the southern Count Sogress territory of the Alteon Empire is superb.

So superb, in fact, that the harvest yields are at least twice as much as in other regions due to the excellent sunlight.

This area sustained the Alteon Empire during the war, providing a steady supply of resources.

Thanks to the pleasant weather and the Count’s humane governance, the Count Sogress territory is always peaceful and warm.

The war is over, the few rebels have been suppressed, and it seems like an era of eternal peace is unfolding.

Of course, even in this peaceful place, rumors circulate. The subject of these rumors is none other than Count Sogress’s youngest son, Dane Sogress.

“Did you hear the news? The young master visited the estate yesterday!”

“Really? Is that true?”

“Yes, I heard he stopped by Tonaine’s shop and bought something. That same day, Tonaine’s eldest daughter fell ill.”

“Oh my, they say he’s becoming more handsome by the day. I would die happy if I could see him just once! I heard he’s not engaged, should I try my luck?”

“Hey, get a grip. He’s only fourteen. But from what I hear, he doesn’t look fourteen at all…”

Dane is the center of attention.

In a territory with no tyranny, low taxes, no war suffering, and no major issues, he is the common topic of conversation.

No wonder, given his extraordinary talents from a young age and his recent growth making him appear much older than fourteen.

“They say he’s almost as tall as the Count.”

“Maybe it’s because the Countess is quite tall?”

“What’s certain is that even if he said he was twenty, I’d believe it.”

Whenever Dane leaves the castle and visits any part of the estate, people are amazed by his silver hair and green eyes.

“You should have seen those beautiful silver hair and green eyes, Tenu…”

“Next time, I must see him too, sister. When will he come again?”

“They say he comes down to the estate often? He also goes outside the estate. According to the forest ranger, he goes there to train…”

As mentioned, Dane is currently outside the estate.

Specifically, he is wandering in the ‘Forest of the New Moon,’ an ancient magical place on the outskirts of the Count’s domain.

“It’s been about three hours.”

Dane murmured as he gathered and tied his silver hair.

Thanks to his early-formed magic core, he has grown tall.

His well-trained body glistened impressively in the sunlight filtering through the leaves.

“Three more hours.”

Dane was on a mission assigned by his mother, Lily Sogress.

It was part of his assassination training.

The important thing for an assassin is assassination.

The next crucial aspect is escape.

Assassination aims to create chaos and induce internal conflict by completing the mission without being captured.

Dane’s current mission was precisely that.

He had to escape from this forest filled with traps and dangers.

Although it seemed too dangerous for a mere fourteen-year-old, Dane showed no signs of tension or panic.

Because he had talent.

“The wind is coming from the south… I encountered the cerulean spiders here earlier… I should head west.”

Dane put away the makeshift map he had created while exploring the forest.

Three hours remained.

He had to escape from this ancient magical forest within that time to complete the mission.

The Forest of the New Moon.

A place where ancient magic flows, making it difficult for ordinary people with typical magic to operate.

But for Dane, it wasn’t particularly difficult.

He breathed easily, and there was no significant issue in drawing upon his magic.

The breathing techniques he learned from his mother as an assassin seemed to be working well.

“Hooo…”

The key was to assimilate with the surrounding air.

Focusing on blending in with the surroundings, rejecting it would only have the opposite effect.

Thus, the basic method for an assassin was to inhale the surrounding air, namely magic, and exhale it after filtering it inside.

Dane was doing this perfectly.

Of course…

This was possible due to his high affinity for magic.

It was not easy for a fourteen-year-old to perform the breathing technique that even experienced assassins often failed at.

One more reason was his innate genius.

His mother hadn’t really given him an actual assassination mission.

She merely set up a scenario to see how he would escape from a dangerous environment.

It was a way to test everything he had learned over the past few years.

“Hoo.”

Dane moved carefully.

Rather than rushing, he took one cautious step at a time.

Traps often appeared in unexpected places.

Among the leaves, between branches, even seemingly insignificant blades of grass could be traps.

Just like now.

Click.

As soon as he sensed something strange, he drew upon his magic, and a nearly invisible, thin thread became clear.

It was a mechanism that triggered a trap if touched.

Basic and simple, yet the most dangerous kind.

But once discovered, it was nothing.

Dane knelt and carefully began to disarm the trap when he heard a sharp hissing sound.

Hiss.

Dane instantly abandoned the trap and swiftly moved to hide in the nearest bushes. Before hiding, he took a deep breath to leave his scent behind.

Soon, a Russell emerged from the forest.

Hiss.

The small, fast, and vicious creature, about the size of a child, relied heavily on its sense of smell and avoided sunlight, thriving only in the forest.

The Russell sniffed around where Dane had been.

It didn’t take long before it caught his scent and quickly started moving towards the bushes.

Just as it stepped forward, thinking it had found fresh meat, it triggered a trap.

Snap!

“What?”

The Russell felt something catch its foot, and immediately small projectiles flew in from both sides, piercing its body.

“Screech!”

It was the trap Dane had intentionally left.

The Russell was in agony.

This was the first time it had encountered such an attack in this forest.

What was it? An insect too small to notice? Or perhaps a human who rarely ventured this deep?

Before it could finish its thoughts, Dane sprang from the bushes, spear in hand, and swiftly pierced the Russell’s heart.

Even if the Russell hadn’t been caught in the trap, it wouldn’t have been able to respond to Dane’s swift and fierce attack.

“Whew. Good thing I left the trap intact.”

Dane pulled his spear from the fallen Russell’s body and sighed in relief.

One Russell wasn’t a big deal, but the problem was their tendency to call for others.

It was crucial to kill it in one strike to avoid alerting others, and Dane had cleverly used the trap and his scent to lure it.

After dealing with the Russell’s body as he was taught, Dane continued on his way.

An hour later, he reached what seemed to be the exit of the forest.

“As expected, the final trap is difficult.”

Dane looked at the trap his mother had set up.

Two mechanisms the height of Dane flanked what appeared to be the only exit from the forest.

He recalled what his mother had told him.

A very complex and difficult trap, so obvious that first-timers wouldn’t even think about disarming it.

In simple terms, a high-level trap.

Dane was very cautious.

“Hmm…”

How long would it take to disarm it? One hour? Two hours?

As he studied the trap’s structure, Dane suddenly tilted his head.

“Is it right to take so long to disarm it?”

He looked around.

The Forest of the New Moon wasn’t the most dangerous place.

But in a real situation, things would be different.

Spending too much time disarming a trap while threats loomed would be fatal.

“No.”

He decided.

Trying to disarm it in real combat would be foolish.

A thought crossed his mind.

“What if I break it?”

Traps are usually hard to break.

Trappers aren’t idiots; they make traps difficult to destroy.

Most traps activate if tampered with.

But Dane was a genius.

“Here, no, here.”

Each trap has a ‘point.’

A weak spot, if you will.

A key part that activates the mechanism.

Dane’s mother’s trap was no different.

It looked complex and was complex, but Dane saw the ‘point.’

He pulled out his spear and drew upon his magic.

Recently, his magic core had increased from one to two, sending magic throughout his body and reacting.

Magic flowed through his body and concentrated at the tip of his spear.

Pssh!

He targeted a small gear in the middle of the trap. The moment the spear touched the gear, the concentrated magic caused an internal explosion.

Crack.

The gear cracked.

Instead of a big explosion, this technique injected magic into the target, causing an internal explosion.

Finally, the gear split.

Whirr…

A sound indicating the mechanism’s deactivation.

It was completely disarmed.

“Done.”

Just as Dane smiled, his mother appeared.

“Excellent, Dane.”

“Mother.”

Lily Sogress.

A legendary former assassin of the Empire and an expert in traps and mechanisms, she looked at her son with pride.

‘Total time: three hours and thirty minutes… faster than me.’

She recalled her own trial in a similar environment.

It had taken her almost five hours to pass the test, and she hadn’t thought to destroy the trap.

“You were watching?”

“Of course. I had to make sure. Though I know your talents well… a mother can’t help but worry.”

Looking back, no matter how harsh the training, she wouldn’t have left her son defenseless in a place full of dangers.

“You did great. Perfect. I didn’t expect you to destroy the trap at the end.”

“It didn’t seem right to waste time disarming it.”

Correct.

The test wasn’t just about disarming traps and escaping.

Another key factor for an assassin.

Adaptability.

Applying and thinking of appropriate methods for the situation, even if it differs from what was taught.

Dane did this brilliantly.

“Our son might get recruited as an assassin.”

Dane laughed.

Getting recruited as an assassin.

He hadn’t imagined the life of an assassin in detail.

“You move well in this forest, which even I find challenging.”

Lily smiled.

“There’s much more to teach… but I think you’re ready. Here.”

Dane accepted the wooden case his mother handed him.

“Open it.”

When he opened it, he gasped.

Inside was the ‘Nighthorn,’ a black-bladed dagger he had seen on his first birthday.

And as on his birthday…

Whooom!

The dagger responded to Dane’s touch, emitting a faint light.

“It suits you better than me now.”

Nighthorn.

A legendary dagger used by Lily Sogress, made from the mystical ore ‘Ethril.’

Any assassin would covet this weapon.

“Ethril absorbs any poison. It can hold any poison in the world.”

This was why.

The mystical ore could hold any poison, allowing the user to wield it as needed.

“Thank you, Mother. I’ll cherish it.”

Lily smiled warmly.

‘Originally, I planned to give this much later.’

Her son had grown rapidly.

Far faster than she had, even with specialized training.

He had mastered almost all known traps, memorized all poisons, and learned their combinations.

His tracking and stealth were exceptional.

She hadn’t taught him everything yet, but one thing was clear.

If he pursued the path of an assassin, he would surpass her.

“Can I try it now, Mother?”

She nodded at her son’s eager eyes.

“Sure. This forest is full of poisonous plants. It’s a good environment…”

Then—

“Mother. I hear something.”

Dane turned his head deeper into the forest.

“It sounds like someone groaning.”

Lily listened. She too heard the faint sound, barely audible unless focused.

“Let’s go, Dane.”

“Yes, Mother.”

They moved swiftly into the forest. As the sound grew louder, Lily thought.

Her son’s senses were becoming sharper.

Far faster than she had.

She suddenly felt a pang of regret.

‘He might leave the nest sooner than I thought…’

As she pondered this, they finally arrived at the source of the groaning.

Under a large tree.

A middle-aged man lay collapsed, groaning.

“Ugh…”

Exhaustion? Dehydration? Or an attack by a Russell?

As various possibilities ran through her mind, Dane approached and examined the man.

After checking his eyes, hands, and breathing, Dane spoke with certainty.

“He seems to be poisoned. It looks quite serious. He needs an antidote.”

Lily was surprised by his next words.

“Mother, I’ll use Nighthorn to create an antidote.”

She hadn’t taught him about antidotes yet.