༺ The Regressor, Who Stomped Out the Embers of Destruction, Wishes to Live Quietly ༻
In response to the Magician’s warning, Family gathered all their strength and prepared for the decisive battle.
This was an opportunity that Family did not want to miss either. The enemy of beastkin, JJJ, wearing some strange mask and hunting beastkin, were willing to come to them for a fight, so there was no reason to refuse such a chance.
Unlike the others who regarded it as just a night of amusement, it was a matter of survival for Family. As such, they gathered everyone who could fight to resist this ordeal.
Beastkin armed with claws and weapons filled every corner of Black Cat Magazine.
The senses of beastkin were far superior to those of ordinary humans. With such a force, even if the Shadow were to appear, they thought they could fight on equal footing…
“We shouldn’t have done that….”
Nehru, the beastkin reporter who was both the Editor-in-Chief and the face of Black Cat Magazine, was shivering while hiding inside a cabinet.
It was the first time in the history of Family that such a force was gathered in one place. Was it perhaps because of that? With a false sense of confidence, they had engaged in a fight with an entity that they should not have challenged.
The result of that was….
BOOM CRASH!
“Tell me everything you know.”
“I-I don’t know anything!”
“Really?”
“Wait! It’s not that I can’t tell you, it’s just that I don’t know anything….! I was just summoned here today!”
“Then, there must be someone who knows. Even you must know who among your ranks knows the most.”
“Nehru! A black cat beastkin called Nehru should have your answers!”
“Go and find her.”
Thud. The sound of a foot hitting the ground.
With that sound, a beastkin who was once dedicated to Family became a traitor, immediately running to find Nehru with a gaze of fervor.
“NEHRUUUUU! COME OUTTTTTT! ARE YOU PLANNING TO KILL US ALL?!”
“Spill everything you know about the Magician!”
“We’re all going to die at this rate! Family comes first, doesn’t it?!”
‘Idiots! How can you be so easily swayed by the enemy’s intentions?!’
Nehru, hiding in the cabinet, was inwardly screaming at her comrades, who were desperately calling for her in an effort to find her location.
‘Can’t you see? It’s obvious! That’s the Magician’s doing! Even asking might be a test for us!’
In an effort to hold the Magician in check and protect Family from danger, she had poked around once. No one could blame her for that. At any rate, thanks to her assertive negotiations, they had learned that the Shadow was inciting beastkin haters to attack.
‘But…! Who would have thought that poison was also planted among us…!’
She got a little carried away. Instead of storing the articles about the Magician in her head, she made a mistake by briefly writing them down.
She had just done it in a half-joking manner.
Who could have possibly known that a stranger would inquire about the Magician’s information and react this way to it?
‘This is why one shouldn’t get involved with the Magician…! The information was a trap that the Magician made!’
Hiding in the narrow and dark cabinet, Nehru recalled what had happened a little while ago.
***
The magazine company was closed today as they prepared for the decisive battle. However, just in case of urgent contact, only the secret counter at the back was left open.
It was a network made for secret members. If someone had urgent and confidential matters to communicate to someone – especially the Magician – they were to make contact through this place.
But today, an unfamiliar customer arrived. They abruptly asked if they could find someone in this vast Amitengrad.
It was an easy but labor-intensive task. Normally, she would have dragged the conversation on, as if it was a troublesome endeavor, in order to negotiate, but today was different.
Family’s honor and fate were at stake and she could not accept the request to find someone at this time. Nehru politely and firmly denied the request.
The other party seemed to understand Nehru’s position and even showed the intention to help Family. But since she could not trust an outsider who was not a beastkin, she decided to just accept their goodwill, but not their actions.
Just when everything seemed to be ending warmly…
“…Marriage?”
The moment the silver-haired girl, who had been sitting quietly with her mouth shut, muttered…
The fate of Family changed.
The girl, who had an indescribable dignity akin to a noble from the old kingdom, stepped inside the counter. No one could stop her; not because they were incompetent or ill-prepared, but because there was no stronger opposition than the thick concrete and steel lattice that was blocking her.
The girl, who had broken through the concrete and tore through the steel lattice, slowly perused the information as if this place was her own territory.
“1st place in his entire secondary school. Brilliant mind Huey…. Is his name truly Huey?”
So when the girl spoke as such, Nehru was so surprised that her tail almost fell off.
The display stand did not even mention that he was the Magician, but she managed to pinpoint that fact accurately.
Was she an acquaintance or a pursuer?
Regardless, Nehru could not easily reveal the identity of the Magician. It was confidential and she had a sense of honor towards him, who had provided Family with crucial information.
Nehru remained silent. The information displayed on the stand was merely a teaser to arouse the curiosity of the customer. Without she herself speaking, the content could not be known.
But the problem was that the customer was not the type to hold back her thirst to know.
“Hand it over. Now that I am aware you have information about him, there is no need to delay any longer. I shall pay the price, so sell me the information.”
She knew how powerful the opponent was. After all, she had seen it with her own two eyes just a moment ago. But Nehru was not certain whether it was fine to reveal that information.
It was information directly given by the Magician. She was not sure what kind of poison would return as a result of selling it expensively. Just as Nehru was hesitating, the other members of Family rushed in, alerted by the noise.
“What’s going on?! Is it an ambush?”
“How many enemies?”
“To think they would barge in here…!”
“They’ve walked right into their own graves!”
‘Wait! No! The opponent is…!’
The members, who were overinflated with confidence, were about to…threaten the girl with the pallid, pure-white atmosphere. Right at that moment, Black Knights made of darkness crawled out in swarms from all directions.
And that marked the end.
***
“NEHRUUUU!”
“Come out!”
“I knew you would be like this ever since you strutted around, boasting about running a magazine company!”
The voices beyond the cabinet echoed as if from afar. Nehru closed her eyes and leaned against the wall.
The cabinet was snug. The narrow, dark space comforted Nehru.
Surrounded by darkness, Nehru felt safe in this space. No one could find her, harm her, or torment her.
It didn’t matter if she couldn’t see from one eye. In this darkness, everyone became equal.
She kind of understood why cats sought out narrow spaces. So cozy and comfortable….
But an egg was a world that existed to be broken.
“Here she is!”
Crackkkkk.
The cabinet was torn apart and light found the darkness. Nehru groaned under the ear-shattering noise and the tormenting luminescence.
Soon after, what appeared were the members of Family, filled with anger.
And behind them was the girl, sitting like a king.
“Nehru, you jerk! Speak quickly, will you?!”
“We’re preparing for a battle right now!”
“Do you have any idea how much harm was brought to us because of you?!”
After being dragged out by the scruff of her collar, Nehru was suddenly surrounded by Family. She faced the hostility directed at her.
The members of Family, who she loved and who loved her, now had hideously distorted faces as they blamed Nehru.
“Hurry! Spit out all the information you know!”
“We put you in charge of this matter, yet you dared to just do as you pleased!”
“If you weren’t competent enough, you shouldn’t have caused such trouble in the first place!”
In less than the span of an hour, the confident reporter had turned into a major sinner. Nehru had only done her best with what was given.
Tears welled up in Nehru’s sorrow-filled eyes.
She sobbed as she spoke.
“Heu, heughh. Sob…! You idiots, it’s the Magician…!”
“What?”
“The Magician…! You buggers! I’m telling you, this situation itself is…! Heuk! The result made by the Magician!”
At the mere mention of the Magician, all the members of Family roughly gazed around, before looking at each other.
The silver-haired girl, presumed to be a vampire, was strong but she did not treat them with excessive force. Even though she easily tore apart the steel bars, no one else was rendered the same state, thus proving this.
However, the opponent was a vampire, devoid of blood and tears. The reason why she didn’t kill Family was not out of respect, but because she didn’t see the value in it. As such, the beastkin of Family had no choice but to become the girl’s hands and feet, thus searching hard for Nehru.
It wasn’t life-threatening, but it felt like a disaster that had flipped the world over its head.
“For some reason…It does feel like something the Magician would do.”
“It’s useless to pretend like you know now…!’
“I’m sorry. But why did you provoke the Magician?”
Nehru wiped her tears while sobbing.
“Heuk…! I’m sorry…!”
“As I live and breathe. To think that an apology would come out of Nehru’s mouth. Is this what magic is?”
Apologies were something a paparazzi journalist should neither do nor think of doing, but in such a situation, Nehru didn’t have anything else to say besides that.
At any rate, the situation had mellowed out a bit. The other members of Family retreated discreetly. The atmosphere to blame Nehru was gone, but now Nehru was left alone with her.
The girl. Though dressed a bit of an old-fashioned matter, she still seemed to reign like a queen with her glowing red eyes.
“The Magician, you say. There is no doubt that it is him. He called himself a magician too. He used to play mischievous tricks with his cards.”
The girl murmured as if reminiscing. The wistful longing that came from her did not seem to carry any negative emotions.
Well, that was probably why her actions were not overly harsh….
“I did not expect in my wildest dreams to hear such…good news so soon after returning….”
It didn’t seem like she was here to congratulate him on his marriage. Nehru shivered.
‘What in the world has he been going around doing…. This is way beyond just getting to know an acquaintance.’
Even a passing storm would be more moderate than her. A strength that could make even a general officer of the State… No, even they would be rendered insignificant before her.
If the Magician possessed such backings, not just the back alleys, but the entire city of Amitengrad would have fallen into his hands.
Regardless, this was a catastrophe brought forth by Nehru. Because of it, most of the prepared weapons and traps had become unusable.
Nehru had to shoulder the blame and face the consequences.
“…I can tell you. However, to have a quiet conversation, we need to stop those invading from outside.”
“Outside, you say.”
Nehru spoke anxiously, well aware that she had to protect Family by all means necessary; even if it meant using this individual.
“Yes. As you can see, we are beastkin, so we have many enemies. We cannot have a disturbance while talking with someone as distinguished as you, my Lady. So…”
It was a negotiation of a lifetime for Nehru, but the other party seemed to have already anticipated it from the very start.
“Do not be concerned about that. A trustworthy child is blocking the path here.”
***
After pacing around Black Cat Magazine, Shei noticed that the noise inside had ceased, thus glancing in that direction.
It appeared that Tyrkanzyaka had finished dealing with the entire interior.
“Hopefully, Tyrkanzyaka didn’t destroy everything, right? Hm, I feel a bit sorry for some reason. I didn’t have any thoughts of doing all this.”
Shei had intended to negotiate in an ordinary manner, but Tyrkanzyaka’s actions were faster than her execution. At any rate, as long as the result was good, it didn’t matter, so Shei left Tyrkanzyaka to it and stepped outside.
She wanted to ensure that this unruly horde did not interfere while she obtained the information.
Shei spoke serenely even in the face of a suspicious-looking masked man.
“We’re using this place for a moment. If you have business here, come back lat…..”
“Shut up…! Just now, a beastkin attacked our colleague! Look at his arm!”
“Well, that’s your problem, not… Wait a minute.”
Shei glanced at the injury, realizing that Nabi was not anywhere in sight. Sure enough, the torn wound was similar to what Nabi would have inflicted.
Feeling a slight sense of responsibility, Shei muttered.
“If you’re that injured, you should have gone to the hospital. Why come here?”
“Because we have to get our revenge! Move aside right this instant. If you remain there, we’ll consider you as a beastkin too!”
Their aggression was far too menacing, so it seemed like there was no way for Shei to stop them without force.
As such, Shei decided to display her strength.
“Hm. Just a moment.”
While replying nonchalantly, Shei drew Jizan and slammed it to the ground.
A localized earthquake shook Amitengrad. Not only people and automaton carriage, but even buildings supported by the concrete ground also cracked like thin ice.
But that wasn’t the end of it. Shei flicked up a piece of concrete with the tip of Jizan and then immediately struck it with a swing.
Shattered concrete poured down like a meteor shower. Though small, each piece carried the force of a flying arrow.
Those hit by the debris and dust all toppled backwards.
“Keugh….”
“Eughhh….”
The rule of this world, that they had momentarily forgotten due the mob mentally, was quickly reminded.
In the world there were a few powerhouses; those who could single-handedly overturn the earth and shatter rocks. No matter how many fodders gathered, they could not prevail against such strength.
“I didn’t…come here for this….”
The pain that felt like their entire body had been barraged began to cool their heads. As the heat subsided, what remained was only shame and regret.
“I want to go home….”
“Mommy….”
The fear leaking out even from beneath the masks was more than sufficient. Shei slung Jizan over her shoulder.
“Now then, as I was saying. We’re using this place. If you have business here, come back later.”
“Yessir.”
Today, the group of beastkin bigots learned the value of life.
The common folk retreated. Shei watched them without any particular interest and then suddenly made her eyes glow red. Her gaze turned towards a corner.
“Alright. And you, peeking over there. Come out if you have business here.”
The Fifth, hiding in a corner and observing the situation, quickly finished his calculations.
If he fought? He would lose. Moreover, considering his injured body, he wouldn’t even be able to buy time.
The Fifth, injured by Nabi, immediately grasped his wound and fled into the darkness. Watching the suspicious figure retreat, Shei sighed with Jizan on her shoulder.
“Seems like he doesn’t have any business here. Anyway, were the back alleys of the State always like this? It seems unusually noisy today….”
Of course, Shei shouldn’t be talking. After all, it was just a day ago that she caused an utter mess in District 1 which was practically the central nervous system of the Military State.
“Still, it doesn’t seem like this is our doing….. Ah, could this be that time? The Military State’s 51st Random Questioning?”
Shei pondered for a moment and then gave up. It was a known issue that the Military State, who faced war, would repeatedly conduct random questioning on their citizens, as well as suppress public opinion and the press, thus gradually revealing its vulnerabilities.
“Meh. What’s the point in counting? It’s all futile anyway.”
Just like how fabric soaked up water, it was a continuous, inevitable process, so there was no clear part that could definitively be pointed out as, ‘This was the trigger!’.
If the situation continued as was, with the Abyssal Wastelands caught in between and the war with the Fallen Dominion looming, the Military State would endure longer. However, if its weaknesses were prodded and chaos erupted from every corner of the nation, it might just fall into ruin.
“It’s almost about time to decide how to handle this…. Alright. I made my decision. This time, I’ll only gather the minimal strength necessary and quietly observe the situation.”
It would be best to watch how the world changed when the Abyss disappeared peacefully; after all, she could better plan for the future.
What did she need to live quietly? Right as Shei was calculating that in her head…
A shadow with a faint presence brushed past her side. It was an existence she was quite familiar with.
“…? Black Knight?”
Tyrkanzyaka’s familiar. They lacked consciousness but were faithful to commands; the echoes of the old knights.
But it wasn’t just one. As many Black Knights as the darkness that had descended upon the world were advancing across the entire Amitengrad.
Their purpose was probably…
“Living quietly seems to be off the table now.”
The sound of her plans falling apart seemed to echo in Shei’s ears as she let out a sigh.
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