The Regressor and the Blind Saint

The next morning, Doban’s drawing room.

Renee was sitting there discussing in full swing.

It was a meeting to decide the destination for Doban, who would now leave this mountain range, to settle.

The first thing I was asked was to protect me from the Union until the master piece was completed, but Renee, who had been struggling with the idea that it was right to help him to the end after coming this far, made a grunt at the answer he could hardly come up with.

It wasn’t something that was just going to happen on a whim.

Aren’t the legs uncomfortable? And since only Aisha, who is still young, is the only thing to keep by her side, how easy would it be for the two of us to get out of this mountain range and settle somewhere else?

It had to be a place that wouldn’t reject the two of them. And it had to be a place where the Union would not be allowed to enter.

Renee, who had been contemplating for a long time, suddenly shouted ‘Ah!’ as a thought passed through his head.

“How is Seongguk?”

“Well? Do you mean the Holy Kingdom?”

“yes! You are not a priest, so you can’t enter the fortress, but it’s okay to enter a nearby village. And if it’s Seongkuk, we can help at any time… .”

Rene remembered that what he had come up with was a very lucid solution, and then asked Vera.

“how about it. Vera?”

“That’s a good idea. Certainly, if the land is within the sphere of influence of the Holy Kingdom, there is no better place than there to avoid the union, as it is impossible to bring in troops from outside.”

“Is that right?”

Vera’s remark brought a brighter smile to Renee’s face.

“If it’s okay with Doban, we will guide you to Seongguk. It’s true that we don’t even have a set destination.”

Dovan made a face with a blushing color for a moment at Renee’s words, and then recalled a look of embarrassment and continued those words.

“Thank you so much, but… , are you okay? I heard that you came out to circumnavigate the continent, but if you do that, you will go back the way you came.”

“it’s okay. Well… .”

Since it was a revelation with an indefinite period of time anyway, returning to the original path is not a problem.

Rene, who was about to utter a positive word at that thought, felt sorry for Vera, Norn, and Hela, who would suffer if they turned around like this, and asked for their opinion again.

“that… , are you all okay?”

Vera pondered for a moment at Renee’s words.

From here to Seongguk, it takes about two weeks by carriage. It would take more than a month to go back there, provide a place for Doban, and even go to another area.

Time itself isn’t a problem, but it’s cumbersome.

Isn’t there a better way?

Vera, who had been thinking about it, immediately recalled Marie he had met in the great forest, and gave Renee such an opinion.

“Then how about heading to the Empire? I think it would be a good way to go there and ask Marie a favor.”

“ah!”

It was the exclamation that came out of Renee’s mouth.

“right. Marie!”

“Yes, your work in the Great Forest is almost over, so by now you must be heading to the Empire or have already arrived.”

From https://readwn.com

Obviously, when Aedrin settles down, he goes to the Empire to spend time with his family.

It’s a family meeting for the first time in 10 years, so we won’t have a short time. If you head to the Empire now, there is a high probability that you will meet Marie.

“How is it. Dovan?”

“Thank you so much. How should I repay you for paying so much attention? .”

“The reward has already been abundantly received.”

Vera said as he stroked the handle of the holy sword he was wearing on his waist.

I was given a master piece as a gift, and if I can’t even do this, wouldn’t it be a beast?

From https://readwn.com

Of course, even if I didn’t receive this, I wouldn’t have asked for another reward, but it would be shameless to ask for another reward for the car that received the Masterpiece as a gift.

Vera continued, after a brief thought brought a small smile to his lips.

“Don’t worry. Of course you are doing what you are supposed to do.”

Seeing Vera with a refreshing smile, Dovan felt a sense of gratitude and embarrassment rising, and answered in a playful tone for nothing.

“Isn’t it just a good reward for you? No one else has.”

flinch. Vera’s fingertips trembled.

I didn’t know it was a joke, so it wasn’t like that. It was just that I was stabbed in my stomach because I thought that the word itself wasn’t wrong.

Dovan laughed at Vera’s reaction. Norn and Hela, who were standing behind them, laughed.

From https://readwn.com

Only Renee, who remembered the concern that Vera might have been offended, continued with a bewildered look.

“It’s okay, it’s okay! I didn’t expect anything in return!”

So, in a truly peaceful atmosphere, the decision to go to the Empire was being made.

*

the same afternoon.

Renee went out to the backyard to pass the time idly in the sun.

Norn and Hela went to help Doban clean up the forge. Beside them were Vera and Aisha, who had come to rest.

Aisha said while Renee was thinking of a peaceful feeling for no reason at the thought that she had finally finished her work here.

“Rene.”

“yes?”

“Where is the Empire?”

What was buried in his voice was curiosity.

As a war orphan, Aisha, who was brought up by Doban while traveling through the streets, was a curiosity that could only be recalled.

Renee smiled softly at Aisha’s attitude like that, then patted her head and answered.

“Well, I’ve never been there, so I don’t know. Just telling you what you know… . First of all, is it the most prosperous place on the continent? The place we are going is the largest of them all.”

“Oh oh… .”

A sigh escaped Aisha’s mouth.

While swiping Aisha’s hair, Renee felt Aisha’s ears pricked up at the touch of her fingertips, and she continued to recite the things about the imperial capital that she had learned in the Holy Kingdom.

“I know that the size of the market is huge as it is located in the center of the continent. From special products from all over the continent to relics that come in from time to time… .”

I’m so glad I studied.

Renee thought about it. Rene, who continued to speak in a lively tone for a long time, thinking that the things she had learned in Seongguk over the past three years were not in vain, then posed a question to Vera.

“By the way, does Vera know anything about the Empire?”

For some reason, Vera thought he probably knew more than he did, so he asked for further explanation.

Vera gave such an answer to that question.

“… Yes, the place I grew up was the capital of the empire.”

flinch. Renee’s body trembled slightly. Aisha’s gaze turned to Vera.

Vera watched the reactions and then spoke.

“Certainly, the market is on the prosperous side, but I think the black market auction is one of the most unusual cultures.”

It was Aisha who answered the following words.

“What is a black market?”

“It’s a behind-the-scenes market. It’s a secret place to trade items that shouldn’t be traded.”

“yes? Then why don’t you get caught?”

“Not caught. The people who are supposed to catch it are using it the hardest.”

I was confident that I could do it because I had been in a position to operate it myself in my previous life.

tell me what to do It was the nobles of the Empire who visited the auction house the most on the black market. It was right to say that it was the dark and ugliness created by their wealth through generations.

From simple drug dealings to unauthorized knowledge such as living life or ancient forbidden books.

Unsatisfied with ordinary stimuli, they have been using the auction house harder than anyone else to satisfy their inner desires, so the black market in the imperial capital has been around for hundreds of years.

“Then aren’t they the bad guys?”

“Mostly.”

From https://readwn.com

Of course, there were others who did not, but the number was small enough to count.

Vera, who continued to think about the past that had come to mind, continued to say those words to Aisha.

“But… , Shouldn’t it be time to go back? I know there is a lot left to do.”

Stop joking around and tell me to go.

At that, Aisha pouted her lips and rose from her seat.

“Are you going to leave if you don’t say anything?! Renee, see you later.”

“Ah, yes… .”

Renee waved her hand, and Aisha moved away.

Renee made sure that Aisha’s footsteps had completely disappeared before speaking to Vera.

“I… , Vera.”

“Yes, Madame.”

“Well… .”

What should I say

Renee was well aware that Vera did not want to reveal her past.

That’s why Renee was too lazy to ask them, so he was feeling surprised that he talked about it in the first place.

Renee felt a sense of relief at the thought that Vera had been forced to speak out in response to his question.

Vera realized that Renee was worrying about him and uttered reassuring words.

“The saint has never put a burden on me.”

“… ah.”

“But it’s just a matter of my attitude, so you can have peace of mind with the saint.”

Yes. In the end, it was a matter of mindset.

These words were said because I had to accept that the past I tried to ignore because it was just ugly was also my own.

If it was a shameful past, he said it with the thought that he would never make the same mistake again if he faced it directly.

From https://readwn.com

Of course, he didn’t even want to say that he was from the gutter yet. Rather than feeling shame or shame, it was because Renee didn’t want to sympathize with him.

I live a life that shouldn’t be sympathized with, so I want to reveal it when I’m a little more confident with myself. Vera added a word with that in mind.

“I’m sorry I haven’t told you about my hometown until now. If you have any questions, I will tell you to the best of my ability.”

Renee nodded slightly, feeling the serenity of Vera’s tone as he spoke.

He had a small smile on his lips.

“Later, I can’t think of anything right now, so I’ll ask if I remember.”

“Yes, you do.”

A thought came to mind in an instant. The idea that Vera continues to change after leaving the Holy Kingdom.

Vera, who had always said he was chasing after the light, was proving that he was not lying.

‘I… .’

what has changed

What is the difference from before you left the Seongkuk?

Suddenly, Renee didn’t even know exactly what she wanted to do, but she felt small for some reason and remembered her shame.

Then I remembered the longing.

It was a longing to be a person fit for Vera, who could keep pace with Vera as he walked away.

The longing that Vera once remembered as he looked at Renee. The current Renee was in the midst of doing something similar to that.