Regressor Instruction Manual

Chapter 1229. At the Continent (3)

‘They’re quick-witted.’

I couldn't help but feel impressed by their effortless reaction to my sudden words. Unlike the other guild members, who hesitated and fell silent, these guys cried and rushed to surround me.

However, it seemed that Jo Hye-Jin hadn't noticed something amiss. I never really thought that she was slow to notice things, but she probably didn’t have the luxury of time to realize what was going on.

‘I’m starting to... feel sorry.’

It was a spur-of-the-moment decision to tease Jo Hye-Jin, but her reaction was so genuine that I suddenly felt like I had gone too far.

“Sub... Guild Master...” Jo Hye-Jin mumbled and collapsed to the floor.

“Aaaaahhhhhhhh!” she screamed hysterically. She screamed so loudly that her voice teetered on the edge of cracking. She swung her hands frantically on the ground. I thought about squeezing a few tears out of her, but this?

It was like someone had turned on a faucet because her tears soaked the floor in no time.

“Ahh... heuk... ahhh... Ki-Young,” Jo Hye-Jin said, crying.

‘H-Hye-Jin...’

Her voice was heartbreaking as well. She couldn’t even speak properly; she just gasped and sobbed as if trying to swallow her grief. Now, she was practically crawling towards me, and the moment she reached me, the Park-Ki-Ri siblings realized that this had taken a bad turn.

The ones capable of taking a ribbing in stride turned pale at Jo Hye-Jin's reaction.

“H-Hye-Jin noonim...” Park Deok-Gu said.

“Un... ni...” Kim Ye-Ri mumbled.

Jo Hye-Jin ran over and pulled me into a tight hug.

And then, she said, “I’m sorry. I’m sorry... I’m sorry... sorry... I’m sorry... heuk... I’m sorry."

‘Shit, now I’ve done it.’

“I’m sorry, Ki-Young. I’m sorry, I’m sorry...” she said.

‘I’m in big trouble now.’

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry... sorry... I’m sorry... I-I-I’m... heuk... I’m...” she stuttered.

‘What should I do?’

'Should I just tell her the truth?'

It felt like the longer I dragged things out, the worse things were going to become.

‘I mean, I did go through a lot in Rohen.’

She probably wouldn't care about this prank, as I had basically returned from the dead. I believed she'd focus more on the fact that I made it back alive.

I did take it a bit too far, but Hye-Jin’s got a heart as big as the ocean. Besides, I had gotten younger, so I could probably get away with it by saying that my playful side just got the better of me.

“J-Just kidding...” I mumbled.

“...”

“I-I was just joking... Miss... Hye-Jin...” I said.

“...”

“Right? Deok-Gu, Ye-Ri...” I asked.

I thought that sharing the blame would be more effective, but Jo Hye-Jin’s face as she looked down at me was ice cold. Her eyes were indifferent, devoid of any emotion. Even the way she slowly peeled me off her arms and stood up felt cold and distant.

Honestly, it would have been better if she had gotten mad at me.

Just when the tension was becoming too much to bear, the pig said, “Th-That’s why I said... we shouldn’t do it! Geez! Hyung-nim...”

‘This pig just backstabbed me...’

“Maybe he couldn’t hold back teasing you because he got younger. I kept telling him I didn’t want to do it... tsk... but he was being so stubborn... Hyung-nim, you have to apologize to Hye-Jin noonim,” Park Deok-Gu demanded.

“You took it. Too far. This time. Mister. You shouldn’t...” Kim Ye-Ri chimed in.

“It’s not his fault, Miss Hye-Jin. It seems like his appearance wasn’t the only thing that changed during the process of returning here. I hope you won’t be too hard on him,” Ahn Ki-Mo said.

Even Kim Ye-Ri and Ahn Ki-Mo changed their attitudes.

They quickly criticized me as if this was the perfect moment to cut ties. At least they gave me a way out. Now that I thought about it, they were right. If I hadn’t gotten younger, I wouldn’t have pulled this prank.

What reason would I have to tease Jo Hye-Jin at a time like this?

“I-I think you’re right... A-Are you angry?” I asked.

“...”

“You see—”

“I’m glad you returned safely, sir,” Jo Hye-Jin interrupted me.

“...”

“Let’s head back to the guild for now,” she added.

‘She’s upset.’

Still, she wasn't completely upset from what I could see. Her eyes, for some reason, emanated a sense of relief.

“Alright. Let’s do as you say, Miss Hye-Jin. Is Miss Mi-Young doing well?” I asked.

“Yes, she’s been waiting for you, along with Miss Dialugia, Miss Dialuria, Mr. Max, and... Seraphim,” she answered.

‘How can she become cold-hearted so quickly?’

“If you don’t mind, Miss Jung Ha-Yan,” Jo Hye-Jin requested.

I actually wanted to spend more time in Laves, but Jung Ha-Yan nodded and immediately cast a spell.

We instantly landed inside the guild house.

‘She could’ve just waited here.’

Was it really necessary for her to run all the way to Laves?

Anyway, I greeted the familiar faces inside the guild.

“Ah, Dad!” Dialuria greeted.

“Father,” Max greeted.

Dialuria and Max were the first ones to run up to me and hug me.

“Dad... became younger? What happened to you, Dad?” Dialuria asked.

Thankfully, I was taller than Max.

After greeting Cherubim, Thronus, and Dominions, I saw Seraphim waving at me from a distance.

I didn’t really want to greet Seraphim, but Ha-Yan was with me. Perhaps he had been missing his mom just as much as me, as he clung tightly to Jung Ha-Yan and Han Sora before crying his eyes out.

The ones who really suffered were the three siblings who crossed over, but his crocodile tears... were pretty impressive. For now, the five little kids seemed to be feeling awkward about the changes to my body.

They probably couldn’t get used to seeing their once dignified and charismatic father looking so small, and it even seemed like the three Outer Gods were hesitant to come near me.

'I'm almost as tall as Dominions.'

Cherubim and Thronus were actually taller than me now. At least they knelt down to celebrate my return, so I managed to pat their heads. They seemed happy, and I could see that through their fluttering wings, but unfortunately, I didn’t have much time to spend with them.

I had to explain to my party members why my body had ended up shrinking.

I avoided Dialugia’s nagging stare and repeated the earlier explanation. Although they looked a bit puzzled, since all sorts of strange things often happened on the continent, it wasn’t that surprising. Soon, I saw the others nodding in understanding.

“Thank you for all your hard work, Mr. Lee Ki-Young,” Kim Mi-Young said.

“Thank you for your hard work as well, Miss Kim Mi-Young,” I said.

“Hyung-nim, does this mean we’re going to have a party today?!” Park Deok-Gu asked.

“I think it’s best if we save the party once Mr. Lee Ki-Young has gotten enough rest. Just eating together is fine, but...” Sun Hee-Young paused.

“Miss Hee-Young is right. I enjoy the lively atmosphere, but I want to rest a bit for now. I just got back here, after all. Miss Kim Mi-Young—”

“I’ve already placed the report in your office,” Kim Mi-Young informed me.

“Ah, I see. I actually wanted to have a quiet day today... Looks like I’ll have to push it back after getting some work done,” I said.

‘I’d expect nothing less from Miss Kim Mi-Young.’

It was like she already knew when I was going to return and had prepared everything for me. It wasn’t like she was in a hurry to prepare the report, as I showed up all of a sudden. Creating a daily report and placing that report in my office had probably become a daily habit for her.

“Did anything unusual happen?” I asked.

“Nothing you need to worry about. We did have some issues, but they weren’t anything that needed your attention. More importantly, when should we prepare the meal?” Kim Mi-Young asked.

“Let’s just eat right—no, let’s meet in an hour. I’d like to wash up... and take care of some personal matters...” I answered.

“Okay.”

‘Everything seems okay for now...’

“O-Oppa... do you need me to help?” Jung Ha-Yan asked.

“No, it’s fine, Ha-Yan,” I told her.

“Y-You don’t need to refuse. I-It might be difficult for you since you suddenly became small,” she stuttered.

‘It’s not because of me.’

“Then can you cast a spell?” I asked.

“Ah...! Ah... ah... yes,” she answered.

I had already heard it from Ji-Hye noona, so Kim Hyun-Sung’s behavior didn’t come as much of a surprise, but it was hard to ignore the awkward tension in the air.

Even Jo Hye-Jin and Kim Mi-Young picked up on the strange, indescribable mood.

It wouldn't take a genius to realize that Kim Hyun-Sung was being left out.

Seeing Kim Ye-Ri and Sun Hee-Young speaking seriously in a corner, they were definitely discussing what had happened in Rohen. They were probably talking about how Kim Hyun-Sung was still unstable.

If they wanted the others to understand, they would have to explain the situation first.

It wasn’t like I couldn’t understand where the other guild members were coming from.

From their perspective, Kim Hyun-Sung had to have looked unstable. Even Kim Hyun-Sung seemed like he couldn't trust himself, so one could say that he was implicitly agreeing with their concerns.

Back then, he wouldn't stop shouting that the perfectly fine Lee Ki-Young was a fake one. He then became violent and killed the commander of the 21st Legion before descending upon Rohen as a demon.

He acted on his own and ignored the advice of the guild members.

To make matters worse, the results weren’t exactly that great.

‘I can’t exactly say that I'm faultless here...'

Regardless of whether I was real or fake, his rampage had clearly gone over the line. I could understand why Kim Hyun-Sung made such choices, but would the other guild members see it the same way as me?

‘His actions were pretty extreme.’

Kim Hyun-Sung looked like a ticking time bomb, so the fact that he was quietly sitting with everyone was already a relief in itself.

It was only natural to feel like something needed to be salvaged. I could ease the mood a bit, but the biggest barrier was Kim Hyun-Sung’s own defensiveness.

It wasn't like I could just step in and defend him. It would feel too forced. It could also make things worse and spark further resentment. It felt better to just leave things alone than to patch things awkwardly.

‘But still...’

“O-Oppa...you should eat,” Jung Ha-Yan said.

“...”

“I-I’ll feed you."

“...”

“Make sure to chew, o-okay? D-Don’t be picky!” Jung Ha-Yan nagged.

‘I didn’t think that they'll seat me so far away from him...’

The guild members were gathered around the large table, while Kim Hyun-Sung was the only one eating far away from me.

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