How to Raise Your Regressor

"W-why…"

I thought that the entire conversation till now was another one of his ploys to stall for time, but now he's telling me that he's the only one that knows that Tristan has captured me?

｢Why? I just didn't think that this matter was important enough to consult them. Nothing more, nothing less.｣

This matter isn't important enough?

I am not important enough?

Am I really so useless that my kidnapping is not even worth their time?

"Ha… haha… hahahahahahahahahahahahaha!" Before I knew it, I burst out laughing.

｢Looks like she has gone insane.｣

"Insane?! Ha, yes, I have gone insane! This is just fucking ridiculous! You are abandoning me? Just like that?"

｢Hey, I did try negotiating.｣

"Shut the fuck up!"

｢Jesus… Hey, Mr. Kidnapper. Are you really not going to take the ransom in instalments? How about this? Uh… We'll pay you 110,000 Gold Coins, out of which I'll pay 40,000 right away while the rest will be paid in 10 instalments.｣

"Hmm… What's your credit score?"

｢760.｣

"Damn, that's good."

｢Right? Should I consider it a deal then?｣

"No."

｢Why not?｣

"Either give me the full amount upfront, or we'll take Lecia away."

｢Bruh, why are you so adamant? I'll pay you everything, okay? I promise.｣

"I'm not falling for that. Not again."

"…"

Not again?

So, he has fallen for such a stupid trick? What?

｢See? It's not like I haven't tried. Your kidnapper is just not ready to negotiate, Lecia. What do you want me to do about it?｣

"Negotiating wouldn't have been necessary if you had informed the others about me! They would have killed these motherfuckers and rescued me by now!"

"Oi."

｢Well, maybe trying to handle everything by myself wasn't the most tactical decision on my part, but hey, there's no point crying over spilled milk, or you know, failed ransom negotiations. You gotta deal with what life throws at you.｣

"It wasn't life! It was you, you fucking piece of shit!"

｢Same thing.｣

This…!

Alright, okay, let's calm down. Screaming isn't going to get me anywhere.

"Haah… why are you doing this to me?"

｢You are mistaken if you think that I have a reason for doing this. This is just how things ended up.｣

"Oh yeah? Then how else would you describe this?"

｢Cold reality.｣

Reality?

"Wasn't it you who told me that the New Dawn Guild was going to be my new family? Wasn't it you who told me that you would protect me?"

Is this really how families treat each other? Aren't they supposed to be able to risk their lives for the other?

Yet here I am, who is so unimportant that I'm not even worth notifying the others.

｢No, on the day you arrived at the Guild and met us for the first time, I told you that you will be living with us and that WE will protect you. Not once did I say that we are a family or that 'I' would protect you. You are confusing me for someone else.｣

"No…"

No, they told me that we were going to be family. They told me that they were going to protect me no matter what.

They told me that no one would be able to touch me as long as they were here.

"Hey… I'm telling you, if this is one of your jokes…."

｢Oh, come on. Even I'm not boorish enough to joke in a situation like this.｣

"Then what? Are you taking revenge for that time?"

｢That time?｣

"That time I almost killed you! Are you taking out that time's frustration on me!? If you are, then I'm sorry, okay?! I'm truly, truly sorry for what I did to you, so-"

｢Ah, right, you did do something like that. I almost forgot.｣

"Wha?!"

He forgot about it? He almost forgot about the time I almost killed him?

Is that a fucking joke?!

｢Look, Lecia. This is not a joke, and I'm not extracting vengeance on you. This is the cold, harsh reality. I tried my best, but things just did not work out. This is the most I can do as a 12-year-old child. This is all I'm capable of. I'm sorry that I cannot save you.｣

"No…"

I trusted them. I trusted Azell. I even trusted the maniac Samur! I truly believed that if the time ever came, they would protect me!

So why?!

Why is this happening to me? Why are they betraying me?

Why, why, why, why?!

Is that really my fate? To be betrayed and abandoned, to be used as a tool by others?

Why? What did I ever do wrong?

I do not deserve this. I do not want this.

All I ever wanted was to live a normal life. Is that too much to ask for?

O God! IS THAT REALLY TOO MUCH TO ASK FOR?!

"Hey Samur…"

｢Yeah?｣

"I will do anything you ask for. I will be your sex slave if that's what it takes! So, please, save me! Please…." I made my final plea.

｢I apologise, Lecia, but there's nothing I can do. Besides, I'm not interested in your body; it's too underdeveloped for my tastes.｣

"You like big tits and booties, don't you?" Tristan cackled.

｢A man of culture, eh?｣

"You got that right. Why don't we meet sometime to discuss our tastes?"

｢Sure. Just send a letter addressed to me to the New Dawn Guild, stating when and where you want to meet me.｣

"Alright."

｢Well then, Lecia, it was nice knowing you, but as circumstances would have it, we have no choice but to part. It saddens me, but we truly have no choice. I hope you enjoy your new life.｣

"Wait, Samur, no!"

｢Also, Mr. Kidnapper, I hope you won't cut her legs off or anything.｣

"Don't worry… I doubt that she'd run away again."

｢Fair enough. Alright, Lecia.｣

"Samur, wait, please save-"

｢Until we see each other again.｣ His words were followed by the sound of a click.

"Samur, hey! Listen to me, please! Hey, hey, I know you are there, so just answer me!"

"Is this truly the Guild you left us for?" Tristan placed his hand on my head.

"Don't you dare touch me!"

"To think a time would ever come that I would pity you, Lecia," he removed his hand. "That guy really pisses me off. Even we would never go that low."

"Ha!"

Samur went lower than Tristan? Hahahahahahaha!

"Don't worry, I'll kill him for you. Come now, it's time to go back home."

Home? That place is my home? Really?

I thought my home was the New Dawn Guild, yet here I am.

Ha, I don't know. I don't know anymore.

"…Just kill me."

Right. What's the point of living such a life? It's better to just die and be done with it.

"Hey, don't be so hasty. Don't you think that you must live until you make Samur suffer?"

"Make him… suffer?"

"Exactly," Tristan grinned. "After what he has done to you, you have full justification to take revenge."

"…"

"Don't you want to see him feeling the same despair as you are? Just imagine it. He is crawling at your feet, begging you to save him. Or better, begging you to just kill him, just like you are. I know that I would. If someone betrayed me like this, I would stop at absolutely nothing to destroy him."

"I… I can do that?"

"Of course. I promise you; come with and you WILL have your vengeance."

"…"

Vengeance, eh?

The sight of Samur wriggling like a maggot, crying and begging me to kill him and end his suffering.

Ah… that sight looks so… tempting.

I want it. I want him to feel the same despair that I'm feeling.

"Alright-"

｢Hey.｣

"Azell?!"