How To Use Regressors

49 – Chapter 49 – Mysterious Request (2)

‘Ugh… Good grief.’

In the end, due to Seo Yooju’s single word, we all found ourselves in the reception room.

Normally, our party members, especially newcomers, wouldn’t enter the reception room, but most of our members were currently on an expedition, so we were in the reception room as well.

Lee Jaehyo spoke to the woman.

“Um… Your name is Miss Sharis, correct?”

“Ah… Yes, that’s me.”

The woman called Sharis fiddled with the tea set meant for guests.

“Is the request from… Count Silverstein?”

“Yes, that’s correct. To be precise, it’s Lady Tiera of the Silverstein family who is making the request.”

I quietly asked Seo Yooju because I was curious about what kind of family the Silverstein family was.

“Yooju, do you know what kind of family the Silverstein Viscount is?”

“Oh… The Silverstein Viscount is from a family led by the neutral Viscount Maximilian, the leader of the Changbang Viscounts in the neutral country.”

‘A Changbang Viscount…’

“More importantly, Yoonseong, why are you sweating so much? Are you feeling unwell, perhaps?”

‘Damn it… It’s because of you…!’

Despite the turmoil in my mind over who caused this trouble, seeing her genuinely concerned for me twisted my insides.

“No, I’m fine.”

‘You… damn it, cancel the dinner appointment. Damn it…’

I anxiously observed the situation.

“Well… it might sound a bit strange to ask, but could we inquire why the Silverstein Viscount has chosen to entrust us with a mission? I assume you already know, but most of our clan members are currently on an expedition…”

“Oh… the lady is aware of that fact. However, the newly formed party that joined Eternity this time is still with the clan.”

“Indeed, parties 9 and 6 remain with the clan, but if the mission is challenging, it might be better to consider another clan. We are a bit short-staffed, you see.”

“Um… well…”

Everyone looked puzzled at the hesitant expression on the woman’s face.

“…Is there a specific reason why you want to entrust this mission to our clan?”

“Hmm, well… it’s a bit awkward to say, but the young lady… over there… she wants to meet you.”

Pointing at me with his finger, I felt extremely flustered. Why would the daughter of a count want to meet me?

‘What…’

Seo Yujoo had a bewildered expression. With a spark in her eyes, she asked the woman.

“… Why does the daughter of the count want to meet Yoon Sung?”

“Well… in the promotional journal, there are pictures of all of you… After seeing the pictures, she wanted to meet…”

‘What crazy talk is this? So she wants to meet me just because she saw my picture in a promotional journal? What…’

Seeing our perplexed reactions, the woman hurriedly explained.

“Oh, no, it’s just that the lady wanted to meet at the party she was already interested in while entrusting the request!”

‘What are you saying, crazy…’

The desperate actions and tone were all giving me goosebumps, knowing it was all just an act. If that was real acting, then this woman had definitely won an Oscar for Best Actress.

“So… could you tell me what the request is?”

“Ah… there’s a report that undead creatures are appearing in a forest a little away from the estate. I hope you can investigate the cause and eliminate them at the same time.”

“… Can you tell what kind of undead creatures are appearing?”

“They are like ghouls, lower-level undead. So, the lady believes that if it’s the Eternal Youth party, you should be able to handle it easily…”

“I understand. However, I have one question. Why not resolve it with the soldiers of the Territory?”

“Ah… I’m not sure about that either… It’s just that I don’t have the luxury because of the Eastern Alliance.”

‘Eastern Alliance?’

I’ve heard of the existence of the Eastern Alliance, but since I don’t know the details, it would be good to ask Seo Yujoo later.

“Hmm…”

Lee Jaehyo seemed to be pondering. Since the request doesn’t seem difficult, I think it would be a good experience for our party.

‘Damn… Please reject it.’

I have no desire to take on a request related to that crazy woman. Of course, there’s a possibility that it’s just a normal and mundane request, but the mere possibility of danger is reason enough to be reluctant.

‘And there’s no conclusive evidence that the undead she summoned.’

Above all, the fact that such a woman is a servant in the influential White Clan of the neutral country seemed suspicious.

‘I need to complete the experiment quickly. I have to finish it as soon as possible.’

I couldn’t stay in this state of anxiety. I had to keep a close eye on that woman as soon as possible. She was like a bomb waiting to explode. I don’t know why such a monster is a servant in the White Clan, but it’s unlikely to be for a good reason.

“Do you know the extent of the reward?”

“The lady said she would give a generous reward. Oh, right! Wait a moment…”

She rummaged through her belongings and handed a document to Lee Jaehyo.

“The repairs… will be carried out as stated on the document, and… I’ve been told that additional compensation will be given to that person over there.”

“No, why?”

It sounded like a pleading ghost. I couldn’t understand why they wanted to see me, or why they were giving extra compensation only to me.

“Well… alright. I will accept the request.”

Yi Jaehyo seemed pleased with the compensation, as he put down the document and accepted the request.

“Fuck.”

“Hehe… Then please come to the estate after this week!”

******

After that crazy woman left, I cautiously suggested to Yi Jaehyo that I wanted to retract my acceptance of the request. But my words were rejected.

Instead, I received puzzled looks for not wanting to leave the request.

“Damn it… I can’t even tell the truth. Shit!”

Now I couldn’t stop the request. I had to complete the experiment as soon as possible. Fortunately, Seo Yooju handed me the materials three days later.

“Yoon Sung-ssi, here are the materials you wanted. I’m not sure if they’ll be helpful, but…”

“Thank you, Yooju-ssi. May I examine the materials for a moment?”

“Of course. Take your time.”

I started examining the ingredients using the artifact.

[ Fairy Powder (Hero-level) – Fairy powder occasionally left by fairies. It is rarely found and can be used as material or catalyst. ]

[ Unicorn Horn (Legendary-level) – Unicorn horn, not often found on the continent. It possesses power and has the effect of purifying or neutralizing evil. It can also be used as material or catalyst. ]

“Unbelievable.”

I expected materials of hero-level at most. There was no way Seoyuju would give me low-quality materials.

But legendary-level materials were a different story.

Moreover, there wasn’t much time left, so I had asked Seoyuju to get them as quickly as possible. But I didn’t expect her to bring back legendary-level materials.

After running around tirelessly for three days, she looked like she went through a lot.

“Damn it! Thank you, Yujoo! I’ll treat you to a meal multiple times!”

The feeling of wanting to shake Seoyuju’s head because of the request disappeared like melting snow.

“…..Thank you very much, Yujoo. I don’t know how to express my gratitude…”

“No worries. Just don’t forget about the meal promise. Got it?”

“Of course. It’s not just about the meal, right? If there’s anything you want, please let me know. I’ll do it all for you.”

“Huh? You can’t take back what you just said?! You said you would do anything just now!”

I regretted my impulsive words, but receiving this level of help and just treating her to a meal felt morally wrong, so I nodded my head.

“Understood. I have an experiment to conduct, so I’ll clear the space first. Thank you very much, Miss Yoo.”

“Yes, don’t worry about me, please go ahead.”

“All right then…”

He immediately moved to the laboratory and began the experiment. He had been steadily gathering magical power in the artifact and had also collected the materials he had received on the previous expedition.

The materials Sooyou brought were undoubtedly of the highest grade. It was impossible to fail in the experiment with these.

It had to be completed before the commission set off.

******

“Why is it so hard to see you these days, hyung? Are you okay?”

Hyunjin approached as they were having a meal with the party members.

“Ah… I’m fine. I’m just a little tired because I have an experiment to do.”

“Hey, are you sure you’re okay? Your face looks like you’re about to keel over. Haven’t you been sleeping properly lately?”

Yunseong felt embarrassed by Kangi’s question. In reality, he hadn’t been getting proper sleep for the past few days due to his focus on the experiments.

“Yunseong, it’s great that you’re working hard, but take care of your health. You look really tired.”

“It’s just tiredness, there’s no need to worry. More importantly… Hyunjin, how’s your training going?”

“Oh, yes, hyung. I’ve been practicing diligently and learning a lot from Miss Yoo. Of course, I use a sword, and Miss Yoo uses a spear, but there’s still a lot to learn.”

After a brief look at Hyunjin’s status window, an increase in his abilities was noticeable.

“Good for you. Hey, Gangiseo, how have you been at the fortress? Is everything going well?”

“Well, me?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, as for me… I’m just doing my thing. Sometimes, when I don’t know something for sure, there’s someone in the same clan who shoots arrows, so I ask them…”

“I see.”

Certainly, it seemed that as an archer, it would be more difficult for her to train than for melee classes.

“Haeun, how about you? Are things going well?”

Since I hadn’t been paying much attention to Tong Song Haeun at the fortress, I asked her once.

“Oh… Yes. Recently, I made a contract with a fire attribute spirit.”

“Oh, so you can handle both attributes?”

“Yes, Oppa.”

Wind and fire attributes… It definitely seemed like a good combination.

“Hey, instead of that, why don’t you come down to the first floor and have a meal together?”

Recently, I had been focused on my experiments and had been eating in my private room, so it seemed like Gangiseo was suggesting this.

“Finally, we should see each other at the dining table. We’ve been busy with our individual training all this time.”

“… Now, I’m coming down to have a meal. The experiment is almost over.”

“Is that so? Well, fine. Besides, we’re setting off for our commission in three days, right?”

“… Right.”

The thought of the commission still troubled him. As he planned to finish the experiment today, he intended to keep a close watch on the woman as soon as they arrived at the place called Youngji.

“Brother, what exactly is the commission about? I heard from Sister Yujoo that the client has specifically chosen our party…”

“… I don’t know the exact details either, but they mentioned something about undead appearing in the forest near Youngji. They want us to investigate and resolve the situation.”

“Undead?”

“Yes. I heard it’s supposed to be a low-level undead incursion, so the commission difficulty might not be very high… but I can’t be certain.”

He wished it were a more straightforward commission. If it weren’t for safety concerns, he would have brought Jae Hyo along for this one as well. But this was their second expedition as a party, and it didn’t seem like a good idea.

“Damn, are they expecting us to handle things on our own from the second one onwards…”

Someone might ask if it was alright because Seo Yujoo was there, but her abilities were top-tier among the strongest. They couldn’t rely on her alone. If that woman decided to harm them, there wouldn’t be any way to stop her.

“Considering that Seo Yujoo didn’t react at all to that woman’s face, there’s a chance that nothing will happen… but I can’t let my guard down. It’s a world of difference between planning ahead and not doing so.”