Regressor Of The Fallen Family [EN]: Chapter 103

A servant knocked softly on the heavy wooden door. “Lord Logan and Baron Patrick McLain are here to see you,” he announced quietly.

A deep voice, weary but still commanding, replied, “Let them in.”

The door creaked open, revealing a large office filled with shadows, despite the bright sunlight outside. At the far window, his back to them, stood the Sword Master, Duke Felix Esperanza. He was looking out at the city, but his eyes seemed to see nothing.

Logan stepped forward, his heart sinking. The Sword Master’s famous golden hair, once so bright, was now streaked with white. Deep lines were etched across his forehead, making him look years older than Logan remembered. *He looks like he’s aged ten years in just a few months,* Logan thought, his voice catching in his throat.

“Master?” he asked, his voice soft with concern.

The Sword Master turned slowly. His blue eyes, usually sharp and piercing, were clouded with exhaustion. “Yes, Logan. Come in. Sit down.” He gestured to two chairs with a heavy hand.

“What has happened? Your face…” Logan asked, concern etched in his voice.

“The old man is merely facing the years he has been avoiding. Don’t make a fuss,” the Sword Master replied.

Though he spoke those words, the Sword Master’s face was etched with exhaustion. It was clear that something was deeply troubling him.

“You’ve been overdoing it investigating His Majesty’s affairs while in shock…” Logan started, but was quickly interrupted.

“Lewis,” the Sword Master said firmly.

“My apologies, Your Excellency,” Logan replied.

“It’s nothing, so you needn’t worry. Just mind your own business… Ah! Oh, where are my manners! So, this must be…” The Sword Master trailed off.

The Sword Master turned his gaze to Patrick, who had been silently watching him from beside Logan. Patrick bowed slightly, saying, “I am Patrick McLain. I’ve heard that my son is in your care. It is an honor to meet Your Excellency, whom I have long admired.”

“Yes, indeed. Baron, I apologize for not welcoming you with a better countenance. With everything that’s happening…” the Sword Master said, his voice heavy.

“Not at all. It is an honor just to be granted an audience in these times. We may be disturbing you while you are busy,” Patrick replied respectfully.

“No, no. The past week has merely been a time for this old man to realize how much less capable he is than he thought. There will be no more busy times. Please, sit down.”

The most respected knight in the Kingdom of Grandia, Duke Felix Esperanza, the Sword Master, was lamenting with self-deprecating words. Logan and Patrick exchanged worried glances. The Sword Master’s words hung heavy in the air.

“Ah, have I made the atmosphere heavy again? Hmm, where were we? The McLain family…” the Sword Master asked, trying to regain his composure.

“Master, I would like to know the current situation in the capital rather than about our family matters. We only arrived today, so there is much we do not know,” Logan interjected.

“Ah, yes, that would be better. Hooo…” The Sword Master sighed deeply.

It certainly seemed that his master was not in a normal state. It was strange to see the Sword Master like this. He had always been so strong and reliable, but now he seemed broken.

“If you are tired, we can talk later…” Logan offered.

“No, no. The state funeral will begin soon, and we must do what we can immediately. What did you ask? Ah, the situation in the capital. It is not good. Because of those damned bastards, Yordan and Juan…” The Sword Master rarely swore, but the situation warranted it.

What Logan and his group had seen in the capital was just the beginning of the trouble. Even before the official state funeral ceremony began, the factions of the first and second princes, who had gathered in the capital, were creating a tense atmosphere throughout the city with their power struggles.

And the nobles were openly gathering into factions, beginning to ostracize the opposing factions. They weren’t fighting with swords yet, but it felt like war was coming. That was the state of Grandia, as seen by the Sword Master.

“At this rate, the country will be split in two. The two dukes, who should be controlling their factions and maintaining balance, are instead inciting discord. Even…” He stopped speaking mid-sentence, and the Sword Master gritted his teeth as if recalling something.

“They dare to pressure me to participate in that dogfight. Those bastards,” he muttered.

Snap! The extreme anger was palpable.

“Have you not always said that you would not get involved in the succession battle, Master?” Logan asked.

“Yes, I have. But those men are bold enough to threaten the Third Prince’s life,” the Sword Master replied.

“What?!” Patrick jumped up in great surprise, but Logan, already anticipating the content, remained calm.

“The Third Prince, who has the right to succession, is a thorn in their side. Moreover, you are his guardian until he comes of age, Master…” Logan explained.

“Yes. Those presumptuous fellows dared to pressure me with the life of the Prince. They said if I wanted to save him, I should join their faction,” the Sword Master said, his eyes blazing.

He was controlling his aura, but even so, the air in the room was becoming bleak.

“So, what are you going to do?” Logan asked.

“What can I do? Do you think those fellows would dare to act? If they pressure me with force, it would benefit someone else,” the Sword Master replied.

That was what the Sword Master said, but Logan had a different feeling in his gut. “The Third Prince is in danger,” Logan stated.

“…What?!” The Sword Master exclaimed.

“You may only pressure them, Master, but you cannot take direct action. However, the Third Prince, who has ‘none other than you’ as his guardian, is a legitimate heir to the throne. And he will soon come of age,” Logan explained.

“…I heard even in the countryside that the late King cherished the Third Prince,” Patrick added with a stiff face.

“The friendship between you and the late King, and your role as guardian. From the perspective of the First and Second Princes, the Third Prince is bound to be a thorn in their side,” Patrick continued.

“If I continue to refuse their demands…” the Sword Master trailed off.

“They will try to eliminate the Third Prince. In some way or another,” Logan stated firmly.

At Logan’s words, the Sword Master’s expression hardened terribly. At first, his thinking sounded right, but Logan saw a big problem.

At this time when the King died suddenly, another member of the royal family dies suddenly again?

It was certain to attract the attention of the entire kingdom. If any evidence related to it came out, any faction would inevitably suffer a fatal blow, so both factions should be wary.

But. ‘It’s actually happening,’ Logan thought.

Logan’s expression hardened as he recalled the attempted assassination of the Third Prince in his previous life. There was no need to repeat the events of his previous life.

Now, he had to prevent that incident from even happening, reducing unnecessary waste of time, even for the sake of what he wanted to do in the future.

That was the main point he wanted to make by meeting his master now, and fortunately, his master took his story seriously.

“That’s a plausible story. Huh. This…” The Sword Master started pacing back and forth, looking anxious.

The McLain father and son could not say anything until the Sword Master spoke again. Then, after a long time, the Sword Master called out, “Lewis.”

“Yes,” Logan responded.

“Bring the Third Prince to the mansion. He will have to stay with me for a while,” the Sword Master instructed.

“Understood, Your Excellency,” Logan replied.

“That’s a poor choice, Master,” Logan said.

“Hmm?” the Sword Master questioned.

“No matter how close you keep the Prince, you cannot always be with him,” Logan explained.

“Then my knights will be there. At least it’s better than being in the palace now…” the Sword Master reasoned.

“You need to change your thinking,” Logan insisted.

“What?” the Sword Master asked, confused.

“Actually,” Logan said, “the groups supporting the First and Second Princes aren’t really watching the Third Prince.”

The Sword Master looked surprised. “What do you mean?”

“They aren’t worried about the Third Prince,” Logan explained. “They are worried about *you*, Master. They think you might secretly help the Third Prince, who doesn’t have much power. They think you might create a new group.”

“Hmm,” the Sword Master thought. “I see. So then…”

“Announce that you won’t get involved in any of the fighting between groups,” Logan suggested. “You said you wouldn’t take sides in who becomes the next leader, right? This is just making that promise bigger.”

The Sword Master had always kept his word. His word was as important as his life. Because of this, when he spoke, people listened. His promises were unbreakable, like stone. Even a single sentence from him was enough to make everyone believe him.

This is what Logan wanted.

‘Master must not try to stop the fighting between groups,’ Logan thought.

He believed a civil war was going to happen no matter what. If it couldn’t be stopped, it was better for it to happen quickly.

“But it’s not easy to say that, Logan,” the Sword Master said. “If the fighting between the two groups becomes a civil war…”

“We hope that doesn’t happen,” Logan replied, “but even if it does, you can’t stop it, Master. Just think of it as saving the Third Prince’s life with one sentence. Think of it that way.”

But before the Sword Master could answer, Logan’s father, Patrick, spoke quickly.

“Logan! What about our family?” Patrick’s voice was full of worry.

Patrick had been afraid of Bipros getting revenge on them since the state funeral.

Logan spoke firmly, cutting him off. “Father, we can take care of our family.”

Patrick was silent for a moment.

“Haha,” Patrick laughed nervously. “Alright. If you say so. Your Excellency,” he said to the Sword Master, bowing his head. “I apologize for my rude behavior.”

The Sword Master sighed and shook his head.

“No,” the Sword Master said. “I was too stubborn to see clearly. I didn’t understand the whole situation. Thank you, Logan. If I can do what I need to do with just one sentence, that is best. What happens to the country is up to fate anyway.” His voice was weary, like he was carrying a heavy weight.

The Sword Master’s face, already thin and tired, looked even darker.

But Logan secretly smiled. His master was not just pretending to be neutral because he was forced to, like in his past life. He was truly deciding his own role. This was good for Logan’s feelings, but also for his plans.

Logan thought about the Important Meeting that would happen after the state funeral. *I can make that happen sooner this time,* he thought.

And there was another good thing that he didn’t expect.

“Stay in the capital even after the state funeral,” the Sword Master said. “I will talk to Jordan myself. He probably doesn’t want to deal with you directly right now either…”

“Thank you, Your Excellency!” Patrick’s worry disappeared, and his face brightened. He quickly bowed his head, happy that Duke Jordan Valterheim, the leader of the Second Prince’s group and Bipros’s boss, would help them.

“I appreciate the thought,” Logan said, “but Master, as I said, we can handle it ourselves.”

“Hmm? Logan. Too much confidence isn’t good.”

“I’m not too confident. I know we can do it.”

The Sword Master looked closely at Logan’s confident face, and then gave a sad laugh.

“Alright,” the Sword Master agreed. “But if things start to go wrong, come to me. My door is always open for you.”

“Haha,” Logan chuckled. “Does that mean you’ll do me a favor?”

It was a joke to make the mood lighter.

“What? Oh, alright,” the Sword Master said. “Anything is fine. I owe you another favor. If you think of something, tell me. I’ll give you anything I can.” The Sword Master looked empty and sad as he said words he would never normally say.

It felt like a lucky gift, but it was too big to take right now.

“Um… I don’t need anything right now,” Logan said. “But if I ever need to ask you for something, I hope you will really think about it.” Instead of taking the big gift right away, which might be too much, Logan decided to save it for later.

Just as his master nodded weakly…

“Your Excellency!” Suddenly, the door burst open, and a servant rushed in, his face pale with excitement. “Two Powerful Warriors! Two Powerful Warriors are here at the mansion!”

“Powerful Warriors?”

“It’s Marquis Wicken Kalia and Marquis Luther Kyle! They don’t like each other, so you should come quickly!”

The servant’s urgent voice made everyone in the room move quickly.

“Well, well, if it isn’t Chunk,” said the thin man.

“That’s what I should be saying, Bone-bag,” the massive man replied.

“Did you come here wanting the Sword Master to beat you up again?” Bone-bag sneered. “He’s not interested in these groups fighting, is he?”

“Hmph. Mind your own business,” Chunk grunted.

“Hmm. So, you’re here because of McLaine too?” Bone-bag asked.

“Ha… You too?” Chunk sounded surprised.

*Snap! Crackle!*

When the eyes of the man who was almost 3 meters tall and huge, and the man who was so thin he looked delicate, met, the air between them seemed to shimmer with heat. The space between their chairs seemed to bend and wave, making an unpleasant, snapping sound like electricity.

The servants watching were trembling, their faces white with fear, but they tried to stay brave.

After what felt like ages to them, the door to the drawing-room finally opened, and the owner of the mansion walked in.

*Thud!* The door crashed open.

“So,” the Sword Master said, his voice strong and cold. “You two are showing so much anger and desire to fight in my house. Do you want to fight *me*, Wicken? Luther?”

A wave of power seemed to explode from him as he entered. The air in the room changed, becoming heavy and still. This powerful presence filled the drawing-room.

Right away, the two men who had been sitting jumped up quickly, as if someone had pulled them up by strings. They bowed deeply.

“Your Excellency! It’s been a while,” said Wicken.

“It’s been a long time, Your Excellency,” Luther added.

“…” The Sword Master looked at them. “You forget your duty and take sides in the prince’s fight, but you are still polite to me? Do you still have business with me?”

“Your Excellency, never!” Luther Kyle, the warrior known as Half Giant, who used aura power, answered smoothly, his voice polite even though he looked like a rough fighter. “I still remember the lesson you taught us.”

“Then?” the Sword Master asked, still sharp.

“This time, I came to meet the McLaine family,” Luther explained. “They are guests in your mansion. I heard they were staying here, so I came myself instead of sending a servant.”

“Logan?” the Sword Master asked, looking back.

“I came for the same reason,” Wicken Kalia, called Storm Blade and Luther Kyle’s rival, said quickly. “I didn’t want to cause you any trouble, Your Excellency.”

The Sword Master’s eyes changed slightly, showing surprise.

“Oh?” The Sword Master looked interested. “Is that so? Disciple, would you like to speak with them yourself?”

“If I may,” Logan said, stepping forward quickly. “I would be honored.”

Logan appeared from behind the Sword Master, smiling politely. “I am Logan McLaine. It is an honor to meet you both. I have always admired you.”

“I have heard much about the Sword Master’s disciple,” Wicken said. “But…”

“I am also pleased to meet such a talented young man,” Luther added. “But…”

“We want to talk to the head of the McLaine family,” Wicken said firmly.

“I have come to talk to your father,” Luther agreed.

The two Powerful Warriors spoke together, then glared angrily at each other again.

They both turned to look at Patrick McLaine, who was standing behind Logan.

Logan’s smile, which had been bright, faltered slightly. He hadn’t expected this.