Reader’S Regeneration Life [EN]: Chapter 212

212

Black Flame Dragon Taming

On the day a whirlwind swept through the conference barracks, Hispania began its journey home.

Until yesterday—no, until moments before—the Holy Prussian Empire, which had been blocking them, suddenly changed its stance, conceding their helplessness and ceasing to impede Hispania’s departure.

In truth, they likely wanted to prevent it.

If Hispania left, Nudia would also become unstable and eventually withdraw. The Holy Prussian Empire being left alone to face the Mortal Lands was tantamount to the country’s demise.

“Your Highness,

Why didn’t you stop them?”

Commander Otto asked, seemingly unaware of Prince Carolus’s intentions.

He knew the fan was a precious gift frequently exchanged within the Holy Prussian Empire.

However, if the prince had simply suggested, ‘Isn’t it possible the looted item somehow ended up in Hispania’s hands?’ they likely could have stalled them.

“Commander Otto.”

But Prince Carolus didn’t believe that would work.

Whether it was real or fake, a gift or a looted item, no longer mattered.

Vanessa had already presented her opinion, along with evidence, in front of all of Hispania, suggesting that ‘the Holy Prussian Empire might have caused the chaos in their home country.’ To prevent internal dissent, they would have chosen to return home.

Furthermore, they gave the Holy Prussian Empire and Nudia the justification that Hispania was returning not merely because of the chaos in their homeland, but because they urgently needed to address a threat at home caused by a certain force with impure intentions.

‘I can’t stop them anymore.

If I stopped them again, it would reinforce Princess Vanessa’s opinion that the Holy Prussian Empire was scheming behind Hispania’s back.’

The ‘Holy War’ they proclaimed was different from ordinary wars.

Even if they fought and won, they would gain virtually nothing decisive.

The reason they could commit to a battlefield with no potential gain was because of mutual trust and faith, and since that was damaged, Prince Carolus believed they could no longer be restrained.

‘Moreover, Commander Otto doesn’t know, but even the hidden inscription inside the fan is only known to the royal family and archbishops.

Clearly, there is a traitor within the kingdom.

Someone who dares to ruin the relationship between the three nations, halt the Holy War, and ultimately delay the victory of light!’

If that were the case, the Holy War was meaningless.

It was clear something was wrong within the Holy Prussian Empire, and even if they were to defeat external evils, they could not achieve the justice and peace they so desired.

“Commander Otto, we will also immediately retreat.”

“Pardon?”

“There are traitors within the kingdom.”

“Traitors, you say?”

“Followers of the Demon race.

Those evil beings who try to make us distrust each other, ultimately causing us to collapse on our own, still remain in our kingdom.”

The Celestials and Fairies instantly became followers of the Demon race.

From their perspective, it was absurd and infuriating, but what could they do?

It was something they had secretly done to avoid backlash from humans.

“Perhaps there are those who, feeling secure because of the Holy War, dare to cause chaos again from the land of light.

It is right for us to subdue them first.”

“Then, does Your Highness really believe that someone from the Holy Prussian Empire used pirates to cause chaos in Hispania?”

“That is correct.”

Otto was taken aback by the unwavering response.

If Prince Carolus was answering with such conviction, it was clear evidence that something significant was happening that he was unaware of.

The Holy War to eliminate the demons was important, but cleansing those who dared to cause chaos in the land where the Sanctuary stood was far more important and a crucial mission for the Holy Knights.

Meanwhile, Ibve of Nudia returned to his barracks and immediately rushed to prepare for retreat.

With Hispania’s departure, it was obvious that the Nudian central command would be uneasy.

If one of two relatively similar countries had its forces fully ready and the other had its main combat forces mobilized to fight in the land of the demons, who could feel at ease?

“…The Holy Prussian Empire, which had been blocking Hispania so fiercely until yesterday, has given up.”

Ibve smiled, recalling a man who used to play chess with him.

A man who deceived his opponents as if everything would go his way, instantly kidnapped the king, and completely surrounded him in his own space before mercilessly beheading him: Zion Claussen.

Ibve wondered if this might be Zion Claussen’s work.

The timing was perfect, and the effect was certain.

At the same time, it was an incredibly risky gamble.

If the Holy Prussian Empire had considered this a serious threat and accused them of heresy, Hispania would have become a public enemy.

In a situation where the blade of the Holy War could be turned against Hispania instead of the demons, Ibve believed that only Zion Claussen could pull off such a daring feat.

‘Of course, that would have been within his calculations as well.

That the Holy Prussian Empire wouldn’t want to see the continent engulfed in flames while facing the demons.

And judging by the prince’s reaction, it seems something really did happen within the Holy Prussian Empire.’

In any case, it was a fortunate outcome for Ibve.

If it weren’t for Hispania, he would have been the first to declare his withdrawal from the expedition, as Nudia’s situation was dire.

The king was hopelessly addicted to women and had completely abandoned his duties.

Yet, despite his fondness for women, he had no proper heir.

He had a few children, but they all died of illness at a young age, which was an even bigger problem.

In the end, the nobles gathered to lead the affairs of state, but naturally, with so many people, there were many opinions, and with many opinions, factions arose, and with factions, conflicts were created.

Above all, the rapidly growing followers of the Light were unwelcome to Ibve.

‘Even though the country isn’t in a state to participate in the Holy War, the nobles cast their votes in favor for fear of the followers’ backlash and forcibly sent out soldiers.

In a situation where rational judgment is needed, only blind faith, without knowing the reason or the outcome, has been applied.’

Rumors spread that people who questioned the teachings of Light, even though they were not from the Holy Prussian Empire, were being beaten to death.

It was utterly ridiculous to Ibve that those who claimed to love good, justice, and peace, and who preached about light, were actually at the forefront of inciting chaos.

‘In comparison, Hispania has relatively few followers of Light.

At least, for now.’

Whether they won or lost in the Holy War, it would have ultimately led to the teachings of Light spreading even more in Hispania.

The soldiers who directly faced those who spread evil on the continent would have been excellent witnesses.

The fact that the entire continent united to fight against that evil was more than enough to stir people’s hearts.

“Unfortunately, our Nudia doesn’t seem to have a genius like you.”

Ibve muttered with a deeply regretful voice and sighed.

The continental situation was becoming an utter mess, where one could not foresee what lay ahead.

—

News finally arrived that the expeditionary force was on its way back to their homeland.

Zion clapped his hands and smiled contentedly.

He had generously disrupted the pigeons’ [a metaphor for a group plotting in secret] grand plan, and he could clearly see they would be struggling to clean up the mess for quite some time.

‘The Holy Prussian Empire is probably digging in the wrong place, firmly believing there is a traitor within.

It’s just a meaningless dig that won’t turn up anything.’

From the start, the fan was fake, so what could they do?

However, Zion had used the method known only to the highest echelons of the Holy Prussian Empire to create confusion, so they would only stir things up without even grasping what was true and what was false.

‘Of course, this is just a temporary stall.

The pigeons will eventually try to erase the demons.

Naturally, by borrowing the hands of humans and offering their blood as sacrifices.

They know better than anyone that humans are not easy to deal with, so they will try to eliminate the players in advance to avoid any gaps.’

Celestials are not invincible, and they are not necessarily strong.

They are also beings with flowing blood, and they feel pain when injured, and if they are severely injured, they eventually die.

Above all, they suffered tremendous damage in the previous Great War with the Demon race, the so-called First Holy War, so they would be keenly aware that if they made such a mistake again, their entire race could be ‘annihilated.’

‘They are beings who believe they must fulfill their duty of purifying the continent, so they will use any dirty trick to remove the biggest obstacle, the demons, and then clean up the trash with other trash, and finally gather the stragglers neatly and burn them all at once.’

They will surely try to start another Holy War using different methods.

And this time, they will proceed without any gaps, and by doing so, they will prevent peace and stability from ever coming to the continent after the demons are removed.

The teachings of Light preach peace and stability, but paradoxically, the teachings of Light could spread even more widely if there was no peace and stability.

In the novel, things proceeded exactly in the direction they wanted.

No one knew their true intentions, and they simply thought that demons were harmful beings to this land and acted and shouted accordingly.

Kim Yu-hyun barely realized this past the midpoint, but the light had already shone so much on the continent that everyone was unknowingly burned.

But this time it’s different.

At least in Hispania, unlike in the novel, there is no movement to emphasize the teachings of Light, seek the descendants of Light, or desire salvation.

The followers of Light have not completely disappeared, but the spread of the will of Light is slower, more sluggish, and less effective than they expected.

“Good words are more likely to be heard when you are confused and struggling.

If you are full, warm, and living peacefully, who would listen to salvation or the will of Light?”

Zion muttered and stretched.

Even if the pigeons were to plot something and rush at him again, it would only give Zion a delicious excuse and justification, so he felt he could afford to relax a bit.

‘Besides, the surroundings are so quiet.’

Lilith was away to watch Lucia and Lia’s sparring match.

Thanks to that, Zion was able to enjoy a very quiet and leisurely time for the first time in a long time.

Originally, there should have been a discussion about the distribution of rewards for the victory in the south, but Prince Erader’s condition was still not good, and a grand party was needed to commend the expeditionary force for their hard work upon their return, so it was decided to do everything at that time.

“…I really wish it could be like these few days.”

Zion muttered and glanced at the door.

“…”

Seriously, that girl is driving me crazy.

Zion grabbed his forehead and pondered what to do with that Black Flame Dragon.

It had been at least an hour.

Trisha had appeared right in front of the door as soon as Lilith left.

Even though Zion wasn’t optimized to sense presences like Kim Yu-hyun, the reason he could be sure it was her was that she had been pacing in front of the door for the past hour.

‘She should just come in confidently.

Why does she have to become a shy Black Flame Dragon at a time like this?’

If she came in, Zion could pretend to give in and grant her request.

But if that happened, it would end up with Zion bringing another woman to his side.

Lilith would definitely try to kill him if she found out, but Zion was worried about that, and in the end, he decided to give in again this time.

“I’ll give you one minute.”

“…?”

“If you don’t come in by then, I’ll kick you out.”

“…!”

He could hear footsteps outside the door, as if she didn’t realize that her movements were being fully tracked.

‘She made so much noise walking around, and she thought the person inside wouldn’t notice?’

How did such a clumsy person become that terrible Saik [likely a title or nickname]?

How did she become a crazy bitch who laughs and burns people and countries to ashes?

Zion was genuinely worried that the woman might suddenly turn dark and burn him like that.

Meanwhile, 30 seconds had already passed.

“Halfway there.”

“…”

“20.”

Her stamping her feet seemed to be shouting, ‘Ah, wait a little! Let me calm down before I go in!’

Zion smiled and coldly reduced the numbers as if telling her to get lost.

“10.”

Click!

At the word that there were only 10 seconds left, he reflexively heard the sound of grabbing the doorknob to open the door.

But in the end, the Black Flame Dragon failed to grab the doorknob and enter.

‘Ugh, seriously, that woman.’

Feeling frustrated, Zion finally got up from his seat.

At the same time, he shouted the numbers loudly to prevent Trisha from hearing his footsteps and quietly approached the door.

“5, 4, 3, 2…”

Click, click–.

What’s so difficult about opening the door and entering?

Zion shouted ‘One!’ exactly, and at the same time, he pulled the doorknob with a jerk!

“Eua?”

Thanks to that, the fiery woman who was holding the door tightly was pulled inside, and Zion grabbed Trisha’s nape and brought her inside.

“I guess I can’t reason with you, Fire Girl.”

“W-wait a minute.

Zion?”

“From now on, if you open your mouth, I’ll kick you out, no matter why you came to see me.”

“H-heup!”

Trisha immediately closed her mouth at Zion’s words.

He simply told her not to speak, but he didn’t know why she was even holding her breath.

‘…She’s quite similar to Risi in some ways, but you could say she has a rather spicy side to her.’

Fortunately, she was still a Black Flame Dragon who listened well to his words.

Now, all that was left was to tame her so that she could control herself.

―――――――Author’s Notes―――――――

Here’s Trisha’s illustration!

Black Flame Dragon!

Burn everything to ashes!

Like and shout!