The Heroine Stole My Regression-Chapter 38
Deep in the forest—its center.
The only thing to rely on was the moonlight.
There were people there, yet their presence couldn’t be felt.
“You’ve arrived.”
A voice came from the shadows of the forest.
The darkness stirred, and one by one—three figures appeared.
A man wearing a mask. Another in a hood. And one with an enormous build.
The masked man stood in the center.
Even within the darkness, his presence was unmistakable.
Even the air around him seemed to ripple unnaturally.
The hooded demon cautiously spoke.
“Is the plan progressing smoothly?”
Moras.
Even among demons, there were few who didn’t know his name.
He held a mid-level position among the demons.
Specialized in seduction, he was one of the trickiest enemies to deal with.
The hooded demon looked nervously at the masked man and said,
“For us... it’s already an honor just to have you with us, Moras. But... securing Medusa wasn’t easy.”
A faint chuckle spread through the air.
The masked man tilted his head slightly and replied.
“So what?”
His tone was languid.
“You proposed the plan, and I prepared the best course of action for it. Asking about the odds now... what exactly does that mean?”
The large-built demon cautiously interjected.
Rubbing his massive hands together, he spoke as if trying to explain himself.
“...That’s not what we meant, Moras. We just... wanted some reassurance...”
“Reassurance?”
The masked man let out a quiet, amused laugh.
Then he slowly started walking.
“Reassurance, huh...”
As his fingertips brushed the air, faint mana shimmered around him.
“As long as you all just hold the others back, everything will go smoothly.”
A short silence followed his words.
The hooded demon whispered.
“Do you really think... the students will turn?”
In that moment, the masked man laughed.
Though his expression was hidden behind the mask, that faintly twisted laugh rang out clearly.
“As long as they have desire, they won’t be able to resist.”
He reached out his hand.
The lingering trace of magic in the air trembled ominously.
“They will...”
“Fall into the illusion that they chose for themselves...”
“And in the end, they will betray.”
The two demons nodded.
The large one clenched his fist, suppressing his excitement.
“So please, just make sure you summon Medusa properly.”
Moras’s voice was quiet, but the command it carried was absolute.
The leaves of the forest rustled softly. The demons’ plan was already in motion.
***
Right now, I’m sitting on top of Gaon Academy’s highest point—the roof above the VIP room.
From here, the entire campus lay visible in a single glance.
The reason I’m up here is simple.
“Because I can see everything.”
I looked down.
From this dizzying height, the crowd of students below looked like ants.
The flow of movement across the different arenas, the faint roar of cheering voices.
First of all, I can’t pinpoint exactly where the demons plan to summon Medusa.
There are four potential locations:
Arena A Plaza, Arena B Plaza, Arena C Plaza, and the Central Plaza.
Out of those four, Medusa will be summoned in one at random.
Since I don’t know where it’ll appear, I came up here—where I can see them all at once.
It was worth the tough climb at dawn.
This operation is going to be all about speed. Medusa is just a distraction, a decoy. The real threat lies elsewhere.
Moras.
Not an executive, nor particularly strong in direct combat, but still a nightmare to deal with.
Charm and duplication.
Those are his core abilities.
While all the heroes on campus are drawn toward Medusa, he targets students who are either exceptional or emotionally lacking.
He identifies their hidden desires and tempts them—making them believe they can have what they long for, urging them to defect.
Among his potential targets are key characters like Cheon Yeoul and Yu Hana.
To Cheon Yeoul, he offers the highest position within the Holy Order.
To Yu Hana, he provokes her desire for overwhelming martial power.
Others will be targeted as well.
This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.
But I can’t be everywhere. So the plan is to eliminate Medusa quickly and shift the mood, then stop him.
That’s why I needed Harpe.
From far below, I could faintly hear the announcer’s voice. The matches were probably underway by now.
I crossed my arms and narrowed my eyes at the plaza.
From here on, I would monitor the situation.
***
“What the hell... what the hell were you thinking?”
Inside the VIP room’s lounge.
There stood Bishop Seong Yeongil, of the Arcadia Order’s Hero faction, and Crusader Jayden.
Documents were scattered across the table.
One was a petition from within the Order to strip Jayden of his Crusader rank.
Another was an official protest and disciplinary demand from Gaon Academy.
The stamped seals all over the pages were evidence of serious pressure.
Jayden stood silently before the bishop, hands behind his back.
One side of his face was already red and swollen.
–Smack!
The bishop’s palm struck Jayden’s face once again.
Blood trailed from the corner of his lips.
“You pulled that stunt in front of all those people?”
“If you were going to do it, you should’ve handled it quietly.”
That was what had truly enraged the bishop.
Not the act itself, but the fact that it happened in front of too many witnesses.
He was chastising Jayden not for what he did—but for being too stupid to realize it would blow back on the Order.
Jayden remained silent under the blows.
But this time, he opened his mouth.
“...I’m a Crusader. I only acted for Johan’s sake.”
His gaze didn’t waver.
“The opponent went too far. If I didn’t intervene, I believed the Order’s authority would suffer. I had no intent to kill.”
The bishop ground his teeth.
Even he hadn’t expected Johan to be beaten that badly. It was a first.
But he quickly composed himself.
The problem was Jayden.
They’d taken in a brute and tried to train him. The bishop had always known—Jayden, blindly loyal to the Order and the Hero, was an easy weapon to wield, but also a ticking time bomb.
He just hadn’t expected him to explode so soon.
As if things weren’t already delicate with that fox Cheon Yeoul—
Lately, she’d been shaking the Order’s internal footing.
And now Jayden, adding fuel to the fire—
–Smack!
An even harder blow landed.
Jayden’s head tilted slightly from the force.
But still, he stood unmoving.
“How long do you think that excuse is going to protect you?”
The bishop’s fingers, pressing against the desk, had turned white.
“We’re surrounded by wolves.”
“There’s already a movement within the Order demanding your suspension. There’s even a petition for your removal. Gaon too. What you did, thinking it was for the Order—has only brought disgrace to it.”
He bitterly lifted a document, shook it in front of Jayden, and threw it at his feet.
“I stopped it where I could, but Gaon has submitted official documentation. There’s no dodging it now. ...You’ll have to take responsibility.”
But Jayden didn’t move.
Calmly, he looked the bishop in the eye and said just one thing.
“...Understood.”
The bishop let out a hollow laugh.
Then, with an exhausted look, he pressed his fingers to his forehead and muttered,
“Just our luck... of all people, it had to be one of Vanquisher’s.”
The air grew oppressively heavy.
The bishop sank into the sofa with a thud.
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—WEEEOOOOOO–!!
And then—
A siren blared, shaking the entire lounge.
The bishop instinctively rushed to the window.
He pulled out his vibrating watch from his pocket and answered the call.
“...Yeah, I got it.”
He gave a short reply and hung up.
Then, stepping away from the window, he quickly walked over to Jayden.
“Grab your weapon and get to Plaza A. Now.”
Jayden looked up.
“...What?”
The bishop snatched the remote and turned on the large TV mounted on the wall.
Emergency news was flashing across the screen—Gaon Academy was under threat.
“...Medusa.”
Jayden muttered under his breath. The bishop bit his lip.
“This is your last chance.”
He stared straight into Jayden’s eyes.
“You’ve tarnished the Order’s name. Now raise it back up—with your own hands. Even if it’s just a fraction.”
“...”
“Go. Right now. Move!!”
***
By the time Jayden arrived at the plaza, the ground had already become a battlefield.
Gaon Academy’s vast square was filled with shattered pillars and cracks. Scattered throughout were fallen faculty and heroes.
Hair like giant serpents.
Snake eyes glinting coldly beneath a shadowed face.
Medusa.
Jayden instinctively froze in place.
Even from afar, the presence alone sent a chill down his spine.
“Don’t look her in the eyes! You’ll turn to stone!”
Someone—a hero—shouted from somewhere in the chaos.
If you can’t face her head-on, your combat options become severely limited.
Medusa slowly turned her head.
Her tongue flicked out, razor-sharp fangs gleaming under the sunlight.
She raised one hand.
—Fweeeeeeeiiing!
In an instant, a petrifying wave burst from her gaze. The metallic vibration of the air ripped through the battlefield as heroes screamed and staggered back.
“...Tch.”
Jayden turned his gaze away slightly.
In the distance, he saw heroes of the Order rushing toward him, carrying something.
What they brought was—
“We brought the shield!”
The Holy Order’s greatest sacred relic.
A shield forged with divine power, capable of blocking any attack.
[Aegis (Αἰγίς)].
Jayden grabbed Aegis and, from behind its protection, raised his mace.
He began advancing slowly.
He had made up his mind.
With this shield, he would restore the honor the Order had lost.
In that moment—
—Tat-tat-tat.
A presence approached rapidly from behind.
Not a person—something fast and animalistic.
—Thud.
Then a sudden pressure weighed down on his head.
Jayden instinctively looked up.
A figure used his head as a springboard, launching into the air.
“Thanks.”
A voice came from above.
It was Jeong Haein.
He soared effortlessly, leaping high into the sky.
His body silhouetted against the sun, he dove mercilessly toward Medusa.
Medusa hadn’t yet realized what was happening.
But—
In midair, Jeong Haein was already locked onto his target.
He gripped Harpe tightly against his chest.
‘Catenaccio.’
Jeong Haein twisted his posture midair.
Defying gravity, his descent radiated with ashen mana.
Perhaps the highest leap of his life—but failure was not an option.
He remembered the first time he ever used this technique. Since then, he had practiced it countless times.
It wasn’t a spear this time, but Harpe.
The principle remained the same.
He poured out every drop of mana ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) in his body.
And from him, four clones materialized in the air.
One more than last time. Jeong Haein was satisfied.
Sensing killing intent, Medusa suddenly jerked her head up.
Five figures surged toward her.
Medusa whipped her head around, eyes darting. But she couldn’t tell which one to focus on.
“Try guessing.”
Jeong Haein gripped Harpe tightly.
Medusa had no choice but to pick. Her eyes flared once more with the petrifying light.
One of the figures solidified into stone.
But immediately—
—Crack...
It shattered. A clone.
And then, right by her ear, a low whisper reached her.
“Wrong.”
Medusa gasped and whipped her head around.
But it was too late.
—Shhhhk!
With a gray streak, Harpe sliced clean across her neck.
Her head spun in midair, the snakes in her hair writhing and shrieking like they too were dying.
Her body stiffened as red blood sprayed into the sky.
“You missed.”
Jeong Haein flicked Harpe.
The bloodied blade gleamed cold and sharp.
This time, it wasn’t a clone.
It was the real Jeong Haein.
Jayden stared blankly at the sky.
Even though he held Aegis in his hands—
The hero of this battlefield...
Wasn’t the Order.
Wasn’t Jayden.
It was Jeong Haein.
