Regressor Instruction Manual

Chapter 1385. An Unexpected Debut (20)

I assumed these bastards would appear in this event, but it wasn’t simply because they were staying in the Union of Kingdoms. After all, they could genuinely have some business to do here, or perhaps the Empire chased them and they ended up here.

It was also possible that they happened to be here by sheer coincidence, but still...

‘Come on... would they really travel all this way just to watch some noble ladies play around? They’re not that free.’

The mere fact that these people, who usually operate out of the Empire, had moved their heavy asses to come here was enough to raise suspicion.

There was no evidence, but there was a motive.

The Republic wasn’t the only one that wanted war.

In fact, I could say with certainty that the Brigade desired war even more. Their individual motives differed, but their common interest was to throw the continent into chaos.

Until now, they had been committing senseless killings without a clear direction, but with First Ki-Young’s arrival, they began acting more systematically and carefully. If this ballroom was to become the spark of a continental war, it would be the perfect timing.

It wasn’t only noble ladies and gentlemen making their debut at this ball.

I had no idea how they got the information, but they had to know that the Republic was preparing for war. If First Life Commander Jin wasn't going to pull the trigger, perhaps they were planning on doing it themselves. Perhaps they could even light the fuse first.

If I were First Ki-Young, I’d think this was the best timing...

‘No, that’s not it.’

“...”

‘The bigger picture’s the same... but a bit different.’ The moment I imagined myself as First Ki-Young, I came to my senses. ‘At this point in time, First Ki-Young couldn't have heard the keyword "regression" just yet.’

His goal to throw the continent into chaos certainly hadn't changed, but First Life Ki-Young was focused more on short-term objectives rather than long-term plans at the moment.

And his goal was painfully obvious...

‘No need to guess.’

Unconsciously, I scribbled a few words on the side of the report.

[Revenge]

His goal had to be revenge; there was no questioning it. It was correct for me to assume that he wasn’t thinking about anything else. I couldn't pinpoint exactly how long it had been since he lost Park Deok-Gu, but judging from the timeline, it hadn’t been that long, so revenge would be the only thing on his mind at the moment.

He had probably lured Jung Jin-Ho in with all sorts of fabricated stories to justify bringing the Brigade to the Union of Kingdoms, but his sole purpose had always been revenge.

He hadn't chosen this place as a stage to throw the continent into chaos; it was simply the most convenient stage for vengeance.

Once the Republic’s forces began their move, the tight security was bound to have holes. Commander Jin definitely knew they were here, too. Thinking back to the fragments of the first life I saw, First Life Commander Jin and First Ki-Young were aware of each other's presence.

"More than one plan had gone astray because of him, and he made us of us again and again."

I remembered hearing that line.

First Life Commander Jin and First Ki-Young never really conspired against each other face-to-face, but they generally knew each other’s plans and had used one another.

One sought the outbreak of war, while the other sought revenge.

They were using each other to achieve their own goal.

[Kim Hyun-Sung is the target.]

I had no idea if the Brigade could actually pull it off, especially with their current level of strength.

‘Maybe they’re overreaching,' I thought, tapping my thigh as a pointless thought crossed my mind. Was the goal of this mission to keep Kim Hyun-Sung alive? Not long after, a soft tapping came from the window. My condition wasn’t great, but this was something I needed to see and hear for myself.

When I opened the window, a familiar face came into view.

“You called for me, sir?”

It was Lee Chang-Ryeol, the pride of the Blue Guild and Ki-Young’s treasure.

‘Been doing well, Chang-Ryeol?’

He had clearly come in a hurry. At first glance, his expression looked neutral, but there was a faint uneasiness in his eyes. It was like he thought I was dissatisfied with his report.

“Thank you for coming all the way here. Ah, but don’t worry, it’s not about the report. It was excellent, as always. I just thought it’d be better to talk face-to-face rather than over the comms or on paper. Sorry for making you come all this way when you’re busy,” I told him.

“It’s fine,” he said.

“Would you like some tea?” I offered.

“Sure,” he replied.

‘I feel bad for calling you out for nothing.’

“So, what have you been up to lately?” I asked.

“I’ve been tracking this world’s Miss Sun Hee-Young on Commander Jin’s orders,” he answered.

“Ah, right, you mentioned meeting her,” I commented.

“Yes. I found her in the slums on the outskirts of the city. At first, I thought I was mistaken, but it was definitely her,” he said.

“Was anyone with her?” I asked.

“There was one tall man. A brief fight broke out unintentionally, and though I could’ve subdued them, it would’ve drawn too much attention, so I had to withdraw,” he reported.

“Ahhh...”

“Is this about that...?” he asked.

“No, it’s not about Miss Hee-Young. It’s somewhat related, but I called you because I wanted to ask something. Have you checked anything around Count Kim Hyun-Sung lately?” I asked.

“The guild master of this world seems to have extraordinary senses, so I couldn’t confirm much,” Lee Chang-Ryeol answered.

“Hmm... so you haven’t dug deeper,” I muttered.

“My apologies,” he said.

“No, nothing to apologize for. You’ve had plenty on your plate already. Investigating Hyun-Sung was supposed to be my responsibility, anyway. You’ve got enough to handle with the tasks Commander Jin gave you,” I said.

“...”

“...”

‘He really must have a lot on his plate.’

“It’s fine. Miss Ha Yeon-Soo managed to make contact with this world’s information guild on her own and has been working with them,” he said.

‘Still, that can’t be easy. From the look of it, she’s been wearing herself out too.’

In other words, it meant they were so short-handed that they had to rely on the local information guild for help. Whether that guild could be fully trusted was another matter entirely, and since every bit of intel had to be verified to some degree, the workload had not really decreased.

Lee Chang-Ryeol was used to operating in small teams back in the second life, but this was still unfamiliar territory for him. On top of that, the command structure was split into two, so having two bodies would still not be enough to keep up.

‘Still, tough or not, work is work.’

It wasn’t like I could let them take a break when they had work to do.

“You’ve been doing great. Think you can handle a bit more?” I asked.

“Of course. I can handle it,” Lee Chang-Ryeol answered.

“I’d like you to dig around Count Kim Hyun-Sung’s surroundings. No need to take unnecessary risks—I'll handle the inside myself. Start with the people who came with him—his attendants, his staff. There may be some staying outside the castle, so keep an eye on everyone and report anything unusual right away.

"At the same time, keep an eye on Miss Hee-Young,” I ordered.

“Yes, sir,” he said.

“What about on the Empire’s side? Any updates? Not the official information, I mean the unofficial ones. It doesn’t have to be exact; just tell me what you’ve heard,” I asked.

“From what I know...” Lee Chang-Ryeol trailed off.

“Go on,” I said.

“The number of people stationed outside the castle is estimated to be around two hundred. I’ll need to confirm that, but about a hundred and sixty of them appear to be combat personnel. Around twenty have clearance to enter the castle,” he continued.

“Those would be the delegates for the Alliance Conference, I suppose,” I muttered.

“That’s right,” he said.

“And the participants in the conference itself...?” I asked.

“I haven’t confirmed that yet. It’s being handled under extreme secrecy...” he answered.

“Makes sense,” I said.

After all, the Empire was investing seriously in it as well.

There was no way all those envoys had come just to attend a debutante ball and then leave. If the alliance talks were still ongoing, there would naturally be a separate stage prepared for more detailed negotiations.

Relations between nations couldn’t be built with a simple “Let’s form an alliance.” Naturally, the number of envoys involved and the content of their discussions would be kept strictly confidential.

The debutante ball was probably just a convenient cover. If Lee Chang-Ryeol had focused on this side from the start, he could have uncovered something by now, but even for him, slipping past the Union of Kingdoms’ security and infiltrating a conference room alone would be impossible.

“If you take the risk—” I stopped.

‘It might be possible.’

However, there was no reason to expose our presence or raise their suspicions.

“So far, six individuals have been identified. I didn’t include it in the report since the information has not been confirmed yet, but...” Lee Chang-Ryeol trailed off.

‘I knew I could count on you, damn it!’

“First of all, Count Kim Hyun-Sung...”

“...”

“...”

‘No, that goes without saying... Of course, he’d be attending the conference, too.’

“We also believe Lady Katrin is present. According to what we heard from the information guild, she’s been absent from her estate for several days now...” he continued.

“...”

“...”

‘That’s just speculation.’

In other words, it wasn’t confirmed. He had to have realized how much of his personal guesswork had slipped into the report, and it was proven by how his face flushed red.

Perhaps he was thinking that he had failed as an assassin. It wasn’t like him to handle things sloppily, and now, I could see why that part was left out of the written report. Still, given the current situation, even this kind of unverified intel was valuable.

“And...” he paused.

“...”

“The last one is Song Jung-Wook of Castlerock,” he continued.

At that moment, fragments of the first life flashed through my mind.

“...”

“...”

"Charlotte, the Empress of the Empire."

"Yes."

"Song Jung-Wook of Castlerock."

"Dead."

"Cardinal Marlen of the Vatican."

"Dead."

"Jung Yoo-Ra of the Black Swan."

"Yes. Yes. Yes."

"And..."

"..."

"Kim Hyun-Sung of Lindel."

There were a few more in the list I heard from the dying First Life Commander Jin. They were the people involved in the purge, or more precisely, those who had agreed to it.

“Song Jung-Wook of Castle Rock?” I asked.

“Yes. He’s believed to have come with Lady Marlene,” Lee Chang-Ryeol answered.

It was a bit shocking to hear that Song Jung-Wook, the same man who had died as a minor figure during the Castlerock siege, ended up rising this far.

If he were connected to the purge, it would mean he’d reached a considerable position of power. Since this was after the purge, his influence would have grown.

As one of the summoned figures closely tied to the Empire’s politics alongside Count Kim Hyun-Sung, it made sense for him to attend the alliance conference.

He had not yet received a noble title, so he probably wouldn’t be attending the debutante ball, but he was certainly busy playing his part.

‘Is Song Jung-Wook the target?’

When Jin Cheong died, Song Jung-Wook had already disappeared. Rather than poking the hornet’s nest by going after Kim Hyun-Sung, it would make more sense for them to hunt Song Jung-Wook first.

As I pieced the information together, I felt like I was finally arriving at an answer.

“...”

“...”

“What is Commander Jin doing right now?” I asked.

“He should be—”

“Never mind, I’ll just try contacting him myself,” I interrupted him.

I shattered the silence to hear what he was thinking or planning.

"Commander?"

— ...

"Commander? Please respond. I’m reaching out because it’s really important..."

— ...

"Commander?"

The communication channel was still closed.

‘That bastard... damn it...’

"Commander? I’m not joking. I’m serious this time."

‘Come on...’

"Commander Jin? You jerk."