Reader’S Regeneration Life [EN]: Chapter 285

285―――――

A Step Forward

As Zion headed to the conference room with Rishikida, he spotted Lichten, the Margrave, up ahead, deeply engrossed in a relaxed conversation with someone.

The reason for saying ‘someone’ was that a flowerpot obscured almost the entire view of the person he was talking to.

The only person in Klausen who could chat and laugh with Lichten, the Margrave, like that, and whose head was barely visible behind the flowerpot, was just one person.

Once Zion’s number one target of hatred, now pushed back by the appearance of Kim Yu-hyun, his half-brother.

“Brother!”

It was Aden Klausen.

He would be six years old soon, but Aden was still a perfect child in every way.

However, his way of speaking made him sound like he was half a century old.

“You’ve arrived!

I’ve heard you’ve been through a lot.”

“…Stop using that tone.”

“Ah!

I-I’m sorry.

But I thought it was only right to show respect to the kingdom’s hero, even if I am your younger brother…”

‘What is this kid even saying? Just act like a kid,’ Zion thought.

Zion approached Aden with a very serious expression and gently began to squeeze his brother’s head with the end of his fist.

“Kkyaaa!

I-It hurts.

Brother!”

“If you want to live, I told you not to use that tone.”

“T-This is the least I can do to show you respect!”

“You can save that for when you’re double digits.”

Being mature early isn’t a bad thing; it’s actually quite good.

But Zion thought that at least when you’re a child, you should think, speak, and act like one.

“A-It hurts!

It hurts so much!

I’m sorry!

Brother!

I’m dying!”

In the end, Aden, succumbing to Zion’s force, grabbed his head and whined.

Lichten, the Margrave, watched the scene with a smile, not intending to stop them. It seemed that seeing his eldest son, who until a few years ago was eager to devour his half-brother, and his second son, who had to mature early because of such a brother, now playing and laughing together, filled him with a fatherly sense of contentment.

“Aden.”

“Yes, Brother!”

“…I’m sorry it’s so late.

If you have time later, I’ll play with you like last time, so can you wait a little longer? Your father and brother still have things to do.”

“A-Yes!

I’ll wait!

Ah, no.

I will wait!

I can wait by myself!”

To Aden, a five-year-old child, Zion wasn’t just an older brother with a big age gap.

The hero of the country, like in old tales, was his brother, and the person everyone around him praised and admired was also his brother.

His father, Lichten, the Margrave, and the Knight Commander Lion were also great people in Aden’s eyes.

But if he had to pick one, Aden would hesitate for a moment and then answer that Zion was the person he respected the most.

“Rishi.

Can you take Aden with you?”

“Understood, Master.”

At Zion’s command, Rishikida took Aden, her master’s brother, and headed towards the garden.

Watching them, Lichten, the Margrave, said with a smile.

“You used to try to devour him; was that all an act too?”

“It might seem that way if you put it like that, but there was some sincerity in it.

Honestly, isn’t it natural to be jealous when someone gets all the parental attention?”

It would be strange to say it was all an act, so Zion added a little seasoning.

Certainly, Zion Klausen in the novel felt inferior and jealous of his brother, so Lichten, the Margrave, their father, would have noticed that Zion’s words were mixed with jealousy.

“More importantly, weren’t you supposed to be waiting in the conference room?

I heard everyone else is already inside.”

“I was waiting to see when you would come, and then I met Aden.

Wondering when his great brother would finally show his face and what interesting story he would tell this time.”

“That kid, really.

This brother will take care of everything.”

“How is the Hynes Merchant Guild Leader?”

It seemed this was what he really wanted to ask.

The owner of a thriving merchant guild in the capital suddenly being practically carried into Klausen’s castle must have surprised and bewildered Lichten, the Margrave, the lord of the castle and the person who benefited quite a bit from the Hynes Merchant Guild.

“She was quite exhausted, but she’ll be fine soon.”

“That’s a relief.

I thought something had happened.”

“She wouldn’t have rushed over here like that if something had really happened.”

“Then?”

Zion was about to answer Lichten, the Margrave’s question, but then stopped himself.

If he said more, he would have to reveal his somewhat complicated relationship with Helen, and he didn’t think it was right to talk about women again to his father, who already had a rough idea of his son’s relationships.

“I trust you’ll handle it well.”

“…Yes?”

“Already a member of the Demon race, the leader of the northern tribes, a high-ranking knight who surrendered from Nudia, and even a beastman.

There seems to be more, but let’s stop there.

Anyway, you should take responsibility for what you’ve done.”

“…”

As expected, Lichten, the Margrave, was quite perceptive.

When Zion let out a groan, he chuckled and entered, telling him to focus when he got to the conference room.

“How is it that the adjutant is later than the commander?”

Marquis Volko greeted Zion with a playful voice.

The people around him stood up as Lichten, the Margrave, and Zion entered, welcoming them.

And among those people was Zhan.

‘Oh, I thought she would just sit there?’ Zion thought.

It seems she’s learning noble etiquette, Zion thought.

But the reason Zhan stood up without a moment’s hesitation at the appearance of Lichten, the Margrave, was simple.

‘Zion’s father. The leader of this force, a future family member.’

The northern tribes were loyal when it came to family, if nothing else.

When a man and a woman were joined, they became one family, protecting what needed to be protected and sharing what needed to be shared, so Zhan was simply showing the respect a family member should show to Lichten, the Margrave.

In other words, noble etiquette was not even in Zhan’s mind to begin with.

“Now then, shall we properly discuss this?

Zion Klausen?

Why have you suddenly gathered the command staff and the people of the Klausen Margraviate at a time like this?”

Before speaking in response to Marquis Volko’s words, Zion looked around.

What kind of gazes would the original owner of this body have received in a place like this?

Eyes filled with disgust, contempt, and pity?

Or sympathy for a son who was overshadowed by his capable father and couldn’t do anything properly despite being born an ordinary person?

Whatever it was, it would have been enough to drive Zion Klausen insane.

And whatever that was, it was no longer relevant to ‘Zion’.

It was like someone else’s problem.

“…”

“…”

Everyone was waiting for him to speak, their mouths shut.

Their eyes held no trace of contempt or pity.

They were filled only with the meaning that they trusted him completely, and Zion smiled as he looked at them.

“Is it really right to end this war here?”

“…?”

“Hmm?”

“Young Lord Zion, what are you…”

“We annihilated Nudia’s First Army, and the Klausen Margraviate succeeded in defending its territory.

As a result, Nudia has become a group of pathetic individuals who can’t even uphold the cause they put forward, and they have chosen to retreat to their homeland.

So, what happens now?

Is it all over now?”

Pausing for a moment, Zion gazed at each of the people looking at him.

If the current situation had been favorable to Nudia, he wouldn’t have brought this up.

Also, if Zion himself hadn’t made a significant contribution in this war, he wouldn’t have said anything.

Without a cause, and just barging in, he would have been told that this wasn’t the time to say such things, and from then on, it would have devolved into a battle of egos.

But the situation was different now.

Completely different.

Zion had made a tremendous contribution in the Hispania main force, and Kim Yu-hyun, who was said to be close to Zion, had completely risen to become the core power in Klausen.

Even Marquis Volko’s treatment of Zion made the command staff secretly think that the leader of the Hispania army might not be Marquis Volko, but Zion Klausen.

“I don’t want to end it like this.”

“Are you saying that instead of simply defending, we should strike Nudia in reverse?”

“That’s right, Marquis Volko.”

“Hmm.”

Marquis Volko was a warrior by nature.

He preferred wielding his sword and pushing forward head-on rather than using his brain and scheming.

He believed that wielding the hammer of judgment against the enemies who dared to enter Hispania’s territory without fear was the true path for the country.

Therefore, he would have immediately agreed with Zion’s opinion if it had been a normal situation.

Nudia had lost the battle and retreated to its country, and its army was damaged to the point of being completely ruined.

On the other hand, Hispania had suffered damage, but not on the same scale as Nudia.

Above all, the siege weapons that the Nudia side failed to recover or burn due to Kim Yu-hyun and Ekaterina’s rampage were fatal, and it was obvious to everyone that if they didn’t dispose of them, they would be handed over to the enemy.

‘Marquis Volko knows it too.

There’s no better time for a counterattack than now.

Even if we just push in and lay siege, Nudia will eventually crack from within and either negotiate a truce or surrender.

But…’

But Marquis Volko was a warrior and a loyal servant of the Hispania royal family.

In particular, he had great loyalty to Edgar IV, perhaps because he was fascinated by his abilities.

In any case, continuing the war at a time when Edgar IV was on his deathbed was not good for Marquis Volko personally, nor for the Hispania army.

“I’m troubled.”

That’s why Marquis Volko was saying such things.

It was right not to put personal feelings into national affairs, but it was also true that ignoring a family crisis and carrying out a war was not in line with the public sentiment.

It would be different if he didn’t know or if he suddenly passed away.

It was natural for Marquis Volko to worry, having seen with his own eyes how weak Edgar IV’s breath had become, as if it would stop at any moment.

After pondering for a moment, Marquis Volko glanced at Lichten, the Margrave.

“Lichten, the Margrave.

How is the situation in Klausen?”

“I can’t say it’s good.

In any case, we fought a defensive battle, and the scale was incomparable to before, so many soldiers were injured, the castle walls need repair, and above all, restoring the moat to its original state is a top priority.”

“If the enemy were to rush in one more time…”

“Then we would have to be prepared to bury our bones in this castle.”

Since the Hispania main force was relatively intact, Nudia wouldn’t do anything stupid like targeting Klausen again if they were in their right minds.

Siege warfare might be relatively easy, but the problem was being surrounded on all sides and not being able to retreat this time, being completely surrounded and annihilated.

However, while the Hispania main force was advancing into Nudia and wasting time elsewhere, if the relatively vulnerable Klausen were to be captured by a surprise attack from Nudia, the Hispania main force could be in a very difficult situation.

The problem wasn’t just that the army itself was surrounded.

The most important thing was the supply line and the cutoff of support troops.

Without that, even the most powerful army in the world could collapse in a single day.

“Young Lord Zion Klausen, the Klausen that plays the role of the middle ground is unstable.”

“That could happen if we focus on the capture of Nudia by advancing with a full-scale war.”

“Does that mean?”

“We should do the same.

We should use the cause they put forward in the same way.”

“The cause Nudia put forward to us was… the followers of the Demon race?”

Zion nodded at Marquis Volko’s question.

“So, this time we’re going to link Nudia with the Demon race follower forces?”

“We need something more powerful than that.”

“Are you perhaps linking them to the Demon forces that attacked the Holy Prussen this time?”

“That’s too far-fetched.

Demon race followers and Demons are just plausible causes, but there’s no solid evidence, is there?”

“What are you trying to say, Young Lord Zion Klausen?”

“I’m going to make them collapse on their own.

They just brought a plausible cause to pressure Hispania and started a fight like street brawlers, but our Hispania is not like that.

We will tear Nudia apart with more systematic, sophisticated, and deadly weapons.”

At that, not only Marquis Volko but also Lichten, the Margrave, and the Hispania command staff had expressions that they didn’t quite understand Zion’s words.

Seeing their reaction that they didn’t quite understand what Zion was aiming for, Zion shook his head lightly and continued.

“I obtained some information from Aive, whom we captured earlier.

Those who exposed the location of the Hispania main force and even brought the information about the crossing, those who we can never forgive.

They were none other than Elves.”

“…Elves?”

“Wait a minute.

Are you talking about the Elves living in Hispania?”

“Why would they suddenly…”

“The reason doesn’t matter.

What matters is that they joined hands with Nudia and were trying to do something suspicious in Klausen.

Before that, they attacked the royal palace.

All of these are incidents that have the opposite of the meaning of light.

The shape is like.”

Zion smiled and took out the magic word that would excite anyone in the world.

“It seems as if those great descendants of light have fallen disgracefully and betrayed this world.

Or is my prediction too much, everyone?”

Corruption and betrayal.

Ah!

What a word that makes your blood boil just by hearing it!

―――――――Author’s Notes―――――――

Gyaaaak!

Today is the usual 2 chapters…!

!

3 consecutive chapters for 4 days is 12 chapters!

I’ve done 6 consecutive chapters once, so the ultimate skill will be later…!

In, Instead, a sticker event!

I will do it!

I will give 10 stickers randomly to the readers who leave comments!

Get your stickers!