The Insane Regressor: Throne of Pride

The two Rassasians began fighting in the ring, and the man in the red suit stepped out after removing the restraints around their wrists.

”Wow, this is bloodier than I expected,” Ravian said to Sophia as they watched the two Rassasians tear into each other with their bare hands and claws, sometimes even sinking their fangs into one another.

”Yeah!”

”Tear him to shreds!”

”Kill him, you bald Rassasian!”

Judging by the crowd’s excitement, this was only the beginning, and the fight almost certainly wouldn’t end until one of them was dead.

”This is pure madness,” Ravian said, a faint smile forming on his lips.

”Why do you look so happy about this, Mr. Rayan?” Sophia murmured to him, tilting her head slightly.

”Who said I was happy about something like this? This is far too cruel for me to enjoy. I’m a man of principles,” Ravian said, knitting his brows.

”But I just saw you smiling.”

”Ah, that’s only because I’m sitting at the same table as a beautiful girl like you. Nothing more.”

At that, Sophia’s expression shifted from confusion to bashfulness with frightening speed.

”That’s... I...” Sophia stammered, clutching the hem of her dress.

”Oh, look! One of them is about to win,” Ravian suddenly exclaimed, pointing toward the fighting ring.

Sophia followed his gaze and saw that the bald Rassasian had brought the other man down and was raining blows upon his skull without pause, as though kneading dough.

”Oh no. If only we’d bet on that bald one,” Sophia said, pressing a hand to her forehead in regret.

”Huh? You placed a bet?” Ravian asked her.

”Yes. I bet on the one with the short black hair,” Sophia said, pointing at the figure sprawled on the ground like a meteorite that had crashed into the earth and could never return to its former shape.

Ravian looked at the people seated around the nearby tables. Many of them seemed to be in the same state as Sophia, while only a few could show any delight at the moment—either those who had bet on the bald man or those who hadn’t bet at all and were simply enjoying the spectacle.

Then his gaze returned to Sophia.

”You deserve it,” Ravian said, looking at her with disdain.

”Huh? Why would you say that? Have you never lost a bet before?”

Sophia was already dejected, and after what Ravian had said, she became even more so.

Ravian’s gaze slid away from her and returned to the ring, where he watched the short-haired man’s skull shatter beneath the bald Rassasian’s fists.

”No. I’ve never lost a bet,” Ravian said simply.

”Huh? That’s impossible. How?” Sophia asked in disbelief.

”Because I never bet on anyone—ever.” Ravian stared at her as he spoke calmly, but the certainty in his eyes made Sophia shudder involuntarily.

”Y-you never bet at all?” Sophia asked.

Ravian shook his head.

”I said I never bet on anyone, but I do bet sometimes,” Ravian said, smiling at her.

”How can you never bet on anyone yet still bet sometimes?” The longer Sophia listened to Ravian, the more she felt that every sentence he spoke carried some hidden meaning.

”I truly don’t bet on anyone, Sophia,” Ravian said as he rose from his chair and looked back toward the entrance they had passed through earlier, sensing a new presence entering the place.

Then his gaze returned to Sophia as he raised his hand and pointed his index finger toward the sky—a gesture that might have looked ridiculous if anyone else had done it, but when Ravian did, it seemed as though it had been created solely for him.

”When I bet, I bet only on myself,” Ravian said before lowering his hand and leaving the betting area, returning to the tavern’s bar to meet the powerful newcomer.

Ravian walked out into the bar area while Sophia remained seated, watching him leave.

’He’s insane.’

That was the first thought to cross her mind.

’The most insane person I’ve ever met in my life, and yet...’

’It feels closer to certainty than madness.’

Sophia’s thoughts drifted, and she nearly forgot that she would be fired if the bar manager saw her sitting among the customers like this instead of serving them.

But something soon snapped her out of her daze.

”Hoooooo! We have a winner!!”

The host’s fervent shout suddenly rang out from the ring again, making Sophia nearly jump out of her seat as she spun toward it.

’Damn you! You scared me!’

Sophia clutched her chest as she looked toward the winner of the match.

Naturally, the bald Rassasian had won, while the face of the black-haired Rassasian had been left almost completely unrecognizable.

’Ah, my precious money.’

Sophia nearly wept after losing her entire day’s wages.

...

By the time Ravian returned to the tavern’s bar area, it was nearly midnight.

The place was almost entirely empty of customers, as most of them had left after the man collapsed unconscious a short while earlier, never to rise again.

But in place of the customers, other people had arrived.

There was a group of investigators wearing long brown coats lined with numerous pockets for carrying their tools, exactly as Ravian had always imagined them, with black suits and blazers beneath. Some even wore hats, while their leader held a pipe between his lips as he looked down at the corpse of the other bald man—the one Ravian had killed earlier with Void Shadow. Several doctors were examining the body before handing it over to the investigators.

The bar’s employees stood lined up along one side with more discipline than was strictly necessary. In front of them stood a short, somewhat plump man with a slightly protruding belly. He appeared to be the manager of the establishment, and he looked more terrified than anyone else in the room, sweat streaming down his face like waterfalls.

’Why do you look more like the culprit than I do, man?’

Ravian nearly laughed as he watched the short, thinning-haired man tremble visibly in front of his own employees.

’But there must be a reason for that too.’

Ravian’s eyes slid back toward the investigators.

Only two of them wore the investigators’ distinctive attire, while five others accompanying them resembled the border guards Ravian had previously seen at the fortress of the City of Light. Those standing before him now, however, wore no armor or anything of the sort. They were dressed in simple civilian clothes, with gleaming metal badges pinned to their chests to mark them as members of the City Guard.

”He’s already been dead for some time. There are no clear signs of assault or violence, so you can take over the investigation, Mr. Robert,” the head doctor said as he removed his gloves. He and his team then gathered their equipment and headed outside.

The doctors wore civilian clothing as well, but theirs was distinguished by lighter colors, unlike the City Guard and the investigators, who favored dark blue, brown, and black.

”All right. You can leave the matter to us from here,” replied Robert, the older of the two investigators.

He appeared to be middle-aged, with brown hair, a short brown mustache, hazel eyes, and a calm, serious expression.

’A veteran.’

Ravian could tell at first glance that this investigator was no easy opponent, but...

’Why would they send someone this capable for something as trivial as this?’

It seemed excessive for the death of a mere degenerate who had stayed out drinking at a tavern this late at night.

But in the next moment, Robert lifted his eyes from the corpse and looked around.

His gaze immediately landed on Ravian.

”And where did you come from?” Robert asked, looking at him.

Ravian simply pointed behind himself, toward the betting area and the fighting ring.

Robert stared at the short, pot-bellied manager, making the man tremble even harder where he stood.

”Didn’t we tell you to halt all activities and gather the employees and customers?”

”I-I did, sir, but I didn’t have enough time. I only arrived a little before you did, and we’d barely managed to clear this area,” the manager said, lowering his head submissively.

”Is that really so? You didn’t have enough time?” Robert asked, taking a step closer to the manager.

”Y-yes, sir,” the manager replied.

’Liar.’

Ravian noticed it immediately. The manager was far too terrified of the man standing before him to lie convincingly.

And Ravian was certain that Robert had noticed it just as easily. He was the investigator here, after all.

Robert then turned his gaze back toward Ravian.

”What’s back there?” Robert asked as he approached.

”Detective, I just returned from inside after discovering a fighting and betting ring, but today’s main match was far too violent for me to stomach, so I left,” Ravian said, an expression of disappointment settling over his face.

”Today’s main match, you say?” Robert repeated with a smile.

”Yes, Detective.” Ravian nodded.

Robert’s smile widened as he looked back at the manager.

”It seems you had quite a large event here today,” Robert murmured in a voice that was neither loud nor quiet, as though speaking to himself rather than the manager.

The manager said nothing and remained rooted in place, silently cursing Ravian for saying far more than he should have.

Robert continued walking until he stood beside Ravian, then turned to look at him.

”What was your name again?” Robert asked.

”Rayan, Detective,” Ravian answered with a smile.

”I believe you’ll be staying here with us for a while, Mr. Rayan—at least until we’re finished,” Robert said.

The smile on Ravian’s face twitched, but it did not disappear.

”As you command, Detective.”