Regressor Of The Fallen Family [EN]: Chapter 195

The birds outside Viktor’s window sang loudly, “Chirp, chirp!” Sunlight streamed into the room, announcing the start of a new day.

Viktor had not slept at all. His mind was full of racing thoughts. He rubbed his tired, red eyes and got out of bed.

The room was comfortable, but Viktor knew he was in the land of their enemies.

He reached for his heavy armour and put it on. The cold metal made him feel more awake.

Today, from morning until night, Viktor and his team had to protect their lord. It was their turn to escort him.

Viktor was a knight, and his duty was to keep his lord safe.

He tried to stop thinking about the amazing fight he saw yesterday between those powerful warriors. It kept playing in his mind all night.

But it was hard to forget.

“Could I ever be that strong?” he wondered.

Every knight dreamed of becoming an Aura User – someone who could use special powers.

His lord thought Viktor would become one naturally. But Viktor felt it was a very far-off dream, and it made him feel sad.

“It all seems so unclear…”

He thought about old times, long ago, when there were fewer people and even Force Users were rare. Force Users were people who could use a different kind of power, not as strong as Aura Users.

A knight from that time, who needed help just to put on his armour, must have felt the same way when he saw a Force User.

To someone who was only a Force User, an Aura User seemed like someone from a completely different world.

Viktor clicked his tongue softly.

“I should be thankful just to have these worries,” he thought. “Things are so much better now.”

Viktor shook his head, took a deep breath, and left his room.

He was Viktor, the talented knight from McLaine. His sister was becoming famous in the Magic Tower.

Their lives had completely changed since they escaped the slave market in Harun.

Today, he would protect the person who made all this possible – his lord.

Viktor pushed aside his worries and walked confidently to meet his lord.

“The Western 3rd Corps is based here in Luthspellheim. They protect the Empire’s borders. But if things get really bad, they could be the first to attack our kingdom. So, watch them closely.”

Viktor stood up straighter when he heard his lord’s quiet words.

His lord didn’t say it directly, but Viktor understood. His lord thought of the Empire as a future enemy.

That must be why he was asking to see their soldiers, pretending to be impressed.

– “I am very impressed with your fighting skills,” his lord had said. “Could I see your 3rd Corps in action? I want to learn from your strength because our land is not as strong.”

“I will do it. I must do it,” Viktor thought.

Viktor used his Force – a special energy – to clear his mind and get rid of any tiredness. He needed to be alert.

They arrived at the military camp outside Luthspellheim.

Viktor was shocked by the impressive sight of the Western 3rd Corps. He felt his face turn pale.

“Attention! Show respect to our important visitors!” Blake shouted.

“Chung!” the soldiers yelled back.

Viktor looked around. Soldiers were everywhere! More than a thousand ‘knights’ stood in perfect lines on the training ground. They raised their swords together in a sharp, practiced movement.

Blake, the Aura User from yesterday, smiled proudly as he walked towards them.

“So, Lord Logan, what do you think?” Blake asked. “We changed our usual training a little to impress you. Did you like it?”

“This is truly amazing,” Lord Logan said. “I know how powerful the Imperial Corps is.”

Blake smiled even wider, pleased with Lord Logan’s praise.

“Oh, this is nothing much,” Blake said. “Most of our soldiers are actually at the border right now. It’s too bad I can’t show you more.”

Viktor thought, “Valterheim, one of the strongest places in Grandia, used to have over a thousand knights. But here, this is just…”

“The Western 3rd Corps,” Viktor thought, his mind racing. “Just one of eight Western Corps! This is the Empire’s power…”

Thinking of the Empire as an enemy, Viktor’s smile disappeared. He couldn’t look as calm as his lord.

“I was very impolite to that big man yesterday,” Lord Logan said to Blake. “I have a bad temper and I get angry easily.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Blake replied. “Lord Luther understands how things are. He won’t be upset.”

But Viktor noticed that Lord Luther was still nowhere to be seen, probably still annoyed.

Then, Blake, the Imperial Aura User, called over thirty knights who were standing at the front. He introduced them to Lord Logan.

“These are the best knights of the 3rd Corps,” Blake announced. “They will escort you to the Imperial Capital with me, Lord Logan.”

“It is an honor to serve such an important guest!” the thirty knights shouted together. They all knelt down on one knee.

Viktor could see how well-trained the 3rd Corps was, just by looking at them.

*’Among these thirty knights,’* Viktor thought, *’nine are very strong, and the others are also strong. And one of them…’*

Viktor looked at one knight whose power he couldn’t even guess.

*’He must be incredibly powerful,’* Viktor realized.

The fact that they could send so many strong knights just to escort a visitor, when it wasn’t even their main job, was scary.

“Isn’t this too many soldiers?” Lord Logan asked Blake politely. “Even for you, Lord Blake, this must be a lot of trouble.”

“We can’t be careless with a guest of the Emperor!” Blake said. “We want to make sure you are safe and have no problems during your journey. That’s why we are preparing so much.”

Blake, who had fought with amazing power yesterday, now seemed completely different – just a polite and helpful person.

Viktor was surprised that someone so powerful could be so polite, just because Lord Logan was a guest of the Emperor. It made him think.

“Haha, well then, I’m grateful for your kindness,” Lord Logan said. “I accept. Lord Blake, I’m curious about the Empire’s weapons. What kind of weapons do your soldiers in the 3rd Corps use? Maybe crossbows, or…?”

*’My lord is the most powerful nobleman in our kingdom,’* Viktor thought. *’He is the hero who saved us from the civil war.’*

Viktor felt worried seeing his lord being so humble in front of the enemy, hiding his pride.

*’He really is getting ready for war,’* Viktor realized.

Viktor looked at the knights of the 3rd Corps again, seeing them in a new way.

*’These could be the first soldiers to attack us,’* he thought. *’I need to figure out how strong they are. And…’*

*I must protect my lord.*

*I need to become stronger!*

Logan knew he wasn’t naturally gifted. So, he trained harder than anyone.

Victor watched Blake walk away. Blake, the kind man who had saved him and his brother. Victor felt his loyalty grow stronger.

“Crossbows? Why use those slow things? Ha, you must be joking.”

Logan looked at Blake’s serious face and nodded.

Logan already suspected the Empire’s fast crossbows were new. He guessed they hadn’t even been used in a real fight yet.

“Oh, I was just saying… we use crossbows back home.”

“Really? Oh, I mean… besides hunting animals, are they even good for battles?”

Blake still didn’t seem to care much about Logan’s kingdom.

“Well, we have better weapons now, you know. But I guess they wouldn’t be much use against your brave knights.”

“Ha ha, you’re too kind. Come on, let me show you our knight training areas. I bet even a little… sorry, *your* Kingdom could learn a thing or two.”

Logan thought Blake was showing off too much about his Empire. He even bragged about the knight bedrooms, which were probably just like the ones back home.

So, they followed Blake and looked closely at the training areas and all the weapons in the 3rd Legion’s camp.

Logan thought, ‘The 3rd Legion… about 25,000 soldiers. Smaller than it will be in twenty years, for sure. No fast crossbows. Around 1,100 knights. Looks like they’re not hiding anything important.’

Logan compared what he saw to what he knew from his past life. He figured out the real strength of the 3rd Legion. He nodded and smiled.

Blake was so eager to help, it didn’t take as long as Logan thought.

“Wow, the Empire really is different. I’ve learned a lot.”

“Not at all! It’s good for a young hero like you to be so interested in armies and fighting.”

“We won’t see another city this big before we reach the capital, right?”

“No, that’s right. But the capital, Aserian… that’s something else. When you see it, you’ll feel like you’ve entered a different world.”

“Wow. Really? That impressive?”

Blake spoke kindly, but Logan could feel a wall between them.

Logan tried to change the subject, carefully asking about other armies, the war for the throne, and where soldiers were near the capital. These were things Blake, as a commander, should know. But Blake gave nothing away.

“I’m sorry, but I can’t talk about those things.”

Did Blake not want to talk? Or was he not allowed to?

Blake had been so proud talking about his own soldiers. Logan thought it was more likely Blake *couldn’t* answer, not that he didn’t *want* to.

Logan thought, ‘Even a powerful commander like Blake has limits.’

If Blake was limited, it meant the Emperor – the man above even superhumans – was very powerful.

The more Logan saw of the Empire, the bigger the Emperor’s power seemed to loom, even though Logan had never met him.

Two days later, their business in Lusphelheim finished, the group prepared to leave.

Logan checked all the information he’d collected from different sources.

Philip’s McLaine Merchant Guild branch had been a big help in getting this information.

“– You’re right about most of it. Here’s the real information.”

The manager of the branch, a fast and helpful man who had traded in Lusphelheim for years, had gotten them the details.

Logan was so grateful, he wished he could pat Philip on the back right then.

Logan thought, ‘The information about the 3rd Legion is really well put together. If they add those fast crossbows, this army will be the first wave of the Empire’s attack in the war.’

That alone made the stay in Lusphelheim worthwhile.

Logan gave a real smile to the mayor, who stood waving goodbye at the city gates.

“Thank you for having us. I had a great time here!”

“Ha ha ha! The pleasure was all mine, Lord Logan. I hope you’ll think of us fondly.”

Logan heard that same hopeful tone again in the mayor’s voice.

Logan watched the mayor, who still foolishly hoped Logan, a top noble from the Kingdom, would join the Empire. Logan just smiled sadly to himself.

The rest of the journey was easy.

With Blake, a powerful Imperial soldier, leading them, no rebels or bandits dared to attack. They were told those groups were common in the wild parts of the Empire.

Also, there were no big cities between Lusphelheim and the capital. This meant Luther Kyle wouldn’t draw too much unwanted attention.

Plus, everywhere they went in the small towns and villages, people welcomed them warmly. Maybe it was because of Blake, or maybe because the Emperor had invited them. Whatever the reason, the journey was very pleasant.

However, Logan personally couldn’t help but feel a little uncomfortable during the process.

“Oh, what an honor to have you here, Lord Logan!” one noble gushed.

“Please, stay longer!” another begged.

“And this is my daughter,” a third noble said, pushing forward a blushing girl. “Isn’t she lovely?”

Logan started to sweat just thinking about it. Everywhere they stopped, Imperial nobles swarmed them, trying to befriend him. It started with polite welcomes, then turned into over-the-top praise, and finally, they were even trying to marry him into their families!

Logan felt even more uneasy when Blake started watching them train. Whenever they stopped in a town or camped for the night, Blake would observe them. One day, Blake carefully brought up a topic.

“Your knights train all the time, even when you travel. I see why they’re so good. Would you spar with me sometime? If you’re up for it?”

“Sorry,” Logan said. “I only got that aura power last time because of that magic thing. Fighting a superhuman like you would be too much for me.”

It wasn’t that Logan was upset he couldn’t train his aura with Blake around.

Logan thought, ‘I know how strong you are, Blake. I don’t need to show you my own power.’

It was a polite ‘no,’ but Logan had thought it through carefully.

Blake had been very respectful to Logan, treating him like a special guest of the Emperor. He couldn’t really argue after Logan’s polite refusal.

But it was still stressful having Blake watch them train, especially Logan and Luther. Blake would stand a little way off, staring at them with intense eyes.

Blake’s politeness, and the Emperor’s invitation, felt like a heavy weight pressing down on Logan again.

And so, the party’s journey continued for over a month, and the party, having experienced several territories of the Empire in succession, was gradually changing.

“Now I get it,” Henderson said. “Everyone keeps talking about ‘the Empire, the Empire.’ Even these small places are better than our lands. It’s amazing…”

Said Henderson, the leader of the 4th squad.

The group was amazed by all the new and wonderful things they saw in the Empire – smooth roads, clean towns, and buildings that seemed to reach the sky.

“Learn everything you can. Write down anything you wish we had back home. If we can bring it back, let’s do it.”

“Really, Master Logan?!”

They were so delighted by even these words.

‘The main point is to learn, you fool.’

Logan sighed to himself.

And as such conversations increased, the pride of Blake and the 3rd Legion’s knights subtly grew.

“Someday, our territory, no, our kingdom, will have more national power than the Empire. Because we have our lord.”

Logan just gave Victor a small, sad smile at his huge hopes.

After a month and a half of travel, they finally reached Aserian. The Imperial capital. The largest city on the entire continent.