Not A Regressor - Chapter 301

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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 301
The Sky Mountain Range (7)
“…What is this now?”
Ha-eun’s mouth fell open in utter bewilderment.
A talking cat.
Of course, by now I had encountered numerous creatures with bizarre appearances strange enough to laugh off a talking cat.
But witnessing an ordinary cat—the kind you’d see any day—speak like a human transcended mere strangeness of appearance.
Especially when this talking cat appeared in the Sky Mountain Range, one of the three forbidden zones of the Demon Realm.
“Huh? Can’t you hear me?”
“No, I hear you perfectly.”
Kwon O-jin observed the Black Cat carefully and spoke with composure.
He had briefly debated whether to use formal speech.
But with an entity of unknown allegiance standing before him, he couldn’t simply launch into casual language.
“Who are you?”
“I’m called Felis.”
“…Felis?”
“Does it ring a bell if I say I’m a Constellation of the Felis Constellation?”
Kwon O-jin stared at the Black Cat before him in disbelief.
‘A Constellation?’
Had she manifested in proxy form like Vega?
He sensed no overwhelming power or presence befitting a Constellation.
“Now it’s my turn to ask you a question.”
The Black Cat approached Kwon O-jin with an unhurried gait.
“Who are you?”
“…My name is Kwon O-jin.”
“A human?”
“Yes.”
“Hmm. It’s been an incredibly long time since I’ve seen a human in the Demon Realm.”
Felis circled around Kwon O-jin with gleaming eyes, radiating curiosity.
Though Isabella and Ha-eun were clearly present as well, Felis showed interest only in Kwon O-jin.
“You smell nice.”
Felis leaped onto Kwon O-jin’s thigh, drawing close.
Perched on his thigh, Felis performed the motion commonly called “making biscuits,” kneading Kwon O-jin’s abdomen while bringing her nose near his left chest.
“What brings you to this place, Constellation?”
“This mountain range is a domain ruled by my spirit. Is it strange that I’m here?”
As she said, it was not unusual for a Constellation to be present where her spirit dwelled.
But the core of the question wasn’t why she was here, but rather why she had approached him specifically.
Kwon O-jin rephrased his inquiry.
“What I truly wanted to know was the reason you sought me out.”
“Ah, that’s what you meant.”
Felis nodded and pressed firmly against Kwon O-jin’s chest.
“I saw a commotion break out at the entrance to the mountain range earlier, meow.”
Was it the battle with those spider beasts?
“I tried not to pay attention to it… but such a delicious scent wafted over that I had to come take a look, meow.”
A delicious scent, she said.
‘Could it be Heukcheon?’
The Heavenly Demon had supposedly demoted the Constellations to “satellites” and expelled them from the Sanctuary, then granted them power to transform them into the Black Star.
If the power given to those Constellations at that time was connected to Heukcheon…
Then it made perfect sense that Felis would show interest in Kwon O-jin.
‘Come to think of it, the same thing happened when I first met Isabella.’
She too had followed Kwon O-jin around when they first met, claiming he smelled “delicious.”
The problem now was that this entity wasn’t an awakener—it was a Constellation.
Moreover, when we decided to cross the Sky Mountain Range, Felis turned out to be the master of Behemoth, the creature we’d been most wary of.
“Sniff sniff. Yes, it really does smell wonderful~, meow.”
Felis inhaled deeply, repeatedly catching Kwon O-jin’s scent.
“But why did a human come to the Sky Mountain Range, meow?”
Felis, who had been rolling around on Kwon O-jin’s thigh while intoxicated by the scent, asked.
“I’m heading to the Draconian Kingdom.”
“Hmm. You mean the kingdom of the Dragon-race, meow?”
“Yes.”
“I don’t know why you’d want to go there… but you won’t see anything pleasant when you arrive, meow.”
“What’s the reason?”
I was about to ask if she knew something about the Draconian Kingdom.
“It’s too bothersome to explain, meow.”
True to her carefree feline nature, she immediately dodged the question.
“Anyway, now that I’ve caught that wonderful scent, I’m hungry, meow. Get me something to eat, meow.”
“….”
She really was just like a cat.
Irritation flared up at her audacious behavior—appearing out of nowhere and brazenly demanding food—but I couldn’t speak harshly to a Constellation.
“Would you like to try this?”
Kwon O-jin, pondering what a cat might enjoy, pulled a can of tuna from his backpack.
“What is this, meow?”
As if seeing a tin can for the first time, she widened her eyes and sniffed at it.
“I don’t smell anything. Is this really food, meow?”
“You open it like this at the edge here.”
Kwon O-jin opened the can and held it out to Felis.
Felis’s tail stood on end and her ears perked up.
“That smells delicious, meow!”
As if someone might steal it, Felis pounced on the can with surprising speed and began munching on the tuna eagerly.
While Felis ate from the tuna can, Kwon O-jin’s party exchanged meaningful glances with one another.
What are you thinking of doing?
Isabella’s gaze seemed to pose the question.
Though the situation was sudden, I hadn’t come entirely unprepared.
Kwon O-jin handed another can of tuna to Felis, who was devouring it greedily, and asked her a question.
“Are you well-acquainted with the geography of the Sky Mountain Range?”
“Meow? Of course I know it.”
Felis answered while munching on the tuna can.
She finished one can in an instant and immediately began devouring the fresh one Kwon O-jin had just opened for her.
Kwon O-jin narrowed his eyes slightly as he watched Felis eating the tuna with such fervor that she seemed ready to devour the aluminum can itself.
‘If I play this right, I might be able to use her as a guide.’
Not only did she know the terrain of the Sky Mountain Range intimately, but traveling with Felis meant I wouldn’t have to worry about being ambushed by Behemoth.
‘The real challenge is figuring out how to persuade this stubborn cat.’
It seemed less difficult than I’d initially thought.
“You! I like you! Become my servant!”
After finishing every last bit of tuna, Felis’s eyes sparkled brilliantly as she leaped onto Kwon O-jin’s thigh.
Kwon O-jin gently stroked Felis while wearing the kind, affable smile he’d frequently used during his days as a con artist.
“You have oil on your mouth.”
“Meow? Do I?”
“Yes. Please wait a moment.”
He pulled out a handkerchief and carefully wiped around Felis’s mouth.
Felis purred contentedly and curled into a ball on Kwon O-jin’s thigh.
“My belly’s full… and you smell nice. I’m happy, meow.”
“Have you been alone here all this time?”
“I’ve been with Behring, meow.”
Behring—that must be what she calls Behemoth.
“Well, even though we’ve been together, I’ve only actually been living in the Sky Mountain Range recently, meow.”
“Only recently?”
“Before, I couldn’t manifest in a proxy body like this, meow.”
Ah.
Now that I thought about it, before the Divine Law’s restrictions weakened, only Vega had been able to manifest in a proxy body.
‘So the other Black Star Constellations must have also gained the ability to manifest in proxy bodies like Felis.’
That was quite a troublesome situation.
The Black Star Constellations likely followed the Heavenly Demon who had granted them their power.
‘At least it seems certain that even in a proxy body, they can’t exert their full strength, like Vega.’
Still, I couldn’t let my guard down.
Divine Spirits, unlike Constellations, were relatively less constrained by the Divine Law.
“Phew! I had a good rest, meow!”
After rolling around on Kwon O-jin’s thigh for about thirty minutes longer.
Felis jumped down with satisfaction.
“You said you’re going to the Draconian Kingdom, meow?”
“Yes, that’s what I intend to do.”
“Then I’ll guide you there, meow.”
She was offering to guide us without even being asked.
I thought to myself that this was quite the windfall.
“Huh? Don’t look at me like that, meow. I’m not lying, meow.”
“…I wasn’t doubting you, Felis.”
Though in truth, I was.
A Constellation I’d never met before suddenly appeared and offered to guide us—I couldn’t simply nod in agreement without reservation.
“I swear by the name of the Felis Constellation that I will guide you all safely out of the mountain range, meow.”
Felis turned to look at Ha-eun, Isabella, Riak, and finally Poppy as she spoke.
I knew well how important an oath sworn by a Constellation’s star name was.
The lingering unease in my heart subsided considerably.
“Thank you.”
“Hehe. For my butler, I can do at least this much, meow.”
Felis wagged her tail happily as she took the lead.
My companions and I watched her figure for a moment before slowly following behind her.
“Kid.”
Riak cautiously fell into step beside me.
“Memorize the way back. I’ll check ahead for any ambushes along the route.”
“Understood.”
Even with an oath sworn by a star name, I couldn’t completely trust Felis’s word.
I nodded and left subtle markers along the way that only I could recognize.
But perhaps my caution was unnecessary.
Felis led us over one of the lowest peaks in the mountain range and guided us toward the Draconian Kingdom.
“Do you see the path beyond that mist over there, meow?”
“Ah, yes. I see it.”
Even though it was a low peak, once we reached the summit, I could see a path below that wasn’t shrouded in mist.
“If you follow that path straight, you’ll arrive at the Dragon-race’s kingdom, meow.”
“…Thank you.”
I never expected she’d guide us so readily.
I felt a twinge of guilt for doubting her so persistently.
“Once you’re gone, I can finally enjoy my happy time in peace, meow.”
Was spending time with Behemoth really that blissful for her?
I wanted to ask about information regarding the Draconian Kingdom and the Heavenly Demon, but I never knew when Felis’s mood might shift unpredictably.
‘Let’s just leave the mountain range quietly for now.’
With Felis’s help, we could break through the Sky Mountain Range far faster than expected, so it would be better to gather the necessary information directly in the Draconian Kingdom.
“Go quickly, meow.”
“Then, we’ll be on our way.”
As I bowed and turned to leave.
“Huh?”
Felis dug her claws into Kwon O-jin’s pants leg, gripping tightly.
“Where are you going, meow?”
Where was he going?
The very one who had guided them this far was asking that question?
“…Did you not say you were heading to the Draconian Kingdom?”
“You’re my butler now, meow. Send the others away and come play with me right away, meow!”
“….”
Ah.
So that was why everything had gone so smoothly.
“Did you not swear an oath by the name of your star?”
“Yeah! I swore, meow! I swore I’d guide the butler and the kids who came with you outside the mountain range, meow!”
Felis glanced back at Ha-eun, Isabella, Riak, and Poppy as though they were nothing but tiresome obstacles.
“…Ha.”
A hollow laugh escaped unbidden.
‘So that’s it. From the very beginning, she volunteered to guide us only to separate me and the others from her as quickly as possible.’
Now I understood why this willful cat had so readily shown us the way.
“You’re going to receive the stigma of the Felis Constellation and become my butler, meow!”
Felis cried out with unbridled enthusiasm.
Before Kwon O-jin could even mount a protest.
[That won’t do.]
Vega burst forth from Kwon O-jin’s pocket, her gaze sharp and piercing as she fixed it upon Felis.
[This child has already inherited the stigma of the Lyra Constellation. He is my successor.]
Vega settled naturally upon Kwon O-jin’s shoulder as she spoke.
And then.
“Lyra Constellation…?”
Felis’s face twisted into something savage.
The Black Cat bared her fangs, her eyes fixed upon Vega with undisguised hostility.
The emotion carved into those feline eyes was unmistakable.
“Why is the Polaris Constellation here, meow?”
Pure, unadulterated jealousy.

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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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