Regressor Instruction Manual - Chapter 420. Problems From Above (3)

Beautiful scenery would eventually become boring, and it was what I felt at the sight of the scenery we passed by on the way to the capital. The mountains, cities, villages, and rivers became rather dull in my eyes.

Honestly, the scene I saw upon arriving at the capital was much better.

“Father Lee Ki-Young!”

“The Avatar of the Goddess!”

“The blessing of the Goddess of Benigoa!”

Obviously, I waved toward the denizens shouting at me from afar. I wanted to get off at the entrance and shake their hands, but it was sad that I couldn’t do that because of the urgent situation I had to handle.

“Hold on tight; we’re almost there,” Jo Hye-Jin said.

“Okay.”

“I don’t feel too comfortable with your tight grip on my waist. Please refrain from excessive physical contact,” she requested.

‘What do you want me to do, then?’

“I’m sorry,” I apologized.

“…”

“…”

While I was stewing in disappointment, the griffon finally landed on the former imperial palace’s grounds. The Imperial Palace of the Imperial Family had been converted into the residence of the Sacred Democratic Country’s leader, Oscar.

I could already see people who had come out to greet us—Senator Caitlyn, Senator Elise, Marilyn, and Oscar. I wasn’t sure if this was the right way to describe it, but it felt like Father Lee Ki-Young was finally returning to high society.

I also saw Kasugano Yuno, who arrived before us from Celia. People whom I consider to be important connections of mine had also been waiting for us to arrive.

“Father Lee Ki-Young.”

“It’s been a while, Miss Oscar. You didn’t have to come out to greet me…” I told her.

“No, it’s only right for me to come out and greet you. You’re the hero who saved the continent, after all. Are you alright?” Oscar asked.

“I’m still recovering, but it isn’t to the point that I can’t move at all. I’m sorry that it has taken me so long to come here,” I replied.

“No, I should be the one who should apologize. I’d like to serve you some tea first, but…” she paused.

“I’ll visit after I’m done with my tasks,” I said.

Oscar, formerly Aris the maid, brightened up. My comment about visiting her after my work was done definitely sounded sweet to her.

‘She’s still the same…’

Aside from her hairstyle that changed into a bob cut, she was still the same Aris I was familiar with, and of course, I also knew that she wasn’t just being hospitable when she offered to serve me some tea. As such, I smiled brightly at her.

I had to leave a good impression of everyone ahead of time so that if something untoward happened, I could take advantage of the good impression everyone had on me.

‘There’s really no need for me to take it that far, but…’

Oscar and I were pretty close, and it was obvious seeing that I was the one who put her in her position in the first place. Of course, she wasn’t the only one with a good relationship with me.

“Senator Caitlyn, Senator Elise, and Lady Marilyn! It’s been a while,” I greeted.

“It seems like as time passes, it’s getting harder to see you, Father Lee Ki-Young. Hehe,” Senator Caitlyn commented.

“Haha, why did your words sound like it has an underlying meaning, Senator Caitlyn? I’m sorry if I haven’t been able to visit. I don’t really have that much free time recently,” I said.

“My words have no underlying meaning at all. We know better than anyone that you’re doing a lot for the Democratic Country. Please consider it as a mistake I made out of longing. I was just missing you a lot,” she explained.

“You have no idea how much I missed having tea time with all of you. I kept thinking about you all while I was in the hospital,” I commented.

“Really, Father Lee Ki-Young?” Lady Marilyn asked.

“Of course, Lady Marilyn,” I replied.

“I’m sure it’s the same for Senator Marilyn, Father Lee Ki-Young. Every time we meet, she talks about you a lot. A tad bit too much, honestly,” Senator Caitlyn remarked.

“Really?” I asked.

“S-Sentor Caitlyn…!” Lady Marilyn exclaimed.

“See? Look at her blush!” Senator Caitlyn pointed out.

“Haha,” I laughed.

Lady Marilyn was still acting like she was in a romantic comedy movie shot in the 80s, and the way Senator Caitlyn and Senator Elise reacted to her behavior made me think that the latter two hadn’t changed as well.

The only difference I could see—if I were to nitpick—was the fact that their etiquette as nobles was almost gone, and I couldn’t help but be proud of them. After all, it was always admirable for people to adapt to the changing times.

Afterward, I turned around and greeted Kasugano Yuno and the others from Celia.

“It’s nice to see you again.”

“Yes, mas—I mean, Father Lee Ki-Young. Have you been well?” Yuno asked.

I formally greeted the others. I patted their shoulders and shared short and useless conversations with them before wishing them the best. My modus operandi when it came to maintaining my connections with them was still the same as well.

Cha Hee-Ra also started greeting the others, and while all this was going on, Jung Ha-Yan was staring quietly at Kasugano Yuno. It was probably because she recalled the incident from a long time ago. I gulped at the thought, but after seeing Jung Ha-Yan standing with confidence, I was finally able to breathe normally once again.

“By the way, Father Lee Ki-Young, how come you’re here at such short notice?” Oscar asked.

“Haha, I actually have business at the Vatican,” I replied.

“The Vatican?” she asked.

“Yes. I can’t tell you the details, but…” I paused.

“Seems like there’s a problem,” she commented.

“I’m sure it’s nothing serious, Miss Oscar. It’s nothing you need to concern yourself over,” I told her.

“I did get the feeling that the Vatican is experiencing some issues recently… I can’t be heavily involved since it’s an internal issue, but the atmosphere seemed heavy. Even His Holiness seemed to be filled with worry recently… Could you tell him that if he needs help, he can ask me anytime?” she requested.

“Of course. I’m sure Father Basel will gladly accept your help. Sometime today, there might be an official announcement,” I answered.

“Okay…”

‘Is he keeping it a secret even from her?’

I could somewhat understand his decision because the church and the state were separate in the Sacred Democratic Country.

‘I’m sure she has a lot on her mind as well.’

I could deduce Oscar’s thoughts from the way her partner had been pacing anxiously. I could also deduce that Father Basel was worried, even though he was doing a good job keeping calm.

Oscar said that it wasn’t her business, but I could see that she was uncomfortable.

I started walking slowly and saw people approaching from afar. Father Basel was approaching me along with the holy knights.

‘Why are there so many of them?’

Of course, they were just ordinary holy knights, but at this point, I couldn’t help but be suspicious of those holy knights as well. I believed that it wasn’t anything serious, but I had always been the type to think of the worst-case scenario. I started worrying about useless things. Obviously, there was no reason for me to worry about them at this point.

After all, even if something untoward happened…

‘I have enough power.’

There was no reason to make things worse by looking anxious, and right now, acting like my usual self would be more beneficial to me. I smiled brightly, and Father Basel smiled brightly as well. I wasn’t sure whether his smile was genuine or fake, but the suspicion in my heart was diminished ever so slightly. If Father Basel’s smile was genuine, then it meant that the Vatican wasn’t actively trying to get rid of me.

“Father Basel!”

“Father Lee Ki-Young!”

The way he shouted with such vigor was a surprise to me. He sounded like a sad baby bird waiting for its mother. Honestly, I was sure that even Romeo’s voice didn’t sound as emotional as he watched Juliet die.

Father Basel’s voice was filled with relief and longing. Of course, I could understand that he had been missing me since it had been a while since we saw each other. However, his reaction was better than I had expected, so I was relieved.

‘Nice.’

Father Basel picked up the pace, and the holy knights around him started walking faster as well. When I saw him up close, I realized that he had lost a lot of weight. He still looked clean, but I was sure that he hadn’t been able to sleep peacefully recently.

It had only been a week since we moved that Jin Cheong scum to the capital, but he already looked drastically different compared to what he looked just a week ago. To make things worse, he was crying, so it was clear that he had been suffering.

I gripped his hands tightly, and I felt like a grandson finally realizing that his grandfather was growing weaker as time went on, and it was amusing, but he greeted Oscar and the others while holding my hand.

His behavior was definitely odd, considering how Father Basel was the type of person who was meticulous enough not to make a rookie mistake like this. As such, my heart broke because his odd behavior proved that he had truly suffered a lot recently.

“You did a lot, Father Lee Ki-Young. I was worried because I couldn’t visit you in Lindel…” Father Basel said.

“It’s nothing for you to worry about, Father Basel. My condition is better than what people have been told. I would have felt more uncomfortable if you really came to Lindel,” I told him.

“Is that right? Ah, that’s understandable since you’re the type to think that way. I’m glad you’re here, Father Lee Ki-Young,” he said.

“Since it’s an issue within the Vatican, it’s my issue as well, so I can’t just stand by and watch, can I? I’m sure you’re worried a lot,” I said.

“You’re right. By the way, have you heard the Goddess of Benigoa’s voice recently?” he asked.

“Recently, yes… but I never imagined something that like this would happen. We should hurry and check out the situation rather than just standing here, Father Basel,” I suggested.

“You’re right. We don’t have time to stand around here like this. Let’s get going,” he agreed.

“Okay.”

We moved quickly, and my precious guards came with me. I let my guard down a bit after seeing Father Basel’s reaction, and if possible, it was best for us to move together.

The holy knights weren’t stopping us, so Father Basel had to have allowed the others to enter with me.

‘So he still trusts me that much. Not bad.’

“Father Basel, could you tell me exactly when the strange phenomenon happened?” I asked.

“Yes, it happened around 2 AM two days ago. A priest praying at the goddess statue discovered it first, and I saw the goddess crying ten minutes later. I feel ashamed for saying this, but I still haven’t figured out why this is happening. The heretic inquisitors and the priests above bishops are doing their best to look for clues, but…” he paused.

“…”

“We haven’t made any progress at all. The main chapel where the statue is located has been sealed. Only bishop-level priests can enter, and to prevent the rumors from spreading, we’ve been moving cautiously, but we can only do so much,” he continued.

‘He had no choice.’

Access to the main chapel was restricted, and the priests that were of bishop level and higher looked like they were deeply disturbed about something. It wasn’t strange that priests below the bishop level weren’t privy to the information.

As we continued walking, I started seeing priests with serious faces, and the deeper we walked into the path to the main chapel, the heavier the atmosphere became. I broke out into a cold sweat because the heavy atmosphere was starting to disturb me.

We eventually arrived at the main doors of the main chapel, and when it opened with Father Basel at the helm, I saw a ridiculous sight.

‘Why is she crying?’

I couldn’t help but stare agape at the strange and grotesque phenomenon.

‘Can I use that as a catalyst?’

Mind’s Eye was telling me that it could be used as a catalyst.