Regressor Instruction Manual

Chapter 1482. Backstage (3) [Illustration]

I hadn't made this assumption based on just Kim Hyun-Sung's reaction. His fear and the fact that he looked like he wanted to run away stood out the most, but the sight before me told me enough information to accurately guess that I was staring at Kim Hyun-Sung during the purge.

His face alone was enough for me to tell that he wasn’t the Kim Hyun-Sung I knew.

Of course, First Life Kim Hyun-Sung was already foreign enough, and I had even wondered whether he truly was the Northern Grand Duke, but the Kim Hyun-Sung before me was just too... different. His expression was stiff, and his eyes looked no different from those of murderers and psychopaths.

If someone were to tell me that I was staring at Brigade Kim Hyun-Sung, I'd believe them.

I even found myself wondering whether the secret he couldn’t tell me was that he had once operated as part of the Murder Brigade. He looked beyond merely cold; he resembled a professional assassin.

Even if one placed him next to Jung Jin-Ho, he wouldn’t be out of place. Judging by the timing, he seemed to be about twenty-three or twenty-four years old, which made it all the more shocking.

I remembered the twenty-two-year-old Kim Hyun-Sung crying and panicking before running away to hide, and he was a pure soul. I even remembered him charging at monsters, shouting for his brother, but where had that Kim Hyun-Sung gone?

How come he was replaced by Psychopath Kim Hyun-Sung? Of course, I couldn’t deny that many things had happened in those few years.

I could say with certainty that he had seen, felt, and experienced far more in that short span than in the twenty-two years of his life, but still, it was hard to believe a person could change so drastically in such a short time.

I couldn’t recognize his face. He looked as if he were forcefully suppressing his anger, and his eyes were so cold that they seemed frozen solid.

There even seemed to be a trace of fear within them, and a defensive instinct to protect himself, but such explanations felt almost meaningless in the face of the chilling aura he emanated.

— Who sent you?

— Kgh...

— I asked who sent you.

— ...

— Celia? Or a noble of the Empire?

— Can’t... speak... The seal... the restriction... P-please... spare...

Swoosh.

Kim Hyun-Sung drove a dagger into the neck of the assassin who came in the middle of the night. Astonishingly, his face showed no emotions at all. It wasn’t as if this were the first or second time he had killed someone, so it wasn’t exactly shocking, but he had just taken a precious life, so this was a disturbing sight.

He didn’t even finish him off. He could have ended it, but he simply left him alone.

The assassin with a dagger lodged in his throat gasped for air while bleeding out. Kim Hyun-Sung paid him little attention. As if he was preparing to start his day, he stood before the washbasin and looked into the mirror.

— Kgh... kgh... kh...

— ...

— Grrk...

The disturbing noise made by regurgitating blood echoed loudly in the room. After a quick wash, Kim Hyun-Sung immediately headed outside, ignoring the noises. Even though it was still around four in the early morning and he was woken rudely, he did not look groggy or uncomfortable.

The guild staffers were already waiting for him. It was like they knew Kim Hyun-Sung's waking hours.

— There’s an assassin inside. Please take care of it.

— Ah... y-yes... sir. S-sorry, Guild Master.

— Prepare a meal.

‘Will you even be able to eat?’

“Yes, sir... We’ll... prepare it... r-right away. T-the meal...

— I'll eat in the office.

— Y-yes, sir.

‘What’s with this atmosphere?’

— Any special reports?

— N-no, sir... none.

‘Why is it so tense? Where did the family-like Blue Guild go...’

— ...

— ...

‘Is this really the Blue Guild?’

The air felt strangely dark. No, more than that, the guild staff couldn’t hide their fear of Kim Hyun-Sung. They were sensitive even to the sound of his breathing, and they even flinched at his footsteps. It was probably due to the unique aura he carried, but to me, it looked more like they were afraid of being caught making a mistake.

'What is he, some kind of tyrant? Still, it's not like he kills people for no reason.'

— G-Guild Master... should we prepare your usual meal...?

— Taste it first.

— Y-yes, sir...

'See? So many assassins are coming after him, so of course, he'll be on edge.'

— ...

— ...

— T-then I'll take my leave.

I was sure a few assassins had laundered their identities and infiltrated as staffers, and there had to have been others who were paid to become assassins but were real staffers at first.

In many ways, this period of time could only be described as a lawless age.

The state of the guild was enough for me to understand the situation. The guild house still bore the scars of battle that had yet to fade.

When I had just become a part of the Blue Guild, the guild seemed capable of taking care of itself, but now, even that was no longer apparent. It didn’t look like they had the gold or the leeway to repair the guild house, and it seemed many staff members had already been let go.

Even the scenery beyond the window was no different. Lindel looked utterly devastated. To exaggerate a little, it felt as though the entire city had turned into a slum.

There was a reason the guild staff, despite being afraid of Kim Hyun-Sung, still remained with the Blue Guild. The world outside was a complete mess. The Blue Guild wasn’t the only one. There was a high chance that all of Lindel was in the same situation.

In other words, being driven out of the guild meant immediately becoming part of the slums. I found myself wondering why Lindel as a whole had suddenly fallen into ruin, but it wasn’t difficult to guess the answer.

‘It hasn’t been long since the civil war ended.’

It hadn’t been long since the Imperial Civil War ended. The Imperial Civil War was the conflict that split the Empire between the Celia faction, backed by Ito Sota, and the Lindel faction, backed by Lindel’s three great guilds.

It didn’t even look as though the war had really ended. Officially, it was declared over, but remnants were still operating openly, and it was a time when anyone could be exposed to targeted assassinations or acts of terror.

The Empire was still in deep turmoil. In the midst of that chaos, Kim Hyun-Sung was recognized as a hero of the civil war under the attention of many people, and he also became the Guild Master of the Blue Guild. Naturally, he was walking slowly toward the center of power.

Whether he wanted it or not, he would be thrust into the spotlight. For example...

— I’ve brought some interesting news.

— ...

— Wait, wait... I’m not an enemy! I may have shown up suddenly, but can you please refrain from pointing your sword at me right away?

— So... who are you?

— Jung Yoo-Ra of the Black Swan. We’ve met before, don’t you remember?

— ...

— Are you pretending not to remember, or do you really not remember? Don’t you remember going to that dungeon together before the civil war broke out? If I recall correctly, I carried you through it... You seriously don’t remember? I’m not that forgettable, am I?

— Ah, well, if you don’t remember, that actually makes things easier. I might’ve behaved a bit rudely back then, and I was wondering how I should apologize to our Blue Guild Master, who has suddenly become the eye of the storm. That’s partly why I came so abruptly. I'm here to deliver an apology gift... among other things.

— So... what is your business?

— That’s a bit cold, don’t you think? We fought in the same war, after all. Comrades, in a sense. Even if our areas of operation were different...

— Please be concise.

— Hm... hm... you’ll probably find out soon enough, but it seems there will be summons from Charlotte... or rather, Her Majesty the Empress. Anyway, summons from Her Majesty. As you know, our queen takes adventurers’ rights quite seriously.

— Looking at the state of the Empire, she must’ve decided something needed to be done and finally drawn her sword. It seems she’s planning to rebuild the Empire by supporting adventurers, the free cities, and the cities where many adventurers reside.

— So?

— The talk is that it won’t stop at mere support. Her Majesty wants adventurers to truly become members of the Empire. Of course, some nobles are uncomfortable with adventurers stepping into the front lines, but what can they do? Her resolve is strong enough to deal with that kind of opposition...

— ...

— You don’t understand what I’m saying?

— ...

— She’s going to grant titles. I’m not joking... actual Imperial titles.

— ...

— It’s practically the same as saying she’ll treat Imperial citizens and adventurers without discrimination. No, it’s more than just fair treatment. Do you know how absurd it normally is for an ordinary Imperial citizen to receive a noble title?

— For us, that’s no longer the case. The new Empire may become a world for adventurers.

— And what exactly does that have to do with me?

— Why do you think I’m telling you this?

— ...

— Her Majesty seems to have her eye on you in particular. Of course, there’s Cha Hee-Ra of the Red Mercenary Guild... and it’s not like our Black Swan lacks talent either... but our guild isn’t doing well enough for me to step back from the front lines.

— Anyway, Cha Hee-Ra seems to have no interest at all. She says she won’t shed blood for the Empire’s affairs anymore. During the civil war, which was long for some, short for others, she grew distant from that old man Victor Hart.

— I suppose you could say she’s tired of adventurers being the only ones who suffer... Well... with her personality, I doubt she cares about becoming a city representative or receiving a noble title anyway...

— ...

— Look outside. What do you see?

— Ruins.

— Yes, ruins, quite literally. You see slum dwellers and people struggling desperately just to survive. To be honest, I’m not particularly interested in things like human rights... and it might sound ridiculous for me to argue that we should do something for those losers...

— ...

— But at least... if someone representing Lindel were to raise their voice... wouldn’t that change the current situation? It means gaining power. Power. Whatever you choose to do, you'll have power.

— ...

— Think about everything that happened during the civil war. What if we had power? Would something like that even happen in the first place? Would innocent adventurers be used as shields after getting dragged into disputes between Imperial nobles?

— How about Celia? Do you really think they bared their fangs at Lindel of their own will? They talk about free cities and respecting adventurers, but if there hadn’t been someone backing them, would a war have broken out?

— ...

— Ito Sota may have lit the fuse... but this wasn’t a fight between Celia and Lindel. It was an internal power struggle among Imperial nobles.

— And while the civil war dragged on, Charlotte cast aside her father and sister to ascend, didn’t she? Strictly speaking, we threw ourselves into a war that had nothing to do with us. All because we lacked power.

— ...

— Now things are going to change. We’re going to gain power too. If you... if you become a noble, that is.

— ...

— Of course, the title won’t come for free... but Lindel needs power. Regardless of your reputation within Lindel, from the outside, the Blue Guild Master is an excellent asset. Young, capable, strong, fresh, and already acquainted with Her Majesty...

— ...

— Whether you want it or not, you’ll come to represent Lindel. The Empire has decided as much, and that’s the direction of the times.

— ...

— You don’t seem particularly interested in authority either... but Count Kim Hyun-Sung of the Great Empire, how does that sound?

— ...

— ...

— What is it you want?

— You need to cast a vote in favor.

— In favor of what?

Jung Yoo-Ra murmured with an unpleasant smile.

— A purge?