Regressor Of The Fallen Family [EN]: Chapter 130

It was happening again, just like two weeks before.

The west gate of Alun Castle opened, and the people inside came out to greet their guests.

There were at least five hundred knights.

And two transcendents.

Everything was the same as before, even the palanquin carried by eight soldiers at the front. But then…

“Lower it. I will greet them myself,” Prince Romain said.

The atmosphere was very different from last time, as you could tell from the prince’s attitude.

“Your Highness, Prince Romain von Grandia, the rightful heir to the throne! I, Patrick McLaine, report that I have returned after completing the mission!”

Successful completion of the mission?

Jordan almost said something about Patrick’s tricky words. It was hard to argue with them in front of everyone, but then…

The prince stepped forward first.

“Ahahaha! Yes, Sir Patrick, I commend you on your achievements! And to McLaine’s soldiers, thank you all very much!”

Prince Romain, who usually looked down on nobles, was now praising even ordinary soldiers, though he seemed casual about it.

The soldiers didn’t react much and kept their heads bowed. But the nobles knew what this meant and were very surprised.

‘He’s going to treat him as more than just a Margrave,’ one noble thought.

‘Another powerful person has appeared,’ another whispered.

‘I need to make a good impression,’ a third realized.

The nobles were all trying to figure out what was happening.

Then, Duke Jordan, the most important person there, made it clear.

“Welcome the warriors who have achieved the greatest feat! Honor McLaine!”

“Woooaaah!” The roar echoed through the castle as Jordan Valterheim shouted.

However, the face of someone standing behind him turned grim.

The Second Prince’s group had prepared a big welcome for McLaine, and it didn’t stop there.

Inside Alun Castle, McLaine was given the best mansion in the inner castle. A place for his soldiers to rest was also prepared.

Soon, a welcoming event was held in the great hall of the inner castle.

Since it was wartime, everyone wore armor. There were only non-alcoholic drinks and light snacks. But all the important nobles from the Second Prince’s group were there.

It was basically all of the elite forces.

‘Except for the Bifrost gang,’ Logan noticed.

No one stopped Roger Bifrost when he said he was tired and left. Everyone knew about the conflict between him and McLaine.

Only two of McLaine’s people were at the welcoming event: Patrick and Logan.

Patrick had told Logan, “I’ll take care of the Second Prince. I’ll just laugh and agree with whatever he says. I’ll say that you have all the real power, so we won’t get caught if I slip up.”

Patrick was talking and laughing with the Second Prince, so no one could get close to him.

Logan was talking to the gray-haired giant, Duke Jordan, so the other nobles could only stare from a distance.

Logan chuckled to himself but bowed politely to Duke Jordan, even though he didn’t feel like it.

“First of all, I want to apologize for not attacking the rear as promised,” Logan said.

“No, no. It was an impossible situation. It’s enough that you went around it and made a contribution,” Duke Jordan replied with a laugh. He patted Logan’s shoulder, seeming happy, but his eyes weren’t smiling.

If you weren’t standing very close to Duke Jordan, you would think his smile was real. But Logan could see it was fake.

‘Hellfire Sword? More like a cold snake,’ Logan thought to himself, but he smiled and replied, “Thank you for understanding.”

“Oh, understanding? Of course! We should reward those who have helped us. That’s what I always do. I’m sorry for doubting you at first. But you know why, right?”

“Of course. I’m just grateful that you’re welcoming me now, even if it’s late,” Logan said.

“Ahaha. Yes. I’m grateful that you understand. But…”

“Then, can I assume that my condition has been accepted?” Logan asked, cutting off the Duke.

His voice seemed unusually loud. All the nobles in the great hall, who had been watching them, now stared at them openly.

Jordan Valterheim’s face seemed to stiffen slightly.

“Of course! I will think about it. If we win because of you, I’ll do whatever you want! But…”

“Then, can I expect to be recognized as the owner of Bifrost’s territory, half of the Calia March, and even be given the title of Count? Is that what you’re saying?” Logan asked, cutting him off again.

Jordan’s face turned cold, and the room went silent.

“Huh… ahem. Didn’t I say I would think about it? I can’t decide that alone. The Prince is here too. You’re young and eager, but you should consider the situation of your superiors,” the Duke said, forcing another smile.

But secretly, Duke Jordan was using a special skill. It was like he was pushing Logan away with his mind, making Logan feel small and unsure. It was so subtle, Logan almost didn’t notice it.

‘Hmm?’ Logan thought. He was proud of his senses, which were better than most people, but he could barely feel it.

Duke Jordan was using a skill that shrinks the magic power within the body, causing a person to feel withdrawn and unsure. The person might not even realize it was happening.

It was such an amazing technique that Logan couldn’t understand how it was possible.

‘I know that magic power affects both the body and the mind, but…’ Logan thought.

Maybe only transcendents could use this skill.

Logan laughed to himself and lowered his head, pretending to be overwhelmed by the force.

“Ah… yes. I think I was a bit excessive. I apologize,” Logan said.

“No, no. Young people are like that,” Jordan said with a smile. But Logan had already gotten what he wanted.

He glanced at the audience with his head bowed. The nobles were murmuring with surprised expressions.

Logan smiled without anyone noticing.

Finally, Duke Jordan brought up the main point.

“Those weapons you used were amazing,” MacLane said. “Any chance you’d share them with us? We could win this war easily.” Logan could hear what MacLane really meant: *give me those weapons so I can be more powerful.*

The Duke’s hand stayed on Logan’s shoulder, and Logan felt a strange, tingling energy flowing into him.

*That won’t happen,* Logan thought.

“Ah, about that,” Logan said, pretending to be nervous. “I’m very sorry, Your Excellency, but we don’t have any extra weapons. We only made enough for ourselves.”

“Oh… is that really true?”

The Duke’s eyes became cold and sharp, like a snake’s. A strong feeling of threat filled the room, and the nobles around them stepped back. The strange energy from his hand grew stronger, and Logan felt it too.

Suddenly, Logan felt a terrible fear. He knew he should tell the truth to this man, or something bad would happen. But even though he was scared, Logan stuck to his lie.

“Y-yes, Your Excellency. I’m sorry…” Logan gasped, pretending to be in pain. “Ugh…!”

“Oh dear,” the Duke said, his voice still smooth but now colder. “That’s a shame. Hmm, you look tired. I’ve kept a hero who just fought for too long. Rest now. There will be another battle soon anyway.” Jordan turned away, patting Logan’s shoulder with a fake smile.

Logan stared after him, feeling like he had just woken up from a bad dream.

*Superhuman power, huh?* Logan thought angrily. *That rotten bastard…*

Logan used the Poscore, a small device that protected his mind, to hide his true feelings. He let the Duke’s strange energy wash over him and pretended to be affected. Small beads of sweat appeared on Logan’s forehead, despite the cool air, making it look like he was really feeling the Duke’s power.

Then, other nobles rushed to his side.

“Lord Logan, those weapons! I have questions!”

“Perhaps we could talk privately?”

“Haha, your fighting was amazing! I am…”

Logan recognized only the Frontier Counts. The rest were unimportant men. But Logan smiled and spoke to each of them, skillfully avoiding their questions. One noble asked, “Exactly how does this weapon work?” Logan smiled and said, “It’s quite complicated, but the important thing is it works very well!”

*I’d rather be fighting,* Logan thought, sighing inside. *Damn it.*

Just then, a Frontier Count suddenly spoke up. He had brown hair and blue eyes, and his face was plain but intelligent. “But if you don’t have the weapons themselves, could you at least give us a sample or a blueprint?”

“Luchen… Count Talos,” Logan said, recognizing him.

“Hmm, yes. Thank you for remembering me,” Luchen said. “People don’t usually remember me, you see.”

*How could I forget one of the most important people in the faction?* Logan thought.

“How could I not recognize you? It’s an honor to speak with you, Your Excellency,” Logan said, pretending to be humble and bowing deeply.

Luchen’s blue eyes narrowed slightly, watching Logan closely, as if he could see through Logan’s lies. “Since you say it’s an honor, maybe you’d consider my request?”

Logan gave the answer he had ready. “Giving you blueprints wouldn’t be hard. But it would take a long time to make them and get them ready to fight. In the current situation, I don’t think it would be helpful.”

“I think we could do it quickly if we all worked together,” Luchen said.

“Hmm. If you put it that way, then I guess I can do it,” Logan said, pretending to agree.

“Oh, really?” Luchen asked, raising an eyebrow.

*Of course not really,* Logan thought. He would give them fake blueprints. The crossbow would be weak, like the Wolves used, and the Liberatio would be completely fake. There was no time for them to check if they were real.

“Why not?” Logan said, smiling sweetly, even though he felt the opposite. “We’re all in this together.”

“Haha,” Luchen laughed, patting Logan on the shoulder. “Are you really going to do it? It’s hard to give up something so valuable. I think I was wrong about you.”

Just a few hours after that meeting, word of what Logan had said reached the ears of one man.

“Who dares do whatever they want on my land?!” the Prince roared.

He slammed his fist on the table. Crash! Normally a composed man, the Prince’s face was now twisted with fury. The air around him seemed to crackle with anger, and his blue eyes became bloodshot.

The Second Prince’s faction praised MacLane and Logan, but they were more worried about fighting the Kairon Wolves than about the destroyed supply bases.

The Twin Castle was huge, packed with nearly 30,000 people inside its walls, like ants in a nest. They thought taking food from the castle would be enough to solve the food problem.

But the First Prince’s faction was in a worse situation. All three supply bases were burned.

The nobles had ignored the farmers’ problems, but now they were in trouble too – they had no food. They realized that almost no farmers had stored enough food from last year.

“We’ve taken all the food in the castle,” one advisor said, “but it will only last a week at most. If we take food from the villages outside, we might get a few months, but the enemy won’t just watch us do that.”

“So, are we saying we have to leave this castle?” another noble asked, his voice worried.

“…If we can’t get more food, I’m afraid we will,” the advisor admitted.

“Damn those traitors!” Juan Douglas shouted. “They really messed things up for us. Turen is one thing, but how did Alston and Pirenze get burned? Is there a spy? Those damn bastards!”

“Sir,” another advisor said, hesitantly. “Something’s been bothering me…”

“Don’t hesitate! Tell me what you think!” Juan Douglas snapped.

“Well… Alston and Pirenze were both places where Kairos stored grain. I was thinking… could they be related to those traitors?”

Juan Douglas’s face darkened, and his eyes became hard.

And so, it happened.

When the First Prince’s rushed army threw open the gates of Alon Castle and marched out again, something surprised everyone.

The Kairos Knights, the soldiers people insulted by calling them “Merchant Soldiers” or “Golden Knights,” the ones everyone thought were weak compared to even smaller landowners, were leading the First Prince’s attack.