Regressor Instruction Manual

Chapter 1456. Continental War (36)

He was completely out of his mind. It was a ridiculous idea born purely from this idiot’s imagination. For a moment, I seriously wondered whether our Holy Sword Hero had taken too many blows to the head and had lost his sanity as a result of it.

His idea was that. No, perhaps he really had taken too many blows. Perhaps Ryu Han was too hard on him, and he ended up having some kind of dream, which resulted in the nonsense he was talking about right now.

‘What the hell is even inside this idiot’s head that he can even come up with something like this?’

At this point, I could only think that it was impressive in its own way, and the way he was bawling his eyes out for no reason whatsoever was a spectacle to behold.

“Heuk... heuuuk... You’re Yuriel, aren't you?” Sung Ji-Hoon asked.

“...”

“...”

“Mr. Ji-Hoon, w-what do you mean by that?” I asked.

“I... know everything. I was aware of everything. I’ve actually felt it for a long time,” he said.

‘What do you know, you idiot? What did you feel? What nonsense are you spouting?’

“You’re Yuriel. Heuuuk... you’re Yuriel...” he repeated.

‘If you hadn’t come over here, you could’ve easily become a light novel author, seriously.’

Once again, I was reminded that human imagination truly had no limits. Even though I prepared various character sheets while getting ready to part ways with this idiot, I had never imagined turning a human into a sword.

What on earth had he been reading while growing up to come up with a story like that so easily? From Sung Ji-Hoon’s perspective, I could kind of understand it, but if I really forced it to make sense.

‘When Yuriel disappeared....’

Jin Yoo suddenly appeared in front of him, and Jin Yoo even drew Yuriel for him. He also remembered that the higher-ups had arranged their meeting. I didn’t know how much interest this idiot had in me, but there was a high chance he had wandered around asking various people about Jin Yoo.

Since I was practically the first “friend” he had ever made, he was probably curious about where Jin Yoo had come from, what he had been doing, and how he ended up meeting him.

He probably asked Oksana or the people around him, but he likely never got a proper answer. After all, Jin Yoo literally dropped out of nowhere.

Jin Yoo had no past, and the absence of a past had to have allowed him to reach that conclusion. He seemed relatively close with the Nameless Hyung and Alps, but even then, no one could pinpoint exactly when we all met. No matter what he asked, they never gave clear answers.

At first, he brushed it off as nothing, but at some point, he became kind of certain.

The decisive factor was probably the modified Light Bomb Potion. No, rather, today’s incident had to have made all his previous suspicions flood him at once.

Holy power was extracted from Yuriel, firmly establishing the idea that the Saint and the Hero existed as a set, resulting in this absurd nonsense. The light that had just erupted looked mysterious and awe‑inspiring to others, but to him, it had to have felt more familiar and comforting than any other light.

Warm and calming, like Yuriel's light, which had always been protecting him. That was why he ended up thinking that I had separated from the sword and manifested into a physical form for his sake.

I had no idea what he thought about the blood running down my clothes, but I had the unsettling feeling that in his eyes, it probably didn't even look like ordinary blood.

Of course, he wasn't seeing it through some filter. He was blessed with holy power and the Holy Sword, so he instinctively felt that the blood carried some kind of divinity. Without realizing it, he could already perceive that Jin Yoo wasn’t a normal human.

Still, even with all these suspicions and circumstances, the fact that this idiot had actually concluded that Jin Yoo was Yuriel was just really insane.

‘Just because you force the pieces together doesn’t mean they actually fit. This is a bizarre world, but how could anyone seriously think that a sword can become a human or the other way around?’

At this point, it felt less like he had reasoned his way to that conclusion. It was more like he had reached that conclusion first and decided to search only for evidence afterward.

‘Or maybe in his own way, he was actually being oddly perceptive and self‑aware.’

Perhaps he simply believed that an ordinary person would never show him unconditional kindness.

I felt like this was his thought process.

1. An ordinary human will never be kind to him.

2. Jin Yoo is kind to him.

3. Therefore, Jin Yoo is probably not human.

Had he really gone and invented this “miracle formula” all by himself? Perhaps he had gotten too used to his pathetic life to the point that he couldn’t accept even someone warm being kind to him.

I had no idea why this idiot was acting like this, but one thing was certain—the Holy Sword Hero wouldn’t listen to me. Whatever ominous thoughts were running through his head, he already concluded that I could disappear someday.

He believed that Jin Yoo, who had shared the full moon with him and talked with him extensively, could vanish one day, leaving only Yuriel behind.

“Heuk... heuuung...” Sung Ji-Hoon cried.

‘Ah, don’t cry so much, seriously.’

“Heuuuuuk... heuuuuuuung...” He continued crying.

‘Everyone’s looking, damn it. What are they going to think if the hero acts like this? Why are you already imagining the goodbye route?’

“Don’t disappear... heuuung... heuuuuuuung...” he mumbled.

“...”

“You can’t disappear, Yuriel... heuuuuuk... Ugh... you won’t leave me behind, right?” he asked.

“M-Mr. Jin-Ho,” I stuttered.

“Please... I’m begging you. Never leave me alone... heuk... kgh...”

“Mr. Jin-Ho, please calm down,” I told him.

“Don’t abandon me... heuuung... Don’t abandon me, I can do better... heuuuk,” he begged.

‘Damn it, how am I supposed to deal with this? He’s suddenly acting like he lost everything.’

“I can defeat Ryu Han too... heuuung... I can even stop the war... heuuung...” he said.

He could barely hold himself upright, and the fact that he was constantly leaning on me made it hard for me to stay on my feet.

The looks from the people around us went without saying. The people praised him for being a hero, but this pitiful display could hardly inspire the troops. It was more likely to crush their morale. He was practically sprawled on the ground, looking like he was about to throw a tantrum, so letting him go wasn’t an option.

If Alps hadn’t appeared to take responsibility for the opposite side, we would’ve ended up rolling on the ground together.

‘Ah, their faces don't look too good... damn it.’

To those without the context, it probably looked like our unit had hit rock bottom. The total war had already begun, and the goals of the Keepers of the Moonlight were slipping further away, so it made perfect sense that it looked like Sung Ji-Hoon’s mental state was collapsing.

In fact, it already seemed that way.

Setting aside Sung Ji-Hoon, I could already see quite a few people wiping away their tears. Among the Keepers of the Moonlight, emotional agitation was even more pronounced.

The Black Rose Salon and Lady Paint’s Union troops were faring better, but our warriors, who had quietly cultivated their convictions, seemed to be being influenced by Sung Ji-Hoon.

“Heuk... heuuuuung...”

“Heuuung...”

“Heuk...”

He was crying nonstop, looking like the textbook image of a defeated soldier.

Of course, even in this situation, there were people calmly assessing things, and since total war was raging on both the 4-1 and 4-2 Fronts, the Republic was unlikely to organize a full pursuit, but our forces were large enough that we still needed somewhere to hide.

Fortunately, Lady Paint and the other ladies seemed to have their heads on straight.

Palette’s smoke could give away our position, so Lady Rusvilla dispersed it and cast an illusion spell to replace it.

Since everyone desperately needed rest, some people were already setting up a makeshift camp, doing what had to be done even without my orders.

It was probably under Paint’s direction.

Scouts were being sent out, information about how the 4-1 and 4-2 Fronts was being gathered, and it was clear she was constantly thinking about what we could still do.

‘She hasn’t given up yet.’

At the same time, Palette was sending her smoke farther out to collect more information, while Brush tended to those who needed healing. Aside from the Holy Sword Hero, no one else looked completely beaten.

‘Yeah, just sleep already, you idiot.’

I honestly felt relieved that Sung Ji-Hoon had finally cried himself to exhaustion and fell asleep. While I was awkwardly carrying him into the tent, I heard Paint’s voice beside me.

“He must be deeply distressed.”

“...”

“...”

“Yes, he wanted to stop this war more than anyone else. Mr. Jin-Ho and I do,” I said.

“...”

“He probably feels very disappointed in himself that he couldn’t prevent this,” I added.

‘Damn it, I can’t exactly explain that he’s crying because he thinks I’m a sword.’

I let a few tears fall on purpose. I felt like Paint was reminded of Aina Peneloti, as she looked at me as if I were pitiful. I could tell she wanted to say that everything would be alright and that it wasn’t over yet, but she was hesitating to give false hope too hastily.

After all, it was unlike Paint to utter optimistic words without fully understanding the situation or having enough information.

Despite that...

“Don’t worry too much,” she said carefully.

“...”

“There’s always a way through,” she added.

“How...”

“A friend of mine taught me that if you don’t give up in any situation, a path will open for you. It might be too early to say this now, but there will definitely be an opening somewhere,” she reassured me.

“...”

“We will definitely stop the war,” she added.

‘Yeah, it’s pretty moving, Paint.’

“Of course, taking care of yourself is the most important thing. It’ll be hard to relax, but please try to rest for now. The Keepers of the Moonlight, and that hero... they all need you,” she said.

“...”

“...”

“Okay...” I said.

“...”

“...”

The problem was that she probably couldn’t rest. Most likely, she wouldn't be able to rest, as she'd have to work relentlessly to make the Keepers of the Moonlight rise again. Of course, I was in the same position. I had to think hard, too.

I had a feeling that this could be the only chance to strengthen the Holy Sword Hero.

‘This is likely to be the last real break.’

More precisely, this could be the last time we could laugh and chat together like this. Once we headed out again, there was a high chance we wouldn't have time until the war was over.

Once the war was over, the hexagram arc would end as well, which meant there wouldn't be any time to strengthen him by then.

At first, I was a bit flustered, but then I started thinking that perhaps this was actually for the better. I realized I didn’t need to force some elaborate backstory or justification; he was already imagining things on his own and hurting on his own, so there was no need for me to create a new tragedy.

Coincidentally, a particularly bright full moon was shining down on us. Naturally, as the older brother, I ought to grant Sung Ji-Hoon’s wish, but the problem was that my hand wouldn't move.

‘Do I really have to play as Yuriel?’

An inexplicable sense of embarrassment filled me up.

‘No matter how I think about it, playing as Yuriel is just a bit too much...’