Regressor Instruction Manual - Chapter 159. Hypocrite (3)
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Chapter 159. Hypocrite (3)

“I… haven’t,” Jo Hye-Jin answered.

Of course not. If she did think about those things, she wouldn’t have handled it the way she had done. She wouldn’t have made that choice if she considered the different issues.

“You need to think about the consequences of your actions because you could harm other people. There are many people I could easily kill,” I said.

“...”

“The reason why I’m telling you that you always need to be aware of your position is that you always need to think about the consequences of your actions. People like us, oh, have a drink,” I said.

“No… I won’t be drinking, sub guild master,” she said, rejecting my offer.

“I’m saying it out of embarrassment because it seems like I’m the only one that’s drunk. I’ll request an official escort when I return, so just keep me company,” I told her.

“Then just a little bit…” Jo Hye-Jin said.

“Thank you for drinking with me. Anyway, that’s what I’m trying to say. If I were you, I would’ve done more than that. I’m sure someone like you must have thought the same thing as me,” I said.

“What do you…”

“You know very well that being a whistleblower won’t solve the issue, right? You just need to resolve the issues one by one and then put an end to Song Jung-Wook and your comrades. The guild will function normally and it won’t cause any harm to the guild staff members,” I answered.

“...”

“It’s my personal opinion, but I’m assuming you thought about doing this at least once,” I added.

‘Because you’re not dumb...’

“The reason why you didn’t do that was because you didn’t want to cause conflict with your comrades. You didn’t want to get rid of them, but you wanted to follow your beliefs. You only became a whistleblower because you thought it was a worthy compromise. What do you think about my story? You tried different ways to convince them, but they didn’t listen, so becoming a whistleblower was your last resort,” I said.

There was a strange silence and even though she had been quiet up until now, it felt like she became even quieter. Jung Ha-Yan was just eating while looking at Jo Hye-Jin, but Jo Hye-Jin drank quietly. Her silence meant I was right and when I talked again, I immediately heard her answer.

“In the end, they abandoned you...”

“That’s not the right description.”

“No, I’m correct. This may be my first time seeing Song Jung-Wook of the Small Stone Guild, but I have an idea as to what he had done and the same thing goes for the friends you were with during the tutorial dungeon,” I said.

“What…”

“They’re all greedy and they’re the type of people who would want to keep climbing to the top. They don’t really care about conscience or morality. More items, more money, and more power—that’s what those people want,” I explained.

“It’s not enough to judge them,” she commented.

“They’re very different from you. I’m sure they’ve been working behind the scenes to kick you out. First, they spread bad rumors about you within Castle Rock. Second, they submitted an official request to other guilds and clans to not accept you because I’m sure you interrupting their event won’t look good to other people,” I told her.

“I already knew… that much,” she said in a low voice.

“I’ve heard many stories from other people and they said things like how you used your body to possess the power you have now or that you got into trouble often with other guilds and clans. It’s really absurd because spreading those kinds of rumors was something we did as students and yet, they’re still doing that now. I’m not sure if they’re trying to make you an outcast, but I think both children and adults are immature,” I explained.

“They’re all false rumors and I don’t really care about them,” Jo Hye-Jin responded.

“A convincing rumor can become the truth and thanks to those rumors, your reputation and position are now in ruins. How does it feel to get backstabbed for doing something good?” I asked.

“I don’t think much of it because I was prepared,” she answered.

“Then what do you think about the decision you made? The result of you avoiding the issue because you didn’t want conflict and this situation where nothing has been resolved—people call that hypocrisy,” I said.

“I’m not a hypocrite!” she yelled.

Bang!

The things on the table suddenly fell all over the place. Jo Hye-Jin must be angry because she was trying to catch her breath. The situation was kind of sudden, but seeing her react that way made me think that I hit the nail on the head. Jung Ha-Yan was more flustered than me. I saw Jo Hye-Jin immediately get up from her seat, but she quietly grabbed her own hands and sat back down.

“I don’t know about the others, but you have no right to say that, sub guild master Lee Ki-Young. You’re the hypocrite,” Jo Hye-Jin said.

“Ah.”

“I’m not an idiot. I know the real you is different from what people say about you,” she said.

“You’re sharp,” I complimented.

‘I didn’t think she knew…’

“So what?” I asked.

“What do you mean so what?!” she yelled angrily.

“I understand what you’re trying to say, Miss Hye-Jin because I’m not the most innocent person you know. I know that my business and the things I do are borderline illegal. So what about it?” I asked.

“That’s what it means to be a real hypocrite, sub guild master Lee Ki-Young,” she said.

“I’ve been donating tens of thousands of gold every month to the Vatican,” I told her.

“...”

“That fund is used to support the believers within the Holy Empire who are living a rough life and the free city citizens who are having a hard time settling down,” I added.

“So what?!”

“That’s not all… I also run a free soup kitchen in the slums of Lindel. I’m sure you remember team leader Kim Mi-Young back at the guild. Not too long ago, she was living in the slums begging for food every day and she was living the life of a beggar with her two children. Who do you think saved her from that life?” I asked.

“That’s…”

“She isn’t the only one. The Blue Guild doesn’t discriminate when hiring. I ordered people not to discriminate when hiring people regardless if they were disabled, single mothers, or warriors suffering from serious injuries. The order has been very beneficial to the Blue Guild, but that itself was a great social activity,” I said.

“Then how are you going to explain the fact that you collaborated with a large guild and controlled the press?” she asked.

“You know more than I thought,” I commented.

“I happened to find out about it because when you work for a guild, you tend to see things you don’t want to see,” she replied.

“Is there a law in the Holy Empire that says we’re not allowed to control the press?” I asked.

“The Holy Empire still doesn’t understand the concept of the press you created because to them, the press is nothing more than writing words on paper. The majority of the people don’t understand the seriousness of your actions, Mr. Lee Ki-Young, ” Jo Hye-Jin answered.

As expected, she was sharp.

“Sub guild master, this is a matter of common sense. What you’re doing right now is wrong,” she added.

“You think so? Then why aren’t you mentioning the issue the Holy Empire currently has?” I asked her.

“What do you…”

“Why are you turning a blind eye to the aristocracy or the monarchy that believes our destiny is determined at birth? If you think about it, with the common sense used on Earth, this is unacceptable, isn’t it?” I asked.

“That’s their life…”

“If you really want to follow your moral principles, shouldn’t you at least start a French Revolution here? Lady Marilyn may even tell you to let them eat cake[1]. It’s likely that she doesn’t even care about the people in the slums, so how about leading the people right now and making a guillotine?”

“That’s… sophistry,” she mumbled.

“I’m aware that it’s sophistry, but it’s natural to say that in a situation like this. The boundaries of the law are very vague, so it’s something all free city citizens are confused about because they don’t know whether to follow the common sense used on Earth or follow the common sense used here,” I explained.

“That’s sophistry as well,” Jo Hye-Jin remarked.

“There are too many values that are at stake when you act based on personal conscience and the death penalty is a good example. Don’t you think it’s unethical to burn a person who committed a crime to death? A Japanese player named Ito Sota was charged with being a demon worshiper so he was placed in a statue filled with holy water and was subsequently drowned. Don’t you think this is unethical?” I asked her.

“...”

“The death penalty itself is unethical, but it’s a very normal thing here so let’s think about it again. Who's more hypocritical?” I asked.

“It’s… sophistry,” she said once again.

“Me, who’s contributing to society while staying within the boundaries of the law; or you, who ran away after being labeled as a whistleblower because you didn’t want to cause conflict with your comrades. Who is more of a hypocrite?” I asked.

“...”

“I’m not trying to argue with you, Miss Hye-Jin,” I added.

“It doesn’t seem that way. You’re obviously trying to start a fight with me, sub guild master,” she said.

“This kind of conversation comes up quite often while having a drink and it’s just an argument. Think of it as a simple exchange of opinions. I’m not trying to insult you and then make you feel better, but I don’t think of you as a bad person, Miss Hye-Jin. Following your beliefs is a wonderful thing to do,” I complimented her.

“If you’re making fun of me…”

“No, I’m not. You’re closer to Mr. Hyun-Sung, but I admire people who stick to their beliefs. I’m referring to respectable people,” I said, interrupting her.

“You seem to like saying that a lot,” she commented.

“Because it’s my job to make sure those respectable people don’t fall,” I said.

“Sub guild master Lee Ki-Young…”

“I’m a helpful person. Anyway, let’s change the subject and talk about Mr. Song Jung-Wook. If they’re still doing illegal monster trading and race slave trading, what would you do if I had a way of getting rid of them?” I asked.

Jo Hye-Jin looked pretty serious.

“I think I can get revenge for you,” I added.

She looked really serious. Even though she always had a serious face, she looked like she was thinking about different things right now. It was obvious what she was thinking about and I already knew what kind of choice she was going to make. It wasn’t like Jo Hye-Jin to get revenge after being away for so long.

“I don’t need help. You can just… just do your job as the sub guild master,” she said.

“Ah, I see.”

“I’m sorry, but I’ll head out first. I’ll put in a request to the knights at the castle to escort you. I’m sorry,” she said apologetically.

I guess she was really hurt because Jo Hye-Jin immediately got up. It wasn’t my intention to ruin her mood, but I was sure I mentioned the things that she wasn’t proud of.

‘Hypocrite.’

The word described her well and she may have realized that too. That was probably the reason why she frowned.

‘She wants to be righteous, but doesn’t want to harm her comrades.’

I was sure there wasn’t another person who was a bigger pushover like her.

When Jo Hye-Jin left, Jung Ha-Yan spoke quietly, “She’s a selfish person. She said she came to escort you, but she left first…”

“Huh?”

“I’m talking about Miss Hye-Jin!” Jung Ha-Yan yelled.

“Ahhh, don’t be so mean to her. It’s because she’s a nice person,” I told her.

“But...”

“Even though she’s acting that way now, she’ll become a close friend later on,” I said.

“What?”

“Friends become close by fighting,” I told her.

[Checking Player Jo Hye-Jin’s Unique Habit.]

[A flower that blooms in friendship]

It was true that friends would often become even closer after a quarrel.

‘My friend!’

1. 'Let them eat cake' is generally associated with Marie Antoinette saying the peasants should eat cake if they didn't have bread to eat. The queen became a hated symbol of the decadent monarchy and fueled the revolution that would cause her to (literally) lose her head several years later. However, it is questionable whether she actually said it or not. https://www.history.com/news/did-marie-antoinette-really-say-let-them-eat-cake ☜