Absolute Regression Chapter 434

434
After returning to the church, I headed to the church main hall with Chwima.

Chwima was a little nervous at the thought of meeting his father.

In the past, Chwima got drunk in front of his father. He told him not to hate him too much. The misunderstanding was resolved then, but it doesn’t seem like his father is at ease.

“You can’t go out first! I’ll say hello first and then go.”

I want to avoid situations where I am left alone and have a private conversation with my father.

“Where did that mysterious and scary drunkard in the fog go?”

“He must be so drunk that he crawled under a carriage and is sleeping.”

Still, he brought a gift for his father. Before leaving the North Sea, he stopped by a famous brewery and bought some liquor for his father.

If you look closely, Chwima is a person who has a strong desire to look good to his father.

So I entered the temple with my horse.

My father was sitting in the throne room as usual. Whenever I enter this place, I am moved by the sight of my father, who always stands in that seat.

“Father! My son has returned!”

At the same time, I feel afraid.

What if that Taesa’s will is empty? What if I have to protect that Taesa’s will? Will I be able to give him unwavering faith like my father?

It’s not that I’m afraid because I don’t have the confidence to trust. It’s that I’m afraid because I can.

Because I have confirmed in my past life that I am someone who can silently protect that position like my father. Because in this life, I want to live a bright and free life.

“I’m back from work in the North Sea!”

I greeted my father loudly.

The horse next to him bowed politely.

“I’m back, Reverend.”

His father, who was looking down at his horse, immediately noticed his condition.

“Are you hurt?”

“I was a little hurt, but I’m okay now.”

Chwima was already excited by his father asking about his physical condition. Even though he hadn’t had a drink, he could feel the heat on his face.

“I heard from the military about what happened in the North Sea.”

I didn’t miss this moment and stepped forward.

“Your Majesty has single-handedly defeated the leader of the dark forces that were trying to swallow up the Ice Palace.”

I was determined to properly show off my horse riding skills in front of my father today.

“of course.”

At the obvious words, Chwima looked up at his father with a surprised face.

My father looked at me, not at his horse, and said:

“Aren’t you the kind of person who would go somewhere and come back defeated?”

I could tell. My father already knew the strength of the horse.

Even without looking to the side, I can feel the excitement of being drunk. Perhaps this is the first time I have been recognized like this by my father? And in front of someone else.

“Thanks to you, I’m safe. This was the first time I saw Master Chwima fight, and it was really awesome. And above all.”

The gaze that had been looking at my father turned to Chwima. Chwima also had a nervous look on his face, wondering what I was going to say.

“That was cool. A master who avenges his friend.”

It was something he said to show off in front of his father, but he also meant it.

I told my father in detail what had happened in the North Sea. Of course, my father had already received a report on the process and results through Tongcheon-gak, but he obviously did not know about the small details that had happened in between.

This was something I always did when I came back from school. I felt like my bond with my father grew stronger when I told him about the things that happened like this, as if we were having a long chat.

Today, I mainly talked about the activities of the horse. I think you won’t get bored because I told you in a very interesting way. I told you in a way that made it feel more real than reality.

“… … So, as a token of gratitude to the Master, the Lord of the Ice Palace gave us the Ice Palace Holy Grail.”

Even if I didn’t tell him, my father would have already recognized the Ice Palace Holy Grail. It was impossible not to notice the white aura that rippled around the glass like a halo.

As I said, he could have just accepted it as a gesture of gratitude, but Chwima didn’t just let it go.

“The Ice Palace Holy Grail was given to the young cult leader as a gift in exchange for giving up his own.”

When he looked at me, he should have looked at me and said, ‘You’re not the kind of person who would give up what’s mine to someone else.’ Instead, my father said something unexpected.

“Can I have a drink from that glass too?”

“Of course. I just happened to buy some famous liquor from Bukhae to offer to the cult leader.”

Chwima walked calmly up to where Taesa was.

Then he poured the wine he bought into the Ice Palace Holy Grail and gave it to his father. Every action was careful and calm. Before entering the cult, he would tremble at the mere mention of his father, but at times like this, he was truly the devil.

My father emptied his glass in one gulp.

“The alcohol is good, and the glass is good, so the alcohol tastes really good.”

When his father liked it, Chwima was happy.

“Would you like one more drink?”

“Come on, let’s have a drink together after a long time.”

For a moment, Chuma’s eyes trembled in surprise. It seemed like this was also the first time. It was his father asking him to drink with him.

“great.”

After answering with a happy face, Chwima looked at me and gestured for me to go quickly.

Of course, I couldn’t miss this great opportunity to tease him.

-You said I shouldn’t go first?

-Go quickly! Go!

-Let’s all three drink. No, I’ll call all the other demons too!

-No! What a rare opportunity this is!

Only after teasing my father like that did I politely greet him.

“Then I will step aside. I have cursed at my brother a lot when he was not around, but that does not mean you two can curse at me when I am not around!”

As I was turning around to leave, my father suddenly spoke.

“Are you okay?”

For a moment, I flinched and turned towards my father.

What did you mean by that?

My eyes met with my father’s. As I looked at his eyes that were silently looking down at me, I could understand why he had asked that. If he had said the omitted words, it would have been something like this.

You’ve got a lot of blood on your hands lately. Are you okay?

I could feel my father’s worries.

Even if they were evildoers who deserved to die, continuing to have blood on their hands was something that hurt people’s hearts and souls.

No matter how great I appeared to be, to my father I was just a reckless youngest child in his twenties.

“That’s why I’m asking for help from the demons so that I don’t try to do everything on my own. I’m trying to protect myself.”

Chuma was listening to me with eyes as deep as his father’s.

“I’m okay for now. If I feel like it’s difficult, I’ll come see you.”

My father nodded silently.

“Then I will take my leave now.”

I walked slowly and left the church.

Father, don’t worry. I’ve come this far with steadfast determination, even though I’ve shed dozens of times more blood than this.

And above all.

“Your Majesty!”

Over there, Seo Dae-ryong was running towards me with a bright smile. He was so happy that I could feel his heart even from this distance.

If I’m not okay with having these people around me, wouldn’t I feel so sorry for my life?

* * *

Seo Dae-ryong was really happy, as if a dead person had come back to life.

“I really wanted to meet you.”

I was worried and also missed you.

Even though I was in a situation where I had to live my life completely, either as a disciple of the Hwangcheonjoo or as a disciple of the Blood Heavenly Demon, without the Sword Dance Theater, I felt like I had lost all joy in life.

But how happy must he have been when he just heard the report that Geommu-geuk had returned? He just ran straight to the cult leader’s headquarters.

“How have you been?”

Seo Dae-ryong answered the question of the sword dance.

“I’m the same. I practice at dawn, eat, report to the Hwangcheon Pavilion, go to Master to practice, eat, sleep. Every day is so identical that even if I mix it up, it wouldn’t be a problem. Can a person’s life be this monotonous? I’ll tell you in advance that being ordinary is happiness, I refuse to accept that.”

With such a talkative guy, how much effort must it have taken for him to act as the majestic Lord of the Underworld?

“Aren’t you the only one who doesn’t know?”

“What is it?”

“Every day is different. Aren’t you the only one who thinks it’s the same?”

For a moment, Seo Dae-ryong couldn’t answer. Strictly speaking, they were the same, but they weren’t exactly the same. Of course, he didn’t admit it easily.

“The cases I deal with are the same every day.”

“Prisoners are all different. Their personalities are different, and the reasons they commit crimes are different.”

“We are the same subordinates that we meet.”

“Those people have different moods that day, different thoughts, different dreams, and different things they eat.”

“I am a person who only practices and meets with Master after work.”

“You’ve mastered the Imdok Yangmaek and your martial arts skills have improved a lot, right? Your training methods must have naturally changed as well.”

The words of the swordsman were right. The new techniques I had been learning from my master were different. As I became stronger, my training became more difficult.

“Isn’t it different? Every day of your life.”

“It’s the same. I can never overcome the words of the cult leader.”

“That one thing never changes.”

“It’s the slyness of the young cult leader!”

We looked at each other and laughed.

“It seems like the little cult leader has finally returned. No one has ever told me this. I have to hear this, ah! I see. I nod my head and live on. From today on, every day is different. I just decided that! Now I will ask my subordinates. What did you eat for breakfast? Did you poop? What did you dream about yesterday? What are you thinking about these days?”

I looked up at the sky with Seo Dae-ryong. Beautiful multi-colored flower clouds were floating leisurely. When I saw Dae-ryong, I realized that I had also returned to the school.

“Go and do some work.”

“Where are you going now?”

“Now that I’ve seen your face, I need to go around to the Amazons.”

“The little cult leader really doesn’t get tired.”

Daeryong, it’s not about the numbers. One person who’s noisy is enough to tire a person out.

“What would have happened if the demons of our school had been the sixteen demons?”

Geommugeuk responded to Seodaeryong’s joke with brisk strides.

“If that were the case, our drunk driving would have been twice as disappointed.”

* * *

“Elder!”

I ran towards the blood chopping board with my arms outstretched.

Hyeolcheondoma, who was reading a book in his room, placed the sword he had placed next to him in front of him like a shield.

“You are going too far!”

I could hear the words of the Bloodthirsty Demon through the barrier that blocked our path.

“Just stay home and rest. Why are you looking so happy to see me like this?”

People who don’t mean to say things like that all the time. I passed the path of destruction and sat down on the edge of the bed of the Blood Heavenly Chopping Board.

“If you’re going to be so picky, what do you find so interesting about the books you read?”

“This is different.”

Meanwhile, Hyeolcheon Doma warned me with his eyes that I might go to bed.

“Have a nice trip.”

Although Hyeolcheon Doma didn’t ask, I told him the story of my visit first.

If I had previously talked to my father about drinking alcohol as the main character, this time I talked about myself as the main character.

“So now my father and Chwima are working together on a masterpiece.”

“The leader drinks with a drunkard?”

Is he jealous? A hint of something strange flashed through Hyeolcheon Doma’s eyes.

But soon, Hyeolcheondoma turned his gaze back to the book he was reading.

“Is reading a book that fun?”

“It’s fun.”

“You’ve read so much, is there anything you don’t know?”

“That’s why it’s fun. The more I read, the more I realize how much I don’t know.”

Bloodthirsty Demon raised his head and looked at Geommu Geuk.

“When you have children later, read a lot of books. Since they take after you, they’ll probably be born with swordsmanship skills.”

Should I really have a child in this life? I don’t think so right now.

“No, are you asking me to live a life that even you, sir, have never lived?”

“That’s right,” said Hyeolcheon Doma with a faint smile.

I watched Hyeolcheondoma’s hands turning the pages for a moment, and then suddenly asked him what his father had asked him.

“Do I look okay?”

Then, Hyeolcheon Doma answered with his eyes still on the book.

“It doesn’t look okay.”

“why?”

“A good person wouldn’t ask things like that.”

Was that why? An unexpected word came out of him.

“You’re going to sleep in today.”

He was the one who would go to any house I met and tell me to sleep. He was the one who wouldn’t let me go to bed unless I washed.

“What’s going on?”

“Because it doesn’t look okay.”

I laughed heartily and threw myself onto the bed.

“Good!”

I thought I could catch it in the air with a hollow sword, but the blood claw sword didn’t do that.

“Ah, it’s comfortable!”

No matter what, lying on this bed was the most comfortable. It must be because of the specialness that the person called Hyeolcheon Doma gave me.

I never thought that this hunched old man would be the most comfortable. I never thought he would be the first person you would run to and see.

I lay in bed and answered questions that weren’t even asked.

“I’m fine, sir.”

“embrace.”

And then a shocking statement followed.

“The one who is not okay is the leader.”

“!”

I sat up and stared at the blood chopping board. I still had no idea what he meant.

“I thought the leader had woken up and started stretching.”

I already knew what he meant, but Hyeolcheondoma simply explained it again.

“I thought it was because the leader had started to take serious action to achieve his dream.”

My father’s dream is to unite the martial arts world.

“Now that I’ve made you my successor, I guess I think it’s time to make a move.”

“How long has it been since the three-way meeting ended?”

That great atmosphere is still vivid. Even now, just hearing the music from beyond the wall makes my body shake.

“If you were someone who cared about that, you wouldn’t have had that dream in the first place. You might have been convinced that you could kill both of them that day.”

“Do you think that’s what you’re thinking about drinking with Master Chwima right now? Can’t you drink too?”

If it was because of that, I thought it was a huge leap of misunderstanding. But it wasn’t only because of that.

“Not long ago, the leader met with the masked man separately.”

“!”

Your father met the evil Soma?

If I had met Kwon Ma instead, I might not have had such doubts. He was a man who would absolutely follow his father’s orders.

But the evil Soma is someone who will absolutely follow me. Even if it means disobeying my father’s orders.

But why did I have to meet him? And he was drunk and my first masterpiece? Naturally, I could make such assumptions.

“My father started managing the demons to fight the war.”