Not A Regressor - Chapter 82

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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 82
The Saint of Rome (3)
“…Is there a reason you suspect that?”
Kwon O-jin asked with sharp, gleaming eyes.
“Have you heard that the Black Star Society has been expanding its influence in Italy recently?”
“I have.”
It would be a different faction from the “Owls” operating in South Korea.
But it was true that the Black Star Society was expanding its power.
“We’ve confirmed that forces presumed to be the Black Star Society have been appearing frequently near Isabella’s mansion. The timing also oddly coincides with the assassination attempt.”
“How did you obtain such information…?”
“I have a reliable informant on the Italy side. They may not know much about combat, but their intelligence gathering is extraordinary.”
“I see.”
For the vice-guildmaster of Valhalla Guild to boast such confidence, it must be trustworthy information.
“Then you’re saying the Black Star Society is trying to assassinate Isabella?”
“Well… there’s no concrete evidence yet.”
“Hmm.”
I swallowed a short breath and opened my eyes narrowly.
‘The Black Star Society targeting Isabella?’
The question of why came to mind first.
“Is there a reason they would target her?”
“I’m not entirely sure… Oh!”
Kim Sun-young, who had been shaking her head, let out a short exclamation and clapped her hands.
“Now that I think about it, I heard that Isabella’s Constellation mark shows tremendous effectiveness against ‘Demonic Beasts.'”
So she possessed a power that was antithetical to Demonic Beasts.
“I’m not sure if possessing a power antithetical to Demonic Beasts is enough reason for the Black Star Society to go to such lengths to kill her.”
“….”
It is.
She doesn’t seem to know yet.
The Black Star Society… no, the very existence of “Black Star” itself has some connection to Demonic Beasts.
‘If a super rookie receiving worldwide attention possesses a power antithetical to Demonic Beasts…’
They have ample reason to target Isabella.
‘So that’s why she said she could prevent the catastrophe that would unfold two years later.’
Lee Shin-hyuk regretted that he should have met her on June 30th.
Isabella had recently been subject to an assassination attempt by forces presumed to be the Black Star Society.
From these two facts, only one conclusion could be drawn.
‘In the first cycle, Isabella dies on June 30th.’
Then.
‘I have to save her.’
I must prevent her from falling victim to the Black Star Society’s assassins on that day.
I have to go there myself and stop her death.
I must rewrite the pages of this predetermined fate with my own hands.
“I’d like to thoroughly investigate the Black Star Society in Italy as well… but honestly, I don’t have the luxury of time for that.”
Lee Woo-hyuk sighed as he spoke.
“Then I’ll go to Italy and investigate myself.”
“…What? You personally, Kwon O-jin?”
I nodded.
“But we still don’t have solid evidence, and the Black Star Society in Italy is… far more powerful compared to the one in South Korea.”
I knew that.
The one leading the Black Star Society in Italy was said to be ranked third among the Executors, wasn’t it?
In a situation where even Cheon Do-yoon, ranked sixth among the Executors, wouldn’t dare think of confronting them, going there would be madness.
‘But.’
If I couldn’t save her.
If the crimson storm that swept through Italy two years from now came crashing down upon me as well.
-Aaaaaaahhhhh!!
-P-please, save me!!!
The screams that filled the city echoed through my mind.
Streets drenched in blood.
Death permeating everything flickered before my eyes.
‘Well, that’s not really my concern though.’
I’m not some noble hero sacrificing myself gloriously to save countless people, nor a valiant warrior undertaking hardship to vanquish a demon lord.
Just a petty con artist who deceives and exploits others.
But.
At least.
‘What I hold in my hands.’
This handful of warmth.
I will protect it by any means necessary.
‘And Isabella has her uses.’
A super rookie who reached 6-Star in just one year.
An awakener with powers of extreme compatibility against demonic beasts—she would undoubtedly be invaluable to me in the future.
‘If I can bring her to my side this time.’
If I can create a debt of gratitude and manipulate her as I please.
‘It’s definitely worth the risk.’
A bitter smile crept across my lips.
I ran my tongue across my lips.
‘Thank you, Lee Shin-hyuk.’
Without him, how would I have obtained the information that she’d be attacked by the Black Star Society exactly thirty days from now?
Already a regressor who’d been thoroughly defeated long ago.
Yet his memories flowed into me, creating a new fate.
“Still, if the Black Star Society is targeting her… we need to go and confirm it directly.”
“Mm.”
Lee Woo-hyuk swallowed hard, his expression clouded with worry.
His eyes reflected the dread of losing the Apostle of Polaris—a figure with such a brilliant future ahead—in such a meaningless way.
“Then perhaps I should go with you instead….”
“Guild Master. You haven’t forgotten about this, have you?”
Kim Sun-young waved a USB drive containing information about the Black Star Society in front of Lee Woo-hyuk’s face.
“This isn’t the time to be worrying about Italy, is it?”
“That’s true, but…”
“You don’t need to concern yourself. I’ll go to Italy alone.”
Kwon O-jin spoke with unwavering resolve.
‘If Lee Woo-hyuk gets involved, it’ll only become a nuisance.’
How could I possibly explain to him that Isabella would be attacked on the 30th?
I might be able to deceive him with plausible excuses, but avoiding suspicion would be difficult.
“Ah, then please take this with you, Kwon O-jin.”
Kim Sun-young held out a card embossed with a roaring lion.
On the back were contact information and a name I’d never seen before.
“Paolo Lancioni. It’s the contact information for the informant I mentioned earlier. If you show him this card, he’ll cooperate with you.”
“Thank you.”
Having an informant who knew Italy inside and out would make the operation considerably smoother.
“And… Kwon O-jin, do you happen to speak Italian?”
“No.”
To be honest, I couldn’t even speak English properly.
What could I have learned in that godforsaken Orphanage?
“Then this should be helpful.”
Kim Sun-young walked to the corner of the room and pulled open a drawer with a soft click.
What she retrieved looked like a hearing aid worn in the ear.
It was a device I was already familiar with.
“Is it a translation device?”
One of the miraculous devices created from Star Stones.
Because it could be made with relatively inexpensive Star Stones, it had become quite widely distributed among the general public, not just Awakeners.
Of course, that didn’t mean it was cheap by any means.
It had to cost at least tens of millions of won.
“It’s a top-tier translation device. With just this one, you won’t have any problems understanding or speaking.”
“…I feel like I’m receiving too much.”
An informant, and now a top-tier translation device on top of that.
The generosity was almost unsettling.
“Hehe. You’re about to undertake a dangerous mission, so this level of support is only natural. In exchange, please share any information you gather in Italy with us.”
“Of course.”
The Valhalla Guild was a hunting dog I’d created with my own hands.
It was only natural to inform the hunting dog about the prey it would sink its teeth into.
“Then I’ll prepare and depart immediately.”
“Do you really need to leave in such a hurry?”
“It’s better to arrive early than late.”
They didn’t know, but I had my reasons.
‘Time is running out.’
Less than a week remained until the 30th.
“I’ll contact you once I arrive.”
Kwon O-jin slipped out of the Valhalla Guild and headed home.
* * *
“Huh? Italy? Why Italy all of a sudden?”
Ha-eun, who was eating ice cream, widened her eyes in surprise.
“The Valhalla Guild got a request. I’ll be gone for about a week.”
“Hmm. Italy, huh.”
Ha-eun’s lips curved into a bright smile.
“Can I see the Colosseum and stuff like that when we go?”
Her eyes sparkled with excitement.
“Haha! Back when we were stuck in that crummy orphanage, I never dreamed we’d actually travel overseas together!”
She spoke as if we were going on a vacation.
She scooped up a spoonful of ice cream and held it out toward me.
“Come on, open your mouth—here comes the ice cream!”
Her energy was through the roof.
But it seemed like my sister was misunderstanding something.
“I’m going alone, not with you.”
“Huh?”
Ha-eun’s expression crumpled instantly.
“What kind of request requires you to go alone?! Of course I’m coming with you!”
As expected.
She’d interpreted it as an invitation for us to go to Italy together.
“It’s an infiltration mission. I have to go alone.”
“I-I can do infiltration too!”
“You’re not good at concealing your presence, though.”
“W-well, that’s…”
Ha-eun’s gaze wandered into empty space.
In truth, infiltration wasn’t strictly necessary.
The infiltration excuse was merely a pretext to leave her behind since she couldn’t hide her presence well.
But my real reason for not taking her was different.
‘It’s too dangerous.’
Without knowing how many Black Star Society awakeners would be deployed to attack Isabella.
Taking her would be reckless.
‘I have my hidden card, so if things get bad, I can just escape.’
But she didn’t have that option.
“So… you’re really going to leave me behind and go alone?”
“I’m sorry.”
“Hmph!”
Ha-eun turned her head away with a distinctly pouty expression.
Munch, munch.
She snatched the ice cream I’d offered to Kwon O-jin and shoved it into her mouth instead.
Her cheeks puffed out like balloons as she pouted, tapping my shin with the tips of her toes.
“Promise me we’ll take a real vacation next time—not some work trip.”
“…You have my word?”
“Mm-hmm.”
She knew full well she had no talent for concealing her presence, so she didn’t bother throwing a fit and trying to follow me.
“So when are you leaving?”
“Today.”
“Huh? Right now? What about a plane?”
“Why would I need a plane? I can just go through the Star Palace.”
“Oh, right.”
Ha-eun clapped her hands as if she’d forgotten.
The Star Palace, the world where the Constellations dwelled, had entrances scattered across the globe.
Using the Star Palace, one could travel overseas as conveniently and swiftly as stepping through a portal.
‘I don’t know where the entrance to Italy is, though.’
But Vega would know—I could just ask her.
“Ugh. So you won’t be back for a whole week?”
“Heh heh. Why? Will you miss me?”
“What’s this now? Trying to butter me up?”
Ha-eun raised her middle finger sharply, her eyes narrowing fiercely.
But that was only for a moment.
She turned her head away slightly and muttered in a small voice.
“Well… call me as often as you can.”
I felt like a husband heading out on a business trip.
“Got it, sis.”
“Don’t be a smartass.”
“Pfahahaha!”
“You little brat!”
After exchanging some light banter with Ha-eun, I immediately packed my things and headed out of the house.
I entered the Star Palace, found the entrance leading to Italy, and made my way through.
Fortunately, there was a Gate located just outside Rome, so I arrived not far from the city itself.
━The time it took to reach Rome was merely an hour.
It was so fast that it made the fact that it was a country over ten hours away by plane seem absurd.
“This is faster than driving to Busan.”
I chuckled softly and inserted the translation device Kim Sun-young had given me into my ear.
The Italian, which had sounded like an alien language, now came through as vivid Korean.
“Ah. Is my speech being translated properly as well?”
I hadn’t been able to confirm that yet, lacking someone to converse with.
“Let me start by finding Paolo.”
I had already made contact with Paolo Lancioni as soon as I arrived here.
When I mentioned that I’d come with an introduction from Valhalla Guild, he sent me a link with his location marked.
‘He said he was near a station called Levibia.’
I simply walked toward the location marked on the map.
“This is….”
The place I arrived at was a sprawling Gypsy Settlement lined with dilapidated apartment buildings.
‘Does he live in a place like this?’
Tilting my head in confusion, I ventured into the Gypsy Settlement.
“Damn it. Where exactly is he holed up?”
The Gypsy Settlement itself was as labyrinthine as a maze, and since this was my first time here, finding my way wasn’t easy.
As I wandered aimlessly through the settlement’s winding paths.
“Have you perhaps lost your way?”
A woman with a hat pulled low approached me.
Her eyes were a blue reminiscent of the ocean, and her smile was so warm and gentle it seemed capable of melting one’s heart just by looking at it.
Platinum blonde hair peeked out from beneath her hat, gleaming with exquisite beauty.
“You are….”
I’d only seen her in photographs.
But there was no doubt.
“Huh.”
I stood there with my mouth agape, utterly dumbfounded.
‘This can’t be real.’
Surely there were limits to coincidence.
Rather than mere coincidence, the sheer absurdity of the situation left me speechless.
“Oh, oh my? Do you perhaps know me?”
She looked slightly flustered, her cheeks flushing a delicate pink.
“I thought you wouldn’t know me since you’re from the East….”
She removed her hat and extended her hand.
Her golden hair, cascading to her shoulders, shimmered brilliantly.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Isabella Colgrande.”
Beam.
Rome’s saint smiled radiantly.

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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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