Regressor Instruction Manual
Chapter 1198. The Demon King of Sunset’s Castle (18)

Chapter 1198. The Demon King of Sunset’s Castle (18)

I wasn’t imagining it, and I wasn't dreaming, either.

When I came back to my senses, my surroundings became dark, and time flowed in an instant to catch up to the present time.

In terms of time, the gap was roughly eleven hours.

I was shocked by the bizarre phenomenon, but as always, it didn’t take me long to assess the situation. It was pretty obvious that this was happening for a reason. I couldn’t tell whether the puzzle pieces were falling in place, but obviously, something was going on behind the scenes.

I could clearly remember my eyes emanating a golden light before my memories vanished.

‘It’s not like I was unconscious either.’

I was in a different place, and my outfit had changed as well.

I was also not sprawled out on the bed, so it was reasonable for me to assume that I was carrying on as usual. I wasn’t sure if I was remotely controlled or if there was actually something inside me, but one thing I was sure of was that someone had taken control of me.

Naturally, I was the most suspicious of Lee Ki-Young, and based on the situation, I assumed it was the handiwork of the real Lee Ki-Young. There was probably a clash between the two real ones. I believed "two,' as it was too early to conclude that I was fake.

Anyway, he had definitely taken control of my body.

I couldn’t stop him, and he could take control of my body anytime.

‘Is there a trigger behind it?’

I couldn't remember doing anything different in the morning. All I did was wake up and look in the mirror, so I hadn't done anything that could trigger this change.

There had to be a reason behind the sudden loss of control.

Naturally, I went inside my room to try to find a hint.

I considered the possibility of there being some kind of message.

‘There has to be some kind of explanation.’

I was certain that there would be something here, but I didn’t find anything.

“Rude jerk,” I mumbled.

Either he wanted to figure out the current situation alone, or he didn’t want me to find out about him. Otherwise, perhaps he simply wanted me to suffer. He probably wanted to see me clutching my head and writhing in pain.

Either way, they all made sense.

‘I’ll head out for now.’

I needed to find out what happened during that time.

‘Did everyone get their equipment?’

What I was most curious about was the expedition team that safely completed the side quest, and the agreement I made with Yoo Ah-Young. Since the command center was quiet, they were most likely successful.

However, I couldn’t help but wonder if they got their equipment.

When I thought about the people who knew my every move, I naturally approached my guards. When I walked outside, I saw a few people looking at me from a distance. They were maintaining their distance, acting as if they weren’t there, but they were always prepared to handle any unexpected situation.

They were guards hired by the Flower and Fertility Familia.

“Do you... have a moment?” I asked.

“Yes?”

“So... are you Miss Aleria?” I asked.

“Ah... ah... ah! Y-Yes!” Aleria answered.

‘She sounds like she’s buffering.’

“I’ve been watching you from the very beginning. Your hard work has caught my attention, so if you don’t mind, could you come into my room for a moment?” I asked.

“Ah... huh? Y-Your room? I can’t... possibly... I-I’m currently working...” Aleria stuttered.

“Won't your work be easier if you're closer to me? I just want to talk to you. Please. There’s something I want to ask you,” I begged.

I was practically begging her with a smile, so it wasn't strange that she couldn't reject my request. I saw her slowly entering my room while blushing furiously. She kept looking around as if there were many things to look at, and I could hear her gulping mouthfuls of her own saliva.

I was sure she was startled to hear herself gulping hard, as she tried her best to stop doing it, but it seemed like her mouth was constantly filling up with saliva. She was obviously really nervous, but I was used to her reaction.

It’d be strange if she weren't nervous.

The Saint of Flower and Fertility was in front of her, after all.

‘She has a subtle clumsiness to her.’

“Please sit here,” I told her.

“Huh? Here?” Aleria asked.

“Yes. Which tea would you like?” I asked.

“I’m okay...” Aleria answered.

“Please pick something,” I said.

“I’m really—”

“Since you keep refusing, I’ll just pick one and prepare it for you,” I interrupted her.

Aleria kept fidgeting with her fingers. She was also worried about the possibility that she smelled bad, as she started sniffing herself.

When our eyes met, her face turned red again.

“You don’t have to be embarrassed. It's natural to start sweating while doing your job,” I told her.

“Ah... o-okay,” Aleria stuttered.

“How’s work?” I asked.

“...”

“Well, more like how’s your life here...” I clarified.

“Ah... m-my life here is fine. I have friends here... There’s... Kathy from Arhendel... and a friend named Jonia... They’re...”

What was she talking about all of a sudden? Even she had no idea what she was talking about right now. She rambled on while frantically moving her hands, but none of them were worth listening to.

“So... my life here... To sum it up, it’s fine. It’s always fine, thanks to you, sir!” Aleria said.

“Ah... thank you. Hehe,” I said.

“...”

“...”

Aleria had to have realized that she messed up. It was clear that she wanted to hide somewhere, but sadly, she couldn’t run away from here.

She thought that continuing the conversation would make her feel less embarrassed.

“More importantly, sir... what did you want to ask...” she muttered.

“Ah, right. I did say that. You've been watching me all day today, right?” I asked.

“Yes, I... did...” Aleria answered.

“Can you tell me what I did today? And in order as well,” I requested.

“That’s not hard, but... why...” Aleria asked.

“Please don’t ask me questions,” I told her.

“Is this some kind of test?” Aleria asked.

“No, it’s nothing like that. I just need you to tell me,” I answered.

Despite telling her that this wasn’t a test, she seemed to be thinking that I was testing her competence.

“I’m sorry, but I don’t know the exact time... so can I tell you a brief explanation... of what you did today?” Aleria asked.

“Sure,” I answered.

“At thirty past eight in the morning, you exited your room,” Aleria said.

“Okay.”

“Afterward, you had a simple meal at the cafeteria, and then you read various reports while drinking coffee,” Aleria said.

'So that jerk had time to drink coffee.'

“You don’t have to go into that much detail. You can just give me a general description of what I did,” I told her.

“Ah, okay. I’m sorry. Afterward, you headed to the armory. You had a long conversation with the manager there, and I remember you exchanging and requesting a few more items. I was far away, so I have no idea about what they were, but the manager said that she needed more time...” Aleria revealed.

“Ah, I see.”

“After that, you headed toward the barrier to the Cursed Elf Queen’s Garden,” Aleria continued.

“...”

“You discussed the barrier with Jung Ha-Yan. It was around one o’clock in the afternoon,” Aleria added.

Basically, I visited Yoo Ah-Young’s workshop to either switch or request more equipment. Then, I played a quiz game with Jung Ha-Yan.

‘Was there equipment I needed?’

I was sure I wrote down a separate equipment list, so I could just check that later. He could have discovered something I missed. He probably hadn't interfered with the overall development path of Woo Hyo-Yeol, William, and the key named individuals.

Otherwise, I'd say that he was blind.

I ignored Aleria and quietly took out a ledger. With a quick glance, I noticed new items on the list. I figured these items would help with boosting our strength, but he had to have thought that it wasn't enough, as he took control of me to alter things.

As expected, he didn’t change Woo Hyo-Yeol’s equipment...

‘But he changed William’s.’

Even that wasn’t enough.

I thought Agility wasn’t a necessary stat for William, but he obviously disagreed. He had to have thought that William’s Agility needed to be increased in order for him to be able to face Kim Hyun-Sung.

It was a bit different from my approach because I planned on using buffs to make up for William's Agility. His plan considered the cooldown times of the buffs as well as the possibility that the priests could get annihilated during the raid.

‘Next...’

Of course, the fact that he met Jung Ha-Yan bothered me. I wasn’t sure if it was because he hadn’t spent time with her in a while or if there was a message he needed to deliver to her.

There was also a chance that he simply wanted her to get rid of the barrier as soon as possible.

Anyway, thanks to Aleria, I obtained enough information to reach a conclusion.

“And then... you called for a meeting. That was around ten past two in the afternoon. I have no idea what was discussed during the meeting—”

“Did you really not hear anything?” I interrupted her.

“Yes, but I have an idea as to what the meeting was about. After the meeting, I heard news that we were going to bypass the Shadow Corridor,” Aleria answered.

“...”

“...”

“Really?” I asked.

“Yes.”

He was trying to move things forward faster. It was too early to make a decision, but it was worth thinking about it. Perhaps he thought that I was moving too cautiously.

Since he had decided to bypass the Shadow Corridor and play a quiz game with Jung Ha-Yan, he was obviously trying to accelerate the schedule.

I wasn’t sure if he found his time in Rohen too long or if he had just grown tired of everything, but he wanted to reach the end as soon as possible.

‘Maybe he’s trying to tell me that it won't hurt to move a little faster.’

Lee Ki-Young wasn’t impatient. Rather than moving hastily, he enjoyed taking his time and making sure that the puzzle pieces fit perfectly.

Regardless of the reason behind his decision, he thought that we were ready to the point that we could ignore the Experience Points that Assassin Lian would surely bestow upon us.

“Could I hear the rest of the story while we walk?” I asked.

“Of course,” Aleria answered.

As I walked around the barracks with Aleria, I noticed people preparing for the expedition. Some of the members from the reconnaissance team were being assembled separately, so it became clear to me that they wanted to inspect the detour route once more.

No matter how many times they checked the route, it would never be enough, but they refused to stop checking things.

“Can you tell me what I did next?” I asked.

“And then...” Aleria paused.

“Yes?”

“At five in the afternoon, you spent time with Mr. Woo Hyo-Yeol,” Aleria continued.

“...”

“You ordered us not to let anyone near the two of you. I also don’t know the details of your conversation, but it seemed like you two were discussing something important,” Aleria added.

‘What the? What did they talk about without me?’

“After about three hours, you walked outside, and I remember you taking a walk at night. I don’t know what you two were talking about, but you were crying,” Aleria said.

“I'm sorry?”

‘Wait, why did I cry?’

“Mr. Woo Hyo-Yeol looked like he was trying to comfort you...” Aleria added.

‘That scumbag wanted to comfort me?’

I had no idea what was going on, but it sounded like that jerk... had decided to film a movie.

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