I Regressed and the Genre Changed

[Translator – Peptobismol]

Chapter 78 – Upheaval (4)

Kyle walked briskly, his steps purposeful.

He never looked back.

It was as if he treated Isabel, who followed him, as if she were invisible.

‘What the hell is going on?’

A surge of irritation welled up from deep within and caught in her throat.

The situation was spiraling in an utterly unexpected direction, grating on her nerves.

‘How dare he…!’

She had never experienced such humiliation.

His casual, brusque manner, his sharp, snappy voice, and the fierce gaze as if she were his mortal enemy.

The obsequious and servile demeanor that once constantly sought her favor was nowhere to be seen.

He treated her like a mere baggage.

This was a first.

Never had she lost her upper hand in their relationship, which made the situation all the more bewildering.

Isabel bit her lower lip and clenched her fist tightly.

Simultaneously, an inexplicable doubt began to take root in her mind.

What is this? Am I dreaming?

She didn’t particularly wish to see Kyle’s pathetic appearance, but she couldn’t understand his cold attitude towards her.

And above all…

‘Why does my heart…’

Kyle Winfred.

Every time she met his eyes, every time they exchanged words, a corner of her heart fluttered.

She didn’t want to treat him harshly or hurt him like she usually would.

She didn’t know why.

She couldn’t even understand herself.

Hiding behind the power of the Duke family, he had always behaved atrociously.

Whenever he saw someone better than her, he would lash out, unable to overcome his inferiority complex.

Kyle Winfred was just such a pathetic human being.

The illegitimate son of Winfred.

The greatest bastard of the Empire.

Kyle Winfred was merely such a man.

A man who looked flashy on the outside but was rotten inside.

‘…Something is off.’

Isabel glared at Kyle’s back with wide-open eyes.

He seemed to be in a hurry, as if something were chasing him.

Ah, he’s fast.

If she looked away for even a moment, she felt she would lose sight of him.

Wait.

Lose sight of him? Me, lose sight of Kyle Winfred?

So what if I do?

Such a man…

Even if I lose him…

It’s not a problem at all…

“…”

Suddenly, her chest tightened as if being squeezed.

When she noticed the cold sweat trickling down her forehead, she found herself running towards him.

An inexplicable compulsion pounded against her reason.

The regular thudding of her heartbeat echoed in her ears.

Why am I like this?

There was no time to question her judgment.

She instinctively reached out.

And then.

Thud.

Her outstretched hand barely touched Kyle’s shoulder.

It was solid and firm.

At that moment, Kyle turned sharply.

The sudden turn caused Isabel’s upper body to lurch forward, her hand still on his shoulder.

She stumbled, losing her balance.

Ah, I’m falling.

Just as she was about to hit the rough ground…

“…!”

She stopped mid-fall.

To be precise, someone had grabbed the hood of her robe.

“Shit.”

A deep voice cursed softly by her ear.

Isabel, hanging in mid-air, slowly raised her head.

She met Kyle’s icy blue eyes past his sharp jawline.

Kyle Winfred.

He was cautiously holding her hood between his thumb and forefinger.

His expression was one of distaste, as if lifting a bag of filth.

Wait, filth?

Does that mean he sees me as less than filth?

This crazy…!

“Hey, aren’t you going to get up?”

“J-just a moment.”

“Should I just let go? Three, two, one…”

“Hey, wait!”

Isabel shouted in a panic, flailing.

And then she saw it.

For a very brief moment, Kyle’s lips curved up slightly.

Ah, damn it.

“Wait… ahhh!”

Kyle let go of her hood without hesitation.

And, thud.

Isabel fell clumsily onto the dirt ground.

“…”

What just happened?

Did he really let go of me so I’d fall to the ground?

Tears welled up momentarily.

I was so stunned that my eyes turned red.

What made it worse was that he was laughing at me while I was on the ground.

Kyle Winfred, that damn bastard…!

“Damn it, damn it…!”

Isabel muttered as she got up.

She brushed the dust off her clothes and swallowed the curses bubbling up to her throat.

How could anyone be so rude?

She wanted to run after him and demand an explanation, to make him apologize sincerely.

But by the time she stood up, Kyle had already vanished.

‘Where did he go?’

Isabel turned her head sharply.

In the distance, she saw Kyle swaggering away.

[Translator – Peptobismol]

What? How did he get so far so quickly?

Did he just leave me like this and walk away?

Her face burned with shame, not just from anger.

A whirlwind of indescribable emotions crashed through her mind, stopping her thoughts cold.

Something was definitely off.

The sensation of Kyle’s firm shoulder when she touched him lingered in her mind.

The cold look he gave her, his barely concealed sneer, and his fierce demeanor.

They kept replaying in her head.

Why? Why am I feeling this way about a man I despise?

She couldn’t make sense of it.

Yet here she was, running after Kyle as he walked away.

“Stop, stop right there!”

Damn it.

This is driving me crazy.

****

Diana watched Isabel from the window, who stood outside the door.

Isabel was covered in dust, glaring back at her.

Hot anger burned behind her cool blue eyes.

“……”

I swallowed hard and glanced at Diana.

“So…”

Diana spoke slowly.

“You’re saying that the Saintess has lost her memory?”

I nodded slowly.

No one knew exactly when and to what extent her memories had vanished.

Not even Isabel herself knew.

“Are you sure?”

“For now.”

I then explained everything from the moment I met Isabel at Arokan to now, without omitting any details.

Diana was initially shocked, but only for a moment.

This wasn’t the Isabel she knew.

That fierce gaze, that sharp tone, they were worlds apart from the Isabel Diana remembered.

She had either lost her memory.

Or was pretending to.

“What do you think?”

Of course, it was Diana’s role to determine that.

In the game’s setting, Diana’s senses are developed to the extreme, allowing her to observe everything in meticulous detail.

Her manner of speaking, her walk, and even the smallest unconscious habits.

She could spot not just characteristics, but physiological reactions and patterns in humans.

For instance, she could detect even the faintest emotions flickering across a person’s face.

‘Thanks to her, the spies lurking in the Royal Family were wiped out.’

Diana scanned Isabel from head to toe.

Then she cautiously replied.

“It doesn’t seem like an act.”

“Right?”

“Yes, she’s different, too different.”

Jumping off the mansion, memory loss, the Papal See, and Asven.

Click. One by one, the gears in my mind began to fall into place.

How could a woman whose life or death was uncertain make it here? I wouldn’t have guessed she lost her memory from the shock of jumping.

Of course, that wasn’t the most important part.

She had literally lost her memory.

At least, all the memories from the previous run.

Which meant, there was no urgent need for me to leave Asven.

That alone was a significant gain.

But…

“However.”

Diana cautiously watched my reaction.

“Honestly, I’m not sure.”

“Really?”

She nodded slowly and added in a low voice.

“We still need to keep an eye on her.”

Keep an eye on her.

She wasn’t wrong.

It was safer to keep a walking bomb where Diana could monitor and respond immediately than to leave her anywhere else.

“…”

“…”

Understanding glances passed between us.

The Papal See would soon arrive in Asven.

Officially, there was a week left, but they would likely shorten that period to find the Saintess.

So, just for a few days.

We just had to keep an eye on her for a few days.

There were plenty of rooms, so I wouldn’t have to worry about running into her.

Diana would handle all the monitoring, so I wouldn’t have to get involved.

“…Master.”

Diana looked at me with concern.

She was worried about bringing a woman who was effectively my enemy into the house.

Well.

What should I do?

I slowly considered.

Should I kick her out immediately, or keep her here for now and watch her?

Then.

Bang, bang—!!

Isabel, her patience at its limit, began pounding on the door.

Did she enhance her fists with divine power?

The pounding echoed through the house.

It was so ridiculous I let out a hollow laugh.

Diana blinked and murmured softly.

“Her personality is still the same.”

Still the same, my foot.

If anything, she’s gotten even more insufferable.

[Translator – Peptobismol]