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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Simzy
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The villagers left without hesitation to gather the money. It was understandable. For one’s family to become a ghoul was, in a way, more cruel than death.
“Adventurer, please don’t go anywhere! Stay right here!”
“We’ll definitely get the money. Thank you for giving up the high-grade holy water, blessed by Goddess Elena, for us.”
They were free to misunderstand, but Kerry just wanted to get rid of the holy water imbued with that goddess’s divine power.
‘I think I have a rough idea of what the skeleton and pig are planning.’
Turning the villagers into ghouls and deliberately revealing their location.
It felt like they intentionally allowed the village youths to track them.
Why?
They were probably setting a trap at the farmhouse.
There was definitely some kind of trap waiting.
At the very least, a ghoul ambush was a hundred percent guaranteed.
He didn’t know much about ghouls, but since it was their plan, it could be troublesome.
‘Still, they’re just ghouls. Don’t they have an obvious weakness? Fire, probably.’
It might be resolved more easily than he thought.
But he was still hesitant to rush into a trap blindly, so he needed more information.
However, it seemed there was no more information to glean from the villagers.
‘Considering what Lina said about the pig and skeleton resurrecting the White Witch, maybe the White Witch knows something about them? Could she be involved in the human sacrifices?’
He didn’t know yet. He shouldn’t jump to conclusions.
Regardless of what the White Witch had been like in the past life, she wasn’t involved with them now. She seemed to have changed over time.
He just needed to ask her directly.
Kerry grabbed the orb, and as usual, the location changed. He was in the White Witch’s bedroom. The pristine white room still felt like a mental hospital to him.
“You’ve come.”
The White Witch spoke while looking out the window.
Had his visits become so commonplace that they no longer surprised her? He felt a little disappointed.
“Witch.”
“What is it?”
“I have a question. Do you know anything about human sacrifices?”
The White Witch stared out the window, then looked at him with an incredulous expression.
It was a condescending look, but it suited her.
“Do you also think I achieved my accomplishments through unjust methods? Like those fools in the Magic Tower? Or did you hear something outside?”
Was he mistaken in thinking that the White Witch sounded offended?
“I achieved everything through effort and talent alone. If you’re going to say such things…”
“I apologize, Witch.”
“Hmph. A quick apology. You’re quite cute when you’re like this.”
“Witch, then I have one more question.”
“What is it?”
“Do you happen to know anyone who looks like this? One is skinny with a skeletal appearance and has a lot of piercings. The other is extremely obese with a pig-like nose.”
“I don’t know such imbeciles. Just from your description, they sound like the type I wouldn’t want to associate with.”
“That’s a relief.”
“What do you mean?”
“Those two are the worst kind of people. Honestly, if you were involved with them…”
“If I were?”
Kerry clenched his fist, and the White Witch quickly turned away, as if she’d seen a ghost.
“Fortunately, it seems you’re not as bad as the rumors say.”
“…I’ve done plenty of bad things.”
“Yes, I know. Especially staying in this white room that seems designed to drive someone insane. And those hardcore sadistic tools…”
“D-Don’t insult other people’s preferences! And this room is beautiful! You just lack the eye to appreciate it.”
Kerry just shook his head.
“I don’t have much time, so I have to go.”
“…”
“You seem disappointed?”
“I’m not. More importantly… how is your training going?”
Judging by her attempt to keep him there, the White Witch was definitely disappointed.
Well, once he left, she would be alone again.
He felt a little sorry for her.
He didn’t have much time, but a short conversation should be fine.
“I’m practicing the breathing technique you taught me whenever I have time.”
“Good. Come closer. I need to see how well you’re doing.”
The White Witch took his wrist, as if checking his pulse.
She carefully held his wrist, then blushed and said,
“…As expected, you have talent. You’re progressing smoothly. Just keep doing what you’re doing.”
“I see. Alright. I really have to go now. I’m busy.”
The White Witch waved her hand dismissively, as if urging him to leave quickly.
Kerry knew it was an act now.
After Kerry left, the White Witch’s room was silent. A quiet stillness descended. The familiar solitude.
It was always like this, but the intruder had made the familiar solitude feel strange. The silence began to feel unsettling.
She realized she had been looking forward to Kerry’s visits.
“…I’m looking forward to seeing him?”
Ridiculous.
“I am the White Witch.”
The Archmage who had terrorized the continent.
A woman who wasn’t satisfied even with a line of men more successful and handsome than him.
Yes, she was just a little lonely after being alone for so long. There was no way she would genuinely welcome the man who had violated her.
“Come to think of it… I still don’t know his name?”
She decided it wouldn’t be bad to learn his name the next time he came.
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Kerry returned to the village.
After waiting for a while at the spot where he had parted ways with the villagers, he saw them running towards him, their pockets bulging with heavy pouches.
Wow, how much was that?
‘The holy water business is booming.’
This was why it was important to choose the right side. His life had changed drastically just by associating with the Regressor.
“Adventurer, this is all the money we could scrape together!”
“I brought more! Adventurer!”
“This isn’t money, but… these are the jewels I was saving for my wedding! Adventurer, these are quite valuable! Please, the holy water…”
High-grade holy water was a powerful item.
He didn’t know how powerful the skeleton’s curse was, but a hastily prepared curse like this could likely be lifted with a single bottle of high-grade holy water.
He accepted the offerings from the villagers and handed them the holy water.
The villagers thanked him profusely.
“Now that I’ve got the money… the last thing to do is prepare to catch those bastards.”
He had already confirmed the location of the farmhouse where they were hiding. All that remained was to meet Lina and Natasha and relay the plan.
Then, he heard an unsettling sound.
Crash! Boom!
The sound came from quite a distance. He could see a cloud of dust rising into the sky.
It was coming from Ellie’s farmhouse, where the pig and skeleton were hiding.
Damn it.
It seemed someone, either Lina or Natasha, had rushed in.
“Just in case, I need to be thoroughly prepared.”
Kerry grabbed a villager and hurriedly began his preparations.
Preparations to defeat them.
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Lina clenched her fists after confirming the information about the skeleton and pig.
They were brazenly hiding in a farmhouse.
They had been staying there for several days.
‘If I go now, I might be able to save the people in the farmhouse.’
Thinking of the farmer who must be trembling in fear and begging for his life, Lina couldn’t stand still.
Just then, she saw Natasha.
“Natasha!”
Lina explained the situation.
Natasha gritted her teeth after hearing Lina’s story.
Those bastards were trying to repeat the horrific act they had committed against her tribe.
It felt a little too easy to find them, but that didn’t matter.
She saw the faces of the warriors who had died helplessly in her tribe.
Unbearable rage welled up inside her.
“Even if it’s a trap, we’ll just smash our way through.”
Natasha muttered.
Lina nodded.
Lina and Natasha charged towards the farmhouse where the pig and skeleton were hiding.
As expected, it was a trap, and the situation quickly deteriorated.
Even amidst the chaos, Lina was busy checking for victims.
“Buhihi! You foolish bitches walked right into our trap!”
“You overestimate your own abilities. Relying only on strength will get you nowhere.”
Lina’s eyes narrowed.
Ghouls surrounded them. They all seemed to be villagers from the nearby area.
Although the two men were mocking them for falling into the trap, Lina didn’t care.
In fact, she affirmed her decision.
‘The later I arrived, the more victims there would have been.’
It was better to fall into a trap than to let that happen. That was Regressor Lina’s way of thinking.
Natasha growled, radiating killing intent.
She saw the faces of her tribesmen superimposed on the villagers who had died and become ghouls.
Hatred surged within her, but she hadn’t lost her reason yet. She gritted her teeth and endured, determined not to repeat the same mistake.
“Natasha, this might be difficult, but we have to finish this here, just the two of us.”
Natasha nodded silently.
Honestly, it was a tough situation.
Dealing with Furuku and Nasen was challenging enough, but now they were surrounded by ghouls.
Individual ghouls weren’t scary, but their numbers couldn’t be ignored.
Moreover, Huruuku and Nasen wouldn’t just stand by while the ghouls attacked.
‘This won’t be easy.’
Lina glanced at Natasha growling beside her.
Her comrade who had died tragically in her past life.
She had vowed to prevent that from happening again, but here they were.
She was furious. So furious.
“Are you sure the two of you can handle this? Blondie, I acknowledge your strength, but breaking through this situation is impossible.”
“We’ll see about that.”
“Such bravado. More importantly, did you bring the item? It would be troublesome if it wasn’t there after all the trouble we went through to kill you.”
“Item?”
“Don’t play dumb. We’ve already confirmed that the orb is missing from the altar.”
“?”
“You’re good at feigning ignorance. If you just hand over the orb… we’ll spare your life.”
Liina was confused.
Didn’t they have the orb? She had clearly confirmed that it wasn’t on the altar.
‘But judging by the fact that they’re offering to spare our lives, they don’t seem to be acting… and there’s no reason for them to lie about this.’
It would be best if Lina disposed of the orb herself, but if it wasn’t in their hands, that wasn’t so bad either.
‘First, I’ll take care of Huruuku and Nasen here!’
“Stop talking nonsense and prepare to die. I’ll give you a quick death.”
“Damn bitch. Fine. We’ll cut off your limbs and torture you until you tell us where the orb is.”
They were always like this.
Lina gritted her teeth.
“So negotiations have broken down. How foolish. Buhihi! Ghouls! Attack th…”
Just as Huruuku was giving the order to the ghouls, a bottle came flying from somewhere.
The wick at the end was burning. It was a Molotov cocktail that Kerry had improvised.
“Lina! Natasha! Get away from the ghouls!”
“Husband!”
Clang!
Natasha, greeting him as if she’d forgotten her previous rage, and Lina sprang into action.
They instantly broke through the ghoul encirclement.
At the same time, the Molotov cocktail Kerry had thrown shattered, and the ghouls burst into flames.
“Kuueeeeek!”
The burning ghouls thrashed about, screaming as if they were alive. Even though they were dead and couldn’t feel pain.
Perhaps it was a similar principle to fish still twitching after being decapitated.
No, now wasn’t the time for such thoughts.
Kerry threw another Molotov cocktail.
Thanks to the flailing ghouls, the fire spread rapidly.
“We have to stop him! Huruuku!”
“Buhihi! Got it!”
Huruuku charged towards Kerry, his heavy body pounding the ground.
Despite his weight, he was surprisingly fast. Much faster than Kerry.
But Kerry wasn’t intimidated.
Natasha, enraged, was sprinting towards them.
“No one touches my husband!”
“Buhihi! This bitch again!”
Lina, seemingly leaving Huruuku to Natasha, charged towards Nasen.
“Husband! Run back!”
“I’ll leave him to you!”
“Yes!”
Natasha, maintaining a degree of composure, slowly cornered Huruuku.
She wasn’t mindlessly attacking like a wild animal as she had when she lost control before.
Natasha used her speed to hit and run.
Slash!
Cuts began to appear on Huruuku’s body. Red blood flowed from the wounds.
“You damn rat!”
Huruuku swung his iron club, but Natasha easily dodged.
She was fighting differently than when she first faced Huruuku.
‘…I can’t let my husband be put in danger again because of my foolishness!’
Natasha calmly pressed her attack. It was like watching a lioness hunt a water buffalo, full of dynamic energy.
Although Huruuku was much larger, his wounds were increasing, and he was being forced into a defensive position.
“Buhihi! Stop flitting around like a fly!”
Huruuku swung his iron club wildly. It was intimidating enough on its own.
But Natasha dodged every swing with feather-light movements.
“Kuueeek!”
Then, a burning ghoul joined the fight. Despite being on fire, its instincts craved human flesh.
“This is it! Buhihi! Ghouls! Attack the redhead!”
As Huruuku gave the order, the burning ghouls and the remaining unharmed ghouls charged towards Natasha.
‘Shit. This is bad.’
“Natasha, retreat for now…”
Before Kerry could finish his sentence, Natasha blurred and vanished for a split second, and then the ghouls’ heads began to roll on the ground one by one.
She had decapitated all the ghouls with a speed that was almost invisible.
“Gasp… Gasp…”
But Natasha was also clearly exhausted, breathing heavily.
“No one… touches my husband.”
The power of love was truly great. Natasha’s strength was greater than he had imagined. As expected of a Regressor’s former comrade.
Even Huruuku seemed surprised by Natasha’s momentary burst of speed.
Lina was relentlessly pressing her attack on Nasen as well.
It seemed as though everything would be over soon.
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