Regressor Instruction Manual

Chapter 1416. Aina Peneloti (7)

Of course, I was more worried about the ladies of the Black Rose Salon than First Life Commander Jin. After all, I had spent a lot of time with them, while First Life Commander Jin seemed to be just putting on airs.

First Life Commander Jin stayed quiet, but Pastel kept screaming at the top of her lungs.

She was screaming at Lady Paint.

— DIE!!!

— ...

—It’s all your fault... bring her back. Bring Peneloti back! Heuk... heuuuk... you killed her! It’s your fault!

‘You should stop. She must be shaken, too.’

- Heuk... heuk... I’m sorry. I’m sorry.

— You don’t deserve to cry! You devil of a woman! Die! If you’re that sad, go die right now! Bring Peneloti back!

— Stop, Lady Pastel. Please, stop now... Lady Paint must be sad, too. Please stop.

— Shut up, Brush! Are you all just going to sit there quietly?! Paint killed her! Paint killed Peneloti!

— I’m sorry. I’m sorry, Lady Pastel, Lady Peneloti. I’m sorry... heuk...

— Drop the act! I-I know everything! I knew it all! Y-you... you were jealous of Peneloti. YOU WERE JEALOUS OF HER!!!

‘I knew she seemed jealous of me, but claiming that's the reason she pushed Peneloti into danger is just pure speculation.’

However, Paint didn’t really deny it either. Of course, she said she would open up a path, but naturally, she hadn’t intended to send Peneloti to her death out of jealousy.

She even seemed to believe that I would come back alive, and above all else, in that situation, there was no other choice.

She had chosen the most rational option, just as people like us always do.

She only rolled the dice toward the option that gave everyone the highest chance of survival, but now that things had turned out this way, she looked mentally shattered.

She looked like she was on the verge of losing her mind. She clutched her head, muttering "I’m sorry" over and over again.

She seemed to be doubting herself. It looked like she was asking whether she really had driven Peneloti to her death out of jealousy. Peneloti had things she didn’t have, and things she wanted for herself.

Everyone loved Peneloti, and even the man she had grown to care for had a good relationship with her.

‘She’s really about to lose her mind.’

— Ugh... ah... ugh... hng... I-I’m... sorry...

— If you’re that sorry, then die right now!!! Just die!!! Are you satisfied now?! Huh?! Y-you were interested in Count Kim Hyun-Sung too, weren’t you?! That’s why you killed her! You were jealous of what Peneloti had!

— Because Peneloti was smarter than you! Because while you couldn’t do anything, Peneloti was unlike you! That’s why you killed her! You must be happy now! Now you can have everything for yourself!

— I’m... sorry... I... ah... I mean...

Of course, the other ladies weren’t about to just sit by and watch her hurl abuse like that.

A loud slap rang out, and Pastel’s face snapped to the side.

Lady Palette had slapped her while tears streamed down her cheeks.

— Control yourself, Lady Pastel.

— ...

— Don’t deceive yourself into thinking you’re the only one grieving here.

— ...

— No one’s at fault. Don’t find someone to blame.

It was a firm decision. She was grieving, too, of course, but she couldn’t just stand by and watch Paint collapse like that. In the end, Pastel sank to the ground, pounding the floor hard as tears streamed down her face.

— Heuk... heuuuuuuung... heuuuuuuuuuuung...

— ...

— Heuuuuuuuuuuung, Peneloti... Peneloti... Ugh... ugh... Peneloti... heuuuuung... heuk...

— ...

— Peneloti... heuuuuuuung... Peneloti... please... come back. Please... heuk... please come back... please... pleaaase...

— ...

— Please... please come back... heuk... Peneloti...

Lady Brush was by her side, comforting her, while Lady Palette held the still-disoriented Paint tightly in her arms. When I saw that Paint finally looked a bit calmer, I let out a quiet sigh of relief.

I couldn’t say whether it was the right approach or not, but at least the atmosphere had settled somewhat.

Meanwhile, that bastard First Life Commander Jin seemed completely unaware of the chaos around him. Even though everything had unfolded in front of him in a dramatic fashion, his expression didn’t change at all.

His face didn’t even twitch, and it was so strange that I couldn’t help but look at him.

Without exaggeration, nothing described his state better than saying that he had lost his emotions. It was absurd, yet he looked as if all hope in life had drained out of him.

It reminded me of Kim Hyun-Sung back during the Doom Ki-Young summoning incident.

However, Kim Hyun-Sung had already given up on everything back then, so the comparison wasn’t entirely fair, but judging by his face alone, the difference was barely noticeable.

Perhaps the only difference was that Kim Hyun-Sung wished to stop, while this one had chosen to keep moving forward. Whether “choosing to move forward” was truly the right way to describe it, I wasn’t sure.

First Life Commander Jin was far too rational to throw away his entire life over the death of a young lady he barely knew.

Giving up everything because of her simply didn’t fit him. He was still a commander of the Republic, carrying the faith of so many people behind him, and he knew better than anyone what counted as foolish and irrational behavior.

More than anyone, he understood that stopping here would be the stupidest, most pathetic choice he could make.

Yet, it felt as though the light in him had vanished entirely.

After confirming the death of Aina Peneloti, he seemed to have lost any sense of purpose. He didn’t blame himself, nor did he cry. It wasn’t even a matter of suppressing his emotion. The moment Aina disappeared, he seemed to have chosen to completely sever his feelings.

Living without really living, moving without truly moving—he had undoubtedly made this choice.

In a nutshell, he had chosen to become a machine.

‘Seriously, what the hell? Does he have to go that far?’

Of course, to him, Aina Peneloti had to have been an incredibly important person. She was a partner who could stand as his equal, a light that had appeared in his monotonous life.

Simple words like "like" or love" weren’t enough to define what she meant to him. She had been someone who could share enjoyable conversations with him, a person whose soul resonated with his own.

Aina Peneloti herself hadn’t thought that way, but judging from the way he was falling apart right now, it was clear that he had thought of Aina Peneloti that way.

‘Damn it... this jerk looks like he won’t even take revenge.’

I felt like he found it meaningless at this point. The nearby Republic soldiers stared carefully at him, and none dared to speak to him, but they all realized that something in him had changed.

— Commander.

Someone finally spoke up, unable to endure the silence. In response, First Life Commander Jin merely stared at where Aina had vanished. His eyes remained devoid of light as he turned around and began walking away.

— Commander...

— ...

— Commander, Lady Peneloti...

— ...

It was absurd, but neither the Empire nor the Union of Kingdoms’ representatives stopped him. It wasn’t because some bond of camaraderie had formed among them through fighting together for a short while.

They simply didn’t have the strength for it. Everyone present was injured, and honestly, it was hard to find anyone who could even stand properly.

Those still conscious were barely holding on to their consciousness due to the shock they had sustained from witnessing Aina Peneloti’s death. It was no wonder they remained frozen.

‘And even now, he’s acting like a snob. That jerk...’

I wouldn’t be surprised if he collapsed on the spot, but he still walked away on his own two legs. He didn’t even glance at the fallen diamond necklace. His gaze brushed over it for the briefest moment, and he turned away immediately, as if nothing had happened at all.

— Are you not even sad?

An unexpected person stopped him—First Hyun-Sung—the one who had done absolutely nothing. With his left shoulder and stomach wounded, he addressed First Life Commander Jin.

— Are you not even mad?

Kim Hyun-Sung’s face was filled with crushing defeat and sorrow. He, too, felt the weight of Aina Peneloti’s sacrifice, the grief of losing her. Of course, not to the same extent as First Life Commander Jin; Hyun-Sung simply hadn’t spent enough time with her.

They had little shared history, and their connection had ended as nothing more than a passing encounter. Even so, tears welled up in his eyes. He was angry at himself for being unable to do anything, and he was feeling a jumbled mess of emotions.

He pitied her and admired her for her brief but heroic stand, and he felt sorrow now that she was gone.

— She sacrificed herself for everyone here. A young lady with neither the ability nor the experience showed us a miracle.

— What are you trying to say?

‘Yeah, he must just really hate Kim Hyun-Sung. He actually went straight to talking down on him.’

— Are you planning to let it end like this? There are forces trying to plunge this continent into chaos. They must’ve been the ones who awakened that thing and summoned it here. They’re waiting more eagerly than anyone for a war between the Empire and the Republic. We can’t begin a war while carrying this risk on our shoulders. If it’s you...

— ...

— If it’s you, you could stop the war. No, if I lend my strength as well, we can resolve the long-standing issues between the Empire and the Republic peacefully. Talking isn’t difficult. If the two powers join forces, then surely even those who caused this incident...

— It has nothing to do with me.

— ...

— You...

— If you want to spout nonsense... I’m leaving.

— ...

— ...

— War mustn’t break out on this continent. For her sake!

— Count Kim Hyun-Sung.

— ...

— You’re even more foolish than I thought. Far more foolish than when I first heard of you. If I were you, I'd kill myself on the spot instead of spewing nonsense about joining forces. If I were you, I'd make use of my words to gain some advantage. If she were here, she'd laugh at you for being an idiot.

‘That’s true. He just talks about dreams and nonsense. He has no sense of reality.’

— A dialogue can only happen between people who understand each other. I can’t talk with someone like you, you fool.

— So... are you just going to leave? Do you need to bring war to this continent to satisfy yourself?

— War isn’t something you or I can start, and if you truly want to prevent war, you shouldn’t have come here for this foolish alliance and marriage pact. You’re not foolish enough to fail to realize how threatening that is to the Republic. Besides...

— ...

— Considering the current situation of this continent... I don’t even think war is that bad.

— What?!

Kim Hyun-Sung shouted and drew his sword.

The Republic forces immediately prepared for battle.

Their target wasn’t Kim Hyun-Sung but the fallen and injured noble behind him. It was a warning, asking if he would truly fight here and let them all die.

It was a threat.

Of course, the likelihood of actual combat was slim. Both sides could be annihilated, and Kim Hyun-Sung himself wasn’t in any condition to fight. I wouldn’t be surprised if he were to collapse right now.

Honestly, he wasn’t even in the condition to raise his sword.

Rescuing all those “hostages” and fighting them was suicidal.

After some time, Kim Hyun-Sung lowered his sword, expressing that he had no intention to fight.

— ...

—That’s why you’re called a hypocrite, Count Kim Hyun-Sung.

— ...

— ...

— Lady Peneloti...

— ...

— ...

— She has nothing to do with me.

‘That cold-blooded bastard.’

Afterward, he turned around as if he didn’t want to throw away his coolness until the very end. He looked stylish, but his expression didn’t match it at all. Naturally, he realized that the ones who died here weren't just Aina Peneloti.

Of course, the plan would probably not change—no, it definitely wouldn't change.

However, that jerk had died here as well, along with Aina Peneloti.

The "thing" wearing Jin Cheong’s shell would keep moving.

The war would proceed as planned, and he’d faithfully follow the timeline.

Whether he had given up on exacting vengeance on the Brigade, or he truly believed it was meaningless, I couldn't say for sure. I also wasn't sure if he could behave rationally the next time he faced the Brigade.

For now, the chances of him acting unpredictably were low because the human being called "Jin Cheong" had died here alongside Aina Peneloti.

“That’s gotta sting. Commander... he’ll be okay, right? First Life Commander Jin, he’ll get through this pain and sadness... won't he?” I asked.

“...”

“Hey, why are you taking that away when I’m eating it?” I asked.

“...”

“Ah! Give it back!” I shouted.

“...”

“Put it back! Don’t throw it away! Damn it!” I yelled at him.