Ch.113EP.29 – King Kong and the Hybrid Clash (1)

Derrick was at a complete loss.

What was so difficult?

Was he perhaps caught with his identity exposed, cornered, or surrounded by enemies?

…He almost wished that were the case.

‘At least then my mind would be at ease.’

As Derrick smiled bitterly…

[Are you listening to me!]

“Ah, y-yes, I’m listening.”

[Then repeat exactly what I just said.]

“W-well…”

[I knew it. Derrick, you’re really too much! How could you forget your promise to me!]

“…Rather than forgetting, it was more like a one-sided promise that Your Highness made—”

[What did you say-?]

“…I’m completely at fault, Your Highness. Please don’t be angry.”

[Hmph!]

“Umm…!”

Derrick had to swallow a sigh, feeling indescribably awkward and embarrassed.

He wondered what he was even doing, coming all the way to this tunnel.

Anyone watching would have thought it was a lovers’ quarrel about to turn physical, and he was thankful Ihan hadn’t witnessed this.

…If he had, Derrick might have been torn limb from limb.

That was indeed a blessing.

Obviously, there’s no communication technology in this world.

Yet the reason Derrick could engage in romance—no, conversation—with a noble lady hundreds of kilometers away in the capital was solely thanks to an artifact.

An item obtainable at the Academy, [Bluebird’s Chirping].

It was an earring-shaped artifact that could only be used when shared between a man and a woman. Derrick knew it was an event item and had retrieved it in advance.

Despite the condition that it had to be shared between a man and a woman, anyone would acknowledge its tremendous utility.

Even in modern warfare, one can see how communication technology changes the battlefield.

For an event item, it was quite overpowered.

Well, at least right now.

[So, when are you coming back?]

“Ah, probably when the Academy break ends…”

[You mean you’ll return after summer is over? So you’re saying you won’t keep your promise to visit my mansion?]

“Th-that’s not what I meant…”

He had been reduced to the position of appeasing a woman with whom he shared a friendship.

Derrick was filled with regret.

‘…I shouldn’t have given it to her.’

He had entrusted it to her because she was the woman he was closest to and, above all, trusted, but he never imagined there would be such a drawback(??).

Derrick held back a sigh and addressed her—Karin.

“Your Highness, no, Karin, please let it go just this once. I’ll apologize properly when we meet next time.”

[Hmm, I find that hard to believe…]

“J-just this once.”

[Hmph! Only this time.]

“Th-thank you.”

For some reason, she often calmed down when he called her by name rather than by her title, and he was relieved that this tactic worked today.

‘What a relief.’

Considering how he had suffered all day when she was angry the previous day, she had calmed down relatively quickly.

Just as he was about to breathe a sigh of relief…

[Seeing as you contacted me first, I suppose you’re curious about the situation in the capital?]

“……”

[You’re so annoying.]

“I-I’m sorry.”

[Hmph!]

As expected of an intelligent woman, Karin quickly figured out why he had contacted her first.

It was indeed something Derrick felt bad about.

He was relying on her goodwill to gather information about what was happening in the capital.

However, he needed to pay attention not only to the tunnel but also to the capital—the center of all affairs.

‘Right now, Lord Roen and Lady Irene are in the capital.’

Originally, they would have been the protagonist and villainess of the original work.

But now, according to the instructor’s estimation…

‘Individuals predicted to be both regressors and possessors…’

They were clearly butterfly effects as unpredictable as the instructor himself.

Derrick couldn’t help but be curious about news of them.

[Hmph, using me as an informant will be expensive.]

“…I understand.”

[Sigh, well, nothing unusual is happening in the capital. ‘Externally,’ that is.]

“What do you mean by that…?”

[It means a lot is happening internally. For example, there’s news that Marquis Tristan has formally adopted Levi Jeanne d’Arc.]

“A-adopted?! You mean he’s not just taking her in as a foster daughter, but giving her the Tristan name?”

[It seems the Marquis has taken quite a liking to Lady Levi. When this news officially spreads, the social circles will be in an uproar for a while.]

“Wow…”

People say you never know how things will turn out, but who would have thought that the tragic hero would achieve such a rise in status…

‘At this rate, will all the information I have become useless?’

The fates of individuals had changed so dramatically.

Derrick couldn’t gauge what kind of turbulence this flow would bring, and his head was already aching.

However, as if to suggest that more complicated matters remained, Karin continued speaking.

[And recently, the existence of an ‘illegal slave auction house’ operated by a certain merchant guild has been revealed.]

“……”

[I’ve heard that the person who exposed the auction house’s existence, shut it down, and freed the slaves was a black-haired swordsman. Hmph, it seems he has no intention of hiding his identity.]

“…Lord Roen.”

[Most likely. Thanks to him, many people are now hailing Lord Roen as a hero… Though he himself continues to deny it.]

“Hmm.”

‘…So he went to rescue them.’

As Derrick heard about Roen’s actions, he realized what slave auction house he had attacked.

The slave auction house that appears in Chapter 17.

Run by the ruler of the underworld, with unpredictable auction locations.

So while Derrick knew of its existence, its whereabouts remained elusive.

But as expected of someone presumed to be a regressor, he seemed to have found the auction house, and Derrick could roughly guess his purpose.

‘Is he trying to eliminate Count Nolan, the underworld boss, recruit talented individuals from the auction house, and build goodwill with the dwarves?’

Count Nolan, the underworld boss, remains a troublesome enemy even in Chapter 30, so now would be the perfect time to deal with him preemptively.

The capital’s heightened awareness of crime due to recent terrorism would make the underworld boss at his weakest.

And eliminating Count Nolan would yield hidden funds sufficient to feed an army of over ten thousand for half a year.

Derrick guessed that Roen was denying his involvement to fully secure these hidden funds.

However, the true benefit of raiding the auction house lay in the ‘talent’ and ‘connections’ to be gained.

‘Weren’t the twin harpists at the auction house? If he could recruit them, they’d be Tier 1 talent…’

With proper nurturing, they could easily grow to Lv.7.

It was an opportunity to obtain [Hero Class] individuals that couldn’t be acquired with power or money.

Additionally, among those captured at the auction house would be ‘dwarves.’

A mysterious race known to repay grudges twofold and kindness tenfold.

Famous for their craftsmanship and wisdom, forming connections with them would be of immeasurable value.

‘He’s killed two birds with one stone—no, four birds with one stone.’

Honor, money, talent, and connections.

This was truly the textbook definition of a regressor’s privilege.

However, Derrick didn’t feel envious or resentful of what Roen had gained.

‘At least he didn’t do anything bad.’

Honestly, Derrick had never had a proper conversation with Lord Roen.

Moreover, contrary to what he knew, with the uncertain element of being a regressor, he didn’t know what kind of person Roen was.

But although Roen had pursued his own gain, the fact that he specifically targeted the auction house among all hidden pieces deserved credit.

After all, the longer the auction house remained, the greater the suffering of those kidnapped, and he had saved them.

‘At this time, if he wanted to profit, he could have targeted something like a [Dungeon], but he chose the auction house instead. He doesn’t seem like a bad person.’

Derrick inwardly gave Roen a positive evaluation and thought perhaps he could lower his guard a bit.

…Of course, given his personality, he couldn’t completely abandon all suspicion.

“K-Karin, if it’s alright, please continue to inform me about Lord Roen’s activities. You don’t need to dig too deeply.”

[Hmm, so you have suspicions about him?]

“…Haha.”

It’s impossible to hide anything from someone so smart.

[Hehe, alright. I was curious about him myself anyway.]

“?”

[D-don’t misunderstand! Not in a romantic sense. Understand? I don’t like that type of sleazy man; I prefer men who are cautious and look like drenched puppies. Got it?]

“Yes…?”

…Isn’t her taste in men a bit too specific?

That thought crossed his mind, but Derrick was wise enough not to voice it.

He simply respected her preferences.

But a cautious man who looks like a drenched puppy…

‘Has there been such a person around her?’

He also wondered if such a person actually existed.

[Ah, and about Lady Irene.]

“……”

Despite Karin’s obvious attempt to change the subject, Derrick focused on the word “Irene.”

Irene Windler.

A girl who was clearly a possessor as suspected.

However, unlike a regressor, Derrick judged that she seemed to have no information about this world.

After all, he’d never seen her take any initiative.

She gave the impression of a typical female protagonist from a romance fantasy novel, and sure enough…

[It seems she’s attracting attention from several powerful figures. Being the adopted daughter of Galahad is one thing, but the magic she displayed the other day was truly remarkable, wasn’t it? Because of that, I heard the heir to the Imperial Tower is coming personally to see Irene. Additionally, the Sultan from the Western Continent is planning to visit the kingdom out of interest in her water magic.]

“…Wow.”

The heir to the only Tower in the Central Continent and the Sultan of the Western Continent are visiting personally?

And all because of interest in one woman?

‘It feels like everything that should happen to the female protagonist is happening to Lady Irene…’

Originally, the real start of the original work should be next year, when Derrick would be in his second year.

But since the original work had been so distorted, nothing was accurate anymore, and events that should happen next year were already occurring.

So Derrick thought:

‘We’re screwed…’

He felt that over 70% of the information he possessed had become unusable.

The regressor (presumed) probably felt the same way.

‘This is why they say too many cooks spoil the broth.’

The ship wasn’t just going to the mountains; it was heading for the sky.

“Haah…”

[Why the sudden sigh?]

“Ah, sorry, Karin. My mind just got a bit complicated.”

[…Don’t worry too much. It’s not like you don’t have people to help you, including me.]

“……”

[I’m telling you not to struggle alone. Tsk, can’t you understand even this?]

“…No, I understand. Thank you, Karin. I feel a bit better thanks to you…”

[Just a bit?]

“Ah, much better…!”

[Hehe, that’s more like it.]

“…Haha.”

Her confident statement made him smile bitterly, but he truly did feel more at ease.

Was it because, unlike him, she was always confident and positive?

‘She’s a good person, Lady Karin.’

And she was someone who gave him a positive mindset.

Yes, as she said, what good would it do to suffer alone?

‘Let’s focus on the present.’

Let’s look at it positively.

It’s not that his information has become unusable, but rather that there are ‘two more’ individuals who can handle matters instead of him.

‘They’ll take care of their own business.’

Derrick tried to maintain a positive mindset and firmly believed that they would resolve the calamities they had brought upon themselves.

After all, weren’t they the regressor and possessor, two of the three major clichés in the culture industry?

‘Of course, the ultimate one is me (with my status window).’

So I just need to do my part well.

That’s all that matters.

With this mindset, Derrick exchanged a few more words with Karin before returning to his reliable collaborator.

He wanted to share the information quickly and resolve this matter.

…That was certainly his intention, but…

“Oh, you’re back?”

“…?”

“Ah, that? Don’t worry about it. Just think of it as decoration.”

“……”

“Right. I’ve found out something. It seems those Blood Cult copycats are planning something strange.”

“…Huh? What?”

“So let’s just solve that and go home. It looks like we’ll finish quickly.”

“??”

…Derrick suddenly wondered if he wasn’t really needed after all.

‘He’s solving everything by himself…’

Derrick felt an inexplicable sense of disappointment.