This Regressor Does it for Free – Chapter 20

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Simzy
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Lina was dreaming.

Even now, she could vividly see it. Her comrades, more valiant and righteous than anyone, dying tragically.

People sang of the heroes’ deaths. They glorified and praised them as saviors of the world.

But Lina, who had witnessed the reality firsthand, knew how cruel and horrific it truly was.

There was no honor in death. Only the living bestowed honor upon the dead.

No one cared how miserably and painfully the heroes had died, or the unspeakable indignities they had suffered.

Her comrade, renowned as a righteous thief, had his insides eaten alive by monsters. She couldn’t forget his horrific screams.

[Aaagh! Just kill me! Kill me!]

The saintess, blessed by the Goddess, had been toyed with and mocked before dying at the enemy’s hands.

[Ahh! No! Don’t spread them! I don’t want them to see! No!]

Victoria, who had protected her comrades at the front lines, had been hacked into an unrecognizable mess of flesh.

[Lina, please live for me too.]

There was no honor in death. Lina knew that all too well. As she closed her eyes, the final moments of her dying comrades replayed endlessly in her mind.

None of them deserved to die like that. They were heroes in every sense of the word.

And Lina had been the one leading them.

Every time a comrade died, Lina saw their ghosts.

They asked her why she hadn’t saved them, questioning the value of their sacrifices.

Lina couldn’t answer.

Even at the very end, when they finally achieved victory in the holy war, she couldn’t answer.

Because no one was left by her side. Lina stood alone on a land filled with nothing but blood and corpses.

‘In this life… I won’t let anyone suffer the same fate. I’ll protect them, no matter what.’

Lina’s dream continued.

She dreamt of Victoria, whom she considered a sister, crying, wounded in body and soul, having lost her family just like in her past life.

Victoria blamed Lina for not saving her.

Lina woke up from the horrific dream, screaming.

“No!”

She was awake. Thank goodness it was just a dream.

But as she came to her senses and looked around, she saw her comrades, who had been sleeping around the campfire, staring at her.

She was mortified when her eyes met Kerry’s.

“I-I’m sorry!”

Lina apologized and pulled the blanket over her head.

Lina and her companions were on their way to save Victoria, her former comrade. Just like in her past life, Victoria had become the target of an assassination.

Lina desperately wanted to save her.

The group busily packed their belongings, preparing to depart.

Thanks to Kerry’s meticulous preparations, Lina didn’t have to worry about anything.

She wasn’t good at these kinds of tasks.

Her kind heart made her uncomfortable giving orders to others.

It was a small thing, but she was grateful for Kerry’s presence.

“Then let’s depart, my ladies.”

Lina and her companions boarded the carriage and set off.

Inside the carriage, everyone was staring at Lina.

“Lady Lina, you must have had a nightmare last night. I’ve never seen you scream like that before.”

Lina was annoyed by Kerry playfully mimicking her scream, “No!”

Lina blushed slightly and looked away, replying,

“Yes… I had a rather bad nightmare.”

It was understandable, considering that Victoria, whom she considered a sister, had become a target just like in her past life.

All Lina could think about was preventing that horrific massacre.

Although Kerry had playfully teased her about last night’s incident, he knew the truth.

‘It seems that Victoria, the person we’re going to save, suffered something terrible.’

It was a deduction he could only make because he knew Lina was a Regressor.

Lina’s smiles had drastically decreased since seeing the assassination order.

‘Cheer up, Lina! I’ll do everything I can to help.’

The journey was smooth. Goblins and kobolds occasionally harassed them, but they were no match for the group.

They merely served as stress relief for Lina.

Natasha, also seemingly itching for a fight, actively dispatched them.

It was a leisurely journey. They would arrive in a few days.

It was quite a distance. The main reason was that they couldn’t travel at night.

Although the nights were tedious, Kerry was looking forward to nightfall today.

Because he could be alone at night.

“Finally, I can charge the magic storage orb.”

Charging the magic storage orb, as instructed by the White Witch, was something he had to do himself.

He had already received a thorough explanation from the White Witch.

[Imagine accumulating mana in the orb, just like you accumulate it in your heart. But it won’t be as slow as accumulating it in your body. An hour should be enough to fully charge it.]

An hour.

Even that was based on the White Witch’s high estimation of his talent.

Dawn arrived. Kerry checked to see if his companions were asleep.

‘They’re all sleeping soundly. Even the coachman, who said he would keep watch, was fast asleep.’

Everyone seemed to be in a deep sleep. Kerry needed a quiet place to concentrate, so he entered the empty carriage.

The cold air inside the carriage jolted him awake.

“Let’s begin.”

He sat in a meditative posture and placed the orb in front of him.

Kerry began to concentrate.

His inner world naturally formed in his mind.

A world identical to reality, yet where invisible things could be seen.

Kerry now knew that the invisible things were mana.

Charging the orb was slightly different from accumulating mana in his heart through breathing.

According to the White Witch, since the orb was much more durable than the human body, he could pour mana into it without worry.

The White Witch had described the sensation as pouring a gentle vortex into the orb.

Kerry began to concentrate, visualizing the vortex. The mana inside the carriage slowly began to move in his inner world.

It gradually formed the shape of a whirlpool, with the magic storage orb at its center.

He had to concentrate.

Sensing and manipulating the mana in the air wasn’t something Kerry was used to yet.

The mana in his inner world swirled like a vortex.

The blue mana slowly moved, forming the shape of the Milky Way.

All the mana inside the carriage was now under Kerry’s control.

Kerry began to slowly pour the mana closest to the center of the vortex into the orb.

The magic storage orb emitted a faint light.

It was a sign that it was working.

With each bit of mana he poured in, the speed gradually increased, as if gaining momentum.

The movement of the mana, which had been slow like the Milky Way, accelerated.

Sweat dripped from Kerry’s forehead.

Lost in concentration, Kerry lost track of time.

The hour the White Witch had mentioned was almost up.

He was so focused that he didn’t even realize he was drenched in sweat.

The swirling mana was being sucked into the orb at an increasing speed.

He didn’t have to worry about overloading it like a human body. The orb would stop accepting mana when it was full.

How much mana had he poured in?

The magic storage orb flashed brightly. The carriage window briefly shimmered.

Inside the carriage, a softly glowing blue orb rested in his hand. Kerry lifted the magic storage orb.

“…Did I succeed?”

It was probably a success. He would have to ask the White Witch to be sure, but it looked similar to what he had heard.

He could finally use magic! It was a momentous occasion, two years after arriving in this world. It was a moment of overwhelming emotion.

He wanted to use magic with the orb right away, but it was still dark.

Since his companions were all asleep, he had no choice but to wait.

“I can’t test the magic right now, but I should at least confirm if this is correct.”

He still had some time before morning.

He might be a little sleep-deprived, but he was too excited about finally being able to use magic to sleep.

Kerry took out the orb and transported himself to the White Witch.

“How about making an appointment next time? This is a lady’s bedroom, you know.”

The White Witch said, hurriedly adjusting her clothes as if she had been in the middle of changing. The sight was quite alluring.

The atmosphere was slightly awkward.

Perhaps because the White Witch had been changing her clothes. And because they were in her bedroom.

The White Witch’s face was also slightly flushed.

The memory of their encounter on that bed kept flashing before his eyes.

As if to dispel the awkward atmosphere, the White Witch spoke.

“Seeing as you’ve returned after just a day… you must have succeeded.”

“…”

When Kerry didn’t reply, the White Witch continued, flustered,

“C-Come to think of it, I have something I’m curious about too. It’s always you asking the questions.”

“What are you curious about?”

“Your name… what’s your name?”

“Kerry.”

“Can I call you Kerry?”

“Do as you please. Come to think of it, I don’t know your name either. What’s your name, Witch?”

“Andreana Carteret.”

“That’s a mouthful. I’ll just call you Witch.”

“…As you wish.”

‘Why does the atmosphere always get strange when I’m with him?’

Perhaps it was because they had already been intimate. Honestly, the memory of that moment was still vivid in her mind.

It was the first time in a hundred years of solitude in this place that she had experienced such intense stimulation.

‘I was forced… my pride must have been deeply wounded… but why don’t I hate the memory?’

The White Witch couldn’t understand her own feelings. This was a first for her.

Her heart would race whenever she saw Kerry.

Kerry’s voice broke through her reverie.

“Witch, take a look at this.”

The White Witch looked at the orb Kerry offered her. It was a magic storage orb, filled with vibrant blue mana.

‘He really did succeed.’

Kerry had accomplished in just one day what she had only explained verbally, without even a demonstration.

It was a talent that could be called prodigious. As expected, Kerry was no ordinary man.

He was different from the men with meager talent she had seen before.

She had finally met a man with talent comparable to her own.

“Impressive… I didn’t think you’d manage it in just one day.”

“Just like you said, it was easy once I imagined storing mana in the orb instead of my heart.”

‘If it were that easy, no one would struggle.’

The White Witch gazed at the mana-filled orb.

“It seems you haven’t tried using the magic stored in this orb yet. Would you like to try it here?”

“Can I?”

“Yes, outside the bedroom, it’s possible.”

Come to think of it, he had never left the White Witch’s bedroom before.

The White Witch and Kerry went outside.

He now saw that it wasn’t just a bedroom but a vast white castle.

“This is a castle…”

“Did you think I lived in a single room?”

Outside the castle stretched a vast grassland.

Although there was nothing there, he could understand why the White Witch called this place a utopia.

“This should be far enough from my castle. Feel free to use your magic.”

Kerry took the orb out of his pocket. The orb, brimming with vibrant mana. He had seen magic emanating from the orb twice before.

Once when he was with the bandits, and once when Lina demonstrated its use.

Invisible wind blades ripping through the earth with sonic booms was a spectacle worthy of being called magic.

“Huu.”

He took a deep breath. Operating the charged orb was simple.

All he had to do was hold the orb and strongly visualize the magic stored within it. He didn’t know the principle behind it, but that’s what she had said.

“Wind Blade.”

As Kerry muttered the words, his hair fluttered in the wind, and a gust of wind swirled around him.

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