Regressor Instruction Manual - Chapter 419. Problems From Above (2)

It seemed that messages had popped up, but I didn’t have the luxury of worrying about them. It was all because the seed of suspicion in me had already bloomed. They could do their best to stop me, but there was no way they could stop me at this point.

My suspicion could be abated, but I wasn’t nice enough to cancel my plan completely.

‘Do you really think that I’m that dumb?’

I couldn’t trust anything or anyone until I saw them with my own eyes. The messages were one-way messages with an unknown sender. To make things worse, they stopped creating quests for unknown reasons, so of course, they had become less reliable.

[Quest Creation has temporarily stopped due to unknown reasons.]

‘Unknown reasons, my ass…!’

There was a chance that they were thinking about backstabbing me after creating an alibi in the form of a so-called issue that they had to resolve. I was sure that the Elune scum could pull off something like that.

He abandoned Elena, who had always been his devoted devotee, so it wouldn’t be strange if Benigoa abandoned me as well because they were the same. They were fallen gods who had never valued loyalty or the achievements of their subjects.

They were basically parents who were prepared to backstab their children for their own greed and profit.

‘I’ll make sure the path to the afterlife is a comfortable one.’

I hated the practice of Goryeojang[1], but I had no choice but to climb the mountain while carrying Benigoa on my back. However, I needed a discreet plan to do that. I still hadn’t pressed the execute button, and I was honestly nervous about the effectiveness of the safety devices I had prepared in case of an emergency.

My opponent was a fallen deity, so I couldn’t help but think that my efforts still weren’t enough.

It wouldn’t take me long to create a separate manual for Lee Ji-Hye while checking the items I possessed, but for now, I had to be capable of protecting myself. I checked on Juliena, who had become quiet after her forceful awakening, and I also inspected my potions with various effects, the legendary-ranked Aegis, and the condition of my weapons in case of an unexpected situation.

On the outside, it looked as if I was preparing for an expedition. Although it was a bit much for a trip to the capital, I felt kind of relieved to see that I had so many things with me.

I even started thinking that I was a native of the continent.

I heard another knocking on the door while I was inspecting my arsenal. I could already deduce the visitor’s identity, and I saw a familiar face entering the room with a bright smile.

“Ha-Yan?”

“Did you call for me, oppa?” Jung Ha-Yan asked.

“Wait a bit. I’ll be done soon. Did you get the message?” I asked.

“Yes. I-I heard you’re going to the capital and that it was urgent…” she replied.

“Yeah, other people will be going with us. You’re okay with that, right?” I questioned.

“Yes, o-of course,” she stuttered.

“Hee-Ra noona will be going as well. Along with Miss Elena and Miss Hye-Jin,” I added.

“…”

She pouted a little. I was sure she heard about who was going, but hearing it directly from me definitely soured her mood.

“Don’t worry too much. We’re just going to deal with some business there,” I assured her.

“Okay…”

“Do you know who’s my favorite person?” I asked and opened my arms.

“Ah!”

She immediately jumped into my arms. The cheesy line I just unleashed made me feel a shiver down my spine from the cringe, but my opponent seemed to be enjoying it.

Keeping my opponent on a leash while letting them hear what they wanted to hear was extremely important if I wanted to control the flow of the battle. Jung Ha-Yan was one of those whom I consider my opponents in a not-so-literal sense. Naturally, Kim Hyun-Sung was one of those people as well.

Jung Ha-Yan was an irreplaceable mage with powers so overwhelming that both humans and gods desired her. I knew I was doing a good job caring for her, but in situations like this, it was important to make her feel touched.

She was doing her tasks well, and the stabilizer called marriage eased her temper a lot, so Jung Ha-Yan’s condition right now was at its best. Her self-esteem, which had been at its lowest, also increased tremendously. She had gotten even more powerful, and the marriage proposal also made her grow a lot in the mental department. Jung Ha-Yan matured so much that I didn’t have to make excuses for her.

Honestly, I felt kind of sad when I thought about how I had to put my life on the line to achieve such results, but I loved her mental stability. The journey here was long, but the important part was that Jung Ha-Yan’s mind was extremely stable right now.

“W-what’s going on? Y-You can rest longer if you want. You should stay in bed and…”

“I think something happened at the Vatican. I don’t think it’s really important, but we don’t know what would happen. By the way, you didn’t come with Elena?” I asked.

“She’s preparing to leave with Miss Hye-Jin s-since you said that we would stay there for a week. The guild staff members are helping them as well. W-Will you be sleeping there in the capital?” she asked.

“Yeah. I think we can borrow a separate building. It’ll change depending on the situation. Anyway, let’s start heading outside,” I suggested.

I wasn’t sure why the location of my bedroom was important, but Jung Ha-Yan didn’t seem fond of me sleeping at the Vatican. I was able to catch on quickly to things like this, which made me feel anxious and as expected, I saw Jung Ha-Yan holding onto my arm tightly. I felt kind of embarrassed because of her unwillingness to get separated from me, but we had to move because even if I signaled her to stop, she wouldn’t step away from me anyway.

We walked for a bit and arrived at the guild’s griffon landing area. I saw Jo Hye-Jin leading the griffons outside the farm and Elena watching a few steps behind her. When Elene saw me, she waved and smiled brightly toward me, but her smile disappeared when she saw Jung Ha-Yan.

Meanwhile, Jo Hye-Jin greeted me by nodding as usual.

‘Oh, man…’

Elena looked sad for some reason, and the way she bit her lips made me scared that she was going to explode. I believed that the weak-hearted Elena wouldn’t show the same behavior as the old Jung Ha-Yan, but there was a chance that she had an unknown side. The Everia Kingdom opposed her decision, but she still came here. As such, it could be said that she was hiding something.

To be honest, she could be considered my comrade. She could sleep peacefully because ignorance was bliss, but she was my senior when it came to being abandoned by the fallen gods. She was no different from a ballistic missile that was ready to fire a missile of despair toward the heavens once she found out that she had been abandoned. Elena could become useful later on for the press, so I had to take special care of her.

I waved back while smiling lightly, and I saw her greeting me with a sad smile. When I thought about how the pitiful Elena was abandoned by that Elune scum, I couldn’t help but get angry at the beings up above.

‘How could he abandon such a poor and innocent elf…!’

Of course, I didn’t say anything. I wasn’t sure whether Elena knew my thoughts or not because she just greeted me hesitantly.

“Do I call you Sub… Guild Master?” Elena asked.

“You don’t have to do that, Miss Elena. There’s no need to be so formal, haha,” I replied.

“Ah…”

“It’s true that you’re a guild member, but because of your status, treating you like an ordinary guild member is a bit—”

“You don’t need to give me special treatment. Please…” she interrupted.

“No, I’m not trying to give you special treatment. The Blue Guild isn’t a very formal guild, and… we’re all close to each other. I’m also trying my best not to be so formal with the other party members and with Mr. Hyun-Sung. You can act like your usual self, Miss Elena. Anyway, I know it’s late, but welcome to the Blue Guild. I am looking forward to working with you,” I explained.

“No, I should be the one saying that. I am looking forward to working with you, Mr. Lee Ki-Young. And… Miss Jung Ha-Yan,” she said.

“Y-Yes… I am looking forward to working with you as well. A-A-And welcome to the Blue Guild…” Jung Ha-Yan stuttered.

“Thank you.”

“Are we done with the preparations, Miss Hye-Jin?” I asked.

“Yes, Sub Guild Master. We can leave as soon as Miss Cha Hee-Ra arrives. Miss Dialugia will be joining us later, and Miss Kasugano Yuno said that she’ll meet us at the capital,” Jo Hye-Jin replied.

“I see. Well done,” I complimented her.

“I was only doing my job,” she commented.

It was nice that she knew how to get things done as fast as possible. The fact that Hee-Ra noona was coming with us was also worthy of a celebration. I couldn’t help but start thinking about her, but she finally arrived with her signature red hair. She was definitely the Cha Hee-Ra that I knew from the number of attendants next to her.

“It’s been a while, darling. Actually, it hasn’t been that long since I saw you a few days ago,” Cha Hee-Ra greeted.

We spoke right after the war ended, but for some reason, it felt like it had been a long time since we met. Her usual messy red hair reminded me of a lion with a red mane, but she had dark circles beneath her eyes.

“Are you sick?” I asked.

“It’s frustration,” she answered.

“…”

“…”

“You don’t have to worry. You know that I’m a bit tired for quite some time now. Just consider it an aftereffect. It’s been a really long time since I lost consciousness, and I feel like it’s getting worse recently. I’m still not used to it. Shit. It’s ten times worse than having a hangover. I shouldn’t have worn it,” she explained.

“You mean the berserker set?” I asked.

“You saw it?” she asked.

“No, I heard about it. You were apparently wearing armor and holding a weapon. Were they Legendary items?” I asked.

“That’s right,” she replied.

“Can I see them?” I asked.

“Do you really want to see them?” she questioned.

“No…”

“Good choice because I don’t really want to show them to you. By the way… why did you call us out here? You’re pretty armed for this to be a mere picnic. Did you discover a dungeon inside the capital or something?” Cha Hee-Ra asked.

“No, it’s nothing like that. Just think of it as being thoroughly prepared for anything,” I replied.

“I’m sure you prepared everything, but… if possible, I’d like to take a long break. A long one. Don’t you agree, darling?” she asked with an exhausted smile.

Her smile definitely reflected her exhaustion, but the glare in her eyes betrayed her tiredness. She wasn’t threatening me, but I felt like a herbivore in front of a carnivore. No, I wasn’t imagining it. The way she looked at me from head to toe made her look like a beast inspecting its prey.

Jung Ha-Yan pulled on my clothes…

‘Please don’t be like this, guys…’

I knew better than anyone what would happen once these two went head-to-head. It ended well last time, but there was no guarantee that it would end the same way this time. In the end, I had no choice but to speak cautiously.

“It’s important to take a long break. Oh, look at the time. Let’s hop on the griffon. You, Ha-Yan, and Miss Elena should ride together. I’ll ride with Miss Hye-Jin, is that okay? What do you think, Miss Hye-Jin?” I asked.

“…”

“…”

“…”

“Hurry up and get on the griffon, Miss Hye-Jin,” I urged her.

“…”

“Hurry…!”

“I don’t think I’m comfortable with this arrangement, Sub Guild Master,” Jo Hye-Jin commented.

“I feel the same way, so just get on,” I told her.

After she got on, I grabbed her waist tightly. The three women seemed surprised, but they didn’t look like they were jealous. However, I couldn’t help but be glad that I wasn’t with the three women when I saw them ride on the griffon together.

“Don’t grab me too tight, Sub Guild Master. It’s uncomfortable,” requested Jo Hye-Jin.

The three women looked hurt for some reason.