Reader’S Regeneration Life [EN]: Chapter 217

217

Thou Shalt Not Judge

It’s obvious, but those bastards Ida and Ryu couldn’t possibly repent and start a new life.

Many people try to change, but in the end, countless individuals can’t shake off their true nature and return to their old ways.

Of course, it’s not that no one ever changes.

But if they had, they should have sought out the many women who suffered because of their misdeeds to apologize, or at least live quietly without causing trouble.

‘But you sons of bitches were the same as ever.

You couldn’t change, and you didn’t repent.’

It’s been quite some time since those guys quit the slave trade and quietly hid in society.

They covered their tracks, got rid of everyone involved, cleaned everything up, and then reappeared under their real names, living the high life with money stained with the tears, blood, hatred, and pain of countless people. Now, they even donate to the church and have become devout followers.

But as the saying goes, people don’t change. It seems there were quite a few attractive women among the ardent followers of the Light.

Unable to resist the temptation, they hit on those women again, and things escalated to the point where a report was filed with the city administration. But they immediately used money to make it disappear.

‘It was a city a bit far from the royal capital.

If the King hadn’t helped, I wouldn’t have known about this incident or been able to use it.’

The city’s church kept it quiet, and the administration was bribed to keep their mouths shut, so it was no surprise that it didn’t become public knowledge.

The two men might have been relieved to have gotten away with it, but the royal family’s information-gathering capabilities were truly immense.

As if telling Heiness Company not to even compare, they discovered the perfect prey that Zion had been filtering out. They investigated this incident secretly but thoroughly, even investigating the past of the two suspects.

And finally, when Zion received information that the two had been active as ‘Ida’ and ‘Ryu,’ he was able to complete the perfect plan to instill doubt in the kingdom’s citizens about the teachings of the Light and obtain Helen at the same time.

‘You’re all screwed now.’

Even if they had been living repentantly, he would have hesitated whether to kill them to win Helen’s heart.

But those bastards went out of their way to find their own graves, dig the holes, put up the tombstones, and then lie down inside. How could he just let it go?

As a matter of human decency, he had to bury them as they were.

“…”

In the carriage heading to the city from the royal capital, Helen remained silent the entire time.

She wasn’t gazing out the window, lost in thought, either.

She was clenching her hands tightly, struggling to overcome the emotion of ‘fear’ mixed with anger.

She wasn’t the rational and composed owner of Heiness Company, but just one woman shuddering, reliving the past, being dragged away somewhere by the rough hands of slave traders.

‘During the Kashgar incident, she seemed only angry, but would she have reacted the same way if she had been there?’

He was slightly worried that he might have gone too far.

Back when she was captured by the slave traders, Helen was still a young elf girl.

She only looked like a ripe fruit on the outside, but inside, she was fragile and easily broken.

He didn’t need to be told how much shock and fear she must have felt when she was captured by the savage and violent slave traders and subjected to ‘processing.’

“Helen Heiness.”

Zion cautiously called her name.

But Helen merely maintained a stiff expression, only clenching her lips tightly.

She was so nervous, even though she wasn’t going to confront the slave traders who had brutally trampled on her in the past, but only to watch Zion punish them.

‘Should I go for it here?’

If he messed up, the favor he had built up could disappear in an instant.

It wasn’t just the favor that would disappear. If his relationship with Helen soured, there could be disruptions in the food supply heading to the north and in his dealings with Clausen.

However, judging from her words and actions so far, and even the fact that she didn’t seem to mind being alone in a carriage with a man like this, it meant that she had some trust in Zion.

‘I’ll trust my gut.

This is a go.

Definitely go!’

He shouted inwardly and then, very slowly.

And very carefully, he reached out his hand.

And he succeeded in gently placing his hand on the back of the elf woman’s hand, which was clenched into a fist and trembling on her lap.

“…!”

At first, Helen was startled and tried to quickly pull back when she saw Zion’s hand.

But soon, she met the man’s eyes, filled with concern as if asking if she was okay, and the hand gently holding hers. She let out a sigh and slumped her shoulders.

“You can go back if it’s too hard.

Or you can wait in the carriage.”

“…”

“But I think the best way to escape hell is to watch the bastards who pushed you into that hell struggling in it.

Some might ask if that would make them feel better, but those people have never experienced such terrible things in the first place.”

“…”

“They need to know too.

How much you’ve endured in that terrible hell.

If it weren’t for them, you would have become a beautiful flower boasting its fragrance, a pretty bird flying in the sky.

They need to know what ‘punishment’ awaits those who ruthlessly trampled on you.”

Helen clearly wants to escape the past.

But more than that, she yearns for revenge.

That’s why she’s trying so hard not to run away, even though she’s so afraid.

“I’ll help you, I’ll be by your side.

If not, I’ll do it for you.

Your questions, your punishment, your revenge.”

“…Why… Master Zion…”

“The superficial reason would be that they caused chaos in the kingdom.

But the real reason is that it’s a gift I’m giving to the owner of the company I’m indebted to.

You’ve helped me so far, so it’s only natural that I help you.

I’m your business partner and your protector at the same time.

It’s only natural to shield and protect you.”

He didn’t mean it with any ulterior motives.

In fact, companies often allied with noble families to create protective forces.

Heiness Company already had ties with the royal palace, and rumors that it was also under the protection of Count Clausen’s territory caused its stock to soar.

But the atmosphere was such that it looked like a man was gently comforting and reassuring an elf woman trembling with fear.

“…To be honest, I’m scared.

I’ve been pretending not to be, but I’m so scared of being caught by them and suffering all sorts of terrible things, of going back to that past.”

“It’s natural to be scared.

They were like demons.

The culprits who pushed you into hell.

But it’s different now.

You’ve worked tirelessly for revenge, and you’ve become the owner of a huge company that can’t even be compared to those slave-trading bastards.”

“Y-yes.

That’s right.”

“Is that all?

Who’s behind you?

The kingdom’s war hero is your customer.

I usually tell people not to sell my name, but I’ll make an exception for you.”

“Only me…?”

“Yes.

Helen, it’s a reward for the trust you’ve shown me.

You’ve trusted me and worked hard so far, so I should do my best for you too.

Isn’t that the least bit of courtesy between business partners?

“Courtesy…”

Zion said, lightly patting Helen’s hand.

Yes, this is just right for now.

Unlike the women who had shown him clear favor so far, Helen is not yet ready to accept his true feelings.

She’s too busy covering up the wounds and scars from her past to have room to accept someone else.

So, this time, Zion himself has to caress and embrace those wounds and scars, understand them, and cry and mourn together.

‘There’s no one more touching than someone who empathizes with your pain.’

There were three things that he could never forget.

Those who laughed when he was crying, those who stood by and watched when he was crying.

And those who came to his side and cried with him, comforting him when he was crying.

Until now, Helen had thought that there was no one who would cry with her.

So she thoroughly hid her emotions and covered her wounds with a mask of revenge, hiding her past as well.

She knew that all those actions were foolish acts that eroded her body and mind, but she couldn’t do anything about it because of the great shock and the resulting trauma.

She was too afraid that someone would laugh and suddenly grab her hand, dragging her somewhere to be stripped naked and moan while suffering all sorts of vile things, so she was too afraid to approach anyone.

“I’ll help you.

I’ll hold your hand.

If you feel uncomfortable thinking it’s an act of kindness without a reason, you can think of it as a reward for what you’ve done for me so far.

I hope we can maintain a good business relationship in the future.

I’m doing a kind of favor, just like you did.”

She was abandoned by her own kind because her body was defiled.

The humans called the elves arrogant and only showed courtesy when she was the owner of Heiness Company, but if she said she was no longer related to them, they would coldly glare at Helen.

It was a lifeline she had grabbed to survive, but even that was too difficult and lonely.

The more she lost her support, the more Helen focused on her work.

Naturally, the company prospered, but conversely, Helen had fewer and fewer people she could confide in.

“So don’t be afraid.

Be confident.

If you’re scared and frozen in front of those demons, they’ll only gloat and snicker.

I’m on my way to tear those bastards’ mouths apart.”

So, she wanted to lean on Zion Clausen, who had reached out his hand for the first time.

Even if it was a trap, if he was deceiving her with those eyes that worried about her, Helen thought it wouldn’t be so bad to be deceived.

He was the first person to listen to her cries for help and hold her hand.

“Master, we’ve arrived.”

The carriage stopped, and Clausen’s escort knight cautiously opened his mouth.

Their voices were filled with tension, as if they were quite worried that it would become known that their young master was riding in the same carriage as a mere company owner, and not even a human but an elf.

“…”

At the word ‘arrived,’ Helen bit her lip again, as if she was very nervous.

Even for a woman who so desperately wanted revenge, it seemed quite difficult to meet those who had shown her so much fear, terror, shame, and cruelty in her past.

Zion didn’t rush Helen and quietly waited for her.

On the outside, she was a very haughty, somewhat annoying, and very cold ice beauty, as most elves were, but on the inside, she was a complete mess, broken and shattered.

But if you asked if she was a mentally weak woman, Zion would definitely say no.

She was a woman who had endured a life that was beyond miserable and waited for the day to take revenge on the Kashgar family.

Even though she was involved in the royal capital terror and was sure to lose everything, she still participated, so she might have even stronger aspects than Rishikida or Trisha.

‘So let’s wait a little longer.’

Zion gently put his hand under Helen’s hand.

A silent sign that he could be trusted, that he wouldn’t betray her.

When Helen’s hand touched Zion’s hand, she instinctively tried to pull her arm away.

The image of a woman struggling in hell, unable to easily trust anyone.

But soon, she checked who the other person was and carefully reached out her hand.

Little by little, very little by little, the tip of Helen’s finger touched the back of Zion’s hand.

Zion nodded as if to say it was enough at the sign that she wouldn’t run away, and opened his mouth.

“Let’s go.

Let’s go catch those demons.”

At Zion’s words, Helen slowly nodded.

She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, calmed her mind for a moment, and then deeply submerged her eyes, which had been shaking with emotional turmoil, as usual.

She pulled up her hood to cover her ears, which were unique to elves, and also covered her appearance, which had evoked her miserable past, and looked at Zion as if she was ready.

‘In the case of Sefer Kashgar, I kept him alive because there was still some use for him, but this time it’s different.

In order to completely win Helen’s heart, and to give a clear warning to the Church of Light according to the King’s will and to give the kingdom’s citizens a sense of alarm, I have to make a proper mess.’

If so, what would be the best thing for that mess?

If someone asked that, Zion was going to answer like this.

‘Blood.’

―――――――Afterword―――――――

Blood Blood Blood Blood Blood Blood Blood