Regressor Instruction Manual

Chapter 1260. The Impact of Treatment (3)

‘You were pouring money into something pointless, weren’t you? You won’t tell him that, right?

Kim Hyun-Sung nodded. Before long, the psychiatrist duo slowly disappeared. I kept my eyes on them, half-worried that they would have some shady conversation in private, but nothing suspicious stood out.

They were just exchanging a few words about another patient and made remarks about how Kim Hyun-Sung seemed to be getting better. I wanted to catch them slipping up, but there was nothing. Perhaps I was just being paranoid here.

‘Is it not the return of... Song Soo-Kyung?’

Honestly, they just looked like they were doing their jobs, which kind of made me feel stupid for watching them so closely.

Meanwhile, Kim Hyun-Sung wasn't in a daze and was actually busy tidying up what he’d been working on earlier. Perhaps it was because I kept staring at the unbelievably peaceful scene, but the Regressor Instruction Manual suddenly deactivated itself.

‘Oops, my mistake.’

Honestly, it slipped away all of a sudden, and Kim Hyun-Sung's response was swift.

- Huh? Uh...

As soon as the light faded from his eye, Kim Hyun-Sung immediately panicked. His face went pale in an instant, and he paced back and forth like a dog that needed to go out.

His breathing grew labored, and his eyes darted around as if he were trying to find something. Unable to calm himself down, he stood up and clutched his chest. He placed a hand over his eye and rushed to the lake to check his face in a panic...

— Huh? N-No...

Kim Hyun-Sung mumbled.

“...”

“...”

‘He’s still normal.’

Kim Hyun-Sung’s strange reaction made me realize that our connection was severed. Feeling guilty, I immediately tried to reconnect, and his expression visibly relaxed the moment we were reconnected.

He seemed to be thinking that he was imagining things. After gently touching his eye, he soon returned to his usual self. Still, he didn’t seem entirely at ease, and anxiety was growing in him. It'd probably take a few hours for him to go back to normal.

“Hmm...”

There were a few things I wasn’t entirely happy with, but I couldn’t deny that he was in a stable state, which was actually surprising. The thought of bringing him back here crossed my mind, but for the sake of Kim Hyun-Sung’s mental health, it was probably best to set that idea aside. The timing just wasn’t right as well.

‘If he finds out about what the Six Stars had done, he'll lose it. He’ll run around again, all anxious and panicked...’

Kim Hyun-Sung’s reaction was very easy to predict. He’d start imagining the worst again, like the Six Stars villains targeting me or plotting to destroy the entire continent.

He’d spiral into wild delusions over something that was probably not even a serious matter, and he would probably act like the whole world was on the verge of collapse once more.

It would be to the point that even the Republic’s current purge show would look mild compared to the mess he would undoubtedly stir up.

If Ji-Hye noona could hear me, she’d tell me to stop talking nonsense, but his mental state was extremely fragile right now, so I couldn’t ignore that possibility at all.

‘Maybe I should leave him there a little longer.’

“His therapist looks normal...” I mumbled.

Even if I were to sever our connection through the Regressor Instruction Manual once in a while, it wouldn't really treat the core issue.

Sure enough...

‘He sent me a message immediately.’

[Mr. Ki-Young, did something happen?]

Naturally, I sent a brief reply. Realizing that it was nothing serious, Kim Hyun-Sung stood up with a smile and enjoyed the peaceful scenery.

‘I should send our kids to a place like that for a vacation.’

Once we were done with the Six Stars, it'd be great to visit him together and spend a week there. Everyone would probably be completely exhausted after all this, anyway.

‘In other words, they’ll be begging for a vacation.’

Just as expected, the guild was going through a pretty hectic period. They had to clean up the aftermath, and they had just discovered the existence of a new enemy, so it was only natural for things to get busy.

All existing tasks were pushed aside, and everyone moved on to new assignments. Strictly speaking, it wasn’t exactly the right time for me to be worrying about Hyun-Sung. In fact, it was probably a good thing that he was away during all this.

‘Might as well aim to wrap everything up before Kim Hyun-Sung gets back...’

It wasn’t as extreme as what the Republic was doing, but Kim Ye-Ri and Lee Chang-Ryeol had clearly gotten much busier, and Colonel Smith, the public relations officer, hardly had time to sleep.

Park Deok-Gu, Alps, and Belier had formed a party and set out on an expedition to locations marked as suspicious.

Jung Ha-Yan and Han Sora were rebuilding the barrier around the Blue Guild’s International Academy.

Elena left for the Elf Kingdom to deliver related updates, and Jo Hye-Jin, acting as both the guild master and vice guild master, was likely swamped with work.

I was handling tasks I could handle, but when it came to public appearances, she had to be there. That alone showed how significant the impact of this incident was. After all, it happened while the two pillars of the Blue Guild were absent, and it felt like a backlash to the long-standing pace the continent had enjoyed until now.

“It’s time to stay on our toes again. Things were too peaceful,” I said.

As soon as I stepped out, Miss Kim Mi-Young greeted me once again.

“Sir.”

“Ah, yes.”

“May I ask about your next schedule?” Kim Mi-Young asked.

“I think it’s best if I meet with Miss Oscar before taking care of the incident in Celia. I also have things I need to discuss regarding the current state of the Democratic Country...”

“When...” Kim Mi-Young asked.

“I would like to meet her now if possible,” I replied.

“She said to visit anytime, so I’m sure it’s possible,” she said.

“Let’s do that,” I said.

“I received a call just now. She said she actually canceled all her meetings and has been waiting for you... This might draw some attention, but—”

“People around will catch on soon enough,” I interrupted her.

“That’s right. I think Miss Oscar is aware of it. Given the confusing situation, it seems like she wants to let the people know unofficially that she’s been having discussions with you,” she explained.

‘She has grown a lot...’

I couldn’t even call her Aris anymore.

‘I would’ve done the same thing.’

The Democratic Country was in chaos, and the denizens were anxious, but of course, all these were perfectly understandable. There was no point in trying to enter covertly when a warp gate could get anyone to their destination instantly.

“An escort...”

“I’ll be discreet,” I told her.

“Okay.”

After saying goodbye, I stepped into the warp gate, and my surroundings shifted. Normally, a grand welcoming ceremony would greet me, but the other side was deserted. There was no one except for one person—a lone guard.

When the guard saw me, he froze.

“F-F-Father Lee Ki-Young?” the guard asked.

“Hello. Where’s Miss Oscar?” I asked.

“I-I’ll take you to her,” he offered.

‘It’s completely empty.’

I couldn't see other staffers. It was thanks to Miss Kim Mi-Young’s careful preparations, but the silence was almost unsettling. Following the familiar yet somehow unfamiliar corridor, I soon found myself right at the entrance to the reception room.

“I’ll head in alone from here,” I told the guard.

“Yes, sir.”

After dealing with the guard, I opened the door to the reception room and immediately saw Oscar, whom I hadn’t seen in a long time.

“Mr. L-Lee Ki-Young?” Oscar greeted.

“It’s been a while, Miss Oscar,” I greeted back.

“I-Is that really you? No... you really are Mr. Lee Ki-Young. I-It’s so nice to see you again,” Oscar said.

She grabbed my hand tightly, and it didn’t take long before she suddenly pulled me into a hug. After what felt like an unusually long, tight embrace, I saw her looking a bit shy.

“Senator Caitlyn did mention that I'll surely be surprised... So this was why,” she remarked.

“Yes, due to some circumstances... Anyway, I’m sorry for the late visit. Originally, I planned to visit you with Senator Caitlyn, but I really wanted to see you alone,” I told her.

“I’m really happy to hear you say that. What kind of tea would you like?” Oscar asked.

“Can I have the usual?” I asked.

“Of course,” Oscar answered.

‘She looks happy.’

She was even humming. She was dressed in her uniform, but her mannerisms reminded me of when she was still a maid.

Of course, there was no denying that her current look suited her more than her maid outfit. It had been a long time since then, and her demeanor had changed significantly.

The innocent, naive girl I once knew was nowhere to be found, replaced by a seasoned, mature woman. Seeing her humming while pouring tea felt a little out of place, but it seemed to suggest that she still longed for the past.

It wasn’t that she wanted to return to the days when she was powerless. Instead, she missed the trivial memories from back then.

‘I feel it from time to time as well.’

Like just laughing and chatting with the party members... Naturally, sharing stories from the past was helpful in moments like these.

“Do you remember? You...”

“Yes, of course I remember,” I answered.

Talking about the past...

“Back then, you...”

Bringing up stories we shared together was always enjoyable, no matter how many times we did it. After a short pause, Oscar was finally done gauging the mood and said, “Um... Mr. Lee Ki-Young.”

“Yes?” I answered.

“Well... when we’re alone, you can call me Aris...” Oscar said cautiously.

“...”

“...”

“I can’t say things like that as easily as I used to. Of course, I’m not trying to turn you away because you’re very precious to me as well. But... you’ve grown so much,” I said.

“Pardon?’

“You can’t hide your presence, no matter how hard you try. You now carry the air of a true leader of a nation. I understand that you don’t want to lose your past identity... but to me, you’ve grown strong enough to move beyond that,” I explained.

They weren’t empty words. I truly felt that way. Even if I were to overlap her image with Aris, the maid, all I could see was the Ruler of Iron and Blood.

“Thank you, but Mr. Lee Ki-Young, I’m still—”

“Of course, if that’s what you truly want, I’ll respect that. I don’t want to draw lines and speak formally with an old friend either,” I interrupted her.

“Ah! Thank you,” Oscar said.

“Haha...”

“Honestly, I’m feeling kind of awkward right now as well,” Oscar confessed.

“Really?” I asked.

“Yes, and I can more or less understand what you were trying to say. I... was losing the version of myself from when I was Aris. I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing, but either way, I can tell I’ve changed a lot since then,” Oscar explained.

“...”

“But I believe it’s something I must never forget. Just because my view has changed doesn’t mean I should forget who I used to be, as doing that would make me no different from them.

"That feeling became particularly strong when the continent turned into a dungeon. I realized that I could still stand tall even as Aris, so I must never throw that part of me away,” Oscar continued.

“I see,” I commented.

“Yes. Whenever you visit, please remind me that I was once Aris, the maid. But unlike before, I no longer see that part of me as a weakness. In my eyes, Aris, the maid, has become a part of me that made me stronger, so feel free to call me that, Mr. Lee Ki-Young,” Oscar requested.

“I can do that,” I replied.

“I’m kind of happy because it feels like I finally received your acknowledgement."

‘I already acknowledged you during the Democratic Revolution.’

She wasn’t just a mere puppet.

Back then, she raised that flag and charged at the enemy despite not knowing how to wield a sword properly. She conducted a speech in front of a huge crowd and even summoned the spirit of the revolution when the continent became a dungeon.

Honestly, she had always been talented. She just hadn't realized it herself. Even without me, I believed that side of hers would eventually show itself.

“Also... I actually have a small favor to ask...” Aris said carefully.

‘See? She’s a pro now.’

Now, she was using our relationship as a weapon.

“So there was a reason why you asked me to call you Aris,” I said.

“I-It’s not that... Please don’t tease me. You know that’s not the case. It’s not because of my favor... it’s related to the recent Six Stars incident...” Aris clarified.

“...” “Can you check the Goddess’s Mirror for a moment?” OscarAris asked.

Aris pointed at the Goddess’s Mirror, and a video immediately started playing.

‘That’s...’

What I saw on the screen was Rafael’s party, and it was a party I hadn't seen in a long while.

‘They'd always show up whenever I start forgetting about them.’