I’m not a Regressor

I am not a returner Episode 319:

Faded Promise (11)

“…are you saying that I am a god? “What kind of nonsense is that?”

Ha-eun frowned and tilted her head.

“You said the dragon people need a god to believe in and follow.”

therefore.

“I just want my older sister to be that god.”

“How can this not be a survey of future aspirations, but something you want to become?”

You can suddenly become a god.

What nonsense is that?

“It can be done.”

Oh Jin continued speaking with an unwavering voice.

“The soul of the dragon god Kaleios resides in you, right?”

“I told you. Even if it is a soul, there is no such thing as hearing a voice or anything like that.”

Even if the Dragon God’s soul was absorbed, as long as there was no will within it, it was nothing more than a lump of pure power.

To put it bluntly, the Dragon God’s soul was nothing more or less than an elixir that was good for her body.

but.

“The dragon people don’t know that.”

Ha-eun is the only one who knows that the Dragon God’s soul has no will.

The dragon people could not tell whether the spirit of the dragon god residing within her had will or not.

“So now… you’re trying to scam the dragon people?”

Ha-eun’s mouth dropped open in an unexpected way.

“It’s about giving them what they need most.”

“…is lying the most necessary?”

“no.”

What they need.

“It’s hope.”

That the dragon god they believe in and follow is still alive.

It’s not that he melted to death in the flames, but he was never able to open his eyes.

That it ‘exists’ in some form.

That may be the only hope left for the Yongin people who are currently dying under the weight of despair.

“…but.”

Ha-eun chewed her lips.

Oh Jin’s intention was understandable.

but.

Isn’t that ultimately a deception of their faith?

“The truth doesn’t matter, sister.”

Not once.

It has never been important.

“Only what appears to be true is important.”

Ojin’s voice rang softly in her ears.

“….”

My clenched fist was shaking.

As Ha-eun continued to worry, the image of the Yongin tribe flashed in her mind.

The Yongin people are sitting down like dead people who have lost their souls.

What they need is the truth that the Dragon God will never return in the future, or the lie that the Dragon God’s will still remains somewhere.

“Really… is that enough to save the dragon people?”

I didn’t have any particular affection for the Yongin people, whom I had only recently met.

However, he was not a philanthropist who was heartbroken by the sorrow of everyone in the world.

but.

‘Because I was the one who absorbed the dragon god’s soul.’

Whether it was intentional or not.

She quickly absorbed the power that should have awakened the sleeping Dragon God.

They received too much for nothing in return to confidently say they were not responsible.

cost.

Yes, this may be the price for consuming the power of the Dragon God without any effort.

Just as being lucky and winning the lottery does not eliminate the obligation to pay taxes.

She also had a duty to save the dragon people who were in despair.

‘No, it’s a price and a duty, so even if you forget the complicated stuff.’

Every time I saw the Yongin people in such despair that they made extreme choices, my heart throbbed.

Although she was not a philanthropist who was heartbroken by the sadness of everyone in the world, she was not a cold-blooded person who could easily ignore the sadness that was clearly visible in front of her eyes.

“okay. “You can do whatever you want.”

A being called ‘God’.

“Good choice.”

Oh Jin smiled slightly and nodded.

“But what specifically should I do?”

“I’ll tell you about that later.”

The method itself was not that complicated.

What is more important than how to play the ‘Dragon God’.

“We need to find a helper.”

Ojin’s eyes lit up as he looked back at Kelion, who was busy running around trying to somehow cheer up the heartbroken dragon people.

* * *

“So…”

A low voice echoed throughout the shabby house.

The old Yongin with a white beard twisted his wrinkled eyes and glared at Ojin sharply.

“Are you telling me to deceive my own people?”

“That’s right.”

Ohjin nodded without hesitation.

Ha-eun, sitting next to him, hesitated before opening her mouth.

“Well… I’m not necessarily saying deceive.”

“If that’s not cheating, what is?”

Kelion did not hide his unpleasant feelings.

To save the dragon people, pretend that the already dead dragon god is alive.

As one of the dragon people who had been anxiously waiting for the dragon god to wake up, it was a difficult offer to accept.

“That offer cannot be accepted…”

“Then do you plan to keep leaving it like this?”

Ojin looked into Kelion’s eyes with deeply sunken eyes.

“Just today, three dragon people made extreme choices. “Yesterday and the day before yesterday, two people committed suicide.”

“That…”

“Do you think this is the end?”

Emotions are poison.

Despair will continue to eat away at them.

“The number of Yongin people making extreme choices will continue to increase.”

“The dragon people are not that weak.”

“How many more people will have to die to prove that you are not weak?”

A chain of despair that will never end.

Should we just wait and see with the belief that we will be able to overcome it?

“we are…!”

“I was passing by today and saw a child crying.”

“…kid?”

“They said the child’s mother died after being attacked by a demonic beast during a decoy operation.”

Although we tried to reduce the number of victims as much as possible.

It wasn’t that no one died.

“He said he did that before his mother died. Even if you don’t come back, the Dragon God will take care of you.”

“….”

“Then what happens to that child who has lost his parents to protect him and the god he can trust and follow?”

“That’s…”

“Should I overcome my sadness and stand up on my own? “The child who has nothing left?”

Cold eyes turned to Kelion.

Kelion chewed the corners of his wrinkled mouth and clenched his fists.

“The false god cannot take care of that child.”

“But it might give you hope.”

“What meaning is there in hopes that cannot come true?”

thud!

Kelion stood up and hit the table harshly.

“What was the reason the Yongin people were able to endure for the past hundred years?”

“…we are.”

“Wasn’t it because of the hope that the Dragon God would open his eyes again?”

In the hope that the sleeping dragon god will open his eyes again.

With the belief that the dragon god who opened his eyes would save them.

They were able to endure a long time of one hundred years.

“What is the meaning of a hope that cannot come true?”

Ojin looked up at Kelion and smiled.

“Wasn’t it the Yongin people who proved that such hope has meaning?”

“….”

Kelion’s expression hardened.

He sat down with a stern expression and lowered his head.

“Really… according to you, it is possible to save the dragon people?”

“No, I cannot save you.”

No matter how perfectly Ha-eun played the dragon god.

In the end, the fact that the Dragon God died does not change.

It was impossible for her to completely replace the Dragon God’s vacancy.

but.

“What the Yongin people need now is not salvation. “It’s a small stepping stone to stand on.”

And the hope that Yuji of the Dragon God does not disappear but exists somewhere.

It will be a great stepping stone for them to stand up on their own.

“How long do you plan on waiting for someone else to save you?”

“….”

“Now is the time for the Yongin people to stand up on their own.”

There was determination in Kelion’s eyes.

“…What should I do?”

Ohjin smiled slightly at the answer he received.

“The method itself is simple. “If your sister plays the dragon god, you can respond accordingly.”

“response?”

“yes. “It’s a kind of wind catcher.”

In a scam targeting the crowd, nothing was more important than the wind catcher.

Because emotions are contagious.

If someone responds to Ha-eun’s words, the absurd lie that ‘the dragon god is not dead, but is alive in the body of a human woman’ can be made effective.

‘And if the wind catcher is the elder of the Yongin tribe that has led so far.’

The effect will be even greater.

“Besides, it will be much easier if you tell us about Kaleios’s speaking style, habits, and memories that the dragon people can relate to.”

“I understand.”

Kelion nodded heavily.

“Then… I will tell you everything I know about the Dragon God.”

Kelion’s story continued for hours.

There is even a story about how the dragon god took care of the dragon people and treated them like his children, not slaves. Even in response to his warning to run away before the final battle, he smiled mercifully and headed to the battlefield.

The story filled with sadness continued without stopping.

“I think this is enough.”

I got a lot of information about Yongshin’s personality, way of speaking, and what he has done.

“Then, please gather the Yongin people at the grand banquet hall tomorrow.”

For reference, the grand banquet hall was a huge circular building where the Yongin tribe was held together as a group.

It is said that the Yongin people gather at the grand banquet hall every year and hold a festival to awaken the dragon god.

“…I thought it was a place I wouldn’t use in the future.”

Kelion nodded with a bitter smile.

“Let’s go, sister.”

Ha-eun also had a few things to prepare.

“uh? Yes. okay.”

Ha-eun, who could hardly participate in the conversation, stood up with an awkward smile.

“So… it’s going to be okay. “Don’t worry too much.”

Ha-eun seems to be worried about Kelion’s dark expression and gives him a little encouragement.

Kelion nodded with a faint smile.

“I will trust the dragon maiden.”

“huh! Then, see you tomorrow!”

Ha-eun waved her hand with a strong expression.

Ha-eun, who came out of Kelion’s house, followed Oh Jin with a complicated expression.

“Ojina uh….”

“Huh?”

“There’s that kid you mentioned earlier. Where did you see him?”

A child left alone after losing his mother.

The heavy responsibility of having to be that child’s ‘hope’ for life weighed on her shoulders.

“doesn’t exist.”

“Eh? “No?”

“I’ve never seen a child like that.”

“….”

Oh Jin walked away, leaving behind Ha Eun, who was frozen in a daze.

I turned my head and said to her who was standing still.

“I told you, right?”

The truth doesn’t matter.

Only what appears to be true is important.