Regressor Of The Fallen Family [EN]: Chapter 162

Loud laughter came from the communications room.

Ronian sighed with relief. He heard his brother laughing loudly. It was the first time since the war.

He felt worried when his sister-in-law arrived so suddenly.

“…Thank goodness.”

“See? I told you! Our lord is strong. Are you feeling better now?”

“Still, family worries, you know? … Viktor, please, just talk normally when it’s just us.”

“…It’s not that easy, sir.”

Viktor, his friend with different colored eyes, smiled stiffly. It was a little awkward. He looked away.

Even this small change was good. Ronian chuckled and patted Viktor’s shoulder. He thought of Viktor as a rival, deep down.

“Then let’s go enjoy the festival.”

“Have a good ti-”

“Seriously, the casual talk! And come with me, okay?”

“…Go alone. I’ll guard the mansion.”

“Weren’t you the one who told me not to worry about my brother?”

“It’s not that I’m worried about our lord… Ugh, never mind. Anyway, I don’t like festivals. Nothing for me to do there.”

Ronian knew Viktor didn’t like fun things. His friend never showed emotions.

But Ronian knew how to change Viktor’s mind quickly.

“Hey, I heard they have decorations at the festival. They were hidden away during the war. Lots of pretty things girls would like.”

Twitch.

“Okay, if you’re not going, tell me what Victoria likes. I can buy her a gift from the festival.”

“…I’m going.”

Were Viktor’s eyebrows twitching because he was excited or angry? Ronian wasn’t sure.

Ronian laughed to himself. He grabbed Viktor’s shoulder and pulled him towards the festival.

Even as they walked, Ronian still worried about his brother.

He thought, ‘My brother seemed happier. Maybe he’s having a good time with his wife.’

Ronian remembered his sister-in-law’s face. She didn’t look unhappy when they left the room.

Ronian didn’t understand love and marriage very well. But maybe his brother was already feeling less stressed.

He thought sadly, ‘If I was stronger, I could help my brother more.’

Ronian walked slowly, feeling guilty. He had started to feel like this a while ago.

*** The festival was here. Logan couldn’t go anywhere.

He decided to forget about work and worries for a few days. He wanted to enjoy his success.

Logan made this plan, but it didn’t work out.

First, there were piles of party invitations. But that was just the start.

Then, people started shouting. ‘Lord Logan, just one meeting!’ ‘Do you know who I am? Soldier, let me see Lord Logan!’ Some people even tried to bribe the guards. ‘Hey knight, be nice, let me talk to Lord Logan…’

So many people were crowding the mansion entrance. Logan didn’t even want to go outside.

Logan thought, ‘I could just tell them all to go away…’

But people already called him ‘Earl of Blood’ because of what happened at the palace. He needed to be careful about his image for now.

Logan could only quietly sigh.

Just then, Eileen sighed next to him. It was the same kind of sigh.

‘It’s even worse here,’ Eileen said. ‘Not much of a hiding place, is it?’ Logan said. Eileen smiled, but it looked forced.

Her family, the Floyds, were now very important because her father was the new prime minister. She said she couldn’t stand being at her family’s main house for even one day. But maybe that wasn’t the real reason…

‘Well,’ Logan said, ‘I guess we can’t avoid it. I heard even knights who are not working are hiding their family symbols and walking around the city.’

Of course, knights hiding their symbols was a joke. But it showed how much attention the McLaine family was getting.

‘It will be even more trouble if I try to visit your father alone,’ Eileen said. ‘I don’t think I can keep my promise to him right now. Maybe it’s best to go back home after the festival. Did he say anything else?’

‘…No,’ Eileen answered. But inside, she remembered her father’s words: ‘When are you getting married?’ She tried to sound calm.

Eileen looked at Logan angrily, but he didn’t notice. ‘He even asked me to marry him!’ she thought. The cold sword at her waist, Frigus, felt even colder. She was too proud to talk about the wedding herself. Was that why she was upset?

‘Then, Lady Eileen, please rest,’ Logan said. ‘You don’t need to guard me all the time. You can rest in your own room.’

The word ‘Lady’ used to sound nice to Eileen. But now, it annoyed her.

“Duty is duty. Don’t worry about me.”

Silence. The air between them suddenly felt cold.

Eileen’s strong word, ‘duty,’ made Logan feel uneasy.

“Did I make some kind of mistake…?”

“Not. At. All.”

Logan knew something was wrong. He opened and closed his mouth, but no words came out. He didn’t know what to say.

Finally, Logan spoke. ‘When people are close, they should talk honestly. If something makes you unhappy, you should say it. Don’t expect people to guess what’s wrong.’

“Yes, I understand,” Eileen said quietly. Silence again. Logan could tell she was even more upset now.

‘This is so awkward,’ Logan thought. ‘So awkward. Why?’

He thought and thought, but he couldn’t see what he did wrong. He hadn’t even seen her much lately because of the enthronement ceremony. How could he have done something wrong if they weren’t even together?

He was getting angry and wanted to glare at her. But then, he saw her glare. Logan quickly looked down.

‘No, what did I do wrong? Just tell me! I can’t read minds!’

Logan didn’t understand women well, but he knew saying these things out loud would make things worse.

Logan seriously pondered for a long time in the chilly atmosphere. Then, he suddenly came up with an idea.

“Ah!”

“…?”

“I forgot about that. I’m so sorry.”

Logan saw Eileen’s face soften a little. He thought, ‘Aha! I know what’s wrong!’

‘I promised you a vacation, but I made you work as my guard! I’m so sorry. You should go and rest now…’

Suddenly, Logan heard a sharp sound. *Scratch.* It was the sound of Eileen grinding her teeth. He stopped talking.

‘Oh. Haha. No, that’s not it…’ Logan said, confused. ‘Oh, so this is ‘guard’? ‘Duty’?’ Eileen repeated his words, her voice cold.

She was wearing armor, carrying a sword, standing next to him… Then what was she supposed to be?

‘Then, I will go and rest, as you order,’ Eileen said. *Bang!* She slammed the door so hard, it shook the walls.

Logan just stared as Eileen stormed out and slammed the door. ‘Why are you doing this?!’ he thought angrily. ‘I can’t know if you don’t tell me!’ He couldn’t say these words out loud.

*** [It will get better by itself. If you don’t know what you did wrong, just wait and see. Asking too much will make it worse. Trust me, I’ve been married twice.]

Logan didn’t listen carefully, but he thought the advice was weird. ‘Weren’t all of Father’s marriages for politics?’ he wondered.

Logan sighed at the useless advice. Then he heard laughter from the communicator.

“…?”

[Haha. You went to find the princess right after telling her to rest! You really need to get married soon…]

*Click.* Logan didn’t want to hear any more nonsense. He hung up.

Logan left the communications room with another sigh. He started walking faster, not saying anything.

‘Rest? No way. That’s why I can’t focus. I need to do my work now.’

Logan decided to do something he had been avoiding for days. ‘And I’ll take a walk too,’ he thought. Even if he had to wear a mask at night.

*Tap, tap, tap!* Logan walked quickly. He felt like he used the window more than the front door of the mansion now.

But this time, he didn’t want to hide. Logan climbed through the window into his study, like a ghost. Then, he opened the door and walked into the hallway. He didn’t care if people saw him.

‘Ah, Lord Logan! You’re finally here! Congratulations on your new title! Should I call you ‘Your Excellency’ now?’

‘Haha, please, just call me Logan. You’re Sir Lewis, the Duke’s best man! I can’t be formal with you.’

He greeted his teacher’s adjutant, who happened to be passing by the mansion’s hallway, and his former commander, in a friendly manner.

‘The Duke has been waiting for you for days! Why are you here only now?’

Logan paused. He suddenly remembered why he hadn’t come for days, even though he needed to see the Duke.

‘Haha… I’ve been very busy… I hope my teacher will understand.’

‘He seems a bit angry,’ Lewis said, laughing nervously. ‘But maybe not at you, Lord Logan! I’ll show you the way.’

Logan thought, *’I think it is because of me.’* But he couldn’t turn back now.

Logan smiled sadly and waved his hand. ‘I know the way. You must be busy, go back to work.’ ‘If you say so,’ Lewis replied. Logan watched Lewis leave, his smile fading. Then, he walked slowly towards the underground training hall. He didn’t really want to go.

*Grrrr.* “You’re finally here,” a low voice growled. Logan pushed open the heavy stone door.

The voice was always strict during training. But today, it sounded angry and dangerous. Logan wasn’t mistaken.

‘The student who begged me to help him get stronger comes three days late? Do you think I have too much time?’

*No, it’s not a mistake,* Logan thought. He hadn’t come for three days and nights. He hadn’t even sent a message. Logan smiled nervously and walked slowly. ‘I’m sorry, teacher.’ ‘Sorry for what?’ the Duke asked, his voice sharp. ‘Huh?’ Logan was confused. ‘What are you sorry for?’ the Duke repeated, louder.

Logan thought about saying he was busy. But he quickly knew that wasn’t what his teacher wanted to hear. The Duke didn’t want polite excuses.

Logan swallowed hard. ‘…I wanted to put someone I trust near the King. Because I have big plans for the future.’

‘So, you’re putting your old teacher, who is over seventy years old, back into a job? Without even asking me?’

The Duke scolded him right away. But Logan could feel the anger in the air lessen.

‘Still,’ the Duke said, ‘it’s better than making silly excuses.’ Logan smiled. He saw his teacher smirking.

‘So, I made it an advisor job, not a full-time job. I was even thinking of making you prime minister, but…’

‘That’s a terrible idea! If you did that, I would have beaten you up at the enthronement ceremony!’

‘So I changed my mind. I was worried I would get beaten up at the ceremony, even though I helped make this new era happen!’

‘Oh ho. You predicted everything?’

‘Of course.’

‘You have a brazen face, but it’s still better than the face you were making excuses with a few weeks ago. Alright, good. Draw your sword.’

“Yes, sir!”

Clang.

Logan saw his teacher smile. He smiled back and drew his sword, ready to train. But then…

‘You might have seen the other side of the wall, but crossing it is different. You can handle my aura now, so I’m going to train you hard until you drop!’

Suddenly, a strong red aura filled the training hall. It felt cold and heavy, pressing down on Logan.

Logan understood then. His teacher remembered everything. Even as the Duke pushed his amazing student harder and harder, he had one wish in his heart. ‘Stay good, Logan. Just keep being yourself. Please, don’t change…’