Not A Regressor - Chapter 85

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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 85
The Saint of Rome (6)
“Haah, haah!”
Tap-tap-tap!
A woman sprinted through a narrow, shadowed alley.
Her platinum blonde hair swayed with each frantic stride.
Skin as pale as jade was marred by sweat and grime as she gasped for breath, her chest heaving.
“After her!!”
“This way!”
Rough-faced men pursued the fleeing woman, their footsteps echoing behind her.
“Ugh…!”
The platinum-haired woman quickly sucked in a sharp breath and squeezed herself into a cramped corner of the alley.
Tension and urgency etched across her features.
“Damn it! Where is she?!”
“She couldn’t have gone far! Keep searching!”
The men scattered anxiously, each searching for the woman in different directions.
“….”
A brief silence fell.
“Haah.”
Isabella Colgrande, the woman who had been fleeing from the men, exhaled a low, trembling breath.
“…I was careless.”
She had known they were targeting her.
But she never expected the Owls to get involved as well.
‘At this rate… it’s dangerous.’
Isabella gazed down at her left chest and bit her lip firmly.
A stigma devoid of light.
The mana she once wielded as naturally as her own limbs refused to stir at all.
“I can’t reach anyone.”
Just how thoroughly had they prepared this plan?
Every means of communication—her smartphone and even the sacred relics meant for contact—had all gone dead.
‘I have to escape.’
The only option was to flee, dragging out the confrontation as long as possible against the encirclement that blanketed all of Rome.
But.
‘With a body that can’t use mana….’
How could I possibly evade the assassins’ gazes that surrounded me on all sides?
“Ugh.”
Isabella grimaced and clenched her fists.
Even knowing the odds were slim.
Right now, desperate flight was my only option.
‘If I’m caught….’
I shut my eyes tightly, as if unwilling to even imagine what might happen.
A clean death would be a mercy.
Being dragged away by them could mean experiencing something far more horrific than hell itself.
‘Careful.’
Isabella crouched low and moved forward with measured steps.
Fortunately, I had the geography of the Gypsy Settlement memorized perfectly.
Given the maze-like nature of the settlement, if I could escape skillfully enough━
“There she is!”
“Chase her, quickly!!”
Three men had spotted her.
They rushed toward her urgently the moment they caught sight of her.
“Damn!”
Isabella’s face twisted as she spun around desperately and bolted.
-Tap-tap-tap-tap!
She sprinted through the narrow alleys between buildings.
The deeper she ventured into the alleys, the more unidentifiable stench assaulted her nostrils.
“Huff! Huff!”
My breath came in ragged gasps, reaching the limit of my lungs.
With each step, it felt as though I were placing an enormous weight upon my shoulders.
Could a body devoid of mana truly be this heavy?
“Hehehehe! You’re so slow!”
The men laughed wickedly, pursuing her at a leisurely pace.
“Ah! There you are!”
“Kyaaa!”
Despite desperately navigating the labyrinthine Gypsy Settlement to buy time, I was ultimately caught.
“At first I thought she’d put up a real fight, but she’s nothing special!”
“Kehehehe! Of course not—she’s cursed by the Purple Forbidden Enclosure.”
The man gripped her slender arm tightly, his lips curling into a cruel smile.
“Let go!!”
Isabella twisted her body violently, attempting to wrench her arm free, but with her mana sealed, it was impossible to break free from the man’s grip.
“Shut your mouth, you bitch!”
Crack!
The man swung his hand savagely.
My head snapped to the side, my cheek swelling red from the impact.
“How dare you….”
Isabella bit her lip, glaring at the man with venomous eyes.
“Kahahaha!! Don’t look at me with such a fierce gaze~”
The man extended his tongue with evident delight.
“━If you keep it up, I might just decide to kill you more painfully.”
He grasped her slender neck brutishly, licking his lips.
“Agh! No!”
Isabella’s face contorted in agony as she clawed at the arm strangling her neck with her nails.
“Huh, huh!”
The man flinched involuntarily, his shoulders trembling as he stumbled backward.
But it was only momentary.
When the man saw that her nails hadn’t even left a scratch on his forearm, let alone pierced it, his lips curled into a smirk.
“Ha… hahahaha!! This is great~! The curse effect is insane, right?”
“Kekeke! You stupid bastard. You knew that and still got scared?”
“Huh? What did you say, asshole?”
The two men raised their voices, hurling curses at each other.
A brief opening created by their carelessness.
‘I have to escape now…!’
It was an opportunity that wouldn’t come again.
Isabella desperately endured the suffocating pain in her throat as she lifted her foot.
Her plan was to strike the vital point with her heel and then flee.
“Hey, hey. Stop messing around and keep her from running away.”
“I’m holding her just fine right now….”
“Huh? Look at this woman.”
But.
Before she could strike the vital point, the other man noticed her movement.
“Kekeke! Even in this state, you were already thinking of escaping.”
“Does she really live up to her reputation?”
The men looked at her with contempt.
“Now, don’t be so sad, miss.”
“If you come with us, you’ll have nothing but fun ahead!”
Eyes filled with sordid desire swept across her.
‘No… this can’t…’
My consciousness growing hazy.
Isabella trembled faintly as terror slowly consumed her body.
‘Not yet.’
There was still so much left to do.
“I… won’t.”
Without accomplishing anything.
Like this.
So futilely.
So vainly.
I cannot end━
-CRACKLE CRACKLE CRACKLE!!!
Azure lightning filled her vision.
As if an enraged god descended divine retribution.
Azure lightning descended from the sky, sweeping across the surroundings in a devastating arc.
“Aaaahhhhh!”
“What, what is this?”
The men froze in panic.
Between them.
—Whoooosh!!
“Cough!! Ahhh!”
A spear wreathed in blue flames danced through the air.
Cutting off their escape routes, sealing their movements.
Occupying all eight directions at once, the sharp spearhead tore through the men’s bodies with merciless precision.
“Gaaahhhhh!!”
“My, my leg! Cough! Gurgle!”
Three men became severed corpses in an instant, rolling across the ground.
“…Huh?”
Isabella’s eyes widened in confusion as she struggled to comprehend what had just transpired.
She touched her bruised neck and lifted her head.
What she saw there was.
“Are you alright?”
Tousled black hair.
A young man with gentle eyes that brought peace merely by gazing upon them.
“Kwon O-jin…?”
Noe-rang.
The wolf of the Weaver Star stood before her.
“How did you… oof!”
A stumble.
Isabella staggered as she tried to rise.
Kwon O-jin caught her hand and let out a soft chuckle.
“I followed your scent.”
“…What? My, scent?”
Isabella examined herself with an embarrassed expression.
“I was joking.”
“Oh! You’re terrible!”
Perhaps she was remembering when she first met Kwon O-jin.
Isabella’s cheeks flushed crimson.
“I didn’t follow your scent back then either!”
“Haha! I know.”
Kwon O-jin shrugged lightly.
“I heard screams while passing nearby, so I came to investigate.”
“Ah.”
A soft exclamation escaped Isabella’s lips.
“…Thank you.”
Her eyes glistened as she bowed deeply.
Kwon O-jin gazed down at Isabella’s bowed figure,
“Don’t mention it.”
A grin spread across his face.
His lips curved upward brightly.
‘Perfect.’
All the effort of using the Shadow Veil since early morning and pursuing her had paid off.
‘The timing was flawless.’
The objective of this plan wasn’t simply to save her life.
It was to create a debt of gratitude that would make her obey my commands in the future.
‘Valhalla Guild is different.’
Though I was currently in a cooperative relationship with Valhalla Guild, that didn’t mean I could freely issue orders and commands to them.
But.
‘With Isabella’s personality, she won’t be able to refuse the words of her savior.’
Especially not from someone who protected her with such desperate devotion.
I would be able to manipulate her completely, holding her in the palm of my hand.
“First, let’s escape.”
I grasped her hand firmly.
“Yes! Of course!”
Patter-patter!
Hand in hand, we raced through the alley.
“There they are!!”
“Damn it! Who the hell is this guy?!”
Before long, more assassins appeared.
I scanned them with sharp, gleaming eyes.
The unmistakable aura of the Black Star emanated from them.
‘So it was the Black Star Society after all.’
The Black Star aura I sensed around me wasn’t just one or two.
‘How many of them are there?’
The number of assassins surrounding this Gypsy Settlement was far greater than I’d anticipated.
‘Four hundred… no, over five hundred?’
It seemed excessive to deploy this many operatives just to eliminate a single 6-Star Awakener.
‘Well, that works in my favor.’
Thanks to this, I could paint an even more perfect picture.
“Hah.”
I drew a deep breath and charged forward.
I thrust my spear in a long arc, piercing through the assassins rushing toward me.
-Squelch!
“Gack!”
“Damn it! What the hell is this bastard?!”
The assassins scattered in panic, their curses erupting into the night.
They hardly looked like trained killers with their clumsy demeanor, yet their skills were undeniably formidable.
-Clang! Crash! Crash-crash-crash!
The assassins barely managed to deflect my savage onslaught.
But that was all they could manage.
The fierce azure lightning blazing from my body began to steadily push them back.
-Boom!
“Ugh!”
“What, what is this?!”
Wires crisscrossed densely throughout the narrow alley.
The blue lightning surged ferociously along the wires.
-Crackle-crackle-crackle!!
“Aaaahhh!”
Acrid smoke billowed forth as the assassins’ screams tore through the air.
Thud!
The assassins blocking the path collapsed where they stood.
“Wow….”
Isabella let out a soft exclamation as she gazed at me.
But only for a moment.
She grabbed my hand and rushed forward.
“If we go this way, we’ll reach an area with many intersections!”
“I’m aware.”
I had thoroughly mapped out the geography of this area during my six days of preliminary reconnaissance.
“Then let’s hurry….”
“No.”
I shook my head and approached one of the fallen assassins.
‘As expected.’
Rummaging through the corpse, I found a sacred relic pulsing with red light.
Likely a communication-type sacred relic planted for tracking purposes.
‘In that case.’
I should put it to good use.
“Kwon O-jin?”
“Just a moment.”
I tied the sacred relic to the end of my wire shooter.
Whoosh!
I launched the relic toward a predetermined point.
‘The most troublesome place to track.’
Unless they demolished buildings in a straight line to pursue it, they’d have to take quite a roundabout path.
“This way, please.”
I took her hand and led her into the Abandoned Apartment nearby.
“Weren’t you running away?”
“Even if we run like this, we’ll be caught eventually.”
The number of assassins forming the encirclement was at least five hundred.
And that was only counting those I’d sensed—the actual number was likely far greater.
“We need to hide in a suitable location and move from there.”
Well, even doing that wouldn’t let us shake them completely.
But it was better than attempting a direct breakthrough.
“…Yes.”
Isabella nodded and followed me into the Abandoned Apartment.
It didn’t appear to be inhabited—the interior was barren and empty.
“Phew. Let’s rest here for a moment.”
I dropped onto the floor with a heavy sigh.
I removed my jacket and spread it across the ground.
“You can sit on this.”
“…Thank you.”
Isabella carefully settled onto the floor.
“….”
“….”
An awkward silence descended suddenly.
“…Kwon O-jin.”
Breaking the uncomfortable quiet,
Isabella spoke carefully.
“Why are you… helping me?”
Her eyes trembled as she gazed at me.
A faint smile crossed my lips.
I smiled gently.
“Didn’t you once say that even selfless acts done without expectation of reward are still good deeds?”
“…Yes. You did say that.”
“Then let’s call this a good deed as well.”
“….”
Isabella’s eyes wavered.
“But I have nothing to offer in return….”
“There’s no need for you to repay me. You didn’t serve the Gypsy Settlement out of a desire for reward either, did you?”
“B-but! That’s different from this!”
Offering help out of charity couldn’t possibly be the same as risking one’s own life to protect another.
“If you insist on that.”
I smiled warmly.
“There is one thing I’d like to ask of you.”
“What is….”
I slowly extended my hand, covering her trembling cheek.
‘Eyes locked on hers. Voice steady and composed.’
Crafting the atmosphere exactly as desired.
By now, it came as naturally as breathing.
“I hope that Miss Isabella will remain by my side, just as you are now, for all the days to come.”
Damn.
‘I nailed it.’
That was absolutely perfect.

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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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