The Regressor and the Blind Saint-Chapter 278: After Story: And So They Were (2) (End)

The gleaming white mass shot forward, moving faster than a horse.

From the southernmost tip of Elia toward the east, it followed the same path Vera had once walked with a restless heart.

But this time, he traveled alongside the woman he had once longed to meet there.

The warmth of the season shifted from spring to summer along with the gentle breeze, accompanying their journey.

Wooong—

Ten hours of travel each day, and resting the rest of the time—two days in total.

When they finally arrived, the village before them was as picturesque as ever.

A small village, where a large watermill was the first thing to catch the eye.

As they reached Remeo, a village in the Horden Kingdom, Renee brushed back her windblown hair and spoke.

“It’s been a long time.”

“Yes, eight years.”

This was where they had arrived on the day Vera rescued her from the heavens.

Since then, they had never once returned. Now, after all those years, the two walked forward, hand in hand.

Following the dirt road, they reached a small house with a distinct red roof.

It was the house where Renee had been born and raised.

“It looks just the same.”

“I bought this land. I left it untouched, thinking we might return one day.”

“You did all that?”

“In the end, wasn’t I right to do so?”

Vera smiled gently.

Renee’s eyes widened, then she let out a soft chuckle.

“You really are impossible.”

A gentle sense of emotion appeared on her face as she shook her head, as if resigning to the moment.

*Though Vera had purchased the land, he hadn’t maintained it. Due to that, dust had accumulated inside the house.

The two of them chuckled at the sight, then quickly set to work opening all the windows and clearing away the dust.

They would only be staying for three days, so there was no need for a thorough cleaning.

Once they finished, the first thing they did was head to the hill behind the village.

Amidst the many small graves in the village cemetery, they found a single gravestone. Standing before it, they closed their eyes and bowed their heads in silent prayer.

The name engraved on the stone was Cove.

Renee’s father.

“He was a good man.”

“Was he?”

“Yes, don’t you think so? Raising a child alone as a man couldn’t have been easy, yet he always made time for me even during the busiest farming seasons. When I was sad, he would go to the nearest town to buy me chocolate even though he could barely afford it.”

He had passed away when Renee was twelve. To her, he remained a painful memory.

“Even on the day he died, he was worrying about me. He spent all his savings to leave this house behind and asked the villagers to take care of me. Thanks to him, I grew up well, but...”

Renee’s voice trailed off.

A deep sadness began to cloud her gaze as she looked at the gravestone.

“...He was that kind of father, and yet, I can’t remember his face anymore.”

Vera gently grasped Renee’s hand.

Renee let out a bitter smile and continued speaking.

“He had brown hair and sparkling blue eyes. That’s the only thing I can vaguely remember.”

Even though she had regained her sight, time could not be turned back. She had no way to recall her father’s face, and that fact weighed heavily on her heart.

“It’s because of him that I was able to become this happy, yet he never got to see me like this. That worries me. I wonder if he’s still worried about me, even in the heavens.”

“I don’t think he is.”

Renee turned to look at Vera.

Vera gently wiped away the dampness around her eyes and spoke with a smile.

“I’m sure your father knows that you’ve found happiness. After all, you are the Saintess. Even in the heavens, the one who raised you would be treated with the utmost respect.”

Renee’s eyes widened slightly.

Then, they softened into a crescent shape, gleaming with warmth.

“Do you think so?”

“I can guarantee it.”

“You sound quite confident.”

“If I make such a promise, then Lushan will make sure it comes true. The heavens are undoubtedly his domain, so he would ensure that your father is well cared for to maintain his dignity.”

“You sound like a conman.”

“Well, that is simply the nature of promises, isn’t it?”

Snicker.

Laughter slowly crept between them.

It was such a Vera-like way of comforting her.

Realizing that, Renee finally let out a light giggle. Seeing her relax, Vera wrapped an arm around her shoulder.

“Shall we head back?”

“Yeah, let’s go.”

Their eyes lingered on the gravestone and the mound of earth beneath it.

Renee gazed at it for a moment longer before gently brushing her fingers over the stone, smiling.

“I’ll come again. I love you.”

With those words, she turned and walked away.

While Renee left, Vera remained behind a little longer.

He hummed softly in contemplation before finally placing a hand on the gravestone and channeling his power.

“Take good care of him. I will check on it myself in the afterlife.”

It was a message directed at Lushan.

Whether it would actually be delivered, Vera wasn’t sure. But he did it anyway.

Because he believed.

He was certain that Lushan had been watching all of this.

“Vera?”

Renee called out to him from below the hill. Only then did Vera lower his hand and turn to follow her.

“Yes, I’m coming.”

Slowly, he walked away from the gravestone.

A faint golden light lingered over it, shimmering softly.

*There was nothing particularly special about what they did in Remeo.

Step—

Step—

Hand in hand, they retraced the path they had once walked apart.

They paused in front of the watermill, simply watching it turn. Then, they strolled to the stream beside the village and dipped their feet in the cool water.

After their leisurely walks, they returned home for dinner when the sun set— a dinner cooked by Vera himself.

“I think you need to learn how to cook from me.”

Renee, full of confidence, said that, but Vera didn’t even listen.

The night had already fallen when they finished their satisfying meal, with stars illuminating the world.

The sky in Remeo was so clear that simply holding each other and gazing up at the endless sea of stars was enough to make them feel completely happy.

A day spent focusing solely on each other, without a care for anything else.

That alone was fulfilling enough to bring laughter to their lips.

“Summer is almost here.”

“Yes, Lennon seems excited about the bugs coming out.”

“I’ll never understand boys that age. How can anyone like bugs? Were you like that too, Vera?”

“I didn’t dislike them. If nothing else, they were edible, and eating them meant I wouldn’t starve.”

“...I’m so sorry.”

In the front yard of the house.

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Renee, sitting on Vera’s lap and gazing at the sky, pressed her lips together tightly.

Vera chuckled and playfully tickled her waist.

“Eek?!”

“It’s just a joke.”

“Who makes a joke like that so seriously?”

Seeing the way Renee glared at him with resentment, Vera’s smile deepened.

“I’m the one who should be sad, yet I’m laughing– doesn’t that make it a joke?”

“You’re awful. Truly.”

Poke.

Renee poked Vera’s side.

Then, resting her head against his chest, she murmured softly.

“...Still, you did well.”

“What do you mean?”

“You grew up well. From a beggar in the gutters to—pfft!—a king.”

“And you, my dear, became a true Saintess.”

“Yay, yay, Your Majesty~.”

Renee smirked teasingly, making Vera raise an eyebrow.

Their sharp gazes clashed for a moment before the two burst into laughter at the same time.

“You just have to get the last word in, don’t you?”

“As if you’re any different.”

“Let’s head inside. It’s getting cold.”

“Yes, let’s go.”

Vera scooped Renee up in his arms and stood.

Renee naturally wrapped her arms around his neck and spoke.

“By the way.”

“Yes?”

“It’s just the two of us tonight, isn’t it?”

Vera glanced at her.

Renee narrowed her eyes, trying to look seductive, and licked her lips.

Vera let out a small, amused scoff.

“What is that supposed to be?”

“Don’t act like you don’t know.”

Swoosh—

Renee ran her fingers along the back of Vera’s neck.

“Should we prepare a little gift for the kids?”

“What, are you about to say something like, let’s give them a younger sibling?”

“You catch on quick.”

Though Vera responded casually, his heart was already pounding.

The stillness of the countryside night.

The starlight painting the sky, reflecting beautifully in her eyes. All of it made her seem impossibly enchanting.

Looking back, it had been a long time since they had truly spent time alone together.

Feeling an unexpected wave of sentimentality, Vera spoke.

“You’re the one who should brace yourself.”

Renee let out a small Eep! before tightening her embrace around Vera.

“Don’t think of me as the same person I was back then!”

It was a blatant declaration of defeat—so obvious that even a fool could understand.

The two of them stepped into the house with the red roof.

The once-brilliant night sky had begun to dim, its light fading as clouds slowly drifted in.

No surprises came.

That night, as always, Renee suffered a crushing defeat.

She challenged again and again, only to lose over and over.

On the short three-day trip to Remeo.

The two who had left together returned as three.

*The seasons flowed without pause.

Elia, at the southernmost tip, burned with the heat of summer, then faded into the crimson hues of autumn before dressing itself in the pure white of winter.

As always, there was no shortage of events and incidents.

But there was also never a shortage of laughter.

The small cabin in the evergreen forest—the only place that remained green in snowy Elia—spent another winter filled with warmth and laughter.

Through the cabin’s glowing window, silhouettes could be seen.

Two large figures and two smaller ones beside them.

Inside, there was a man.

A man who had been born a wretched beggar in the gutter, once seeking to grasp all the riches of the world.

A man who had lived consumed by greed, only to realize what truly mattered at the very end.

A man who, despite all the struggles, pain, and obstacles before him, had finally obtained a treasure he vowed to protect.

A man who had once thought he would be alone at the end of his life—but who now had a woman as pure as the winter snow by his side.

In their arms, a girl who resembled him and a boy who took after his mother laughed together.

And within her, a new life was stirring, yet to be born.

A long, long journey.

The road he had walked to reach this moment had undoubtedly been long and arduous—but to him, it had been a journey worth taking.

He no longer desired wealth.

For he had found something far more precious: smiles.

He no longer wished for a palace.

For he had gained a small home that was warmer than any grand estate.

He no longer sought power.

For at last, he had found the one place in the world where he truly belonged.

He would live the rest of his days in this place.

For the happiness he had finally attained, and for the true miracle that had granted it to him.

He had lived for himself, and then for her, and now—he would live for them.

At last, he was no longer alone.

The man who had walked a slow, arduous path had finally reached the light. And beside him stood the woman who had remained by his side, along with the children they had created together.

And so, they would live happily ever after.

– Finished –