The Regressor Can Make Them All

Chapter 72

The banquet hall, which had been in a state of complete restlessness due to the various incidents, was quickly calmed, and the warm, friendly atmosphere it originally had returned. Now, the students were back to introducing themselves to each other and exchanging stories as they moved around the hall. It was time for the main purpose—gathering connections—with the recruitment process for the freshmen being over.

Everyone moved around enthusiastically, enjoying the Noblesse, which they had been most looking forward to for a while.

“...”

However, despite the atmosphere, Se-Hoon’s table was dead silent, without a single student coming to interact. The scene seemed like he had invisible walls around him, protecting the area. And within those “invisible walls,” Se-Hoon was resting his chin on his hand.

They’re treating me like I’m not even here...

Realizing that Se-Hoon was an enemy of the Barmuth family, everyone began staying clear of him, avoiding any interaction with him if possible. It was the complete opposite of the atmosphere around him earlier when students would voluntarily gather to talk to him.

Well, these students most likely aren’t able to make a decision yet.

The Barmuth family, led by Vice Dean Michael, wielded significant influence within Borsippa. No matter how exceptional Se-Hoon’s abilities were, it was unfavorable if they rashly antagonized such a group by joining him.

At least they’re not outright attacking me after basically allying with those guys.

Now that he had become an adversary of the Barmuths, he expected aggressions from not only within the Department of Blacksmithing but also from multiple other sources.

Thus, he reviewed the plans he had in mind, making sure he wasn’t complacent about anything.

I guess partnering with the Myers for the mass production of sword aura swords shouldn’t be an issue... but maybe I should gather more investors, just in case.

While Se-Hoon was lost in thought, alone at the table, Jake approached with a fatigued expression.

“Sorry, I was held up by people on the way back here...”

“There’s no need to apologize. Where were you earlier?”

Upon hearing his question, Jake glanced around quietly before saying, “My sister called me over. She told me to leave quietly without telling you.”

“Ah, of course...”

It seemed it was just as he had suspected; she had been at the banquet hall earlier and inspected the interior then.

Thinking about her meticulous actions, Se-Hoon inwardly clicked his tongue. In the meantime, Jake was glancing around again. Then he asked, “I heard you had a conversation with my sister alone earlier.... Did something happen?”

“Something?”

“Like, did she... if she spoke to you in a coercive manner.... That kind of...”

Seeing Jake trying to be so roundabout due to being afraid that Aria might be listening, Se-Hoon chuckled.

“Nothing like that happened. We just talked about your sword and the mass production of sword aura equipment.”

“That’s a relief... wait. Mass-production of sword aura equipment?”

Surprised by the unexpected topic, Jake asked again, to which Se-Hoon calmly nodded.

“She asked if I’d like to cooperate with the Myers, but since there isn’t even a prototype yet, we decided to postpone it. She said to let you know once it’s made.”

“Is that so?” Jake said, perplexed by Se-Hoon’s story.

Although Se-Hoon had attracted attention at the auction house for creating pseudo-sword aura, it wasn’t at the level where she would discuss its mass production with him, so there had been no particular discussion about it within the family. So, the fact that such a topic came up meant that his sister had made a unilateral decision.

It’s the first time I’ve seen her take such an initiative...

Adding on the fact that she had decided to participate in the Noblesse after two years, it seemed Aria held Se-Hoon in higher regard than he had imagined.

Now finally understanding the situation, Jake became even more cautious than before.

“Did you guys discuss anything else?”

“She asked why I declined her request, but I explained that part well, so don’t worry. She won’t bother you about it anymore.”

“Really?”

Upon hearing his words, Jake immediately brightened up. It was a ray of sunshine after rain since he had just been reprimanded for not securing the request and cheekily having his own sword forged instead.

I’m finally free...! Jake silently celebrated.

Se-Hoon chuckled.

“It seems she has been bothering you quite a lot.”

“No, it wasn’t that bad...”

“What do you mean it wasn’t? It’s all over your face. Besides, she’s already gone, so what’s the harm in complaining a bit?”

Se-Hoon was utterly nonchalant, sitting there sipping his drink and exuding confidence.

Jake glanced around.

That’s true... Aria should have since her business here is finished...

Convincing himself it was safe, Jake relaxed and let out a deep sigh.

“It wasn’t too bad, but... honestly, it was tiring.”

“Does she always say to do as you please, but then, if she doesn’t like the result, she pretends to encourage you while actually picking on you? She feels just like that kind of person.”

“Exactly! I would rather she yell at me than continue to deal with her...”

Se-Hoon’s aptly participation allowed Jake to vent the frustrations about Aria that he had been holding back. They began chatting, feeling a bit relieved, but then they heard an announcement echoing throughout the banquet hall.

—The closing ceremony will soon take place, so we ask the students to please make their way to the garden.

At the announcement, the students in the banquet hall, who had been mingling, began moving one by one.

Similarly, Se-Hoon also stood up from his seat.

“I should be heading off.”

“Aren’t you going to watch the closing ceremony? I heard it’s going to be a different fireworks show than the one at the opening ceremony.”

“Well, fireworks are just fireworks. See you next class.”

With that, Se-Hoon walked away, leaving behind Jake, who was hesitant to hold him back since he seemed very tired due to all the events he’d gone through.

Maybe I’ll stay just a bit longer before heading back as well.

Thinking of how his friends would already be outside, Jake got up. At that moment, he felt something in his pocket.

Brrr-

His phone was buzzing in his pocket.

His body immediately stiffened, and he felt an inexplicable sense of dread. Then, with trembling eyes, he slowly took out his phone from his pocket, checking his message inbox.

Aria Myers: ^^

“Ah...”

He sighed, dreading the despair that would soon come down on him.

***

Boom!

Fireworks exploded loudly behind the great mansion. Standing in front of the mansion, Se-Hoon watched the fireworks that occasionally burst into promotional images for clubs in the sky with interest.

“Was that kind of firework already developed?”

The shape-shifting fireworks could change forms based on the kind of mana infused just before the explosion. He had used them as weapons before the regression despite their expensive cost since their effectiveness was undeniable.

Unfortunately, it’d be difficult to use them like I did before. They need some modifications.

Deciding to look into them if needed later, he turned around and began walking down that hill. But at that moment, he heard a sound coming toward him.

Vroom-

A black limousine smoothly stopped before him on the adjacent road. He looked at it with curiosity, and soon, the window rolled down to reveal Ren’s elite visage.

“Are you on your way back?”

“...Well, yes.”

“It’s a long walk to the dormitory; I can take you there if you want.”

Considering Ren’s offer for only a moment, Se-Hoon nodded.

“I’d appreciate that; thank you.”

After he got into the limousine and sat across from Ren, the car smoothly continued down the road.

Boom-!

All the while, the fireworks were still incessantly bursting into the sky. Seeing Se-Hoon examining them through the car window, Ren smirked.

“They seem pointless, right?”

“...Not really.”

“There’s no need to hide it. I felt the same way, even though I planned them myself.”

Turning his gaze to the fireworks through the car window, Ren began muttering indifferently.

“No matter how brilliantly they bloom, the fact that they will eventually fade away makes them futile. That’s why I’m not fond of fireworks.”

“Then why did you choose to use them for both the opening and the ending ceremony?”

“To support and gain influence over the Department of Enchantments—what other reason would there be?”

With a slight smile, he turned his gaze back to Se-Hoon.

“You made a mistake by being hostile toward Vier there. Barmuth has roots deeper and wider than you can imagine.”

Though it was known to the public as an emerging noble family that had only started to grow recently, its true depths were far from shallow.

Having that understanding of the Barmuth family, Ren continued to openly share his thoughts.

“But you’ll be somewhat safe on the grounds of Babel. This place is like a garden tended by the Emperor of Ascension, after all.”

“...”

“But I can’t guarantee you’ll be safe once you step outside the garden. Well, unless you become a Perfect One, that is.”

Far from being scared by Ren’s sincere warning, Se-Hoon looked at him silently, urging him to go on. And seeing that calm demeanor, Ren’s eyes slightly widened and a satisfied smile appeared on his face. He quickly got to the point.

“Ally with me.”

“...”

“Then, I’ll completely erase the entire Barmuth family from this world before you even graduate.”

His voice was filled with conviction, seemingly assured that they would be gone in the future.

To think that he actually considers the Barmuths as an enemy.... That’s unexpected. Se-Hoon thought, intrigued by Ren’s confident demeanor.

He had thought Ren was simply waiting for the right moment to ask him to join forces with them, so he hadn’t expected that Ren would take such an aggressive approach.

But after thinking about it for a while, he faintly understood the reason behind Ren’s unexpected attitude.

The sword aura equipment must have left quite the impression on him.

Maybe Ren was just eager because the principles behind it could potentially help with the research on the Mythical equipment that the Inoue family was still keeping secret.

Arriving at this point, Se-Hoon hesitated for a moment.

“I’m sorry, but I must decline,” he said eventually.

“If you trust the Myers, I can assure you that’s not a good choice.”

“It’s not really because of them.”

“Then why?”

To his question, Se-Hoon already had an answer.

“You made the offer using the Barmuths as an excuse, but I can easily handle them myself. Whether their roots run deep or not, ultimately, they’re just weeds to me.”

If he couldn’t even handle the Barmuths after regressing decades, how would he deal with the Six Harbinger of Destruction in the future? He already had a rough plan for the future, so there was no need to desperately seek Ren’s help.

“But what’s more important, is that I’ve already taken someone else’s hand.”

“And who might that be?”

“The next head of the Inoue family.”

Not even a second later, Ren’s eyes widened in realization, and he lowered his head to hide his expression. Then, his body began trembling faintly, and he raised his head, bursting into laughter.

“Hahaha! Right. I didn’t expect she’d already taken the lead.”

He laughed sardonically, thinking that the partnership of Se-Hoon and Erika was laughable. A while later, he finally managed to calm his laughter and compose himself. He nodded.

“Then, I won’t insist further. Once I become the head, you’ll serve under me anyway.”

“You seem quite confident.”

“Of course.”

With that arrogant yet natural answer, he twisted his lips and looked at Se-Hoon.

“It’s because we’re on completely different levels.”

[A bond has been successfully established with the subject ‘Inoue Ren’.]

The notification message immediately appeared in front of Se-Hoon.

Narrowing his eyes slightly, Se-Hoon realized that, in the end, Ren had recognized his existence.

Such a jerk...

It was clear that in Ren’s eyes, he had changed from simply being a useful pawn to an enemy.

These siblings are both missing a screw.

Why was it that all the so-called geniuses were like this? He lamented internally. Meanwhile, Ren glanced at his right hand.

“Ah. By the way, there’s something I need to apologize for.”

“Apologize?”

“I wanted to see how capable you were, so I planted a simple curse on you. Sorry about that.”

Showing his surprise at Ren’s honesty, Se-Hoon quickly frowned, now showing his displeasure.

“And you still planned to recruit me even after doing that?”

“I was going to remove it right away, but one thing led to another, and I forgot. I’ll send my apologies through Erika.”

Turning to look at the fireworks—the bunches of money—bursting in the sky, Se-Hoon reluctantly nodded.

“I’ll decide whether to forgive you after seeing your sincerity.”

Ren smiled softly at the blunt request: send generous compensation.

“It won’t be lacking. I’ll lift the curse now, so may I see your hand for a moment?”

“Yes, sure...”

Extending his right hand, Ren naturally grabbed it.

Black Mist Mirror

Ripples of waves began emanating from Ren’s hands and deeply permeated Se-Hoon’s body.

I’ll look into him one last time.

Black Mist Mirror was a spell that merged with the target and illuminated the darkness within their heart. And since it simply made Se-Hoon reflect on his past, with no malice imbued at all, Ren could easily bypass Se-Hoon’s wariness with it and delve deeper into his consciousness with it.

Soon, the darkness within Se-Hoon’s heart was reflected in Ren’s eyes, and a faint voice echoed in his ears.

“I'll let you live since I promised you that.”

In a place filled with blood and corpses, a man stood in front of a younger man who was kneeling on the floor helplessly.

“I will... kill you... no matter what it takes...”

The scene then faded away, and the emotions and thoughts of the young Se-Hoon, crying and tirelessly hammering away, after the event were felt by Ren for a moment before they also vanished like a mirage.

Mulling over the fleeting memory, Ren let go as if nothing had happened.

Swoosh-

Black Mist Mirror was pulled from the palm, dissipating into the surrounding mist. Realizing the curse was no longer present, Se-Hoon looked at Ren.

“It seems you’re done with your business, so please let me out now.”

“We’re still far from the dormitory.”

“I feel too uncomfortable to stay any longer.”

Seemingly unable to refuse Se-Hoon’s rough request, Ren pressed the call button beside his seat to stop the car.

Thump!

When it stopped, Se-Hoon stepped out of the limousine, gabbing the door before it could close automatically. He glared at Ren.

“Make sure you properly compensate me.”

Bang!

Closing the door with as much strength as he could muster, he walked away. leaving behind a leisurely smiling Ren.

So that’s why he acts so abruptly and fiercely.

Within Se-Hoon’s consciousness, Ren had seen the burning flare of revenge. And the target was a demon so well known in the underworld that even he was aware of it.

He realized that Se-Hoon must have been revealing his talents indiscriminately, increasing his enemies and allies, since he had no clues on how to find this demon.

Waiting until I become the head of the family will allow me to naturally gain him, but... I can’t just wait until then.

Ren believed that if he could fully utilize Se-Hoon’s talents for his family, then they could monopolize the blacksmithing industry within ten years—and eventually also forge the miracle weapon out of the divine artifact that was sealed in the main house.

With his decision made, Ren calmly gave the driver their next instruction. “Get me all of the information on the A-rank demon Immortal.”

***

Now out of the limousine, Se-Hoon was heading toward the dormitory on foot. Along the way, he was looking down at his right hand.

The curse planted on their first meeting had been bothersome, but he had let it be, thinking it might be useful. And thanks to his insight, it did turn out to be quite helpful.

A spell that infiltrates the body to peek into one’s heart.... He really acts just like how I’d expect him to.

It was a spell that stealthily allowed the user to cross psychological barriers rather than crossing directly, making it quite tricky to counter. And that was probably the exact reason why Ren had used it so confidently. However, unfortunately for him, his target this time wasn’t an easy one.

Blacksmith of Bonds is just the superior alternative.

With his unique skill that could peek into the heart and extract a mix of everything inside to materialize them, he was able to skillfully use it to only show Ren the unimportant memories. Then, he took advantage of the situation and extracted Ren’s bond.

[Extracting bond from subject ‘Inoue Ren’]

[The bond with the host is Lv.1.]

Taking the opportunity, he used the Phantasmal Spyblade to confirm that memories were mixed into bonds. Of course, it wasn’t easy to view those memories, but since Se-Hoon had been semi-assimilated with Ren, he had managed to glimpse a part of those memories.

“If you wish to become the head of the family, you must discard even trivial emotions like familial love.”

The shadow of a man flickered against the candlelight beyond a thin veil.

It seemed unbelievably cold for a conversation with a son who had just turned ten, but neither the father nor the son seemed to care.

“If it’s really necessary... I can discard it.”

“Then kill Erika. That will be the day you become the head.”

The man demanded the boy, Inoue Ren, prove himself by killing his own sister. Answering those expectations, Ren responded without hesitation.

“I will definitely prove it to you.”

It was a very brief conversation. But while Se-Hoon couldn’t uncover the secrets of the Inoue family with that one scene, it had made something very clear to him.

These guys are definitely rotten.

A family that enacted human sacrifice spells and encouraged fratricide for succession couldn’t be normal.

Cooperation for the Myers and caution for the Inoues.

If he kept aiding Erika, it would naturally become clear whether the Inoues were actually affiliated with Watchers.

Done deciding how he would interact with the two families, he revisited his current goal.

...The Barmuths must be completely destroyed.

Ren had mentioned that he would erase them before Se-Hoon’s graduation, but Se-Hoon didn’t plan on letting them last even the rest of the year.

Thinking about his plans for the future, Se-Hoon’s lips curled up.