Regressor Instruction Manual

Chapter 1223. At Rohen (1)

When I[1] opened my eyes, a scenery that was different than usual appeared before me.

“You’re awake, Mr. William,” Emilia said.

“...”

“...”

“Emilia?” I asked.

“Yes, it’s me. Emilia,” she answered.

“...”

“...”

“I’m... I’m... alive,” I mumbled.

I looked down at my body. The body I thought would turn into dust and disappear was surprisingly stronger than I thought. It was hard to move because I was covered in bandages, but I could feel that my body was working the way it was supposed to.

This could only be described as a miracle. Yeah... a miracle.

“How long... was I asleep?” I asked.

“Exactly one month and twelve days,” Emilia answered.

“I've been asleep for a really... long time, then,” I said.

I had many questions to ask her.

I wanted to start by asking where we were, what happened in the battle on that day, and where the others were.

I also wanted to know what happened to the Saint of Flower and Fertility. I wanted to know if he was alive... like me.

However, I couldn’t ask any questions, as Emilia’s face seemed to be telling me the answers. She knew that stability was the most important thing for me at the moment, as I had been asleep for a long time.

“I think it’s best if you rest more or now, Mr. William,” she suggested.

“No, it’s fine, Miss Emilia. Surviving like this makes me feel so ashamed that I'm having a hard time raising my head up. I have no intention of avoiding or ignoring reality just to seek stability. I will humbly accept whatever I need to,” I told her.

“...”

“What happened in that battle?” I asked.

Emilia contemplated it for a moment. Then, she nodded calmly. She probably realized that hiding it wouldn’t do any good, and she had to have realized as well that I was relying on her.

I had no idea what happened while I was asleep, but I was sure she was having a hard time during my absence. After all, protecting the Flower and Fertility Familia alone was no easy task. A lot changed, and I could feel that something had clearly changed.

“Mr. Woo Hyo-Yeol defeated the Monarch of Sunset. We confirmed that everyone in the 21st Legion was recalled. Yes, humanity has won. Haha...” Emilia answered.

‘He did it.’

I thought it was impossible... but he actually did it. I was happy, but something felt kind of off. Perhaps it was because Emilia looked gloomy, and she seemed to be feeling complicated.

I deduced that it was probably because she found it difficult to say that we won, as many sacrifices had to be made.

“Is there something wrong?” I asked.

“I don’t know if this is considered a problem... or not... but can you feel the Goddess of Flower and Fertility?” Emilia asked.

I had no idea what to say, as I clearly remembered betraying the goddess at the end.

“When you were heading toward the Monarch of Sunset, the Goddess of Flower and Fertility asked us to take good care of you,” Emilia said.

“What?”

“The last thing she did was pray that your future is filled with blessings...” Emilia added.

“...”

“The GENIUSES of Rohen have been disconnected,” Emilia said.

“What? What do you...”

“I don’t know what happened either. Actually, I don’t think they actually disappeared, but...”

Emilia quietly took out a statuette of the Goddess of Flower and Fertility

“The priests and those receiving power directly from her are able to feel her, albeit faintly, but besides them, we can’t hear anything from her. We can still feel her presence, but I can’t figure out anything aside from that,” Emilia explained.

“Oh no...” I said.

“It’s the same for the other GENIUSES. We can feel traces of the Goddess of Flower and Fertility as well as faint traces of a few GENIUSES. However, GENIUSES who seemed to have never existed from the very beginning... somehow exist now.

"It's difficult to grasp it, but statistically, their numbers are by no means small."

“...”

“Many things are changing in Rohen and... they are still ongoing."

“You mean...”

“Strange phenomena are happening all over Rohen, Mr. William."

“...”

“It began with the corruption and rotting of the sacred grounds within the temples of a few specific GENIUSES. Since then, things beyond our understanding have been happening. In the north, fierce snowstorms would sweep the lands, only for the earth to dry up and wither afterward.

"There have been reports of massive sinkholes as well as witness accounts of the firmament splitting apart... In the south, a massive tsunami struck a coastal city, but shortly afterward, the seawater from the tsunami dried up completely."

“...”

“Scholars and theologians think that the disappearance of the GENIUSES is influencing the continent negatively, while doomsayers are still talking about the apocalypse. As for me, I feel like it’s something else entirely,” Emilia remarked.

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“From my perspective, these strange phenomena seem to be part of a cycle. There's a restoration immediately after a collapse. The cycle of creation and destruction. This may not be the most appropriate analogy, but that’s how it feels to me.

"I can’t quite explain it, but it doesn’t seem like the continent is heading toward its end. Once you see it for yourself, you’ll understand what I’m talking about,” Emilia replied.

“In that case...”

“Can you stand up?” Emilia asked.

I nodded. It was kind of uncomfortable to move, and my body felt heavy, but it wasn’t to the point that I needed help. I bit my lips and looked around. I then realized that I was inside a carriage.

We were moving somewhere. After stepping outside, I was met with an endless crowd. I wasn't exaggerating here. The crowd was so massive that it looked like a fifth of Rohen’s population was standing before me. The sight left me speechless.

“They’re...”

“Refugees,” Emilia said.

Behind them, the sky was changing as if heaven and earth were being remade.

Lightning struck with violent fury, and spacetime rifts manifested overhead.

The skies looked like it was made of blocks, which were layered, stacked, and then scattered once again.

Whirlwind stirred in the distance, while a blizzard raged in another direction. Things that ordinary humans couldn’t understand were happening before me. My eyes widened at the sight that truly looked like the end of the world, but ironically, I felt like I could understand what Emilia meant.

‘It’s beautiful.’

It looked really dangerous, but the fact that it was dangerous made it look even more beautiful.

A massive aurora and a rainbow decorated the skies.

Everything that seemed out of harmony was coming together in perfect balance, and like a pair of hands molding clay, they were taking form slowly but surely.

For a moment, the words "divine creation" popped into my head.

I couldn’t quite explain the phenomenon before me, but one thing was for sure—it was truly magnificent.

It clearly looked like things were getting destroyed, but it also looked like things were being created. Things were being destroyed and created at the same time; things were disappearing and appearing at the same time. The sight made me feel really paltry.

“Haha...” I laughed.

“Do you finally understand... what I was saying earlier?” Emilia asked.

“Yes, I have an... idea now. But why...” I said.

“Yes?”

“How are we still alive?” I asked.

The chaos in the distance would surely tear anyone apart. It was an undeniable truth, so how... how were they safe?

And how come their path was still untouched by that chaos in the distance?

Moreover, the surroundings were extremely peaceful as well.

I saw faint traces of anxiety and fear on people’s faces, but I saw peace as well.

These people weren't hungry, and they weren't suffering as well. I heard people talking everywhere, and I could even hear children running around while playing.

“Hey, you! I told you not to step out of line!”

“I’m sorry!”

“Do you kids really want to get scolded?!”

They sounded happy.

‘Lim Chae-Ryeong...’

She was a rogue in Woo Hyo-Yeol’s party, and she was with us.

“Geez! I can’t believe that I already have to act like a mom at such a young age... What the heck is your dad doing anyway? Tch,” Lim Chae-Ryeong complained.

As I watched her walk away while holding the children’s hands, the discomfort within me grew stronger. How was this even possible... How could this be...

“Unless someone is leading the way...” I mumbled.

‘This isn’t impossible.’

“Yes, you’re right, Mr. William,” Emilia chimed in.

“Pardon?”

“Mr. Woo Hyo-Yeol is leading all these refugees,” she clarified.

“What?”

“Mr. Woo Hyo-Yeol is leading the long line of refugees. He's the leader of this group of refugees before us and the refugees stranded in other places. The command center is quite coordinated. Luckily, no one has fallen behind, and no one has disappeared just yet. It’s not just the players; even the denizens of Rohen are here,” Emilia explained..

“How is... Mr. Hyo-Yeol...” I mumbled.

“I’m not sure,” Emilia replied.

“...”

“It seems like you finally noticed it," Emilia added.

I smiled bitterly. I understood what was happening. I looked at my reflection in the window attached to the carriage and saw that one of my eyes was shining.

“...”

The faint, flickering light seemed to be guiding me—no, it was clearly guiding us. It was leaving clear markers behind for us to follow. I knew why I was still alive. Without a doubt, it was thanks to the Saint of Flower and Fertility and his blessing.

I thought my job was done, but I was wrong.

Just then, exclamations echoed everywhere as if they had been waiting for this moment.

“It’s paradise!”

“O God, it’s paradise!”

“It’s paradise! We’re here. Finally...”

I still couldn't see the so-called "paradise," but I could see a place with low fortress walls in the distance. It was a city of unimaginable scale that I couldn’t help but wonder if that place actually existed in Rohen.

There was a massive lake before it, and it was a perfect sanctuary for refugees. I'd say that it was a true paradise. Unlike the desolate surroundings, there were massive trees here and there, and there were even fish jumping in the lake.

I also saw animals converging on the lake to drink from its pristine waters.

‘What... in the world...’

The low fortress walls were covered in vines, and flowers were blooming all over it. Surprisingly, the city before us wasn’t being affected by the chaos outside. It was like an oasis in the middle of a desert, or a paradise in the very heart of hell.

The scene was so unreal that my eyes widened in disbelief at the sight of it.

Just then, beastmen came out to greet and support the people.

“I am Bedum, a bear beastman. I warmly welcome everyone who has traveled all the way here from afar.”

“You’re...”

“Are you... Mr. William?” Bedum asked.

“Yes,” I answered.

“I see. I received word from Mr. Lee Ki-Young that you might come here someday, but I didn’t expect you to come this late,” Bedum said.

“Mr. Lee Ki-Young said that?” I asked.

“That’s right.”

“Then..."

“A long time ago, Mr. Lee Ki-Young asked us to build and protect this place. We've been living here since then. To be honest, I won't say it’s a paradise that we made ourselves. The majority of it is all thanks to Mr. Lee Ki-Young—Ah! The name of this place is Paradiso,” Bedum explained.

It wasn’t that I couldn’t keep up with the situation because I just woke up.

The strange phenomena all over Rohen and the strange city before me were just one of the many things I couldn’t understand. Everything was happening so fast that it was hard to understand it all, but there was one thing I managed to comprehend.

‘Had he known all along?’

Had he known that the final battle with the Monarch of Sunset would bring such changes to the continent? Was that why he built and prepared all of this?

With that radiant, ever-smiling face... with a face that carried so much pain, had he been making all of these plans as if nothing was wrong?

Knowing that he would never get to enjoy this himself, he had to have done all these for the people he would inevitably leave behind...

One of my eyes gleamed softly as if it were telling me that it was all going to be okay.

It seemed to be comforting me.

“He was a good person,” Bedum said.

Upon hearing that, tears flowed down my face.

I broke down and sobbed like a child right in front of Paradiso.

“Heuk... heuk...”

“Mr. William,” Emilia said.

I couldn’t control my emotions.

I wanted to stop my tears, but I just couldn’t calm down. I thought it was disgraceful, but tears kept falling down my face as if my eyes were broken dams. I realized once that I had merely been pretending to be calm.

Honestly, the moment I stood up from the carriage, I really wanted to cry my eyes out. I thought I was okay, but I wasn’t. I told myself that I could accept it... and that I had to respect his sacrifice and dedication, but I just couldn’t do it.

I thought that suppressing my grief was the grown-up thing to do, but I wasn’t that mature. I wasn’t strong enough to overcome the pain. The walls around my emotions crumbled too easily as if they were sandcastles.

While everyone else was rejoicing, I broke down and cried my heart out.

“Ah... heuk... heuuuk...”

This place was a legacy left behind by the saint, and it was a sanctuary filled with everything he stood for while he was still alive. This place was like a wish come true straight out of the timeless story of the saint, and the sense of gratification I felt upon seeing this sacred and beautiful land made me feel deeply sorrowful.

1. William’s POV ☜

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