Regressor Instruction Manual

Chapter 1501. Extinction (11)

‘You want to play, is that it?’

“...”

“Open the gates! Countess Castlerock has returned!”

“Open the gates! Open them now!!!”

“Open the gates! The Countess of Castle Rock has returned!”

“Move, move!”

“Are there any injured here?”

“The infirmary has been set up underground! Please follow the soldiers’ instructions! Those who can still fight, move to the right! I repeat, those who can fight, move to the right!

"Additionally, those with at least a Legendary job or equipment and those possessing special abilities or who have served in special units, please identify yourselves separately!”

“Where are the commanders? I’m from the Republic...”

“Just move for now!”

“Did you not hear me? I’m—”

“This is Castle Rock of the Empire, not the Republic. We clearly instructed you to follow the soldiers’ instructions.”

“W-what?”

“Move! Follow the soldiers’ control! Regardless of status or rank, anyone who has wielded a weapon or can wield one, move to the right!”

‘Damn it... we’re already here...’

The abnormal marching speed triggered by that crow definitely played a part, but it honestly felt like we arrived in the blink of an eye.

I was sure I just heard Mikael say that Castle Rock was within sight. I closed my eyes for a moment, and when I opened them, we were already entering the city. Of course, my mind was elsewhere, so it made sense that it felt like time had sped up for me.

Everything was being pushed forward, so our movements were restricted...

‘First Life Ki-Young is struggling, too.’

It was definitely because I realized that he had business with me. Of course, I still couldn’t confirm whether that crow was really sent by First Ki-Young, but the possibility was far from low.

Even if the crow wasn't from him, the fact that an unwelcome guest likely knew of my existence here made me feel uncomfortable. Someone suddenly bringing up the Sage’s Stone definitely got under my skin.

Honestly, if First Ki-Young were the only thing I had to worry about, it'd be easier for me to do things. What was really irritating was that the current situation was tangled in a background too complicated to neatly sort out.

It was an expression I used often, but the threads here were hopelessly tangled together.

Every faction and every individual was charging forward for their own interests and goals, and it was to the point where I couldn’t even tell where to begin untangling the mess.

They were yanking at a ball of thread that was already difficult enough to unravel, so it felt like trying to solve a puzzle that was never meant to be solved. Even creating mental signposts in my head wasn’t easy.

Of course, I managed to reach a conclusion. The situation felt short in some ways and long in others, but whether fortunate or unfortunate, what I needed to do was clear. A few things had simply been added to my original objectives.

Stop Kim Hyun-Sung, deal with Mikael and all matters involving him. Then, I had to reunite with Jin Cheong, find out why Kasugano Yuno had come here, make contact with First Lee Ki-Young somehow, and gGather information on what the Sage’s Stone really was. I had to know whether it truly existed or not, and what role it played.

It wasn’t easy to assign priorities, but doing so wouldn’t really matter. Even if I ranked them, whether I could actually deal with them was another issue entirely. As always, the puzzle pieces would eventually come together.

The closer I got to the end, the easier it would become to fit them into place.

‘Just start with what I can do, one step at a time.’

There was still room to breathe.

‘I still have plenty of cards in my hand.’

Slowly but surely, I was moving toward my goal. The only reason I felt anxious was that there were no visible results or progress bars to reassure me just yet.

Arriving at Castle Rock at this point was like setting my foot on the starting line. If I had ended up in some remote wasteland or within the pigeons’ territory, who could say for sure how many months it'd take me just to get here?

In the end, I found the most suitable place to serve as a final stronghold. It wasn't easily breached as well.

‘This place really does seem like the best option... Just look at those massive walls. Castle Rock really lives up to its name.’

“Keep moving! Follow the instructions!”

“Castle Rock... is incredible. Back then, why the hell did we even think that we could ever breach those insane walls? Now that I’m actually inside, it feels even more absurd...”

“Thinking about climbing up those walls was crazy. You think they’d have held out this long otherwise? And with all this thick mist, even the pigeons are reluctant to approach. That blond pigeon probably won’t even come near this place.”

“I’m not so sure about that... Don’t you see the damaged sections of the wall?”

“I heard those were from a past monster wave... They repaired them right away, but supposedly, some of the enchantments that used to cover the walls are gone. Still, it doesn’t look like there’s any fighting at all. Of course, I heard there are air raids about twice a day...”

“Even so, our odds of survival are a lot higher here. The anti-air defenses look solid, don’t they? And look at the stockpiled supplies!”

‘It definitely won’t be easy to take.’

Castle Rock was surrounded by walls layered with spells, along with a dense mist where one could barely see an inch ahead. From inside, visibility was clear enough, but the moment one stepped beyond the walls, there would be nothing but a gray haze.

‘They’ve maintained it well, too.’

Before we got here, I surveyed the surroundings through a Telescope, so I knew just how unusual Castle Rock’s current state was.

They had carefully stockpiled supplies, well-maintained walls, soldiers who looked to be in good condition, and a surprisingly large number of mages, even though this wasn't really that close to the Magic Tower.

There were even civilians going about their daily lives inside.

Seeing children running around was honestly shocking.

‘Even the administrative system is completely different from what I’ve seen before.’

“Follow the instructions!”

“This way, please!”

“Hurry, please!”

An enormous number of people poured into Castle Rock in an instant. In the first life I knew, it would take more than a week just to sort out the headcount, but what I was seeing right now was completely different.

Combatants and non-combatants were being classified almost immediately, and at the same time, accommodations were being assigned for the newcomers.

They were even beginning to sort people by unit type, and on one side, a meeting between the Countess of Castle Rock and the Republic’s commanders was already underway. It even looked like a speech would be held soon.

‘They don’t even have hand mirrors, so they’re doing all this manually.’

Even the areas designated for refugees and the wounded were being managed with surprising organization. Given the circumstances, the quality was nothing to brag about, but considering the state of the continent, it was impressive.

In other words, even if First Life Ki-Young realized I was here and decided to resort to extreme measures, he would not be able to touch me so easily. I couldn’t reach him either, but he couldn’t reach me.

If that precarious balance ever broke, I couldn’t guarantee we would be safe, but for now, Castle Rock was secure. That said, a safe place wasn't the same thing as a pleasant place to live

‘Damn it. It’s still filthy as hell... man...’

“How is he doing?” a staff member asked.

‘It looks like they tried to pay attention to hygiene as much as possible... but it’s still filthy all the same.’

“Well... a headache...” Mikael answered.

“He seems to be exhausted from the long march... There isn’t much I can personally do for him. It would be best to rest and monitor his condition. I’m sorry I can’t be of more help. We’re short on priests as it is... Most of them are assigned to soldiers injured in battle...” the staff explained.

“Then could he at least be assigned to a more suitable place for rest?” he asked.

‘Like that’s even possible. This bastard Mikael still has no grasp of reality.’

“This is already a suitable place to rest. Castle Rock is at full capacity... Staying here will likely be more helpful for the patient,” the staff answered.

“Haa... haa... ngh... haa...”

“A-are you alright?” Mikael asked me.

“Haa... haa... haa... ugh... haah...”

‘No, I’m not alright. The moment I thought about living here and eating pig slop like when I was with Gen, I suddenly stopped being alright.’

“Is there really no other way?” he asked.

“I’m not a priest... and I haven’t learned any related skills. I’m just one of the people managing the ward... Even if you ask me, there’s nothing I can really tell you. I’ll try to ask a priest to come as quickly as possible, but I can’t say when they’ll arrive... so I can’t promise anything. You must be having a hard time... I’m sorry,” they explained.

‘It’s not like a priest coming would guarantee anything anyway.’

Mikael had used holy power before. I'd bet my life that his holy power would be far more effective than the so-called priests strutting around here, and yet here he was, arguing with a staff. He probably had no idea what he was doing. He knew that no one here could cure Lee Ki-Young, yet he was still grasping at straws by asking a mere mortal to examine my condition. It seemed those earlier major events really did affect him.

“Please... wait here for a moment.”

After squeezing my hand tightly and letting go, he walked away. It was obvious where he was headed.

‘Looks like we’re about to get upgraded to a better room.’

Sure enough, he strode outside, seemingly having made up his mind. After some time passed, Mikael finally came back down to the ward, accompanied by several soldiers.

“...”

“...”

‘I knew this would happen.’

Mikael hadn’t used anything special. If one had power, one would receive treatment according to that power. It was an unchanging rule that worked anywhere, and in times like these, it went without saying.

He probably told a nearby commander that he was a mage or a specialist, and then he proved his value to the higher-ups. Naturally, there was a process to verify his identity, but it likely wasn’t too strict.

With the continent in ruins, there was no reliable way to properly confirm backgrounds anyway. Mikael wasn’t stupid, and he was familiar enough with the state of our continent, so he had to have convinced them somehow.

‘Looks like we’re moving rooms first.’

“I’ll carry him,” Mikael said.

“Ah... right. My apologies.”

Still gasping for breath, I was lifted up as if I were some kind of princess. After wiping the beads of sweat from my forehead, Mikael moved carefully. We were undoubtedly being relocated to separate quarters prepared by Countess Castlerock.

“You may use this room. It should be sufficient for the two of you. If you need anything, please let me know.”

“Thank you.”

“...”

“...”

“Then please, get some rest.”

“Thank you.”

‘Not bad.’

The room condition was excellent. Not perfect, but more than livable.

‘What can you get done when you’re crammed shoulder to shoulder with people all day?’

In that sense, securing a private space carried significant meaning. If the information guild founded by Lee Chang-Ryeol was still active, they would eventually try to make contact here. It wasn’t that I had silently pressured Mikael just because I wanted to be comfortable. Well, I couldn’t say that my comfort level played no part at all.

‘I need to build him up first.’

I had already thrown several major events at him, but the more pitiful I looked, the better things would be for me. He had already taken the bait, so before reeling him in completely, I needed to keep tightening the line.

Slowly, I opened my eyes.

“Are you conscious?” he asked me.

Immediately afterward, tears streamed down my face.

“I... want to be alone...” I mumbled.

“Is something—”

“I said... I want to be alone.” I interrupted him.

“...”

“...”

No further explanation was needed. Lee Ki-Young had lost another memory. Another memory related to Kim Hyun-Sung had disappeared.

“Heuk... heuuuk... I... want to be alone...” I repeated.

‘I have to look pitiful.’

“...”

‘I have to look as pitiful as possible...’

“I said I want to be alone!” I shouted.

As expected, I saw Mikael, and he looked as if the sky had just fallen on him. Unable to say anything, he stepped outside. Soon afterward, through the Telescope, I saw him slumped against the door.

‘What is that bastard doing there? Is he filming a movie or something?’

Mikael listened to my sobs from outside the door. He stayed there until I stopped crying.