WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Natty
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◈ The Regressor and the Blind Saintess ◈
Chapter 145: Land of the Fighters
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The next morning, Terisa’s study.
Terisa asked Rene that question as she listened to her recount the previous day’s events.
“…And that was it?”
“Huh? Yes! I was about to go to sleep, but I kept thinking about it. It was a real problem.”
Rene’s face was entirely flushed. Her lips held a smile brighter than ever, and her soft expression was exactly that of someone drowning in happiness.
Terisa, however, wore an expression that was difficult to describe. If she had to put it into words, it was utter disbelief.
Naturally, it was because of a question that had arisen as she listened.
‘And they did nothing more?’
Had Rene not said she would seduce him? Had Vera not approached her first? Then what was this about parting without saying anything because she was embarrassed? Why had she not shown even a fraction of the boldness she had displayed until now?
Countless thoughts passed through Terisa’s mind.
Of course, Terisa had said seducing him physically was wrong... but was it not strange to spit out food after it had been placed directly in her mouth?
Nor was Rene the only problem.
‘Tell him to become a child, and he becomes a damn brat...’
What Terisa had clearly wanted to tell Vera about was pure longing. How had he understood that well enough to learn how to become a childish little brat instead?
Terisa let out a sigh and gently closed her eyes.
‘...Even I have no idea anymore.’
Sixty years had passed since she received Love’s Holy Mark. Terisa, who had brought countless people together in love and served as a mentor to all, felt that she had hit a wall for the first time in her life.
* * *
Time passed quickly.
The slightly over two weeks changed the strange tension between Vera and Rene into something else.
It was not as though their relationship had progressed any further, nor had they exchanged deep feelings.
Still, there was a sweet tension whenever their skin brushed or they spoke to each other.
Their voices trembled even as they talked about ordinary things.
Though they only held hands to guide Rene, warmth ran through them as if they had touched fire.
Even after so much time had passed, they felt as if the sensation from that day still lingered on their lips.
Today was no different.
The two had come to meet the twins, who would soon arrive at the Academy. With their fingers interlocked, they stood in silence for no reason.
It had already been ten minutes. They had stood quietly at the Academy’s front gate without saying a word for ten minutes.
Vera felt increasingly troubled.
Naturally, it was because he was conscious of Rene.
It was a serious situation. The embarrassment building within him was so intense that he could not even look at Rene. It would not be an exaggeration to say this was the most serious situation he had faced in all the years he had attended to her.
Thinking this would not do, Vera slowly turned his eyes toward Rene.
Then he flinched.
His expression froze, and his gaze immediately returned to the front. In his mind, Rene’s lips, which he had seen for that brief instant, were vividly engraved.
It was not merely their shape that came to mind.
The kiss they had shared at the Empire’s ball, as well as the ambiguous kiss he had given her two weeks ago, returned to him along with the sensations of those moments.
At that moment, Vera committed the truly irreverent thought that it was fortunate Rene was blind.
His face was surely burning red. If she saw him like this, would she not call him a greenhorn again?
A gentle breeze was clearly blowing, yet he felt as though he were trapped in the sweltering heat of midsummer.
Despite having the body of a superhuman, a body unaffected by heat or cold, sweat ran down his back in response to that feeling.
“…When do you think they’ll arrive?”
The sudden question came from Rene.
Vera felt as though his heart went boom. At the same time, he found himself so flustered that he avoided confronting how unfamiliar he was to himself and answered.
“According to the letter we received yesterday, they should be arriving around now... Though I’m worried whether those two managed to find the way properly.”
“Hmm....”
Rene gave an awkward smile at Vera’s words and turned her face toward the sky for no reason.
‘He’s embarrassed.’
She relished the tremor in Vera’s voice while trying to force down the corners of her mouth, which kept threatening to rise.
Rene thought that if she continued being conscious of Vera like this, it might become difficult even to hide her expression.
So, she changed the subject by bringing up the twins.
“I’m worried. Isn’t this the first time those two have left the Holy Kingdom?”
“Yes. They have lived in the Holy Kingdom since they were infants.”
“They must be excited to see the outside world.”
“Perhaps they drank themselves senseless yesterday and overslept.”
“…I want to say that can’t be true, but I can’t deny it.”
A quiet chuckle escaped them both at once.
“Hmm, if that really is what happened, we should scold them. Honestly, Lord Rohan only teaches them strange things....”
“There is no need for you to step in. I will give them a thorough scolding.”
“I’ll leave it to you.”
Rene’s attempt achieved meaningful results.
As the atmosphere softened, the two eased the tension they had carried until the day before yesterday and began discussing other trivial matters.
They spoke of how enjoyable the things they had learned at the Academy were, and of the professor for [Introduction to Advanced Swordsmanship], who was still afraid of Vera despite it being nearly time for them to leave. They were truly meaningless topics, yet they still brought them joy.
They continued their idle conversation for a while when two sets of footsteps sounded from afar.
Thud, thud.
It was not merely a sound Rene could hear because her senses were sharp.
It was loud enough for anyone to hear clearly.
Tilting her head, Rene asked Vera, “Vera? Is that Lord Krek and Lord Marek?”
“...”
Vera could not answer. He was too bewildered by the sight before him.
“Vera?”
“…Yes.”
Vera answered blankly as he looked at the two hulking figures approaching them.
‘What the...’
The brown-haired men approaching with the sun behind them were certainly the twins. However, their appearance was far too strange.
First, their clothes.
They had piled strange heaps of iron plates over their bodies. Vera was not even sure whether those could be called armor.
Next, the luggage they carried.
How should he describe it?
A bundle the size of an adult man, made from what looked like tough brown animal hide, was writhing. Even from this distance, he could tell something alive was inside it.
Most striking of all were their expressions.
The twins wore identical tearful faces, as though stamped from the same mold.
What in the world had happened?
Why were they dressed like that?
As Vera stared at them in deep confusion, the twins arrived before Rene and Vera and immediately spoke.
“Krek... was deceived.”
“Marek... got scammed.”
The expression disappeared from Rene’s face.
Vera did the same. He squeezed his eyes shut as the back of his neck began to throb.
That one sentence told Vera the entire story.
‘These idiots....’
It seemed they had been pressured into buying things from scammers on their way here.
* * *
This was how it happened.
The two had left the Holy Kingdom for the first time, and, filled with excitement, they had stopped by villages along the road to look around.
At each village, they bought every item introduced as a local specialty.
However, every supposed specialty was a lie. Everyone they met on their way to the Academy had been a scammer, and the twins only realized that after the innkeeper told them the day before they arrived.
Terisa’s study.
Holding his throbbing head, Vera asked the twins, “The armor... Fine, let us say you were deceived about that. Then what is that?”
Vera pointed at the bundle. He had inspected it earlier and found a slime inside. He could not understand why they had bought a slime of that size, so he asked.
Krek’s face reddened, while Marek made a sullen expression as he answered.
“Marek bought it because they said it was an adult toy.”
“…What?”
“The merchant said it was a legendary pussy. But it was not.”
Veins rose in Vera’s eyes. Unaware of this, Marek let out a deep sigh and continued.
“It broke after one use.”
“You bastard...!”
The harsh words slipped out before he could stop them.
Vera started to rise in fury, but he forced himself to calm down. He knew well that beating them again would not make these two listen.
Relieved by his earlier decision to keep Rene away, Vera sighed and said, “…Do not waste money on strange things.”
It could happen. This was within the range of what he had expected. He only needed to make sure it did not happen again.
That was the thought behind his words.
“Krek reflects on his actions.”
“Marek also reflects. Next time, Marek will buy a real legendary pussy.”
The reply came out of nowhere.
A vein rose on Vera’s forehead.
His fists clenched tightly.
Only then did the twins notice, and their bodies jolted.
Marek swallowed dryly at the sight of Vera glaring at him with a face that looked ready to explode. Then he rummaged through his clothes.
“Vera, calm down. We bought Vera a gift too.”
Marek thought Vera was angry because they had only bought things for themselves. Thus, if he gave Vera the gift they had prepared, Vera would surely be pleased.
Marek found what he was looking for, pulled it out, and held it out to Vera.
It was a small bottle the size of a thumb, filled with a deeply suspicious purple liquid.
Vera’s expression vanished.
“…What is that?”
Seeing that Vera’s anger seemed to have disappeared, Marek beamed and gave a thumbs-up.
“It is a potion that makes you hard. Marek tried one. It is amazing. This one is real.”
Krek nodded at that.
“It is incredible. This stuff is the best. We bought five.”
A brief silence followed.
Then Vera rose from his chair.
The twins turned toward him at once.
Flinch.
Their bodies jerked at the sight of Vera’s most vicious expression yet.
“W, wait....”
Just as Krek tried to say something to calm Vera down.
Smack!
Vera beat the two of them with the Holy Sword’s scabbard.
Fortunately, the Holy Sword judged this to be the right thing to do.
* * *
After some time had passed and Vera had finished their education, he let Rene and Terisa into the room. Rene comforted the twins.
“Um... Well, these things happen! Those scammers will surely receive divine punishment! Please cheer up, both of you!”
It was comfort only possible because she did not know what the twins had bought.
The twins, their faces covered in bruises, looked deeply moved and agreed with Rene.
“That is right. Scammers are bad.”
“The Saintess is kind. Unlike Vera.”
“Pardon?”
“They are talking nonsense. You need not pay them any mind.”
Vera opened his eyes wide and glared at the twins.
The twins flinched again. From a short distance away, Terisa, who had watched the entire process, let out a deep sigh.
She was worried.
Of course, they possessed more than enough strength, so they would not face any danger. Still, she could not help worrying that they might cause trouble.
After all, when she had first summoned the twins, she had done so believing Vera would be able to lead them properly. Now, even that was uncertain.
Terisa’s face filled with displeasure.
The one she had thought was at least somewhat mature had turned into a childish brat. What was she supposed to do about this?
As Terisa continued thinking, she reviewed in her mind everyone who would be traveling to the Cradle of the Dead.
‘Miller is out of the question....’
Honestly, Miller was about the same mental age as those two. Miller was not someone she could entrust with them.
‘Hella....’
Would those two really listen to Hella?
As she continued thinking, Terisa recalled Norn, who was perhaps the most mature of them all, and concluded she should leave him a separate warning later.
A long sigh escaped Terisa’s lips.
‘...I’m sorry.’
Norn was known for silently carrying out his duties, so he would surely manage somehow. Still, Terisa felt guilty at the thought that he might suffer even more headaches because of her.
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