Regressor Of The Fallen Family [EN]: Chapter 119

When the civil war started, it was surprising how equal the two sides were. The First Prince and the Second Prince seemed to have almost the same amount of power.

This was evident just by looking at the strongest forces of both sides when the civil war started.

The Valterheim Knights were famous and strong. There were a thousand of them, and they had never fought together as one group before. People had heard many stories about them.

Also, the Second Prince had two hundred powerful magic users from the Ice Magic Tower and the Douglas Knights fighting with them. This made them very strong too.

Also, the Marchlords, who protected the kingdom’s borders, were divided. Some supported the First Prince, and some supported the Second Prince.

The best soldiers from both sides were testing each other, trying to find weak spots. At the borders, there were many battles that didn’t really change anything.

But as winter ended and spring came, and then spring turned into summer, one side slowly started to become stronger, even in the main battle areas.

The soldiers fighting didn’t notice it yet, but the leaders of both sides were starting to understand this.

Someone who knew how this war would end could see it even more clearly.

“The war is starting to lean to one side, slowly but surely. It’s happening a little faster than I expected,” Logan thought.

He put down the important war report from Knox, a report that cost a lot of money – 100,000 gold! He tapped his fingers on the wooden desk, thinking deeply.

“I wanted to end this war quickly to stop the kingdom from getting weaker,” he thought. “But things are changing even faster than I planned. I’m not ready yet…”

Because he had accepted knights from other places, he now had more than 150 knights. The new soldiers had finished their basic training, so he had over 3,500 regular soldiers.

His Cataphracts, a thousand strong and heavily armored soldiers, were back to full strength. Even though his 10,000 citizen soldiers were still training, Maclain’s army was already bigger than it was before they took Tomodo. It was bigger, at least.

This army was stronger than most Marchlords had. If Logan joined the civil war, he would be a big surprise, something that could change everything. A very powerful surprise.

But still… ‘It’s just size,’ he thought. He wasn’t happy with just that. He needed more time to prepare.

Luckily, the worst part of the civil war, the part that people would later call the kingdom’s most terrible war, hadn’t started yet.

Right now, only the best soldiers and hired fighters were dying.

They weren’t forcing normal people from their towns and villages to fight yet.

The leaders of both sides were still being somewhat sensible. So, Logan could wait a little longer.

“‘I hope it’s ready soon,’ he said quietly.”

“Yes?” Rick said.

Logan jumped, surprised. “Whoa! Rick! You scared me! How long have you been standing there?” He was startled by the sudden voice, but he was relieved to see it was just Rick, his servant.

“What are *you* talking about? I’ve been here for… wait a minute. Don’t tell me you weren’t listening to anything I said?” Rick asked, looking annoyed.

“Ah… Sorry, Rick. I’ve been thinking about other things. What were you saying?” Logan replied with a sheepish smile.

“…Sigh,” Rick said dramatically. “A servant never gets a break, do they? Always working. You promised I could rest after delivering that letter, but you were acting like you forgot.”

“What? No, I remember,” Logan said. “Go take a break. I always keep my promises.”

“Really?!” Rick’s face, which had looked tired just a moment ago, suddenly lit up with happiness.

“Were you really that tired?” Logan asked, noticing the change.

“Hehe,” Rick chuckled. “You know, a market opened in Maclain Town recently. They have some really interesting things there, things you don’t usually see.”

“I thought you’d just want to sleep if you were so tired,” Logan said.

“Sleep? Maybe,” Rick said with a grin. “But my… girlfriend… would be upset if I just slept. I have to spend some time with her on my day off.”

“Okay, okay. Have fun,” Logan said, waving his hand dismissively.

“Aren’t you even a little bit curious?” Rick asked, surprised.

“About what?” Logan asked, confused.

“I just said ‘girlfriend’… or ‘sweetheart,’ if that’s easier for you to understand!” Rick emphasized.

“Uh, not really,” Logan replied.

Rick’s face fell. “Oh,” he said, sounding disappointed.

“Why?” Logan asked, noticing Rick’s change in mood.

“Ah… well, I guess… maybe it’s not that surprising,” Rick mumbled, looking down. Rick, who had been so cheerful just moments before, suddenly seemed sad.

Logan chuckled softly, patted Rick on the shoulder, and put a heavy pouch of coins in his hand.

“Buy Lyla a nice silk dress, and get some good food for both of you. That should be enough.”

“L-Lord…!” Rick stammered, eyes wide with gratitude.

“What? Don’t you want it?” Logan teased.

“I love you, Lord!” Rick exclaimed, a big grin spreading across his face.

“Alright, alright, you silly boy! Go on, get out of here!” Logan said, pushing him gently away, but smiling.

“Why don’t *you* take a break too, Lord?” Rick asked, his grin turning mischievous. “Maybe go out with Aileen…”

Logan’s smile faded. “Hey! Shut up, you!” he said, trying to sound stern, but there was a hint of amusement in his voice.

“Why not? She’s your fiancée, even if she is a knight!” Rick protested.

“A date? Now? With a war going on?” Logan scoffed.

“But we’re not fighting in the war!” Rick pointed out.

“Fine, then give me back the money for your ‘date’!” Logan joked, holding out his hand.

Rick laughed and quickly turned to leave. “I’ll be back later, Lord!” he called out, and hurried out of the room, the door closing with a soft click.

Logan shook his head, a sad smile on his face. He sat back down at his desk, surrounded by piles of papers. He had so much work to do, and training too. No rest for him today.

But Rick’s words kept coming back to him. “Vacation.” “Date.” Those words, which meant fun and free time, felt strange and distant to him now.

‘Going to the market…’ he thought in his own language. For a moment, he pictured himself walking through the market with Aileen, a small smile touching his lips. Then he quickly shook his head, surprised at himself.

This was not the time for daydreams about normal, peaceful life. Aileen had been training harder than ever since the war, as if she felt something important was coming. He was happy that the town was doing so well, that they could even have a market now. That was why he had smiled, not because of the thought of a date.

‘Market, huh…’ he thought again. ‘If there’s a market, there must be more people coming to town. I need to make sure security is tighter, especially around the market and my house.’

He tried to focus on these practical thoughts, pushing the other thoughts away.

“Fine silk! Strong hemp from the Empire! Perfect for making clothes!” shouted one merchant.

“Try these delicious skewers, famous all the way from Bipros Castle!” yelled another.

“Strong iron tools, made by a real craftsman!” boomed a third voice.

The market was in the heart of Maclain Town, right at the crossroads where the tall stone monument for the fallen knights stood. The place was packed with people, all talking and laughing. It felt like the terrible civil war happening everywhere else in the kingdom had completely missed Maclain Town.

Because the Maclain family now controlled Bipros, more and more merchants came to Maclain Town to sell their goods. The market grew bigger every day.

Just a year ago, people here were worried about having enough food and warm homes. Now, the people of Maclain Town had everything they needed and more.

“Our town is going to get even richer!” said one happy villager. “Our Lord is amazing!”

“That’s right,” agreed another. “Life has never been this good!”

“Yes, yes! Haha!” laughed a third. “Maclain is going to be the best place in the kingdom! Come back with more goods next time, I’ll sell them all for you!” Raft, a middle-aged trader, said to a younger merchant.

The young man nodded. “Definitely,” he said. “I didn’t realize it would be so busy here. I didn’t bring enough stuff. Sigh…” He looked sadly at the pile of fabrics in his tent.

Raft chuckled. “Hmm? Word about Maclain must have spread to Bipros Castle already?” Raft asked.

“Oh, yes. But I was traveling, so I heard the news a bit late,” the young merchant replied.

“Ah, I see,” Raft said with a smile. “Hehe. You seem like a hard worker, young man. Being young is a good thing!”

People might wonder why Rafe was there, even without hearing any gossip. But the shop owner didn’t want to make the young seller unhappy, especially since he brought such good fabric.

And Rafe smiled back.

“I’m really tired. Things have been busy lately… I need a few days to rest. Is there a good place to stay in town?”

“Oh, I see! Then let me show you a place. It’s clean and the food is good.”

“Thank you.”

Rafe smiled, but his eyes shone secretly as he looked down. He had a plan.

Night had fallen, and the streets were empty. It was hard to imagine this quiet place was the busy McLaine Town from earlier in the day.

Many people came to McLaine Town, and they needed things. So, markets and places to stay, like inns, started to appear. But the town was still new. It didn’t have places for fun at night, like big cities do.

That’s why the first floor of the few inns that were like pubs was so lively.

“Wow, this town is growing fast! In a few years, it’ll be huge, like a real city!”

“Yeah, I know! It’s not just a small village anymore. Someone was really smart to build it here.”

“They say it was the Young Duke’s idea!”

“Oh, come on! Don’t believe everything you hear!”

People were talking excitedly.

“Excuse me, sir?”

The inn was noisy. Rafe turned to see a waitress.

“Could we sit with you? There aren’t many empty tables…”

“Hey, look who it is! Ralph, is that you?”

“Oh? You know this guy?”

“Know him? We go way back!”

Rafe forced a smile. His companion was grinning. The waitress, happy to have found them a spot, left quickly.

“It’s Rafe now, you idiot.”

“Ralph is easier. So, Ralph it is.”

This always happened.

They hadn’t known each other for long, but this guy always annoyed him.

“So, you’re sure?”

“Yes. We don’t care about the normal soldiers, but there are thirty knights.”

“Thirty knights and 150 soldiers in total.”

“Correct. I checked it again.”

His information was still messy.

*And this guy is supposed to be a great killer?*

Rafe felt annoyed.

If he hadn’t seen how amazing the assassin was himself, he would never work with him.

“The execution?”

“Yes, tonight.”

Despite the noise, his companion spoke very quietly.

Of course, they could read lips, so the volume didn’t matter, but the message did.

“Tonight? So soon?”

“Why wait? The only one we need to worry about is the lord.”

“But still, should we check more? I heard the Young Duke was tough, even against those Biprose twins.”

His companion laughed.

“You believe stories like that? He’s just twenty-one! Ha! Does he think he’s some kind of legend already?”

He clearly didn’t believe it.

“Still, we should check.”

“Figures you’d say that, being a former knight. Tch. If you’re scared, I’ll do it alone.”

“Ha…”

Rafe made a face, like he’d just drunk bad beer in this small town.

He was even more annoyed by this guy’s careless attitude.

But things were bad in the main war.

He, this guy, and Jeff (who wasn’t here) couldn’t stay in this faraway place for long.

And what the guy said made some sense.

*We only need to worry about the lord and a magic user. Forget about the magic user.*

Rafe sighed quietly and nodded.

“Okay, Jeff and his people will deal with the lord. We’ll fight the Young Duke together. We need to teach him what happens when you go against the Archduke.”

“Tch. You’re scared.”

The guy made a clicking sound with his tongue, but he agreed to the plan.

* * *

The moon was weak that night. Away from the town center, near the Duke’s house in the north, black shapes gathered in a dark alley.

They wore black clothes and masks. They moved like shadows. Even though there were thirteen of them, they made no sound at all.

“Everyone, you know who you’re after?”

They all nodded to the quiet voice. It was so soft, you could barely hear it.

“Make sure they know we were here. Then get out fast.”

The masked figures’ eyes showed they wanted to kill.

“So everyone will know what happens if you disobey the Archduke.”

As soon as he finished speaking, they disappeared into the night.

The night was very quiet, even for a moonlit night.

Logan had been meditating, his eyes closed, trying to find inner peace. Suddenly, his eyes snapped open.

He was a very strong Force User, almost the best, but he wasn’t getting any better. This made him restless.

But something else made him open his eyes now.

*Danger… someone wants to kill me?*

He felt a strange, bad feeling in the air. When he meditated, his senses became stronger. They had picked up this bad feeling, and that’s why he stopped meditating.

*Intruders!* Logan knew it instantly.

He grabbed his sword and quickly put on his special boots, the Boots of Wind, and his strong gloves, the Gauntlets of Strength.

*Whoosh!* He felt stronger and faster right away.

But he didn’t have time for more armor. He could already feel something bad right under the window.

*Swish!* Logan moved to the window like a silent ghost.

Without a sound, he swung his sword.

*Craaaack!* Golden light flashed from the sword as it cut through the wall.

“Ugh!” Someone cried out softly on the other side.

*Crash!* Logan jumped out through the broken window.

He felt his sword hit something! *But it wasn’t a strong hit.*

*I need to stop them now!* *Rumble!* He heard the wall falling behind him, but he couldn’t worry about that.

Just as he landed on the ground, a long, red sword came at him, right for his face! *A Force Blade!*

These attackers were more dangerous than he thought.