The Heroine Stole My Regression

47 – Hall of Exchange (5)

“I’m… not needed anymore?”

Yuhana suddenly questioned, her voice choked with tears.

‘Why is she like this?’

That expression, as though she might burst into tears at any second.

Taken aback by the unexpected reaction, I quickly added,

That her training wasn’t needed anymore.

At that, her eyes rounded, and she let out a light sigh, as if relieved. But she puffed out her cheeks slightly, her face sullen.

“But, why are you suddenly quitting?”

Only then did I calmly explain.

Fundamentally, you’ve become too good, and it would be good for you to have some time to explore that swordsmanship on your own.

And, I added, that I had just been selected as a mentor for the Hall of Exchange, so I wouldn’t have enough time.

“A mentor…?”

For a moment, her eyes narrowed.

She seemed to contemplate it for a few seconds, before finally slowly closing her eyes.

“I understand.”

She nodded quietly, and then cautiously added,

“Even so… you absolutely have to come to morning practice.”

I chuckled softly and nodded. That was something I intended to continue anyway.

But unexpectedly, I had to make a promise to her that I would ‘never skip it’.

Yuhana finally turned around, wearing a somewhat satisfied expression.

And so, I sent her off, turning myself toward the dormitories as well.

The road back to the dorm.

Night air, crisp and cool, seeped deep into my lungs.

A peculiar thought, out of nowhere, brushed against my mind.

‘…Wait a moment.’

Yuhana is a heroine.

Not just Yuhana either. Kang Arin too, and Cheon Yeoul.

Meaning, in the original, they were characters the protagonist could pursue.

Of course, it was a game, so the option not to pursue them existed, but generally, they were the ones who ended up with the protagonist.

Then, now that the protagonist is gone?

I stopped dead in the middle of the road. A streetlamp cast a long shadow behind me.

An area I hadn’t even considered, hadn’t even bothered to think about.

“…Could it be.”

Could it be that I, who naturally stick closest, who am trying to replace Seong Siwoo, am becoming that target?

My head throbbed.

Since he disappeared, lately I’ve been trying to get as close as possible to them.

Because I thought I needed to fill in whatever parts were lacking, in any way I could.

So, I had been feeling like we’d gotten much closer lately.

I pictured their faces.

Yuhana, Kang Arin, Cheon Yeoul.

“Ah.”

I let out a small sigh.

Isn’t this, maybe, just excessive self-awareness?

For a moment, I’d forgotten their level of beauty.

I wasn’t ugly, but I also didn’t possess the kind of overwhelming beauty they had.

And honestly.

Unlike the protagonist, I had no plans to actively express my feelings through choices, or to blatantly flirt.

Just—

Feed them good food.

Help them when they need it.

Saving them from mortal peril, or even preventing such situations from arising in the first place.

Guiding them to become stronger, then letting them manage on their own when I deemed them ready.

That was the sum of my plans.

It would be stranger if they developed feelings for me beyond mere human goodwill.

And, even if, by some minuscule chance, that happened…

Accepting those feelings would not be easy.

Not because I disliked them.

Just because, this world is like that.

It’s still early days yet. The atmosphere, narratively speaking, is flowing along relatively peacefully…

But once the real attacks and the war begin, once the true might of the Demon forces starts to stir.

People dying is nothing out of the ordinary.

That’s the kind of world this is.

I am not the protagonist, and thus, I don’t have the confidence to kill an Evil God while also tending to such emotions.

I’m different from a protagonist with a nearly guaranteed happy ending.

I will simply do my best.

This was what distinguished me from the protagonist of the original work.

I moved forward, slowly.

Before I knew it, the dormitory was coming into view.

*

The next day, ten minutes before 10 a.m.

Yoon Chaeha headed towards the grand auditorium.

Actually, to be precise, she had already arrived from 9 a.m.

She wasn’t sure what she was thinking, but it just turned out that way.

She had sat alone on one side of the auditorium since the early morning, passing the time.

She opened a book and read, took deep breaths, and fidgeted with her fingers.

Even so, a peculiar, uplifted sensation wouldn’t subside.

Her heart was pounding.

As if a child were awaiting a gift.

She tried to analyze herself.

This is merely curiosity. It’s been difficult to find someone worth anticipating in Kalos, so I’m simply showing interest on that level.

No more, no less.

However──

The very need to explain the reason was, from the outset, a contradiction.

As time trickled by, students from Gaon began to filter into the auditorium, one by one.

Likely those selected as mentors.

Yoon Chae-ha scanned them slowly. But the person she sought was not among them.

And precisely at ten in the morning.

The doors opened. And he entered.

Jung Hae-in turned his head naturally, scanning the surroundings.

And soon, his eyes met Yoon Chae-ha’s. He subtly quirked the corner of his mouth upward and walked toward her.

His footsteps echoed across the auditorium floor.

A strange presence radiated along with his approach.

– An aura akin to that of a saint.

What could it be?

A peculiar feeling emanated from him.

She hadn’t noticed it from afar, but it became distinctly palpable as he drew closer.

“Hello?”

He spoke.

She knew she should respond reflexively,

But for some reason, she couldn’t bring herself to meet his gaze.

‘What’s wrong with me…’

Yoon Chae-ha was disconcerted, even by her own reaction.

An unfamiliar sensation, the reason for which eluded her. Her mind attempted to analyze it.

But, no conclusion could be reached.

She could not possibly know.

That the fragment he carried and his *Omniscience*,

Were a perfect match for her ‘a priori,’ her pursuit of truth.

Jung Hae-in’s smile deepened. He extended his hand. As if offering a handshake.

She gazed at that hand for a moment.

Slowly, slowly.

She, too, raised her hand –

-Thwack.

“Ah.”

A short sound escaped her lips, unconsciously.

His hand gripped hers, strongly, yet with an easy grace.

And then, a gentle shake, up and down.

‘…Big.’

The first impression that flashed through her mind.

An immense hand.

Calluses worn deep into the palm, and rough scars.

Traces of countless swings, of forging, of accumulation. The effort poured in to surpass all limits remained, raw and palpable.

A hand that male mages, even if they died and were reborn, could never possess.

Why was it?

Holding his hand like this.

It was strangely, somehow.

Reassuring.

She couldn’t quite grasp what she was thinking anymore.

*

The Mu-a Pavilion, overlooking the entire vista of Gaon.

A lookout point often frequented by students, but today, it was unusually quiet.

There, two women were seated.

A gentle breeze drifted past.

“What are the others saying?”

Cheon Yeoul spoke, her gaze fixed on the distant horizon.

Her vision lingered, lost in the open air.

Ha Si-on slowly turned her head.

“Kang Ah-rin doesn’t care. And… Yu Hana is, as always, completely positive.”

“And you?”

Cheon Yeoul asked again.

Ha Si-on closed her eyes and pondered briefly.

And then, in a measured tone, she answered.

“Anyone else, and I’d be against it.”

Cheon Yeoul regarded her.

Ha Si-on maintained her silence for a moment.

“But… I think he might be a little different.”

If he was utterly worthless as an investment,

she would have gritted her teeth and cut him loose, but it wasn’t quite that bad.

Cheon Yeoul slowly closed her eyes.

And, as if suppressing her emotions, she said in a low voice,

“I… I don’t like it.”

She quietly clenched her hand.

“I can’t stand him sacrificing himself to care for someone else, to help them grow, any of that.”

She took a deep breath.

“He’s done enough.”

The past, countless times—

He had lived for others. What more does he have to do, for heaven’s sake?

Cheon Yeoul bit her lip.

She tried to continue speaking, but her throat constricted.

She spoke, suppressing her emotions, as if unable to bear the pity she felt.

“Now… he should only receive.”

With that, she rose from her seat and left.

-Thunk.

Ha Si-on stared blankly as her coffee can wobbled, the remaining coffee spilling out.

A cold air settled in.

In the spot where Cheon Yeoul had been, only an untouched can of coffee remained, forlorn.

She took a deep breath.

And then, slowly, she lifted her head.

A scene flashed through her mind.

Not the present.

A memory, from one moment in the past.

However,

That was not Hashion’s memory.

Only, someone’s memory.

*

A grand meeting chamber etched with brilliant magical inscriptions.

The heart of a magic tower, where books floated idly.

A woman sat across the table.

Yellow hair. Yun Chaeah.

She grinned, extending a hand.

“A pleasure to finally meet you. I am Yun Chaeah, Tower Master. I’ve heard much about you.”

She offered her hand for a handshake.

But the man did not extend his. Instead, he offered a slight bow. Polite, but with an air of distance.

She paused, taken aback for a moment, then quietly withdrew her hand and settled back into her seat.

And got straight to the point. Her eyes shifted to a fiery orange. She gave a nod.

“Let’s get down to business.”

She inhaled deeply, continuing in a calm voice.

“I know. I know your ability is death regression.”

She observed his expression.

She expected some reaction.

But he showed not the slightest change in expression.

No reaction. Maintaining a consistent blankness.

Surely, if he were to curl the corners of his lips upward, he might have a pleasant face.

He was arid.

She suppressed the shiver that threatened to run through her, continuing to speak.

“Therefore, the magic tower has prepared a strategy for you. That is…”

Yun Chaeah began explaining with enthusiasm.

A clear plan, logically organized. A strategy that anyone would find persuasive.

It was a matter of the survival of humankind, but she was almost giddy, as if discussing a fascinating study.

But the man, Jung Haein, remained expressionless.

Even after she finished explaining, he did not utter a single word.

Yoon Chae-ha grew restless.

“So? Now that Seong Si-woo has betrayed us, are you considering joining my plan?”

A glittering gaze.

An attitude that knew no failure. A confident tone.

Yoon Chae-ha watched him with expectant eyes.

Jung Hae-in tilted his head slightly, then spoke plainly, in a short burst.

“I suppose not.”

It was a meaningless hope, he said, as he rose from his seat.

“…Pardon?”

For a fleeting moment, Yoon Chae-ha’s expression wavered.

Jung Hae-in had considered it.

A lingering ‘what if.’ If it were Yoon Chae-ha, if it were through her eyes…

Perhaps something might be different. Wouldn’t she notice, someday?

Speaking directly was impossible; the world’s repressive force was beyond her capacity to bear.

But, alas, it was too much to hope for.

He wished this would be the last time he had to endure the inconvenience of coming in response to the Magic Tower’s summons.

Jung Hae-in turned his back without another word.

“…Hey!”

Yoon Chae-ha cried out in haste.

A sharp voice rang out from behind.

“What do you think you’re doing…”

However,

He spoke first.

“Care to guess?”

In that instant, the air in the room froze.

The temperature hadn’t dropped, yet she felt a chill at the nape of her neck.

His voice was cold and arid.

“What number do you think this is?”

He turned his head to look at the Magic Tower Master, Yoon Chae-ha.

“The number of times the Magic Tower has summoned me, and you’ve enthusiastically explained your plan.”

His gaze settled upon her, piercing.

“How many times does it feel like this has repeated?”

Yoon Chae-ha’s eyes widened.

She tried to speak, but no sound came.

‘Could it be…’

It wasn’t entirely unexpected. Only, in her eyes, it hadn’t…

But Jung Hae-in didn’t give her a chance to answer.

He said, matter-of-factly.

“Regrettably, this isn’t the first time. And, it won’t be the last.”

“…”

“Next time, I hope you have a better plan.”

With that,

he left the room.