Regressor Instruction Manual

“Do you know… where they are?” I asked.

I couldn’t even understand why I was asking such a stupid question, as what had happened to them afterward was none of my business.

Mr. Lee Ji-Hoo had worked with us, but it was just temporary.

It was not like we shared any personal stories or had any camaraderie between us. Our relationship was close to that of an employer and employee. There was no reason for me to be curious about their whereabouts, especially Miss Lee Ki-Yeon, but still…

‘I want to know the ending of their story.’

Any experienced adventurer would have the same thought as me.

‘I want to know exactly what’s at the end of their adventure.’

Those who were truly living on this continent and weren't just interested in monster by-products or dungeon rewards would be curious like me. It was natural to be curious about that story’s ending, which would remain forever unknown to the denizens.

Kennen would probably call me a romantic, but that wasn’t the case.

I wasn’t sure if he understood my feelings, but Father Lee Ki-Young smiled brightly. It was like his eye could see through everything, so I wanted to tell him that I had no bad intentions, but I knew it was meaningless, as he probably already knew my thoughts.

“Yes, I do,” Lee Ki-Young answered.

“...”

“I have an idea… as to why you’re curious about their whereabouts and I know you don’t mean anything bad by it,” Lee Ki-Young continued.

“How could I—”

“To be honest, the things I can tell you are very limited… but I’ll happily tell you that,” Lee Ki-Young said.

“...”

And Father Lee Ki-Young started going into details. He told us how he helped them go into hiding and about how they headed to a free city managed by the Union of Others.

Of course, he didn’t say the exact location.

‘That’s what I expected, but…’

Wasn't it common sense to question how those two ordinary people had disappeared overnight? I had a feeling someone helped them, but…

‘They met… Father Lee Ki-Young.’

I was sure they discussed many things. I was curious, but it’d be rude for me to ask about the details.

“I see… so they headed to a city managed by the Union of Others. Actually… I thought they would head somewhere… where no one could find them, a place with no people…” I said.

“They didn’t seem scared of meeting and living among others. It seemed like they wanted to start a new life like that. They talked about what they were going to do. The lady said she wanted to work with adventurers—”

“What? When you say working with adventurers…” I interrupted him.

“She has experience working as a receptionist, and she was actually a former adventurer,” Lee Ki-Young answered.

I turned my head without realizing it, and I saw Mr. Elias chuckling. It was like he knew that this was going to happen. I knew there were many stories involving the two… but they seemed closer than I thought.

“However, she said she wasn’t going to hide her powers this time. She said she wanted to help people, and that’s probably the reason Elune had chosen her.

"I expect she’ll be working as a wandering priest but under a different name. Of course I’m just assuming things, but Elune truly loves her, and she seems to have understood the role that has been bestowed upon her,” Lee Ki-Young continued.

“I see…” I mumbled.

“Unfortunately, I didn’t have a lot of time to talk to her…” Lee Ki-Young added.

I was worried Lee Ji-Hoo would show the same aggressive attitude he had shown to us to Father Lee Ki-Young, and it was actually possible knowing Lee Ji-Hoo.

“Right.”

“She said her goal was to live happily,” Lee Ki-Young said.

“Ah…

”

“She said they missed out on too many things… made a lot of mistakes, and caused a lot of pain… She doesn't want to have regrets again; she wants to live as happily as possible,” Lee Ki-Young continued.

“...”

“That was all. She seemed to be in a lot of pain and her priority seemed to be forgetting the pain and moving forward. She seemed… very aware of that,” Lee Ki-Young said.

“ I see.”

“We talked about many things… but her main point was…” Lee Ki-Young trailed off.

“...”

“It was to live happily together. I’m sure that’s the life those two really wanted to have,” Lee Ki-Young continued.

For some reason, I imagined those two living together. Actually, they appeared naturally in my mind. They’d probably start their new lives in a small city where humans, elves, dwarves, and other races lived together.

It could also be a small village, not necessarily a city.

They would introduce themselves awkwardly to their neighbors. Since they were a couple who had gone through many things, their neighbors would welcome them with open arms.

If they ended up getting rejected, I was sure they’d just laugh it off.

To achieve their dreams of living together in a small, quaint cabin, they'd take commissions posted in the square. Eventually, they would head to a small Adventurer Guild and start working as adventurers by taking Normal-rank commissions.

They’d mostly be gathering missions or investigation missions.

Since there wouldn't be that many commissions, Miss Lee Ki-Yeon would work as a receptionist at an Adventurer Guild and as an adventurer at the same time. After she was done with work, she’d head to their house.

As we had seen at the time, they’d watch the stars together, have many conversations, talk about love, and sleep before greeting the brand-new morning.

They would get married, receive their neighbors’ blessing, and have a child. They would then watch their children grow amidst laughter, and they would pursue a small and simple happiness. The pain within them would disappear one by one as they lived the happy and normal life they had always wanted to live.

That was the kind of life they would be living from now on…

It was a simple life, but it was more meaningful than anyone else’s life.

“Did that answer your question?” Lee Ki-Young asked.

“...”

“...”

“Yes,” I answered.

“Originally, I was going to give you your rewards as soon as we met, but she left a letter for you and for Mr. Elias as well,” Lee Ki-Young informed me.

“What? Really?” I asked.

“Yes.”

He handed me a letter. While I was wondering whether it was okay to read the letter here, I saw Mr. Elias take out his letter quietly from the envelope.

Father Lee Ki-Young did not stop him.

Elias had to have realized that he was being rude, but his eyes were fixed on the letter. I didn’t know what was written on it, but he smiled quietly and would sometimes look serious before crying quietly.

No one asked, but Mr. Elias said, “She said she wants us to live happily and that she’s grateful as well as sorry. She also expresses her gratitude for helping her get back on her feet.

"She wants to meet us again. Someday… sometime in the far future. She probably won't be as young as she is now, or she might no longer look like what we think she looks, but she still wants to meet and talk by then.

"That’s what she wrote.”

“It's not like there's a time difference between us,” Lee Ki-Young remarked.

“She said… she’s sorry for cutting the red thread… but she still feels connected to me… and she hopes I’m feeling the same way,” Elias continued.

“...”

Father Lee Ki-Young smiled. It was a smile bright enough to light up the tavern.

“She seemed really grateful toward you, Mr. Elias. I’m sure you had a lot of influence… in convincing them to move to a place managed by the Union of Others,” Lee Ki-Young said.

“Do you think so?” Elias asked.

“Yes, of course. She said she’ll never forget it,” Lee Ki-Young replied.

I opened my letter as well, hoping that she had written something touching, but…

[Thanks. If we happen to cross paths again… I’ll buy you a drink. - Lee Ji-Hoo.]

‘Jerk.’

I looked up and noticed Kennen frowning as he read his letter, but he didn’t seem that disappointed. He was probably thinking that the letter truly showcased Lee Ji-Hoo's personality.

“Well, I think that takes care of that,” Lee Ki-Young said.

“...”

“Alex, Kennen, and George. The Blue Guild will give you a limited number of Legendary and Epic-ranked items,” Lee Ki-Young informed us.

“What? T-That’s…”

“Of course under the condition that you won’t sell them. If the Epic-rank items we’re going to give you are made known to the public, it could be troublesome, so I can give you the rewards under the condition that only you three are going to use it,” he added.

“That’s…”

‘Too much isn’t it?’

I understood that he wanted us to promise that we wouldn't leak any information about how he had given us Legendary-rank items, but the gag order for Epic-rank items was a bit confusing.

When I thought about what he said, however, I realized that the Epic-rank items that we were about to receive could be just as powerful as Legendary-rank items.

I was more dumbfounded than happy.

It felt like the rewards were a little too much for what we had done.

“You deserve the rewards. You helped save the continent, and you completed a difficult quest. We actually think you deserve more, so you don’t need to feel too overwhelmed by it. Great power comes with great responsibility, but…" Lee Ki-Young explained.

“...”

“I’ve read your logs,” Lee Ki-Young said.

“...”

“You participated in many wars and adventures. Starting from the 27th Legion Summoning Incident… to the recent Mole Saint’s Cozy Sanctuary Expedition. I’m confident you’ll use these rewards for the continent,” Lee Ki-Young continued.

“B-But-”

“The Continental Protection Management Committee will prepare a small reward, and the Democratic Country will be giving you medals of honor. Of course, the medals are going to be unique,” Lee Ki-Young informed us.

“...”

Father Lee Ki-Young got up calmly before saying, “On behalf of everyone, I’d like to thank you again."

I bowed slowly. I told him it wasn’t necessary, but he looked so elegant and holy that I froze upon seeing him bow.

“Thank you very much,” Lee Ki-Young said.

“W-Wait…”

“That’s—”

“It’s time to head out, sir. The guild master is waiting for you. He said you two are going to spend some time together…” Jo Hye-Jin interrupted.

“Okay, Miss Hye-Jin,” Lee Ki-Young said.

“I think he’s waiting for you outside the tavern right now,” Jo Hye-Jin informed him.

Lee Ki-Young was silent. There was nothing else I could say; he smiled and blessed us until the very end.

However, I was curious. Lee Ki-Yeon, Elune's Chosen One, had given up everything she had and got the happiness she wanted—to live a simple life with the man she loved.

She found happiness after letting go of all her burdens.

How about the Saint of Sacrifice and Revival? How was he feeling? He was carrying all the burdens and sins; the fate and sadness of the continent; and even the negative emotions of the denizens, such as anger, malice, and more.

Was he happy… to live as the Saint of Sacrifice and Revival and a god instead of as himself? He was smiling more warmly than anyone else, but was he really happy?

“F-Father Lee Ki-Young,” I stuttered.

“...”

“Father Lee Ki-Young!” I called out.

“Yes?” Lee Ki-Young answered.

“Are you… happy?” I asked.

“...”

He tilted his head at the strange question, but he revealed a genuine smile I had never seen before as he replied, “Yes, I’m happy."