Regressor Of The Fallen Family [EN]: Chapter 169

Jorge walked towards the training grounds, his bandaged head throbbing. ‘Maybe,’ he thought, ‘today is my chance to really impress them.’ He hoped to be taught by the Lord himself, or at least his son Logan. This could be his way back to importance.

He arrived to find a group of knights already talking. He heard Denmil say, “Iron Blood is much better than Wind Breaker. It really shows you that swords skills can be very different, even for those still learning.”

The knights around Denmil looked surprised at Jorge’s arrival. Despite the bandages on his head, he still had influence over the Calia Knights he used to lead.

“Could it be… advanced swordsmanship?” asked another knight.

“Advanced swordsmanship is for knights who can use Aura,” Denmil explained.

“Oh, sorry,” the knight mumbled.

“Tsk,” Denmil clicked his tongue. “Anyway, stop talking about things that don’t matter. We need to learn as much as we can. The McLane Knights are really strong.”

“Yes, sir!” the knights replied.

Jorge nodded to his former soldiers, making them feel calmer, and then continued towards the main training area.

But when he arrived there, he heard something completely unexpected.

“Excuse me? Sir Digrom…?”

Jorge tried his best not to show his disappointment.

“Yes. My father and I are skilled enough to teach you, but we are a bit busy. Sir Digrom is a great knight and can teach you the important skills of swordsmanship. Are you not happy with Sir Digrom as your teacher?”

“Ah, no. I will follow your orders.”

“Good, that’s great. Just by practicing with the Iron Blood Sword, you will definitely become stronger. Make sure to learn well.”

“Yes, thank you!”

Whether he knew Jorge’s complicated feelings or not, Logan turned away immediately after saying those words.

As soon as Logan left the training grounds, the knights, now teacher and student for a short time, became loud and excited, just as everyone thought they would.

“Is it possible to repeat this a thousand times today at this speed! Are you out of your mind?!”

“Son of a….”

“Hey, what did you just say?”

“I said I will work so hard that the wind will whistle past me!”

One of the knights was telling them to do the Iron Blood Sword, which takes 30 minutes to perform just once at a normal speed, a thousand times a day.

“Practice like it’s the real thing! Does a knight not know that! Charge!!”

“But why do I have a wooden sword…?”

“This is sparring training under the assumption of unfavorable conditions.”

“Haaah….”

“What?”

“I can do it all day long.”

The training that looked like they were just hitting each other was not even the hardest part.

“This is defensive training. Just block.”

“Do I just block?”

“Yes. Just block. Until I stop.”

“Son of a b….”

“What?”

“I will endure until it breaks!”

There was even a knight who was openly trying to beat his opponent.

Padric, who was watching all the scenes from his office in the distance, clicked his tongue and turned around.

“Isn’t this too much? It seems that our existing knights have a lot built up.”

“They say they are just doing what they learned from someone.”

“What? Who is doing such training….”

“……”

Padric finally understood from his son’s obvious look, and he jumped slightly and turned his gaze away.

“Hmm. Hmm. I was trying to make them angry because things were not going well… Hmm, the weather is really nice.”

Logan, who smirked at his father avoiding his gaze, looked at one place that was particularly quiet even in the noisy training ground.

The people who were causing a ruckus earlier were all within the expected range.

But the scene unfolding there was truly unexpected.

Wham!

Even though he didn’t use his power, just by using the right feeling and movements for the sword, he made a loud sound like an explosion.

The instinct of a well-trained, top-tier knight immediately made him realize that he had performed the correct Iron Blood Sword for the first time.

An achievement made in just 10 days.

It was partly because of Jorge’s own understanding of swordsmanship and his high level of Force.

“Good. It seems you just need to practice more to get used to it.”

It was also because the teachings of this ‘teacher,’ who was nodding calmly in front of him, were excellent.

At that, Jorge bowed to this young teacher with sincerity.

“Thank you, Sir Digrom. It’s all thanks to your teachings.”

Was it unexpected?

Digrom, who was slightly embarrassed, immediately waved his hand.

“No. It’s all thanks to Sir Jorge’s hard work. Let’s stop here for today.”

Digrom only said what he had to say and turned around even after receiving a sincere greeting.

Jorge, who saw his back, blurted out the words he had been holding back for the past few days.

“Why are you being so kind to me?”

Digrom stopped and answered in a calm and uninterested voice, without even turning around.

“I am just carrying out the orders from above.”

“Aren’t you displeased with me?”

“Is there any reason to be?”

“Until recently, I was your enemy.”

“There are many such people here.”

Digrom answered indifferently and was about to move his steps, but Jorge blurted out words that he couldn’t ignore.

“I’m ashamed to say that my subordinates, no, my former subordinates, are excited that I might be able to take on a major role in the Knights. And I, too, was thinking that it might be possible, because of what I’ve heard about the Grand Duke, that he likes people with skill.”

Only then did Digrom stop walking and turn around.

But the answer was different from what Jorge had expected.

“The Grand Duke values skill. He values practicality over honor. It’s a very possible story.”

“What I want to ask is your heart.”

“Excuse me?”

“Are you still not dissatisfied?”

Digrom sighed softly, but the answer came without delay.

“A knight only follows the orders of his lord. My heart is not important.”

“Still, people’s hearts are….”

“I am happy with any direction as long as our Knights can become stronger. The Grand Duke will think so too. So, if you take on a major role, please keep that in mind.”

At those words, Jorge stared intently into Digrom’s blue eyes.

A simple answer that did not sound selfish at all.

Is this really an answer that an ordinary person can give?

But, seeing the unwavering look in his eyes, Jorge nodded with a hollow laugh.

Then, he shouted loud enough for everyone in the training ground to hear.

“I, Jorge, swear to respect and follow Sir Digrom as my senior knight, according to my lord’s command.”

Digrom’s eyes widened, his mouth slightly open. He looked utterly bewildered by Jorge’s words.

“W-What is the meaning of this, Sir Jorge?”

Seeing Digrom finally falter, Jorge smirked.

Padreig, who had been watching the scene unfold, tilted his head in confusion.

Though he couldn’t hear their words, their actions were clear enough.

“Weren’t those two supposed to be the biggest problem? It seems they’ve reconciled?”

“Yes, it appears so.”

“Hmm, that was faster than I expected.”

“Yes, and it seems the next commander of the Knights has been decided as well.”

“What?”

Logan smiled, ready to explain everything to his father, whose eyebrows were still raised in confusion.

“Wasn’t Ronian supposed to be the future commander of the Knights?”

His father’s words took him by surprise.

“What?”

“What? If you were to inherit the family, what were you planning to have your brother do? Just give him the baronetcy and let him establish his own territory? A brother with no talent like him?”

“No, that’s not what I meant. Ronian should take over my or Father’s role in case of an emergency. But the commander of the Knights? That’s a bit… The next generation of Knights Commander to replace Sir Heinkel should be chosen from among them.”

If circumstances allow, he should even take on roles beyond that.

Logan swallowed his innermost thoughts.

His father stared at him with a strange expression.

“Really?”

“Yes?”

“Unless it’s wartime, even if Ronian is still lacking, wouldn’t he be fine during this peaceful time? As he gradually gains experience and his skills improve, he’ll be more than qualified. It’s not like the commander of the Knights can’t act as your proxy when you’re away.”

“Ah….”

Logan finally realized the critical difference in perception that he had overlooked.

But before he could add anything.

“So, what you’re saying sounds like you expect another disaster to happen in a few years. Is that right?”

“Ah. Haha. No, that’s not it, but….”

Without realizing it, cold sweat trickled down his back.

“Rather than entrusting a heavy responsibility to Ronian, who isn’t even an adult yet, I thought it would be better to have him gain experience by assigning him various tasks. The future you speak of is too far away for us.”

“Yes, that might be the case. But Logan, you too will one day realize that time doesn’t flow at a constant rate. The feeling that it’s flowing faster and faster as time passes. When you reach my age, it feels like a decade or so has passed in the blink of an eye.”

This country could be ruined before even half of that time passes.

“So, always look far ahead and think about the future.”

“Yes, I understand.”

To be precise, I’m focusing on the period around five and a half years from now.

As Logan was saying that in his mind.

His father said something strange again.

“In that sense, it seems like you made a slight mistake in entrusting Ronian with the operation of the security forces.”

“Yes? Why? Did something happen?”

“No. The organization you created by even bringing in retired knights is proving to be more effective. The number of disputes within the town has drastically decreased. Tesron and McLaine Castle too. I can almost hear the cheers of the territory residents.”

“Isn’t that a good thing?”

“Yes, except for one thing.”

Where could there be any downside to that news?

Padreig continued, with a slightly hardened expression, towards the bewildered Logan.

“Of course, it’s not a big problem, but Ronian’s name is being quite frequently mentioned among the territory residents.”

“What’s the problem with that….”

“It’s only been a short time, so it’s not a worry *yet*. But if Ronian keeps doing this good work and becomes popular with the people, we might have problems later.”

Logan could finally understand what his father was saying.

Of course, accepting it was a completely different matter.

“There won’t be any problems, Father.”

“Yes, your position is strong now, and Ronian follows you. But the future is uncertain. Even if Ronian doesn’t want it, the issue of succession may be raised.”

At those words, Logan almost burst out laughing.

So, he missed the timing to retort, and his father went even further.

“Perhaps it would be better not to let Ronian go outside and just focus on swordsmanship training? In noble families, the second son only needs to be an excellent knight. He could become a source of discord within the family.”

In that moment, Logan felt a sharp difference between his past life and his present life.

‘In my past life, Ronian saved the family alone. He protected the country until the end. I was just an exiled prodigal son.’

It had been a long time since he felt the difference between his past and present lives so intensely, and a hollow sigh escaped him.

“Father, I plan to entrust this territory to Ronian.”

“What?! What nonsense are you talking about?”

“You heard me. Not right away, but someday Ronian will lead the McLaine territory.”

“That’s absurd!!”

Padreig shouted, but Logan’s expression was firm.

“It makes perfect sense. He’s more than qualified.”

“How much have you contributed to the territory so far….”

“I’m going to aim for something bigger.”

“……What?”

“I can’t tell you yet, but just know that. So, it’s actually a good thing for him to build a reputation.”

“You don’t mean that’s why you were so… at the meeting….”

“Yes. I was delighted that Ronian was offering and resolving opinions about the territory.”

“No, still, that’s not right. I can’t accept it!”

“You will accept it. Just like you always have.”

“You rascal, what on earth are you thinking….”

Padreig trailed off.

Logan simply smiled at his father.

‘Father….’

Ronian’s hand, which had been about to knock on the door, froze in place.

He had been sneaking towards the office with cat-like steps, intending to boast about his recent achievements.

He had even hidden his presence, planning to surprise his brother by suddenly appearing.

But he had overheard a conversation he shouldn’t have.

‘Am I hindering my brother’s path?’

It was something he had never even considered.

His fist, which had been about to knock on the door, clenched involuntarily.

Ronian McLaine quietly retraced his steps with a gloomy expression.

As if nothing had happened.