Omniscient First-Person’s Viewpoint - Chapter 539



Cleaning Up is More Annoying Than the Work Itself

The regressor’s recovery was astonishing. The body that couldn’t move at all was able to sit up after a day, and after another day, they could walk. Seeing the regressor limping outside, I clicked my tongue.

“Your recovery is monstrous.”

“You’re not one to talk. It’s not a big deal. People who practice internal energy can handle internal injuries more easily. I also took a potion I had saved.”

“Aji’s saliva has healing properties. Isn’t that why? So it was you who used the spoon, Shay.”

“Sh-Shut up! Don’t remind me! And it could have been you who used it!”

The regressor, who had been shouting, felt dizzy and staggered. They reached out to grab something, but there was nothing nearby.

—

Should I grab you? Or not? Honestly, it doesn’t really matter if I show a little kindness. But if I grab you and then start overthinking, it’ll just annoy me. Still, if I want to raise my favorability, maybe it’s better to do it.

Sigh, good things come from good intentions. Let’s just grab you for now. I reluctantly reached out my arm.

That’s when it happened. Suddenly, the little one appeared, supporting the regressor with their back and head. The regressor steadied themselves using the little one as a crutch.

“Thanks, little one….”

And then our eyes met as I was extending my hand. A brief moment of awkwardness passed, and the regressor spoke shyly.

“Uh… Thanks, Hughes?”

What a waste of my rare kindness. I shot a glance at the oblivious little one who had butted in.

“Ugh. I ended up losing out trying to help because of you.”

“Huh? Me? That’s a bit much, don’t you think?”

I was just trying to help, and now I look ridiculous. While I vented my frustration on the little one, the regressor chuckled softly.

‘Were you really trying to help? You act like everything is going according to plan. Hughes has a pretty cute side, huh.’

Ugh, hold it together. Just hold on. This is all to build favor. Remember when you were a host? You have to let go of your ego and pride and do what the other person wants.

With someone like the regressor, it’s hard to tell what they want because they’re so fickle. But that also means it’s simple, and I don’t have to think too deeply about it.

‘Come to think of it, Hughes still thinks of me as a guy, right? It’s probably just goodwill? If it’s not goodwill close to friendship, then I might have to question Hughes’s taste.’

I know. I know. I’m aware that you’re a regressor, disguised as a man, and that I’m not confused about it because you’re not conscious of it!

Ah, I wish someone could read my thoughts and convey them to the regressor. Then I wouldn’t be this frustrated.

“Stop slacking off and get to work. While you were lying around, a mountain of annoying tasks piled up.”

“Tasks? If I defeated Fenril, then I’ve done all the tasks, what more do you want?”

“I’ve responded that way too, but people want to have confidence in their own judgments. When that confidence is backed by strength and authority, it becomes a source of power.”

“I don’t really have anything to give you… but fine. I’ll go wash up a bit.”

“Wash up? Does Shea actually wash?”

“What are you saying? Isn’t that obvious? If there’s a reason, I can solve it with qi, but otherwise, I wash up.”

Even if you only know how to handle basic qi, you can push out the dust and waste clinging to your body. Someone who has mastered emotional qi is almost like shedding their skin.

But there’s a matter of mood. To refresh a body soaked in blood, dust, and sweat, just using qi isn’t enough.

Hmm. Wait a minute. Isn’t it about time I expose one of the regressor’s lies?

Ultimately, I need to get the regressor to mention “regression.” But I don’t think someone with so many layers of secrets will reveal everything at once. I need to peel back the outer layers to get to the core.

Honestly, the fact that you’re a girl is now a secret that doesn’t really matter, right? Even if I reveal it, it only slightly increases the chance of you being a saint. Let’s just spill it.

I said it casually, as if it were a passing thought, without any intention behind it.

“Should I wash you?”

“Pfft! Cough, cough!”

The returnee coughed violently, as if something had lodged in their throat. After a moment of disorientation, the returnee shouted in shock and disbelief.

“What, what are you saying?! Why are you washing me?!”

“I’m just worried that Mr. Shay, with your limited mobility, might slip. I’m trying to help.”

“Are you out of your mind?! This isn’t something you can brush off with that kind of talk!”

“Why not? We’re both men, after all.”

From noble mtl dot com

“Uh…?”

‘Oh no. Right. I’m still dressed as a man.’

Look at this. Even now, I’m not fully aware of my own situation. If I’m going to dress as a man, I should do it more perfectly and meticulously, or just drop the act altogether.

“Even if we’re not close friends, we can still rely on each other when things get uncomfortable, right? You need to change the bandages and apply the ointment.”

“No, there’s no need for that….”

“No matter how much of a man you are, it’s going to be difficult to apply medicine and wrap a bandage on a wound on your back by yourself. Let me help you… *chuckle*.”

“Why, why are you trying to take off your clothes?!”

“Why? Because if I don’t take them off while washing, my clothes will get wet.”

“Put them on!”

“Pardon? Oh. I understand. It must be uncomfortable, so I’ll keep my clothes on. You just take yours off.”

“Who’s taking off what?! No way! I have no intention of asking you for help!”

You might refuse contact, and that’s understandable, but the returnee’s reaction was definitely beyond the ordinary. If the returnee were truly a man, this overreaction would chill the atmosphere. Isn’t it about time to drop the cross-dressing concept? I subtly left an opening for the returnee.

“No, I offered this out of goodwill, so why are you rejecting it so passionately? There’s no need to dislike it that much between men, right?”

“Well…!”

The stage was set. This person is emotional, so it’s easier to provoke a reaction by poking rather than building up slowly. It’s time to give up on this ridiculous concept.

As I waited to see how they would respond, the returnee suddenly shouted at me.

“I hate it when you look at me like that!”

“What do you mean by that?!”

That kind of look? Even if you were a woman, I wouldn’t look at you like that! Am I really just going to react to bare skin, reading your thoughts with mind-reading? I’m giving you a chance to reverse your failed concept, so why does the conversation keep going off track?

“Don’t make me the strange one; realize that you’re the one being weird!”

“You’re the one who’s strange! You wouldn’t suddenly offer to wash me when you never cared before! It looks odd!”

“I just assumed you’d handle what you usually don’t care about! You, on the other hand, could have just said, ‘I appreciate the thought, but I’ll handle it myself,’ instead of throwing a fit about it!”

“Then why are you so persistent about my body?!”

“I’m not being persistent!”

I really wasn’t getting the reaction I wanted. Was mind-reading really this ineffective? Feeling my limits, I sighed and waved my hand dismissively.

“It’s fine. I understand what you mean well enough, so hurry up and wash up. You smell.”

“I was going to do that!”

The regressor staggered but somehow managed to keep their balance as they made their way to the bathroom. Then, suddenly stopping in their tracks, they shot me a glare and said,

“Don’t peek.”

“Ugh! What would I even see? Even if you told me to, I wouldn’t look!”

Why are they acting all tough while dressed as a boy? What do they want from me? I just don’t get it!

Well, I could force myself to understand. There’s the reason of not wanting to be suspected of being a saint, and the fact that the regressor seems satisfied with the current relationship could be another reason. And there’s probably some embarrassment about revealing the truth with their own mouth.

But you’re not the type to think that much before acting! It’s about time you just blurted it out! At this rate, I might accidentally reveal it myself!

Sigh. At this rate, when will I ever reveal the fact of the regression? There’s still a long way to go.

“Hey, Aji. Do you want to wash up too?”

At that, Aji replied with a serious expression.

“Woof. Our beast sheds its fur instead of washing with water like a human. It’s one thing if we were to swim, but there’s no need to soak all the way to the skin.”

I had a lot to say, but I just held it in because I was tired. I’ll just have to drop them in the bathtub later.

It’s hard for everything to settle down in just five days. Ende, now devoid of Fenril and the Mountain Lord, still felt like a beehive that someone had stirred up. The citizens of Ende were either mourning or angry over the death of acquaintances, walking around with weapons in hand, thinking they had to protect themselves. Arguments broke out on the streets at the slightest provocation, and disturbances occurred almost daily.

Yet, despite the continuous battles, order was being maintained in Ende. This was partly due to the presence of the Obelisk and the Beast faction, but more importantly…

“Because a common enemy has emerged.”

The mayor of Ende, Triver, was still attending to his duties, looking old and haggard. Given his age, he should have been resting, but considering the current situation, he simply couldn’t afford to. Mayor Triver was someone who prioritized the state of affairs over his own age.

“It has become known to everyone that the feudal lords attempted to reclaim this land while Ende was at its weakest. The beastmen, ambushed while rescuing the buried, are engulfed in rage, crying out for revenge. There are many radical claims to kill all the injured members of the Black Tiger Army and send their heads to the Mountain Lord.”

“Is that what you’re thinking?”

“If it were up to me, I would want to do that.”

That meant his body couldn’t follow through. Mayor Triver answered the regressor’s question honestly.

“On that day, it wouldn’t have been strange for Ende to fall. The Wolf King, the Black Tiger Army, and the Mountain Lord. Any of the three could have led to Ende’s destruction. The reason we survived in such an absurd situation was simply because fortune was on our side.”

Mayor Triver bowed his head toward me, the regressor, and Aji.

“Especially you all were our fortune. On behalf of all the ears and tails of Ende, I would like to express my gratitude to you.”

“It’s fine. I didn’t come here to hear thanks.”

“Same here. Instead of thanks, how about some material compensation?”

“Woof! Just empty-handed?”

The regressor shot me a look that seemed to ask if I was really going to accept that.

Why, what? It’s only natural to expect compensation. After all, the regressor, who will move on to the next cycle, probably doesn’t care much about Ende’s rewards, but Aji and I are different. These small compensations are the driving force of life.

“I haven’t heard anything specific, so I can’t say if you’ll be satisfied, but…”

—

Mayor Triver nodded and pulled out three wooden boxes. Oh, he’s prepared a reward? He knows how to handle people like a true mayor.

The mayor opened the first box adorned with a ribbon. Inside was a bone tightly wrapped in cowhide.

“Here, it’s a humble gift, a dog chew made directly by the craft department.”

“Woof woof woof woof!”

Ajin snatched the chew in an instant, cradling it and gnawing on it with great care. It was a trivial toy compared to the effort put in, but the recipient’s feelings often outweigh the original value. Ajin, chewing on the dog treat, looked happier than anyone else.

Surely the other two aren’t dog chews as well? That would be quite amusing.

Unfortunately, my expectations were dashed. As Mayor Triver opened the box, a faintly fishy herbal scent wafted out, revealing a dark brown elixir.