Absolute Regression Chapter 54

Episode 54: It’s not mysterious because I’m embarrassed.

The night was quiet and still.

When I entered the Hyeoncheon Doma residence, he was sitting by the window reading a book.

“That’s the most mismatched sight in the world.”

Bloodthirsty Demon raised his head in surprise. Joy spread across his surprised face.

“I guess I’ll have to punish those guys who stand guard.”

“Please don’t do that. I came in secretly because I wanted to see you quietly, sir.”

He looked at my behavior and asked with a look of bewilderment.

“Have you just returned to school?”

“yes.”

“Did you come back and come to me first?”

“I’m sorry to ruin your excitement, but your father went to bed early.”

“anyway!”

“Yes, that’s right. I thought of you first.”

Then he shook the bottle of alcohol he had brought. It was the alcohol that Hyeolcheon Doma enjoyed drinking.

The alcohol was consumed in the patronage of his residence.

He removed all the men who were guarding the place without any disturbance.

“Has it already been two months since you left the church?”

“It’s been less than two months.”

As my speed increased during this excursion, I was able to shorten the time it took to return.

“Inspector Seo, is your martial arts training going well?”

“This little guy is working pretty hard.”

The words ‘quite hard’ came out of Hyeolcheondoma’s mouth. This unfamiliar expression clearly showed the current state of their relationship.

“Even though he may look crooked, he has a straight heart.”

“You’ve never been rude to me?”

“He’s also the type of guy who stretches out his legs when he sees a place to lie down.”

He’ll probably work hard, but also be very careful, and even then, he’ll probably say whatever he wants to say. It seems like Hyeolcheon Doma doesn’t hate that kind of guy all that much.

“But I just noticed that the book you were reading was a collection of poems. Are you really reading poetry?”

“Why? Do I look like I’m not good enough to read poetry?”

“I don’t know the level, but at least it doesn’t match.”

“I also liked books when I was little. I just forgot about it for a while.”

It’s hard to imagine this skinny, tough-looking guy in his younger years.

“What were you like when you were young?”

“What… … It was dark and gloomy.”

“It was similar to Detective Seo.”

For some reason, Hyeolcheon Doma nodded obediently.

“So what if I do this or that? It’s a time that has already passed anyway.”

Bloody Cheon Do Ma emptied his drink. I silently filled his empty glass. There are no words to comfort the regret for the years that have passed. After all, it was something I experienced once.

“Did the trip go well?”

“yes.”

“There will be trouble again.”

What confidence did you read in her answer that made you say something like that?

“Do you know why I went out?”

“This will cause a lot of trouble.”

“You have a serious misunderstanding about me. I like peace.”

“I like peace too. That quiet, bloody peace that comes after I’ve made everything kneel down with my own hands.”

I laughed and drank.

“It was nice to go out after a long time. Would you like to go out for some fresh air with me next time?”

“Because there are so many people out there who want to kill me… … I feel more at ease just staying at my school.”

He continued speaking as he poured a drink into my glass.

“I don’t know what you’re trying to do, but be careful. In a fight for succession, one wrong move can mean the end.”

“What will you do if I sprain my ankle?”

“What should I do? I guess I’ll have to line up with the Archduke again.”

“You’re so cool.”

“Of course. What good is it to flap your wings when your body is dead? You have to go find another body.”

If it were a bloodthirsty devil, it would really be like that. After feeling sorry for a day or two, he would show kindness to the Grand Duke as if nothing had happened. The surprising thing is that even if you imagine that kind of behavior, it doesn’t feel that bad.

This is the advantage of the Bloodthirsty Demon. There is no need to worry about whether this person is a good person or a bad person, whether he will help me till the end or betray me. He is someone who will either leave when I fall apart, or stay by my side.

“Please do me a favor.”

“What?”

“Please drink with me all night long tonight.”

“It’s not difficult.”

I got up from my seat.

“You said you wanted to drink, but where are you going?”

“I’ll buy some more alcohol and prepare some snacks.”

“Just let the kids do it.”

“There’s something I want to buy.”

I plan to make a perfect side dish for this drinking party. A side dish that I’ve been preparing for the past two months.

I have decided to kill the Demon Lord today. No one would have thought that I would kill him on the day I returned from exile.

And I will be the one who drinks wine and eats blood all night long. He will be the witness of my actions.

“I’ll be back shortly.”

After leaving the Bloodthirsty Demon’s dwelling, I unleashed my dark shadow and flew towards the west.

* * *

The Subhonmazon was unusually excited today.

It was a heart-pounding ritual that I did every time, but strangely enough, my heart started beating faster.

‘Is it because it’s been a while?’

This was the first time I practiced the Heart and Soul Law after the Geommu Theater came and threatened to stop practicing the Law.

Because he threatened me with a piece of Cheonma in his mouth, I had no choice but to stop practicing the Simhon Dabeop for a while.

Of course, it would be okay if I didn’t get caught, but since the other person was already convinced of the Simhon Daebeop, I still felt uneasy.

The news that Geommu-geuk had left the school only made him more suspicious. It seemed like a ploy to reassure himself and then find evidence.

But my patience has reached its limit, and I have finally resumed practicing the Heart and Soul Law today.

Whenever I practice the Heart and Soul method with a blank space like this, I always choose a child. This is because at times like this, the heart and soul of a child are the most delicious.

As he was going down the stairs leading to the secret room, the Sub-Hon-Ma-Jon glanced back. He felt like something was following him and his mind was uneasy today.

But there was no way he was being followed. It was because he was using the Black Shadow Secret Technique, where his own shadow was protecting him. He was confident. Except for Cheonma, there was no one in the school who could secretly stand behind him.

The Demon Lord entered the secret room.

The walls were covered with all sorts of strange patterns and letters, and a peculiar smelling incense was burning everywhere.

A child was sleeping on the central altar in the secret room.

A smile appeared on the lips of the Sub-Hon-Ma-Jon as he looked down at the child. At that moment, as he was about to reach out and wake the child, someone grabbed his hair.

‘!’

The Sub-Honmazon tried to counterattack, but his opponent was moving faster.

match!

The head of the Sub-Honmazon, who had been hit in the cheek, turned around.

Only after I had helplessly allowed my cheek to be struck was I able to swing my sword and escape from my opponent’s grasp.

The opponent spoke coldly to the Sub-Honmazon who had stepped back.

“Didn’t I tell you not to do it?”

Only then did the Demon Lord realize who had hit him. It was none other than Geommu-geuk.

The Subhonmajon caressed his cheek with an expression of disbelief. No matter how much of a surprise attack it was, it was impossible, shocking, and humiliating.

“How on earth did you get in here?”

“You’re so confused, you’re not mysterious at all.”

For a moment, the Demon Lord was startled. Normally, he would charm people with his voice. The sound resonated, repeated, and even whispered.

But now, the ordinary guy next door looked angry.

“Is this your essence?”

It would have been natural for him to become furious, but he regained his composure after taking a deep breath.

“Even if I misjudged the scientist, I was very wrong. Even if I was right, I lost.”

His voice echoed as he repeated the words, “Even if it’s right, it’s cheap.” He regained his usual self.

“Now you’re acting like yourself. This makes killing fun. That behavior earlier was disappointing.”

The Sub-Honmazon was not shaken.

“Lee Gongja, answer my question first. How on earth did you get here?”

“I followed you in.”

You may think I’m lying, but my answer was true.

The Demon Lord of the Underworld always protected his back with the Dark Shadow Art. If the Wind God Sabo had achieved great success, then it would have been different, but it was not yet possible to avoid his Dark Shadow Art and use the Dark Shadow Art.

However, when I put the blood-curdling essence in my eyes, I saw the method of destroying the black shadow technique, and the moment I destroyed it, my dark shadow treasure worked. Rather, it was as if I was hiding in his shadow.

“What does it matter how I got in? What matters is why I got in.”

The Sub-Mazon caught him off guard even in this situation.

“If you’re still going to talk about the Great Law of the Heart, then get out. I don’t know that kind of law.”

“Then who is this child?”

“Poor orphan. I took him in to teach him martial arts.”

“You are a coward.”

“what?”

This time I imitated him.

“Coward, coward, coward… … .”

My voice echoed.

“stop!”

I retorted coldly at his shout.

“How long are you going to pretend not to know? Is your courage only found when you take the heart out of the body of a weak person?”

The pupils of the Sub-Honmazon’s eyes instantly shrank to dots.

As the surroundings darkened and then brightened, a new space was created.

I was standing on the edge of a cliff.

Wheeeeeeing.

The wind from behind tried to push me off the cliff.

“Have you forgotten my warning? I told you that if you ever see me again, you will never be able to return to your original world.”

His voice sounded eerie, like a ghostly cry.

The Demon Lord created an atmosphere of fear, but I stood there and showed no fear at all.

“I guess you can’t stand being so scared if you don’t scare your opponent like this.”

“It’s really surprising. Even if he’s the cult leader’s son, how can he show such spirit at such a young age?”

His pupils were busy studying me, growing and shrinking repeatedly.

“Are you here to kill me?”

“okay.”

“What on earth do you believe in?”

The words, “What do you believe in?” were repeated as if echoing. This echo was not intended to mock me, but to show that his heart was wavering.

Then, as the echo suddenly stopped, he asked.

“Did the cult leader send you?”

This time, it was a question without any other noise. It would be difficult to think that I would do this on my own.

“If he was trying to kill you, your father would have come himself. Don’t you know his personality?”

As the Sub-Hon-Ma-Jon nodded, the surroundings became noisy again. His muttering, the sound of the wind, and all sorts of strange sounds mixed together. It seemed to reveal his mental world.

“Let’s talk quietly, since you’re crazy.”

“This is Confucius’ will, so we must listen to it.”

The surroundings became dark and then bright again.

He and I were sitting across from each other in a pavilion with a beautiful view. There was even lukewarm tea on the table between us.

“Scholar of engineering.”

His original voice, he came back as a normal man.

“If we must kill each other, let’s talk frankly one last time.”

“Okay.”

“We are mines. We are the demons who reign over all mines. Are our lives so easy that we give the weak a choice? What’s wrong with sucking the hearts of those weaklings to become stronger? Isn’t greed our right? All my choices have been for the sake of the Heavenly Demon Church!”

If the fire weapon hadn’t come and I had continued to live in the main school, I might have pretended not to see this demon spirit. So, if it could only make the main school stronger, I might have tried to pretend not to know using this excuse.

But my fate was different. The me back then and the me now are completely different people.

I became a person who could not drink tea or alcohol in the same place as someone who tried to become strong by taking out a child’s heart. I became a person who could not breathe the same air as him.

“That’s a lie.”

“what?”

“You didn’t take my heart for the sake of the school. It was only for your own survival. It is the same now and it will be the same in the future.”

If he had truly been a man for the sake of the church, he would have taken revenge after his father passed away. However, his choice was to be the longest-living member of the Palmazone. Thousands of innocent lives are buried in his tenacity and long lifespan.

“You were only for yourself, only for yourself… … and then you became a monster.”

The demon lord who was staring at me came to one conclusion.

“There’s no way a young kid of just twenty or so could understand me so accurately. You can’t avoid the black magic and follow me in, and you can’t touch my body. You… … aren’t a scholar.”

The eyes of the Sub-Hon-Ma-Jon, which had been growing and shrinking repeatedly until now, began to change color. A dazzling, brilliant purple wave began to ripple out from his eyes.

A purple light streamed into my eyes and penetrated into the soul beyond.

He asked. His question came deep and heavy, like an echo from the abyss.

“Who the hell are you?”