A Regressor's Bucket List Chapter 123
The man's rage, which had been blazing with enough force to overturn the entire Darkest Dungeon, subsided somewhat.
No, to be precise, 'suppressed' was a more accurate description than 'subsided'.
The mana fluctuation that shook the surrounding terrain had certainly diminished, but the anger simmering in his eyes had grown even more vivid.
“…The resurrection of the Beastkin Nation?”
He asked me, his voice low and heavy.
Nod-
“Yes.”
“……”
“The resurrection of the Beastkin Nation. That's the reason I came all the way here to get you.”
His brow, already deeply furrowed, wrinkled even more.
“Why you?”
It was a short question, but it wasn't hard to understand its context.
It seemed he couldn't comprehend why I, a non-Beastkin, would seek him out for such a reason.
…It was only natural.
From the perspective of someone who had already experienced the fall of the Beastkin Nation, its resurrection would seem almost absolutely impossible.
Moreover, it wasn't a Beastkin telling him this, but some random human punk(?) he didn't know from Adam.
From his perspective, he had no choice but to suspect ulterior motives the moment he heard my story.
The only reason he was even listening this seriously was because he had a not-so-bad impression of me from our previous interactions.
And because he knew I was connected to Jerry, even if he wasn't exactly thrilled about it.
Although it had been a short time, if he hadn't felt some trust in the way I'd acted, he probably would have left without even listening.
“Well… because I need the Beastkin Nation too?”
“…Are you saying you intend to use the Beastkin as a tool?”
“……”
It was a harsh expression, but if I had to say, it wasn't wrong.
In the end, my reason for rebuilding the Beastkin Nation was to achieve the ultimate goal of the ‘Demon King Hunt’, and while I didn't want to use the word ‘tool’, from the perspective of the one being used, it could certainly be seen in a different light.
“…Well, I won't deny it. It's true that I'm trying to rebuild the Beastkin Nation for another goal.”
Honestly, I could have given a different answer.
That I felt disgusted by the situation where Beastkin were treated as slaves, or that we had to root out evil for the sake of The Order's great cause.
Or maybe that I, too, had a close associate who had experienced the horrors of slavery.
I could have easily come up with plenty of nice-sounding answers like those.
But I didn't.
Tom was no village idiot; as a veteran who had been through thick and thin, he wouldn't be fooled by such hollow answers, and my own conscience despised such sugarcoating.
And crucially.
“But.”
“……”
“From the Beastkin's perspective, I doubt you're in a position to be picky.”
There was no need for it.
Justification was always important, but that didn't mean it had to be the top priority in every situation.
It's all in how you frame it.
Justification could be attached to anything as long as there was the slightest opening.
This wasn't just about politics; it applied to one-on-one relationships as well.
What was important was the practical self-interest underlying the justification, not the justification itself.
I needed the Beastkin to achieve the Demon King Hunt, and the current Beastkin needed me to improve their situation.
That was enough.
A clear understanding that we needed each other.
The corresponding justification and various accessories could be attached and adjusted later.
Practical gain came first.
“Isn't that right?”
“……”
He didn't answer my added question.
But it seemed he fully understood what I was trying to say.
…No.
After hearing that over 95% of his people were being treated as slaves, there was no way he couldn't understand.
‘…….’
Just as he had said a moment ago, the Beastkin slavery problem was not an issue that could be solved on an individual level.
Even the scenario he had pictured in his head, ‘some Beastkin being treated as slaves,’ would have been difficult.
So in a pessimistic situation where over 95% of Beastkin were enslaved, it wasn't a problem that could be solved by Tom alone going on a rampage.
No matter how much of a man of action he was, putting his body before his brain, he would surely know that much.
Right or wrong, he had no other option.
“Now that you know how things are on the outside, you won't be thinking of holing up in here any longer.”
“……”
“But it's not like a solution or backing will magically appear the moment you leave, either.”
…Well.
Siiik-
Still, for the only option available to him, it would probably be the best possible choice.
“How about it?”
“……”
“We'll talk about the specifics later. For now, let's leave together. I've prepared a brilliant plan and party members.”
* * *
To get straight to the point, it seemed I had succeeded in persuading Tom.
I hadn't heard a clear answer, as he had remained silent throughout my words.
But I could tell by instinct.
Whether he liked it or not, he agreed with my statement that he had no other alternative.
His actions, following behind me while maintaining his silence, proved it.
Thump, thump-
“The talk…”
“……”
“…seems to have gone well.”
As I approached Louis, he looked up at Tom standing behind me and spoke as if relieved.
Nod-
“Then… are you all finished with your business?”
“Well, for the most part.”
“Hand over the Cube now. We brought a separate magic tool for transportation. It hasn't been verified if even a Cube can completely shield the influence of a Source Stone.”
“……”
Flinch-
I was startled by his words without realizing it.
“…What's wrong?”
“No, it’s just…”
The Quark.
Right, I had completely forgotten, but I had to explain that part to this guy too.
“……”
There was the contract, and it was something I definitely had to tell him, but how should I put it?
It felt like I'd missed the timing.
I should have said something the moment he mentioned the Cube, but once I missed that moment, for some reason, the words wouldn't come out.
‘…For now.’
So, I first handed over the Cube I had brought to contain the Source Stone, as he requested.
“…Here.”
*Seuk-*
After carefully receiving the Cube I handed him, he held it with both hands and scanned his surroundings.
“Hmm… as expected of a Source Stone. The shielding magic circle must be active, yet such an ominous energy is so palpable…”
“……”
“Still, there don't seem to be any serious problems. I was worried the Cube might be too small, but thankfully that doesn't seem to be the case.”
“……”
“You've worked hard, Seo U-jin. You have just saved countless souls who were suffering because of the Demonic Species. You'll go to heaven when you die.”
He was praising me to the heavens as he pleased.
The more Louis did so, the harder it became for me to talk about the empty Cube.
Then, suddenly.
“……!”
Louis furrowed his brow and covered the Cube with his other hand, enveloping it completely.
Then.
“Seo U-jin. Did you feel that just now?”
“…Feel what?”
“I felt a faint wave of mana from inside the Cube.”
“……”
“As expected… it seems to be completely different from a regular Quark. We've never had a Quark resist the Cube's shielding before.”
Tense, he gathered mana in his palm and called for another Priest.
“Priest Maria! The magic tool I mentioned earlier, please.”
“Ah, y-yes!! Lord Button.”
And a female Priest, looking twice as nervous as him, came struggling with another Cube, about 30cm in diameter and gaudily decorated.
*Kuung-*
Louis, suppressing the Cube with hands full of mana, shouted at me as he gestured to the Cube the Priest named ‘Maria’ had brought.
“Seo U-jin! Please. Open that special Cube for the Source Stone. The operating mechanism is no different from a regular Gold Cube.”
“……”
“Hurry!!!”
His expression had become grave.
Chwareureuk-
I opened the Cube helplessly, but.
‘…….’
It seemed if I delayed any longer and this huge Cube was closed, I really wouldn't be able to speak up. So at that moment, I carefully began.
“Uh, Louis.”
“Yes?”
“There's something I couldn't say earlier.”
“…If it's not important, let's talk later. Right now, dealing with this is the priority-.”
As I spoke just as he was about to close the Cube, he glanced at me for a moment before turning his eyes back to the Cube.
“That Cube is empty.”
“…Pardon?”
At my blunt conclusion, his gaze and head tilted sideways for a moment.
As if mulling over my words a couple of times, he frowned deeply and asked back.
“What do you mean by that?”
“Exactly what I said. It's empty, that Cube.”
“That can't be… I definitely felt a wave of mana from inside…”
He then opened his hands and opened the Cube himself.
Naturally, the inside was empty, contrary to his thoughts, and I could only scratch the back of my head with an awkward smile.
“……”
As if he couldn't comprehend the current situation at all.
After staring silently back and forth between me and the Cube, he finally asked me.
“Then… did you fail to retrieve the Quark, Seo U-jin?”
“Uh… that's not it.”
The situation was so sudden that I had no idea where to begin explaining.
And at that moment, Tom aptly interjected.
“…That's not it. I pulled it out, so I remember it clearly.”
“……”
“My five senses were blocked while that strange energy was present, so I don't know exactly where it is, but I definitely remember the sensation of pulling out that Source Stone.”
And the gazes turned back to me.
“…Where is it, Seo U-jin? Don't tell me you lost it inside the mine?”
“……”
“But when I checked inside the mine, I certainly didn't find anything like a Source Stone.”
Scratch, scratch-
“Well…”
“……”
“…I swallowed it.”
For a moment, the world stopped.
Saaaaa-
A brief, chilling silence.
After that, his dumbfounded question popped out.
“…Pardon?”
To his question, asked with a thoroughly blank expression, I answered once more.
“I swallowed it. The Source Stone.”
Then, a chilling silence flowed once again.
“You…”
After that, he ground his teeth and muttered under his breath.
“…You crazy bastard…”