Regressor Instruction Manual

Chapter 965. Altanus (2)

“I thought there was no one here... I-I’m sorry,” the brown-haired maid said.

“Benigoa?” I asked.

“Excuse me?”

I blurted out my thoughts without realizing it, and I said it in a loud voice.

I said her name clearly, but the woman in front of me looked at me with confusion.

It was a reaction that told me that her name was not Benigoa at all. The tower of books that I had worked hard to organize had fallen down, and she looked like she had no idea what to do. She had the same demeanor as the Benigoa I was familiar with.

The only difference was her hair color and clothes.

Instead of her usual white and gold embroidered outfit, she was wearing a tattered maid outfit. Her shiny and smooth hair had taken on a dull brown color. There were dark spots on her face, and she looked shabby overall.

She had light freckles around her nose, and she looked thinner than usual.

I never really thought that Benigoa had ever acted like a transcendent being ought to act, but she had a beauty that suited her status as a transcendent being, and her believers even believed that she was the perfect existence.

Except for her aggrieved look, the woman before him was pretty similar to Benigoa. It was just similar, but I felt like this woman was actually Benigoa.

“I’m sorry. I’m really sorry,” she apologized. She tried to clean up the books that had fallen because she had bumped into them, but when she turned around, her books decimated what remained of the tower of books.

“Ah!” she exclaimed, startled.

Then, she fell backward on her butt. “Kyah!”

She couldn't do anything at all.

“...”

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry, Father!” she exclaimed.

She looked exactly like Benigoa.

“What should I do? Father... I’ll clean this up. I’m sorry,” she offered.

‘No, don’t. I don’t have to wait around to see what’s going to happen... Damn it.’

“I’ll...”

‘Please don’t do anything.’

“Where was this book at?” she muttered.

“...”

“Cough! Cough! I’m sorr... Cough! There’s suddenly dust—Cough!” she said.

‘I think I’m going to start coughing, too.’

“Father... I-I’m going to drink some... Cough! Cough!’ she said.

‘Don’t drink my coffee, damn it.’

“Whew... T-Thank you. I’m feeling better,” she said.

A troublemaker appeared after the noisy parrot. She was so dumb that I felt like I was becoming stupid as dumb, and it made me feel uneasy. However, I couldn’t avoid her, so I needed to confirm my assumptions first.

“It’s fine,” I said.

“No! I-I did this, so I’ll clean it up. You can sit and keep reading...” she argued.

“I’ll clean it up, so you can just leave it. I was actually thinking about taking a break,” I told her.

“B-But...”

“If you feel bad, how about you keep me company?” I suggested.

“What?”

“You just need to talk to me for a bit,” I told her.

“...”

“...”

“Can you tell me your name?” I asked.

“...”

“My name is Lee Ki-Young,” I introduced myself.

First, I needed to lower her guard as much as possible. I could still remember how Benigoa was a really big coward at the time.

As usual, I decided to smile and provide her with a comfortable atmosphere.

She seemed hesitant, and I thought perhaps it was because she felt awkward about the idea of spending time with someone she had just met.

I got nervous, feeling like I had made a mistake, but her serious face relaxed slightly—no, she was actually smiling brightly right now. Wait, it was more like she was desperately trying to suppress her facial smile, making her look kind of weird.

“T-That’s... Are you...” she stammered, “Asking me out on a date? A-Are you flirting with me?”

‘What the hell?’

“P-People from aboveground are pretty aggressive..." she remarked.

‘What the hell are you talking about?’

“I’m not ready yet... I’m sorry. Ah! I’m not apologizing because I don’t want to spend time with you. It’s just that... it's my first time experiencing something like this... a-and I’m not very familiar with it, so I don’t know what to do...” she explained.

‘This girl.’

“Your face is far from being my type... b-but don’t misunderstand, Father. I’m not saying you’re ugly... It’s just you’re not my type... but you do look pretty though

"B-But... that’s not... my ideal type... How should I say it... I kind of liked your intelligent look while you were absorbed in your reading...” she added.

“...”

“I guess I like your aura... and you look sexy, too... Something like that,” she said.

‘What is wrong with her?’

She looked like she was already daydreaming.

“I-It feels immoral because you’re a priest... O-Of course, I’m not saying that priests shouldn’t date anyone... but priests give off a 'pure' feeling, right?” she asked.

‘Stop talking to yourself.’

“I-If things go well, does that mean I’ll get to live aboveground, too? Or here? I think we’ll have to live here. You seem kind of weak... Are you okay? I don’t want to be a widow at such a young age... If you have some sort of chronic illness...” she asked.

I found it absurd how she was talking to herself. To make things worse, she seemed unaware that she was doing that.

I wanted to pinch her cheeks because of her rude comments. However, this was a brand-new sight to me; I had no idea that Benigoa was that interested in dating.

Perhaps it wasn't strange, as when she was up there, she was a goddess, but right now, she was just a human being. I was sure she had her own fantasies, and I was sure this kind of romance was something she desired like the other girls out there.

The issue was that she was going a bit too far here.

‘Widow, my ass...’

“I-I accept your offer, Father,” she said.

The shy look that she revealed upon realizing that she wanted made her look. After all, she revealed that look after organizing her thoughts right in front of me.

I heard everything, including the remark about how priests who had been invited to this social gathering were all competent, about how I didn’t look that weak, and it wouldn’t be so bad to test it out and enjoy it.

Despite saying all of those, she was blushing as if she were an innocent girl.

Her voice sounded higher than usual, and she started to sound a bit adorable.

‘You’re not my type either.’

Even if we were facing the apocalypse, Benigoa and I would never be in that kind of relationship.

‘I don’t like you, either...’

I wanted to deny it and embarrass her, but it wouldn't be effective. I felt kind of uncomfortable by the misunderstanding, but it was enough to get close to her.

In the end, I decided to smile and confidently.

‘Are you serious?’

She was staring at me while tilting herself at the perfect angle to look as alluring as possible, but I didn't feel anything at all.

“I’m a maid working here underground, and I’m in charge of quite a few tasks that ensure the comfort of the believers. My hobby is going on a stroll. I was born and raised here. You were invited to the social gathering, right?

"Ah! And my specialty... my specialty...”

‘Do you even have any? And who talks about their hobbies and specialties during a blind date?’

“I’m Lee Ki-Young. As you said, I'm from aboveground, and I'm here to attend the social gathering. I’m from the Land of Nejesca—”

“Yes, I’ve heard of that place! Land of Nejesca!” she interrupted.

It was the perfect background for me.

I was a priest from a remote land. I was from a region that was struggling to recover after the war. Due to the devastating war, there were many wandering priests doing volunteer work.

Wouldn’t it make sense to be a priest from a remote place?

“So you’re a wandering priest,” the maid said.

“That’s right. I’m not sure why I was invited, but...” I paused.

“You were invited because you did great. You’re a role model and the work that you do is an example for many people. You should be happy. I'm giving you additional points,” she replied.

‘I don’t need your additional points, so take it back. Also, don’t wink at me.’

“Haha... I’m glad,” I said.

“Seeing how you like books, reading must be your hobby. It’s my first time seeing a priest so absorbed in reading that the books have piled up like this. Come to think of it—”

“Hold on...” I interrupted her because our topic was not really important.

“Yes, Father?”

“Could you tell me your name?” I requested.

“Ah! You must not be aware,” she said.

“What?”

“We don’t have a name,” she informed me.

‘What the hell is she talking about?’

“We’re called Atenta... meaning—workers born to serve God. It’s a noble mission because we’re the only ones allowed to carry it out,” she explained.

I activated Mind’s Eyes and checked her stats.

“...”

‘It’s true.’

She truly had no name. It was so ridiculous that I was at a loss for words. I knew human rights basically did not exist on the continent around this time, but I had no idea that things were this bad.

Even slaves had names, which made this brown-haired maid even worse than a slave.

'Born to serve God? What exactly do you do?'

Of course, their mission was not important to me. The continent’s human rights status and whatnot were none of my business. There was only one thing I had to focus on and think about.

‘This isn’t an ordinary invitation.’

Perhaps I wasn’t invited to clear a dungeon, and there were many things that were too suspicious to say that it was a mere coincidence, such as the silence of both Benigoa and the higher-ups.

Of course, there was a high chance that this was a part of the dungeon raid... but I felt like the reason behind this invitation wasn't just to give out information about a named boss, so I had to say something here.

“Benigoa.”

“Huh? What’s a 'Benigoa'? Come to think of it, you said that earlier as well...” the maid said.

“Can I call you Benigoa?” I asked.

I was here to put the remaining puzzle pieces together.

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