TRIAL [8]

Regressor's Instructions Manual Episode 949

Trial (8)

-Lee Ki-young. You bastard! Even if I unleash my wrath, it's useless. You rat-like bastard!

Kim Hyunseong handled the job perfectly.

Perhaps because the image of a typical prosecutor was strong. Although there was some doubt as to whether he could perform roles of an assassin, ranger, or thief-class in the back world…

'He didn't leave any traces behind...'

Certainly, the thought that the returnee was indeed a returnee crossed my mind.

It seemed like he had experienced this kind of mission during the 1st round as well.

Unlike the 2nd round, which had steadily followed the elite course, he must have faced dirty jobs a few times during the 1st round, so it could have been helpful.

No, not just a few times, he had been flying around in the other world, to a level where he wasn't bothered by it.

'Not an easy task.'

Wasn't it the Pope's underground prison?

It would be relatively simple to blatantly break in and escape while smashing everything in the way.

However, extracting him without a sound was not an easy task.

The worst criminal on the continent had disappeared overnight. There were no traces of magical usage, and no traces of divine power usage were found either.

There were injuries, but no fatalities, and only Templar Zen had vanished.

If we assume that he had managed to avoid the gaze of the demon summoner, who might be prepared for such variables, then...

'Damn it. He's practically a top-tier assassin on the continent.'

He might have done a 2nd advancement.

If it wasn't Templar Zen who had taken me away, but Kim Hyunseong, I might have never been discovered.

"What were the paladins doing!"

As soon as I stuck my neck out, a loud voice came from outside.

"I apologize."

"Where is the Honorary Cardinal? Maybe..."

"Fortunately, we've confirmed that he's in the room."

"We need to be even more vigilant. We have to protect the Honorary Cardinal even if it costs our lives. He might come back."

"We will remember that."

"Does the Honorary Cardinal knows about this?"

"No, he doesn't know."

"What should we do about this..."

Most people are focused on the countermeasures for guarding. People who are concerned about me need to stand out.

'Of course.'

A criminal returns to the scene. As much as his crimes had gone unanswered, there's no way to rule out the possibility that the Honorary Cardinal could be kidnapped again.

Near the room, there were layers of Guardian Knights and Blue Guild members.

Considering that the Honorary Cardinal had been kidnapped once, the possibility of it happening again couldn't be dismissed.

As I was thinking that they might enter the room in a moment, a knocking sound began to echo.

"Hyungnim (elder brother)."

'Damn it. You piglet.'

"I don't want to meet you right now."

"Hyung... Hyung-nim."

"If you have something to say, have Cho Hyejin come in, not you."

"Understood."

"Vice guild master. It's Hye-Jin."

"Please come in Hyejin."

Entering the room after opening the door were Cho Hyejin, Park Deokgu, and even Kim Yeri.

'Get lost, you pig!'

Sending a glance that said just that, I caught sight of the visibly flinching Park Deokgu.

He looked like a wet puppy, but when I loosened my expression, he caught my eye and quickly took a seat on one side.

Several days had passed since the trial, and the cold war state had been maintained. It was clear why the Blue Guild members had suddenly visited.

"So... what's the matter?"

The main topic, directly... Cho Hyejin nodded her head subtly as she spoke.

"Templar Zen has disappeared."

As expected, it was exactly what I had predicted. I subconsciously showed a shocked expression, and what was seen was to be expected. After passing through the stage of denial, I looked at Cho Hyejin with a bewildered expression.

"...."

"...."

"Yes?"

"Exactly as it sounds. Templar Zen has disappeared. Vice guild Master, currently, the Church is conducting an internal investigation against the Holy Knights who were on duty at the time. Despite the ongoing investigation by the Magic Inspection Division and the Rangers, no significant evidence has been found."

"Did Yeri check the scene?"

"Yes. No traces of magic or divine power were detected. Probably a simple physical ability... although the explanation is unclear... To my knowledge, there's no one on the continent who possesses such abilities, either as a special skill to erase traces or as an assassin with a unique ability that doesn't manifest magic. The latter is a type of ability that hasn't appeared on the continent so far. At least, as far as I know. For the former, Kim-Chang Ryul is currently investigating... but if that's not the case, it might be the work of someone we don't know."

"We are assuming that Templar Zen has not yet left the Holy See. Therefore, both the Blue Guild and the Holy See have decided to focus more on your protection, Vice guild Master... We plan to implement close protection for the next 48 hours. It might be uncomfortable, but..."

"Vice guild Master."

"...."

"He is a criminal."

I was annoyed by the idea of close protection, so I frowned, it seems like she interpreted it in a different sense.

"I understand well enough what the Vice guild Master's feelings might be. However, we cannot deny the crimes he committed. Currently, the on-site inspection team is primarily concerned about the possibility of Templar's actions."

-You cowardly bastard! Don't you have any shame? You shameless piece of crap!

'Oh, our military General is making a fuss. Seriously.'

"Conspiracy, empathy, and proximity to the Vice Guildmaster... There might have been some reasons behind it that were painful..."

After shaking her head once again, Cho Hyejin continued her words.

"The Vice Guildmaster has no reason to sympathize or empathize..."

"He's pretending, Hyung-nim."

"...."

"Isn't this a story that can be understood with just a little thought? That damn bastard..."

"They deceived our hyung-nim. They only had thoughts of using hyung-nim for their own purposes. I don't know what those wicked Templars want, but... if Templar Zen was truly acting for our hyung-nim, he wouldn't have vanished like this without a sound. There must be a horrifying conspiracy brewing. But don't worry. Not even a single step will be taken away from now on. I'll stay by hyung-nim's side until the end. Step back a bit. Give you coffee"

"And..."

"And... I think we've found a suspicious location, Vice guild Master."

'I'm aware.'

Since Templar Zen was giving real-time updates about his location, it felt like they were a little late.

It had been quite a while since Raphael Party and foreign media youngsters had been given tasks.

Whether the timing of the conversation was missed, I was caught up in the sudden kidnapping incident, or I spent time dealing with the corruption, including Cardinal Johan, I couldn't be sure, but ultimately, I was glad that he had completed the quest I had assigned.

"The possibility of a dungeon that Vice Guildmaster mentioned earlier seems high. Those who cooperated with Templar Zen in his escape might also be inside the dungeon. Currently, the Black Swan Guild, who is cooperating with the Rafael Party, has dispatched an investigative team, but so far, there hasn't been much progress."

"Templar Zen..."

"That bastard might be there. I mean. There's probably an unimaginable conspiracy lurking. Strange phenomena are intensifying on the continent... The act of kidnapping and tormenting hyung-nim might be to delay the time to respond to such strange phenomena. Hyung-nim is the center and guardian of the continent. He might have tried to get rid of the nuisance."

"Zen..."

"Vice guild master."

"Yes."

Her attitude is quite cautious.

"If by any chance, could you tell me in detail what happened when you were kidnapped?"

"I don't want to say. I've already testified in court, and that's all."

I even started to send meaningful looks to Park Deok-gu and Kim Ye-ri, as if something important was about to come up, and those guys were visible a few steps back.

"I apologize for saying this, but perhaps in some form of hypnosis or suggestion..."

"Yes?"

"There are no traces of magic or any indications. The same goes for similar types of artifacts. Although Vice guild master said he's fine, considering that he suffered from mental aftereffects before the foreign media dispute, it might also be possible that you were subjected to hypnosis..."

'No, what kind of hypnosis is that? Hyejin. Have you been reading some strange novels lately?'

"Vice guild master, I'm serious..."

"No, it's not like that. You don't have to worry about it. You don't need to pay attention to it. Because as a human, I'm the one who's thinking about him. Right now, I have more good memories than bad ones."

"...."

"And I'll also be entering the dungeon, so please make arrangements."

"What!"

"There's something I need to resolve because of Benigore..."

"Don't say weird things like that! Is it because of Templar Zen or someone else?"

"...."

"If it's really because of Benigore, isn't it something that the Vice guild master doesn't necessarily have to do? There are plenty of talents on the continent..."

"Hyeji-nim is right."

Let's calm down first.

As always, a serious expression and atmosphere are helpful.

"Just... I just want to see for myself with my own eyes."

"Hyung-nim..."

"What the truth is, what's real... Honestly, I still believe him, but... I feel like something else is involved. In this dungeon... there might be something. Something we don't know."

-Lee Ki-young! You cowardly bastard! Losing like this...

'No, he's being too noisy.'

-Why? Did something happen?

-Don't play that way...

-Is it because of Rosario? Have you found it?

-I found it...

-Now that I think about it, damn it. It's not entirely certain that Templar Zen has escaped.

-Don't act like you don't know.

-How can a person be like that?

-What?

- If you think you're going to lose, then just say it. What are you afraid of? Damn it, I can win this all.

- Did you overturn the ongoing trial?

- What? You audacious jerk. Touch your chest and tell me what you're saying right now.

- I won it all. You foolish military leader. You know it too. You might have caused this, but the secret weapon that I had prepared all night has become useless. Thanks to that, things have gotten even more complicated... sigh...

- Nonsense. Stop spouting nonsense. You damn bastard!!! Secret weapon? Secret weapon? I was aware of all your moves. Even that pathetic and meaningless Rosario is already in my hands. Your possible arguments were limited, and we on our side have long prepared counterarguments.

- I'm not the type to dwell on the past, so I'll forget about it.

- Don't be funny. Lee Ki-Young. You audacious bastard. Don't ever... Don't ever contact me about personal matters again.

- Is it okay to discuss official matters?

Don't you play a game with me?

Really, you won't play with me?

- Get ready to enter the dungeon. This is an official matter.

- What?

- It's a pretty significant event. Prepare yourself. By the way, I wonder if there's any strategy for conquering dungeons, General.

But how should I do it? This game is really fun. It's so, so much fun.

-...

- We'll quantify the achievements of the strategies and convert them into points. It's a duel to see who has gathered more points.

A duel, you say, a duel. It's really fun, you know.

A battle of brains against brains. A battle of geniuses against prodigies. A battle between the symbol of the Republic and the symbol of the Church.

Of course, I might have a slight advantage. After all, those kinds of games are more enjoyable, right?

- If the General won't play, then how about I take your sister along?

-During that time, General, you can catch up on your backlogged tasks. As promised, I'll definitely support the project. We'll be looking forward to good results...

-.....

-.....

- Just?

- Yeah?

- Just accompany me one more time.

-...

This guy too... Seriously...

I immediately spoke up.

"I will convene a meeting of the Blue Guild. Please gather all guild members."

Meeting everyone felt like it had been a while.

---

Last chapter of the Trial arc. the trial arc has 8 chapters but I feel like I've taken more time to translate it than the 21 chapters of the SERA AND THE ZEN arc.