The Regressor and the Blind Saint-Chapter 272: After Story: Pandemonium (1)

Two months had already passed since Erineth had arrived in Elia.

The saying that happy times flew by quickly applied even to a young girl like her. Now, she found herself growing restless, an anxious feeling blooming inside her.

In just a month, I have to go home...!

One more month. That was all she had left.

When that day came, she would have to part ways with Lennon and return to the Empire.

She hadn’t even had the chance to properly express her feelings yet. If things continued like this, she had no idea when she would see him again.

Restlessness and unease swirled within her.

She gnawed on her fingernails, caught in emotions she never could’ve even imagined when she first arrived in Elia.

What should I do...?

How could she confess her feelings to Lennon?

How could she defeat that wretched Pirate King?

Her worries deepened.

And yet, no amount of thinking could bring her the answer.

After all, wasn’t it obvious?

Even though she had only known Lennon for two months, it was already clear to her that he was utterly oblivious.

On top of that, the Pirate King’s feelings for Lennon were nothing more than those of an older sibling doting on a younger one.

Erineth had no valid reason to separate Ellen from him.

“Eeeeek...!”

Erineth trembled.

Before she realized it, her thoughts had shifted from ‘How do I confess to Lennon?’ to ‘How do I get that fox away from him?’

That wretched fox of a Pirate King, toying with Lennon despite having no real feelings for him...!

While Erineth silently cursed her, the so-called fox was currently collapsed in the training grounds, drenched in sweat.

“D-do I have to keep going...?”

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Ellen gasped for breath, struggling to lift herself from the ground.

Standing before her and staring down with an icy gaze was Vera.

“Already tired? I guess you haven’t been taking your training seriously.”

His words carried an unmistakable warning that he wouldn’t let it slide if she didn’t get up.

Grinding her teeth, Ellen forced strength back into her exhausted body.

Damn it...!

It had been a full month.

Resentment had been building inside her toward Vera, who suddenly summoned her and had since subjected her to relentless beatings.

She hadn’t done anything wrong.

Unlike Trevor, the twins, or Rohan, she hadn’t caused any trouble. She had followed orders properly.

So why was she being treated like this?

Why was she being beaten without reason and forced to endure those cold, piercing eyes?

She glared at Vera, her gaze filled with indignation and resentment, but Vera simply scoffed.

“Get up.”

Vera’s intentions were clear.

He wanted Ellen to stay far away from his son.

He wanted to prevent a future, however unlikely, where Lennon might one day say, ‘I want to marry Ellen!’

...Perhaps it was a ridiculous concern. However, it couldn’t be helped.

That was the nature of a parent’s heart.

No matter how slim the possibility, it was enough to make them frantic with worry if their child seemed to be heading down the wrong path.

And in this regard, despite being the revered Holy Emperor, a being with the body of an ancient species, and one of the strongest warriors on the continent, Vera was no different from any other parent.

Never...!

No way.

Even if he were buried in the ground, he’d never allow it to be Ellen.

The age gap was more than double.

On top of that, Ellen was a severe tobacco addict. She could have a negative influence on Lennon’s view of women.

Vera glared at Ellen with bloodshot eyes.

Ellen flinched at the intensity of his gaze, then quickly teared up.

Why is he doing this to me?!

She felt utterly wronged.

*In a small cabin north of the Grand Temple.

For the first time in a long while, Lennon was spending time with his sister.

“Sister! Mother baked some cookies—“

“Get rid of them.”

“Okay!”

Lennon shoved the cookies into his mouth without hesitation and turned his gaze toward Leni, who was swinging a wooden sword in the yard.

Sweat dripped down her face as she trained, and Lennon thought she looked incredibly cool.

“I really admire you, Sister.”

The words came naturally.

Leni paused mid-swing and looked at him, her brows slightly furrowing.

“Why the sudden compliment?”

“I’ve always had this thought!”

Lennon grinned brightly.

“You’re hardworking and persistent! Everyone I meet says so, too! They all say it’s amazing how capable you are even at such a young age.”

Leni’s body stiffened.

Her face flushed slightly.

“Ahem! Well, I’m just doing what needs to be done.”

Had people really been praising her like that?

Feeling a little embarrassed, Leni looked away.

The corners of her mouth twitched upward.

Leni was usually indifferent to most things, like an old soul in a child’s body.

But there was one thing she couldn’t ignore: compliments.

As a seven-year-old girl starved for praise, she struggled to keep her expression neutral for a while before finally managing to collect herself.

Then, she glanced at Lennon.

His pure white hair resembled their mother’s, while his ash-gray eyes mirrored their father’s.

That gray color could have given him a cold appearance, but Lennon’s natural cheerfulness softened it, leaving only a warm impression.

Leni stared at his face for a moment, then recalled something she had heard during her recent training.

“By the way, how are things with that little brat?”

“Huh?”

“The princess.”

“Oh, Her Highness! She’s a fun person! She trembles all by herself, cries and laughs, and is always so busy. It’s entertaining to watch her!”

“Hmm...”

Leni’s eyes narrowed.

The rumors she had heard suggested they were definitely dating. But judging by the way Lennon spoke, he treated her like nothing more than a friend.

Is he just embarrassed?

Was he just pretending not to care?

Like most siblings, Leni didn’t pay much attention to her younger brother. She simply judged him based on the rumors she had heard and continued speaking indifferently.

“Be good to her. She’s your girlfriend, after all.”

As she lifted her wooden sword again, Lennon flinched. His eyes widened in shock as he repeated her words.

“Huh? Girlfriend?”

“Yeah, everyone’s saying that you and the princess are dating.”

Lennon’s smile stiffened.

For the first time in a long while, he felt genuine confusion.

Dating? Me and Her Highness?

That rumor had already spread throughout all of Elia.

The moment he heard it, the first thing that came to Lennon’s mind was Ellen.

No way... does the Pirate King know, too?

Ellen might think that he and Erineth were dating.

The thought alone made his heart drop with a loud thud.

Swoosh!

Lennon sprang to his feet.

His mind was now consumed by the inexplicable need to explain himself to Ellen.

“Sister! I’ll be back soon!”

Lennon hurriedly dashed toward the Great Temple, panting heavily.

Leni tilted her head as she watched his retreating figure, but she soon lost interest.

Is he running off to see his girlfriend?

Talking about her must’ve made him want to see her.

Leni, who never overthought things, came to that conclusion and moved on.

*Lennon ran.

He ran with a speed unlike anything before. His usual ease and smile was gone.

It was the fastest he had ever sprinted in his life.

His whole body was wrapped in divine energy, and he had one purpose.

To tell Ellen, ‘I am not dating the princess!’

There was no real reason for it.

Or rather, it would be more accurate to say that even Lennon himself didn’t understand why he was doing this.

Still unaware of his own feelings, he was only driven by the frantic need to explain himself to Ellen.

But his sprint came to an abrupt halt.

“Lennon!”

As he was dashing through the central corridor of the Grand Temple, Erineth spotted him and called out with a bright smile.

He stopped dead in his tracks and stiffly turned his head to look at her.

A beautiful girl with dazzling blonde hair and a hawk-like appearance.

She was looking at him, her cheeks flushed red.

At that moment, Leni’s words echoed in Lennon’s mind.

— Be good to her. She’s your girlfriend, after all.

Girlfriend.

**  Erineth is my girlfriend?

The thought that this rumor was spreading made him feel overwhelmingly awkward.

And so, he greeted her in an equally awkward manner.

“H-Highness...! H-Hello...!”

“Mhm! Hi! Where were you headed?”

As Erineth approached with quick, small steps and asked, Lennon grew even more flustered.

It was not without reason.

He had an inexplicable gut feeling.

A strong intuition warned him that something would go terribly wrong if he told Erineth he was going to find the Pirate King.

It was the kind of instinct truly befitting someone known as a God’s Chosen.

“I-I was just exercising....”

“Exercising? But you always say you don’t like running. You said you’d stop to admire every flower along the way.”

“I’m just trying to clear my head...! Yeah, that’s it, I’m clearing my head!”

Drip—.

Cold sweat trickled down Lennon’s back.

Thankfully, Erineth didn’t seem to doubt his words.

“Ohh, I see.”

Lennon let out a sigh of relief.

Then, hoping to shake her off, he quickly added.

“Well then, I’ll get back to...”

“I’ll run with you!”

“...What?”

“Let’s run together! I was always stuck studying in Elia, so I want to move around!”

The innocent sincerity in her voice pricked at Lennon’s conscience.

His eyes trembled as if an earthquake had struck him.

A sudden thought crept in.

Could it be that the princess liked him?

Maybe those rumors weren’t just baseless gossip, after all.

A heavy weight pressed down on his chest.

Lennon, who was still clueless about romance and love, felt nothing but overwhelming pressure from her genuine feelings.

“U-uhhh...”

His hesitation deepened.

Before he could process it, Erineth suddenly grabbed his hand.

“I’m slow, so you have to match my pace, okay?”

Lennon’s vision spun.

Seeing Erineth not as just a friend but as ‘a girl who likes him’ made the situation feel awkward.

“Let’s go!”

With that, Erineth started running, pulling Lennon along with her.

Dragged along helplessly, Lennon stumbled as they ran through the Grand Temple’s corridors.

“...Oh, kid.”

Ellen, who had just finished her training, was on her way back to her quarters when she spotted them.

Erineth froze in place, startled.

Beside her, Lennon, who had been dazed until now, opened his eyes wide.

A thought surfaced in his mind unconsciously.

He realized that holding hands with Erineth like this might be interpreted differently by her.

His reaction was immediate. He shook off Erineth’s hand.

Slap!

Their hands separated.

Erineth was dazed, while Ellen tilted her head in confusion.

The moment he took in the scene, Lennon was struck with a sudden realization.

Oh no.

“Lennon...?”

Erineth’s disbelieving voice called out to him at the situation.

Lennon felt his heart tighten at the sight of her desolate expression.

But even so, grabbing her hand again was not an option.

Drip, drip, drip.

Sweat poured down his back.

This was the very moment when the first page of the relentless chaos that would haunt his life was being written.