Regressor Instruction Manual

Chapter 1432. Continental War (12)

‘What the hell is wrong with these lunatics?’

The situation had gotten too strange to dismiss as a simple incident caused by herd mentality. It was like I had somehow awakened as a saint. I thought the ones in charge of a unit would be able to make a rational decision, but it seemed those idiots had neither the time nor the brains for that.

With everyone dropping to their knees almost mindlessly, the ones who didn’t kneel looked like the odd ones out. Even though one could call it a miracle, there was nothing normal about how even the ones who hadn’t seen the burst of holy power suddenly flattened themselves on the ground.

The guys who knelt without knowing why were just hearing about what had happened.

I looked outside with the Telescope and saw a crowd in front of the tent.

As if to prove that what had happened wasn’t a lie, even the commanding officers were waiting for me to come out.

I could even see people trying to control the crowd, and by the looks of it, there were probably several thousand people outside. Of course, they were talking among themselves, and the topic was obvious.

— It’s the saint.

— What?

— They say the saint has descended.

‘What kind of nonsense is that?’

— I saw it. I saw it clearly with my own eyes. He’s definitely a messenger chosen by God.

— So that’s why everyone is doing this? Saint, my ass...

— Watch your mouth. You talk like that because you didn’t see it.

— So what are we trying to achieve by being here?

‘Exactly. What the hell are they doing here?’

— How would I know that? The saint must have a reason for everything.

— Wait, is this normal? Didn’t we just lose a battle and come back? What on earth are the commanders doing over there? Is it okay for us to be like this here? Aren’t we supposed to be searching for the enemy?

— I don’t know either. I have no idea what’s going on right now. For now, he’s gone inside the tent... Something will probably happen eventually. Some of them are already making a fuss about going inside the tent themselves.

— Everyone’s curious. The commanders also seem unwilling to take the lead... If he really is a messenger sent down by God, he must have something to convey.

— Oksana... she was next to him, right? Doesn’t she know anything?

— I don’t know. It seems like Oksana met him here, too... but she’s holding back on what she says... She also doesn’t seem to know much about the boy the saint called a hero.

— The saint and hero... this isn’t some storybook...

— You idiot. See that?

— What?

— Those guys. Do you see those guys who used to walk around like zombies from potion overdoses? Do they look like the same people to you now?

— ...

— ...

‘Why the hell did they become normal?’

I was talking about the addicts shuffling around like dolls. Their eyes had become bright and clear. I had no idea that just being exposed to the light would improve their condition. Their faces were now full of life. It looked like those idiots had become the most fervent believers and were now holding up one side of things.

Right now, this unit was practically isolated. Whether it was good or not, most of the commanders had been at the scene when I used some holy power, so they seemed to be avoiding contacting the higher-ups.

None of these loyal would desert the camp or report the chaos happening here, and honestly, what would the lowest grunts know? They were the kind of people who get swept by the waves.

The unit looked bizarre from outside, but they didn't have the energy to think about things like getting out of here to report to a superior or look for any signs of a rebellion. I believed none of them even thought that this was dangerous.

No, even if they did think that way, they wouldn’t have the courage to act on it. And even if a few of them had decided to do something, they were probably not around anymore. Chang-Ryeol had probably taken care of them.

The one who knew best was our Chang-Ryeol. He had to have judged that, before I made any decisions, the right thing to do was to eliminate as many variables as possible.

Even without any hints from me, he was moving correctly on his own. Sure enough, I saw some guys I hadn't seen for a few hours now. They were probably the assassins he had trained and the ones from his information guild. They all had the goal of blocking everyone who wanted to enter or leave.

This was the first step in taking control of the entire unit.

‘Geez, I never expected that.’

To move while seeing the bigger picture, it was more convenient to belong to one side, whether it was the Republic, the Empire, or the Union of Kingdoms. This unit looked fairly large, but compared to the scale of the current war, it was pretty small.

We didn't even have a mage like Jung Ha-Yan who could cast powerful AoE spells. Almost everyone here was an ordinary person who could only use spears and bows. To be blunt, they were a burden.

‘However, the milk has already been spilled...’

Of course, there was some benefit to operating as a completely independent unit.

Not being bound by their schedules was a huge advantage, but still...

‘Damn it. This guy needs to wake up first. How long is he planning on sleeping?’

Just then, a voice echoed behind me.

“May I come in?”

“Y-yes,” I answered.

“I-I am here to greet the saint.”

I turned and saw Oksana. She left the tent and had just returned.

‘Why is she speaking so formally?’

Unlike before, she moved very cautiously. It was as if she was questioning whether she even had the right to be here, and it made me feel awkward. She was probably influenced by the atmosphere outside.

Everyone was calling me "saint," so she likely had no idea what stance she ought to take in front of me.

“What’s wrong? Noona, speak comfortably,” I said.

“I-it’s fine,” Oksana said.

“Really, you can speak comfortably. I-I’m embarrassed. I’m already unsettled right now... and if you act like this too... Please, I’m asking. Just speak comfortably,” I begged.

“...”

“...”

“C-can I really do that?” she asked.

“Yes, please,” I answered.

“For some reason, it doesn’t come out naturally... but... I’ll try,” she said.

“...”

“By the way, what brings you here? And why are the people outside acting like that all of a sudden?” I asked.

“...”

“...”

“You really... don’t know anything, do you?” she asked.

‘Of course not. Here, not knowing anything is the rule. Knowing would actually be weird.’

“...”

“I’ll just tell you exactly as it is. It will probably explain why I came back here, too,” she said.

‘I already know anyway.’

“I don’t know if it’s because of the holy power you showed, but it seems like the people here are treating you as a saint... or something like that. To be honest, even I feel that way,” she explained.

“Huh? I’m not—”

“You don’t know anything, and you probably don’t know why this happened, but at least it happened right in front of our eyes. The way you acted was far from what we’ve seen from priests before.

"Of course, the country bumpkins here have probably never seen a high-ranking priest with strong holy power. Even I have only seen such priests two or three times in my entire life. However, there are things you can tell without seeing it,” she explained.

“...”

“I don’t know what’s going on, but at least one thing is certain...” she trailed off.

“...”

“You’re special,” she said.

‘I know that too.’

"And the others here also know that you’re special. That’s why I came looking for you again. They've been pestering me, asking what you’re doing now, what we ought to do, and which path we should take from here,” she added.

“Even if you ask me... I don’t know how to answer. I’m just an ordinary person. There’s no way I can give a proper answer,” I told her.

“No, you definitely know. Nothing in the world happens for no reason, especially a miracle of this kind. I don’t want it to sound too grand, but I think you came here with a special mission. Maybe it wasn’t like that at first, but now, it is different.

"You've been chosen. Just a few hours ago, you proved yourself. No matter how much you deny it, that will not change. The people here have already decided to follow you, and they want to walk the path you have shown. They want to listen to your voice.

"Even if that path is full of thorns, the country bumpkins here will follow you,” she explained.

“That’s...” I mumbled.

It was better to leave the words brief here. Acting as if I couldn't get my bearings was the natural thing to do here. While I was hesitating, Oksana waited patiently for my answer.

Just then, the Holy Sword Hero's finger twitched.

‘He’s awake.’

I had no idea when he had woken up, but I was sure he was listening to the conversation.

“Mr. Ji-Hoon... once said something similar,” I revealed.

“What?”

“That there must be a reason why he and I met here,” I added.

“What?”

“He said the gods asked him to come here. The gods didn’t tell why, but he seemed to think he would find the answer here. I don’t know if the gods truly wanted us to meet, but he looked as if he fully believed it," I continued.

“...”

"He spoke to me,” I said.

“...”

“He asked what it is that I truly want,” I said.

“So, what did you answer?” Oksana asked.

“I said I wanted to stop the war,” I answered.

“Ah...”

“I said I hoped this war would end even a single day sooner. I had always thought it was impossible, but he doesn't think so. Then, he replied, 'Let's do that. Let's stop the war,'” I continued.

“Wait, but... before that... are you saying Ji-Hoon is the Hero?” she asked.

“Yes,” I answered.

“How can you be so sure? Of course, Ji-Hoon is strong, but even so, to call him the Hero...” she muttered.

“I can tell. He’s the Hero because he’s the Hero. He said himself that he is the Hero,” I said.

“...”

“I believe him," I added.

Casually brushing his hair back was an unspoken rule here. The idiot, who had been pretending to sleep, flinched, but of course, I had to pretend that I hadn't noticed that.

“Since you said so, then it must be true...” she mumbled.

“You asked me earlier what I wanted to do, right?” I asked.

“Yeah...”

“I’ll say it again,” I said.

“...”

“I want to stop the war, noona,” I repeated.

“...”

“I want to put an end to the meaningless sacrifices and pain. I hope there will be no more people suffering on this continent. I hope no one dies anymore. I hope no one has to grieve. I hope people like Charlie or Devel won't get hurt anymore.

"I hope only happy things happen to everyone,” I said in a firm tone, enunciating each word.

I add a spoonful of conviction and innocence to my gaze. Naturally, a faint light had to emanate from my eyes, and of course, I had to be unaware of it.

“I’m going to stop the war,” I said again.

‘Okay, fine. Let us just try it. It’s not like I am going to die anyway...’

Oksana quietly nodded, and her eyes shone with even stronger certainty than before.

“I’m sorry I deceived you, Saint,” Oksana said.

“Huh? What do you mean...” I asked.

‘You knew everything.’

She quietly took out a small box from her inner pocket. It was probably a voice amplification artifact, which meant the country bumpkins outside just heard my voice.

Oksana awkwardly looked away and opened the tent.

I saw people kneeling before me. The ordinary guys and soldiers staying in a cheap unit looked at me as if they could throw away their lives for me at any moment I wished.

“Noona?” I said.

Even Oksana straightened up and knelt quietly on the ground.

"I, Oksana Gebion, the eldest daughter of the House of Gebion, swear to devote my loyalty to the Saint until my body and soul crumble to nothingness,” she declared.

The ones behind her took on a similar posture as well.

‘Have they all been brainwashed or something? Did Chang-Ryeol drug them? No, it’s this noona...’

In the end, it felt like we were about to take over an entire unit.

One thing worth nodding about was...

‘It just got a lot harder to run away.’

The Holy Sword Hero also couldn't escape anymore.

‘It’s getting serious. My heart is burning up.’

Since he saw all this, I was sure he couldn't hold himself back anymore, but I was mistaken...

“...”

“...”

Sung Ji-Hoon's first words upon coming back to his senses made me frown.

“L-let’s run away. I know a place where no one can find us. If you keep going up to the southwest, there’s an abandoned village surrounded by a forest and a lake. I-I don’t think there were any people there, and the war hasn’t reached it either.

"Let’s go there, okay? If we go there, we’ll be able to live safely,” he suggested.

He looked like he was about to cry. No, he was already on the verge of tears.

“Heuk... heuuk... let’s run away," he urged.