Not A Regressor - Chapter 363

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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 363
Interlude – Three-Way Vacation (9)
Needless to say.
Vega’s deception was not particularly skillful.
Her story about the Grave of Stars contained numerous gaps and flaws.
Yet the reason Kwon O-jin didn’t particularly doubt her words was simple.
‘So the entire legend about the Grave of Stars was a complete lie…?’
It was precisely because the one who had told this lie was Vega.
[I, my child. That, that’s the thing.]
….
Who was Vega?
She was one of only three Constellations of Polaris among hundreds of Constellations, and a goddess renowned among the Constellations for her cold and taciturn nature.
Of course, in front of Kwon O-jin, she often displayed a somewhat scatterbrained and endearing side rather than her usual coldness and reserve.
Fundamentally, she was a goddess of such righteous and moral character that she didn’t know how to lie.
Yet the superstition about the Grave of Stars that Vega had spoken of was a blatant falsehood.
Bewilderment overwhelmed any sense of anger at being deceived.
“…Ha.”
A hollow laugh escaped between his lips unbidden.
Feeling as though struck on the back of his head by a hammer, he swallowed hard.
‘Why on earth?’
Why would she need to go to such lengths as to lie to him just to do something at the Grave of Stars?
When he turned to look at Vega with questioning eyes, she fidgeted with her lips and bowed her head deeply like a criminal caught red-handed.
[I, I thought that would have a better chance of success.]
“A better chance?”
What chance was she talking about?
[…A better chance of us becoming one, that is.]
Vega answered in a voice that seemed to shrink into itself, her eyes squeezed shut.
“What do you mean by… ah.”
A soft exclamation escaped from between Kwon O-jin’s lips.
‘So that’s it.’
She had created a sort of ‘justification’ for it.
Kwon O-jin gazed at Vega, whose shoulders trembled as her eyes remained tightly shut, and let out a quiet laugh.
From his perspective, he thought there was no need for such justification between lovers, but Vega’s position was likely different.
Unlike the experienced Kwon O-jin, for Vega it would be her first time experiencing such a thing after living hundreds or thousands of years.
Moreover.
‘Vega isn’t as proactive as Elder Sister or Bella.’
Perhaps the superstition about the Grave of Stars was simply the stratagem she had earnestly devised after racking her brains.
[I, I’m sorry for deceiving you.]
….
Was this what they meant by the darkness beneath the lamp?
The scheme was far too sloppy to be called a proper strategy, which is precisely why I fell for it without a shred of suspicion.
I had naively thought, “Surely she wouldn’t lie about something like this?”
“Well, whether I was deceived or not doesn’t really matter to me anyway.”
My gaze turned toward Spica.
She stood trembling, her lips pressed tightly together as she fought to suppress the laughter threatening to burst free.
And then.
Pop.
“Kyahahahahaha! What?! Elder Sister, you actually seduced Polaris by fabricating a superstition that doesn’t even exist?!”
Spica erupted into uncontrollable laughter, tears glistening at the corners of her eyes.
Vega’s face flushed crimson with shame as she stumbled backward.
[Y-you’re so loud!]
“Aww~ look at our Elder Sister being so cute! She’s absolutely adorable, I’m telling you!”
[U-ugh.]
“What~? Lovers who are bound together at the Grave of Stars will live a hundred years in harmony~?”
[S-stop it.]
“That’s strange~? I’ve never heard of such a rumor~?”
[….]
Vega’s golden eyes began to lose their light, as if dark clouds were gathering overhead.
‘Huh?’
A chilling sensation crept down my spine.
My instincts were sending out a warning that danger was imminent.
[…So. You’ve never heard of it, then.]
The atmosphere grew frigid, as if liquid nitrogen had been poured over everything.
Vega’s eyes, now sharp and cold as frost, fixed upon Spica.
“Uh, Elder Sister?”
Spica sensed that something had gone terribly wrong and retreated with a trembling expression.
Vega smiled gently and began walking toward Spica with deliberate steps.
[Then I suppose I must teach you myself.]
Crack, crackle!
Blue lightning erupted ferociously around Vega’s form.
Spica shook her head, her face drained of all color.
“I-I’m sorry, Elder Sister!”
[What are you apologizing for? Ignorance is not a sin. The true sin is knowing nothing while refusing to learn.]
“Eek!”
Like a rabbit with its tail on fire, Spica came sprinting toward me.
“P-Polaris! Please stop Elder Sister Vega!”
Seeing the terror in her eyes, I placed a reassuring hand on Spica’s shoulder.
And then.
“You reap what you sow.”
I pushed Spica toward Vega with all my strength.
“Y-you, you you you you you!”
Kyaaaaaah! Help me, somebody!
Leaving Spica to her death screams, I turned around with a refreshed expression.
‘Time to head back.’
The final day of vacation was drawing near.
* * *
“Ugh… I’m exhausted.”
As I dragged my depleted body out of the Sanctuary, I could see people busily starting their day beneath the morning sunlight streaming down.
I pulled out my smartphone to check the time.
6:36 AM.
“…About twenty minutes left.”
According to the agreement(?) my lovers had made among themselves, the shift change was at 7 AM.
In about twenty minutes, I would need to begin my final day—with Ha-eun.
“Sigh.”
A deep breath escaped my lips.
I hadn’t managed a single proper night’s sleep over the past two days, and now I was facing the third day.
“Ugh.”
Even though I hadn’t used ‘Deception’, it felt as though the Heavenly Demon’s phantom appeared before my eyes, offering a bitter sneer.
“Yeah… this is all my karma, you bastard.”
What could I do about it?
I was the one who’d been greedy, so I had no right to complain.
‘Well, I’m tired, sure, but it’s not exactly a bad feeling.’
Recalling the events of the past two days, a faint smile crossed my lips.
Though my body and mind were utterly drained, those days had brought me so much.
‘I even reached the 10th Star because of it.’
Not only me—Isabella had also managed to reach the threshold of the 11th Star through bloodsucking.
“…Though I’ll admit it feels a bit odd getting stronger this way rather than through actual training.”
There’s a saying that all roads lead to Seoul, isn’t there?
Honestly, I was starting to think this was more effective than being cooped up in a training room.
‘Though I can’t neglect my training either.’
The strength I gained from Vega and Isabella was like a bonus, while training was like a steady salary that kept me growing consistently.
You can’t skip your salary just because you’re chasing bonuses.
‘And besides, just because my stigma power grows doesn’t mean I’ll win in combat.’
This wasn’t some board game where whoever had the stronger and greater stigma power automatically won.
No matter how sharp a legendary blade was, in the hands of an incompetent wielder it was no different from a plastic sword bought at a souvenir shop.
“Phew.”
Lost in thought, I’d somehow already arrived at the entrance.
“Hup.”
I lightly slapped both cheeks to shake off the drowsiness.
No matter how tired and exhausted I was, I couldn’t ruin my day with Ha-eun.
“I’m home, Elder Sister.”
Click.
As I stepped through the foyer and into the apartment, I spotted Ha-eun lounging on the sofa, munching on snacks while watching television.
“Oh, you’re back?”
Ha-eun, dressed in dolphin shorts and a white crop top, waved her hands excitedly toward me.
“How was it with Vega?”
“Well… we just rested well and came back.”
I couldn’t bring myself to tell her about what happened at the Sanctuary—I could already picture Ha-eun’s pale face and Spica’s screams of horror.
“Hmm, is that so?”
Ha-eun narrowed her eyes and shifted her hips closer to me on the sofa.
With a suggestive gaze, she made a fist and wedged her thumb between her index and middle fingers.
“Did you do this?”
“…Excuse me, ma’am.”
That hand gesture is far too crude.
“You did it, didn’t you!”
Ha-eun burst into giggles and jabbed my ribs repeatedly with her elbow.
‘Where did the soul of a middle-aged man take root in her?’
I let out an exasperated laugh.
“Vega puts on all these airs of sophistication, but she pounced on you right after you started dating.”
“Don’t ever mention that in front of Vega.”
She might electrocute me to a crisp.
“I know, man.”
Ha-eun shrugged her shoulders and smirked.
“Still, I’m relieved.”
“Relieved about what?”
“That things seem to have worked out well between you and Vega.”
“…”
Even in all this, she had been worried about my relationship with Vega.
“…I’m sorry.”
Thinking of everything Ha-eun had to endure because of my selfishness, my heart grew heavy.
“If you’re sorry, then treat me well accordingly, man.”
“I’ll do my best, Elder Sister.”
If conscience existed at all, I couldn’t neglect Ha-eun above anyone else.
After all, I could only enjoy this luxury because of Ha-eun’s consideration.
“Did you eat breakfast?”
“No, not yet.”
I hadn’t eaten anything since going to the Sanctuary with Vega.
“Should I make you something?”
“Actually, I already ate breakfast.”
I’m too full right now.
“Why not! I’m actually pretty good at cooking now!”
“I could never allow our noble Elder Sister’s hands to touch dishwater.”
There were some things I simply couldn’t trust.
Ha-eun’s cooking skills were definitely one of them.
“I’ll make it.”
I opened the Refrigerator to check what ingredients remained.
Ha-eun grabbed the back of my neck and yanked.
“Hey, hands off, you bastard.”
“No, I’m making it, I said?”
“Shush! Just wait quietly while Elder Sister shows off her skills.”
Faced with Ha-eun’s stubborn insistence, I was unceremoniously evicted, wearing a dejected expression.
Ha-eun flashed me a confident thumbs-up as I watched her with anxious eyes.
“Elder Sister’s going to make something amazing, so sit tight and wait, you punk!”
And so, with such confident fanfare, what Ha-eun prepared for breakfast was—
“…Ramen?”
Ramen bubbling away in a pot.
And because she’d miscalculated the water, the broth had shriveled up like a parched desert.
“What, you complaining?”
“No, not at all.”
Yeah.
This was actually better.
I resigned myself to my fate and slurped up the noodles with a defeated look.
The moment the noodles touched my tongue, the image of a vast, sprawling sea unfolded in my mind.
“So, how is it?”
“Salty.”
Like eating straight from a salt farm.
“You, you punk, you don’t know the latest trends! This is, this is that thing… Oh! Kujira-style ramen? That’s what this is!”
“Don’t just slap random names on things.”
You just used too little water.
“Ugh…”
Ha-eun’s shoulders drooped as her expression grew gloomy.
I let out a chuckle and brought a bowl of rice from the rice cooker, mixing it into the ramen.
Once I’d mixed in the rice, it became something between dog food and porridge rather than actual ramen.
“Oh man, this actually tastes great.”
“Right?”
With heavily salted ramen, nothing beats a good bowl of rice.
After Ha-eun and I finished eating the ramen, I settled back onto the Living Room sofa.
“So where do you want to go today?”
Now that we’d filled our bellies, it was time to properly begin my day with Ha-eun.
“Hmm… I’m not sure.”
With her index finger resting on her lips as she continued pondering, Ha-eun’s lips curved upward in a subtle smile.
“Home.”
“Home?”
“Yeah. Let’s just stay home all day today.”
Caught off guard by Ha-eun’s unexpected answer, Kwon O-jin’s expression shifted to one of bewilderment.
“…But we finally have a day off.”
“You haven’t gotten proper rest with Bella and Vega wearing you down, have you?”
“Well….”
Her words struck a nerve, and Kwon O-jin’s shoulders flinched slightly.
Ha-eun burst into knowing laughter and gave his cheek a gentle pinch.
“Let’s just rest today without going anywhere, O-jin.”
“…Elder Sister.”
Kwon O-jin gazed at Ha-eun with glistening eyes, as though he had discovered an oasis in the desert.

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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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