How To Use Regressors

53 – Suspicious Request (6)

“Damn it.”

The thought that came to mind as soon as I returned to the mansion was that things had gone to shit.

“I should have held back… damn it.”

Although it was an incredibly frustrating situation, I should have definitely held back in that moment.

Sharis is an unbeatable force for me, almost like a top-level player.

“… They’re not coming to kill me, are they?”

If that woman turns hostile and tries to kill me, I can’t stop her from my standpoint.

*Sigh…*

My emotional control worked well on Earth, but here, sometimes, I couldn’t regulate my emotions.

“For now… For now, thinking won’t be of any use. First, let’s deal with Chimera…”

Chimera has returned, so I need to start by checking how the maidservant spent her day.

“Replay.”

Chimera immediately revealed herself in front of me and began to replay the conversations the maidservant had throughout the day.

“This is useless. Just sounds of her dining with the servants in the morning.”

“This too…”

“This is unnecessary.”

“… What’s this?”

『 Sharis. 』

『 Yes, Miss. 』

“Speaking of a man named Lee Yoon-sung… Doesn’t he look quite nice?”

“Hmm?”

“No, he’s quite good-looking, and I also like his personality.”

“Oh, really? You think so?”

“Yes, that’s why I’ve been trying to get closer to him during work, but he doesn’t seem to notice. He may look a bit unruly, but is there a difference between looks and character?”

“Who the hell is saying that someone looks unruly?”

I couldn’t believe the fact that someone with the title of ‘Tangnyeo’ was evaluating my appearance like this.

“Well… It might be a bit challenging to approach from that angle, different from your looks.”

“No, it doesn’t seem like a challenge. I’ve been observing for a while, and his way of dealing with women isn’t ordinary.”

“Or maybe it’s because the lady has a certain status, so he’s a bit hesitant to approach?”

“Hmm… You think so? Men usually like having fun with women of higher status, you know, they feel a sense of conquest.”

“Well, there are men like that, but men who are thoughtful usually think about the possible complications first.”

“Why the hell is this guy seriously advising me? They’re both playing games.”

“Is that so? In that case, should I approach him cautiously?”

“Yes, especially with someone like that, it might be a good idea to approach cautiously, Miss.”

“Alright, Shalise. Oh, and I’ll need to go shopping in the market soon.”

“The market?”

“… Should I get ready for that soon?”

“Yeah, would you do that? I need to see if there are any good male slaves available. They seem to be piling up lately.”

“… It’s about the slave market.”

It must be an implication to buy slaves. Since dealing with slaves is legally prohibited in neutral countries, it’s certain.

“… I should discreetly find out their location.”

The slave market might have its uses in various ways, so it’s good to have this information.

I listened to the rest of the conversation, but it seemed to be a useless one, so I skipped to the next part.

“This is also useless.”

“… This is unnecessary too.”

“… This one…”

“Shalise.”

“… Old man, why did you contact me? I told you not to.

“Who is the other party?”

I heard the other person’s voice for the first time. And then I kept hearing it.

“…I heard that Ajit of Barhen was discovered there.”

Finally, a conversation that would be of use to me started. In the context of the conversation, it was presumed that Ajit of Barhen referred to the dungeon we discovered.

“Barhen? Who is Barhen?”

“That idiot is at fault. I clearly told them not to experiment here.”

“…”

“I clearly said to stay quiet. If you want to babble, do it amongst yourselves. Why are you babbling and experimenting in my presence?”

“Well…even though Barhen is lacking in some aspects, he was once our colleague, wasn’t he?”

“A colleague? Bullshit. That lump of shit is a colleague? Sorry, but since the location is Baijangbae’s territory, you should also make a choice? Whether to abandon that bastard or not.”

“…”

“It’s already over from the moment Ajit was caught. If I were to give you one advice, it would be to abandon Barhen. After all, it’s Baijangbae’s territory.”

“Have you really made up your mind?”

“Sigh…I told you, didn’t I? My purpose is to live quietly. Is that what Sitri-sama also desires?”

“Sitri?”

I distinctly remembered seeing the title of Sitri’s second finger in her status window.

“Was Citri the Commander of the Demon Corps? If so, are these guys related to demons?”

『If that’s the case… I have nothing to say.』

『Anyway, stop bothering me. Don’t contact me again. I have no connection with you anymore.』

『I’m sorry, I understand. I wish you all the best in the life you want.』

『Click.』

『Ah… wishing is bullshit. Don’t interfere, you crazy inspiration grenade.』

After that, there were only pointless conversations and discussions with the nobleman’s daughter whom they had met earlier.

“For now, today’s earnings are substantial.”

What I definitely felt was that the presence of this chimera was a significant advantage for me.

“I haven’t done just this in the information warfare.”

And another thing I realized… this request doesn’t seem as serious as I initially thought.

“Whether it’s a slob or whatever, I don’t know what this guy is… But it seems like the other guys are willing to abandon their comrades, as it’s as valuable as a territory belonging to the White Hoods…”

Just by speculating from their recent conversation, I couldn’t tell what kind of person this “slob” was, but at least, from the sounds of it being a loser or a baggage carrier, it seemed like a weaker presence compared to Sharis.

“Well… still, just in case, it’s better for our party to avoid attacking them.”

I couldn’t be sure of how strong this “slob” was, but it was clear that while weaker than Sharis, they wouldn’t be weaker than us.

If you were to advise Young-Ae to put together a somewhat decent party to captivate them, she would probably buy into it.

“The problem is, what exactly are these bastards up to…”

Charis, who had withdrawn from the job, had no idea who these other guys were in the conversation.

One thing is for sure: they are somehow connected to the beings known as demons or leaders of the underworld army.

“Well, if it’s not something that can be solved by thinking about it right now, I just need to keep it in my head.”

If it’s not something that can be solved immediately, there’s no need to think too much. Since Seo Yoo-Ju is there, most things will be resolved within her purview anyway.

******

The next day, I coincidentally ran into Charis at the mansion and assessed the situation.

“Please… Nothing happened, right?”

It better not have.

I passed her as if nothing happened yesterday.

“…. Over here.”

When she called out to me, I silently screamed inside.

“Darn it…!”

“Haha… Nice to meet you, Charis, my lady. As for yesterday…”

“… Yesterday, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have meddled in my affairs…”

“No, it’s okay. Yesterday… I think I lied. I hope you didn’t take it to heart.”

“… I don’t care about that. Anyway, I apologize for yesterday.”

“No, I don’t care either, so there’s no need for Sharis to apologize. Well then…”

“Wait…”

‘Sigh…’

“… Yes. Is there something else you need…?”

“… No.”

“Okay. Then I’ll be going.”

‘I should be grateful that there’s nothing else.’

I wondered what would happen if that woman held a grudge against me, but thankfully, it seemed like she had no ill feelings.

“Phew… I should quickly return to the clan or something…”

Even after that, I kept an eye on Sharis while staying in the mansion, but there was no other gain. That conversation from before was all. It seemed almost certain that she had let go.

Anyway, the matter with Sharis was almost resolved, and Tierra was delicately balanced, not crossing the line. Of course, I had to consider the gains and losses when I got closer to her for a long time.

If there was one problem, it was that I wanted to get information about the black market route from her, but there was no way to obtain it. She wouldn’t bring up the black market first, and it was impossible for me to ask first.

“It’s a headache.”

In order to find out the secret route to the black market, I tried to please her but it was in vain.

For now, just in case, I have transferred Yeong-ae to Shalice as the surveillance target.

I don’t know if it bothers her that I’m the one who never loses, but lately she has been getting on my nerves.

“Should I handle her?”

I have already planned out what to say in case she becomes excessively annoying or crosses the line, but this is a plan to be used when there is no other choice.

As the precious daughter of Byeong-gyeongbaek, I cannot avoid his anger even if I try to handle her.

“Well… as long as I don’t get caught, it should be fine, but the task won’t be easy so there’s no need to do it.”

Since this is the seventh day that we have decided to stay in the mansion, I was on my way with the party members to find Yeong-ae.

Knock.

Knock.

“Miss Tiera, it’s Seo Yu-ju. May I come in?”

– Ah, come in.

As I opened the door and entered, I saw a woman who looked slightly tired. It seems that she has been busy recently due to the discovery of the dungeon. Shalice was standing politely by her side.

“Byeong-gyeongbaek is also absent, so it must be a headache. What would a brat like me know?”

“Lady Tierra, since today is the last day we’ve agreed to stay, I’ve come to inquire about your plans for the current request.”

Seo Yooju spoke to Yeongae. We couldn’t stay here forever since we were part of the clan.

As we hadn’t resolved the current situation, we needed to finish the request, whether by reducing the fee or other means.

“Hmm…”

Tierra appeared to be contemplating whether to send us back or not.

“…”

Tierra waited about a minute for Yeongae’s response before she spoke.

“By any chance, do you have any intention of conquering the dungeon?”

“Lady Tierra, as I’ve mentioned before, a dungeon suitable for us…”

“I’ve decided to entrust the request to another clan.”

“Another clan?”

“Yes. Based on your investigations, it seems likely that the dungeon’s rank is that of a hero.”

“May I ask which clan you’ve entrusted the request to?”

“The Myth Clan.”

The mention of the Myth Clan made me startle. I hadn’t expected any connection to Yoon Yeon’s clan from this place.

Ser Yooju’s expression shifted slightly, apparently surprised to hear the words “Shinhwa Clan” from Youngae’s lips.

“…. Shinhwa Clan? So, are you suggesting that you want us to collaborate with the Shinhwa Clan to conquer a dungeon?”

“Yes, that’s right. And if you accept the proposal, we are willing to offer additional compensation. Since the dungeon is of hero grade, the usual reward might not be sufficient.”

Indeed… not a bad proposal. Collaborating with the Shinhwa Clan to conquer the dungeon could ensure safety, and for us, it would be a valuable experience to challenge a dungeon of hero grade.

“Experiencing the conquest of a hero-grade dungeon… it might be necessary at some point, so it’s not a bad proposal.”

Slightly anxious about experiencing a hero-grade dungeon before even reaching the one-year mark, but considering the power of the Shinhwa Clan, it seemed like a reasonable idea.

“Challenging a hero-grade dungeon right after conquering a rare-grade one might be too swift, but if it guarantees a safe conquest, it’s an excellent path for growth.”

However, blindly accepting is also a concern. Given that this involves someone like Baheun, the dungeon’s difficulty is definitely not going to be easy.

As we pondered, something unexpected came from Tiara Youngae’s lips.

“I hope you think carefully about this. The Clan Master of Shinhwa Clan expressed willingness to participate directly.”