WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Natty
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ The Regressor and the Blind Saintess ◈
Chapter 45: To the Great Forest - 2
──────
Vera wore a rare look of bewilderment.
“Vera.”
“Yes.”
“Vera.”
“...Yes.”
Naturally, it was because of Rene.
Just one minute ago, Vera had resolved to somehow take Rene upstairs and put her to bed if she became dead drunk.
Yes, one minute ago.
Rene had become completely insensible after just one glass.
“Vera.”
“...Yes, Saintess.”
“I’m not the Saintess.”
Rene raised her head. Her hand still clutched Vera’s collar.
Turning her head in circles, Rene spoke.
“I’m Rene. Not the Saintess.”
“My apo...”
“Come on, repeat after me. Rene.”
Vera closed his mouth.
With a drunken flush on her face, Rene giggled and shook Vera by the collar.
“Reneee!”
“...Rene.”
“Eek!”
Rene began to shake with laughter.
Vera felt utterly at a loss.
How should he get her upstairs? What should he say?
After pondering those questions for a moment, Vera grasped the hand clutching his collar with a tuk and spoke.
“Saintess, I believe it is time for you to go upstairs.”
“Rene.”
“...Rene.”
“Hehe.”
The corners of Rene’s lips turned up.
She continued to giggle, then suddenly frowned.
“Vera, are you a simp?”
Jolt.
Vera’s body lurched. Norn and Hella, who had been watching, reacted much the same. Cold sweat streamed down Norn’s face as he watched Vera’s reaction.
Naturally. Had anyone ever said the word “simp” in front of Vera and walked away unharmed?
Even the Saintess could not be an exception. Vera would surely be angry.
Just as Norn rose to stop Vera...
“...I am not.”
Norn witnessed a miracle. His eyes went wide.
Before him, Vera was comforting Rene with an expression Norn had never seen on him before.
It was an expression thick with aggrievement. Norn could not have imagined such a look on Vera’s face.
“I am not a simp. Nor do I go chasing after women.”
“Liar.”
“...Pardon?”
Vera broke into a cold sweat as Rene gripped his collar even more tightly and scowled.
“You’re completely obsessed with elves.”
I have never been.
“You were so excited about going to play with elves.”
I did not want even the slightest association with them.
“Vera... You’re going to settle down in the Great Forest...”
Vera was about to protest at that utter nonsense when Rene let out a hic, her voice filling with tears.
“You’re going to marry an elf...!”
Vera’s pupils shook as though an earthquake had struck them.
“Saint...”
“You’ll have one son... and one daughter...! Waaaaah!!!”
At last, she burst into tears.
Vera listened in utter disbelief, then felt his words catch with a tuk at such an absurd remark.
What in the world was going on inside her head for her to say such things?
Unable to comprehend the situation, Vera floundered in mounting confusion before finally placing his hand over the back of Rene’s hand.
“That is not the case. I have no intention of settling down with elves.”
“Waaaaah!!!”
“Saintess, please calm...”
“I’m not the Saintess!!!”
Vera froze.
At the sound of her sobbing echoing all around them, people at the other tables began to glance in Rene’s direction.
Even amid that, Vera’s sharp hearing caught the words coming from the other tables.
“Goodness, what is going on?”
“She must be very ill. How awful, at such a young age...”
“Is she being mistreated? Why is she crying so miserably?”
Vera felt terribly wronged.
He wanted to defend himself, but there was no way to soothe Rene when she was already dead drunk.
For once, Vera looked toward Norn and Hella for help, but they were just as flustered.
Norn and Hella leaned far back, looked at each other, and began sipping their drinks.
Grit.
Vera clenched his teeth.
Thinking he had to calm Rene somehow, and that this could turn into a major incident if it went on, Vera began patting Rene’s shoulder with stiff movements.
“Please do not be angry.”
His movements were so stiff that merely watching them made one imagine the sound of creak, creak.
He felt too apologetic at the thought of daring to touch Rene, which was why he was like that. This was different from three years ago, when he had taken Rene to the Holy Kingdom while escaping pursuit.
Back then, circumstances had given him no choice. He had been sober, asked permission, and acted only after receiving it. Now, was he not carelessly touching Rene while she was completely drunk?
For some reason, Vera felt as though he were committing a grave sin, and he patted Rene’s shoulder uneasily.
It was only after a long while that Rene stopped crying.
“Have you calmed down a little now?”
Vera asked as he looked at Rene, who was still hiccuping.
Rene gave a small nod, then rested her head against Vera’s shoulder.
Vera’s body naturally stiffened. Across the table, Norn and Hella crunched on dried snacks as they watched.
While he remained rigid, Vera finally began to feel some relief and let out a short breath.
But had he relaxed too soon?
“Sniff...”
Rene suddenly began to sob again.
Vera looked at her with eyes stretched wide.
“What is wrong?”
“Vera...”
Squeeze. Rene tightened her grip on his collar. With a tense expression, Vera placed his hand over hers and answered.
“Yes. Vera is here.”
Rene flinched. Then her shoulders began to shake more violently, until she finally broke into sobs.
“I can’t seeee!”
Tears streamed down Rene’s face. So did snot.
This time, Vera could not think of a single thing to say to comfort her. He simply squeezed his eyes shut.
* * *
The next morning, Rene woke late. As memories of the previous night flashed through her mind, she pulled the blanket over her head and trembled.
Should I die?
Squeeze. Her grip on the blanket tightened, tendons standing out on the back of her hand.
Let’s die.
Yes, dying would be better. Rather than live with such shame, she should die and become glorious.
After dwelling on that thought for a moment...
“Vera, are you a simp?”
The words she had spoken came back to her.
Why did I say that?!
Rene wanted to cry. She squeezed her eyes shut and prayed to the gods for the first time in a long while.
Please!
Please give me the Authority to turn back time. Not some useless Authority like this, but the Authority of Regression. She made that wish, but if wishes could come true simply by asking, her sight would have returned long ago.
The heavens were indifferent this time as well, and Rene’s wish was not granted.
Despair swept through her body, then the words that followed made her feel as though she could barely breathe.
“Vera... You’re going to settle down in the Great Forest...”
Rene knew it too. Vera had never said anything like that.
“You’ll have one son... and one daughter...!”
Why had she made the child plan so specific?
As those memories made heat rise through her entire body, Rene remembered the final blow she had dealt herself.
“I can’t seeee!”
She began kicking the blanket and screaming.
“Aaaaaah!!!”
Thump!
After one satisfying kick, Rene began rolling around on the bed.
Of course I can’t see!
How could a blind person see? Why had she suddenly cried over that?
Rene flailed around, wishing she could go back just one day and kill her past self.
At that moment, Hella sat quietly in the chair beside the bed, watching Rene’s behavior in a daze.
Hella had watched because she could not tell whether Rene had woken up or was talking in her sleep. But seeing Rene scream and roll around like that, Hella knew Rene was certainly awake.
It was time to help Rene get ready to leave.
Thinking that, Hella stood and spoke.
“Saintess, have you awakened?”
Rene stopped struggling.
Her eyelashes trembled.
A shaky question slipped from her lips.
“...How long have you been there?”
“Uh... I’ve been beside you since you pulled the blanket over your head.”
Rene squeezed her eyes shut.
“You saw?”
“I’m glad you seem healthy.”
Rene wanted to cry.
* * *
“Have you risen?”
Vera’s voice.
Rene had just opened the door to the lodging and was stepping outside when she jolted at the sound.
“Yes...”
“Last night...”
“I’m sorry.”
Rene cut off Vera before he could mention her disgraceful behavior from the night before and, with a stiff expression, added one more thing.
“Please stop. I beg you.”
Every word was thick with desperation.
Vera pressed his lips together as he looked at Rene, then gave a small nod.
“Let us wait until you are older before you drink again.”
“Yes.”
Rene’s face reddened. She lowered her head toward the floor in embarrassment.
Letting go of Hella’s hand, Rene took Vera’s hand. She kept her lips tightly sealed, wishing that Vera would say nothing, wishing he would erase yesterday from his memories.
But then...
“Saintess.”
“Yes...”
Vera did not seem to intend to let the matter go.
What was he going to say now? How was he going to humiliate her all over again?
As Rene trembled at the thought...
“I do not like elves.”
Vera said that.
Rene suddenly raised her head in Vera’s direction.
Seeing her turn toward him, Vera continued.
“I will not live in the Great Forest. I have no plans for children either. The place where I belong is by your side, Saintess.”
The words went on at length.
Vera only wanted to clear away the unfairness of the previous night somehow.
He did not know what Rene had been thinking, but really, how many people could like those who had tried to take their life?
Time had rewound, and it had become something that never happened. Their attempt on his life had been justified. Even knowing that, Vera could not view them kindly.
So, Vera drew on every scrap of knowledge he possessed to dispel Rene’s suspicions.
“Above all, elves cannot reproduce. They have no sex.”
It was a fact that was not yet widely known. It would only become known later, after the elves emerged from the Great Forest.
At Vera’s words, Rene came to an abrupt stop.
“...What?”
“Elves have no gender. They are born from flowers produced by Aidra, so it would be more accurate to say they have no need for reproductive functions. Therefore, there is no chance I will become enamored with elves. I am human, and I like women.”
Rene stood there with her mouth hanging open, then suddenly realized why Vera had spoken at such length. Her face turned red again.
“...I’m sorry.”
I must have caused him quite a lot of trouble.
Vera hardly ever spoke at length. If he was explaining himself this much, it must have been truly terrible.
As Rene trembled in self-reproach, Vera continued.
“I said it because I did not want you to misunderstand, so please do not concern yourself with it. I believe everyone makes mistakes the first time they drink.”
Everyone.
At that word, Rene hesitated and moved her lips before asking Vera a question.
“...Did you make mistakes too, Vera?”
“Yes, I did.”
Of course he had. The first day Vera ever drank alcohol, he had snapped the neck of Doran, the leader of the beggar gang that had abused him.
Recalling that past, which had now become something that never happened, Vera added,
“So please do not worry too much. Rather, I believe I should be the one apologizing. I caused you concern, Saintess. I must have said or done something that made you uncomfortable. I apo...”
“No!”
Eek! The words burst from Rene. Startled by Vera’s words, she quickly added in a booming voice.
“Um! Yes! Then let’s say it was nothing! Let’s say yesterday never happened! Let’s do that!”
“...Yes.”
Rene ended the conversation because she did not want to continue this subject any longer. Even as her face burned, she felt relieved by Vera’s explanation.
Elves had no sex. His place was by her side.
Ridiculously enough, the worries that had plagued her for days melted away at those two sentences.
A soft laugh suddenly escaped Rene’s lips.
Rene’s first crisis in love.
Vera’s supposed infidelity ended as nothing more than Rene’s misunderstanding.
Join our discord at https://dsc.gg/wetried
