A Regressor's Bucket List

Chapter 159 : Valencia (2)

Bringing Valencia into the party was a considerably difficult task for me.

The others were people I had at least spoken to once before my regression, and I was somewhat confident that I knew about them.

But as for Valencia, I had only ever witnessed her tragic corpse.

However, just because I didn't know her well and wasn't confident, I couldn't just back down and move on.

Even though it had the lowest probability of success and there was no clear-cut brilliant move, in terms of importance, bringing her into our party was more crucial than any other bucket list item so far.

The core of the third organization I planned to build for the Demon King hunt would likely be the Beastkin faction centered around her.

Of course, it would take quite some time for the ruined Beastkin faction to transform into a practical fighting force, but in the future, I planned to rely on them for most of our military power, and the existence of ‘Valencia la Bael Tigris’ was an indispensable requirement for uniting the Beastkin.

Therefore, from the time I entered the Darkest Dungeon to pick up Tom, and all the way here to get her, my mind was constantly devising a plan.

About how I could persuade her, who had given up everything and gone into hiding, to wear the crown again.

And after much deliberation, the brilliant move I came up with unexpectedly came from ‘Loxy’s comment’.

『So, I’ve met other Demonic Species a few times before…….』

『…….』

『But this is the first time I’ve seen all the patterns overlap like this.』

『…….』

『It looks like this and like that…… At least, all the impressions I've seen are contained within it. Besides that, it seems many more diverse things are engraved in it as well…….』

Her comment.

The mana traces of various Demonic Species that appeared in my mana pattern due to the mysterious power of the Source Stone.

Thinking about those words, a thought suddenly struck me.

What if, as she said, the mana traces of all Demonic Species were contained in my mana pattern?

And what if that didn't just mean the mana pattern, but that I could directly borrow the unique abilities used by those Demonic Species?

Then wouldn't I also be able to use the ability of the ‘Succubus’, one of the Demonic Species?

『…This. Then is the Succubus’s crest here too?』

『Ah…… Yes, well. It is. Of course.』

『…….』

…Normally, it would have been impossible.

The power of the Demonic Species was something even my unique ability, which could imitate any skill given enough understanding and proficiency, could not touch.

Despite numerous attempts before my regression, I had never been able to steal the abilities of the Demonic Species.

However.

Quark's Source Stone had pulled what existed in the realm of impossibility into the realm of possibility.

Clinging to that single hint I reached at the end of my thoughts, I practiced alone and finally succeeded.

『…So it works.』

By imitating the Succubus skill ‘Nightmare’, I was able to enter the dreams of Loxy, who was sleeping in her room.

I had gained the ability to forcibly manifest a mental world.

And with that realization, I thought.

This.

This would be the first tool I would use to persuade Valencia.

* * *

Saaat-!

A world of deep purple unfolded.

“…What is this.”

Valencia's eyes, tinged with bewilderment, scanned the changed surroundings before landing on me.

From the looks of it, even if she didn't know exactly what this ability was, she seemed to have intuited that it was not an ordinary or common power.

To her, who was exuding a sense of both bewilderment and discomfort, I offered a brief explanation.

“I’ve prepared a little space for us.”

“……”

“There’s something I want to talk about, and I figured you’d just run away if I didn’t do something like this.”

Shrug-

“The time that flows here is different from the outside.”

I didn't bother adding that it was the ability of a Succubus.

In a situation where I was already disliked, I felt there was no need to reveal that it was a demon's ability.

Well, since the experience of entering a mental world like this wasn't very common, if she had experienced it even once, she probably would have realized it the moment she entered.

But seeing the bewilderment in her eyes, I figured that wasn't the case.

Rather than dragging out the conversation, I got straight to the point.

“You know, don't you?”

“……”

“That there’s a risk when the Beastkin royal family doesn't inherit the throne.”

To tell the truth, I didn't know exactly how that risk manifested either.

The case with that guy Cheong-yi was similar, and I had a fair amount of experience with similar phenomena, but at the time when I was making a name for myself, the Beastkin were in an even more miserable state than they were now.

All I knew was the general knowledge of that time, plus a few facts that guy Jerry had discovered through his secondary research before my regression.

…The risk incurred by refusing the succession was also something I learned from those records.

That guy, who had been tracing the history of the Beastkin, had also found records about the succession of the royal bloodline.

He had discovered in the mostly damaged ancient records of the Beastkin that a royal heir who refused the succession had died showing symptoms similar to a divine illness, and.

I remembered him telling me about it in passing.

“…Why should I tell you that?”

“……”

“Who do you think you are?”

As expected, Valencia was not very cooperative in the conversation.

Unlike in Loxy's mental world before, I hadn't bound or restricted her, but it seemed to be even more so because I had forcibly dragged her into another place.

…Well, strictly speaking, it was her mental world, so it was hard to call it an unfamiliar space.

But it was probably her first time consciously entering this space.

“Because I won't let you out if you don't talk?”

“……”

It was a light joke meant to ease the atmosphere, but she just shrank back further instead of answering.

…It seemed a normal conversation would be difficult.

“…Just kidding. For now, just listen. I’ll give you the gist of what I want to talk about.”

So, I decided to lay out the story first.

It wasn't my preferred method, nor did I think it was efficient, but if a two-way conversation wasn't possible, I had to at least try one-way communication.

It wasn't that there were no other methods, but changing her mind through persuasion was the first approach I had to take.

“It goes without saying, but we didn't come here to harm you. We came to set things right.”

“……”

“I’ve gathered quite a few Beastkin.”

With a brief introduction I had thought of in my head, I began my explanation.

Shrug-

“Well, of course, if you consider the entire Beastkin population scattered throughout The Order’s territory, it’s probably not even 5%. But by my standards, it's quite a lot.”

Snap-!

I snapped my fingers and materialized an image of that guy Jerry's face in the empty air to my right.

“You saw him earlier, right?”

“……”

“Jerry Dracula Junior. This guy used his own funds to buy up Beastkin who were being passed around the slave markets. It's a long story, but just know that he's pretty much the last of the Vampire Clan.”

Seeing that she wasn't surprised at all by the words ‘last of the vampires’, it seemed she had known about that guy Jerry's identity from the start.

Whether it was because Beastkin could distinguish each other like Demonic Species do, or if she already knew of Jerry's existence.

Or if there was another mechanism I didn't know about, I couldn't be sure.

But despite hearing the rather rare story of the last vampire, I couldn't find any trace of agitation on her face.

…Rather.

“To get to the point, my goal is to re-establish the Beastkin Nation with these gathered Beastkin. To revive the Beastkin faction that once served as the leader of the neutral forces.”

It was at this next part that she, who had been listening in silence, was unknowingly stirred and opened her mouth.

“…Hah. Don't be ridiculous.”

“……”

“The revival of the Beastkin faction? Why would the likes of a human do that?”

The exact same response Tom had given in the Darkest Dungeon.

Just as in my conversation with him, it seemed she hated outsiders interfering in the affairs of the Beastkin.

Perhaps it was even more so because I was a human.

The look of contempt she gave me was exactly the same.

“You must have some scheme you’re cooking up behind my back without revealing it. All humans are like that.”

“…You’re not wrong.”

To Valencia's words, I simply nodded my head rather than denying them.

“In the end, it’s true that I’m gathering the Beastkin for my own personal needs.”

“…I knew it.”

A look of disgust bloomed on her face as if to say ‘I knew it’, and she soon added.

“I’ll say it again, I have no intention of becoming something like the queen of the Beastkin. No matter what you say, my mind won't change. It’s a decision I made almost a hundred years ago. So stop this useless act and let me out of here right now…….”

“Demon King hunt.”

“……!”

Her golden eyes widened distinctly.

It seemed the words ‘Demon King hunt’ sounded quite foreign to her as well.

…Well, it was only natural, as I was probably the only one who used the term ‘Demon King hunt’.

“I’m going to hunt the Demon King. By building a third faction that belongs to neither The Order nor the Demon King.”

“……”

“And for that, I want the Beastkin faction to join in. For that to happen, you must inevitably take the throne.”

“…Why should I do that?”

The conversation had returned to square one.

However, unlike at the beginning, there was a slight waver on her face.

Shrug-

“I told you. That's what setting things right is.”

“……”

“You of all people should know best. That the position of king isn't something that ends just because you refuse it.”

“……”

“This is for your own good. And it's for the good of the entire Beastkin race.”

Valencia then lowered her head with a *puk-*.

She looked down and muttered softly.

“Don't be ridiculous……”

And once more.

“Don't be ridiculous……”

And one last time.

“I said don't be ridiculous……!”

With her shout, the purple world trembled.

Chwaaak-!

Her narrowed golden eyes turned to me, and the empty air in front of me was torn diagonally as the Man-eating Beast appeared.

The Man-eating Beast, which tore through the air and thrust its head out first, opened its bluish maw and rushed toward me.

I was in a defenseless state.

However.

Smirk-

“…So, is Plan A a failure?”

Its sudden appearance and attack were not particularly surprising or threatening to me.

The reason was simple.

Taaak-!

…It might be a different story outside.

But this place was my home ground.