Regressor Of The Fallen Family [EN]: Chapter 189

“It’s the Young Master!!”

“The Young Master has returned!”

The people in McLaine Town welcomed Logan even more warmly than in Taren!

Logan had been gone from McLaine Town for about four months, since the harvest. It was good to be home before the year ended.

Logan responded to all the welcomes with a smile and hurried straight to the manor.

“What’s the rush? You’ll run out of breath. I heard you didn’t even greet the Lord?” Dwayne, whom he hadn’t seen in a while, chuckled and placed documents in front of Logan.

“I’m in a hurry. I’ll be away again for about half a year, so I need to do everything I can before then.”

“Sorry?” Dwayne asked.

“Ah. Hasn’t the news arrived yet? There’s something like that. I’ll tell you later, so take a look at this first.”

Dwayne tilted his head, then straightened up.

“Hmm. Hmm. First, I’ll tell you about the whereabouts of Young Master Ronian, as I thought you’d be curious. He’s working as a mercenary in the southern part of the Empire under the name Roan……”

“Hoo……?”

Dwayne’s report was long, but it seemed his brother was adapting well to the life of a mercenary.

‘Mother would be horrified, but… it’s a good choice, Rony.’

Becoming a prospecting mercenary in the southern mountains was, excluding the danger—or rather, because of the danger—a good choice for growth.

Battles with magical creatures, rather than humans, would show Ronian a new world.

“Absolutely tell him not to go too deep. Definitely!”

“Th-that’s… the Lord already did. The Lady fainted once because of it.”

Oh dear, she already heard.

Logan sighed softly and then received a report on the results of the McLaine Merchant Guild’s business trip.

“……That’s all the results the guild has achieved. They made quite a profit, more than expected. However, they say that all the profits from the past half-year will be reinvested in repurchasing goods, opening trade routes, and establishing guild branches in major cities. It’s something the Young Master approved……”

“Yes. Of course. Just keep a close eye on the reports.”

“Yes. I understand. The internal affairs of the territory are written in the documents. The budget settlement is complete, and that’s about the amount of the remaining budget.”

“……Good. Are there any other problems among the administrators?” Logan asked, thinking of the former aristocratic administrators.

“Of course not. Thanks to the new administrators, led by Fabian and Locke, the budget settlement was much faster. Damian’s absence in the capital, doing what the Young Master ordered, isn’t even noticeable.”

“……That’s a relief.”

Logan was happy he had made Dwayne an administrator. Dwayne was doing so well.

“I don’t need to see all the small details,” Logan thought. “I trust Dwayne.”

“Young Master……”

The large administrator looked touched, so Logan, who simply disliked paperwork, quickly changed the subject.

“Ah, are refugees still coming into the territory?”

“Yes. It’s decreased since new territories were distributed, but even if they’re new lords, there’s no guarantee they’re better than the previous ones. On the other hand, rumors about our territory have spread far and wide throughout the country……”

“Alright. Then send the refugees to the Taren region. And only allow those who work hard and whose identities have been verified to live inside Taren. Continue providing food aid steadily for a while.”

“Yes. I understand.”

“Send all the dwarves remaining in the town to Taren for now. All of McLaine’s products will be produced in Taren from now on. Pay attention to the personnel placement accordingly.”

“Yes, that’s already being taken care of.”

“Good. I’m counting on you in the future, Dwayne. Don’t ever say you’re quitting.”

“Of course, Young Master!” Dwayne repeatedly bowed, thinking that he had become more tearful with age.

Having briefly concluded the administrative report, Logan immediately rose from his seat to check on the most concerning situation.

And fortunately, that person was on her way to the manor to find him.

A female knight with slightly sweat-dampened red hair and clad in armor, as if she had just come from training, was seen approaching.

Logan’s lips automatically curved into a smile, and the same was true for her.

“Logan, Young Master! I heard you were here and was on my way to find you.”

“Yes. I was going to find you anyway.”

“I knew it……”

“Yes?”

“I also wanted to give a performance report.”

“……?”

“You’re here to check on the female soldiers’ training, right?”

No, that’s right, but… Somehow, I feel a little disappointed…… don’t I? It’s been a while since I’ve seen her.

Logan awkwardly smiled, hiding his sullen feelings.

“Ah. Haha. Yes, that’s right. Are you coming from the training grounds?”

“Yes, follow me. I’ll show you the results.”

Her confident smile seemed to contain a desire to boast about the achievements she had made.

And that bright smile was more reassuring to Logan’s heart than any personal greeting.

“Yes. Let’s go.”

When Logan arrived at the training grounds, it was the final stage of running training.

He was worried that getting too close would disrupt the trainees’ concentration, so he watched from afar, but even that was enough to clearly feel the changed appearance of the female soldiers.

“Haa, haa.”

“10-minute break over. Everyone back to your positions!”

“Back to your positions!”

The trainees, who had just finished the town’s outer perimeter run, which could be said to be the basic training course for McLaine soldiers, moved in unison, repeating the instructor’s instructions.

As soon as the trainees, who had picked up wooden spears placed in the corner of the training ground, lined up at the same intervals.

“Thaa!”

Centered on the shout of a female trainee with a particularly tall height, the trainees simultaneously thrust their spears in the same motion.

The movements were still clumsy, but the discipline was alive.

It was hard to believe that these were the female trainees who couldn’t even match the rows and columns properly just half a year ago.

Moreover, that wasn’t the important thing.

“……232 people. They’re all still here? Surely there weren’t any dropouts? Even though they did the same regular training?”

That was the most unexpected and remarkable point.

Perhaps that was the part Aileen wanted to boast about the most.

“Yes. Not a single one.”

A smile naturally appeared on Aileen’s face as she answered.

“We focused on physical training for half a year, and started weapons training a month ago. I don’t think the training speed is lagging behind compared to new male soldiers, at least. And no one has given up. We’re starting to see some talented individuals as well.”

Aileen was respectful when reporting on work matters.

“Talented?”

“Yes. For example, the trainee at the very front, Cassandra, is unbelievably gifted with strength and flexibility. Her senses are also excellent. If she had learned swordsmanship from a young age, she might have become a Force User by now.”

“Hoo……?”

Following Aileen’s suggestion, Logan turned his gaze and once again noticed the tall trainee. But at some point, Logan’s eyes widened as he watched her closely.

“……And the young trainee Evelyn is also exceptionally talented. I think those two alone will prove that women can do as much as men.”

“……Cassie?”

“Yes?”

“Ah, no. She looked like someone I knew. I must be mistaken.”

He said that, but Logan was sure he wasn’t mistaken.

‘Why is that girl here now……? Huh, that’s interesting.’

The face of his old comrade, who was from the Grandia Kingdom and had risen to become an A-class mercenary in the Empire, and had also been active in the Grandia Liberation Front.

As much as he was happy about the unexpected encounter, reason blocked his feet from readily moving.

‘Cassie probably doesn’t know me right now anyway.’

He felt a little bitter, but Logan shook his head to clear his mind.

He had achieved so much thanks to his regression.

There were too many things to do in the future to express regret over a single severed connection.

However, that reaction seemed to have resonated differently with Aileen.

“Is she someone you know, Young Master?”

“Ah, no. I think I mistook her for someone else.”

Logan watched the young trainee stumble through the sword drills, a frown creasing his forehead. *He reminds me of… someone.* He shook his head, pushing away the thought. *No, that’s impossible. Past lives are just stories.*

“I’ll need to keep a closer eye on that one,” Logan murmured to himself, nodding slightly. “He’s… got potential, but he’s rough around the edges.”

“…Yes. He certainly seems talented.”

“Hmm? You can see that from this distance?”

Aileen looked at Logan closely. He looked away, quickly hoping his old friend was okay.

Aileen chuckled at Logan’s expression and began to explain the training plan.

“…After they learn the basics quickly, I plan to have them spar with the male recruits.”

“Sparring sessions?”

“Yes. It’s for show. I believe that if the first class of trainees shows a good image, the number of applicants will increase.”

“That’s smart,” Logan said, nodding. “Let’s do it.”

“Yes.”

Logan was worried the female soldiers wouldn’t train well. But now, it seemed to be going smoothly.

He couldn’t help but feel relieved.

Moreover.

“I have to go to the Empire soon, and it will take at least half a year.”

“You’ll need an escort. I can…”

“No. I know Aileen’s skills, but you need to be here to oversee the training. I can feel how much the female soldiers trust you.”

“Isn’t it a dangerous journey? Then someone a little stronger…!”

“It’s not a dangerous journey at all. In a way, it’s guaranteed by the Emperor himself. You don’t have to worry.”

“…Really?”

“Yeah, I will,” Logan promised. “I’ll be back before you know it. Safe and sound.”

“…I’ll trust you.”

“Yes.”

Even the problem he had worried about was being resolved so easily.

Logan gave Aileen the most trustworthy smile he could muster and squeezed her hand tightly.

Pfft.

“What is it? What’s with that silly smile?”

“……”

It didn’t quite work as intended, though.

But was training the women soldiers the only thing to worry about?

Even if he entrusted the matter of the Knights to his father, he also needed to check on the newly increased number of soldiers.

‘The best soldiers are probably in Taren. Maybe the training here is not as strict…’

However.

Logan’s worries were put to shame as he heard even more pleasing news from the soldier training camp.

“Awakening?”

“Yes. Among the first class of soldiers personally selected by the Young Lord, five, including Trey and Adam, have awakened their Force. They are currently on standby as trainee knights.”

Logan’s smile deepened at Kaisolon’s answer.

“Four years, in just four years?”

“Yes, that’s correct. The Young Lord’s insight is simply astonishing.”

They had fought in many wars, which made them stronger. The fact that they had shortened the period for a talented soldier to become a knight by more than half was definitely meaningful.

They were not individuals with genius-level talent by any measure.

“I’ll go right away. I need to see them. First, gather the soldiers.”

“Yes!”

After confirming those who had awakened and reconfirming those who had survived from those he had initially selected, Logan couldn’t help but wear a broad smile.

‘Indeed. My judgment was correct.’

Out of the thousand soldiers he had initially selected, only about five hundred had survived.

Among them, about a hundred soldiers possessed a meaningful level of Force.

Perhaps within a year or two, a significant number of them would be reborn as knight-level forces.

“Good! Everyone has worked hard! Three days of rest starting today!”

“Wooaaah!”

Logan smiled contentedly as he listened to the soldiers’ cheers.

However, the thought that soon came to mind made his heart heavy again.

‘The Empire is already selecting soldiers based on that standard nationwide. Even though I have created a more detailed standard…’

But would this really help us catch up to the Empire?

Of course, there were plenty of methods.

“If our territory alone isn’t enough, we’ll have to make the entire kingdom do it.”

“Yes?”

“Ah, never mind. You’ve worked hard, Kai. I’ll make sure you get a generous bonus.”

“Thank you, Young Duke!”

Five years from now.

He must close that gap.

‘It’s already going better than I thought.’

Logan reaffirmed his resolve and rekindled his fighting spirit.

“Back to work already? You never stop!” his father said with a chuckle.

“I’m sorry, Father. I should have greeted you first…”

“No, it’s alright. It’s all for the territory. Just take care of yourself while you work. You are the pillar of the territory.”

“Luckily, the people helping me are doing a great job, so things are going well. I’m a little relieved that things are going better than expected.”

“Your words are strange. Relieved? Is something wrong?”

“…I thought the news would have reached you?”

It seemed that not everyone in the territory knew the news from the capital.

He clicked his tongue in surprise, and his father asked back with a worried face.

“What news are you talking about?”

“It’s nothing. I’ve been too careless. I’m sorry. Father, I think I’ll have to visit the Imperial capital soon.”

“What?!”

His father’s expression changed drastically.

“…The Emperor invited you? Oh. Well, you have to go then. We can’t say no to the Emperor.”

When he told him about the events in the capital, his father nodded as if he understood.

“Yes. Since it’s a journey at the Emperor’s invitation, there won’t be anything dangerous.”

“Isn’t going to the Empire dangerous in itself? If what you say is true, the Empire is preparing for war.”

“That’s why they won’t hurt me now. If they did, it would be like starting a war with us.”

“Yes. Given your position in the kingdom now…”

“Fortunately, things are going well in the territory, so I can go with a light heart.”

“Yes. That’s a relief.”

His father nodded with a heavy expression.

However, Logan had no choice but to add words that would make his father’s face even heavier.

“…Father. I would like you to keep a close eye on the movements of the capital while I’m away.”

“The capital?”

“Yes. Especially His Majesty’s movements.”

“Why? Did something else happen?”

“It seems His Majesty is uncomfortable with me.”

“What?”

As Logan continued to speak, his father’s expression sank even more heavily as expected.

But Logan finally felt that all preparations were complete and let out a soft sigh.

As preparations for the trip to the Empire were nearing completion.

Suddenly, news came from Knox.