Infinite Regressor, Chapter 452 - I’m an Infinite Regressor, But I’ve Got Stories to Tell

7. Thud-. Yu Ji-won departed. Her steps were so graceful, no one could assume she was fleeing. Yet flee she did. “…….” “…….” “Hehehe.” Now, only three were left in the office of the Tower of Babel. The Undertaker, Noh Do-hwa, and Sim Ah-ryeon. Even a castaway, longing for human warmth after spending 28 years alone on a desert island, would likely choose, without hesitation, to extend their solitary existence if faced with the option, "Would you like to spend time with those three, or stay on the island longer?" "So, then…" Currently, it was Noh Do-hwa who was resonating with such feelings. Noh Do-hwa had lived her whole life building desert islands among people. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say she had the disposition of a beaver rather than a human. Thus, she wished that the two clinging to each other right in front of her eyes (mostly initiated by Sim Ah-ryeon, though that was of no consequence to Noh Do-hwa) would disappear. Preferably as far away as possible. Ideally, forever. “Let's discuss something practical. Undertaker Awakened, what are your plans from here on…?” “What do you mean by plans? What are you implying?” “Your treatment. The horror show. You, from what I see, seem to have feelings for that necromancer or whatever you call them. Are you planning to continue subjecting her to daily quests of having her flesh torn and limbs crushed for those oblivious to the truth…?” “…….” The Undertaker sealed his lips shut. His face, when silent, was far more tolerable than when he spoke, prompting Noh Do-hwa to smirk. “Well, if you can bear with it, I suppose it doesn’t matter. There might exist a perverted bastard who gets excited watching his lover be tortured. However, I’d prefer such a person to disappear from my side immediately…” “I’m fine with it, though?” Sim Ah-ryeon interjected. “Fine, or rather, I’d actually prefer for it to continue.” “Oh? Is there a reason I can ask for, Necromancer?” “Yes? It’s just that when he sees me suffering, the Guild Master will also be in agony.” After a slight pause, Sim Ah-ryeon continued. “Because, today, tomorrow, and the day after, he'll be thinking only of me.” “…….” Noh Do-hwa stared at Sim Ah-ryeon. Blink. Sim Ah-ryeon was also watching her. “Hmm?” Sim Ah-ryeon tilted her head. From sketching since dawn, her hair unwashed and becoming greasy, it fell in strands. Abruptly, she grabbed the Undertaker’s hand. “Ah-ryeon?” The Undertaker’s voice was taken aback. Yet, Sim Ah-ryeon only tightened her grasp further. Her gaze fixed on Noh Do-hwa. “…….” “Hm? Hmm? Hmmm?” Sim Ah-ryeon wrapped her other arm around the Undertaker’s waist. She wasn’t content with stopping there. Tiptoeing, she pressed her lips against his neck. Naturally, the Undertaker grew more bewildered. “No, Ah-ryeon, what are you doing suddenly? In front of people―.” “Kiss me.” “What?” “You left me right after you got up and rushed out, which really hurt my feelings. If you kiss me, I’ll forgive you.” “Now?” “Yes!” The Undertaker glanced around. There wasn’t much to see, just quiet desks and papers, and a silently observing Noh Do-hwa. “Here?” “Yes.” “Well, Ah-ryeon, how about later? There’s a time and place for everything. You’ve been acting strange since earlier.” “I love you.” “…….” Gently, Sim Ah-ryeon, still on tiptoes, cupped the Undertaker’s cheeks. He hesitated, intending to push her off given her shoulders - "Ouch!" - letting out a sharp, pained squeal that was louder compared to the force on her shoulder. “Ah.” The Undertaker’s gesture was suddenly halted by that sound. Unknown to him at the time, a complex of avoiding causing Sim Ah-ryeon any pain had already begun to deeply embed itself within him. A trauma freshly born just yesterday. Wounds still raw and bleeding red due to the lack of time to heal. Sim Ah-ryeon grinned broadly. With a laugh. As she rose higher on her tiptoes, while glancing not at the Undertaker but at someone else beside him— Blood splattered. “Ouch.” A groan followed. But it wasn’t as intense as the one when the Undertaker had held her shoulder. The source of this whimper, however, was quite the opposite. A fountain pen had pierced Sim Ah-ryeon’s hand. “Ow, ow oww… it hurts. Department Head, umm. Is it okay to call you the Head?” “…….” Noh Do-hwa. With eyes colder than eternal snow and hotter than lava, stared at Sim Ah-ryeon while the pen remained embedded in her hand. While the Undertaker was surprised, more than surprise, it was strange. As he opened his mouth to intervene, a chilling instinct at his nape warned him otherwise. Thanks to this, Noh Do-hwa could fully concentrate on the adversary before her. She spoke. “Where did such a worthless scrap bone come from?” “Ah. Umm... sorry. But in chronological order, I met the Guild Master first... umm. I mean, even throughout all the regressions. I’m from Busan Station Hall. So, uh… I don't think that's something you should say to me, Department Head.” “I’ll kill you.” “You can’t kill me... I have a healing ability!” “I’ll pluck your eyeballs and drill through your ears. I’ll cut off your tongue too. Should I throw you in a pitch-black room to crawl like a bug forever?” “Ah. Tha-that… is effective.” Sim Ah-ryeon pulled out the pen with a pop. Swish. The wound that had pierced down to the bone healed effortlessly. Her expression fell listlessly. “So-sorry. It was too irresistible, I couldn’t help it.” “Shut up.” “But... do you really want to fight? It won’t be favorable for you…” "Ack—." "But don't utter a single word where I am. Don't even look in my direction." “…….” “This isn’t a negotiation. This is your final warning. If you treat people like toys, you’d better be prepared for your own body to end up as a broken plaything.” Sim Ah-ryeon clenched her lips shut, directing her gaze elsewhere. "Don’t even enter my line of sight. I want to kill you." So Sim Ah-ryeon scurried over to a corner of the office and plopped herself onto the sofa, sitting quietly. Noh Do-hwa repeatedly clenched and unclenched her fingers. Her black gloves, stained with Sim Ah-ryeon's blood, hinted at unchecked fury simmering underneath. "Good." Noh Do-hwa mumbled with a tone that was anything but good. “What a pathetic bastard.” “…….” “You could have dated anyone, but you chose to get involved with a lunatic. Does everyone around you have to be a complete maniac?” The Undertaker groaned. He had many things he wanted to say, many things he could say. But none of them seemed like the kind of conversation Noh Do-hwa desired. Noh Do-hwa preferred languages with definitive answers. Especially when life and the world offered so few. "Anyway, since you’re the victim rather than the instigator in this, I comprehend that much. So returning to my original question—what do you plan on doing now…?" “I understand well enough that it’s too late to fix the current state of affairs.” The Undertaker responded. "Even if I reveal that the Necromancer was just a false boss and that your vengeance is a fabricated one, no one would believe it. Even if they did, it wouldn’t solve anything.” “That’s right. Thus far, hatred has been the reason for living our cursed existence. In the case of someone like the Manifold Blossom Awakened, it’s quite evident they might resort to suicide…” “And yet, the thought of Sim Ah-ryeon continuing to be tortured… I doubt my heart could endure that. I apologize. I didn't realize I still harbored such feelings." “…….” Noh Do-hwa had a peculiar expression. It was an oddness neither she nor the Undertaker could pinpoint. “… Well. If you can’t gain mercy from people or understanding from yourself, what else can you do?” "I plan to run away." “Huh…?” “I’ll escape with Sim Ah-ryeon.” The Undertaker was sincere. “She must have cast some sort of spell on me, her being a necromancer. So I, who was once called humanity’s guardian, shall abduct the necromancer and flee. If framed this way, people will accept it.” “… But if you disappear, our forces are halved, aren’t they?” “I’ll remain in contact through the Saintess. I’ll continue to work behind the scenes, eliminating the anomalous entities. In reality, it won’t be much different from now.” “Oh? Hmm. I see…” “The only thing struck would be my reputation. Those friends unaware of our regressions may be somewhat disheartened, but any loss will be replaced by greater animosity towards the necromancer. It’s manageable.” “Not bad…” Noh Do-hwa nodded thoughtfully. “Above all, the repulsive presence of that individual will be gone from my sight forever. That’s satisfying enough…” “I’m sorry. I’ll leave the explanation to Yu Ji-won and the others to you. Noh Do-hwa, Manager.” “I’m beyond accustomed to cleaning up your mess, do as you please…” “Then.” With a swift motion, the Undertaker drew his sword. “Pardon me.” In the next moment, the manager's office was half demolished. A mighty roar erupted. Even the depths of the Tower of Babel, fortified with every security measure and spell, crumbled under a single slash from the Undertaker’s blade. Despite the storm-like strike sweeping past her, Noh Do-hwa remained unfazed. Her hair fluttered fiercely in the wind that blew through the newly opened walls. “Up we go.” The Undertaker held Sim Ah-ryeon in his arms in a princess carry. He put one foot on the broken wall and looked back. “It will be made known that we’ve eloped, but I’ll visit occasionally at night, Noh Do-hwa, Manager. Take care.” Without a word, Noh Do-hwa raised her middle finger. The Undertaker chuckled, a laugh he hadn’t had for a long time, before leaping from the tower. The tower was already in chaos. To the management staff, it was as if they were suddenly under siege by the anomalies. Through the hustle and clamor, sprinting from rooftop to rooftop, the Undertaker made his escape. “Hmm…” Only then did Sim Ah-ryeon speak. “I’m really fine with continuing to be tortured by everyone…” “But that’s exactly what you’re using to provoke those around me.” Flick! The Undertaker lightly flicked her forehead with a hint of aura. “Eek.” “I have no issue with you tormenting me. You have the right for that. Yet, it’s unacceptable to trouble the people close to me.” “You didn’t even cherish them much.” “You reminded me of their importance to me. Precisely, you tore the wrapping around my heart to shreds, no longer allowing me to ignore those feelings.” “Hmmm…” “Perhaps, without realizing it, I’ve strayed onto the wrong path.” That peculiar feeling coursed through him. During last night’s revelations from Sim Ah-ryeon in myriad words. The Undertaker had shed tears, yet they were woven not just from sorrow and self-reproach. They carried the weight of ‘my life until now was wrong’ and simultaneously asked, ‘how can I avoid wronging it in the future.’ ‘Yes. It’s not too late yet.’ That feeling came upon the Undertaker as well. ‘Fortunately, I was born with the fate of a regressor. I can undo anything. Even if it’s truly the end, there’s always next time.’ That keen sense of it not being too late. Oddly, for some reason, it felt as if the Undertaker possessed an understanding of what ‘truly being too late’ would be. The sense whispered reassurances that his life could still be turned around and that rich, warm lifeblood still flowed within him. “Guild Master.” “Hmm?” “But promise me one thing, okay? Even in the next loop. And the loop after that. And yet another loop… You have to tell me what happened this time.” “…….” “Y-You’ll promise, right? Guild Master?” “Yes. I promise.” “Hehehe…” Sim Ah-ryeon, nestled in his embrace, let out a small laugh. ‘Where would be good to set up a secret hideout?’ As the Undertaker crossed through Busan, he began contemplating a more practical concern. ‘A deserted island might be ideal. If I use the Inunaki Tunnel, I might be able to open a portal. Ah, Tsushima. Tsushima might be perfect――.’ “Hmm.” However. His thoughts couldn’t linger too long. “Where are you rushing off to, Guild Master?” ――Suddenly, the Undertaker’s steps halted. It was right at the edge of leaving Busan, on an abandoned road, deserted because it was a rest day for the caravan. In the middle of the crumbly asphalt, a lone figure stood. Though addressed as ‘Guild Master’, it wasn’t Sim Ah-ryeon’s voice. Neither were the strands of hair remotely green. Pink. Under the summer sun heating the abandoned road, a woman with pink hair stood, softly smiling. The Undertaker murmured while holding Sim Ah-ryeon. “……Go Yuri.” “Yes, it is Go Yuri.” “Why have you appeared before me now?” “Of course, to resolve what can still be undone before it’s too late, Guild Master.” The hum of cicadas blanketed the thin leaves of grass encroaching the asphalt road. Go Yuri spoke, smiling brightly. “I’m sorry, but Sim Ah-ryeon must die here now.”