Regressor Of The Fallen Family [EN]: Chapter 183

A few days prior, inside Grandia Castle.

“Indeed, Your Majesty, you are most wise,” Chancellor Roberts Floyd said, bowing low. Around the long, heavy table in the state council hall, all the ministers copied him, dipping their heads in respect. King Rogers had seen this scene countless times. *Too* many times. Usually, he could tolerate it. But today, the words felt like tiny needles pricking his skin.

He waited for the meeting to end, but then, as always, the Chancellor added those same, irritating words.

“Then, after speaking with Count Logan, I will bring this matter up again at our next meeting.”

King Rogers’ jaw tightened. He felt a sudden urge to shout. Today, those words were especially grating, like nails scratching on a chalkboard.

He unconsciously raised his eyebrows at words he would normally have laughed off.

He closed his eyes for a moment, trying to calm his mind.

“Your Majesty, are you unwell?”

An imbecile who couldn’t even read the mind of his monarch further irritated him. Or was he doing it knowingly?

‘It couldn’t be that far.’

The king suppressed his increasingly agitated thoughts and opened his eyes with a sigh.

“No, no. I just seem a bit tired, Chancellor. Let us conclude today’s meeting here.”

“…Understood, Your Majesty.”

As the chancellor bowed and retreated, some ministers kept talking, even though the meeting was supposed to be over.

“We must find someone to become the Queen as soon as possible, Chancellor.”

“That’s right. Being alone and lonely during the long nights, it’s no wonder you’re fatigued.”

“Haha. Indeed, we must.”

If vassals are close to their monarch, they might engage in such banter. But were we ever close? Since when?

Crack! Bang! King Rogers was too angry to stop himself. He slammed his fist on the desk. The loud noise made everyone in the hall go silent.

However, as the ministers’ bewildered gazes converged on him, he immediately regretted his actions.

‘Bloody hell…’ What foolishness was this? A monarch displaying such intense emotion? And for such a trivial reason?

“Ahem. I will speak first when the time is right for marriage. There is no need to rush matters of state when I am still young.”

He tried to speak calmly. But an unexpected person brought up an unexpected point.

“Count Palman’s words are not entirely wrong, Your Majesty.”

Roberts Floyd. What scheme did he have in mind now?

The king struggled to control his increasingly skewed thoughts, maintaining as gentle an expression as possible.

“What do you mean?”

“Should Your Majesty marry and produce an heir as soon as possible, the future of this nation would be more secure, would it not?”

It wasn’t wrong. But why did those words, spoken with a smile, sound so displeasing?

Before he knew it, another skewed remark slipped out.

“Are you saying I’m going to die before that?”

“Your Majesty. I did not mean it in that way…”

The chancellor, Roberts Floyd, who was also the father-in-law of Count Logan McLaine, looked surprised. King Rogers felt a small, mean satisfaction at seeing him flustered.

Yet, he felt pathetic for feeling that way. Was that why? The innermost thoughts he truly wanted to hide blurted out.

“Even if I were to die, it wouldn’t matter, would it? The person who will become king is already determined anyway.”

The one who made a prince with nothing into a king.

“Your Majesty, how can you say such things…!”

If you make such a surprised expression, you really do seem like my loyal subject. ‘Pathetic. I am…’

King Rogers felt like he would do something else he would regret if he stayed there. So, he stood up quickly.

Leaving the gazes of his vassals behind, he stepped out of the hall, where a familiar face greeted him.

“Your Majesty. I will escort you.”

Nod. Even with just a nod in response, the faithful royal chamberlain, Cleo, seemed to read his troubled mind and moved immediately.

After walking for some time, when he felt his stifled heart lighten a little,

“Your Majesty. Was there something unpleasant at the meeting?”

Cleo spoke at a remarkably opportune moment. Yes, it was because he had such talent that he was kept by his side.

The king looked at the vassal he had first promoted with a somewhat proud gaze. Of course, that didn’t mean they were close enough for him to reveal his weaknesses without reservation.

“It’s nothing.”

“I apologize, Your Majesty. I merely noticed that your countenance appeared darkened…”

“No, there’s no need for that. How could one not be stressed when discussing matters of state? It’s a common occurrence. A common occurrence…”

He was a king, yet he felt like a fake, a dirty feeling. Yes. It was just a common occurrence he had been feeling frequently lately.

“Then, shall I prepare your usual medicinal wine?”

The familiar vassal skillfully scratched his troubled mind.

“Do so.”

Yes, if not for even these small comforts, how could he bear to live in such frustration?

Pour. The moonlight shining through the window brightly illuminated the office, and the small moon reflected in the glass quietly soothed his heart.

Yet, the mistake he had made in the great hall today lingered in his mind. ‘I still have a long way to go. I…’

Gulp. The burning sensation traveling down his esophagus soon washed over his chest with coolness. A feeling of relief as his stifled heart opened up.

“Cleo.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

The faithful vassal, who had been standing at attention near the door, immediately bowed his head.

“What was the name of this wine again? It tastes particularly good today.”

“It is Flamma, one of the empire’s finest wines, Your Majesty.”

“Flamma?”

“Yes. It is said to mean ‘flame’ in the ancient language.”

Pause.

“…I see. That seems fitting. Was it you who recommended this wine?”

“I am sorry, Your Majesty.”

“Sorry? I am offering praise. Haha.”

“I am humbled, Your Majesty.”

“Humbled? I am the one who is grateful. Nothing brings me as much comfort as this wine.”

“……”

Pour. As he refilled his glass once more, the moon, which had once again risen, pleased his eyes. However. ‘Flame, is it…’ The name happened to remind him of someone. Was that why? Words he would not normally have said slipped out of his mouth again.

“What do you think of Logan McLaine?”

Was it too sudden a question? Cleo’s expression slightly hardened. But soon,

“He is the top contributor who ended the civil war and enthroned Your Majesty.”

It was a textbook answer that anyone in the kingdom would likely give. Adding a little more, they might even say he was a hero who saved the country.

“Yes. That’s right…”

A man who wasn’t much older than himself, yet had turned the kingdom upside down. And the one who made him, who had nothing, into a king.

The King felt grateful. He knew he *should* be grateful to the Sword Master.

“Why am I…?”

Was he bothered by him?

He mumbled quietly to himself.

It was dangerous to say where someone might overhear, so he stopped himself from saying more.

Then, he grew angry, wondering why he, the king, should be troubled. He scoffed at himself for feeling that way.

The moonlight and starlight seemed more lonely than beautiful.

Not many days after that day, something terrible happened.

“Kill him!!”

Nearly twenty masked assassins burst from the inner palace gardens.

The king, lost in thought and seeking to clear his mind, was accompanied by only a few guards.

Fortunately, Louis Heion, the Sword Master’s right-hand man and a top-tier knight, was among the three escorting guards.

“Protect His Majesty!”

Three advanced, fifteen intermediate.

Louis quickly looked at the attackers. He told the two best knights to protect the king and leaped towards the attackers.

He believed that dealing with the enemies swiftly was the most important thing.

And that choice proved correct. If Louis hadn’t attacked quickly, the assassins might have reached the king.

“Aaaargh!”

“A m-monster!”

“Don’t fall back! Kill the king!”

How they had gotten so deep into the royal palace was a mystery, but none of the masked figures could withstand Louis.

Louis quickly killed seven of the masked men. He began to fight hard against the three masked men who seemed strongest, attacking them all at once.

The two advanced knights from the Esperanza Knights Order, left by the king’s side, were easily stopping the attackers.

Then, finally…

Snip.

“Ack!”

Louis’s sword flashed red light again.

The right arm of the man who seemed to be the leader of the attackers was cut off. Immediately, the man ran back and shouted.

“Everyone, retreat!”

“Nowhere to go!! You’re trapped!”

Louis immediately chased after them, but-

“Eat this!”

Flash!

Two other masked men took out scrolls from inside their clothes, tearing them open and throwing one at Louis and the other towards the king.

Louis’s face hardened as he felt an unusual surge of mana.

Rumble.

The magic that unfolded with a thunderous roar cut off Louis’s sight and senses, plunging the surroundings into pitch-black darkness.

He instinctively stopped his pursuit and returned to a defensive stance, but…

‘…No attack?’

He felt more and more worried and confused. Then, the magic disappeared. He saw the garden was half destroyed.

Louis’s gaze turned back quickly.

“Your Majesty!”

He gasped and sighed in relief.

One of his subordinates was staggering, charred black as if struck by some intense magic, but thankfully, the king was unharmed.

Then, what caught his eye again was the state of the garden, wrecked from the fight.

Yes, just a garden completely ruined.

‘The corpses?!’

A few bloodstains were all that remained of their presence.

Did the men who attacked the king collect even their comrades’ bodies and run away?

Moreover, why didn’t they use such a powerful scroll from the start, having it with them? Was there some restriction?

Louis had many questions in his mind.

But the most important thing was to help the king.

Louis stopped thinking about his questions and quickly went to the king.

“Your Majesty, are you unharmed?”

At the question, the king stared blankly at Louis.

His expression still showed the shock. But soon, he seemed to wake up and nodded.

“Ah, yes. I am fine. Well done. Quickly, call a priest. We must save Lord Tenin first.”

Louis saw the king was not hurt and nodded right away.

“Yes, thank you! Hey! Is anyone there!”

He shouted loudly to call for someone, but no one approached. Only after the other advanced knight, Peron, went directly outside the garden to call for people did they begin to gather.

It was later revealed that the royal garden guard’s schedule had been completely changed by someone at the moment the incident occurred.

The attempted assassination of the king, which occurred deep within the royal palace, immediately caused chaos in the palace.

Clang!

“Is it even possible that no trace can be found?!”

His trembling hands clearly showed the king’s anger.

At first, he was just confused and stunned. But later, he realized he almost died. He became very angry. He couldn’t be patient anymore.

Even though the king was angry, Cheison Riverfield, the head of the Magic Tower, bowed his head and spoke calmly.

“We erased the traces with magic. Except for the blood from the dead attackers, we removed every trace. Life tracking, trace tracking magic, none of it works. Because they didn’t use strong magic, it’s clear they planned everything well.”

“So you cannot find them?”

“I am sorry, Your Majesty.”

The Magic Tower Master could only bow his head at the fiery gaze. The Sword Master, Logan, who was standing next to him, spoke instead.

“Your Majesty, blaming the Tower Master won’t help now. We need to stop rumors from spreading. The country could become chaotic because you just became king. I will punish the people who did this and make sure no one talks about it.”

“Do you have any idea who they might be?”

“…Perhaps it could be a group following the vanished First Prince.”

The Sword Master, Logan, mentioned the only prince who had disappeared when he seized the royal family.

“Clavis? That young child?”

“Many knights who supported the First Prince disappeared with him. They are the most likely suspects.”

“Hmm. Well, it does not matter. Duke, please find the people who did this. Find them all, whether it’s Clavis or not.”

“I will keep that in mind, Your Majesty.”

How could he catch them if magic couldn’t even find their tracks?

The Sword Master just bowed his head, hiding his worries.

Because he needed to calm the king’s anger first.

“I will double my guard force for a while. You may step down.”

“Understood, Your Majesty.”

The king’s expression was not good as he left the office.

He had asked the most powerful people in the kingdom to help, but he still felt bad.

‘If the Royal Magic Tower Master cannot find them….’

This meant it was unlikely anyone would be found to calm his anger.

“Your Majesty. I will escort you.”

From the office to his bedroom, knights, not palace servants, guarded him now.

The king could feel a little relieved as he looked at the face of Louis, who had made a significant contribution to protecting his life.

“Duke McLine will catch them. Don’t worry too much.”

Even though Louis was just saying nice things that probably weren’t true.

“Yes. I understand.”

He felt a little more at ease.

He nodded and started walking, but then he felt something was wrong.

“Clavis, so even if the First Prince is safe, would there be nobles willing to follow him?”

“…?”

“No, never mind.”

The king was surprised by his own thought and quickly shook his head.

But he couldn’t stop thinking about it.

‘To make Clavis, who has no power, the king, it is not enough to just kill me. Logan and the Sword Master would not allow it. Then they have to defeat McLine and the Esperanza Ducal House. Are there fools who would join forces with them?’

No matter how he thought about it, it made no sense.

Then, the feeling of being less important, which he had felt for a while, came back strongly.

He felt like the red-haired man with red eyes and a confident face was looking down on him again.

“Louis.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“In this situation, if I die, who would become king?”

Louis didn’t know how to answer.

The king looked even more serious.

And a few days later, Logan McLine arrived in the capital.