Everyone Else is a Regressor - Chapter 51

◈ Everyone Else is a Regressor (51)

Chapter 11. You want to become my partner? (1)

After storing all the rewards from the secret space, including the sofa and bed, in the inventory and returning to Turris with the Orcs, KiJun distributed a fair amount of the gold coins he had obtained from the secret space to them and advised them to hide for the time being.

“The lord might not hold me accountable, but one can never be sure about people’s hearts. It’s not just me; they might blame you guys for Tolchi’s death, so better stay hidden for now.”

“You want us to leave you alone in danger!?”

“I have the ability to get myself out of any situation. Trust me.”

“Jun……”

Naturally, the Orcs were reluctant, but KiJun easily persuaded them with his assurance.

“If things take a turn for the worse, I’ll message you, so wait.”

As he said this, KiJun suddenly asked Charbanbesh.

“Do you have a RetaPhone?”

“Haha… don’t be surprised, Jun. For summoners like us who live a mercenary life, gathering information and keeping in touch is vital. We scraped together all our points a year ago to get a [RetaPhone6] for communal use!”

Charbanbesh proudly showed off a somewhat shabby-looking rectangular device, clearly an older model than KiJun’s.

RetaPhone6, obviously a discontinued model by now.

KiJun couldn’t bring himself to comment and simply exchanged Retalk IDs with Charbanbesh, whose ID was [MightiestOrcFiveBrothers].

“Oh, so Jun is [Teacher’sPet]? It’s always good to remember and respect the teacher who taught you.”

“Yeah……”

Of course, it wasn’t the ID KiJun had set.

But he had to keep using it, fearing Bice would get angry if he changed it.

Meanwhile, the bald Orc Kipuz exclaimed excitedly, seeing KiJun’s sleek RetaPhone15.

“Jun’s RetaPhone must be the flagship model RetaPhone15, secretly released targeting top civilization summoners from the Reta Continent! I heard even second-year summons don’t have access to it. How did you get it?”

KiJun was more concerned about Kipuz’s surprisingly rich vocabulary, but he kindly answered his question.

“My teacher bought it for me.”

“Jun’s teacher must be a really good person.”

“Now I understand why Jun’s ID is what it is.”

“I wish I could be taught by Jun’s teacher too…”

Deeply impressed by KiJun’s confession, the Orcs nodded repeatedly and headed to the inn.

Recalling Bice’s smile, KiJun stroked his RetaPhone once, took a deep breath as if bracing himself, and then set his face grimly as he headed to the lord’s mansion.

―Is it really a good idea to go to the lord like this, Contractor?

‘I think so. At least for the quests we’re facing in the future, this is much better.’

―But what if the lord tries to bind you in Tolchi’s place since he lost his strongest knight? Haha…

―Why are you laughing creepily at a time like this!? What are you planning to do with the lord!?

Even though he had returned after clearing the dungeon, it was still evening. The guards at the mansion, wearing a smile, briskly approached KiJun and saluted without hesitation.

The salute, similar to the Korean military, was a bit comical, but recalling his days as a soldier more than 25 years ago, KiJun returned their salute, to their delight.

“We got a salute from him!”

“His hand angle was perfect! Just as I said, he must have been active in various places before coming to Turris?”

“Of course, a hero like our mage can tell from just a salute!”

The soldiers seemed to have started another weird misunderstanding about KiJun’s salute, but he couldn’t bother to correct them and just let it be.

“I want to see the lord.”

“He has been waiting for you. The lord said you would come.”

“…Is that so?”

It seemed they roughly understood the situation with Tolchi.

With an even heavier heart, KiJun sighed inwardly and entered the mansion.

Walking alone in the garden where the ceremony had been held yesterday, he suddenly saw someone waiting for him in the center.

“Welcome, Mr. Jun.”

A white-haired woman with neatly trimmed hair at the nape, dressed in a crisp butler’s uniform, greeted him with a bow.

“The lord is waiting for you.”

KiJun nodded lightly, and the woman led him inside the mansion.

Unlike the elder’s, her lustrous white hair fluttered in front of him, making KiJun wonder if the lord’s white hair wasn’t due to aging.

Walking ahead without looking back, the woman asked in a calm voice.

“May I ask you a question?”

“Of course.”

She led him through a wide hall on the first floor, choosing one of the grand staircases, reminiscent of a Western-style mansion.

Maids cleaning the corridors were startled to see her, bowed quickly, and stepped aside.

Ascending to the second floor, then to an inner staircase leading to the third floor, she spoke again.

“What do you think about a summon becoming a subordinate to a Retan… or in your terms, an NPC?”

“I respect each individual’s choice. But personally, I have no intention of becoming anyone’s subordinate.”

“Is that so.”

Expecting more words, KiJun was surprised when she fell silent.

Soon, they arrived at the lord’s private office on the third floor. She knocked twice on the door, nodded at a quiet voice from inside, and stepped back.

It seemed she didn’t intend to go inside.

“Then――”

“The lord doesn’t favor drastic changes.”

Just as KiJun was about to turn the doorknob, she spoke again.

KiJun turned around―the woman was now looking straight at him.

“Please don’t be too harsh on him.”

“Me? On him?”

“He didn’t just neglect Sir Tolchi. He feared that intervening hastily would cause greater chaos… I’m truly sorry that it led to you having to dirty your hands.”

KiJun realized what she meant and couldn’t hide his flustered expression.

He was glad he was wearing a mask.

“Do you think I came to blame him for his direct knight’s fault?”

“Isn’t that the case?”

Only then did KiJun wonder if both the lord of this small city and the woman in front of him overestimated his capabilities.

A direct knight of the lord is a top human resource of the domain, yet here they are, asking KiJun not to be too hard on him for killing such a person, even if the fault lay with him. Aren’t they a bit too easy-going?

Perhaps this was thanks to his Legendary-grade charisma.

Though his growth process was a mystery, KiJun wasn’t feeling too bad about reaping such benefits.

“Don’t worry. The issue with him has already been resolved. I came to the lord to explain how and why his knight died, and at the same time――”

“At the same time?”

The woman, slightly tense and fiddling with the horn on her forehead, waited for KiJun’s next words. KiJun, feeling a bit playful, smirked and said,

“The lord doesn’t like drastic changes, right?”

“That’s true, but…”

“Then he might end up disliking me a lot.”

“What do you mean… Ah?!”

KiJun turned the doorknob and opened the door.

Unable to say anything more, the woman grunted and watched him go.

The door closed behind him.

“People can be so mischievous.”

The lord, shaking his head as if he had heard their conversation outside, commented.

Sitting on the sofa in front of his desk, the lord held a glass filled with ice and a pumpkin-colored liquor. On the table, there was a half-empty whiskey bottle, an ice bucket, and another glass.

KiJun chuckled and settled into the sofa opposite him.

―Our sofa is much better, Contractor!

Ignoring Lucy’s prideful comment, KiJun reached for the glass, but the lord stopped him and poured the drink himself, adding ice.

“It’s a pretty good drink. A bit strong, but you’ll like it straight once you get used to it.”

“Thanks.”

The drink was excellent, so much so that KiJun regretted diluting it with ice.

Not particularly interested in the drink itself, the lord smirked at KiJun’s bold drinking.

A mix of incredulity and admiration was evident in his expression.

“Did you really drink Tolchi’s poison willingly?”

“Do you know what he was trying to do to me?”

“I had a reliable source investigate his movements. They were quite blatant. It’s not easy to find a sedative strong enough to knock out someone as powerful as you.”

“I suppose so. It didn’t work, anyway.”

Surely, the lord must have given up on Tolchi’s life the moment he knew he was acquiring poison, certain that KiJun would not forgive him.

KiJun nodded in understanding and took another sip of his drink.

Tolchi handling a sedative was completely separate from whether KiJun would drink the lord’s wine. Of course, his confidence in his resistance also played a part.

Absolute self-confidence to stick to one’s standards, regardless of the opponent or situation.

That’s the essence of the Übermensch.

At least, that’s what KiJun liked to think.

“I’ve said this to your butler as well――”

“She’s my daughter. My successor. Isn’t she lovely? She looks a lot like my wife who passed away.”

“I guessed from the horn on her forehead. But using your daughter and successor as a butler?”

“It’s part of her education as a successor.”

KiJun shrugged and finished his drink, then set down the glass.

“Anyway, like I told her, I didn’t come here to blame you. If you don’t blame me――”

“Not at all.”

“Is that so.”

KiJun had braced himself for being unable to set foot in Turris or even the entire Gratia Kingdom. Things resolved much easier than expected.

He quickly messaged Charbanbesh that everything was settled and faced the lord again.

“Shall I describe his end?”

“……I have a request about that.”

The lord’s voice turned serious, and KiJun, anticipating his words, poured more drink.

What followed was somewhat predictable.

Despite successfully averting it, the Overflow had left significant damage. Revealing Tolchi’s attempt to murder KiJun would cause unimaginable chaos and crush the spirits of the people.

So, the lord’s request was to wait until the damage from the Overflow was repaired, and the city’s spirits lifted before revealing the truth.

KiJun’s response was brief.

“Just bury it completely.”

“No, that’s not――”

“Not for him. For the soldiers who believed and followed him, thinking he was a knight.”

KiJun firmly stated this, recalling the deeply shocked faces of the MightiestOrcFiveBrothers upon facing Tolchi’s reality.

They had overcome the shock and were willing to move forward, but could everyone do the same?

KiJun had no intention of tarnishing the city’s atmosphere just to satisfy his feelings, unless Tolchi’s dead body could somehow bring achievements or rewards.

“Hmm, you really are…”

“Fine, then let’s end the discussion about Tolchi here. He died while cleaning up after the Overflow when attacked by vampires. Agreed?”

“I can’t look up to you… wait, vampires?”

The lord, looking at him with an indescribable expression and bowing his head, suddenly sprang up in alarm at KiJun’s words.

Finally, the ‘main topic’ had been reached.

As KiJun presented all the documents he had acquired from the dungeon’s secret space, the lord scanned them in disbelief, groaning.

“You really are…”

The same words as before, but with a distinctly different nuance, made KiJun chuckle unintentionally.

“Will the royal family believe this data?”

“Regrettably, as much as I appreciate you sharing this, it’s a long shot.”

Of course, it would be.

The more critical the information, the harder it is to be trusted.

Moreover, Turris is a small city on the fringe of Gratia. To say that he had stopped an Overflow there and found documents about a vampire invasion planned for the entire kingdom in a year’s time? Even KiJun would find it hard to believe.

“So, we start slowly from now.”

The lord’s following words perked up KiJun’s ears.

“If we rush, it’ll end in disaster. That’s how it is with everything in life.”

“True enough.”

The lord, not fond of drastic changes, seemed to show that trait here. Agreeing with him, KiJun nodded, and the lord, slightly relieved, continued.

“So first, we gather reliable allies, increase our size and voice. It’ll seem like we have something to rely on, and others will start paying attention. When we form a group with the right people, the kingdom will have to listen.”

“Sounds easy.”

“Of course, the execution is difficult. You’ll have your work cut out for you.”

Here we go.

Catching on to KiJun’s sarcasm, the lord now smiled at him.

“Let’s start by raising your fame. Let’s build our size around you. Chasing the other traces left by the vampire brutes comes next.”

He waved the documents in his hand, almost teasing KiJun, as if saying he had brought them here only to step back from the whole thing.

Of course, KiJun had no intention of just “breathing” for a year, as Bice had mentioned… but the thought of getting deeply involved gave him chills.

“So you’re asking me to start rolling down from the top of a snow-covered hill.”

“An apt metaphor. A unique experience for a Flame Human like you, isn’t it?”

The lord extended his hand to KiJun with a gentle smile.

“For the next year, I’m counting on you.”

KiJun shrugged and shook his hand.

Somehow, the first step seemed to have been successfully taken.