Regressor Of The Fallen Family [EN]: Chapter 203

Trist Hornsby’s attack was a huge shock.

Even though he had no injuries, Logan could barely move for three days.

It took another week before he could train again and feel ready to fight against that strange power.

A superhuman who easily uses techniques no one has ever heard of.

‘He’s definitely stronger than Master, by far!’

Logan couldn’t help but feel hopeless.

Logan knew Trist Hornsby was old, likely near the end of his life for a superhuman.

Yet, the fact that he showed such power was amazing, and Logan felt more afraid knowing that there were four more superhumans like him in the Empire.

– If you want to learn, come to the Empire.

Trist’s last words, ‘If you want to learn, come to the Empire,’ tempted Logan even more than the Emperor’s promises.

But…

‘I can get over it. Someday.’

The amazing technique used by the greatest swordsman on the continent clearly showed Logan the direction he needed to grow.

This is why Logan could get over the shock and ignore the Emperor’s tempting offer.

‘Definitely!’

With that thought, Logan continued his training at the detached palace.

Logan thought, ‘I need to truly awaken my power after leaving the Imperial City. But for now…’

After the time he promised the Emperor had passed, Logan finally left the detached palace for the first time.

It was the end of the Spring Festival.

He was going to tell the Emperor that he would return to his kingdom.

“Please inform him.”

Logan looked at the door with the golden dragon engraved on it with his red eyes.

The last challenge before leaving the Imperial City was inside.

“This is Logan of Grandia.”

– Let him in.

Creak!

It was time to face the Emperor again.

“I greet the Emperor.”

The Emperor’s power in his office, even after three weeks, still felt huge to Logan.

The strange light in his black eyes still made Logan uneasy, and the expression that hid his thoughts made him even more anxious.

“Hmm. It’s been a while, Logan. So, did you like my gift?”

Gift?

Logan realized the Emperor was talking about Trist Hornsby’s attack.

Logan smiled slightly without meaning to.

“Yes. It helped me a lot, thank you.”

The Emperor smiled at Logan’s answer.

“Trist said you were impressive. So, have you changed your mind?”

Impressive, huh?

‘That’s too much.’

Logan felt a little ashamed remembering how weak he had been, but he answered quickly.

“Your Majesty, thank you for the praise. I am also sorry. I still want to be a citizen of Grandia. Since the festival is over today, I’m here to tell you that I will return to my kingdom.”

“Hmm…?”

The Emperor smiled in a way Logan couldn’t understand after hearing his firm answer.

Then, he said the words Logan had feared.

“Do you know? I have never given up on something I wanted in my life.”

He meant he would never let Logan go.

Logan’s face became serious at the worst possible reaction.

But Logan couldn’t give in to the Emperor’s pressure, so he had to stand firm.

“…Then you will only get my death.”

“Haha. Willing to die? Is your king really that important to you? You don’t seem like a loyal person.”

Logan didn’t know why the Emperor thought that, but he was right.

Seeing Logan hesitate, the Emperor smiled again.

“So, tell me what you want. I will give you more than anything you want. Something your king, your kingdom, can never give you.”

The Emperor seemed to have a strange power.

Even Logan, who was determined to leave, started to wonder if he should stay.

But Logan shook off those feelings and said firmly again.

“I only want freedom, Your Majesty.”

“Freedom? Not loyalty to your kingdom?”

Simple words wouldn’t convince this Emperor with his intense gaze.

His eyes, shining with a strange light, seemed to see through people’s hearts, and his greed never gave up.

That’s why Logan had to reveal some of his true feelings.

“My king can’t force me. But you are different, Your Majesty. That’s why I can’t stay in the Empire.”

“What? Hmm… Haha! So, you’re saying you’ll stay in your kingdom because you can control your king? Are you crazy?”

“Yes. That’s right.”

“Puhahaha! This is more interesting than I thought. Haha, this crazy…”

The Emperor laughed loudly in the office for a long time. Logan wondered what was so funny.

Only when Logan, who bowed his head, and the superhuman guarding the Emperor’s back looked confused did the Emperor stop laughing.

Then, smiling, the Emperor said something Logan didn’t expect at all.

“Alright, good. I’ll let you go!”

The Emperor agreed more easily than Logan expected.

Logan was surprised and happy, but the Emperor quickly added.

“But not just like that.”

Logan felt a little uneasy at the smiling face, but he could only nod with a weak laugh at the Emperor’s next words.

The Emperor didn’t just let Logan go.

– I don’t want people to say I was unkind to my guest. I have a small gift for you.

The gifts the Emperor sent were more than all the gifts from the nobles in the detached palace combined.

Jewels and riches filled five carriages pulled by four horses each. It was more wealth than many nobles in the Empire owned.

In the end, Logan and his group had to leave the Imperial City on horses, guarding five carriages full of wealth like bodyguards.

The amount of wealth alone would have caused gossip in the Empire. But the biggest news among the nobles was the special gift for Logan: the ‘Shoulder Guard of God’.

The Emperor gave a weapon to the guest from Grandia.

The shoulder armor with the odd gold patterns was talked about not for how much it was worth, but for what the Emperor meant by giving it.

Everyone in the Empire knew that the Emperor only gave weapons to knights he really valued.

The envoy from the kingdom was greatly favored by the Emperor.

So, it’s no surprise that this rumor spread quickly from the Imperial City everywhere in the Empire.

Because of this, Logan couldn’t help but frown from the first day he left the Imperial City.

“That Emperor is making things complicated for me,” Logan muttered.

“Are you worried about robbers?” Viktor asked.

They both laughed.

Robbers who would attack a group of Aura users and knights would be fools.

“The trouble is going back home with these rumors.”

“What do you mean?” Viktor asked, looking confused.

Logan explained,

“He’s given them an excuse. Some people will want to attack us because of this.”

“Yes? Who in Grandia would dare to go against their king…?”

The king.

Logan couldn’t say the words, and just smiled bitterly.

Even though the Emperor’s plan was troublesome, Logan had gained so much from the Empire that complaining seemed silly.

‘Just seeing the Emperor and knowing that such a superhuman exists was worth coming to the Empire.’

The Emperor, who felt so powerful, and the superhuman with amazing skill who used unbelievable techniques.

For Logan, who knew he’d fight them later, seeing and feeling their power was worth more than anything.

Plus, the treasures he got as a bonus.

Whirr!

The artifact that the Emperor called the Shoulder Guard of God showed its power on Logan’s shoulder.

– This weapon won’t break even with Aura. It’s only strong, but for someone like you, who will become superhuman, strength is better than a weak, showy artifact.

That’s how the Emperor explained it when he gave it to Logan.

But Logan felt familiar with the item from the moment he got it.

Beyond the faint mana on the outside, he felt something much bigger hidden inside.

It was the same feeling he had when he first held the Boots of the Wind God from Bifrost and the Gauntlets of Monstrous Strength from Kraune.

‘I never thought I’d get something like this.’

As soon as he left the Imperial City, Logan put his Force into it.

As expected, the shoulder guard absorbed his Force and showed its abilities without hiding anything.

‘Durability enhancement and increased recovery. Class 4 shield magic with self-restoration.’

This was the third special artifact that only worked with his Force. He felt a strange connection to them now.

Even if you forget about the artifacts from Bifrost and Kraune, the fact that the Emperor didn’t know how powerful this shoulder guard really was made it even more special to Logan.

Unlike his other artifacts that people ignored, this one was considered valuable just for being able to block Aura.

‘Are there more artifacts like this? If so, why only me…?’

Logan didn’t know yet, but since it wasn’t a bad thing, he wore the new weapon happily.

And Logan gained more than just information about the Emperor and superhumans, and artifacts from this trip to the Empire.

Whirr!

A golden light bloomed from his fingertips.

The power he would gain from now on would be the key to withstand the great power he felt in the Empire and to overcome the future.

“Duke Luther, can you come with me for a bit?”

“Huh? What’s up?”

“I think I can show you something interesting.”

When Logan showed the light of Aura on his fingertips, Luther understood and his eyes widened.

“You mean… really? Already?”

Luther asked, not saying everything he meant. Logan just nodded.

The group decided to set up camp early that evening, the first night after leaving the Imperial City.

“Your Majesty, was it necessary to go that far?”

The place where Logan left.

A voice suddenly came from the empty office.

But neither the Emperor’s guardian knight, Leonard, nor the Emperor seemed surprised.

“Do you think it’s too much?”

An invisible person answered the Emperor’s question with a smile.

“The wealth isn’t that much, but giving him a weapon seems like a bit much. Doesn’t Your Majesty have a reputation to think about? Even if the artifact is useless, it looks like you’re favoring a knight from another country too much.”

Someone was criticizing the Emperor.

The Emperor’s subjects rarely did that, but the Emperor didn’t seem unhappy.

“It’s not too much. He’s only in his early 20s, but his superhuman martial power is one thing, and his courage to challenge me in the Imperial Palace is even more valuable. To break his will and make him come to me someday, I have to invest that much. I’m letting the world know that I’m interested in him.”

“…He might reject Your Majesty and turn against the Empire.”

“Then I’ll just have to destroy him when that happens.”

The Emperor’s thinking was different from everyone else, and he seemed relaxed.

However.

“…It seems the Second Prince is getting involved in Grandia. Knowing what he’s like, I worry Logan will be more likely to fight against the Empire.”

The Emperor looked confused at those words.

“Baros? That kid?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Hmm. Well, that would be interesting too.”

“Are you just going to watch?”

The Emperor smiled slightly and replied calmly.

“When young talents fight each other, they grow in some way. Let them do what they want. But tell them to try to win Logan over as much as possible.”