Regressor Instruction Manual-Chapter 1172. Army of the Forsaken Saint (3)

In this type of politics, the guy with the loudest voice usually won, but in addition to a loud voice, there was another essential factor one needed to become a successful political leader. Actually, those words couldn't do it justice.

Without that factor, one would most likely fail to overpower others with one's loud voice alone.

‘It’s a matter of how hard I try to act rational.’

Whether I was actually rational didn’t really matter.

What mattered was making a claim that appealed to the public while acting as rational as possible. Speaking emotionally rather than rationally would work on the public at first, but in the end, it was not an effective strategy.

If Kim Hyun-Sung were to get countered by something like this...

‘He’d just be getting a taste of his own medicine.’

It was all because there was a very high chance that he would pay the price for what he had done. If one were to ask me whether Kim Hyun-Sung was rational or not, I would say no because the method and path he had taken to get here weren't rational at all.

I would give him credit for being driven, but in this case, it was better to describe it as lunacy rather than drive.

I couldn't even begin to describe how shocked and surprised the members of the Blue Guild had to have felt when he told them his plan to come to Rohen with the Demon Monarch visa.

To make things worse, he succeeded and claimed that I wasn’t the real Lee Ki-Young.

I was obviously Lee Ki-Young, but he was saying that our souls had been switched or something.

Obviously, it was a bunch of nonsense, but there was a reason the guild members believed in that nonsense—they knew Kim Hyun-Sung and I were connected through the Regressor Instruction Manual.

If the process of explaining all of that were rational, then it’d be a lot easier for the guild members to accept it, but there was no way Kim Hyun-Sung would be rational during all this.

It was about time for those symptoms of madness to show.

It was his fault for getting drunk and causing a scene right before I left.

‘I need to go to Rohen right now... blah, blah... damn it... shit blah blah...’

He probably wasn't capable of speaking properly.

I was sure he couldn't have been able to convey his thoughts properly, as he had to have been extremely worked out at the time. Even if he had somehow managed to explain things, it probably hadn't made any sense.

I could imagine him screaming in rage, so it was understandable why Sun Hee-Young would react that way.

It was kind of strange to say Kim Hyun-Sung was acting like his usual self, but the Lee Ki-Young before her was the same one she knew.

I was the same innocent, persistent, holy, and sacred saint. The same one who had fought for the continent and the light; the same one who had sacrificed myself for justice and my beliefs.

[Do you know... who I am?]

This was obviously the next step.

“What do you...”

The awkward standoff continued, and her random question caused the Flower and Fertility Familia to look at her while being at a loss for words.

I was sure they found it strange that the Saint of Flower and Fertility was suddenly crying.

“Mr. Lee Ki-Young, please stand behind me.”

Obviously, Will showed that he wanted to protect me.

‘It’s like we’re in the same place but divided in mind.’

Sun Hee-Young probably thought that she was talking to something inside me. Although we had different thoughts, the situation made sense.

“Who... are you?” I asked.

[Do you not remember me?]

“Why are all of you...” I paused.

[...]

“Why did you come to Rohen?” I asked.

[We came to find... you.]

“Mr. Lee Ki-Young, you don’t need to listen to her anymore. She’s—”

“No, Mr. William. Something... Something about her is different,” I interrupted William.

“Pardon?” William asked.

Why was I crying?

No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t find the reason behind it, but one thing I was sure of was that my subconscious remembered her. With that, she no longer seemed like the enemy.

The Forsaken Saint also stopped being hostile toward me, but I was sure the Flower and Fertility Familia felt like they were walking on thin ice, and it made sense—they were the weaker side in this standoff, after all.

I was the only reason an all-out war hadn't started.

[It’s me, Mr. Lee Ki-Young.]

I was getting a headache.

Despite thinking that I could remember her, my mind was foggy, and I couldn't remember her name and face.

“Are you okay, Mr. Lee Ki-Young?” William asked.

“Damn it. Prepare for battle!”

“Stop...” I mumbled.

“Excuse me?” William asked.

[...]

“She’s not the enemy. I don’t know why... but I get the feeling that she’s not the enemy. I know my words sound strange... and I can’t understand it either, but the Forsaken Saint isn’t our enemy,” I told him.

When I showed them how confused I was, the two sides showed slightly different reactions. For Sun Hee-Young, it was like her doubts were slowly turning into certainty. I was sure she was still confused about why I couldn’t remember her, but it seemed like the weight was shifting toward the thought that I was the real one.

Obviously, it was different for William and the others.

They had survived many life-threatening situations just to get close to the enemy and face her, but the Saint of Flower and Fertility was suddenly saying that the demon before them wasn’t the enemy.

It was only natural for William and the others to feel confused. I was sure he wouldn't try to find the reason. The Saint of Rohen had said that the Forsaken Saint was probably not the enemy, and that was more than enough.

After adjusting his sword, William continued the conversation.

“Are you our enemy?”

[...]

“I’ll ask again. Are you our enemy?” William repeated.

Sun Hee-Young didn’t answer. She probably decided to ignore him, so I decided to chime in.

“Please answer, Forsaken Saint. Are you our enemy?”

[I... I’m not your enemy. I’m actually...]

“Then why...” I asked.

[I can’t tell you anything right now, but... as of right now, I don’t think I can take you back, Mr. Lee Ki-Young.]

Even Sun Hee-Young seemed like she couldn’t make a sound decision.

If she could, she would take me away right now, but if the Monarch of Sunset was fake...

If this version of Kim Hyun-Sung weren't the same one she knew, then... taking me to the Monarch of Sunset’s Castle would basically be the same thing as killing me.

The fake Hyun-Sung had some kind of goal.

Although all of this was nothing but an assumption, she couldn’t take the risk of putting me in danger. At least until everything was clear... leaving me with the Flower and Fertility Familia was probably the better choice.

That was how her line of thought ought to go...

I was sure Sun Hee-Young’s mind was on the verge of exploding. From convincing the guild members who had crossed over with her to finding a way to confirm the Monarch of Sunset’s true identity, I was sure she was thinking about many things.

[I’ll make sure to come to receive you, Mr. Lee Ki-Young.]

“...”

[No matter what.]

“Mr. William, are you really going to let it end like this? Right now, the enemy—”

“The Forsaken Saint might not be the enemy. Since Mr. Lee Ki-Young said that, then I’m sure she’s not the enemy. Of course... it’s not something we can announce to everyone, but...” William paused.

“But... this might be our only chance, Mr. William,” Emilia argued.

“In this mainstream event, things we can’t understand can happen, Emilia,” William said.

“...”

“Humanity’s power is nothing compared to the Monarch of Sunset. It was almost a miracle that we made it this far in this battle. Humans could’ve faced total annihilation here, facing catastrophic damage. To be honest...” William paused.

“Yes?”

“There’s no guarantee that we’ll be lucky next time,” William continued.

“...”

“I’m certain there’s a way to approach this mainstream event from an alternative angle and... this might be the answer,” William said.

‘This guy is just saying all the right things.’

Of course, he looked worried. He seemed like he had already chosen to believe me, but he couldn’t maintain composure when he saw me walking toward the Forsaken Saint. I saw Sun Hee-Young gradually sinking into the black swamp.

‘Looks like she found a new way to move around.’

The time to cast it was extremely long, but it gave us more time to make an emotional connection. I couldn’t stop crying, and strangely enough, I unknowingly reached out toward her while crying.

The Flower and Fertility Familia was surprised, but when they realized that Sun Hee-Young wasn’t going to harm me, they watched me silently.

Sun Hee-Young also grabbed my hand with her trembling hand. She was crying as well, and to make things worse, she seemed kind of anxious.

‘Why is it that those who go down the dark path always think they’re ugly?’

Doom Hyun-Sung was cool... and Doom Hee-Young is really cool as well. Her hair flowing like a waterfall with a color as deep and alluring as the black swamp was so beautiful that I couldn’t quite describe it.

Her eyes were the same.

I had no idea who had designed her, but Doom Hee-Young’s form deserved more than a perfect score of a hundred points.

“Um...”

[...]

“You...”

[Right now, that’s more than enough.]

When Sun Hee-Young disappeared into the black swamp, the forsaken ones crumbled and fell apart. At the same time, I heard cheers all over the place.

“Let's goooo!”

“Woooooooooooooo!”

“We’re alive... We’re alive, damn it!”

“Heuk... we won.”

It was a cheer that bordered madness. Everyone knew they had won.

[Mainstream Event Monarch of Sunset’s Second Story. The Army of the Forsaken Saint has been completed.]

‘I’m glad.’

I was afraid that we wouldn't get a clear result, as this was an indirect approach, but I was sure the result made the Flower and Fertility Familia feel a bit comfortable about what had happened.

The soldiers collapsed right on the spot as if they were puppets that had lost their strings, especially the mages who had told us to leave them. They sprawled out on the ground, panting heavily. They were clearly at their limits, both physically and mentally.

They could cheer like the ordinary soldiers, but they all looked worried. Perhaps they realized that something more complex than they thought was hidden. They were probably thinking that...

‘This is only the beginning.’

I was sure it was the same for Kim Hyun-Sung.

‘This is really...’

It all depended on how much Sun Hee-Young would get involved in the politics there, and honestly, I trusted her.

Moreover, all Kim Hyun-Sung had done at the time was watch through a screen, right? With him shut away in his room like a recluse, crying and laughing while staring at a small screen, it'd be impossible for anyone to think that he was still sane.

‘Even if I fail to pin him as the fake Hyun-Sung...’

I could probably make them think that he was so delusional that he was imagining things.

“He’ll probably get confused as well,” I said.