Regressor Instruction Manual

Chapter 616: Negative Public Opinion (2)

‘Is there any moral ground to oppose?’

It was absurd that I was opposing every idea. Raphael wasn’t just anybody. He was the warrior who had been chosen by the Holy Sword.

Goddess Benignore would’ve said that he was on our side by then. When I thought of the various things that had happened so far, I thought it was reasonable, but I couldn’t fully understand it even if I tried to.

Not only did he finish his interview with the media, but he also had a three-way meeting with the Pope. The official announcement was also broadcasted through the Goddess’s Mirror.

It was only that time that all the Blue Guild members gathered. Sun Hee-young and Hwang Jeong-yeon, even though they were buried in guild work, were also seen after a long time. Kim Hyunsung and Kim Chang-ryul also appeared.

Park Deokgu, Kim Ye-ri, and Ahn Ki-mo, the three revolutionary siblings, were also able to meet inside the Vatican after the broadcast was over.

Elena and Yoo Ah-young also made some time out of their busy schedule, and that gave them a momentous atmosphere until they were told that it would be better to keep Raphael next to me.

‘…’

The atmosphere was getting heavy. I was dumbfounded, and the quick-witted pig was acting a bit strange.

“I’m against it. Whatever you say, I’m against it.”

“…”

“No matter what, it’s the opposite. Of course, I understand what you’re thinking, but there’s a situation you don’t know about. It’s still dangerous even if Raphael is a warrior chosen by Benignore. You should be careful because there was something that happened at the scene last time.”

“…”

“Of course, I don’t think it’s bad for Raphael or Navael or whoever it is. I’m not arguing that he’s the one who should fight and that you’re the one who’s going to help him. However, what do we know about him? I think it would be a good choice to give it some time before you put him next to you.”

“…”

“This is all for you, Hyung-nim.”

“Deokgu is right. I don’t think we need to get things going so quickly.”

Kim Hyunsung and Park Deokgu had always been at odds over strange topics. But they joined forces that day, so what else did I need to say?

‘What’s wrong with Kim Hyunsung?’

He seemed to be quite wary, given that he had longed for the chosen warrior. I didn’t know what he was feeling cautious about, but… Perhaps he could sense the ominous energy emitted by the Holy Sword itself.

If I had to pick another reason…

‘Maybe he’s thinking about the time with the Federation.’

It started because of the outsiders, and there were rumors about me quitting the guild.

I wasn’t certain, but he was probably wary of a situation like that repeating. Raphael was just a stranger who popped out of nowhere after all, except for the Holy Sword.

‘Actually, they’re not wrong…’

Except for the fact that the Holy sword chose him, Raphael was still unknown to us.

I did a basic background check, but I didn’t dig deep, and most of all, I had a very short time judging what kind of human being he was.

Nevertheless, Kim Hyunsung was right to be concerned after I said I would keep him close.

Of course, putting all those reasons together, it was undeniable that they’re overreacting, especially our lovely regressor.

Didn’t he say that he would appoint Cho Hyejin as his chief of staff? I thought it was similar to my position in the past. We had become friends already, but… At that time, Cho Hyejin was a stranger who suddenly rolled in out of nowhere… I could’ve somehow prevented her from taking the helm, but I was in a good mood at the time.

‘I don’t deserve to say that.’

“I think you’d better think about it again. I keep getting a bad feeling about this… Your decision here will be important in many ways. As Deokgu said, let’s take a little more time to think about it…”

“I understand you’re worried, but I’ll be fine. Crucially, I don’t want to delay much time. He’s an ordinary person who doesn’t know anything. It’s better if we proceed with the incubation plan as soon as possible. If I can help him from the sidelines, I think we’ll create a lot of synergies… Not only will that help him fight, but it will also help him mentally. I’m sure mental growth is as important as physical growth.”

“Standing next to him can be a problem. I didn’t want to say this, but what if he’s related to a demon? What are you going to do if he’s controlling the Holy Sword in an extraordinary way that we’ve never thought of?”

It had been a long time since I heard the word “extraordinary” from Deokgu.

“It won’t matter if we leave him at the Vatican or the Church for the time being, but I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to take him with you. I just smell something fishy. You know my guts are never wrong at times like this….”

‘Yeah. You really do have good intuition. So much so that it still surprises me. Shit, why can’t you only do that when you’re in a situation where you’re supposed to?’

Kim Hyunsung had been withdrawing due have given his right to speak to Park Deokgu.

Since the pig had kept saying what he wanted to say, Hyunsung seemed to have decided that he didn’t have to go ahead and sit in a position where he could be hated and blamed, but the attack that came in all at once was definitely sharp.

“You said you’re going to be tutoring him, so it would be best if he joins the Blue Guild. If Kiyoung stops by the guild from time to time, the issue will be solved.”

Park Deokgu was being used as a tank for everyone. Kim Hyunsung was building deals using him.

“I disagree, too. I understand what you’re saying, but I think we should take a little more time to learn about Raphael, and it’s actually very exciting to be a part of the Blue Guild..” Sun Hee-young, the conservative commentator who was quietly watching the situation, also spoke.

The rest were just watching the situation quietly without saying a word… Hwang Jeong-yeon and Ahn Ki-mo were also able to watch from behind, while Cho Hyejin was in the opposite position.

He looked more enthusiastic than I thought, but I understood why she was doing that.

Wasn’t she the only one who knew that Light Kiyoung had a ‘problem’? He seemed to be judging that weaknesses could catch him or that a new person could have a reversed effect on me.

‘I guess the Blue Guild is in this, too.’

Even Elena didn’t want to accept any outsiders… Of course, she didn’t mean anything bad about it. It felt like they were naturally rejecting outsiders because they were already united with each other.

As I said earlier, I could assure anyone that federal interference played a part in creating the atmosphere.

‘Well, you guys did a good job letting the Tamer join the guild.’

Tamer Alps was stuck in the corner and was looking at the dog while hugging it. She was trying not to be in a position that stood out.

Come to think of it, how long had she been a guild member?

No matter how much she wanted to avoid people, in the case of the Blue Guild, that’s a little too much. Look at the Red Mercenary or the Black Swan. The active acceptance of guild members every year was certainly different from the Blue.

“Hee-ra should watch too.’

I thought of other matters for a moment, but my stance on the topic at hand remained unchanged.

“Everyone seems to be a little tense… Everything’s going to be fine. Raphael’s not an enemy to be wary of. He’s a colleague. In Hyunsung’s case, he’ll be tutoring him… It won’t be very beneficial to be too worried.”

“But…”

“Of course, as you say, I think we should avoid completely letting our guard down, but personally, I can assure you that this distance won’t cause any problems. Don’t you know it’s better to accept him than push him away? There’s no difference between the new member Alps or Raphael.”

“…”

“Hyejin is stopping by my place every other day, and Park Li-ahn and others are always working hard to protect me. I’m not a weak person either… It’s a little bit off… to think that something is going to happen.”

“No, I’m not saying that. It’s just that I smell something fishy…”

“You shouldn’t judge people like that.”

“Something’s not right… I mean, something’s really not right. I’m not usually suspicious of people… But as soon as I saw his face, my guts already sensed danger.”

Kim Hyunsung tried to fight for Park Deokgu’s non-logical argument more than anyone else, but he eventually nodded.

There was no room for negotiations. Lee Kiyoung, as always, didn’t yield. If he got out of my sight, things would get complicated.

“I’ve already made up my mind. There’s no need for a debate since a decision has been made.”

“…”

“If you come at me like that, then I have nothing else to say… It’s just that I’m nervous…”

“…”

“First of all, Raphael said he wanted to serve on the Protection and Management Committee himself. In the first place, his choice would also benefit us just as much.”

“That’s true, but…”

“…”

“Once the Continental Protection and Management Committee is disbanded, by the time I returned to the Blue Guild, I could bring him with me…”

‘Of course, that’s assuming Raphael is still alive by then…’

“We need a warm look from now on. From what I heard, I don’t think he’s been in a good environment… He’s confused and needs help more than anyone else. It wouldn’t hurt to open up a little bit.”

That’s what I said, but I didn’t think I had completely let my guard down either.

“Rather than just saying hello to him, I think it would be better if we invite him to dinner…”

“Having outsiders at today’s guild meeting… No, I don’t like it.”

‘If that’s the case, I’m an outsider, too. What’s wrong with you, Kim Ye-ri?’

What evoked that atmosphere was, of course, Ahn Ki-mo. When I slowly turned my eyes away, I noticed him speaking up again.

“Come on, everybody better calm down. In fact, what the vice Guild Master said isn’t wrong at all, is it? Raphael must have been the most flustered among everyone else. He suddenly became a chosen warrior… If I were in his shoes….”

‘Yeah, you’re good. Shit, Ahn Ki-mo.’

“If there’s anything really bothering you, why don’t you take this opportunity to find the answer while Raphael is still with us? He still needs to be around us, so I think it’s a good idea to get acquainted with him. Why do you guys think the Vice Guild Master called us here?”

“You’re right, Ki-mo.”

‘You’re doing great.’

“Even if he doesn’t join the Blue Guild, it doesn’t change the fact that we have to keep seeing him in the future, does it, Guild Master?”

With public opinion swaying towards my decision, Kim Hyunsung couldn’t do much. Kim Ye-ri clicked her tongue as she nodded reluctantly.

‘Why is she so twisted?’

I even seriously thought about whether puberty had finally hit her.

In any case, Kim Hyunsung’s positive attitude led him to join the Blue Guild.

Their side also invited Raphael, and eventually, he was able to stand with us with an awkward look on his face.

“My name is Raphael. I’ve always wanted to meet the Blue Guild…And… and… And… and…”

The problem was that the atmosphere wasn’t that good yet.

“Kiyoung… thanks to you, I’m here with such great people. Thank you so much.”

The atmosphere worsened even more, when he approached me without hesitation.

“Hyung… I didn’t make a mistake, did I?” He whispered in a small voice, but many people there could easily catch what he said.

Kim Ye-ri’s expression, especially, didn’t look that good. I didn’t know why, but for some reason, she was making that smart expression like when she first saw Max. The faces of the guild’s founding members weren’t that different.

‘They’re really…’

I didn’t think so, but…

‘Well, you guys don’t think that you’ve lost your Vice Guild Master, do you?’

The atmosphere felt as if they thought that the mother of the party had been taken away.

They must’ve felt like their mother left home saying she had something to do and said, ‘This is your new brother. Say hi,’ when she came back home.

Of course, there had to be a more complex reason than that, but wouldn’t it be only about 5% of how they really felt? It was a stupid idea, but somehow…

It was a very reasonable guess.

Among the ones being wary of him was our lovely regressor, Kim Hyunsung.

‘Oh, my Hyunsung… I think you noticed…’

Other than that, I couldn’t quite explain the expression on his face.