Absolute Regression

Episode 128 If I could just ask you one question.

Jang-ho was being led by Seo Dae-ryong to the Pungryu tavern.

“Didn’t we plan to have a drinking party after this warrior came back?”

“I did.”

“But why do you want to drink it?”

Even though the work isn’t over yet, he insists that he must go and pulls him along. Because this was something that had never happened before, Jang Ho obediently followed Seo Dae-ryong’s wishes.

Although the drinking party was interrupted due to Ian’s absence, the two talked a lot about various things until then. The awkward and uncomfortable situation between the two of us at first had become quite friendly by the last day.

“I have someone to introduce to Lord Jang today.”

“Who are you?”

“You will know when you go. “I really want to introduce you to this person because he or she is important to me.”

“I understand.”

For some reason, Jang-ho saw some kind of childish playfulness on Seo Dae-ryong’s expression.

However, since Seo Dae-ryong had never played a prank on her in all the years they had met, she couldn’t imagine what kind of place it was today.

So the two people entered the Pungryu bar.

The owner, Cho Chun-bae, welcomed the two people warmly.

“Ah, it’s been a while since you came. “If I had known you two would come, I would have left your seat empty.”

On this floor, where they always sat, a woman wearing a cotton gown was sitting with her back turned.

“it’s okay.”

Seo Dae-ryong took Jang-ho up to the second floor where the woman was sitting. The woman was sitting there, having ordered a drink and some light snacks, but her face could not be seen in detail because she was wearing a cotton cloth.

As Seo Dae-ryong sat down in front of him, Jang-ho finally realized that the person he was going to introduce was this woman.

‘Is this the woman that Gongzi Lee mentioned?’

I once saw Seo Dae-ryong teasing a junior he liked by mentioning it. But if you’re an investigator at Hwangcheongak, you probably won’t meet yourself wearing a mask, right? That too, at the place where I was introduced like this.

At a time when Jang-ho was curious, the woman from Myeonsa greeted him first.

“I’ve heard a lot from you, Monarch Jang.”

Of course she was Ian. This time she also modulated her voice.

It was then.

Jang-ho recognized Ian.

“This drone?”

At that moment, not only Ian but also Seo Dae-ryong, who was with him, was surprised.

“How did you know it was me?”

In response to Ian’s question, Jangho hesitated for a moment and then spoke softly.

“I am very sensitive to sound. Let’s remember and recognize the characteristics of a person’s voice or intonation. So, no matter how much a voice you hear often is modulated, you can still recognize its original voice.”

“ah!”

Ian and Seo Dae-ryong let out exclamations at the same time.

“The reason I was able to become a demon lord is because my sensitivity to sound was a great help in martial arts training and combat. “This is something I am revealing for the first time.”

He also revealed for the first time in front of Seo Dae-ryong that his childhood dream was to become a painter.

When Jang-ho first had a drinking party, he never imagined that he would reveal his personal history at this event. I started with the thought that there would be no harm in becoming friends with them since they were close to Geomgeuk, but now I am talking about all kinds of things in front of these two people.

Ian took off his cotton cloth.

“It’s been a while, Lord Jang.”

“Welcome back, warrior.”

Jangho welcomed Ian warmly. Seo Dae-ryong, who was watching the scene, was inwardly impressed. Despite Ian’s beauty, Jang-ho was not shaken in any way. In contrast, didn’t he make all the fuss about the world?

‘How can they do that?’

I was even worried that Ian might be embarrassed.

Of course, Ian didn’t mind at all. In fact, he seemed more comfortable when Jangho treated him as before.

“Well, I’m going to shoot everything today. So feel free to order!”

The three people talked a lot.

By far, the main character of the day was Ian. How hard she had to undergo the poison purification treatment, what happened on her trip, and how fun it was to see her wedding for the first time. We talked about all kinds of things.

Seo Dae-ryong and Jang-ho listened to her story and chimed in.

Then, when she was away for a while, Seo Dae-ryong asked Jang-ho.

“Lord Jang. “Isn’t this unmanned person’s transformation amazing?”

“It’s amazing. “You have become so beautiful.”

“Is that all?”

“yes? Do you need something else?”

“That’s not true, but I thought you weren’t too surprised. “You two already met first, so I even suspected that you were making fun of me.”

“It can’t be. no.”

Seo Dae-ryong lowered his voice and spoke subtly.

“Then there is no need to deliberately endure it. “It’s just between us.”

It’s pretty, right? Please tell me I’m pretty! Jang-ho ended up laughing at the sight of Seo Dae-ryong showing these emotions clearly on his face. It became a relationship where the word ‘we’ came out naturally.

“I may be offended by this, but I don’t attach any importance to a person’s appearance. Maybe it’s because I have scars on my face. “I think there’s a feeling that someone is judging someone with this face.”

In response to Jang Ho’s sincere words, Seo Dae-ryong also shared what he had always been thinking.

“Lord Jang, that scar is beautiful.”

“It’s cool, though. “It’s ugly.”

“No, it’s cool. really. Sell it to me!”

Then, without hesitation, Jangho tried to pull out his dagger.

“I can make it the same way.”

Seo Dae-ryong was startled and stopped him.

“Why are you doing this!”

“So be honest. “It’s ugly.”

“It’s cool because it has a story. “I’m even buying that story.”

“There is no great story. “I got injured while fighting the enemies.”

“For Muin, that’s a great story. “I don’t want to get hurt by my friend’s knife while drinking.”

Seo Dae-ryong did not realize that he had used the word friend.

“Let’s have a drink.”

Jangho raised his drink.

I don’t know what Seo Dae-ryong thought, but he was comfortable in this position. After maintaining an undisturbed appearance in front of the demonic forces, when you come to this place, you finally feel relaxed and at rest.

Then Ian came back.

“How much did I say?”

Jangho told her.

“This unmanned night is a guinea, so we can start all over again.”

* * *

At that time, I was meeting Ilhwa Geomzon.

And I heard something unexpected from her.

“I know how to drink alcohol.”

Unexpectedly, Ilhwa Geomzon was having a relationship with him.

“You drink alcohol sometimes? “I drank it a few days ago too.”

“You drank it a few days ago?”

“Sometimes you come visit me and have a drink.”

It may seem unimaginable at first glance, but when you think about it again, it was natural for palmazons in power to have their own exchanges.

“What kind of person is Chuma?”

“A person who makes you feel good when you drink together.”

Ilhwa Geomzone was the complete opposite of Extreme Soma and received generous reviews.

“Since when did you become friends?”

“I don’t know. Since when? It seems quite old. “We just became friends while drinking.”

“What is Chuma’s personality?”

“Let’s break it down.”

If he was truly a dull person, there would be no way that Extreme Soma would have commented that way. In other words, it means that the taste of alcohol appears completely different depending on the person you are dealing with.

“Is there any way that Mazon could split more? “It must be hiding its claws.”

“Maybe so. But why did you ask about drinking?”

“This time, someone from Chuma had an accident. “I caught it in Hwangcheongak, but I thought the horse might move.”

“Aren’t you trying to use that as an excuse to move?”

“As expected, you are sharp. “Between my brother and me, Chuma is the only one who hasn’t decided where to live.”

Ilhwa Geomzon looked at me and said with a smile.

“I haven’t decided where to go either? “I have not yet decided to stand on Lee Gongja’s side.”

Why don’t you know that she feels that way? So I exaggeratedly told her.

“ah! “I completely believed that you were on my side?”

“Of course I like our scientist. Honestly, it doesn’t make sense to compare him to the archduke. “But wouldn’t being close be a private matter and the successor issue being a public matter?”

“I understand.”

“That doesn’t mean I will choose the archduke, so don’t feel bad.”

“I will never feel sorry for Geomjon. “No, you can’t.”

“Why is that?”

“Do you remember what I told you when I met Geomzon before? “I went to great lengths to prove that my senior was a more helpful person to me than Mr. Thomas.”

Ilhwa Geomzon smiled slightly. It was an expression that I remembered.

“Now it’s your turn, senior. Prove that you are more helpful to me than the Archduke! “It’s your turn to say this.”

The fact that she didn’t react that way was proof that she was treating me favorably.

“I told you then. Dreams, ideals, loyalty… I despise people who try to win the hearts of subordinates and juniors for free with such things. I have no intention of winning your heart through something like that. “I need to do as much as possible to listen to what my senior wants and at the same time show that I have the qualities of a Heavenly Demon.”

A look of admiration flashed across Ilhwa Geomzon’s face at my words.

“also! “I made a good friend.”

Bringing up the topic of bimu at this moment meant that what she wanted included bimu. She still has a desire to become stronger.

“I’m looking forward to the day when we can dance together again.”

* * *

After meeting Ilhwageomjon, I returned to my residence.

Gowol, who was staying with her, was not at home. He had left the school to carry out my orders to create an intelligence organization like Tongcheongak.

Several letters he had sent had arrived at my residence. It was a report that they were using the money I gave them to travel around the central region and create a network.

I wasn’t worried about him. He went out with the leader of the Pungcheon Church, as if to prove that he was not someone who made me worry. I couldn’t help but laugh as I imagined the two of us bickering and working on this project together.

Ian stopped by at night.

I thought I was going to be very drunk, but I wasn’t as drunk as I thought.

“We chatted so much that I sobered up.”

“Did you like it?”

“They say traveling is not about leaving, it’s about coming back, and after talking to these two people, I feel like the trip is complete.”

Whether it’s because of Im Dok-yang’s hit, or whether it’s something she’s realized this time, she definitely feels different from before she left the school.

“I made a decision during this trip. I feel like I’m being condescending, but I’ll tell you now that I’ve already brought it up. I was happy that there was so much interest in me, but I also felt very burdened. And I concluded that the only way to escape this burden was for me to become truly strong.”

Ian was prepared to train hard again. I believe that if I work hard like this, I will eventually achieve anything.

“But I won’t just stay in the training center. Like Hyeolcheondomanim, I read a lot of books and met people. Not only will my martial arts skills become stronger, but I will also become stronger as a person. Only then will I be able to make Cheongmyeon and Seojin my leaders, right? “Those people won’t come to me just because they are strong in martial arts.”

I believe she will become a real expert. This is because the direction of effort is toward becoming a true expert.

In martial arts, talent and effort are important. What kind of martial arts it is is important, and who the master is is important. Practical experience is also important.

However, the moment her martial arts skills, which she has been pursuing to the limit, surpass a certain level, she will realize it like I did.

The end of martial arts is ultimately a fight over what kind of person I am.

I believe that the process of meeting and persuading Magons is also a process of becoming stronger. I even think that trying to stop a ghost from getting married was a process of becoming stronger.

Understanding someone perfectly is close to impossible. However, I finally realized that the wider my understanding of people and the world becomes, the closer I get to the essence of nothingness.

“Then I’ll go. “I’m sober, but my head hurts.”

I asked her as she turned around to leave.

“Ian.”

“yes.”

“What if you start getting drunk and drinking alcohol?”

“Suddenly with a drunkard?”

“You’re part of the world of drunkards, right?”

“That’s right.”

“I want to know what kind of person Chuma is, but I can only ask one question. So what question are you going to ask?”

Ian thought about it carefully and came up with one thing.

“That person must have had a lot to drink by now. Then I would like to ask you this.”

Ian asked as if there was a horse in front of him.

“When and with whom did you enjoy the most delicious alcohol?”