Regressor Instruction Manual

Chapter 1375. An Unexpected Debut (10)

'You really want to see me lose my mind, don’t you?'

‘You want to see Lady Peneloti go on a rampage, right?’

'That’s what you’re after, isn’t it?'

Marquis Jayce set up the board with a satisfied smile. Anyone could tell that it wasn’t an act. His expression said everything; he was genuinely looking forward to facing a worthy rival again and enjoying a good game.

His lips curled loosely as he fiddled with the board and pieces. The way he looked at Aina Peneloti was filled with anticipation. A genius and a cursed third daughter whom he considered one of his kind. He seemed curious to see what kind of performance she would deliver and if she could even meet his expectations.

In that sense, it was understandable that Second Life Commander Jin had decided to run away. Regardless of what could happen in this gate, he couldn’t stand the idea of himself getting involved with Aina Peneloti.

If he ended up playing the game himself and Jayce became more fascinated with her, he would see that damned scene unfold. I was sure the anxiety of knowing that something like that could happen was gnawing at him.

As always, he probably told himself that he wouldn’t pay attention to me.

‘But come on—does he really think that stepping out will calm the raging storm?’

The problem was that his actions were meaningless.

‘Once Aina Peneloti takes a passenger aboard, there’s no such thing as stopping or slowing down.’

As soon as Marquis Jayce was on the train, Aina Peneloti would blow her whistle and charge down the track. She would become impossible to stop. Of course, Second Life Commander Jin being uncooperative wasn't anything new. It was actually laughable that I spent some energy just to mess with him, but I couldn't overlook his sin of refusing my request.

‘Damn it. So you need to see something you can’t unsee to come to your senses, huh?’

Naturally, my eyes went back to First Life Commander Jin.

‘Could I possibly set this guy up?’

I couldn’t make a clear decision. The idea that he’d easily feel romantic interest in anyone was absurd. At least, getting him intrigued with someone like Aina Peneloti wouldn’t be difficult. Even without me doing anything, he was already in a position where he wanted to have her.

And that aligned perfectly with my own interests...

I had to surpass Marquis Jayce, after all.

‘So maybe I shouldn’t overdo it. Just throw it out there and watch.’

While I was deep in thought, First Life Commander Jin asked, “Then... may I begin?”

“Yes. Of course,” I answered.

‘I don’t need your help anyway, damn it.’

Beating a veteran of this game felt like an impossible task, but today's Peneloti was different from the Ki-Young of back then. Thanks to her stats, she was smarter than the Ki-Young back then, and she had also accumulated plenty of experience through real battles. Her understanding of the game itself had changed as well.

Above all, this was Peneloti’s first time playing this game, so even showing the slightest hint of potential would make him absolutely thrilled.

“Hmm...”

“...”

The most important thing was staying in character—cold genius mode.

Once the game began, I didn’t blink an eye and cast my full attention on the board. I let my brutality and ruthlessness unfold freely. Everything that could be used, I made use of it. Any troops I could throw away, I threw them away without any hesitation; even the units meant for supply were hurled straight onto the battlefield.

The inexperienced Ki-Young back then had thrown everything away and fled, but Aina Peneloti had abandoned everything for just one goal—to seize the king’s head. Within this war, Aina Peneloti was a goal-driven individual. She was merciless, cruel, and the embodiment of violence.

First Life Commander Jin’s lips curved upward. Was it because he caught a glimpse of the fragments of her nature that even she herself had yet to realize? Or was it because he found himself drawn to this young lady who refused to cower before him?

‘A monster.’

He had to be thinking that way. According to Aina Peneloti's character, a monster lay hidden inside her, and I was carrying out that role perfectly.

This social misfit, incapable of genuine communication through ordinary means, believed like a fool that he could have a real conversation through a game.

As for me, someone still within the bounds of normalcy, I couldn't imagine how he felt like he was talking with Aina Peneloti right now. It was completely different from the path I had taken, which was to reject communication altogether.

‘Delicate and pure, but there’s something damned enormous lurking inside her.’

Of course, a simple genius or monster moment wasn't all that popular. It was also necessary to show that Aina Peneloti carried a deep wound.

In any genre, a heroine with that position had to carry a scar. I knew Marquis Jayce would take the bait I had thrown. Why was Peneloti so familiar with blind chess? How had she grown to the point where she could visualize five boards in her head? Why was she being so unyielding and destructive throughout this entire game?

It wouldn’t take him long to reach the answer.

The answer was simple. It was all because Peneloti had always been alone.

There was nothing around her but herself. As the cursed third daughter, she had let no one come close, and her heart, unlike her composed demeanor, had long since rotted away.

Aina Peneloti was clumsy at conversation. Not just in actual speech, but in this game as well. She didn’t know how to be considerate of other people. No, she had simply grown up that way. She had to have been playing chess in her mind, alone, in a dark room.

The young lady only knew how to talk to herself, which was why she was clumsy. Rather than reading her opponent, predicting the next move and the one after that, and drawing a grand strategy, she preferred to bite the throat of whoever stood in front of her.

She had never cherished herself, which was why she was clumsy. Her lack of fear in losing pieces, her refusal to flinch from pain as she drove her claws into her enemy's body... all these stemmed from the fact that she believed she was worthless.

“Ha... hahaha...”

Marquis Jayce let out a laugh without even realizing it. Goosebumps rose on the back of his hand. He was clearly imagining it. He was imagining the moment the young lady matured and revealed the monster inside her to the world.

“You’re quite an interesting person, Lady Peneloti,” Marquis Jayce commented.

“Huh? Am I? I’m not sure... I feel like I keep falling behind...” I muttered.

“That’s only natural. This is your first time playing this game, after all,” he said.

‘You bastard. You sure didn’t talk like that when I was the one getting crushed.’

“Pardon?” I asked.

“This is... truly entertaining,” he said.

‘Entertaining, my ass. What the hell do you find so fun, you pathetic nerd.’

“Tell me, Lady Peneloti—how do I appear in your eyes?” he asked.

‘What’s with that question all of a sudden?’

“Uh... you seem kind...” I answered.

“No, that’s not what I meant. I’d like to know what you’ve felt throughout the course of this game,” he clarified.

“Well... I’m not sure,” I said.

“...”

“Marquis Jayce, you seem... methodical and thorough. You never stop thinking, and I feel like you have a need to keep everything under your control. Above all, you don’t like unpredictability.

"Even now, the moment my words strayed from your plan, you immediately restructured the board, even though you were already in a favorable position,” I continued.

“...”

“And...” I said.

“Yes?”

“And...” I repeated.

“...”

“I-it’s a bit presumptuous of me to say this, but...” I paused.

“Go on, Lady Peneloti. You may speak freely,” he urged.

‘Here it comes, damn it.’

“You seemed... a little lonely. O-of course, I could be mistaken, but... somehow, the way you play, it feels... lonely,” I continued.

“...”

“...”

Marquis Jayce remained silent.

“O-of course, someone like you, Marquis Jayce, can't possibly be lonely. Heh... please, just forget what I said. If I had to make an excuse... maybe I said that because I’m the one who’s lonely. I’ve always... been alone. So... having you come here like this, spending time with me... I’m really grateful for that,” I added.

‘Looks like that hit a nerve.’

“But still... if you spend time with someone like me, you’ll probably get bored. It can’t be fun for you. We’re supposed to be enjoying the time together, but I’m not good at things like this... I must have made you bored, talking about useless things like this...” I said.

“....”

“M-Marquise Jayce, I’m so grateful for your kindness. I’m honored that you think so highly of me, but I don’t think I’m as great as you imagine. I can’t make you happy. I don’t deserve it, and I don’t know how. I’m used to being alone. As you know... m-my curse,” I mentioned.

Panicking Ki-Young-loti!

“Ah... w-what am I saying...” I stammered.

Face flushing bright red!

“...”

Melancholic Peneloti!

However, Marquis Jayce said nothing and only took a closer look at Aina Peneloti’s face. Then, he silently moved his piece to continue the game. Naturally, Peneloti, head bowed, continued the match with him. Meanwhile, the quartet—Paint, Pastel, Brush, and Palette—were dozing on the sofa. They huddled together to keep warm.

‘Wow, the sun’s coming up. Is this okay? Did he sneak in at eleven on purpose to seal the deal and then hole up here until now?’

First Life Commander Jin looked bewildered. He probably hadn't expected to spend this much time at the Black Rose Salon, and the game was still ongoing. Of course, the outcome was clearly tipping in the favor of one player, but First Life Commander Jin had always been the kind of person who had to see something through.

Hence, he looked very uneasy.

‘So, are you not leaving, damn it?’

If he were to stay here any longer, it’d be even harder for him to get out later. If anyone ended up seeing him leave the Black Rose Salon in the morning, Lady Peneloti could get caught up in a scandal.

It was impossible to suppress such rumors; whispers would spread through the ballroom, but acknowledging it and trying to hide it were two different things.

‘Damn it, I have to make him leave.’

I was worried that this idiot would end up holding me back. I had yet to reach Kim Hyun-Sung, after all.

“T-the sun is rising, Marquis Jayce,” I told him.

I had to run out to the balcony with a bright smile. The sky was brightening up, and the world was being dyed in an orange hue. There was no way he would just stay here. After all, he couldn’t possibly spend the entire day just to finish this game.

Even this unpredictable dumbass had come this far for a reason. He had something to do, and he could no longer afford to spend time on Peneloti.

“...”

“...”

“May I... stay on the balcony for a moment?” Marquis Jayce asked.

“Yes. Of course. I-I really like the morning sky when the sun starts rising...” I said.

“I also think it’s beautiful. It looks as if the world itself is being dyed orange,” he commented.

“Ah... y-yes, that’s true. But, Marquis! Of course, the sky is beautiful, but...” I paused.

“Yes?”

“When the sun rises, shadows... start to appear,” I continued.

“Ah...”

“I like that,” I added.

“...”

“My manor has always been dark. At night, it'll become so dark I can't see anything. I-I was always alone... It’s embarrassing to say this, but... the shadows... they somehow make me feel like I’m not alone...” I confessed.

Aina Peneloti’s emotions rose slightly.

“That’s why—that’s why I like the moment when day breaks!” I shouted.

A fresh, bright smile from Peneloti!

Pure, clueless, adorable, and impulsive Peneloti!

Of course, it was only natural for Marquis Jayce to feel surprised.

‘W-why did I say that? Am I crazy, Peneloti? What are you even doing?!’

She wasn’t that close to Marquis Jayce yet. Saying things like she liked the shadows, the sunrise, feeling lonely from being alone, and that her manor was dark—Aina Peneloti knew perfectly well how embarrassing those words were.

How could she have blurted all those things to someone she just met today?

Her face was bound to flush bright red from embarrassment and a needless sense of shame, but given her character, her behavior wasn’t unnatural at all. Marquis Jayce wouldn’t sense anything odd either. They hadn’t just exchanged words; they had spent the whole night talking in a special way.

“I-I’m talking nonsense again...” I mumbled.

“...”

“I-I’m... a little... e-embarrassed...” I stuttered.

‘C-chotto... hazukashi...[1]’

For Aina Peneloti, this moment made her feel like she had become closer to him.

Her face was redder than normal, and it was probably due to the sun.

Marquis Jayce turned to Lady Peneloti and carefully said, “Lady Peneloti.”

“...”

“...”

“...”

“Today... was not boring,” he said.

“Ah...”

“I mean to say that it was fun. So... you need not worry too much,” he reassured me.

A non-iconic line that somehow felt iconic.

“...”

“...”

‘T-this guy... damn, he’s warm.’

That was the only thought I could have in this moment.

1. It means "a little embarrassed" or "a bit shy" in Japanese. ☜