Not A Regressor - Chapter 196

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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I Am Not a Regressor Chapter 196
The Sword of Justice (2)
Buzz, chatter, murmur.
The street bustled like a marketplace.
Beyond the throngs of people filling the street stood the Colosseum, Rome’s most iconic landmark that nearly everyone had heard of, displaying its magnificent grandeur.
“I thought you’d make some grand request since you won the bet, but all you want is to go downtown and have fun together?”
Kwon O-jin let out a hollow laugh as he watched Ha-eun, who had won the wager, gazing around with sparkling eyes and barely contained excitement.
The wish Ha-eun had claimed from her victory was simply to ‘go downtown and have fun together’.
There was no need for such a grandiose term as ‘wish’—it was just an ordinary date proposal, nothing more.
And it wasn’t even a request to go out alone with Kwon O-jin; she’d invited Vega and Riak to join them as well.
“We didn’t get to properly enjoy ourselves because of those monster bastards this time.”
Ha-eun licked the gelato she’d bought along the way and shrugged her shoulders.
True to her words, the trip to San Fruttuoso, intended as a vacation, had been ruined from the start due to the sudden catastrophe that occurred on the first day.
I understood her disappointment.
“We would’ve gone even without the wish.”
“Well, your sister needed a decent excuse anyway, so don’t worry about it.”
Ha-eun laughed as though it were nothing.
The bet itself had been half-hearted to begin with, and there was nothing she truly desired enough to call a wish.
‘My wish has already been granted by you.’
Ha-eun gently linked her arm through Kwon O-jin’s, a faint smile playing on her lips.
The warmth transmitted through his firm, muscular arm.
The subtle, comforting scent of vanilla that emanated from her skin.
These moments spent together, this unremarkable time.
This was the wish she had yearned for more desperately than anything else.
“What, did you expect something indecent when I said ‘wish’?”
Ha-eun’s lips curved into a mischievous smile as she playfully tickled Kwon O-jin’s ribs.
Perhaps he’d actually entertained such thoughts, as Kwon O-jin averted his gaze and let out a strained cough.
“Hehe. You’re quite the flirt.”
Ha-eun burst into giggles, tightening her grip around his arm.
Rising slightly on her toes, she whispered in a sweet voice against his ear.
“For things like that, you don’t even need to make a wish—I can give you everything you want.”
Gulp.
Kwon O-jin swallowed hard.
Ha-eun’s seductive behavior ignited his desires like pouring oil on a flame.
Just as he turned to look at her with eyes full of longing.
[My child! My child! Look at this!]
Vega came flying over, clutching a three-tiered gelato larger than her own body, her excited breath puffing out.
It was from the same shop where Ha-eun was buying her gelato.
[They said it was a service and gave me just a tiny sample!]
“So that’s why you took so long.”
Cuteness knows no borders, or so they say.
I’d ordered the same gelato as Ha-eun, yet somehow received one twice the size.
Vega clutched the oversized gelato to her chest with a smug expression.
[Indeed, even in this borrowed form, the divine radiance of my true self cannot be concealed!]
Hehe! Vega laughed and thrust out her chin proudly.
Kwon O-jin chuckled softly and snatched the gelato from Vega’s arms.
[Ah! What are you doing, my child! That belongs to me!]
Vega flew toward me in bewilderment.
“It’s too big to eat like that. I’ll hold it for you so you can eat comfortably.”
[Ahem, ahem. Thank you.]
Vega, embarrassed at not having noticed my consideration and flustered by her own reaction, settled onto my hand with an awkward cough and began eating the gelato.
“But what’s with that mutt suddenly saying he had something to do and heading back?”
“That’s…”
I shook my head with a bitter expression at Ha-eun’s suggestion of going out together, recalling Riak who had returned to the Star Palace.
Ever since Riak realized I had deliberately lost to him, his expression had grown tense with an anxious gleam in his eyes.
‘Did I make a mistake letting her win?’
If I had simply overwhelmed her instead, this wouldn’t have happened.
But if I had, it wouldn’t be Riak who’d be dejected—it would be Ha-eun.
‘Besides, my sister has been so dispirited lately anyway.’
Watching me grow at a pace that could only be described as grotesque, Ha-eun’s self-esteem had been steadily eroding.
The fact that she couldn’t protect me with her own strength, that she even tried to manipulate Isabella—a rival in every sense—showed just how diminished her confidence had become. That’s why I deliberately lost the sparring match.
I never expected Riak to be so shaken by it.
‘I made a pointless mistake.’
I felt regret at having created a problem that would inevitably be exposed to Ha-eun eventually anyway.
[Do not worry, my child.]
Vega, who had been eating her gelato, flew over and perched atop my head.
Her small hand gently stroked my forehead.
[To possess extraordinary power is to influence those around you by its very existence. It cannot be avoided or prevented—only accepted.]
Vega’s expression grew somewhat bitter.
Had she too experienced much before becoming known as the constellation of Polaris?
I nodded firmly, keeping my lips pressed together.
“What are you two whispering about so secretively?”
“Nothing much.”
“Hmm.”
Ha-eun, who had been watching Vega perched atop my head with narrowed eyes, suddenly broke into a bright smile.
“Anyway, we came out to have fun! Let’s go sightseeing right now!”
Ha-eun grabbed my arm excitedly and pulled me along.
“Hehe. Do you know how unfair I felt when you said you were going to Italy alone before?”
“I get it, so stop pulling. You’ll stretch my clothes.”
I chuckled and followed Ha-eun into the Colosseum.
“Man, it’s such a strange feeling actually being here after only seeing pictures all this time!”
Ha-eun’s eyes sparkled as she gazed around the Colosseum.
Kwon O-jin, Ha-eun, and Vega had toured the Colosseum before making their way through Rome’s most celebrated attractions—St. Peter’s Basilica and the Trevi Fountain.
“Wow! This place is ridiculously massive too! It’s like a divine temple, Vega!”
“Hey, I heard you’re supposed to throw coins into that fountain over there and make a wish for good luck!”
After wandering through downtown Rome for quite some time, Ha-eun suddenly stopped in her tracks.
“But you know what, O-jin?”
“Hmm?”
“It’s actually not as fun as I expected.”
The sparkle of excitement that had filled her eyes when she first saw these places in photographs had dimmed into boredom.
Kwon O-jin nodded, sharing the same sentiment.
“That’s just how tourism goes.”
No matter how wondrous and magnificent something seemed the first time you saw it, tourism inevitably became tedious after a few visits.
“Ugh. Playing in the sea was way more fun than this.”
Ha-eun pouted her lips in disappointment.
Wandering around with Kwon O-jin was certainly enjoyable.
But simply touring cultural relics that held no real interest for her didn’t suit her temperament.
“How about we just find a decent restaurant and grab some food?”
“Hmm… I’d rather have alcohol!”
“Then let’s look for a pub.”
Kwon O-jin had no interest in wandering through places like the Colosseum or the basilica either; he much preferred enjoying a drink with some good appetizers.
[Hmm. I found it pleasant to observe the ancient civilization of humans.]
“We can come back another time anyway. It looks like we’ll be staying at the Colgrand Mansion for a while.”
[Very well.]
With that, I led Vega and Ha-eun in search of a suitable pub.
That was when it happened.
Bump.
The boy looked to be around fifteen years old.
A shabby-dressed youth collided with Ha-eun.
“My apologies.”
The boy bowed his head briefly before passing by her and hurrying away with quick steps.
“…Hey, did you see that?”
“That kid’s got some quick hands.”
Ha-eun clicked her tongue as she watched the boy’s retreating figure.
In that brief moment of collision.
The wallet she’d kept in her pocket had vanished without a trace.
Well, no matter how skilled the boy’s hands were, there was no way a high-tier awakener like Ha-eun wouldn’t have noticed.
“Hold on.”
“It’s just a wallet with barely any money in it anyway.”
Ha-eun smiled bitterly and shook her head.
Seeing the boy in his shabby clothes stirred an unexpected pang of sympathy—he reminded me of how Kwon O-jin and I had looked as children.
“Should we still catch him and give him a proper scolding? Make sure he doesn’t pull this kind of stunt again.”
“Not really, unless we’re getting the money back.”
Kwon O-jin shook his head.
Unless I was prepared to take responsibility for that boy’s entire life, simply catching him and lecturing him would be meaningless.
‘Besides, he’s not in a position where he can just stop and do something else.’
I knew this all too well, having endured such grinding poverty myself.
Without bleeding others dry, that young boy had no way to survive.
Just as I once had.
“Let’s just go then.”
“Got it.”
As Kwon O-jin nodded and turned to leave.
“Ahhh! I-I’m sorry!”
I saw the boy who had collided with Ha-eun being dragged forward, his arm firmly in someone’s grip.
The one dragging him was a young man with tousled brown hair and an innocent-looking face.
The young man held out the wallet clutched in the boy’s hand to Ha-eun.
“I happened to witness this child attempting to pickpocket.”
“Ah… yes.”
Ha-eun accepted the wallet with a reluctant expression.
The innocent-looking young man broke into a bright smile.
“I’m glad you’ve recovered your wallet.”
“Sob! I-I’m sorry! I was wrong!”
The boy wept, bowing his head toward the young man.
The young man spoke with a gentle smile, his tone almost instructive.
“Shouldn’t you be apologizing to someone else, not me?”
“Ah… I-I’m sorry, miss.”
Only then did the boy bow deeply to Ha-eun.
“My mom is very sick… that’s why I needed the money. I’m so sorry!”
Tears streamed down the boy’s grimy cheeks.
Ha-eun stared at the boy, then pulled money from her wallet and held it out to him.
“I don’t know how much medicine costs, but use this to help.”
“Ah….”
The boy accepted the money Ha-eun offered, bowing repeatedly.
“And you—maybe let the kid’s arm go?”
Ha-eun turned to the young man, who was still gripping the boy’s arm firmly.
The young man slowly shook his head.
“No. This child has committed a crime. He stole from others and caused harm.”
“But the wallet has been returned….”
“However, the sin of this child laying hands on another’s belongings remains. Committing sin is an evil act.”
He continued, his voice sharp and resolute as a blade descending.
“Evil must be punished.”
“So you’re handing this kid over to the police?”
“Yes. I will guide him so that he receives proper punishment. There’s no need to worry.”
I couldn’t say for certain what the penalties for juvenile delinquency were in Italy.
But it was abundantly clear that the moment this case fell into the hands of the police, the boy would lose any means of earning money for his mother’s medicine.
“No, that can’t be! Then how will I pay for Mom’s medicine…!”
“Serve your sentence properly, then find work and earn the money yourself.”
“Where would I even find work? Even if I could, there wouldn’t be enough time to earn that much money!”
“It can’t be helped, even if it takes time.”
The young man continued speaking with unwavering conviction.
“Because this is
the right
thing to do.”
Not laying hands on what belongs to others.
Not causing harm to anyone.
Laboring with one’s own strength and sweat, obtaining what one desires through righteous means.
As the young man said.
Truly, it was the right thing.
Truly, it was justice.
Truly.
It was good.
“….”
Only then did I realize who the young man was.
‘The Sword of Justice, Demian Salvatore.’
An Awakener who held the position of Tianxingxing among the Seven Stars.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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