Regressor Of The Fallen Family [EN]: Chapter 232

The Sword Master, Felix Esperanza, spoke clearly. ‘I swear my loyalty to the new king.’

The Sword Master’s words made the grand hall fall completely silent. It was a surprising silence.

The nobles looked at each other, eyes wide with shock.

‘Did… did the Sword Master just say that?’

Soon, you could hear nothing but your own breath in the hall.

In the silence, Logan slowly turned his head.

His eyes, which had been unsure, became steady and firm.

He pressed his lips together tightly.

You could see determination grow on his face.

Patrick watched his son, a look of relief on his face.

‘The Sword Master… he supports Logan.’

Many questions filled Patrick’s mind. Why now? Why like this?

But none of it mattered.

He knew his son’s heart, the worries he had carried.

Patrick could only sigh in relief.

The powerful father stayed quiet.

In the quiet hall, the Sword Master spoke again, his voice clear and strong.

‘I hear everyone in the kingdom has made their choice. For the good of the people, who have suffered for so long, please decide now, Your Majesty.’

‘Your Majesty.’ The word felt heavy.

Logan, sitting in the regent’s chair, blinked.

His hands were clenched into fists, and his lips trembled, showing the fight in his heart.

But when he opened his mouth, his voice was clear and strong, as if he had never hesitated.

‘I accept your loyalty.’

‘Gasp!’

‘This is…’

‘Then…’

Exclamations of surprise rippled through the silent hall from the astonished nobles.

Logan, his face resolute, ignored the voices and declared his unwavering decision to all.

‘I, Logan McLain, accept the will of the people and declare a new kingdom!’

‘Ooh!’

Cheers exploded in the grand hall as a new era began.

Then, Patrick McLain’s voice boomed through the hall.

‘Ministers! Prepare for the coronation! Let the new age begin!’

‘Yes!’

The new kingdom was declared.

As the news spread rapidly from the royal palace, Logan was confronting his master, who had appeared in a way he had never expected.

‘Master, what is happening?’

‘I decided this when I lost to you on the battlefield. The loser must follow the winner, for the good of the kingdom.’

The Sword Master answered firmly. Logan was still getting used to his master speaking so formally.

‘Please, Master, speak normally,’ Logan said, feeling awkward.

‘It makes me strange when you talk like this.’

‘No,’ the Sword Master said firmly.

‘If I, your master, don’t use formal language to the king, the new kingdom won’t seem strong.’

‘It makes me uncomfortable. At least when it’s just the two of us, I wish you would speak comfortably.’

Despite Logan’s request, the Sword Master’s attitude was firm.

‘No. If I am not formal in private, I won’t be formal in public. That’s why I must do this. And now, I need to ask for your forgiveness.’

‘…Yes?’

‘I hurt some knights when I escaped from prison. I did not have permission. Please punish me.’

The Sword Master suddenly knelt down.

Logan was surprised by his master’s extreme politeness.

After a moment, Logan sighed and reached out his hand.

‘Please stand up, Master. I don’t think of you as a sinner.’

The Sword Master’s eyebrows moved slightly, but he kept his head bowed.

He stood up, still speaking formally.

‘Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty.’

Logan looked at his master and spoke about what was worrying him.

‘Did you know? I was hesitating so much before you came.’

‘Yes, I guessed that,’ the Sword Master replied.

‘…Yes?’

‘That’s why I came to find you, Your Majesty. To make you stop hesitating.’

‘Ah…’

Looking closer, Logan saw sweat on his master’s face.

Even though his expression was stern, he was very pale, not like a strong Aura user should be.

‘Master…’ Logan thought.

They had been so close once, and then they had fought.

But even after their fight, his master was still thinking of him.

From the surrender of Esperanza’s army to what happened in the hall, his master had thought of everything.

‘What would he have done if I had lost?’ Logan wondered.

Then, he remembered their duel.

At the very end, his master’s sword had become weak, and the path of the sword…

It hit Logan suddenly. Maybe his master had been trying to capture him alive!

Logan had been so focused on winning, he hadn’t cared if his master lived or died.

‘Maybe…’ The thought grew stronger.

‘Even though I was not calm enough to see it then…’ Shame filled Logan.

So Logan opened his mouth without realizing it.

‘Master, perhaps at that time…’

‘Let us not mention the past. Now is the time to prepare for the future,’ the master interrupted before the question could be finished.

‘…Do you not regret it?’

‘What is there for me to regret now? My mind is already settled. Rather, there is something I wish to confirm with Your Majesty.’

‘Yes?’

‘The invasion of the Empire that Your Majesty mentioned before, how certain are you of it?’

The heavily sunken blue eyes brought up a topic that had been discussed before.

But the situation was definitely different from then.

At the time, the Sword Master, who had doubted the chance and wanted concrete evidence, ultimately thought of it as an excuse for Logan to plan to rebel.

But.

‘100%. The Empire will definitely invade. I say again, I can stake my life on it.’

A situation where there was no reason to make excuses.

Yet, there was not even a hint of hesitation in Logan’s voice.

Felix looked at Logan, then at the worried faces around him. ‘No,’ he thought, ‘I see it now. It must have been like this all along. I was too stubborn to see the truth.’ He finally understood. With a deep sigh that seemed to carry the weight of years, the Sword Master admitted his mistake.

“I swear again,” Felix Esperanza said, his voice firm despite his weariness. “I will give my life to stop the Empire from invading and to protect this kingdom.”

*Thud.*

Logan just stared, confused, as his master knelt before him once more.

“Our Grand Duke is going to be king!!”

“Really?!”

“What’s going to happen to us, then?”

“What do you think will happen? Life will get better, of course!”

“Oh, really?”

“Well… I don’t really know! Anyway, if the Grand Duke has become king, it’s something to celebrate, right?”

“That’s right!”

“Long live Logan McLain!”

Voices praising the new king echoed throughout the McLain territory, including McLain Town.

However, unlike the people of the McLain territory, who were celebrating Logan’s achievements and anticipating the start of a new nation, the reaction from the other territories was not very enthusiastic.

“A new nation?”

“So, Grandia won’t be Grandia anymore?”

“I heard it’s going to be McLain?”

“What’s that? Sounds strange…”

The streets were filled with murmurs that weren’t exactly welcoming.

Declaring a new kingdom didn’t change much for most people right away.

The issue of their livelihood was more important to them than the name of the kingdom.

However, for the leaders of the new dynasty, who wanted to announce the launch of the new kingdom, the beginning was very important.

Therefore, the Daejeon Council, held to prepare for the inauguration ceremony, was more intense than ever.

“The order of events…”

“The location will be Daejeon, in front of the Royal Palace, and a procession through the capital…”

“Isn’t a procession a bit excessive? Perhaps…”

The Daejeon Council room was filled with the thick, hot air of argument. Ministers in stiff robes leaned over long tables covered in maps, their voices rising and falling like waves.

Nobles from every territory were invited to help plan the ceremony. They all came and watched what was happening.

A new dynasty being launched with the consent of all the nobles of the kingdom, in name at least.

All the influential nobles had gathered for its beginning.

However, the eyes of some of the nobles watching the discussions of the state ministers were turned elsewhere, not on the place where the heated conversations were taking place, but toward Sword Master Felix Esperanza, the old knight standing next to Logan McLain, now sitting on the throne.

They had coordinated their words to some extent before coming to the capital, and this situation itself was perplexing.

– If the McLain Dynasty begins like this, the king will have absolute power.

– Absolute power corrupts absolutely. Our coming together is ultimately for the sake of the country.

– We must protect the minimum rights and interests of the nobility.

– Be loyal to the new king, but we must unite among ourselves to secure a voice.

The nobles who had secretly agreed to work together thought the best person to help them was the Sword Master, Felix Esperanza.

The family that had opposed McLain until the very end and fallen.

A family that had maintained its lineage under the respect of Logan McLain, despite that.

They thought that such a family could become the center of the ‘Noble Faction’ they would newly form.

But the head of that family, the Sword Master who was known to have fallen, was standing right next to the new king.

Moreover.

“The situation is unstable, so the cost of the inauguration ceremony should be kept to a minimum…”

“That won’t do, Your Majesty. The beginning of a dynasty that will advance for a thousand years should not be cheap. If funds are insufficient, we will unlock the Esperanza’s treasury to meet the needs. Please, for now, only think about raising authority.”

Even to the point of showing the utmost respect to someone who was once his disciple.

‘This is a lost cause.’

The plans of the nobles who had dreamed of the birth of a new noble faction were as good as thwarted at that moment.

“You must not have fully recovered yet, but you didn’t have to come out like this so soon.”

“It’s alright. I must guard this place so that no one harbors other intentions from the very beginning of the new dynasty.”

It wasn’t noticeable from afar, but up close, one could see the cold sweat running down the Sword Master’s forehead. Even in such poor physical condition, his attitude was unwavering.

The Sword Master had lived a politically neutral life for a long time, but that was precisely why he knew the nature of the nobility well.

Therefore, he was certainly doing what he had said, laying the foundation for the new dynasty, just by being present in this place.

And at that moment, without anyone knowing, the birth of a new noble faction was thwarted.

“Then, let’s decide on the inauguration ceremony schedule like that.”

The Daejeon Council also came to an end, confirming the day when the McLain Dynasty would officially begin.

* * * Dong. Dong. Dong. Dong.

“Keep the ranks!”

“Maintain the spacing!”

“There! Just a little to the right!”

The wide avenue leading from the inner west gate of Grand to the entrance of the Royal Palace was filled with a crowd moving left and right according to the soldiers’ instructions.

“But why from outside the Royal Palace…”

“I heard that His Majesty is trying to start the inauguration ceremony by commemorating the road he first came to the Royal Palace on.”

“What does that mean?”

“I don’t know either.”

“Well, we just need to see the face of the new Majesty. They say we’ll receive blessings.”

“That’s right!”

“Quiet, quiet!”

The crowd on the avenue, barely managing to organize the murmuring voices of the knights and rearranging the formation, finally achieved order around noon.

Dong. Dong. Dong. Dong.

Soon, with the drums starting again, a huge voice echoed throughout the avenue.

– Ascend, His Majesty Logan McLain, who founded the McLain Kingdom!

With that, the west gate of the inner castle opened, and a group of people slowly began to walk in.

A man in splendid armor riding a horse boasting a fiery red mane and a huge build.

His hair, the same color as the red mane of the horse he was riding, was noticeable as he slowly entered the inner castle with attendants to his left, right, and rear.

But all the attendants following him were knights, not servants.

The moment the knights, wearing splendid armor and with solemn expressions contrasting it, began their march with the king.

“Waaaaaaaah!”

A shout that echoed throughout the capital announced the beginning of the new kingdom.

“Long live!”

“Long live the McLain Kingdom!”

“Long live His Majesty Logan McLain!”

Endless shouts of long live came from all directions.

Logan, amidst the fierce shouts that were enough to startle and freeze Rubens, the famous horse that his master had painstakingly obtained, could only move forward step by step after using Force to calm the horse.

Logan felt a thrill mixed with fear as he looked at the cheering crowd. *This is real,* he thought. *I am their king now.*

Soon, flower petals were scattered along the path he moved.

Flower petals, endlessly scattered from the left and right sides of the avenue and from the roofs of the mansions, fluttered in all directions, creating a dreamlike atmosphere.

The air buzzed with excitement, thick with the smell of sweat and perfume. The drums beat a steady rhythm against the roar of the crowd. Bright banners in McLain colors – red and gold – snapped in the breeze.

A very showy and impressive sight, to the point where the figures of the knights attending him were not properly recognized.

In that surreal spectacle, Logan looked around and slowly urged his horse forward.