Not A Regressor - Chapter 205

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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 205
Interlude – A New Hope (2)
“…Hey.”
Ha-eun’s eyes had turned glacial, fixed upon me with an intensity that could freeze flame.
She gestured toward Isabella with a subtle tilt of her chin, her gaze boring into me.
A silent demand: explain yourself. Now.
“It wasn’t like that.”
I protested with the aggrieved tone of the utterly wronged.
“Hmm.”
Ha-eun’s eyes narrowed to slits as she turned her head toward Isabella.
“So it wasn’t like that?”
“Hehe. Perhaps you’re just embarrassed, Kwon O-jin.”
Isabella shrugged with a beguiling smile, her eyes glimmering with mischief as she gazed at me.
“You did say you’d become my new hope, didn’t you?”
“…What does that have to do with being a maid, exactly?”
There’s no way becoming my maid could be her new hope.
“Oh? But that is my new hope.”
Damn it.
“What the—”
I stared at Isabella with an expression of utter bewilderment.
Becoming my maid was her new hope?
This wasn’t some cheap adult film—the absurdity of this development was beyond comprehension.
“Hehe. I was only joking.”
Isabella flashed a radiant smile and stepped closer, her platinum hair cascading like a luminous stream.
The silken strands shimmered with an ethereal quality.
“Of course, I’m serious about moving into your house, though.”
“Wait. This isn’t even your house—it’s registered under my name.”
“Oh, is that so?”
Ha-eun nodded with a smug expression.
“So you need my permission first as the owner—”
“Now that I think about it, wasn’t it you who dropped that fireball on my mansion, Ha-eun?”
“Huh?”
Ha-eun’s expression shifted to one of shock.
“W-why would you—”
“Oh, I didn’t understand the stigma of Draco well enough. I realized it was far more powerful than I’d imagined.”
Isabella continued with a gentle smile, her voice honeyed and smooth.
“The firepower was so intense that every treasure and artwork inside the mansion turned to ash.”
“I, I, well, that was—”
“Hehe. I understand. You had no choice but to do it to help me, right?”
“Y-yes, that’s right!”
Ha-eun nodded urgently.
In truth, she had poured the flames without much thought upon Kwon O-jin’s command, rather than to help Isabella.
“No matter how wealthy the Colgrand Family is, the losses this time are considerable. Even a conservative estimate puts the destroyed valuables at around 1 trillion won, so the situation has become rather awkward.”
“1, 1 trillion?”
Ha-eun’s mouth fell open.
1 trillion won.
‘Just how much is that?’
Her mind went blank at the sum she couldn’t even fathom.
She had only ever seen figures exceeding hundreds of millions in news articles—never heard them spoken aloud in reality.
Even Awakened individuals who earned substantial sums rarely accumulated wealth in the trillions.
In fact, such an amount was virtually impossible unless one led a major Guild or directly operated a business conglomerate.
‘So I… didn’t just burn hundreds of millions, but trillions?’
Ultimately, she had provided covering fire to protect Isabella from Demian, so whether she incinerated hundreds of millions or trillions, the responsibility wasn’t truly hers.
“I… I’m so sorry.”
Overwhelmed by the staggering sum, an apology tumbled from her lips before she could stop it.
“Oh my, if that’s how you feel, then borrowing just one room in your apartment while my mansion is being rebuilt would be perfectly acceptable, wouldn’t it?”
“Huh? Ah, well, that’s…”
“Of course, I understand you exerted yourself to help me… but surely you wouldn’t refuse to lend even a single room after reducing my mansion to ashes like that, would you?”
Isabella’s eyes gleamed as she deftly pressured Ha-eun.
“I… is that so?”
“Thank you so much, Ha-eun. I won’t forget this kindness.”
It was clear why she held real power within the Colgrand Family.
She continued her one-sided gaslighting with words that couldn’t even be called logic, yet with merely small gestures, a glint in her eyes, and the tone of her voice, she had masterfully manipulated Ha-eun.
“Then I’ll come in.”
Isabella removed her shoes as naturally as if entering her own home and stepped inside.
She glanced around the roughly 200-square-foot apartment, her eyes narrowing slightly.
“This place is rather cramped for three people to live in.”
Snap.
She snapped her fingers.
“Roberto.”
“You called for me.”
An elderly man in pristine butler’s attire emerged from among the sunglassed bodyguards.
“This is the seventh floor, right? Purchase all the apartments on this floor. Actually, just buy the entire complex. You have a month—offer premium prices or whatever it takes, but secure every unit.”
“Understood.”
Roberto bowed respectfully, his expression unfazed.
“Wait, hold on! Why are you buying apartments?”
“Hmm? Why, to renovate the interior and expand the living space, of course. Three people living in a 200-square-foot apartment is rather inconvenient, don’t you think?”
Isabella’s words held truth—living with three people in roughly 200 square feet was indeed cramped.
“…Couldn’t you just buy the adjacent unit if you want to expand?”
“I simply don’t like having other people in the same building as Kwon O-jin and me.”
Isabella spoke absurdities with a composed expression.
“…”
Was she really going to purchase an entire large mixed-use apartment complex for such a trivial reason?
“What on earth is wrong with her?”
“I have no idea.”
“Did she take a shotgun blast to the head or something?”
“I think your sister’s being a bit harsh.”
A shotgun blast—what nonsense.
“Well… there are other reasons too.”
Isabella continued in a measured tone.
“Kwon O-jin and I have likely become targets of the Black Star Society because of this incident. Stationing guards here and turning this apartment into a fortress of sorts is far safer in multiple ways.”
“Hmm. Well, I suppose that’s true.”
Indeed, from the Black Star Society’s perspective, there was a strong likelihood they would target Isabella and Kwon O-jin, who had been at the center of this affair.
While perhaps not as grandiose as calling it a fortress, it would certainly be prudent to make some preparations.
“Then I should use this room, correct?”
Isabella slightly opened the door to the room they had been using as a warehouse.
Despite being called a warehouse, there weren’t actually many items stored inside.
Just a few clothes and basic necessities.
Snap.
As Isabella lightly snapped her fingers, the guards waiting in the corridor streamed into the apartment and began unpacking the luggage they had brought.
Perhaps it was because each of them possessed transcendent physiques as Awakened individuals.
It took less than ten minutes to unpack and decorate the room with luxurious furnishings befitting Isabella.
“We’re finished, Miss.”
“Thank you for your work. You may leave now.”
Isabella nodded with satisfaction.
The guards who had streamed in now streamed back out.
It felt like a massive wave had crashed in and then receded.
It was Isabella who broke the awkward silence that had settled over the apartment.
“Has everyone eaten?”
“No, not yet.”
Ha-eun opened a delivery app on her smartphone with a sudden realization.
“What do you want to order?”
“…Delivery?”
“Yeah.”
“You’re going to let Kwon O-jin eat such unhealthy junk food?”
Isabella frowned as if to say what kind of absurd notion that was.
Ha-eun nodded with a bewildered expression.
“Sigh. Really… I didn’t expect this from you, Ha-eun. I’m quite disappointed.”
“But… Kwon O-jin actually likes delivery food….”
“That’s not because Ha-eun can’t cook, is it?”
“Gasp.”
Ha-eun faltered, struck by the accuracy of the observation.
Isabella, as if she had anticipated this very moment, retrieved fresh ingredients stored in an ice box from the trunk she had brought along.
“I’ll prepare something for you right away, so please wait a moment.”
Isabella headed to the kitchen and began preparing the meal with practiced efficiency.
“Kwon O-jin….”
“Yeah, what?”
“Is it really because I can’t cook that I like delivery food?”
Painfully accurate.
“Come on, Isabella just doesn’t understand the quality of South Korean delivery food, that’s all.”
“Right? It’s not because my sister can’t cook, is it?”
“Exactly, exactly. The dishes our sister makes are so delicious.”
I turned to look at Isabella while comforting the dejected Ha-eun.
‘She’s improved quite a bit, though.’
Recalling how she wept when I killed Paulo, her recovery had been remarkably swift.
I gazed at Isabella’s back with a faint smile.
“Alright, dinner is ready!”
Isabella placed the dishes on the table.
A distinctly Korean spread—japchae, pajeon, and soft tofu stew.
“I’ve practiced many Korean dishes during this time. Please try some.”
Isabella sat down beside me quickly, speaking with confidence in her voice.
“I’ll enjoy it.”
Her confidence was well-founded—the food she had prepared was exquisite enough to rival that of a traditional Korean restaurant.
“…Seriously, this is a completely broken game balance. A woman with money, a great figure, and excellent cooking skills? What am I supposed to do?”
From the opposite seat, Ha-eun’s grumbling complaints could be heard.
[By the way.]
Vega, who had been perched quietly on my head observing Isabella, slowly took flight.
[I heard that thou wast an enforcer of the Black Star Society.]
Flinch.
Isabella’s shoulders trembled slightly.
“Yes, that’s correct.”
[Hmm. I have heard of thy circumstances from my child.]
“…Your child?”
Isabella tilted her head, seeming to find Vega’s phrasing odd.
Now that I thought about it, Isabella had no idea that Vega was a Constellation.
[I am Vega, the Constellation of the Lyra Constellation.]
“What? A guardian spirit—no, a Constellation?”
Isabella’s eyes widened as she looked at me.
I nodded quietly.
“I didn’t know a Constellation could manifest directly on Earth.”
“It’s possible because Vega is a Constellation of Polaris.”
Isabella gazed at Vega with an expression of astonishment.
Vega crossed her arms and looked down at Isabella, opening her mouth to speak.
[The circumstances are understandable, but I still find it galling that you deceived my child all this time.]
“I’m terribly sorry.”
[You must atone for this deed.]
“Of course.”
Isabella seized Kwon O-jin’s arm with eyes burning with resolute determination.
“I will beg your forgiveness for the rest of my life, Kwon O-jin.”
[Hmm? No, there’s no need to go that far.]
Isabella clung tightly to Kwon O-jin and rested her head against his shoulder.
“I will devote both my body and soul to you, Kwon O-jin.”
[S-stop! Enough atonement!]
Vega shook her head with a flustered expression.
“Sigh. I had a feeling this would happen.”
Ha-eun exhaled a long breath and shot Kwon O-jin a sharp glare.
Thwack.
She kicked Kwon O-jin’s shin beneath the table.
Kwon O-jin lowered his head, having nothing to say in his defense.
* * *
After the meal concluded.
While Ha-eun and Vega cleaned up, Kwon O-jin helped Isabella organize her remaining belongings in her room.
“…Why did you bring a maid outfit?”
Kwon O-jin pulled a black maid dress from the trunk and turned to Isabella.
Isabella lifted the maid outfit with a playful smile.
“Didn’t I tell you? I’m going to become your exclusive maid from now on.”
“You said it was a joke?”
“Hehe. Well, was it really just a joke?”
Isabella embraced his arm with a mischievous smile.
“If you wish it, Kwon O-jin… I could truly become your maid?”
She whispered seductively in his ear while clinging to his arm.
Kwon O-jin hesitated, unsure how to respond.
“By the way, Kwon O-jin. Did you enjoy your meal?”
“Ah, yes. It was delicious.”
“Then… I should have my meal soon as well.”
She lightly caressed his neck and licked her lips.
“Would it be alright if I had my master for dinner?”
What?
Me?

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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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