Regressor Instruction Manual

Chapter 1327. First Life Ha-Yan (10)

Jung Ha-Yan’s death was prevented; I was sure of that.

‘It’s done.’

Of course, I knew it was too early to feel relieved, but still, I let out a sigh of relief. Now wasn’t the time to rely on a little kid she had just met. She needed the help of someone who knew her well. Fortunately, someone who cared for her had arrived—the kind of person who would forcibly pull her out of her cave if necessary.

Sure enough, I saw Kim Ah-Young grabbing Jung Ha-Yan’s arm.

"I’m too late, right?"

"N-No..."

"Our guild has been busy as well. Ever since the war ended, there’s been too much to handle... You may have heard, but some chimeras attacked Heren."

"Even the master of the Blue Guild went missing... Fortunately, we managed to prevent Heren from falling completely, but... things haven't been stable lately. It’s the same at the Magic Tower, isn't it?"

"Y-Yeah..."

"I noticed some apprentice mages coming in today. How did it go?"

"I-It’s just... I’m not sure... Ah... ah! Everyone... I-I mean... one of them..."

"Oh, really?"

"Y-Yeah... He was chosen to become Grandma Giena’s disciple... and the elders in the council... said that he’s a prodigy."

"What? Really? What do you think, Miss Jung Ha-Yan?"

"Well... the spell he demonstrated at the exhibition... his casting method is a bit different, and his spells are polished... Even the magic circles are... neat, clean, almost like he wasn't using the magic circles of this era.

"Honestly, I wish he could write a paper immediately..."

"Really? He’s that good? If you’re the one saying that..."

"He wants to help people."

"What?

"He wants to make others happy through magic. Isn’t that amazing?"

"..."

"..."

"In times like these... that’s rare."

‘Of course... it’s rare.’

"Y-Yeah. I think he’s from the Magic Kingdom... I don’t know the full details, but... he didn’t seem like a traditional mage, and it sounded like he went through a hard time in the past. M-Maybe that’s why he thinks that way."

"You seem more interested in him than I expected."

"M-Me?"

"Yes."

"N-Not really..."

"Come on, that’s not true. Anyone could tell just by looking at your face. You never used to care about apprentices. I heard you always looked bored during the magic exhibitions... Could it be... that you’re thinking of her taking him as your disciple?"

"D-Disciple?"

"..."

"..."

‘That was way too fast, you idiot.’

"Well... I-I don’t know about that..."

The only disciple she had ever taken had returned as a cold corpse. How could she want to take another one? Kim Ah-Young had suggested it with good intentions, hoping it could be good for Jung Ha-Yan’s mental state, but it had the opposite effect.

Jung Ha-Yan’s heart, which had briefly opened, was visibly closing again. Kim Ah-Young seemed to have realized that as well, sensing that Jung Ha-Yan was about to crawl back into her cave.

Upon realizing that, she hurriedly said, "N-Now isn’t the right time, huh?"

"Y-Yeah..."

"Let’s not talk about this stuff and go eat, unni."

"Ah... b-but... Ah-Young..."

"Yes?"

"C-Can’t we eat inside the Magic Tower?"

"Whaaat?!"

"The food served in the tower is tasty, too..."

"No way! This is one thing I won’t compromise on! Last time we ate at the tower, last month, and the month before that, too! You need to go outside once in a while. C-Come on."

" I-I don’t want to..."

"Come on already!"

‘That’s it. Keep pushing her!’

"You need to see sunlight, that’s how people stay healthy. Sure, it’s fine to research in the tower, and I know it’s comfortable there, but still... you have to go outside sometimes to get some energy and feel happy. If I stay inside all the time, even I will feel sad."

‘Good. That’s the way to do it.’

"B-But..."

"Just come on. The thing you’re worried about won’t happen. Let’s go outside."

Jung Ha-Yan stubbornly resisted the idea of leaving the tower, while Kim Ah-Young tugged at her arm. Even though Jung Ha-Yan’s physical stats were pretty high for a mage, she couldn’t possibly outmatch Kim Ah-Young’s strength.

Kim Ah-Young's job was different, after all. I could guess why Jung Ha-Yan didn’t want to go outside the tower, but she wouldn’t see the things she feared, as Kim Ah-Young would never let her see them.

The corpses carried over by the waves, the collapsed buildings, and the devastated Lindel weren't what awaited her outside. Instead, she saw a surprisingly lively Lindel.

The reconstruction had already begun, and the traces of that dreadful devastation were nowhere to be found. I had already seen it with my own eyes, but this was Jung Ha-Yan's first time witnessing this sight.

‘Damn. With all the effort we poured into Lindel... it’s only natural there’d be this much progress.’

The ships hadn’t been moved yet, so they were still scattered throughout Lindel, but that only made the scenery look even more striking.

Jung Ha-Yan was clearly surprised. Her eyes were wide open like a startled rabbit as she stared at the view outside the Magic Tower.

"Ah..."

"The restoration work is almost finished. The atmosphere isn’t great because of what happened in Heren, but people are returning to their daily lives."

"I-I... see..."

"Of course, there are still areas you could call disaster zones, but they say the work will be done soon. Want to take a look around a bit more?"

"Y-Yeah..."

‘Good. That’s it.’

Soon, it was dusk, but Lindel was still lively. Merchants had long since resumed their activity, and above all, people carrying timber and other materials could be seen everywhere, as reconstruction was still ongoing.

Mages were also helping with the work. In a place without heavy machinery, their presence was indispensable. They loaded materials that couldn’t be moved by human strength, drove away the seawater, and lifted fallen trees back upright.

Jung Ha-Yan’s face gradually relaxed as she watched them go. The tension within her was nowhere to be seen; instead, she was smiling and giggling.

"C-Can I help too?"

"What? B-But I’m hungry..."

"I-I want to help. I really do.

"If that’s what you want, then of course. But... only for a little while. I’m starving."

"O-Okay..."

Of course, it didn't look like it would end quickly. With a deep sigh, Kim Ah-Young ran to one of the workers. The workers nodded, called over their foreman, and soon, cheers erupted.

Jung Ha-Yan probably believed that everyone resented her, but that wasn’t the truth. A few foolish, thoughtless people wanted to blame her for the deaths of their comrades and families, but all in all, she was...

‘A war hero.’

The hero who saved Lindel. Especially to the soldiers, she was practically a living idol.

"Waaaaaaaaaaaaah!"

"Look! It’s Miss Jung Ha-Yan! It’s her!"

"You idiots! Miss Jung Ha-Yan is going to help us today!"

"Wooooooooooooo!"

‘Man, this hurts. Kim Hyun-Sung gets no love, but Ha-Yan’s crazy popular.’

The thunderous cheers were only natural. Jung Ha-Yan stood there, blushing shyly as the uncles, aunties, and fans went wild for her. It was obvious why she was so loved. First of all, she saved their lives, and secondly...

‘Honestly, even I think she’s adorable.’

And on top of that, she carried the title "Genius Mage." There was simply no reason to dislike her. Yes, she did have a somewhat gloomy side, but how many here had actually seen Jung Ha-Yan’s true self?

She rarely appeared in public to begin with, which meant the Archmage of Lindel had to have been more like a figure straight out of a fantasy for some people.

"Unni! You’re so cute!"

"Noona!"

‘Anyone could see you look older than her.’

Among the cheering crowd, I even caught sight of Big Boy, Carlton, and Yoojin.

‘What the hell are you guys doing there?’

I was sure they were on payroll with the Blue Guild. They were probably working a second job for the sake of the kid who entered the tower. Of course, raising a mage was no small sum, so they were probably trying to scrape together some money in their own way.

With that kind of pocket change, however, they wouldn’t even be able to afford a decent robe.

"Hey, Big Boy. That’s really Jung Ha-Yan."

"Just shout and cheer, idiots. Looks like today’s work will be easy."

At their cheers, Jung Ha-Yan lowered her head and started channeling. A massive ship floated gently into the sky, and debris far too heavy for human strength to handle was moved with the flick of her finger.

The workers' mouths went agape as they watched her complete in mere moments what would normally take days. Of course, they weren't afraid. They only felt admiration toward her. What was best of all was how happy Jung Ha-Yan looked.

It was like she finally felt a sense of purpose.

"Ha-Yan unni... I said I’m hungry," Kim Ah-Young grumbled, but her face betrayed how glad she was to see Jung Ha-Yan’s delighted face.

Meanwhile, Jung Ha-Yan seemed to have gotten engrossed in her work. The crowd was cheering at first, but now, they were looking at Jung Ha-Yan with a face that seemed to be saying that it was about time for them to get off work.

‘It turned into overtime. Send Big Boy home.’

"Heh... hehehe..."

"It’s too late. Let’s head back, unni."

"J-Just a little longer."

"But the workers have to go home, too.

"Ah... ah... you’re right."

"I was so excited about having a nice, quiet meal together tonight..."

"W-We can eat tomorrow."

"What?! Really?"

"Yeah. Let’s go out tomorrow, too."

Jung Ha-Yan’s face lit up with joy, but unfortunately, good things would never last forever. When the heavy rubble was cleared away, bodies appeared from beneath.

Kim Ah-Young desperately tried to ensure that Jung Ha-Yan wouldn't see them, but there was no way to hide what was right before her eyes.

The workers hurried to collect the corpses, while cries of grief broke out here and there from those who recognized their comrades or family among the corpses.

They had already held a major recovery of bodies, so there weren’t many corpses this time, but it was still more than enough for Jung Ha-Yan to see. At the sight, Jung Ha-Yan's head hung low.

"I-I want to go back inside."

Of course, that was the only natural thing for her to say.

"U-Unni... you know, right?"

"...

"That it’s not your fault..."

"I’m going back inside."

I saw Kim Ah-Young’s flustered face.

‘Damn it. I can’t just sit here and do nothing when she’s like this.’

"Unni, wait..."

"I-I’m going."

"Unni!"

I realized just how unstable First Life Jung Ha-Yan was and just how heavy was the weight that she had to withstand with her fragile frame. The sight made me feel like the only answer was to stay by her side and watch her closely.

She was that deep in the abyss. What I had to do was obvious.

‘I have to become her disciple.’

I had to get as close as possible to her. Whatever traumas she had suffered in the past, I had to ignore them for now, as Jung Ha-Yan needed someone to look after her right now. I considered leaving that role to Kim Ah-Young, but... of course, she couldn’t handle it alone.

She had her own life, and she couldn’t always be by Jung Ha-Yan’s side. It wasn’t just her. The entire continent was rushing toward a handful of urgent tasks.

I pondered about how I could slip in as Jung Ha-Yan’s disciple, but... it didn’t take long before I found the answer.

“...”

“...”

Just like that, a week later, I saw the bewildered faces of Grandma Giena and her disciple, Park Joo-Hwa.

“Huh...”

“...”

“...”

“So you’re telling me... you solved... all of this...?”

‘What was the fuss? It’s just a few formulas. No big deal.’

With an innocent, almost confused look, I answered, “Y-Yes? Did I... do something wrong?”

'Of course, I did something wrong, damn it.'

‘Being too much of a genius is wrong.’

They looked at me as if they were staring at Second Life Jung Ha-Yan.

'Lee Ki-Young, you bastard. You smart bastard.'