The Heroine Stole My Regression-Chapter 16

The negotiation was satisfactory.

Especially for me.

In my hand as I stepped out of the negotiation room was a makeshift voucher.

It was a token I could exchange later once the Japanese side sent the Dongbaek Sword to the Korea Association.

They said they’d send it within a few days.

Even after the negotiation ended, their expressions didn’t seem bad.

If I had pushed them too hard, it wouldn’t have turned out that way.

Leaving some breathing room is a basic rule of negotiation.

There’s no need to create hostility between nations. Though, frankly, I wouldn’t care even if I did.

Of course, I made sure to hit the key points.

I firmly stated that I could never hand over the Cross, but in exchange, I offered additional information about Iano’s relics that were likely hidden somewhere on the mainland.

It wasn’t detailed enough to pinpoint the exact location.

I mentioned somewhere near Hokkaido, and even that vague hint seemed to satisfy them enough.

I did wonder if it was okay to give that away, but the rewards there were trash anyway.

Not like I could go there, either.

“Haein-nim...!”

From afar, Kim Gilgyu called out to me in a hurry.

“Yes?”

“We’ve just received an urgent message from the Chinese side. I believe it’s about Iano’s tomb. They’ve offered a large reward...”

It seemed they had caught the scent too.

Since I hadn’t signed the final contract yet, they must have thought they could flip the table.

“What would you like to do? The deal hasn’t been finalized, so you could still—”

I couldn’t help but burst out laughing.

“Ah... China, huh... Heh.”

The laughter just kept leaking out.

I had never planned to sell to them in the first place.

“Not selling. Never.”

It wasn’t just Japan I had a grudge against.

***

The luxury hotel café in the heart of the city, run by Glory Corporation, was always bustling with people.

Under a vintage chandelier, soft classical music flowed. But right now, all eyes in the café were fixed on one spot.

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That spot held Gaon’s famous students—Yu Hana and Cheon Yeoul.

Yu Hana sat with her long, sleek legs elegantly crossed, her sky-blue hair shimmering under the lights. In contrast, Cheon Yeoul exuded the warmth of a saint with her neatly styled short hair and modest attire.

“Unnie...! Please sign this for me...!”

A young fan had approached Yu Hana, holding out a small piece of paper.

She responded with a bright smile and a gentle voice.

“Sure, can you hand me the paper?”

With graceful movements, she signed for the fan, the whole scene looking like a painting.

From a distance, the two looked like a perfect pair. Their beauty and poise were enough to captivate everyone around them.

But the reality was far from that.

Up close, the atmosphere in their conversation was completely different.

Yu Hana twirled the teacup on the table with her fingertips as she spoke.

“Did you enjoy it?”

Cheon Yeoul gently set her cup down and smiled calmly as she replied.

“Mm, very much.”

Her voice was soft, but there was an indescribable energy hidden within it.

Yu Hana raised her cup, the corner of her lips curving up faintly.

“I’ll say you did well this time. I respect him, but that elixir...”

Yu Hana trailed off mid-sentence, suddenly sensing something strange and lifted her head.

Cheon Yeoul was sipping her tea, her expression still lost in the lingering emotions.

A faintly flushed face, her gaze distant and dreamy.

“...What are you doing?”

Yu Hana’s sharp voice snapped Cheon Yeoul out of her daze.

“Ah.”

Cheon Yeoul tilted her head slightly with a relaxed smile.

That subtle smile alone was enough to provoke Yu Hana.

“Sorry, just thinking about that time still...”

Yu Hana’s eyebrow twitched.

Cheon Yeoul, seemingly indifferent, tapped her finger lightly on the table and continued slowly.

“I had to circulate the elixir’s energy, so I had to touch every part of his body... You know how it is.”

“He fell asleep in my arms... You wouldn’t believe how adorable he looked.”

Yu Hana’s smile stiffened. Her fingertips visibly tightened.

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Cheon Yeoul, as if savoring Yu Hana’s reaction, took another sip from her cup and added,

“No matter what I did to his body, he didn’t notice a thing...”

“Good.”

Yu Hana finally set her cup down without taking a single sip.

Her voice was low and quiet, but her smile didn’t fade.

“Good thing there are people around.”

Cheon Yeoul tilted her head, looking at her curiously.

“Why?”

“Because I nearly killed you right now.”

The air froze at her words.

Cheon Yeoul curled up one corner of her lips in a small smile.

“So dramatic.”

“Be careful.”

Just then, a young boy approached Cheon Yeoul, holding out a piece of paper for an autograph.

With a benevolent smile, Cheon Yeoul signed the paper.

The boy clasped his hands together, shifting his weight as if he had something to say. His little feet shuffled on the floor, lips hesitating to form words.

“Hey there, is there something you want to say?”

Cheon Yeoul asked gently, trying to ease his shyness with a warm smile.

“Saintess, are you really dating Hero Johan?”

“Pfft!”

Cheon Yeoul froze for a moment at the unexpected question.

Yu Hana, on the other hand, covered her mouth, silently bursting into laughter.

“No, absolutely not. Definitely not.”

“Then, when I grow up, I’ll marry you instead!”

The boy straightened his shoulders proudly and declared it boldly.

Cheon Yeoul smiled in amusement and gently patted his head.

“That’s sweet, but you can’t.”

The boy’s face instantly fell into a pout.

“Because I already belong to someone. Sorry, okay?”

A massive, medieval-style building towered in the middle of the city.

Its exterior might have seemed out of place, yet within the landscape of this city, it blended in surprisingly well.

The Arcadia Order.

I had arrived in front of the order’s temple.

Since I had a vacation anyway...

Might as well strike while the iron’s hot and get rid of the Cross relic today too.

"You can do it confidentially, or you can make it public."

The Association had asked me whether I wanted the success of this dungeon conquest to be disclosed to the public.

I told them I’d keep it confidential for now.

But...

“Think that’ll hold?”

There’s no shortage of people inside the Association who enjoy a little side hustle selling information.

Thanks to people like them, it would all come out soon enough anyway.

I organized my thoughts as I stepped into the temple. Unlike its exterior, the inside was clean and modern.

I approached a priest who was reviewing some documents at the counter.

“Priest.”

“Yes~ How may I help you?”

The priest welcomed me with a friendly smile.

“I’d like to sell an artifact.”

“An arti...fact?”

Her expression stiffened in brief surprise, then she quickly flipped through some documents and asked,

“May I have your name?”

“Jeong Haein.”

The moment she heard my name, I heard a loud clatter in the distance.

Then, a priest rushed out in a panic and hurried over to me.

“Oh dear, you should’ve let us know you were coming!”

“...I suppose I should’ve known someone inside?”

“Haha, is that so?”

The priest laughed awkwardly, scratching his head.

“I’ll escort you to the reception room. Please, this way.”

He politely bowed and began guiding me.

“Actually, Lady Cheon Yeoul gave us strict instructions. She said that if Mr. Jeong Haein ever visited, we should treat him with utmost courtesy.”

“And, if I may ask... if you could put in a good word with her...”

I nodded.

Judging by how hard he was trying to get on her good side, it seemed Cheon Yeoul was already securing her power within the Order.

The Arcadia Order's internal factions were largely split into two groups.

Those who supported Johan the Hero, and those who supported Cheon Yeoul the Saintess.

Johan’s supporters were old-fashioned types obsessed with tradition and the glory of the past—stubborn conservatives who idolized the Hero.

In that sense, Cheon Yeoul steadily reinforcing her influence like this was a very smart move.

The Order’s reception room was more luxurious than the front.

“Would you mind waiting here a moment? Someone in charge of transactions will be with you shortly.”

Not long after the priest left, a middle-aged man in a neat suit stepped in.

He bowed his head toward me calmly.

“You must be Mr. Jeong Haein? It’s an honor to meet you. I’m Bishop Luke of the Arcadia Order, and I’ll be handling this transaction.”

His demeanor was quiet yet dignified.

Instead of replying, I simply pulled the Cross out of my bag and held it up.

“I’m here to sell this.”

The moment the Cross in my hand was revealed, Bishop Luke’s gaze subtly shifted.

His expression reflected both surprise and reverence, as though he already grasped the value of what he was looking at.

He steadied his breath as he stared at the Cross, then asked in a low voice,

“Though I may lack insight, I can sense extraordinary divine power from this. Do you perhaps know its name...?”

“It’s a relic of the priestess Iano.”

“Ah... I thought as much.”

I nodded and handed him the Cross.

With a tense expression, Bishop Luke carefully accepted it in both hands.

“We’re truly grateful you’d entrust this to us. However...”

His voice lowered slightly.

“Of course, it’s only right that we offer terms satisfactory to you. That said... this is such a significant item that...”

Ah, I could already guess what he was getting at.

‘This is too important for me to price alone, so please give us time to negotiate.’ That kind of thing.

Truthfully, I wasn’t even that concerned about money. I’d originally planned to give it away for free.

“You don’t have to tell me the price right now. Just give me a contract.”

At my words, Bishop Luke, looking slightly flustered, hurriedly pulled a blank contract and pen from inside his suit.

I took the contract he handed me and wrote something down briefly.

“All done. Here.”

“If you just uphold this condition, ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) you can contact me anytime once you’ve settled on a price.”

It was a contract bearing the seal of the god Arcadia served. It must be honored.

As he read through what I’d written, Bishop Luke’s eyes widened slightly.

He examined the contents for quite a while, then finally nodded.

“Understood. That’s all you ask...? I thank you for your generosity.”

Cheon Yeoul had been certain the Order would entrust the Cross to her, but that wasn’t necessarily guaranteed.

Laying down firm conditions like this would probably work more in her favor.

The contract’s condition was simple:

“Iano’s Cross must be used solely for a Saintess candidate.”

Bishop Luke reviewed the contract once more, then smiled quietly.

“No one within the Order would reject this condition...”

He carefully folded the contract and tucked it into his chest pocket, adding,

“Unless they’re a heretic, of course.”

And Bishop Luke standing before me was famously known within the Arcadia Order as one of the staunchest pro-Saintess faction leaders.

He bowed again toward me and said,

“The divine power dwelling within this relic will surely be passed on to someone truly worthy.”

He would fulfill the role I wanted him to—perfectly.