Memoirs of the Returnee - Chapter 301



Only Noblemtl

The Regressor’s Notepad, Chapter 301

Memory (4)

Gedler clenched his teeth until his gums bled. He played the tape delivered by Belmore’s subordinate endlessly, his teeth trembling with betrayal, but soon he had no choice but to admit it.

There seems to be no way back. The team leaders will sacrifice themselves to survive, and Lord Jedrick will close his eyes and pretend not to see.

Even though Belmore is assassinating his subordinates, there is no nuance to even try to track down the culprit, let alone the investigation team.

Every step has been taken step by step. It didn’t happen all of a sudden, but was done meticulously and systematically.

“……no way.”

Gedler suddenly thought of Bendek.

Bendek, the former team leader who was killed by Sion Askar.

He was beheaded for being a rat… … but coincidentally, his successor was Belmore.

Belmore is now eyeing his own spot.

Could this whole thing just be a coincidence?

“under…….”

Gedler sat down on the chair and closed his eyes.

In the darkness, a black curtain ripples. Between them, I can glimpse the bloodshot eyes of some damned thing.

The dark curtain.

Belmore.

─Loyalty! Bellmore, your junior by 10 years, greets you!

From the first time we met, he was a bum who liked drinking and stuff, and he emphasized his school ties and hid himself by laughing like an idiot. He was a guy who went to clubs every day and drank a lot of alcohol with women.

But it was all just an act to clear his guard. He was full of greed and ambition from the start. He was always looking up, panting like a dog.

In fact, he was the worst and most evil enemy that Gedler had ever faced.

He was the most meticulous designer.

For Gedler, who realized the bastard’s true nature too late, there is now no other way but to prolong his own life… … .

“… … Hahahaha.”

He smiled. A hollow laugh echoed through the empty director’s office where no one came.

* * *

Meanwhile, Jade was informed of the coffee bean supply issue.

“Mr. Jade, we are experiencing a disruption in our coffee bean supply.”

Jade furrowed one eyebrow.

“Coffee beans?”

“yes.”

“Is it a problem with the distribution network itself?”

“No. Rather, the distribution network that Miss Jia has organized is excellent. In order to supply the highest quality coffee beans, they connect with cultivation areas with suitable climate conditions, and in case the cultivation areas are affected by drought or flood, they have also selected secondary and tertiary candidates in advance, so the distribution network itself is spread almost all over the country.”

The clerk handed him the file.

“An organization called ‘Blockers’ is interfering with the distribution network. As the distribution network passes through remote areas and foreign countries, conflicts are occurring in areas beyond the reach of administrative power.”

“Why?”

“It seems like a protest demanding a bribe.”

Jade laughed bitterly.

“Bribe.”

“yes.”

Cafe Balance is Jade’s ‘business’. It is also the most successful business he has ever had in his life.

Current sales have far exceeded the station’s expectations, and the listing has grown to a size that is immediately feasible.

“What should we do?”

“We don’t negotiate with terrorists. Hire mercenaries and do it for us.”

Of course, supplying the coffee beans is Jia’s responsibility, but protecting them is Jade’s responsibility.

The quality of the coffee itself has improved since Jia started supplying the beans.

“Yes, I understand.”

“Go ahead and try.”

Jade, who was waving leisurely, enjoyed tea time again. She opened the newspaper while drinking coffee.

[One-armed painter Iselin… … begins a new challenge.]

There was a story about Iselin. Jade smiled happily without realizing it, but her expression soon hardened into a cold one.

“……wingy.”

The word ‘one-armed’ was jarring.

He called out to his secretary who was about to leave.

“Allen.”

“yes.”

He said, showing the newspaper.

“Request correction of this word.”

“… … in what words.”

“The ones who use the words should think about what they use. If they don’t change, they should prepare to become enemies of Libra… … .”

* * *

On the day of the final interview for the journalist qualification exam, about 200 people who passed the second exam gathered at the journalist association building.

The waiting room of a round stadium-like building.

“The reason I want to become a knight is not simply because it was my childhood dream… … .”

Solliet is chattering next to me. She looks surprisingly nervous.

“What are you nervous about?”

I nudged her shoulder with my elbow. She let out a thud and took a deep breath again.

“I got a call last night. They told me to consider returning home if I fail.”

“… …To Arcne?”

“Yes. I wonder if the family noticed anything.”

“Jelly is you?”

I asked back jokingly.

“… … Ah. Right.”

Solliet breathed a sigh of relief.

“It would be hard to know. That something so strange… … is me.”

It’s not like I hid my identity for nothing.

──Next. Test taker number 113. Sion Askar.

Just then my name was called.

“Zion. Fighting.”

“Uh. Okay.”

I stood in front of the interview room door.

Knock knock- I didn’t forget to knock.

Open the door, greet the interviewers with a bow, and then sit down.

“… … .”

However, I was a little surprised by the interviewer’s appearance.

One of the three interviewers was Teia Isil.

She looked at me and flipped through the files.

“Mr. Zion Ascal.”

“yes.”

“You passed all your exams with flying colors. You’re a freshman, but your grades aren’t bad.”

“I tried.”

Teia Isil raised her eyebrows at my words.

“The question I’m going to ask during the interview process is simple: Why do you want to become a journalist?”

“… …To make my dream come true.”

After that, it was a simple question and answer session.

The interview wasn’t difficult, but it was just very ordinary, like why I wanted to become a journalist, what I would do if I became a journalist, etc…

“It doesn’t seem to affect me at all.”

“… … ?”

Then, I tilted my head at the words that Teia Isil suddenly brought up. She exchanged glances with the interviewer and said.

“I didn’t even feel its existence… … .”

The other interviewer chuckled.

“Zion Ascal examinees. There are many types of illusion magic overlapping here. If you let your guard down, you will get lost and have a strange experience.”

“……yes.”

I nodded calmly.

“It is good to endure or to put up with something.”

“It looks like that. This is a first for me.”

An anonymous interviewer checked something on the documents with a smiling face.

“… … .”

On the other hand, Teia Isil glared at me.

There is a growing ill-fated relationship between her and me. Of course, it will be a drop in the bucket compared to what will happen later.

“Yes. I listened to your story. I even figured out that you have a special constitution. Sorry, but what about this?”

The interviewers looked at each other and laughed, and Teia Isil forced her lips to lift up.

“Go back. Don’t tell your friends about the interview.”

“Yes, thank you.”

I got up from my chair and bent down. As I came out of the interview room, Solliet asked me.

“Zion. What happened?”

“Of course I passed.”

──Next. Test taker number 114. Soliet.

Suddenly, a tangle of hair rose up from Solliet’s hair. I placed a hand on her shoulder, which had a tense expression on its face.

“It’s okay. It’ll be easy for you.”

“……yes.”

Gulp.

She swallowed and creaked like a robot as she entered the interview room.

… … .

Same time.

Jahanna received the data from Jedrick. She ‘bought’ it, to be exact. It was ridiculously expensive, but she had plenty of cash anyway.

Just the dividends from Golden Casino’s stake are enough to buy 2-3 pieces of data like this every year.

“… … .”

Jahanna plugged the USB into her laptop. It was quite large so it stuttered, but it was quickly uploaded to the screen.

“… … There are a lot.”

There were many names. There were about a thousand people who participated in the test. Most of them were low-ranking knights belonging to Libra.

The name of the experiment they participated in was [Magic Enhancement AL-Z2 Project].

The outline itself is simple.

Drugging lower-ranking knights to enhance their skills. Remodeling them into meaningful fighters.

The experiment itself was legal and had been clinically tested, and Jahanna also remembered hearing about it at some point.

She clicked the mouse and searched for a name.

There were thousands of them, and it was a pain in the eyes, but still, the guy’s ‘surname’ was easily found.

It’s like the guy’s face, something his eyes immediately find.

[Dale Ascal]

Dale Ascal.

Jahanna opened the data about that person specifically.

There is only one reason she wants to find out about Dale Ascal. For a terminally ill man, the sight of the father he never knew could be a gift.

[Libra’s Lower-ranking Knight]

[Voluntarily participate in the experiment]

[Day 1 of medication: No apparent changes]

A report in the form of a diary that observes changes that occur each day, records them in sentences, and includes body measurements.

“Voluntary… … .”

Jahanna let out a faint sigh.

In fact, the lower-ranking knights have a strong desire to become stronger. They are treated as simple guards, unable to graduate from college and unable to use their magic properly.

[Day 2 of medication: Some increase in physical abilities. No other problems. Still gentle enough to care for researchers.]

“… … gentle.”

Did that Zion Ascal guy inherit his father’s personality? Jahanna smiled without knowing it.

[Day 7 of medication: Increased physical abilities. Compared to day 2, he has nearly doubled his strength. AL-Z2 seems to have manifested itself in this knight’s favor to enhance his physical abilities. Strangely enough, his personality is still intact. This is in contrast to the violent transformation of other lower-ranking knights. We will continue to monitor his progress each week.]

The experiment itself seemed to be a success. There were no unusual events in the logs on the 20th, 30th, or 40th days.

Jahanna felt somewhat relieved.

……however.

[Day 60 of medication: A magical mutation has occurred. Strange magical waves are emanating from the subject’s body. It is unknown what effect this will have, but for now, we will keep quiet. In the future, researchers are advised to wear protective clothing when encountering this subject.]

“… … ”

The writing style changed drastically. The title also changed from ‘Knight’ to ‘Test Subject’.

Jahanna’s complexion turned cold.

Her heart beat slowly.

[Day 90 of medication: It is clear that the magical power emitted by the subject is influencing others. In order to understand it further, the subject is requested to refrain from going outside.]

It is certain that the magical power emitted by the test subject affects others.

Request to refrain from going out.

Sentences that get stranger and stranger.

Jahanna’s breathing became rapid.

[Day 100 of medication: A companion dog was provided as part of the procedure. The subject lives with his son, but the effects will be faster in animals than in humans.]

Faster results.

Jahanna’s fingertips trembled. She was frozen like stone. She felt as if she couldn’t move the mouse.

We have to stop here.

Instinct seemed to be telling me so.

If I take just one more step… … it will become irreversible.

──Click.

[Day 120 of medication: The dog suddenly developed cancer. This is a definite confirmation. The magical power emitted by the test subject is having a very negative effect.]

Jahanna closed her eyes for a moment. Something seemed to be stopping her from breathing.

The dog died of cancer due to the magical energy being released into the outside world.

If that’s the case for your dog, what kind of impact would that have had on your son who lives with him?

[Day 150 of medication: Test results show a small tumor in my son’s brain. This fact will remain confidential. The subject must be disposed of as soon as possible.]

Jahanna opened her mouth without realizing it. Her eyes, blank, stared at the monitor screen.

The word ‘discard’ cut through me like a knife, but I didn’t dare say anything.

[Day 180 of medication: Disposal process in operation]

Because all of this was Libra’s doing.

Libra’s work, passed down from Sheiloch to Jedrick.

The legacy that Jahanna herself will inherit.

[Day 180 of medication: Disposal process in operation]

She stared at the screen silently, blankly staring at the dry, stuck-to-me letters.

[Day 180 of medication: Disposal process in operation]

After 180 days, there were no entries regarding Dale Ascal.

There was no mention of the son either.

Finally, Jahanna grabbed her face, which had become as desolate as a desert.

Dale Ascal.

He, the father of Sion Askar, was murdered by Libra, who was loyal to Sion Askar until his death… … .