The Powerless Hero's 101st Regression Diary

Chapter 7. Dorn (2)

In the life of a softie, there are always people trying to take advantage of them. And Dorn was the softest of all softies.

“Oh dear, sir. These aren’t even worthy of being called gemstones.”

“Ah… they’re not gems?”

Dorn, the king of softies.

I could clearly see the kind of life he must’ve lived up until now.

“But if you still want to sell them, I could give you about 4 silver for the whole lot.”

The jeweler’s eyes briefly widened in surprise at the gems scattered across the table, but his expression quickly shifted into a troubled smile.

Right. Still treating us like pushovers, I see.

“Only that much…?”

Dorn looked at the weaselly mustache with a miserable expression.

I could guess exactly what he was thinking.

This was his first expedition, and after nearly dying, the first reward he brought back couldn’t even buy a meal. The disappointment must’ve been overwhelming.

“You see this sapphire here? It’s been cut, but the surface is far too rough and worn, so it doesn’t reflect light properly. And this garnet—it’s been cut into a square. The most valuable garnets are always round-cut, you know.”

The jeweler gave a pitiful expression as he continued his detailed explanation.

“Looks like you got lucky and stumbled upon a ruin somewhere, but that happens all the time. If it’s a ruin, it’s been at least a few hundred—maybe even thousands of years. Of course the cutting technique is outdated compared to today’s standards. I’m sorry if you were expecting more.”

As soon as he finished talking, I swept the gems back into the pouch.

“That’s unfortunate. Dorn, let’s go. We came here because this place supposedly had the most cash on hand, but looks like they’ll be closing by tomorrow.”

The jeweler tilted his head.

“Oh now, sir. I understand you’re upset you couldn’t sell the gems, but saying we’ll close tomorrow? Even if you’re angry, you can’t blame me if the gems have no value.”

“True, it’s not your fault if the gems are worthless. But to me, they look like priceless treasures. So I’m going to take these straight to the Lord Shupel of the city. And if they’re the real deal, I bet he’ll grant me a wish in return.”

I raised my thumb and made a throat-slitting gesture at the man, whose eyes had gone wide as saucers.

“Like, say… asking him to wipe out three generations of a crooked jeweler who tried to scam me. Something like that.”

“Sir, there’s been a misunderstanding…”

“Whether it’s a misunderstanding or not, the lord will decide. Let’s go, Dorn.”

I stood and walked toward the door.

Dorn, flustered and unsure of what to do, quickly scampered after me.

“Three thousand gold! I’ll give you three thousand gold!”

The desperate voice of the jeweler trying to stop us.

“Forty-five hundred. Don’t even dream of anything less.”

From experience, that was the most I could squeeze out.

The real value was three thousand gold, but I’d added a “bastard tax” to the price.

I gave the weaselly mustache a wicked grin while he looked like he’d bitten into dung.

***

“Woooow… Mr. Savior, you’re amazing.”

With time left before the promised afterparty, Dorn and I stopped by a nearby cafeteria.

Dorn sipped on his orange juice as he spoke.

“You’re the same age as me, so how can you be so good at everything?”

I wanted to tell him that this was nothing—after living through life a hundred times, things like this came as naturally as breathing.

A bitter smile crossed my lips. Looking at Dorn’s bright, open face, I felt like I could tell him the truth: that I was a regressor, and in my past life, we had been best friends.

I thought I had grown used to the dissonance of repeating my life, but in small moments like these, the emotion still surged up.

“It’s just a difference in experience. I’ve lived rough since I was little. But you were raised well, weren’t you?”

Dorn’s eyes widened.

“Hmph… I didn’t like that, actually.”

He continued in a quiet, somber voice.

“It’s kind of embarrassing to admit, but… hahaha, I actually left home and decided to become an explorer because I hated being smothered.”

He tried to sound cheerful, but the effort only made his face look even more downcast.

“I was always messing things up, no matter what I did. But even when I made mistakes, no one ever got mad at me. Hehe… now that I think about it, I wasn’t good at anything and always caused problems. But my father always treated me like a child.”

“You felt overwhelmed by all that love.”

“Ah… yes, that’s right. I received more love than I deserved.”

As if to treasure that love, Dorn brought both hands to his chest and clasped them tightly.

“Hehehe… but it felt like too much. Mr. Savior, I believe people grow through mistakes and failure. But the love I received erased those mistakes and failures from my life. It made it so I couldn’t learn anything.”

Thump. Thump.

Dorn kicked at the ground for no reason.

“I want to stand on my own now. I want to be like you, Mr. Savior—someone who gets things done. And I want to show my father that I can do it. That I’m not a child. That I’m someone to be proud of.”

I looked at Dorn’s face in silence. His pale, soft skin had stiffened with determination.

“Dorn, do you trust me?”

“…Huh?”

My voice had suddenly turned playful, and Dorn looked at me like he didn’t understand.

“I’ve always had a good sense about things, you know? Like, ‘this is going to happen.’ And it always does.”

Dorn tilted his head, still unsure of what I meant.

“Ah? Was that why you made those traps and sonic bombs ahead of time?”

“Yeah? Yep, that’s right.”

Ahahaha.

I laughed awkwardly.

The truth was, I had just prepared for the Winds of Fate. That’s the sad part—when I truly want to be sincere, I can’t fully be honest. Still, I went on speaking, for the sake of my bright, but somber, new-old friend.

“Lately I’ve had a real zappy feeling about something. A sensation that’s never been wrong before. A 100% accurate instinct that keeps telling me something.”

“Ooooooh! What is it?”

“That you’re going to become someone amazing. So I should stick close and live off your scraps.”

“Come on, don’t joke around. Still, thanks for saying that.”

“It’s true, Dorn. I don’t even know how to joke.”

He clearly thought I was just being polite.

So I continued.

“I really think you’re incredible. You must come from a great family to be treated that well, and yet you turned your back on it to take on the hardships of exploration. Not only that, but your very first expedition was a massive success. Ordinary people could never do that. They just settle into the lives they’re given.”

“Ah…”

Dorn couldn’t respond.

He was probably thinking about this being the first achievement he’d made on his own.

“What you’ve done is truly amazing. It’s the kind of thing people would applaud you for anywhere.”

I looked straight into Dorn’s big, round eyes.

I held both his hands and spoke with certainty.

“Dorn, you will definitely become someone amazing. I guarantee it. Just trust me on this. This instinct is 100% accurate.”

I could see Dorn’s pupils quiver. What must this gentle boy be thinking right now?

One thing was certain: even if I hadn’t said anything, Dorn would’ve gone on to become an incredible explorer and archaeologist on his own. Still, I wanted to cheer him on.

In all my hundred lives, Dorn had always stayed by my side and helped me tremendously. So even if what I was doing now was deception, I wanted to support and encourage my friend. Even if he would become great no matter what, I wanted to clear at least a few thorns from his path. Or at least ease his heart.

“Thank you. Really. I feel a little more confident now!”

Dorn smiled brightly, just as he always did.

The sunset turned the sky crimson.

Maybe that’s why his face looked a little flushed.

“Looks like it’s time. Should we go try that Eastern Continent food now?”

“Ooooh! Yes!”

Dorn answered with energy.

We moved to our next location—Pig Academy—where Kevin and Bob were already seated, grilling pork.

“Why am I paying to cook my own meat here? Don’t they have chefs in the Eastern Continent?”

Bob grumbled.

“They say this is how everyone eats here. If it’s pre-cooked, the meat gets cold. Cold meat gets tough and starts to smell. This is a top-secret Eastern technique for eating meat at its tastiest!”

Dorn happily explained.

Ssssss—

The pork sizzled deliciously on the grill.

That night, we ate and drank until we nearly passed out.

Dorn, in a good mood, raised our pay. By ten times.

A whole ten gold—that’s a month’s living expense for a family of four!

Since Dorn’s pouch had 4,500 gold in it—and I was the one who helped get that price—I didn’t refuse.

I told Dorn that Kevin had entrusted me with Bob’s mercenary training.

I also told everyone that I would become a mercenary, form a team, build a clan, and eventually start a guild.

“Ooooh! Can I join too?”

“Of course. I was going to ask you first. Didn’t I say I’d stick close to you?”

Dorn expressed his desire to join my clan.

Of course I accepted, and Kevin and Bob, hyped up by the extra pay, kept drinking. Knowing this would probably be the only moment I’d get to enjoy myself on the journey ahead, I drank like there was no tomorrow.

It was the first in my hundred lives. The first time I gathered people around me. The first time I declared my ambition so confidently.

‘It’s a shame I can’t relive this moment again.’

If I really couldn’t regress anymore…Then I’d better enjoy it while I could.

Using the alcohol as an excuse, I climbed onto the table with the gold pouch in hand and started dancing. Bob joined me, singing loudly. Dorn burst out laughing, holding his belly.

We laughed and laughed until night had fallen before we knew it.

***

Uuugh…

My head was splitting. If I drink like this again, I’m a damn beast.

How much did I even drink last night?

I remember dancing on the table and getting kicked out of Pig Academy.

As I pieced my memories back together, more and more of last night came flooding in.

Then we went to a second location.

I got to another table.

I shouted:

‘I will save the world!’

If only it had ended there. But then I pointed at Dorn and yelled, ‘You’ll be my exclusive relic detector!’

Dorn mimed holding a magi-tech relic detector and made “beep beep beep” noises as we wandered through the second stop, House of the Blue Witch.

Bob hit on the tavern Madam and got slapped, and old man Kevin drank himself into unconsciousness.

‘Ah… crap. Guess I can’t go back to that bar anymore.’

My memory after that was fuzzy.

How did I even get home?

Wait, this isn’t the cheap inn I was staying at…

Ah? Did I come back with Dorn to their place?

I rubbed my crusty eyes and peeked them open.

Someone was lying next to me.

“…Dorn?”

But… that’s long hair?

What? Long hair?

My eyes flew open.

I shot up and looked beside me.

There was Dorn, sprawled out, her long hair spread like seaweed.

Yes.

The truth is, Dorn is a girl. The youngest daughter of Count Clossi’s household, famed for their swordsmanship. Her real name: Jaira di Clossi.

She was able to give me the Clossi-style Sword Technique because she was a direct descendant of the Clossi family.

If someone outside the bloodline leaked the family’s martial arts, both the giver and receiver would be executed.

Anyway, she had left home, concealed her noble status, and disguised herself as a man to live out her dream as an explorer.

‘Dear god. How much did I drink? I never once messed up with the polymorph artifact in my past lives.’

Gulp.

The sound of my swallow echoed loudly in the quiet inn room.

My eyes landed on Dorn’s face.

‘Still… she really is ridiculously pretty.’

Sunlight streamed through the window, warming her small, beautiful face.

I stared at it blankly for a moment.