The father and son, reunited after a long time, had much to say to each other.
So, after guiding Burdel to his temporary lodgings, they turned to face each other and asked at the same time:
“What on earth happened?”
“What happened? What about Cancun and Banjoni?”
Their red eyes met. Logan, the younger one, laughed softly and nodded.
“Okay, Dad,” he began, “where do I even start? It’s been… well, you wouldn’t believe it.”
Logan leaned forward, his voice dropping slightly as he began to tell his story. He spoke of everything he had experienced in the Empire: his transformation into a superhuman, the suppression of the rebels, and his dealings with the King, holding nothing back from his father.
As Patrick listened to the long story, his face changed many times. He looked amazed, then worried, then amazed again. He nodded as Logan spoke.
Eventually, he sighed.
“So, if the King is acting like this, hasn’t it gone too far already? What will you do next?”
“I plan to change the atmosphere of the country itself.”
“Atmosphere? What do you mean by ‘atmosphere’?”
“Yes, in such a way that resisting the flow I create would mean resisting the will of the people.”
“Is that possible…? No, even if it is, wouldn’t it only be temporary? It sounds like you are asking too much of the Swordmaster.”
Patrick couldn’t shake off his worried expression, and Logan agreed with a small sigh.
Patrick shook his head, lamenting, “Power is a terrifying thing. To think that someone known as an intelligent prince could change so much in less than two years…”
“Actually, it’s been less than two years. It started even before I left for the Empire… Wait a minute…”
Logan, who had been agreeing with a bitter smile, suddenly had a strange thought.
‘…Indeed, is it normal for someone to antagonize the meritorious subject who put him on the throne less than a year after his accession?’
It was a question he hadn’t had time to consider back then, as he was caught up in the urgent situation.
But once he realized something was amiss, a strangely uneasy feeling lingered.
As he pondered this, the fellow who was always by the King’s side particularly bothered him.
‘Was his name Cleo? He’s definitely strange. I should have him investigated. Even if it’s a bit of an overreach.’
As he was sorting out his thoughts.
Patrick, seeing the sudden change in his son’s expression, asked with concern, “Is something bothering you?”
“Ah, no. By the way, why did you only bring Burdel? I thought it would be easier to hire Cancun, since Banjoni is a mercenary.”
“Haaah… That fellow was openly picking a fight.”
“Yes?”
His father’s short sigh was filled with all sorts of complex emotions.
“He said he was going to be a very important person in the Empire. So, he didn’t want to work for a small, unknown kingdom like ours. He said he might consider a month-long temporary employment if I really wanted him.”
“You should have hired him for a month and tried to persuade him.”
He couldn’t help but feel disappointed.
In the future, Cancun would unite numerous mercenary guilds within the Empire and be known as the Mercenary King.
Of course, that was more than ten years after the Imperial War, but he was still an exceptional talent.
And yet.
“He asked for 1 million gold. For one month.”
Logan’s eyes, which had been filled with regret, widened.
1 million gold. That was the kind of price tag that came up as a joke when inviting a 5-circle mage.
And a Force user was demanding that as a monthly fee?
“…He was insane. Ah, so that’s why you said he was picking a fight.”
“Yes. His report didn’t mention anything about his personality. Well, it was easier for me since he started the fight first.”
Either enlistment or death.
Patrick laughed, saying he didn’t expect the condition his son had repeatedly emphasized to be fulfilled so easily.
“He must have been full of confidence since he hadn’t been at the highest level for long. That brat…”
Patrick recalled the mercenary in his thirties who had relentlessly pushed him, even though it was clear he hadn’t reached the pinnacle yet.
Watching him improve moment by moment during the fight, he perfectly understood what his son had said, and in the end, the fellow had his heart pierced by the nobleman of the rural kingdom he had ridiculed, meeting his end.
“Thanks to that, I was chased by his mercenary group as soon as I left the city. It would have been difficult to return without Burdel’s help.”
Only then did Logan understand his father’s half-ruined face.
“You’ve been through a lot…”
“I’m not finished yet.”
“Yes?”
“That fellow you mentioned, Banjoni, was even worse. The boss of Evil One, the integrated criminal organization of Lugalheim. Haaah… It’s ridiculous even thinking about it now. A criminal boss who’s a superhuman.”
“A superhuman?!”
“Yes. Banjoni was already a superhuman. If he had found out that I approached him to kill him, I would have been the one to die.”
Patrick gritted his teeth with a hardened expression.
“Heh…”
Logan chuckled in disbelief before letting out a small sigh.
He had considered that possibility.
The Imperial War was only four years away.
It was more likely that he was already a superhuman before that, rather than suddenly becoming one four years later.
‘But if that were the case, Banjoni’s personality would have led him to launder his identity already…’
The question that arose in his mind was immediately resolved by his father.
“At first, he said he was looking for a way to go legitimate and even actively sought enlistment.”
“That Banjoni did?”
“Yes. He changed his tune as soon as I said I was a nobleman from a kingdom, not the Empire, though.”
“Hmm.”
“Anyway, when I commissioned him to take care of the pursuing Cancun mercenary group, he was delighted to have made a large sum of money. Thanks to that, I’m broke.”
“That’s fortunate, at least.”
“Yes. Because of them, I had a reason to run away from that monster. I mean, that *little* monster.”
Logan nodded in agreement, recalling information about Banjoni.
A height similar to that of a dwarf, a huge mole covering half of his face, and gleaming gray eyes.
That was the iconic appearance of Evil Sword Banjoni, who would later become infamous.
He said he was unhappy with how he looked, and that’s why he worked so hard to become strong.
If he had stopped there, he would have become a model of human triumph as a superhuman who overcame his poor physical condition, but he instead unleashed his twisted desires on the powerless, committing countless sins.
Eventually, five years after the Imperial War, he became such an extreme criminal that even the Empire, which valued talent, issued a kill order and chased him out.
‘He was a guy who had to be killed.’
Regardless of his personality, the trait he had developed was a power specialized in massacring a large number of weaker individuals.
He was a superhuman who had a huge impact on the battlefield in a completely different sense from Burdel.
“Is he still in Lugalheim?”
Patrick couldn’t help but shake his head, even though he knew what his son’s eyes, flashing with murderous intent, meant.
“He’s probably already disappeared to launder his identity. He laughed, saying it was his last back-alley request.”
“Tch, that’s a shame.”
He would participate in the Imperial War as a superhuman mercenary in five years, no, now four years.
‘To minimize the damage caused by him, I have to kill him as soon as he appears.’
Logan watched his father, whose shoulders slumped with worry. His father had tried his best, even facing danger that could have killed him. Logan knew saying more would only hurt a man who was already suffering.
Father: “I failed. I have no excuse. If only I were stronger…”
Logan: “Father, no! You did amazing things.” Logan smiled warmly and put his hands on his father’s tense shoulders. “Defeating Cancun and getting Burdel back was incredible. You did so much. Let me handle Banjoni.”
Father: “Alright. I trust you, Logan.”
Logan: “Yes, Father.”
Even though some small problems had happened, Logan’s plans for the future were moving forward, step by step.
Right after talking to his father, Logan started to put his plan into action. He wanted to create a wave of change across the kingdom.
Logan announced his big plan to everyone. This plan was designed to make McLaine stronger than ever. It included building dams to bring water to dry lands, creating new repeating crossbows for the army, and changing how soldiers were chosen across the whole kingdom.
The people’s reaction was amazing. Everywhere, people were talking about Logan’s ideas. Farmers cheered, soldiers were excited, and even nobles were impressed.
– “Now we know why McLaine’s soldiers are so strong!”
– “This new way of farming can turn useless land into fields for growing food!”
– “If they can do it, we can too!”
Inspired by Logan’s idea to use river water for dams, people in every area with dry, empty land started building dams.
At the same time, how soldiers were chosen changed in almost every part of the kingdom.
Some people were not happy. In some areas, people were made to work on building even when it was time to plant crops. They complained loudly. But overall, the kingdom was definitely changing.
Then, Logan made another announcement that made the changes even bigger and faster.
– “If you don’t know how to build a dam, I will come and help you plan and build it myself. If you are having money problems right now, I will lend you money. Of course, this help is for all the nobles who need it.”
– “If you have any questions about choosing and training soldiers, I will send a knight to help you make your system better.”
Logan was so eager to share his knowledge that even his own helpers in McLaine were surprised.
Because of this help, all the nobles who ruled lands were happy and tried to do what McLaine was doing.
Even something that people thought would never happen in Grandia – female soldiers – was now being tried by a few nobles.
Even Logan was surprised by this. ‘I didn’t think people would change their old ideas so quickly,’ he thought.
The first female knight was Aileen Floyd, who was engaged to marry Logan McLaine. Suddenly, strong women were becoming popular.
Even Logan, as smart as he was, didn’t realize that a simple rumor that started among the nobles would slowly grow and cause such big changes.
Logan had planned these changes, but they also showed everyone that McLaine was now the leading family in the kingdom, guiding the direction of everything.
For many reasons, not just politics or war, it was clear that nobles who were against McLaine had lost their power.
Around this time, Logan got good news. A message arrived: ‘[We have opened new offices everywhere in the kingdom.]’ ‘Good work, Phillip,’ Logan said, pleased. He had created new shops and trading posts all over the kingdom. Then another message: ‘[We have spies watching almost every noble in the land. Now, nothing they do will escape our “Eyes of the Flame”.]’ ‘Well done, Damian,’ Logan replied. He had built a secret network of spies. All of this happened in just six months. It had been a very busy time.
Logan looked out the window. The first sun of the new year was rising, shining on the white snow. ‘Three and a half years until the war with the Empire,’ he thought. Time seemed to be rushing by, making his heart beat faster. But now, he felt more and more sure of himself.
“Now the change has started. I just need to make it happen faster,” Logan said, a confident smile spreading across his face.
But not everyone was happy about these changes. In another part of the castle, someone else was frowning for the very same reason Logan was smiling. *BANG!* ‘Who is the king here, blast it! Who?!’ The King stormed into his private office and slammed his fist on the bookshelf, shaking with rage.
“Why would anyone keep making their army bigger and bigger when there is no war?!” The King, his anger still burning inside him, noticed his servants standing nervously by the door. They looked scared. He quickly tried to calm down, hiding his real feelings.
He cleared his throat loudly and looked around the room, trying to act normal. ‘Ahem,’ he said. ‘I was just a little… stressed about kingdom business. You can go now. And send in Cleo, the head of my personal staff.’
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
The servants hurried out, relieved to leave. As soon as they were gone, the King stopped pretending to be calm. He started pacing back and forth, his face worried, thinking hard about something.
– Your Majesty. This is Cleo.
“Come in!”
A middle-aged official with an ordinary look entered through the door, walking cautiously. He approached the king and knelt down.
“Your Majesty, I heard you were looking for me.”
“Yes. I called you because I wanted to hear your opinion.”
“Yes?”
“Isn’t making soldiers out of women ruining the traditions of this country? It’s just not right, is it? Women soldiers! It goes against everything we believe in!”
“Ah, yes… Of course, that is true.”
“What about unnecessarily drilling holes in the mountains to increase farmland in this prosperous country?”
“Yes?”
“Isn’t that unnecessarily harming the spirit of the land!”
“Y-Your Majesty, you are so insightful! It is truly a sign of your great wisdom to see these things so clearly!”
“Yes. Even though I say such reasonable things, the ministers only take that guy’s side. There’s nothing I, the king, can do! Do you think this makes sense?!”
Cleo could only bow his head repeatedly in the face of the king’s unstoppable anger.
“They are just ignorant people who cannot understand Your Majesty’s great wisdom. Please do not worry.”
Instead of saying such obvious truths, Cleo simply catered to the king’s tastes and comforted him.
It was a typical treacherous act, but the king was happy with it.
And only after a long time had passed.
“I feel a little better now. I’m glad you’re here after all.”
“No, Your Majesty. If my existence can relieve Your Majesty’s worries even a little, what can’t I do?”
The king smiled at the extreme flattery and looked back at him.
“Yes, that’s why I’m even more frustrated. I wish my subjects were even half as good as you.”
“Isn’t it inevitable as Duke Logan McLaine’s influence is strong?”
“Yes. That’s, that’s the biggest problem.”
“Your Majesty…?”
“I definitely have to come up with something. I can’t go on like this.”
On the outside, he seemed calmer now. But inside, his anger was still burning. A dangerous look started to appear in his eyes.