Not A Regressor - Chapter 88

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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 88
The Saint of Rome (9)
“Kneel.”
A low, resonant voice echoed through the space.
I watched as the elderly man called Roberto hurriedly prostrated himself on the ground.
‘What the hell. What is this.’
Squinting, I studied Isabella’s figure and my jaw dropped internally.
‘Wasn’t that bastard Marco some kind of high-ranking awakener?’
I’d heard on television that he was definitely a 9-star awakener.
Yet he died pathetically, like a 1-star awakener taking their first step into a Gate.
‘And this is supposed to be the 3rd-ranked Executor?’
I’d suspected their absurd power ever since the Valhalla Guild was annihilated by Cheon Do-yoon alone.
But this exceeded all reasonable limits of strength.
‘Insane.’
A dizzying chill ran down my spine.
Gulp.
I swallowed hard.
‘I can’t be discovered.’
For now, she didn’t seem intent on killing me, but if she found out I wasn’t actually unconscious, I had no idea when that might change.
‘Make my breathing gradually fainter.’
I closed my eyes and went limp, draining all tension from my body.
I feigned the state of a critically wounded man on death’s door while straining to catch every word between Isabella and Roberto.
“Please kill me, Your Majesty!!”
“Really? You’re sure?”
“Gack! Krrgh!”
This was insane.
‘Absolutely terrifying.’
The way she unhesitatingly gouged her fingers into her subordinate’s throat perfectly embodied the “witch” epithet that the Marco Family’s members had wailed about.
‘So… Isabella was the mastermind behind Italy’s destruction two years from now?’
My mind felt tangled and confused.
‘But Lee Shin-hyuk said the False Star Sect occupied Italy.’
So the current “Black Star Society” would transform into the “False Star Sect” two years from now?
If that were true, it would make sense why no one had any information about the False Star Sect at this point in time—
‘Damn it.’
There was a sense of discord, like forcing a mismatched puzzle piece into place.
The unease of a narrative that didn’t quite fit together pricked at my mind.
‘I’ll think about that later.’
For now, I needed to focus on their conversation.
“Actually, this time was quite dangerous.”
Dangerous, she said.
‘I recall hearing that the Leech Queen’s stigma becomes several times stronger at night.’
In other words.
My desperate flight from the Marco Family’s grasp during the day wasn’t an act—it was genuine.
‘If I hadn’t stepped in.’
The world where Lee Shin-hyuk hadn’t regressed.
What kind of life would she have lived in that first iteration?
“….”
It wasn’t difficult to imagine what would have happened to her if the Marco Family had caught her.
“Hehe. In that sense, I suppose you could say Kwon O-jin is my benefactor.”
A benefactor.
If she truly believed that.
‘At least I won’t die here, it seems.’
A sigh of relief escaped me.
‘I need to avoid any further involvement with Isabella going forward.’
Whether she was the mastermind behind the massacre two years from now or not.
Having witnessed Isabella’s absurd power firsthand, I wanted to avoid any deeper entanglement with her.
‘Well, once this matter is resolved, there’s no reason to see her again.’
I was South Korean, and she was Italian, after all.
Unless I made a special trip like this, there was no reason our paths would cross anytime soon.
‘That’s right.’
Once this was over, my connection with Isabella would naturally sever━
“Ahhh! This sweet scent…! It’s the best!”
Huh?
“Haang! Haah… Ugh!!!”
What the hell.
‘This… isn’t, right? It can’t be?’
Don’t tell me that slightly—no, seriously unhinged woman had become fixated on me?
‘No way~ that can’t be it.’
No matter how deranged someone was, they wouldn’t chase after someone just because they liked the taste of their blood.
Right.
This was just a simple coincidence.
A fleeting accident that would pass by.
‘Besides, Isabella is an executive of the Black Star Society, isn’t she?’
I didn’t know how that organization operated.
But leading a massive organization with thousands of members wouldn’t leave her the leisure to chase after someone’s tail.
‘Right, right!’
Don’t worry, everyone!
I’m absolutely not screwed!
“I will absolutely never let you go.”
What do I do.
It had already happened.
* * *
“Ah… ugh.”
I opened my eyes, letting out a low groan.
My gaze was hazy as I turned my head, like someone just regaining consciousness.
“Oh, Kwon O-jin!!!!”
Whoosh!
Isabella rushed forward with tears glistening in her eyes and embraced me.
“Do you have any idea how worried I’ve been with you unconscious for days?!”
Tell me about it.
I’ve been terrified for days with you constantly clinging to my side.
“You’re alright… aren’t you?”
Isabella looked up at me with eyes full of concern.
If I hadn’t known her true identity, I might have been genuinely moved.
‘Damn it.’
Now that I knew the truth, it only felt repulsive.
‘Even knowing everything, I still can’t quite figure out her angle.’
Her appearance with glistening tears almost seemed endearing.
Her acting was truly impressive enough to make one’s tongue stick out.
‘But.’
When it came to acting, I wasn’t inferior to anyone.
“Where… am I?”
“This is a hospital operated by the Colgrand Family.”
“What happened to the assassins?”
I asked while furrowing my brow as if I had no memory of what occurred.
“After you lost consciousness, people from our family came to provide support. The assassins fled the moment they saw reinforcements arriving.”
“…I see.”
Even though I knew that wasn’t the truth.
I gazed at her with a relieved expression.
“I’m glad you’re safe.”
“It’s all thanks to you, Kwon O-jin.”
“No, I…”
Crunch.
I bit my lip and my shoulders trembled.
“In the end… I failed to protect you, Isabella.”
“That’s not true! Without you, I would have…”
“No. I shamefully lost consciousness. It wasn’t I who saved you—it was the Colgrand Family.”
“…”
In other words.
“I have no face to show you anymore, Isabella.”
I turned away from her, my shoulders drooping helplessly.
‘Good.’
It’s not too late even now!
I need to cut ties and get out of here as fast as possible!!
“What… do you mean by that?”
In that instant.
Isabella’s voice turned ice-cold.
A chilling aura filled the room.
‘Huh?’
Damn it.
“You clearly said it, Kwon O-jin. That you’d stay by my side from now on.”
“That’s…”
“You said that, didn’t you? You did, right? You’ll stay with me in Italy from now on?”
Hahaha.
Life is a bitch.
How did this snowball roll so far out of control?
“Yes, I did. But in the end, I failed to protect you, Isabella. I don’t deserve to have you by my side.”
Save me.
“Don’t say such things! You’re… you’re my hero!!”
Is that why you were drooling all over yourself looking at me like that?
“…Hearing you say that puts my mind at ease a little.”
I smiled faintly and gently took her hand.
“But even if you’re fine with it, I’m not.”
“Kwon O-jin…”
“Could you give me just a little… just a little more time?”
My voice trembled faintly.
I gazed at her with desperate eyes.
“Once I return to South Korea and feel that I’m worthy of standing beside you, I promise I’ll come back to Italy. I give you my word.”
Yeah.
I’m never coming back.
“…”
Isabella stared at me intently, her eyes narrowed to slits.
Gulp.
A tense silence hung in the air.
And then,
“A… promise?”
Isabella extended her pinky finger.
‘That’s it!’
At least I managed to avoid the captive breeding ending.
“Yes. When that time comes, I’d like to show you around Rome with you, Isabella.”
“Hehe. Leave it to me! Rome is absolutely brimming with sights to see!”
She grinned brilliantly like a wildflower blooming in a field, linking her pinky finger with mine.
“And keep in touch often when you return to South Korea!”
“Of course.”
I blocked her immediately.
Wait, but wouldn’t she just chase me all the way to South Korea later?
I’m caught between a rock and a hard place, damn it.
“By the way, you must be hungry, Kwon O-jin?”
Isabella continued, her eyes sparkling.
“I’ll prepare a delicious meal for you!”
The ingredients for that meal aren’t me, right?
“Just wait a moment!”
She scurried away.
Isabella left the Hospital Room.
“…Sigh.”
Finally alone, I exhaled deeply.
Sprawled across the bed, I organized my thoughts about her.
‘For now, I have no intention of killing her immediately.’
Prey or whatever else.
If I’d simply planned to devour her, there would be no reason to use an Elixir to heal my wounds.
‘From her reaction, my blood seems to be intoxicatingly delicious.’
If blood alone were the objective, I could have bound her to some medieval torture device and drained her dry.
‘But.’
She didn’t do that.
She even accepted my intention to return to South Korea, though she seemed reluctant about it.
“…What exactly is she thinking?”
I couldn’t easily discern what she truly wanted.
‘In any case, I need to avoid any further involvement with Isabella.’
She’s a woman who calls me premium prey.
There’s no good in being connected to her.
‘Well, eventually I’ll have to face her anyway.’
She’s the mastermind behind the massacre that will occur in Italy two years from now.
I couldn’t leave her alone.
Of course.
‘But that’s a problem for later.’
The gap between us now is like the difference between a dragonfly and a toad.
Unless I fly away swiftly and escape far, there’s no way to survive.
‘The only consolation is that she doesn’t know I’m aware of her true identity.’
I know.
She doesn’t.
This would become a meaningful gap that could secure a favorable vantage point in my future relationship with her.
“Haah….”
I exhaled a deep sigh once more.
‘Sister.’
I miss you, damn it.
As I spent about twenty minutes conjuring Ha-eun’s face in my mind,
“Please have a meal, Kwon O-jin~”
Isabella entered the Hospital Room carrying a tray.
Atop it sat pasta with steam rising in delicate wisps.
“Thank you for the meal.”
“Oh! Let me feed you!”
Isabella snatched the fork from my hand and twirled the tomato pasta before offering it to me.
“Come on, say ‘aah’, Kwon O-jin!”
Watching her radiant smile, I found myself doubting whether she was truly the same person as that blood-starved witch from before.
‘…This has to be an act, right?’
Even knowing her true nature.
The way she extended the fork with a wildflower-like smile made her look like a girl in love.
‘If I hadn’t known from the start, I might not see it, but once you know something is an act, you can’t help but notice.’
No matter how exceptional her acting ability was.
Knowing from the outset that her current appearance was fabricated, I should have been able to see through it.
“Hehe. Does it taste good? I haven’t made it in a while, so I’m not sure how it turned out.”
Yet somehow.
The shy smile on her face now didn’t feel like an act at all.
‘Get your head straight, you bastard.’
Hadn’t I witnessed her obliterate hundreds of Awakeners in a single stroke, lapping up their blood?
What I saw now was nothing but an intricately crafted mask.
Her true nature was that of a blood-crazed witch.
The Leech Queen, third-ranked Executor of the Black Star Society.
“It’s delicious.”
“Really? Phew… I’m relieved. Since you’re Korean, I was worried your palate might be different.”
Isabella wiped her chest with an expression of deep relief.
Sway.
Something possessing destructive weight asserted its presence.
“….”
Ha-eun, one.
Ha-eun, two.
Ha-eun, three.
Good, I’ve calmed down.
“Thank you for the meal.”
“There’s more! Please, eat plenty!”
I’d already emptied three bowls, yet somehow a fresh plate of pasta kept appearing—I couldn’t fathom where it all came from.
“Come on, say ‘ah’~”
What is this?
Is she fattening up her prey before the meal?
“Munch, munch.”
After I’d somehow managed to finish five bowls.
Kwon O-jin pushed himself up from the bed.
“Well then, I should be going.”
“But your body is still—”
“As you can see, I’m perfectly fine.”
I’d consumed an Elixir—there was no way I wouldn’t be fine.
‘Though now that I think about it… damn, what a waste of an Elixir.’
The wounds I’d sustained back then would’ve healed completely just from wading through the river once.
If Ha-eun had been the one to drink the Elixir instead of me.
‘…Her legs would’ve been fully regenerated.’
It was regrettable, truly.
‘Well, I can always make one for her myself someday.’
Wasn’t that precisely why I’d obtained the stigma of Aquarius?
“I’ll escort you to the Star Palace.”
“There’s no need for that.”
“I insist on escorting you.”
“Yes.”
It would be my honor, Your Majesty.
* * *
“…When will you return?”
Isabella asked carefully, her gaze fixed on Kwon O-jin as we stood before the Star Palace.
“Once I’ve grown strong enough to stand beside you, I’ll come back.”
I answered vaguely, careful not to give her anything to latch onto.
“…Do you have to return so soon?”
Isabella’s eyes glistened with tears as she spoke.
Had I not known her true nature, the sight would’ve resembled a dog watching its master leave.
‘But she’s no dog—she’s a blood-starved beast.’
I swallowed hard and turned away.
━Then.
“Kwon O-jin.”
Tap.
Isabella grabbed my shoulder.
“…!”
Shit?
‘Did I make some mistake?’
My shoulders trembled as I turned my head, my heart pounding with embarrassment.
—Smooch.
Isabella rose onto her tiptoes and planted a kiss on my cheek.
“Hehe. W-well, I’ll contact you later!”
She waved her hand frantically and fled into the distance.
“….”
The soft sensation lingered on my cheek like an echo.
“Is this… really just acting?”
Kwon O-jin narrowed his eyes in utter bewilderment and stepped into the Star Palace.

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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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