Chapter 75 |
◈ Everyone Else is a Regressor (75)
When KiJun, donning his mask once again, returned to the room with Cyntilla, the lord teased him, saying that Única had been restless the moment the two of them stepped out together.
"You're quicker than I thought. When did you charm our butler?"
"Lord, you might be greatly mistaken."
KiJun replied in a gloomy voice, and shook his head from side to side towards Única, who was still restless, indicating that things hadn't gone well.
KiJun, who answered Única's questioning gaze with a look that said she wouldn't believe him even if he told her the truth, reported to the lord in a displeased tone.
"Aha, I had guessed as much. She is a Flame Summon, well-known even on this continent. She will be of great help."
Indeed, while KiJun was posing as a Flame Human, she was hiding her identity as a Flame Human and acting as a Summon.
...Wouldn't it be just perfect to take them both down if they stick together?
Moreover, since KiJun wasn't actually a Flame Human, it would put Cyntilla in unilateral danger.
So, for her safety, it would be better if they stayed apart...
"Don't worry, I've heard about dealing with vampires. You know, Jun, our race's flames are especially strong against those vile beings."
Cyntilla didn't seem to have any intention of doing so.
No, seeing that she came to him prepared to protect him from now on, considering she had been suffering alone until now, it might have been her intention from the start to face any danger that might come from being with KiJun.
—But, as much as I hate to admit it, among all the people I've met since coming to Reta, she seems to be the strongest.
'That's the problem.'
KiJun frowned deeply, agreeing with Lucy's words.
KiJun was confident in his ability to gauge others' capabilities, as he possessed legendary-grade mana and spirit power, but Cyntilla seemed to possess strength beyond the unique grade.
Among them, quite high-ranking, to the extent that he suspected one or two of her statuses might be of legendary grade.
If her job was also high-grade, and perhaps if she had legendary-grade skills... it would make for a good match with KiJun.
'Unless I overwhelm her, I won't be able to easily chase her away...'
—And besides, it's questionable whether this woman will seriously contend with the Contractor.
So, the conclusion was the same.
There was no way to immediately separate this woman from KiJun.
"Sigh... Then, let's leave it at that for today and disperse."
"No, actually, there's still business to attend to."
KiJun, who didn't care about Flame Humans or Vampires and just wanted to rest alone if possible, was held back by the clueless lord.
"A person from the small town of Ars in the east of Gratia is supposed to come. I wanted you to meet her together."
"Have you already involved another town's lord?"
"Not a lord, but the Mercenary Guild."
KiJun blinked, not understanding the lord's words.
Why was the lord in contact with a mercenary guild?
Of course, it's possible to collaborate with a mercenary guild, but why one from another town?
That seemed very strange.
"Listen, Jun. As you've discovered, there are already vampires disguising themselves as citizens, even summons, within the Gratia Kingdom."
"That's right."
"With that situation, it's difficult to inform the entire nation and prepare for a massive vampire assault. We don't know how far the vampires have infiltrated this country."
"I can identify vampires."
"Who would believe that besides me and our butler? What if a person of power turns out to be a vampire and turns the tables on us?"
Why involve Única?
But KiJun understood what the lord wanted to say.
"If this fact becomes known, the worst-case scenario could lead to changes in the vampires' plans... I need to be careful even about whom I talk to."
"Considering the vampires tried to contact you this time, their plans might have already changed. So we need to be even more cautious from now on."
KiJun nodded at the lord's words and then asked again.
"So, the person you've carefully chosen is from a mercenary guild in a small town on the opposite side of Turris?"
"A very reliable selection. You know the administrative officer of our city's mercenary guild, right?"
"Ah."
A Half-Nymph.
According to the administrative officer, those with Nymph's blood are very sensitive to good and evil.
"So, the person from the Ars guild too?"
"Yes, she has Nymph's blood. I understand she's the Deputy Master. This time, she contacted me through the administrative officer after having a tough time with the dungeon boss and even a guild employee turning out to be a vampire."
KiJun felt a sense of irony at those words.
"An employee... So, while they have the ability to judge good and evil, they couldn't immediately identify a vampire."
"It pains me to say this, but didn't Tolchi spend several years as a knight in our domain? Just having the ability to distinguish good from evil isn't enough to condemn and punish someone as a criminal."
The lord ended the discussion with a low blow, leaving KiJun with no room for rebuttal.
Good and evil can never be the sole criteria for punishment.
Understanding this, KiJun couldn't hide his complex feelings, but the lord smiled and added,
"Instead, it's possible to choose whom to trust and talk to. That's why those with Nymph's blood are helpful in this matter."
"Indeed."
Just then, someone knocked on the reception room door, and a soldier entered to announce the arrival of a guest.
The lord nodded and said to KiJun,
"Right on time. Let's meet together."
He tapped the seat next to him, signaling for KiJun to come and sit.
KiJun found his friendly demeanor burdensome and had not forgotten the grudge of being handed the minefield named Cyntilla, but since the lord had not intended any harm to KiJun, he reluctantly sat down.
Then, as if Única and Cyntilla had agreed, they stood behind the sofa where they were seated.
"Cyntilla, it's uncomfortable, so please don't..."
"It's better for protecting you this way. And feel free to speak casually."
Cyntilla said with a reliable smile, but the sight of Única glaring at him was too much for KiJun to bear.
He wanted to put a mask on Única right then, but the limitation on the mask's use was a source of eternal regret.
Just then, the reception room door opened, and two women entered.
One was a beautiful young woman with smooth blond hair and pointed ears, resembling the administrative officer of the Turris Mercenary Guild, and the other was a striking human woman with jet-black hair and eyes.
But more astonishing than her being human was...
'Is that JiHye?!'
She was the mage JiHye, who had been in the same party as KiJun during the first tutorial!
How could this be?
Come to think of it, didn't they say half of the Earthlings were summoned to the east of Gratia?!
But honestly, if there were to be a reunion, KiJun had thought he'd meet Min before JiHye...!
Caught off guard by this unexpected reunion, KiJun had a bewildered expression as the Nymph woman, having greeted the lord, extended her hand to him.
"You must be the Flame Human Jun, who's been making quite a stir recently. Nice to meet you. I'm Bella, the Deputy Master of the Ars Mercenary Guild."
"I’m Jun."
KiJun wanted to immediately throw off his mask, hug JiHye, and reveal his identity, but he couldn't in this situation.
Suppressing his impulse with superhuman patience, KiJun briefly stated his alias and shook hands with her.
JiHye seemed to tilt her head at the sound of KiJun's voice, but it was impossible for her to recognize him just from his voice and alias after 10 years.
"This is the first time I've met someone like this."
"Hmm?"
Meanwhile, Bella seemed to take an interest in KiJun, examining him as if he were fascinating, and then smiled satisfactorily.
"No wonder you were chosen by the legendary beast. I'm impressed, Lord of Turris."
"He came to me. I'm grateful."
"Before we get into the main topic... who is everyone here?"
"One is my daughter, and the other is bound by fate with Jun here."
"Of course. My life is with him."
KiJun wanted to shout out loud that he wished she wouldn't do that, but no one seemed to understand his feelings.
"And the person behind you?"
"She's someone who eradicated the vampires hiding in the guild and brought me the report. You can trust her."
With Bella's introduction, JiHye bowed her head.
Surely JiHye wasn't hunting vampires alone, so there must be other party members with her, right?
KiJun was dying to ask her how she ended up encountering vampires, but he had to suppress his curiosity for now.
"I thought I sensed a strong mana aura, and indeed, it's someone who has accomplished great feats."
"You flatter me."
"Hehe. The ability verification is already complete, and you'll be able to perform well on the field. Now, shall we get to the main point?"
Bella began a serious discussion with the lord about the vampire invasion, and KiJun had to join in to share everything that had happened so far.
KiJun's exploits were hard to believe, but his achievement of hunting a legendary beast added a high degree of credibility.
After revealing his vampire hunting record, his current party composition, and even his plan to infiltrate the vampire kingdom, Bella pondered for a moment and then asked.
"What do you think, JiHye?"
She suddenly turned and asked JiHye, who had been listening to the conversation.
"Me? What do you mean...?"
"It seems there's a vacancy in the party. How about you join them?"
"Me?!"
JiHye exclaimed in surprise.
"It's a great opportunity, but I already belong to a party...!"
"You won't be able to return to your original party until this situation is resolved. So, I'm asking if you'd like to help Jun, who is central to this 'quest'. Our paths will overlap a lot."
"Um, well, but I lack the ability, and even if Bella says so, wouldn't the others be inconvenienced? Moreover, depending on the quest's progress, my party could play a significant role, so leaving them would be too unfair to my comrades...!"
KiJun knew JiHye.
Right now, she was desperately trying to avoid joining a party with KiJun, who was likely to take on the most dangerous role in this quest!
Of course, she had a strong sense of loyalty and would not hesitate to face danger for her comrades, but she didn't know that the Flame Human Jun she was facing was 'KiJun'!
"Hoh."
As expected, the lord responded positively.
"I was just thinking that Jun's party needed a mage. If she's an individual whose character and abilities have been verified, there's no reason to refuse! What do you think, Jun?"
"Hmm."
KiJun pretended to be deep in thought, bringing his hand to his chin and tilting his head, causing anxious JiHye to tilt her head as well.
This time in the opposite direction, and JiHye's gaze followed suit.
This is fun.
KiJun wanted to tease her a bit more, but he realized he just wanted to vent his frustration caused by Cyntilla and stopped the joke, smiling bitterly.
"If she's an outstanding mage, I have no reason to refuse. Let's test her abilities. There are things summons want to discuss... Bella, may I borrow her for a moment?"
"Of course!"
Bella, pleased to see the talents she had noticed working together, smiled and nodded, and JiHye, realizing she couldn't go against the flow, slumped her shoulders in resignation and nodded.
"It's an honor to have my abilities evaluated by Jun... I suppose..."
"Yes, take it as an honor."
Cyntilla nodded heavily, as if she had been fighting alongside him for five years.
KiJun had a lot he wanted to say, but he suppressed it all and stood up.
"Then follow me."
[Bice♥(Dimensional Waiting Room): I just got a bad feeling. Chills ran down my spine.]
[Bice♥(Dimensional Waiting Room): Jun, are you okay? Didn't get hurt anywhere?]
[Bice♥(Dimensional Waiting Room): Didn't meet any dangerous people?]
[Bice♥(Dimensional Waiting Room): It's always when things like this happen that you don't check messages, you bad guy.]
[Bice♥(Dimensional Waiting Room): (Message deleted.)]
[Bice♥(Dimensional Waiting Room): You bad guy...]
[Bice♥(Dimensional Waiting Room): Oh? Nabang's here.]
...
[Bice♥(Dimensional Waiting Room): Jun? Forget what I said about being a bad guy.]
[Bice♥(Dimensional Waiting Room): You know my heart, right?]
[Bice♥(Dimensional Waiting Room): The braised ribs are delicious.]
[Bice♥(Dimensional Waiting Room): So delicious.]
[Bice♥(Dimensional Waiting Room): Your cooking is like magic.]
[Bice♥(Dimensional Waiting Room): What kind of magic?]
[Bice♥(Dimensional Waiting Room): Ah.]
[Bice♥(Dimensional Waiting Room): I was going to delete it, but why do you see it at times like this?!]
[Bice♥(Dimensional Waiting Room): Don't ask what kind of magic. I won't tell you.]
[Bice♥(Dimensional Rift): I said I won't tell you?!]
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