Regressor Of The Fallen Family [EN]: Chapter 326

I am sorry.

Thud.

Baros finished his greeting and immediately slammed his head against the floor, begging for forgiveness.

There was no need for long excuses. Everyone knew the Emperor hated them. A simple apology was always better.

Do you know why I have summoned you?

Yes. I was greedy and damaged Your Majesty’s authority. Please, punish me.

Thud. Thud.

Baros kept slamming his head against the floor, his forehead quickly becoming stained with blood. Yet, even with this violent display, the heavy atmosphere in the audience chamber did not change.

Many things have happened recently. But your change because of them has been surprising in many ways.

Baros’s throat tightened. The Emperor’s words were like a coin, bright on one side, dark on the other. Hope and fear twisted together in his stomach.

You can fix breaking a rule if you catch the rule-breaker. But hurting the Emperor’s power? That is never allowed, no matter what.

At the Emperor’s words, Baros’s face turned ashen. With a dull thud, something heavy rolled in front of him.

It was round and dark. Then he saw the brown hair and the still, brown eyes staring blankly up at him. Life had gone out of them like a candle blown out.

Do you know who it is?

How could he not?

It was the training instructor of the Imperial Special Inspection Department, the one who had changed orders at his request.

Could this be my end?

His heart hammered against his ribs, each beat loud in his ears. The edges of his vision blurred, and the Emperor’s face seemed to swim before him.

But he did not forget what he had to do now.

Thud.

Baros’s head struck the floor once more.

I am sorry. I beg for punishment.

Asking for forgiveness would only make the Emperor angrier.

Baros hoped, in as humble a posture as possible, that his life would be spared.

Ba-dump.

The sound of his heart pounding as if it would burst grew louder and louder in his ears, until—

I will give you one chance.

Baros looked confused at the Emperor’s sudden words.

Thud.

Before he knew it, someone had placed a report before him.

Lifting his bloodied forehead, he looked at the report, which had surprising information.

It was a diplomatic document filled with long speeches, but a sentence immediately caught his eye.

Representative of the Imperial Family?

Honorary Cardinal?

For a moment, Baros’s eyes wavered.

As you guaranteed, the Black Serpent seems to have swallowed the Holy Kingdom whole.

Ugh.

He said he would show results.

A quiet groan escaped his lips, but the Emperor, as if he hadn’t heard it, continued in a calm voice.

Go to the Holy Kingdom. And there, represent the Empire’s will. The results will affect who gets to be the next Emperor.

How could he refuse the chance he was given again?

Yo, Your Imperial Majesty, I am deeply grateful.

Thud.

Baros slammed his forehead against the floor once more, celebrating his survival and keeping his path to the throne alive.

The wound on his forehead did not hurt at all.

What do you think?

The Emperor’s voice echoed quietly in the empty audience chamber after Baros had left.

Soon, an answer that seemed natural echoed through the air.

– No strange things have been reported from the Holy Kingdom yet.

That means it’s dangerous.

– Yes, that is correct. We don’t know how far their magic has reached.

Indeed… Until the investigation is complete, keep all other members of the Imperial Family, except for Baros, in the Imperial Palace. Especially that Klide fellow.

– Yes, I will tell them. What about the Second Prince…?

He is a card I chose. Whether that card wins or loses, he must take responsibility himself. Use the Holy Kingdom to make contact with the Black Serpent, but watch it closely. Keep these matters secret for now.

– Yes, I understand. But will you keep him as someone who could be the next Emperor?

…If the Emperor of the Empire could also be the Pope of the Holy Kingdom, it would be a winning card that lasts forever. I will wait and see for now.

– …Yes. Everything as Your Majesty wishes.

Baros has gone to the Holy Kingdom?

A young man with a large build and a square face furrowed his thick eyebrows as he asked.

Yes, Your Highness.

What was the punishment for pretending to be a god?

…It seems there was none.

At that, the face of the young man, the First Prince Klide Van Ares, hardened even more.

Father… Why on earth?

His voice, which sounded like he was talking to himself, was filled with deep doubt and worry.

The recorder, Klummel, who was giving the report, also looked worried.

Could it be that His Majesty has already decided…

The cross-shaped scar running from his brow to his lip twitched, showing an even deeper sense of unease.

…No, Father wouldn’t do that.

Was that hope, or belief?

Even the one who said it was not sure.

– Your Highness. There is a message from His Majesty.

The escort knight’s voice was heard from outside the door.

An ominous feeling for some reason.

Come in.

Klide tried to ignore his uneasy feeling and called in the knight.

Until further orders, all members of the Imperial Family are not allowed to leave the Imperial Palace. Especially Your Highness.

Hearing the knight’s words, his face could only harden further.

Baros is sent to the Holy Kingdom? And I’m under house arrest?

A voice mixed with unease and anger.

Prince Clide was known as the strongest fighter among all the princes. He stopped the knight from speaking further just by the cold feeling he gave off.

“I… I do not know the details, Your Highness. Please forgive me…”

The Imperial Knight struggled to speak, feeling the pressure from Prince Clide. Clide was known to be as strong as the best knights in the empire, and his presence was overwhelming. Clide realized his mistake and waved his hand.

“Understood. Be gone.”

“Yes, yes. Thank you, Your Highness.”

After the knight hurried away, Clide sighed deeply and looked to his side.

“What do you make of this?”

However, Klummel, who received the question, couldn’t answer easily.

Klummel thought about it, but he couldn’t see anything good in this situation.

“Baros seems to have caused trouble again…”

Clide remembered the face of his half-brother, whom he had seen when he returned after disappearing some time ago.

Baros was like a snake, pretending to care for those around him but in reality saw them only as tools.

Or maybe he was like a lizard, who would cut off his tail and shift the blame when things went wrong.

When such a fellow not only confessed his faults but even said he would use that, Clide was actually shocked. He thought his competitor had grown stronger.

In this brutal competition where only death or a life more miserable than death awaited the losers, the advancement of a competitor was not welcome at all.

And now, it seemed that his concern was becoming a reality.

“Hasty assumptions are forbidden, Your Highness. First, find out information about the current situation.”

“Yes, I must. But if His Majesty orders me to keep my mouth shut, how can I…”

“Doesn’t Prince Dongik exist? He has been with Prince Baros recently, so he might give you even a small hint.”

“He was Baros’s godfather. On the maternal side, he is also his uncle.”

“Prince Dongik is not one to be swayed by blood ties. As long as Your Highness has a chance to become Emperor, he will try to leave behind even a small connection.”

“…Perhaps.”

Clide sighed. He realized the only person he could ask for information was him.

Dongik always acted friendly and approached with a smile, even though there were no memories or connections together.

So, when he was young, he even mistook him for a decent person among the imperial relatives, but now he knew for sure.

If he had to pick the most untrustworthy person among all the trash related to the imperial family, that man would be the first.

But now there was no alternative.

“Connect me to the Dongwang Residence. No, directly to Prince Dongik. Make sure no one else knows.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Prince Dongik, Gerard von Aserian, with his sly smile, was as annoying as ever.

But Clide did not show it, bowing his head with the same expressionless face as always.

“Please tell me even what you can. If you do, I will not forget your favor.”

[Hoo. The eminent First Prince is bowing his head. Hmm… I have no choice then. I have no choice but to tell you at least a little.]

Seeing the blue eyes of Prince Dongik in the communication device flash slightly, an uneasy feeling washed over him.

Every time that hard to understand man’s eyes flashed, the result was never good.

‘I need to take it with a grain of salt.’

He resolved, but the content of the following words was not something that could be taken lightly.

[His Majesty the Emperor is trying to control the Cassel Magic Tower through the Second Prince. And the result is the declaration recently announced by the new Pope of the Holy Kingdom.]

The Holy Kingdom!?

‘The Holy Kingdom, you say!’

Since the Ares Empire established itself as the dominant power on the continent, the biggest reason it could not expand further and stopped growing.

“Are you saying that the Cassel Magic Tower has begun to control the Holy Kingdom?”

[Well. I don’t know the details, but looking at the current situation, shouldn’t we see it that way to some extent?]

“I know that their magic is weak against divine energy. But how…”

[How would I know? They may have found the ancient vision that disappeared, or they may have had some other trick. But one thing is certain: they moved the Holy Kingdom as His Majesty wanted, and as the Second Prince requested.]

“Then…”

[Shouldn’t we see the Second Prince heading to the Holy Kingdom as part of that?]

“Then, what is the context of the ban on external access for the imperial family at this time?”

[Well, I don’t have any information on that… Well, I can guess.]

“Guess?”

[Hmm. I don’t know if I should say this… It’s a baseless statement… ]

Prince Dongik’s troubled expression drew out Clide’s impatience.

“If you give me your opinion, I will not forget your help.”

In terms of bloodline, he was a distant relative, and in fact, the Second Prince’s mother was also Prince Dongik’s younger sister. In other words, it also meant that it was unreasonable to call Clide, the First Prince, and Prince Dongik uncle and nephew.

However, that word was enough to make Prince Dongik smile.

[Ahahaha. Yes, nephew. Since my nephew wants it so much, I have to give you my opinion. Of course, I don’t think it’s good news for my nephew.]

“Yes?”

Clide’s eyes wavered.

Prince Dongik, who subtly shone his eyes as he looked at those pupils, soon hardened his expression and whispered as if lowering his voice.

[I think His Majesty the Emperor has set his sights on the Second Prince as his successor. The Emperor of an Empire that swallowed the Holy Kingdom. Hasn’t that been the imperial family’s long-cherished desire?]

Crack.

At those words, a burst of sound occurred from under Clide’s feet.

It was the sound of the marble floor he was stepping on cracking. He tried to manage his expression, but he couldn’t control the power that was expressed with anger.

But Clide not only failed to make up for his mistake but rather revealed his emotions.

“His Majesty is not that kind of person. Even if it is necessary, he will abide by the principles of the succession war that he directly ordered!”

[The Emperor is a person who will do anything for the benefit of the Empire. Doesn’t your nephew know that well? If the Second Prince achieves success in the Holy Kingdom while you are tied up in the Imperial Palace, the result of the succession war will eventually… ]

Prince Dongik trailed off, but the rest of the story naturally came to Clide’s mind.

‘No! Damn it!’

There was no basis, but it was full of convincing.

He bit his lip until it bled.

[Nephew. I don’t think you should just stay in the Imperial Palace as you are.]

Prince Dongik’s words, which stimulated his worries, made him come to his senses.

“But why are you telling me this? If you just leave it alone, it will be more advantageous for Baros, your real nephew, won’t it?”

It was a situation that was suspicious enough.

However.

[Hehe, what are you talking about? Doesn’t your nephew know Baros? Do you think that fellow will give more convenience just because he is his uncle?]

That’s not true.

Because he is just like you.

Prince Dongik’s words were certainly convincing.

[So, nephew. I’m going to help you, so later… ]

A long story continued with subtly shining eyes.

The gray light flickering in Prince Dongik’s blue eyes could not be seen beyond the communication device.

…Therefore, since the Ares Empire is recognized as the representative of mankind, the Holy Kingdom shall promote the representative of the Imperial Family to the honorary cardinal and share the glorious future of mankind…