Regressor Instruction Manual

Chapter 1268. Hee-Ra of the First Life (2)

Of course, I was feeling a bit uneasy as well. There was a slight possibility that Hee-Ra had developed a new hobby like abusing little kids. All sorts of things were happening in this life, and people I thought I knew were acting in a different way.

But... at the very least, I believed Cha Hee-Ra wouldn’t become an abuser.

‘She’s strong-willed, after all.’

People with clear convictions and a strong sense of direction in life tended to be less affected by their environment. Sure, someone like Kim Hyun-Sung would change here and there, but not her. The Cha Hee-Ra I knew had one of the strongest identities I had ever seen.

Even if the little things had changed, I believed that her core had remained unchanged.

‘I’m right.’

This sudden contact was probably because today’s event was ruined. She was always serious when it came to working, and it was proven by how she decided to summon me. I felt like she wanted something to pass the time. Either way, it worked out well for me.

Regardless of the reason, I’d get to spend time with Hee-Ra noona.

Of course, it wasn’t good news for Rafael.

The Red Mercenary Guild had already left, but he was still shooting worried glances my way. I could tell that he still wanted to talk me out of it, and as expected, he eventually asked, “Hyung, will you really be okay?”

‘Of course.’

“I don’t want to worry either, but this world is really strange, hyung,” Rafael said.

‘I agree.’

“I don’t know what the master of the Red Mercenary Guild is like in the second life... but I think it’s safe to assume she’s a completely different person. Did you see how they were acting just now? The people here are not normal. They were clearly trying to kill me,” Rafael said.

‘I was surprised as well.’

“The master of the Red Mercenary Guild might not be so different from them. If you make a mistake or a-act out, something bad might happen to you. In the worst case scenario...” Rafael paused.

“I’ll be fine, Mr. Rafael. I’ve got my own backup plan, so don’t worry too much,” I reassured him.

“But still...” Rafael mumbled.

“We’re just going to exchange a few words, and it’s something that can benefit us. At the very least, she won’t get in the way, so I hope you’ll trust me,” I said.

“But-”

“If something happens, I can just scream and you’ll come running, right?” I asked.

“...”

“...”

“Yes, of course I’ll do that,” Rafael answered.

‘Yeah, have some confidence.’

'Why are you so nervous? You’ve been through hell and back, and you’re still here. If you wanted, you could easily take me away and run. You have wings, and these guys don’t. If you fly away, they certainly can't catch you.'

"The reason I can be so reckless is that you're by my side,” I told Rafael.

“H-Hyung,” Rafael mumbled.

“I honestly don’t think it’s that reckless,” I added.

'Smile softly here.'

“Above all, we’re short on time. The party members could be going through some difficulties... so while this seems a bit dangerous, it will definitely be helpful,” I said.

“...”

“...”

‘Even Kim Hyun-Sung can’t stop me, so how are you going to do it?’

Sure enough, I saw him nodding. Whether he was convinced or not didn’t really matter to me, but it was better to have these things prepared in advance.

After all, he could suddenly storm into the tent or pull some reckless stunt. Normally, Rafael was calm, but once he lost his temper, he would become really impulsive. There was no guarantee that he wouldn’t do what Kim Hyun-Sung had done back then.

“I’m sorry... i-it’s all because of me...” Rafael muttered, clenching his fists.

Seeing his clenched fists trembling, he would have stormed in if I hadn't said anything. He gnashed his teeth, as if he couldn’t stand being powerless. Then, he looked away, unable to face me.

I couldn't help but feel like he had been watching too many of those popular dramas from the continent lately.

“I’m... going to become stronger,” Rafael said.

“...”

The fact that he could say something like that with a straight face—something that wouldn’t feel out of place coming from Kim Myung-Won or Felis Hanest—made me seriously want to cut ties with him.

“I promise, hyung,” Rafael added.

“...”

With those words, he walked away. Of course, I had no idea where he was going. Judging by how he wouldn't stop wiping his face clean with his hand, he was probably trying to hide his tears.

Once again, Rafael had promised to grow stronger, but as far as I could tell, he had already reached his growth limit. I couldn't say with absolute certainty that he’d never grow stronger again, but it was unlikely that he would see any noticeable improvement.

‘I don’t think... he’ll keep that promise.’

Honestly, now wasn’t the time to be thinking about the promise Rafael had made, as what mattered more right now was my promise with Hee-Ra noona.

I couldn’t go to her looking like this. I was covered in dirt, after all. I had to at least try to clean up a bit. I wanted to look presentable, but there was no way to do that in this dump where there wasn’t even a place to wash up.

All I could do was brush off the dust and make myself look as tidy as possible while waiting for the promised time. The rest of the party was busy gathering intel anyway, so time flew by me really quickly.

I finally headed to the tent at the appointed time, and I would have been embarrassed if a staff member of the Red Mercenary Guild hadn’t come to escort me, especially in front of this version of Hee-Ra noona.

“You have nice skin,” a staff member complimented.

“Ah, thank you,” I said.

“You don’t need to worry too much. Despite what people say, she’s actually quite kind,” they said.

There were all sorts of comments, but I couldn’t hear them properly because I could hear loud noises inside the tent.

“You can just sit next to her and stay quiet,” they instructed.

“I see,” I said.

When I finally stepped into the long-awaited tent, a drinking party was already underway. I couldn’t help but wonder if this was really okay during an operation.

‘I’m sure they’ll take care of their own business.’

It turned out that only a handful of people, including Hee-Ra noona, were drinking. This could only happen once they had deemed the camp safe. Considering how much Cha Hee-Ra valued discipline, there was no way she would do this carelessly.

In other words, I was sure that there was some kind of precaution in place here.

Anyway, I saw people pouring down cheap rum by the bottle. They were piling up the meat and tearing into it like bandits. Their loud chatter was almost deafening, and no one seemed to care about me at all.

Cha Hee-Ra was no different. She was slouched in a large chair, gulping down her drink without even glancing my way. The way she was acting made me feel confused as to why she even summoned me. Honestly, if I were ten years older, I wouldn’t be stuck in this mess.

The difference between Cha Hee-Ra and those guys guzzling down liquor was that she had someone with her. A girl, perhaps in her late teens, was refilling Cha Hee-Ra’s drink right in front of me.

Judging by her clothes, she seemed like someone raised by Hee-ra noona. Of course, she wasn’t her knight, but in a setting like this, it wasn’t strange to have one or two people tagging along.

‘Maybe a disciple... a successor... or just someone who takes care of her... Either way, it’s clear Hee-Ra noona cares about her.’

Obviously, I couldn’t just stand by and watch.

‘That’s my spot, damn it.’

No one told me anything or gave me any explanation, but I already knew better than anyone what I had to do. I had to refill Hee-Ra noona’s glass before that girl could do it.

‘I’m first. Damn it, I’m the Mercenary Queen’s lover.’

If she were starting to get bored, I could feed her food that she liked.

‘I’m going to do it. I’m going to do it all, damn it.’

Obviously, she didn’t say anything, but it was standard courtesy for her to smile shyly at the jokes Cha Hee-Ra tossed at the guild members.

“Didn’t I tell you we’d end up hitting a dead end again today? Those damn Black Swan guild members are always like this. All they ever think about is causing us trouble.

"Those despicable psychopaths... The mission they said would wrap up in ten days has already dragged on for eighty-nine days. Are there really no decent rangers on this continent? Isn’t it ridiculous that this has been going on for months? No wonder that bastard Jung Jin-Ho is running wild with confidence,” Cha Hee-Ra said.

‘Looks like our Hee-Ra noona has been struggling...’

Whenever she was angry, I would nod along beside her to show that I understood her.

“All those guilds were supposed to take down a small brigade party. Seriously... it’s ridiculous...” Cha Hee-Ra grumbled.

I had to refill her drink whenever the mood became bitter.

“There will be results soon, my Queen,” one of the members said.

“It’s ridiculous,” Cha Hee-Ra said.

“You mean...”

“We look ridiculous, damn it!” Cha Hee-Ra shouted.

Suddenly, Hee-Ra noona grabbed a glass and hurled it in fury. The glass shattered, and silence descended. Actually, I wasn't even sure if it was right to say that the glass had shattered. After all, the meter-long table was the one that caved in from the impact, which meant that it took more damage than the glass.

‘Noona...what’s wrong? Why are you so angry...’

The noisy party fell silent in an instant, and no one dared to speak. Watching those muscle heads exchange wary glances was almost funny, but it was only natural.

The mood was definitely turning sour. Naturally, the startled girl looked around nervously, and those muscle heads stayed silent. They were crouched down and staring at the floor. Whenever a tyrant was furious, everyone ought to watch their steps.

But...

‘It’s different for me.’

After placing a new glass before her, I filled it up to the very top once more. It was so quiet that one couldn’t even hear a mouse squeak, so the sound of liquor being poured into the glass echoed loudly.

Moments later, Cha Hee-Ra’s voice rang out once again. “Haa...”

“...”

“Everyone except this kid, get lost,” Cha Hee-Ra ordered.

“...”

“...”

It was good news, and I decided to glare at the girl. It was time to let her know directly that I had become the number one.

I saw her move away with a look full of resentment, but what could she do? I was now the number one here. With a bright smile tugging at my lips, I resolved to do my best to support Hee-Ra noona again.

Naturally, I refilled the drink that she kept on downing.

After some time, Cha Hee-Ra murmured, “You’ve... become younger compared to the last time we met.”

“...”

“It’s... pretty interesting,” Cha Hee-Ra said.

‘Looks like she’s really drunk.’

“All right, spill it, so-called time traveler,” Cha Hee-Ra said.

“...”

“How am I going to die?” she asked.

“...”

I was stunned, but I quickly recovered and realized what was going on.

“...”

“...”

It seemed that I had been here before. To be precise, my future self had visited a point in the past earlier than at this moment in time.