Not A Regressor - Chapter 293
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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 293
Interlude – Banquet (3)
“Are you alright?”
After putting Ha-eun to sleep, I made my way to the stream and found Isabella finishing her wash.
With eyes now considerably clearer, she gazed at Kwon O-jin, who was covered in vomit, and let out a soft chuckle.
“…You’re laughing?”
Kwon O-jin, reeking of sour vomit, shot Isabella a sharp glare.
Isabella covered her mouth, trying to suppress her laughter, her shoulders trembling, before she finally burst into uncontrollable giggles, clutching her belly.
“It seems Elder Sister had a bit too much to drink.”
“A bit? That’s putting it mildly.”
Kwon O-jin sighed and shook his head slowly.
As I approached the stream to check Isabella’s condition, she appeared far more composed than Ha-eun.
But if they’d been drinking together, the fact that only Ha-eun had gotten so thoroughly intoxicated meant….
“…Don’t tell me you outdrunk her?”
“My, how could that be? The banquet atmosphere was simply so wonderful that Elder Sister got excited and drank more than usual.”
Isabella shrugged with a mischievous expression.
Kwon O-jin swallowed hard and removed his vomit-soaked shirt.
His bare chest revealed beneath the moonlight.
Though not as tall as Allen or Lee Woo-hyuk, his physique was striking—a clearly defined six-pack sculpted as if by a master craftsman’s hand.
“…Gulp.”
Isabella stared at Kwon O-jin’s exposed chest in the moonlight, swallowing audibly.
She crossed her thighs together, as if tickled by something.
“Um, how is Elder Sister doing?”
Isabella turned her gaze away from Kwon O-jin, as if to hide her flushed face.
“She’s sleeping now.”
“Mmm. I’m curious what her reaction will be when she wakes up tomorrow.”
“Don’t tease her too much.”
I’ll be the one doing that.
“Give me the shirt. I’ll wash it for you.”
“Never mind. I’ll do it.”
I couldn’t have Isabella wash a shirt covered in vomit.
Kwon O-jin crouched by the stream, scrubbing the shirt with splashing motions.
Without the presence of mind to bring detergent, I rinsed it roughly with water alone, then spread the shirt wide on a rock to dry.
“I’ll go wash up then.”
Kwon O-jin gestured subtly toward the filth on his body, his eyes suggesting she should leave.
It was a hint that he was about to bathe and wanted her to go on ahead.
“Then let me help you wash.”
Isabella’s eyes gleamed like a bird of prey spotting its quarry as she scurried toward Kwon O-jin.
“Wait, why would you help me wash…?”
“Your body still hasn’t fully recovered, has it, Kwon O-jin?”
Just as she said.
The Constellation’s blessing burdened not only Vega but Kwon O-jin quite heavily as well.
It wasn’t as bad as after using the Heavenly Stream—I could move my fingers—but my body was far from normal.
“Or perhaps… you don’t want to go in with me?”
Isabella’s eyes glistened with tears, her gaze sorrowful.
Though I knew it was merely a crocodile’s tears—a calculated ploy to draw me toward the stream—her expression was so genuine it made my heart skip nonetheless.
“Ugh.”
Unlike before, now that I’d accepted Isabella as my lover, I couldn’t conjure a convincing excuse to refuse.
“Fine. But let’s keep our clothes on, at least.”
There was a risk of drunk Beast-humans wandering down to the stream again.
“Yes!”
Isabella beamed with a radiant smile as she followed me into the stream.
Water cold as ice chilled both our bodies.
“Damn, it’s freezing.”
I shuddered, scrubbing away the traces (?) of Ha-eun from my body.
As an Awakened, I could endure heat and cold to a degree, but the sensation of coldness itself remained, making it quite painful.
“Elder Sister used to warm the water for us before.”
“And the person who warmed that water is exactly why we’re here now.”
I could heat the water with electricity, certainly.
But with Isabella already in the stream, I couldn’t risk using it.
“Then… wouldn’t this work?”
Isabella smiled seductively and pulled me into an embrace against her chest.
Through the thin fabric, I felt the warmth of her soft skin.
“Wait, hold on.”
“You mustn’t move, Kwon O-jin.”
Isabella tightened her arms around my waist, pressing her body closer against mine.
An incredible softness spread through me, along with her warmth.
“Oh my?”
Isabella glanced down at a certain part of me that was now radiating heat beyond mere warmth.
A mischievous smile played on her lips as she moved her pressed body slightly up and down.
“Tch!”
I bit my lip and swallowed hard.
‘Riak running one, Riak running two, Riak running three.’
I desperately conjured images of Riak bounding across vast grasslands, but my heated body refused to cool.
“You don’t have to hold back, you know…”
“…We don’t know who might come.”
“Hehe. True—if another woman saw your body, I’d have no choice but to kill her.”
Why would you kill her over that?
“Just stay still.”
Isabella stepped back slightly and began washing my body with gentle, tender hands.
Each delicate touch made Kwon O-jin’s shoulders flinch.
Isabella seemed to relish his reaction, her laughter tinkling softly as she meticulously wiped his body clean of the filth multiple times over.
“I think we’ve gotten most of it now.”
“Wait a moment.”
Isabella held Kwon O-jin back as he tried to rise, pressing herself against him once more.
She placed her cheek against his chest, then pressed her ear to his left chest where the stigma was inscribed.
Thump, thump.
The sound of his heartbeat echoed through her.
“…Hearing this sound calms my heart.”
“Your heartbeat?”
“Yes. It makes me feel that you’re truly alive.”
Isabella smiled softly, her expression radiant.
With her ear still pressed to his heartbeat, she gently closed her eyes.
The two of them held each other in silence for a long while.
Isabella carefully opened her eyes and spoke.
“…I’m sorry.”
“For what?”
“For lying to you before.”
Not this again.
It was an apology he’d heard so many times since that incident that his ears had grown callused from it.
“It’s fine now. Besides, everything worked out well in the end anyway.”
“….”
Isabella felt Kwon O-jin’s hand gently patting her back in comfort and closed her eyes once more.
“Kwon O-jin… I never thought there would come a day when I could be this happy.”
Ever since the Black Star stigma was inscribed upon my left chest.
Or perhaps even long before that.
I had resigned myself to abandoning happiness.
Those days when I wept, clutching shattered fragments of hope in both hands.
Then, I met him.
Among the fragments of broken hope, I found someone who could nurture happiness.
“It’s all thanks to you, Kwon O-jin.”
What would have become of me if not for him?
According to Kwon O-jin, my past self was captured and killed by the Marco Family.
But even if I had miraculously survived, could I have lived as happily as I do now?
Could I have spent my days filled with such hope?
‘No.’
Everything is thanks to Kwon O-jin.
My life was reborn the day I met him.
And because of that.
“You are… everything to me, Kwon O-jin.”
For him, I would do anything.
My body, my heart, even my soul—I would surrender everything to him.
“…Isabella.”
“Mm.”
Isabella, who had been resting her ear against his chest, slowly lifted her head and pressed her lips against Kwon O-jin’s.
By the quiet stream, where only moonlight descended.
Isabella clung to Kwon O-jin like a leech, sucking on his tongue with greedy fervor.
“Hehe.”
After the long kiss, Isabella pulled away with a bashful smile.
“….”
Kwon O-jin felt an intense surge of desire welling up from deep within his chest.
He had tried to restrain himself.
But this was becoming unbearable.
“Forget it.”
“O-Kwon O-jin?”
Kwon O-jin pulled Isabella’s waist firmly toward him.
Just as he grasped the full, rounded peaks and was about to unleash the surging impulse—
“Kwon O-jin!”
“Where are you! Come have a drink with us!”
“We want to hear the tales of the great warrior!”
Voices calling for Kwon O-jin echoed from the distance.
“…Those tactless pups.”
Isabella’s eyes flashed with killing intent as she glared sharply in the direction of the voices.
The voices grew steadily closer, impossible to ignore.
She sighed and pulled away from Kwon O-jin.
“Shall we head back?”
“…Yes, we should.”
Kwon O-jin, having regained his composure, emerged from the stream with an awkward smile.
After returning to the cottage and changing into dry clothes, Kwon O-jin headed toward the Silver-maned Tribe, who were calling out loudly for him.
He asked Isabella if she would come along, but she said she would stay at the cottage to care for Ha-eun, who had collapsed in exhaustion.
Thus, Kwon O-jin arrived alone at the center of the village.
At the place where the grandest feast was being held, Beast-human tribespeople gathered in throngs, noisily carousing in their drunkenness.
“You’ve arrived!”
“The great warrior is here!”
“The warrior who defeated Kalike!”
The Silver-maned Tribe members’ eyes gleamed as they rushed toward Kwon O-jin the moment he appeared.
“Now, I understand your enthusiasm, but let’s all calm down first.”
Leoru stepped forward, blocking the Silver-maned Tribe members who swarmed toward him like moths to flame.
Leoru filled a large cup with drink and offered it to Kwon O-jin.
“First, have a drink.”
“Thank you.”
Kwon O-jin downed the drink in the bowl-sized cup in one shot.
The fiery aroma of alcohol burned down his throat and spread throughout his entire body.
“Kuhaha! As expected, a great warrior like you is different!”
“Whooosh!”
“Only with this kind of spirit can we hope to defeat that Kalike!”
The Silver-maned Tribe members clapped their hands and cheered as Kwon O-jin drank boldly.
Kwon O-jin, who didn’t usually enjoy hard liquor, felt an unpleasant queasiness in his stomach.
‘I need to match the mood here.’
From Kwon O-jin’s perspective, having fought against the formidable Demon Race, building rapport with the Beast-human Tribe was crucial.
With only five members in his party, the military strength of the Beast-human Tribe was absolutely indispensable for fighting the Demon Race going forward.
“I heard the great warrior came from a world beyond the veil—what kind of place is it?”
“I’ve heard rumors that it’s a place teeming with terrible demons….”
The Beast-human warriors gathered around Kwon O-jin bombarded him with questions, their eyes gleaming with curiosity.
Kwon O-jin chuckled softly and shared stories they would enjoy hearing.
“Just like your kingdom, the world I came from also faced a great threat once.”
After all, what would warriors who revered strength and power want to hear more than that?
Kwon O-jin elaborated on the era when the First Rift appeared and magical beasts flooded in like a tidal wave, embellishing the tale appropriately.
“Exactly! That’s why you must be so powerful—surviving in such a harsh environment!”
“Warriors who inherited the power of the stars to stand against magical beasts… what an inspiring story.”
After all, there’s nothing better than finding common ground to build rapport.
Kwon O-jin explained the magical beasts that had invaded Earth by drawing parallels to the Demon Race, and slowly unfolded the stories of the Awakened who fought against them.
As the atmosphere of the gathering grew richer.
“We’ve run out of side dishes.”
Leoru picked up an empty plate and stood up.
“I’ll go fetch some fruit for a light snack.”
“Chief! Surely we could send Leo for something like that….”
“Haha. Isn’t it about time the children got some sleep?”
Leoru smiled warmly and briefly excused himself to fetch the snacks.
While Leoru was away for a moment.
“Huh? Isn’t that Lilu?”
“Why isn’t she going to bed and what’s she doing over there?”
The Silver-maned Tribe members spotted Lilu hiding in the distance.
Lilu, who had been crouching beside a barrel of liquor as large as her own body and peeking over at them, suddenly jumped up with a flustered expression and looked around nervously.
“I, that is….”
Lilu stammered as she looked toward Kwon O-jin.
“Lilu, do you want to hear the great warrior’s tales of valor too?”
“N-no! It’s not like that!”
One of the Beast-human warriors smirked as he watched Lilu shake her head, her face flushed crimson.
“Come here and sit down.”
“…Yes.”
Lilu scurried over and took a seat at the drinking table.
A Beast-human Tribe warrior with his arm draped over Lilu’s shoulder cast a suggestive glance toward Kwon O-jin.
“Speaking of which, what do you think of our Lilu?”
“Hm?”
What was he even asking?
“Compared to your wives, she’s still green and inexperienced, but… she has a very bright future ahead of her.”
“Haha! The clan chief’s wife was the most beautiful woman in the village during her lifetime!”
The drunk men began spouting nonsense.
“W-what are you saying to Kwon O-jin oppa right now?!”
Lilu’s expression turned flustered as she swung her fists in protest.
The Beast-human Tribe warrior holding her shoulders leaned in and whispered into Lilu’s ear.
“So you’re just going to sit here and do nothing?”
“B-but…”
Lilu lowered her head, her face flushed red as an apple.
“O-oppa already has wives…”
“A great warrior naturally attracts many females.”
The Beast-human Tribe warrior continued to encourage Lilu with a suggestive tone.
“My wife said something to me before we got married…”
The Beast-human Tribe warrior whispered something into Lilu’s ear.
Upon hearing his words, Lilu jumped to her feet with a cry.
“H-how could you say such a thing?!”
“Kehehehe! Just try it once, will you? If he’s a real male, a hundred out of a hundred would fall for it!”
What exactly had he said to provoke such a reaction?
With enough alcohol in his system, Kwon O-jin couldn’t make out the words clearly.
“R-really…?”
“Yeah. That very line hooked me, and now… sigh.”
The married man exhaled deeply, ruminating on his regrets.
Lilu stole a glance at Kwon O-jin before carefully rising from her seat.
“U-um, oppa…”
“Hm?”
Lilu approached Kwon O-jin and clenched both her fists tightly.
“I-I want to be your female!”
“…What?”
What did I just hear?
At the bombshell declaration that escaped Lilu’s lips, Kwon O-jin’s mind went completely blank.
Clang!
The sound of a plate shattering echoed through the air.
“What… did you just say?”
Where the gentle-smiling Leoru had been, a single wolf now stood, radiating a murderous aura as fierce as a yaksha, its eyes fixed on Kwon O-jin with lethal intent.
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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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