Reader’S Regeneration Life [EN]: Chapter 336

336

Who is the Light?

Flap.

A delicate hand gently turns the page, continuing the journey. The man, engrossed in reading with a gentle smile, squints slightly at the warm sunlight streaming through the window, yet happily welcomes the light.

His already brilliant appearance, enhanced by a subtle halo, creates a beauty that fills the room, surpassing even the description of a painting.

The sight is so enchanting that Lilith, sitting beside him, involuntarily sighs.

“…Sion.”

Finally, unable to bear it any longer, Lilith slowly opens her mouth. At Lilith’s call, the man looks up from his book, and Lilith gasps!

Clutching her chest, she struggles to suppress her rising desires.

“What’s wrong?”

Whether he is unaware of Lilith’s feelings or deliberately provoking her.

The handsome young man, Sion, who stirs the hearts of women, asks with a gentle smile.

“No… it’s nothing.

If you’re not aware, there’s no point in saying anything.”

How could he not be aware!

He’s constantly thinking about how to exploit it every day!

In fact, though he doesn’t show it, Sion is aware that his appearance is outstanding, beyond words.

There’s a reason why being pretty and handsome is always new and thrilling.

Even now, after washing his face in the morning, he looks in the mirror and wonders if the author dislikes handsome characters, as this is a novel but there’s no exaggeration.

“More importantly, shouldn’t we move now?”

“Now?”

“Yes.

It’s been several days since the pigeon [messenger] disappeared from the royal palace.

At first, the humans might be excited and united, but who knows what will happen over time.

I’m worried that traitors might emerge, hesitant people might appear, and everything will fall apart.”

“That could certainly happen.

If too much time passes.”

For now, he has ignited the passions of everyone in Hispania.

Until now, everyone has been living diligently, following the path of that light, but suddenly, the descendant of that light appears, accusing them of being sinners and demanding judgment, which is absurd.

No, it’s not just absurd; it’s infuriating.

They had won the war, improved relations with other races, and were expecting an unprecedented golden age, so why did the Celestial Race have to appear at that moment!

‘Just when we were about to indulge in some national pride, they come along and shatter it.’

Personal and family motivations are effective ways to incite action, but extending that to a region or even a nation can create an even more intense and passionate response.

People are naturally inclined to follow the fervor of those around them.

If you try to stand apart, you won’t just be seen as an oddball; you’ll be branded a traitor struggling to survive alone.

“However, there’s no need to be too hasty, Lilith.

In times like these, those who become impatient and reveal their weaknesses are the ones who lose.”

This is a kind of chicken game [a situation where two parties escalate a conflict, each hoping the other will back down first].

The moment you get scared and back down, you fall off a cliff.

To prevent that, he has been trying to make the opponent flinch and retreat with words and persuasion, but if that doesn’t work and he starts to move, the game is over.

‘The chances of that Celestial returning to the Holy Prussen [likely a religious or celestial city] are almost zero.

They probably tried to stir up the fairies and beastmen.

They probably went to see them directly.

However, Sirien, who returned Liana, sent to the beastmen’s territory in advance, to the fairy forest, is quiet, so they don’t seem to be trying to ruin their relationship with humans by following the Celestial Race.’

So, there’s no need to be afraid and act rashly.

Acting rashly ultimately means military action, and in a situation where the war has just ended, taking up arms again is not beneficial and unwelcome to Sion.

He needs to create a situation where Hispania is forced to take up arms, not the other way around.

That way, when those who should be laughing and celebrating their victory are sent back to the battlefield, they will blame those who dragged them into the war, not the royal family or nobles.

“We must never show any intention or action of fighting first.

That would be a mistake from the start.

The Holy Prussen, the foolish light-worshipping fairies, and the pigeons all want that scenario.

We must make them impatient and believe they have an advantage, so they take up arms first.”

“Why do we have to do that?”

“Ultimately, it’s a battle for justification.

Plus, we need to turn the internal atmosphere in our favor.”

The name ‘a war to defend what we have worked so hard to achieve from those who threaten to take it away’ sounds much better than just a war.

Those who have to fight will fight with more strength if they have such a reason, and those who have to watch the fight from behind will yearn for victory even more.

Knock, knock.

A knock is heard, and after a moment, Helen cautiously peeks her head in.

A silent question of whether she can enter, as they seem to be in the middle of a conversation.

She looks at Lilith, who nods in approval and tells Helen to come in.

“Young Master Sion, news has just arrived.”

“A letter from the fairies?”

“Yes, it seems a Celestial entered their forest some time ago and spoke with the elders.”

“What was the result?”

He was almost certain, but there’s always a part of the heart that worries about ‘what if’.

Seeing Sion’s slightly nervous face, Helen smiles softly and opens her mouth.

“The concerns you had did not come to pass.

Those who excessively followed the fairies have all left the forest, and due to the previous village attack, the atmosphere wasn’t welcoming.

Sirien sent the information directly, so it’s reliable.”

“…That’s a relief.”

If the fairies, who were the biggest concern, have taken that stance, there’s nothing more to worry about.

The beastmen were already firmly in Sion’s grasp, and unlike the Celestial Race, who offered nothing, Sion had persuaded the nobles and Vanessa to give them much of what they wanted.

The autonomous regions that the kingdom had previously refused to allow, along with safe and reliable trade.

Above all, the issue of slavery, the biggest reason why the beastmen and fairies didn’t trust humans, was something Sion had been dealing with since long ago, which worked very well.

Recently, he had captured and executed all those who had been slave traders in the past but had become followers of the light, which was a major reason why the two other races viewed Sion very positively.

‘And King Geus of the Myo-eun tribe [likely a beastmen tribe], who make up the largest number of beastmen, is my strong supporter, and his daughter has a human as her partner.’

So, there was almost no chance that the beastmen would be swayed by the Celestial Race’s sweet talk and do something foolish.

All that remained was for the Celestial named Richel to try to seduce the kingdom’s people directly, but Sion had already prepared for that as well.

“Helen, what about the things I asked you to do last time?”

“I’ve carefully selected people and spread them throughout the kingdom.

They all have close ties to the Hiness Merchant Guild, so there’s no need to worry about betrayal.”

At Helen’s words, Sion shakes his head and gives her a bright smile.

It was a silent message that he had no worries about what she was doing, and Helen, realizing this, blushed and twisted her body in embarrassment.

‘I know it’s about managing public sentiment, but I can’t help but be concerned.’

Hmph!

Lilith snorts, deliberately showing her discomfort.

Helen is startled and immediately lowers her head, worried that she might have offended Lilith, Sion’s first woman and a succubus queen whom she couldn’t dare to oppose.

But Sion wasn’t too worried about that.

He could roughly predict Lilith’s next words and expression.

“It’s fine.”

“…Yes?”

“Her skills are quite good.

I’ve been sitting here listening to the story, and I heard that although the Celestial pigeons are appearing here and there in the kingdom and doing strange things, they are ultimately being buried by the words of more kingdom citizens.

Seeing that, I like that she is definitely helpful to Sion.”

“Oh… Th, thank you.”

“If it’s helpful to Sion, I have no intention of harming you, so I wish you wouldn’t treat me so fearfully, as if I’m going to eat you.

Do you understand what I’m saying?

Helen?”

Lilith deliberately calls her name, Helen, in a friendly manner.

Helen blinks for a moment and turns her head to cautiously look at Sion.

Sion nods, indicating that she can really act this way.

“…Yes, yes.

Thank you.

…Lilith-nim [a respectful suffix in some languages].”

“Okay.”

Helen smiles at Lilith’s nonchalant reply.

She had been recognized not only by Sion but also by Lilith, the first woman and the center of all the women, so she looked relieved.

And immediately after, Rishikida rushes into the room and delivers the news that Sion had been eagerly waiting for.

“Master!

Master!

A person has come from the royal palace!

Something urgent has happened, and there’s a royal order to enter the palace immediately!”

“…Could it be, Sion?”

“It seems that ‘could it be’ is correct.

They couldn’t hold out and finally cracked.”

The Celestial Race would know that there are disadvantages to starting an attack with weapons first.

If they actually launched an attack, the good image they had built up would be gone in an instant, as not only Hispania but also the fairies, beastmen, and Nudia would question the actions of the Holy Prussen and the will of light.

So, they would have tried to buy time to make the anxious human side attack first, but Sion had taken measures to prevent that.

He had moved the demons in advance to give the Celestials a victory.

That gave the Celestials the confidence that ‘those guys we thought were our eternal enemies have become crippled?

We don’t have to worry about demons anymore?’

‘The pigeons considered the demons to be the biggest obstacle.

Now that they have completely won against those demons, they must be completely confident in their military strength.

They must think they can win against the alliance of humans, beastmen, fairies, and dragonkins with just the clergy, their fanatical fairy followers, and the Celestials.’

Of course, from this perspective alone, the Celestial side is more advantageous.

Even though Sion had put in a lot of effort to save the named individuals, they were only a breakwater to prevent them from being swept away by the Celestials without even being able to resist properly.

Even if they formed an alliance and fought them, the most they could do was maintain the front line or gradually retreat while reducing their strength.

But such a delaying tactic should be avoided at all costs.

‘If we use a delaying tactic, we’ll be at a disadvantage.

We don’t know where or how a traitor will emerge, and conversely, the enemies are only true fanatics and Celestials, so there will be no one to betray them.’

No matter how hard we try, defending is the limit, and even that will be advantageous to the Celestials over time.

So, it seemed that the Celestials had given up on further manipulation and decided to push forward with force.

Unfortunately for them, there was one more hidden card on this side.

“Young Master Sion.”

As he went down to the first floor to go to the royal palace, Kim Yu-hyun was waiting for Sion in a black uniform with a sword.

He also had a stiff expression, as if he had heard the news, but Sion knew very well that it wasn’t an expression of tension or worry.

Sion’s group left the mansion, got into a carriage, and headed to the royal palace.

But the carriage, which had been running smoothly, suddenly lurched and stopped in its tracks.

“Y, Young Master?

You must come out and see!”

At the panicked voice of the coachman, Sion slowly rose from his seat.

If something dangerous had happened, Kim Yu-hyun and Rishikida outside would have stepped in, and those who tried to do something absurd would have been dealt with in an instant.

But the fact that he didn’t hear the sound of the two men and women drawing their swords meant that the situation outside the carriage wasn’t something to worry about.

“Young Master Sion.”

“Master!”

Rather, the two men and women were looking at Sion, who had stepped out of the carriage, as if asking what to do.

Even though he hadn’t grasped the situation yet, Sion raised his hand to reassure them and was able to clearly recognize the scene in front of him.

“Young Master Sion Clausen!”

“Hero of the kingdom!

Please answer us!”

“Are we Hispania, are our kingdom’s people really sinners?”

“We heard the rumors.

That the descendant of light said we are sinners!”

“Are we sinners?

What will happen to Hispania now?”

Numerous kingdom citizens, with some war veterans mixed in.

Seeing the carriage with the Clausen family crest, they blocked the carriage, disregarding the rudeness, to hear the truth about the rumors that had been making them uneasy and to hear the opinion of the man called the hero of the kingdom.

‘It’s a dangerous act that could be punished immediately by the nobles, but… if I don’t understand their impatience, I can’t be called a hero.

I have to handle this well here.

…No, maybe it could be the best opportunity.’

Thinking so, Sion slowly approached them.

“The rumors are true.”

“Ah… !”

“The descendant of light came to the royal palace of Hispania, and they said that the things Hispania has done so far are contrary to the will of light, and if we don’t show repentance, they will have no choice but to hold us accountable.”

“If you hold us accountable…”

“Not warm light, but flames hotter than anything else will be waiting for us.”

Chaos spreads throughout the area at Sion’s words.

People couldn’t hide their bewildered expressions and whispered to each other, causing Kim Yu-hyun and Rishikida to look at Sion as if asking if this was really okay.

‘Now it begins.’

He chuckled inwardly and continued.

“Perhaps they are right.

The things Hispania, we, have done may really be sinful in their eyes.

Many people have shed tears and blood, after all.”

“…”

“Then, everyone.

I ask you.

Do you agree with their words that we are sinners?

Do you really think we should be severely punished for our sins?

Are we sinners?

Or are those who call us sinners the sinners?”

The murmurs of the people grow louder at Sion’s words.

They seemed quite shocked that he could so casually call the Celestial Race sinners.

But Sion didn’t stop there and spoke immediately.

“Is it a sin to struggle to survive?

Or is it a true sin to remain silent until now and then say we are sinners and demand judgment!

Are we sinners?

Are we evil?

Are we shadows?

We who have done everything we can to move towards the light, we who have lived virtuously and shunned evil, are we really sinners as they say!”

He drives in the wedge with force.

“No!

We are innocent.

We are light, justice, and good to ourselves!

Those who have been silent until now have no right to judge us, no right to hold us accountable!

Those who don’t know how many tears, sweat, and blood we have shed have no right!”

The most powerful and alluring magic words in the world.

We didn’t do anything wrong, they did.

It’s not my fault.

It’s their fault.

To those who harbored a hint of anxiety in their hearts, those words were sweeter than anything else.

And they were words that made them have unimaginable animosity towards the enemies who were trying to put the blame on them.

―――――――Author’s Notes―――――――

Did you like Kim Yu-hyun’s illustration?

Sion’s illustration is ···.

I’m considering it···!