A Regressor's Bucket List Chapter 86

“There’s no need for that. Because this territory was acquired for that very purpose anyway.”

“……!”

Jerry's pupils trembled fiercely at U-jin's low murmur as he gazed at the Beastkin in the ruins outside the window.

Although U-jin had spoken nonchalantly, as if it were nothing…

‘Because this territory was acquired for that very purpose anyway.’

That short, single sentence shattered the poker face Jerry had been maintaining.

“…What do you mean by that.”

Unable to control his trembling pupils, Jerry asked U-jin.

Of course.

It wasn't a question asked because he truly didn't understand the meaning of U-jin's words.

Jerry wasn't that foolish, and besides, he was the one who had handled the purchase of this guild territory in the first place.

The moment he heard U-jin say 'acquired for that very purpose' while looking at the Beastkin, he could grasp the general meaning.

…However, the 'general meaning' that entered Jerry's mind was of a nature that, from his perspective, was difficult to accept, which was why he had no choice but to react that way.

Shrug—

“You know best what I mean.”

“……”

“It's about time the Beastkin settled down too.”

Just as U-jin said.

The one who knew best what U-jin meant was Jerry himself.

‘…A home for the Beastkin.’

It was something Jerry, who had been buying and protecting Beastkin slaves sold across the continent for decades, had longed for.

But conversely.

Because of that, Jerry also knew better than anyone just how difficult it was.

“…If I'm correct, it seems you intend to make the Beastkin the citizens of this guild's territory.”

“……”

“…That's impossible.”

Of course, simply letting the Beastkin live in this territory was not a difficult task in itself.

In fact, even now, Beastkin were in the territory, even if they were only resting their bodies in the ruins.

However.

‘It's about time the Beastkin settled down too.’

If U-jin’s words weren't just about protecting a portion of the Beastkin.

That is to say.

If he was talking about enabling ‘all Beastkin’ to obtain the status of ‘territory citizens’ guaranteed by the Order.

In other words, if he was talking about the ‘revival of the Beastkin power’ that had fallen into ruin long ago.

Then Jerry could be certain that it was an impossible task.

It was only natural.

If it were something that could be achieved with money or effort, Jerry would have likely done it long ago.

“Why?”

As if reading his confident disbelief, U-jin asked Jerry.

Why exactly.

Why was it an impossible task?

“…There are three obstacles that come to mind immediately.”

Jerry's answer to that question was swift.

As it was a problem he had already thought about, the obstacles to overcome for the revival of the Beastkin nation were crystal clear in his mind.

Shrug—

“Tell me.”

At Jerry's response, U-jin shrugged and urged him on.

“…First, it's not certain whether your guild's establishment will receive the Order's approval. Even if this place is recorded as a dormant territory in the database, establishing a guild is a separate issue.”

“And?”

Nodding as if Jerry's point was valid, U-jin asked for the second one.

“…Even if it receives approval as an official guild, most Beastkin currently exist as slaves. It's impossible to solve the illegal slave problem, which even the Order hasn't been able to eradicate, in a short time.”

“And.”

Finally, the third.

“…The Beastkin, scattered across the entire continent, are a race that has already been fragmented after their nation was dismantled once. Gathering them together again will not be as easy as you think.”

The three points Jerry pointed out were not challenges that could be solved by the efforts of a single individual.

No, leaving aside a solution, it was an unprecedented task, making it difficult to even fathom where to begin finding a possibility. It could be considered a task defined as impossible.

…Moreover.

U-jin was in a state where he didn't even have control over his own freedom.

Without any exaggeration, these were not matters that could be discussed when he was set to enter the 'Darkest Dungeon' the day after tomorrow.

“……”

However, despite Jerry's confident denial, U-jin showed a meaningful smile.

“…So, to put it simply.”

*Grin—*

“You’re saying it’s possible if we solve just those three things.”

* * *

To speak of the beginning of the 'Guild', one must turn the clock back quite a long time.

Unlike the present, where the confrontational structure between the Order and the Demon King's Army had become entrenched, and almost all factions on the central continent were divided into two huge groups, the ‘The Order's Allied Forces’ and the ‘Demon King's Alliance Forces’.

It was a time when they were both growing their forces by absorbing and enticing numerous neutral factions.

That is to say.

About several hundred, or even several thousand years ago.

‘…….’

That era was, needless to say, a transitional period in the War against Demons.

Of course, even back then, the confrontation between the Demon King's Army and the Order's Alliance existed.

And the scale of the War against Demons that arose from their conflict could not be called small.

But the number of neutral factions existing between them was incomparably larger than it is now.

And in comparison, the scale of the Demon King's Alliance Forces and the Order's Allied Forces was relatively small.

‘…….’

Thus, even in that transitional period of the War against Demons, where the scale of the war against the Demon King's Army was expanding year by year, the biggest headache for the Order at the time was not the war itself.

Conflict.

The conflict within the Order's Alliance, which at the time lacked bonds and trust due to its short history, was a more serious problem than the minor victories or defeats in the immediate war.

And for good reason.

Unlike now, when they are completely united around the Order.

Back then, the interests of each faction were intricately tangled, and conflicts arising from them were not uncommon.

The risk generated by this was the worst possible outcome: ‘the failure of the Order's Alliance to continue.’

The ‘Refugee Phenomenon’ was one of the internal conflict issues that the Order paid close attention to.

‘…….’

It was a matter of course.

In the central continent where the War against Demons raged daily, countless refugees were generated.

The territories of tribes that had stood firm since ancient times were turned into wastelands in the course of the war.

And great kingdoms that had been built up over a long time were turned into barren lands overnight by the concentrated attacks of the Demon King's Army.

Of course, in most cases, the problem was resolved as the ‘refugees of a fallen nation’ were naturally absorbed by neighboring countries.

But like all things in the world, such an extreme situation could not always fit together perfectly like a puzzle.

Among the tribes or nations that fell during the War against Demons, there were not a few that had complex interests with neighboring countries.

In the end, the ‘refugees’ who could not be absorbed due to such interests were forced to wander from place to place within the Order's lands without a proper identity or destination.

The prime examples were the Beastkin seen in Shandong and the Elves who, until recently, had wandered the slave markets alongside them.

In fact, if that was all, it wouldn't have been a major problem.

…The problem lay in what happened afterward.

While the majority of refugees contented themselves with hiding their identities and wandering in the shadows, some among them could not accept their reality and expressed their discontent with the force they possessed.

Radical refugee factions demanding the restoration of their fallen nations and their Constellations, which had already been annihilated by the Demon King.

They instigated insurrections that fueled conflict within the Order's Alliance.

The occurrence of such insurrections was given a separate name within the Order's Allied Forces: the ‘Refugee Phenomenon’.

‘…….’

The Order, troubled by the ‘Refugee Phenomenon’ that grew with each passing year, searched desperately for a solution.

Then, one day, the ‘retired Heroes’ and ‘Hero candidates who gave up their ordination’ came into their sights.

Watching them, who had taken a step back from the front lines of the War against Demons and were carrying out requests for a living in a half-hearted manner.

They thought that these fallen powers might be the key to solving the Refugee Phenomenon.

The method the Order devised was simple.

To modify and apply the ‘chosen people relationship between a Constellation and its people’.

They would gather a few like-minded Heroes, grant them a splendid Guild House along with a unique territory.

In return, the guild would be obligated to create a home for the refugees within the territory and ensure its security. This was the method the Order came up with.

‘…….’

The ‘guild system’ that began this way fulfilled the Order's expectations perfectly.

It appropriately resolved the conflicts within the Order's Alliance caused by the Refugee Phenomenon and allowed for the efficient management of surplus land generated during the war.

It was truly a masterstroke that perfectly addressed the problems of the time.

The Order's guild policy had an immediate effect on the Refugee Phenomenon that was emerging among the allied nations, and as its effectiveness was proven, the Order actively encouraged guilds, leading to numerous guilds establishing themselves within the Order's lands.

‘…….’

However, the guild system, which had operated smoothly for quite a long time and effectively resolved the conflicts of the Order's Alliance, was now virtually abolished.

The reason was simple.

Due to a certain incident that occurred relatively recently, the Order had completely blocked the establishment of new guilds.

‘Isaac Einstein’

The worst nightmare born from the Hero system had its influence here as well.

The incident where he, while still active as a Hero candidate for the Order, operated illegal laboratories in several territories granted to him in the name of a guild.

With that horrific incident as a turning point, the Order reconsidered the continuation of the guild system.

‘…….’

The blind spot of the guild system that the Order had overlooked was the ‘seclusion of the territory’.

Most of the territories the Order granted to guilds were either the lands of a Constellation that had vanished during the war.

Or they were existing Demon King's Territories that had been successfully occupied during the war.

So, naturally, there was no governing Constellation in those areas.

And the Order's Chapels, whose continued existence depended on the ‘presence of a Constellation’, could not be built.

In the end, due to the absence of Chapels that served as the Order's eyes, full authority over the granted territory was delegated to the Guild House.

The Order could only inspect the area through the reports of the Guild Master and their Acolyte Priest.

…It was this blind spot that Einstein thoroughly exploited, carrying out illegal experiments within the Guild House that he could not perform elsewhere.

‘…….’

Not only did he conduct illegal experimental research that violated research ethics, but he also did not discriminate between humans and Magical Beasts in his treatment of test subjects.

The Magical Beasts and territory citizens who became subjects of his worst-of-the-worst biological experiments were reported as attackers and victims of small-scale battle raids that attacked the territory.

In the end, the territory itself became a kind of giant laboratory, dancing in the palm of Isaac Einstein's hand.

With the revelation of the illegal laboratories after Isaac Einstein defected to the Demon King's Army, Guild Houses across the continent were thrown into an uproar.

The Order drastically raised the operating conditions, dissolving all guilds except for a few elite ones that could maintain the new, heightened standards.

The territories that had been granted to them were either reclaimed or abandoned as unexplored lands.

Some of the refugees from these abolished territories became refugees again, wandering the slave markets or the underworld, while others were absorbed into the remaining elite guilds.

Only a few recognized, large elite guilds maintained their former glory. This was the current state of ‘Guilds’.

…Because Jerry knew this all too well.

In a situation where he couldn't even guarantee if this territory could truly be revived as a ‘Guild’, my talk of a ‘territory for the Beastkin’ would naturally seem absurd to him.

However.

If it were truly an impossible task, I wouldn't have even brought it up.

“…The order is wrong.”