Regressor Instruction Manual

Chapter 1314. The Magic Tower (27)

He definitely knew that I wasn't being sincere. After all, I wasn't acting like the same kid Big Boy was familiar with. My dazed, intoxicated face, the unnaturally upbeat tone of voice, and the crimson glow of the brand on my torso... all these pointed to the same conclusion—I wasn't being sincere.

Every sign screamed that my hypnosis seal was active.

‘I’m not in my right mind anymore. You know I don’t mean what I’m saying. I’m being controlled right now.’

Of course, it was still painful. Even knowing that it wasn’t real... even knowing that it couldn’t be true, Big Boy still looked like the sky had come crashing down on him.

Anger, grief, and a bitter trace of regret were all mixed together within him.

Big Boy had always believed that those who stayed with him would end up becoming miserable, so my words cut even deeper. He was feeling self-contemptuous; he was feeling regret over one wrong choice; he was afraid that perhaps my words were true after all, and he was questioning whether I was ever truly happy when I was with him.

Compared to that, swords and arrows flying from every direction were nothing. My words hurt him far more than those. Naturally, Song Soo-Kyung’s expression twisted into something sour.

‘What a twisted bastard.’

Even the way he positioned himself beside me felt like he was provoking Big Boy, like he was flaunting victory in this pointless war. It was the very definition of sore loser's behavior.

“Don’t listen to him, Big Boy!” Yoojin shouted.

“...”

“You know it’s not true,” Yoojin added.

“I... I know, damn it,” Big Boy mumbled.

“They used the retainer brand to brainwash the kid!” Carlton said.

“I said I know, you idiots!” Big Boy shouted. He said he knew, but the turmoil inside him remained. Their flawless coordination was slowly falling apart. The knights and mages under Song Soo-Kyung, who had been thrown into disarray, were reforming their formation.

Bit by bit, they pushed back Big Boy and Yoojin, rebuilding their defensive formation. The only reason Big Boy, Yoojin, and Carlton managed to gain the upper hand despite being outnumbered was that those knights couldn't respond properly to the ambush.

Had the situation been less desperate or had they been able to respond properly, this wouldn't have happened. Perhaps Song Soo-Kyung understood that, or perhaps he only wanted to test my loyalty.

Just then, his strange spell echoed out across the battlefield as he asked, “What do you think? If you wish, I could even return you to them..."

To the retainer who longed for his master’s affection, it was like a bolt out of the blue.

“N-No!” I shouted.

“Hahahahahaha. Oh? Really?” Song Soo-Kyung asked.

“I hate that... I don’t want that! I only want to stay with Master! I’ll never leave your side! Please, I beg you! Don’t send me away!” I begged.

“Hahahahaha! Is that so?” Song Soo-Kyung questioned.

“Th-They always leave me alone, day after day...” I said.

‘Why did you leave me alone? I’ve always been the type to get lonely so easily!’

“They only gave me bland hambier meat! But Master, you’re different! You’ll stay with me, won’t you? Always by my side, right?” I asked.

‘All they ever gave me was hambier meat!’

“They left the room messy, and it always stank! But I like you, Master! I want to stay with you forever!” I shouted.

‘Half-truth and half-lie!’

Big Boy’s heart was torn apart. If not for the lore that ensured I wouldn't use harsher words, he would have crumbled right there on the spot.

‘Song Soo-Kyung’s smiling wider and wider.’

Big Boy tried to shut out the boy’s voice, but no matter how hard he tried, his heart wavered.

And then...

“...”

“...”

‘N-No.’

It would be too obvious.

‘I’ve already done this before...’

Using it here was shameless.

‘How many times can the same cliche be recycled?’

However, cliches would never die. For the sake of a masterpiece, sometimes even the most overused trick had to be played, and when that moment was finally here, my body responded before I could even think.

‘Crocodile tears...’

Before I even decided whether to cry, the tears were already flowing out of my eyes.

“Heh...hehe... I love you, Master!” I cried out, forcing the words through sobs.

“I’ll stay with you forever!”

I smiled, even as the tears gushed out.

“I hate them! I hate those stupid people! I don’t want to be with them anymore! They left me alone, day after day!” I complained.

‘You hear that, Big Boy? My true feelings? Do you see my tears?’

“I’m the happiest when I’m with you, Master! I was born for you, and I’ll dedicate myself to you!” I declared.

“You... kid... you...” Big Boy muttered.

‘Do you see my tears?’

“I’ll think of nothing else. I’ll serve you and protect you. No one will ever take you away from me!” I shouted.

How come my high-pitched, energetic voice sounded so sorrowful? Was it because of the tears?

‘I knew this was going to work...’

Even I could feel that my performance carried immense force. It was as if I had broken through some unseen barrier, or perhaps it was by pure chance. I had no idea how a joyful tone could carry sorrow, but as a brainwashed retainer, my voice undeniably bled with grief. A cry for rescue. A plea for help. A yearning to be with his hyungs again.

‘Damn... this is what I’m talking about.’

The desperate weight of my voice naturally brought tears to Big Boy’s eyes. Just staring at me made him bawl, with tears and snot flying everywhere. He was unable to control his emotions even amidst the intense battle.

Carlton and Yoojin were the same. Even some of the knights and mages seemed shaken. My voice moved even the hearts of those who committed countless cruel and atrocious acts.

As absurd as it was, the battle itself slipped into a lull.

“I-I love the Master the most!” I yelled out.

‘It’s a one-man show.’

“So... so...” I muttered.

“That’s enough. Kid—”

“So, no one can separate me from Master...” I interrupted him.

“No more... Don’t say another word...” Big Boy said.

‘Boy hyung... that line was cool.’

“Heuk... kgh... heuk,” I cried.

The tears blurred my sight, yet Song Soo-Kyung’s face, flushed with excitement, was still perfectly clear. That bastard was biting his lip hard enough to bleed. Whether it was resentment, anger, or something else, Big Boy had to have felt like someone precious was being stolen from him.

Sure enough, he had succeeded in taking control of me, but my heart still leaned toward Big Boy’s side, and it was something he couldn’t stand.

Guys like him were always the same. They would get excited over nothing and were always desperate to give meaning to trivial things. Most of all, they loved to take things from others, yet hated being robbed themselves more than anything.

Song Soo-Kyung seemed to be trying to calm himself down, but clearly, he was failing to calm himself down.

‘Whoo... whoo...”

Breathing heavily, Song Soo-Kyung looked ready to explode, but in the end, he didn’t lash out.

‘Wow, he actually held it in.’

Instead, he seemed intent on giving Big Boy's group and me the cruelest end possible.

“This... has gotten boring,” Song Soo-Kyung commented.

‘Look at his twitching mouth. He looks like he wants to scream, but he’s holding it in. If he were alone, he’d be shouting already.’

“This ridiculous melodrama ends here,” Song Soo-Kyung added.

‘And yet the one most invested in this melodrama? It’s you.’

“What more needs to be said? This retainer already belongs to me,” Song Soo-Kyung said.

The fact that he even said that line meant that he was feeling pretty bitter.

“Kill them,” Song Soo-Kyung ordered.

“...”

“...”

‘This damned demon.’

Even the mages and knights, swept up in the drama, looked at Song Soo-Kyung with faces that seemed to be asking, “Are you serious?”

They were cursed monsters who practiced human sacrifice, but the small and warm light displayed by Retainer Ki-Young seemed to have awakened some faint desire to cling to decency inside them.

Killing Big Boy’s party was easy. From the start, those serial-killer bastards never hesitated to take lives. However, forcing me to kill them was something not even an average psychopath could come up with.

There was no real need for it, and yet he gave the order as if he were delivering judgement. Perhaps it was his way of punishing me, as part of me had betrayed him.

“You can do it, can’t you?” Song Soo-Kyung asked.

“Y-Yes! I can! For Master’s sake, I can do anything!” I answered.

However, my hands were trembling.

“Now... before you are the vermin standing in the way of your new beginning. A simple spell will wipe them out, right?” Song Soo-Kyung asked.

“Yes! Y-Yes!” I stuttered.

Slowly, I channeled a spell. Tears burst forth, spilling uncontrollably from my eyes, but my voice remained unnaturally energetic.

“They’re vermin blocking my new life with Master! They’re enemies who deserve to die! They're villains threatening Master!” I shouted. Had he noticed the hesitation in my heart? Before I knew it, Big Boy, Carlton, and Yoojin, cornered by the enemy, were silently glaring at Song Soo-Kyung.

They weren’t begging for their lives, and there was no fear of death in their eyes.

It seemed that the sight angered Song Soo-Kyung, as he yanked my hair violently and roared, “What are you doing?! Kill them already!”

“Yes! As you command!” I answered.

“I won’t say it a third time,” Song Soo-Kyung said.

Of course, I had no choice but to cast a spell. I couldn’t disobey Master’s orders. Even Big Boy looked like he was ready to surrender. Carlton and Yoojin looked the same.

What were they thinking? They were probably thinking about what they would do if they could turn back time.

Just then, Big Boy called out. “Hey, kid."

“...”

“Be happy,” Big Boy said.

“...”

“No matter what,” he added.

Swoosh!

The spell flew out of my hand, but it hit the knight beside Big Boy. it was an outcome born from a chain of coincidences. My hand simply trembled as I tried to fulfill Master's order, but hidden beneath my actions was the truth—for one fleeting moment, my feelings for Big Boy overcame the retainer brand.

Of course, Song Soo-Kyung couldn't have known that.

The instant I caught sight of his panicked face...

‘You haven’t lost yet!’

Big Boy rose to his feet. He wasn’t foolish enough to waste this chance. He snatched up the knight’s axe, lunged forward, and buried the axe in a mage’s face. Carlton unsheathed a dagger from his boots and stabbed it into the gap in a knight’s armor.

“Damn it!” Song Soo-Kyung cried out.

Big Boy hurled the heavy axe straight into Song Soo-Kyung's shoulder.

“Haaaaaaargh!”

‘What the hell was that scream?! Damn!’

With a sickening crack, the axe lodged deep into his shoulder blade.

“Damn it... damn it! Eeek... ahhhh!” Song Soo-Kyung screamed.

Like a third-rate villain, he flailed, trying desperately to flee. It was such a sorry sight that I almost wanted to spit on him. Then, from above, I heard footsteps. The idea of recognizing someone’s footsteps startled me, but somehow, they sounded like Kim Hyun-Sung’s footsteps.