Regressor Instruction Manual

Chapter 1458. Continental War (38)

The Holy Sword Hero looked as if the full moon itself had exploded, and the sky was collapsing around him.

“Heung... heuuuuung...” Sung Ji-Hoon cried.

‘What the hell? Did the world end or something, you idiot?’

“Heuuaaaannng...”

It felt like we needed to talk, but this wasn’t the time for it. This clearly wasn’t the situation Holy Sword Hero Sung Ji-Hoon had wanted, was it? I had merely given him what he had so desperately wished for, yet his mental state had completely fallen apart.

“That can’t be... heuk... It can’t be,” he mumbled.

‘Damn it.’

“It’s a lie... Tell me it’s a lie...” he begged.

‘I have no idea how I’m supposed to handle this.’

Seeing Sung Ji-Hoon muttering that this couldn’t be real and that it had to be a lie made me want to really punch him in the face.

His entire face was already covered in tears, and even snot was dripping from his nose.

He was crying so loudly that my ears hurt, and a drop of snot was hanging at the tip of his nose.

I involuntarily grimaced because he kept trying to rub that filthy face of his on me. On top of that, he seemed unable to support his own weight, so he leaned on me so heavily that I struggled to keep my balance.

I wanted to run away earlier, but now, I wanted to run even more because there was absolutely no sign of him calming down.

It was a relief that he didn’t just flop flat onto the ground; if he had started crawling around like an elementary school kid begging for a toy, I would have immediately left, regardless of the fact that he was the Holy Sword Hero.

All kinds of thoughts were scattered in my head, but calming him down came first.

At the very least, I wanted to bring things to a state where conversation was possible. The desire to escape this insane situation as quickly as possible filled me, so I decided to grab his arms strongly.

I squeezed with all my strength and met his eyes. I showed a pitiable smile; what filled my pupils was surely sorrow. I was trying to convey that the one who wanted to cry wasn’t him, but me. I wasn’t sprawled on the floor, sobbing like the Holy Sword Hero, but it was right to express that I was sadder than anyone else.

“Ah...”

“...”

“Heuk... heuuuk...”

He tried desperately to hold back his tears. He bit his lips so hard that I felt like slapping him, but right now, the correct answer was to keep a tight grip on the Holy Sword Hero.

‘I want to cry too, I’m sad, too.’

He hugged me tightly again.

“Heung... kgh...”

Naturally, I had no choice but to let out sobbing sounds right next to his ear. His shoulders were still trembling violently when I heard his faint voice again.

“W-why did you hide it?” he asked.

“...”

“...”

‘I don’t know either, you idiot.’

“...”

“I’m not really sure either,” I answered.

“Wh-what?”

“I-I don’t really know why I did it either. I just... I just... I think I wanted to be friends with you, Mr. Ji-Hoon. Traveling with you, spending time together... it was fun. From the moment I first met you, you have no idea how badly I wanted to talk to you.

"When you were happy or sad, I wanted to talk to you so much, and on top of that, when I first woke up like that, I was incredibly confused...” I explained.

I was just rambling, unable to tell if any of this was right, but looking at his face, it felt like he would accept anything I said.

“Ah... so you didn’t leave on purpose,” he said.

“I didn’t,” I said.

One day, I suddenly became human and dropped straight onto a battlefield—this was the story.

“I’m... sure it was those guys,” he said.

‘No, stop trying to pin it all on them.’

“...”

“...”

“T-then afterward, you didn’t think about looking for me?” he asked.

“Well, I knew you would come for me, Mr. Ji-Hoon,” I answered.

“H-how?” he asked.

“I just knew that you would find me. That’s why we met,” I answered.

“I see.”

“Isn’t that why you came to find me, too?” I asked.

Of course, he had only come here because his superiors had ordered him to do so, but at that moment, he seemed to feel that a white lie was necessary. The way he nodded frantically was ridiculous, and he babbled something about feeling the pull of fate, or that his body had moved here on its own without him realizing it.

Had he completely forgotten that he had said he came here because of a quest?

“I thought I could hide it until the very end... but I guess I really can’t fool you, Mr. Ji-Hoon,” I said.

“O-of course not. I’m pretty sharp, you know. Actually, I kind of knew from the beginning. From the first time I saw you, I kept feeling like you were familiar somehow... like right now,” he said.

The light in his chest was shining again. To me, it looked like an angry Yuriel protesting, but to him, it had to be something different. For a split second, I wondered what would happen if he ended up getting cut off by Yuriel, but as it was the Holy Sword, surely it wouldn’t be that petty.

What mattered was whether he was qualified to wield the Holy Sword or not—that was it.

‘I’ll make sure you’re not alone, so just stay still.’

“How... could I not know?” he asked.

‘At least make it sound believable, you idiot.’

“We were always... together... from the beginning... heuk...” he mumbled.

‘Damn, looks like I hit his tear button again.’

“When I was struggling, when I was sad, you were always there with me. How could I not know that you were Yuriel... ngh... Of course, I would notice. I should have noticed it earlier. No, I knew from the start... from the very first time I saw you... heuk... so why didn’t you tell me sooner?” he asked.

“...”

“I guess that was a stupid question on my part. Of course. You were always with me,” he said.

“...”

“I-if you hadn’t been there, I wouldn’t have made it out of the tutorial,” he added.

‘Yeah, that actually sounds about right.’

In the second life, it was assumed that he either hadn’t been summoned at all or had died in the tutorial. Even while I was thinking about the lonely end of the Second Life Holy Sword Hero, he kept rambling on about some memories.

“D-do you remember? Back in the tutorial... when it was pitch black, and I couldn’t see anything... you lit up the darkness just a little,” he asked.

‘Looks like Yuriel is more loyal than I realized.’

“...”

“I’m s-sorry I used you as a fire starter. But back then...” he said.

‘He must have treated Yuriel poorly.’

“You remember what I told you in the dungeon, too, right? And the first time I partied with other people! If you hadn’t been there, I would’ve totally died. I really had no idea those people were bad... You remember, don’t you?” he asked.

‘No, I don’t remember a damn thing.’

“Even when I collapsed and fell asleep, you protected me,” he said.

‘Wow, Yuriel worked harder than I expected.’

“A-and this time again...” he mumbled.

“Pardon?”

“Whenever things were hard, Yuriel, you were always r-right beside me. Whenever something went wrong, and whenever I wavered, you were the one who held me steady. If you hadn’t been there this time, too, I don’t think I could’ve endured it. Heuk... heuuuk...” he cried.

‘Still... he does have good points.’

The fact that I could inherit the bond between him and Yuriel was definitely one of them.

Of course, it seemed Yuriel was already embedded inside him, but still, it was better to be safe than sorry. Things that burned bright burn out fast, and even if the full moon events seemed successful, the more insurance the better.

If that insurance was Yuriel, who had been through life-and-death battles with him, then of course, I would accept it.

Just looking at his expression made it obvious. He was already prone to obsession, but when he started seeing Yuriel and me as the same being, it was like honey was dripping from his eyes. My words now carried far more weight with him than before.

‘No, that's not quite right. This wasn’t just something I had inherited; it was more accurate to call it a synergy effect.’

No matter how many conversations he had with Yuriel, in the end, they had all been one-sided. To him, there was a high chance that Yuriel was just a sword until he learned that I was "Yuriel."

When the existence called "Jin Yoo" was born, Yuriel finally became a meaningful existence to him. Even the most trivial exchanges were probably being reevaluated all over again in his mind. Simple memories were turning into cherished moments.

‘Damn, his eyes are overflowing with sweetness.’

Of course, he looked more anxious than anything else. After all, what mattered most to the current Sung Ji-Hoon was probably whether Jin Yoo could continue to exist as Jin Yoo.

‘See, in the end, what really matters is still Jin Yoo.’

He kept distracting himself with warm memories, but all of it was just buildup for the most important thing he wanted to say. He was only clinging to the past to keep his anxiety from bursting out.

I felt like it was better to speak first here. If things continued like this, I had a feeling I would be stuck listening to trivial old stories until tomorrow.

Even smiling and going along had its limits.

Just as I was about to open my mouth, Sung Ji-Hoon said, “S-starting now, you’re not just Yuriel anymore. We can stay together and talk like this. We can keep being together like this, can’t we? You won’t suddenly d-disappear or anything, will you?”

“...”

“I-if you get tired, you can go back into the sword sometimes. I mean, staying in human form all the time must be hard. I don’t really understand it, but even for the Holy Sword, it must be exhausting to stay like that for so long... heuk...” he added.

‘Kim Hyun-Sung wasn’t this much of a crybaby.’

He had to have noticed my bitter expression while he was talking to himself. From earlier, I had clearly been avoiding this question, and as my face kept getting worse, he had to have realized that his ending with Jin Yoo wasn’t going to be a happy one.

“I-it’s hard for you, right? I-if you want, you can rest longer. I’ll have a hard time waiting, but if you sleep for a few days...” he suggested.

“...”

“Sniff! We can stay together, right?” he asked.

“...”

“You won’t suddenly disappear, right?” he asked.

“...”

“We can stay together forever, right?”

“...”

“...”

“What do you mean, Mr. Ji-Hoon? Of course. I will always be by your side. Just like before, and from now on too, I’ll keep fighting with you,” I answered.

“Heuk...”

“No matter what happens and no matter what hardships we face, I’ll always be with you, Mr. Ji-Hoon,” I added.

Even someone as dense as him couldn’t possibly misunderstand my words. Tears poured down his face uncontrollably, but even then, he had to smile.

Joy and sorrow had to coexist.

Being able to stay with the hero was something to be happy about, but it was also necessary to let him know that I could no longer exist as Jin Yoo.

It was important to show that I resented the fact that we could no longer sit together under the full moon and talk like before.

“We’ll stay...” I trailed off before continuing, “...together forever, Mr. Ji-Hoon."

Not as Jin Yoo, but as Yuriel.