Reader’S Regeneration Life [EN]: Chapter 280

280―――――

New heroes are always welcome!

“Why did you let that woman go?”

The northern warriors, having completely eliminated the remnants of Nudia and reached near the Hispaña main force, immediately questioned Zion upon their arrival, led by their chief, Zann.

It seemed the news had spread through the warriors scattered to eliminate all Nudia’s deserters. Seeing that they were escorting Hispaña personnel, Zann realized they hadn’t escaped but were intentionally released.

“We missed the enemy leader because of that woman.

So we should have captured and crushed her instead.”

“Zann.”

“I even heard that she was the one who planned the operation that put you, Zion, in danger.

If that’s the case, I wouldn’t be satisfied even if I peeled her skin off alive and chewed on it.

But why…”

If this were a place only for the tribe’s warriors, she would have listened without saying a word.

To them, those defined as enemies could be disposed of in any way.

Especially if the enemy harmed someone important, it was the northern warriors’ natural principle to kill off even their family.

However, Zann had arrived at Hispaña’s main force.

Some still considered the northern tribes barbarians, while others didn’t. But in the previous battle, the northern warriors, for the sake of a perfect lure and annihilation operation, stuck the enemy’s heads on spears and gleefully chased after fleeing enemies as if enjoying a fun hunt, literally massacring them.

‘Thanks to that, the gaze of the Hispaña main force towards the northern warriors isn’t very favorable.’

They were just frowning and pretending not to hear it because they were comrades who fought together. If that weren’t the case, they would have immediately shouted, ‘Barbaric! Just like barbarians!’ and the atmosphere would have turned cold in an instant.

Therefore, Zion quickly decided to shut Zann’s mouth before any more terrible words came out.

“I thought we made a clear promise not to question my decisions?”

“But!”

“The northern warriors wouldn’t be so loose-lipped. Right?”

Other women would have hugged or kissed her to stop her, but Zann was the leader of Kalta, which included half of the northern warriors.

Moreover, with the relationship between Eos and Zann becoming quite good, blurring the lines between Kalta and Aigiwr, treating her too casually could provoke a backlash from other warriors.

Therefore, Zion had made a firm promise with Zann.

In exchange for letting her run wild in this war and gain both merit and honor, she would trust and follow his words entirely.

Everything was fine, but sometimes Zann’s pin would be completely pulled out, making her uncontrollable, so Zion didn’t forget to threaten that if she broke that promise, he might seriously consider their relationship in a negative light.

“…Keueueung.”

Zann seemed to remember that part, as she immediately closed her mouth at Zion’s words and groaned.

However, she was still dissatisfied with letting Aive go, especially since Aive had stabbed Zion with a rather sharp dagger. She followed Zion into his tent, unable to unfold her hardened face.

“Please calm down, Lady Zann.

I’m not feeling great either, but it’s our master’s will.”

Lishikida, who was quietly preparing tea, opened her mouth, offering a teacup with hot steam rising from it.

She was an excellent knight on the battlefield, but when there was no need to draw her sword, she volunteered to act as a maid.

The reason was quite absurd yet understandable: if another woman were brought in, it might create another rival, so the women around Zion agreed to entrust those tasks to Lishikida.

Of course, Lishikida, being Zion’s master, strongly asserted that she should handle those tasks, so she was far from displeased; she was delighted that her wish had come true.

“Nyaang.

I can go and kill her right now.

Zion, can’t we just kill that woman?”

“Hold on, Lia.

There must be a reason why Zion made that decision.”

“If she does something foolish after being spared like this, then we can just kill her then.”

Lucia and Trisha gave their answers in order to Lia’s words.

Of course, everyone had a cold, hardened face, but it seemed they wouldn’t argue further since Zion had made the decision.

“Hmph.

If all of you come out like this, doesn’t that make me the only bad woman?

Really, aren’t you keeping your distance from me too much just because I’m from the north?”

“Nyaang?”

What are you talking about?

If you keep your distance from me because I’m from the north, shouldn’t you keep your distance from me because I’m a beastkin [a person with animal features]?

What nonsense are you talking about.

Nyaang!”

“That’s true too.

Heehee!”

Smiling, Lucia offered a teacup.

Zann groaned once more and picked up the steaming teacup.

And…

Slurp!

Gulp!―

“…”

“…”

“…”

“…What, why are you all looking at me like that?”

Then everyone except Zion looked at Zann as if saying, ‘Are you really asking that now?’ not hiding their bewildered expressions.

Zann had just downed the tea, which was clearly steaming and looked like ‘that’s hot,’ in one shot as if it were cold water.

“Nyaang.

Do you have a problem with your throat?

Nyaaang?”

“Maybe you have something hot like my flames inside, so you don’t feel the heat.”

“Za, Lady Zann?

Are you okay?

It must be very hot…”

“Huh?

Ah, this you mean?”

Zann said that, handing the empty teacup to Lishikida.

She didn’t know about anything else, but she smiled, indicating that the tea tasted quite good.

“Please, another cup.

At first, I wondered why people drank something so bitter, but after drinking it a few times, I think I know why.

Very good.

It’s refreshing, like breaking the back of a monster that hurt my tribe members and ate horses.”

“Nya, Nyaang?”

“Are there no other metaphors?”

“Hmm?

Well.

Ah, it was much better than the monster’s blood.

Is that good enough?”

“…”

“Nyaaang…”

Let’s respect cultural differences, guys.

Zion muttered inwardly, sipping his share of tea.

Letting Aive go was a thoroughly calculated and strategic move.

Capturing the other guys would just be a burden, and killing them wouldn’t be particularly beneficial.

However, Aive Gi Lestion was the chancellor of Nudia and the only daughter of Etelmo Gi Lestion, who was highly regarded even by the marquises of Hispaña.

Her social position in Nudia was needless to say, and her talent was also outstanding.

Gathering various intelligence, she had been quite active in Nudia, and as soon as she suffered defeat this time, she immediately launched a sharp counterattack to harass the Hispaña main force.

However, after much consideration, he decided to use her as much as possible rather than kill her.

It didn’t matter if Aive went back and prepared for war again without following Zion’s intentions.

Either way, Zion himself would definitely head to Nudia, break through its defenses, publicly announce the elves’ actions, and inform everyone that they, the Nudia royal family, and various nobles were conspiring to carry out heinous schemes.

By doing so, he would shatter the illusions about them and, furthermore, instill the suspicion that the celestial race might not always be as bright, pure, and good as we think.

‘Aive probably thinks I’ll eventually break through Nudia.

And she’ll think.

Which path should she choose to protect and preserve what’s left of Nudia?’

She wasn’t just a warrior loyal to Nudia.

She was a strategist-type character who coldly calculated what was more necessary for Nudia’s future survival, thinking about what to give up and what to hold onto.

On top of that, she was a woman with a subtle sense of pride, so she would do at least some of what Zion said to pay for saving her life.

Zion used that point to save Aive and send her back to Nudia.

“More importantly, Zion.

When does the main force plan to move?”

“We need to rest a little longer before moving.

In any case, we just fought a large-scale battle, so moving right away won’t be helpful.”

“But, didn’t you say that your father is fighting hard?

Then we should go quickly…”

“Don’t worry about that.

I’ve sent the perfect guy there.”

“The perfect guy?”

“Your sister’s boyfriend.”

At the playful answer, Zann exclaimed, ‘Aha!’ and then suddenly burst out laughing.

The fearsome woman, Zann, suddenly burst into laughter, and the other women sitting beside her watched her laugh with quite surprised expressions.

“Why are you laughing?”

“Ah, that letter.

I just remembered the day I delivered it to Eos.”

“…What was it like?”

The guy who wrote that letter wasn’t Kim Yoo-hyun, but Zion himself.

Kim Yoo-hyun just groaned and said, ‘Are you really sure about this?’ dozens of times.

So Zion couldn’t help but be a little nervous about what happened on the day Eos received that letter, which made Zann act like that.

“She shouted, ‘Damn man!'”

“…Ugh.”

He almost spat out the tea he was drinking.

As Zion coughed incessantly and desperately looked for water, Lishikida quickly poured water into the empty glass next to him and handed it to him.

“Cough, cough.

She, she shouted damn man?”

“Yes.

And then she crumpled the letter.”

“…”

Damn it, did it not work?

I thought it would definitely work?

Feeling cold sweat running down his spine, Zion quickly began to think of excuses to give Kim Yoo-hyun.

That the northern tribes’ and Hispaña’s letters were slightly different, so the meaning was conveyed strangely, or that the letter was damaged, so only half of the content was lost…

“And she said this.

She said that she was already starting to miss him, and if he wrote a letter like that, wouldn’t she want to run to see him right away?

Ahahaha!”

Oh, my heart.

Yeah, I knew it.

This had to work!

Zion calmed his pounding heart and took another sip of tea.

The army that had fought a large-scale battle couldn’t move easily just because they were urging them.

Even if they didn’t rush them, they would quickly complete their preparations and move towards Klausen, so they just had to quietly hole up somewhere and spend time.

Zion knew very well that an ally who stood behind and gave instructions was more annoying than an enemy who charged with a sword and spear.

“Ah, that reminds me.”

“Yeah?”

“Actually, Eos is currently hiding among our warriors.

Except for a few warriors guarding her, the other guys don’t know at all.”

“Puh-uck!

Cough!

Cough, cough!”

In the end, Zion couldn’t swallow the tea he was drinking and choked.

Zann alone was enough, and they had to leave at least one strong person in the north, but why was Eos suddenly saying, ‘Actually, I followed you!’ without informing them at all!

“I surprised you.

That’s understandable.

Eos said she was aiming for that too.

She said that since that wooden man sent such a letter, it would be good for her to show such a reversal.”

“No, ha… never mind.”

Fortunately, Hound, the chief of the Wolrang tribe, and Paula, the matriarch of the Hobie tribe, were currently in the north.

With them there, the kingdom’s north, as well as the northern tribes, wouldn’t be devastated by monsters due to the radical elves’ schemes.

‘Yeah, it’s better this way.

I have to show it to Kim Yoo-hyun too.

The more you suffer, the more your people can smile.

And the more enemy blood is on your hands, the less blood your people will have to shed.

If you go halfway and your mentality breaks down again, you’ll really be in trouble.’

In fact, Zion felt a little sorry for making Kim Yoo-hyun fight Nudia with Ekaterina, a woman who was literally crazy about fighting and a white-haired disease itself.

He heard that Kim Yoo-hyun made a deal to use that crazy woman, saying, ‘If you do as I say, I’ll fight you for another month,’ which was quite considerate for Kim Yoo-hyun, who wasn’t particularly interested in fighting.

Kim Yoo-hyun was unknowingly caring about Zion himself, so it was better to give him a definite reward.

At least Zion thought that if there was something coming, there had to be something going.

―

The wide field that was once filled with Nudia’s forces to break through Klausen.

Currently, it was littered with corpses scattered everywhere, puddles of blood pooled here and there, and parts of bodies that had lost their owners were rolling around.

And in the middle of it, the protagonist in the novel was biting his lip slightly, exchanging attacks with a woman at an incredible speed, engaged in a fierce battle.

Clang!

“Keueueung.”

“What?

Are you tired?

Don’t tell me you’re exhausted against such weaklings.”

“I’m not tired because of them, but because of you.

What’s so good about risking your life in battle like this?

I’ve already defeated you more than 200 times.”

“For our tribe, victory is surviving alone, and defeat is dying alone.

But I’m still alive, so I haven’t lost, and I haven’t killed you and survived alone, so I haven’t won either, right?

So I have to fight.

I’m not risking my life to fight, but this life is attached because the fight itself hasn’t ended.”

“…Really, you’re a terribly foolish race.”

“I agree.

But what can I do?

This is our instinct.

If you don’t like it, you can kill me, right?

You always win and don’t kill me, so why do you keep complaining?”

Ekaterina shouted that and swung her claws.

With a deafening roar, sparks flew everywhere, and the surrounding mana twisted harshly.

‘That’s right.

Why am I not killing you?’

Because of Zion?

No, to be honest, it’s not just because of that.

He had lived his life quite freely and had never cared about anyone else’s opinion.

At least when he drew his sword and swung it, he was colder and more ruthless than anyone else, that was Kim Yoo-hyun, that was himself.

Yet he didn’t kill her in this boring, repetitive fight with the Dragonkin [a race of dragon-like humanoids].

Not unable to kill, but not killing.

Perhaps the reason was…

―If you can use it, you have to use it by any means possible.

―

Remembering what Zion had said someday, Kim Yoo-hyun nodded his head without realizing it.

It seemed that this Dragonkin woman named Ekaterina would be more useful than he thought.

“…”

“…”

The two men and women moved as if dancing, drawing a single, splendid trajectory of light.

Watching the scene, the Lichten Margrave [a noble title, similar to a Marquis] and the Lion Knights Captain were beyond dumbfounded, they were simply speechless.

‘Wh, where did those monsters come from…?’

It was those two who had shattered Nudia’s soaring momentum in just one hour.

When the man’s sword flashed, the dying screams and the breaths of countless people vanished, and every time the woman’s arms, legs, and tail were swung, screams and pieces of flesh flew everywhere.

It was even embarrassing to call them skilled.

Watching the two men and women who showed the power that could only be called a ‘natural disaster,’ the Lichten Margrave unknowingly muttered.

‘Son.

You have to make good friends.’

―――――――Author’s Afterword―――――――

3 consecutive chapters for 3 days completed!

I brought another 3 consecutive chapters as promised because there were many recommendations!

If you keep recommending me in the future, I will reward you with consecutive chapters!

And…

Helen’s illustration has been released!

Please respond to the author who draws illustrations every time with recommendations…!