Regressor Of The Fallen Family [EN]: Chapter 206

Logan felt a headache starting. It was a heavy throb behind his eyes. News had reached him that a group was causing trouble, claiming to support the First Prince, Clavis. Clavis was a prince from long ago, almost forgotten by everyone. Terrorism? To make someone king? It didn’t make sense. No sensible person would agree with that.

“So,” Logan said, turning to Dwayne, his advisor, who stood beside him holding a rolled-up scroll, “these… troublemakers… they are using Clavis as an excuse?”

Dwayne nodded, unrolling the scroll slightly. “[All we know for sure is that they say they follow the First Prince…]” he read.

“The First Prince Clavis?” Logan frowned, his headache getting worse. “He’s ancient history! Even if it’s true, they are just rebels, not followers of some old prince.”

“[Yes, exactly. We don’t have much information. Just that they claim to be Clavis’s people,]” Dwayne confirmed, looking worried.

Logan bit his lip, annoyance rising in him like a bitter taste. Nonsense, he thought. Just what I need right now.

Only half a year away, and this sort of nonsense had sprung up.

“Has Damian said anything?”

[No, nothing. He just sent a message apologising that he’s only spending money as he’s still in the organizational phase.]

“Ugh. Yes, I suppose so.”

His hope disappeared, just like he thought it would.

Then came another absurd piece of news.

[However, the information guild, Knox, reports that an increasing number of those who have witnessed the terrorists claim to have seen Clavis himself.]

“What?”

The real Clavis was still alive?

Could it be that there really was a mad terrorist group?

The thought alone made him sigh.

‘No, that can’t be. Someone’s using him to plot something. I need to find out.’

Another task added to the list of things to do to secure the kingdom.

At this point, that was all Logan thought about them.

Of course.

“I need to get back quickly.”

As a result, the journey from Luthspellheim to McLane was shortened to less than half the time.

“The Grand Duke has returned!”

His territory after nearly half a year away.

The people of McLane Town gave Logan and his party a grand welcome.

Just the sight of eight carriages, which hadn’t been there when he left, overflowing with riches, was enough to tell them that the Grand Duke had been up to something again.

When it was announced that Luther Kyle, an Aura User, had decided to settle in McLane, the entire territory was once again abuzz with praise for Logan.

– Just as expected of the Grand Duke!

A phrase that was now almost a figure of speech in McLane.

Amidst the fervent cheers, Logan tilted his head, puzzled, as he entered the mansion.

The two people who should have been the most pleased to see him were nowhere to be found.

“W-well… you’ll understand when you go to the office.”

Seeing Dwayne avoid his gaze for some reason, Logan cautiously opened the door to the office.

Then, a familiar face popped up from behind a mountain of documents.

Wild red hair, darker shadows under her eyes.

“Who… ?”

The owner of the weary voice froze for a moment when her eyes met Logan’s.

“Aileen?”

“Logan! Oh, when did you get….”

Before she could finish, Aileen’s head disappeared again. There was a brief flurry of activity behind the pile of documents.

A moment later, she stood before Logan, looking a little more composed than before, but still utterly exhausted, with a slightly embarrassed expression.

“Oh, I heard you were coming, but I was so swamped with work that I forgot it was today. I look a bit of a mess, don’t I?”

“No, you’re still beautiful. But that’s not the point. Why are you here, Aileen?”

“Well, my father said he was going on a business trip and left me in charge of the approval authority. He said I need to start learning how the family business works.”

Huh. That old man.

He used to discriminate against her for being a woman, and now he’s dumping the whole job on her?

How can a person change so much?

Logan, who had been momentarily stunned by the absurd story, realised something strange a beat later.

“A business trip?”

“Yes, the details are confidential… He just said he was going to do the work that Logan entrusted to him.”

“Ah…!”

The list that Knox had given him.

Only after hearing Aileen’s answer did Logan remember the task he had entrusted to her father and exclaimed.

‘So, by now….’

As Logan was lost in thought, Aileen, sensing the change in atmosphere, quickly changed the subject.

“Was everything alright in the Empire? You seem to be doing well.”

At that, Logan looked up again at his fiancée.

It wasn’t a lie to say that she was beautiful, even in her completely worn-out state.

Of course, he preferred her usual healthy and vibrant self, but even her tired and haggard expression made him want to hold her close.

‘How exhausted she must be.’

Conflicting feelings of absurdity and sympathy made it difficult to find the right words.

So he simply raised his hand and showed her the golden aura.

As a knight, she would understand the meaning of this….

“Aura!! Wow! How did this happen!”

“Ugh! W-wait a moment. H-hold on…!”

Aileen, her face suddenly flushed with excitement, lunged at him as if to grab him by the collar, and Logan could only manage to calm her down by summoning his power.

“Well, it’s been like this since Luthspellheim….”

As he began to explain, the story grew longer and longer.

But after hearing the long story, all the events in the Empire, Aileen’s eyes were shining even more brightly than before.

Especially when he talked about the superhumans and awakenings in the Empire.

Seeing that look in her eyes, he breathed a sigh of relief and chuckled.

“You’re not cut out for paperwork either, are you?”

“No. Honestly, it was too hard.”

Her honest answer made him chuckle.

“Then why are you doing all this work? You have your duties with the women’s division, so you could have left it to Dwayne.”

“Ah! Speaking of the women’s division, I have something to report. The training results are good, and the results of the sparring matches with the male soldiers the other day….”

“Aileen.”

“…are so good that we can start increasing the number of recruits, right?”

“I understand. Rest now. I’m here, so I’ll take over. You can report that in writing, so get some rest. You look tired, very tired.”

“…I’m really alright.”

Even as she said that, she was subtly moving away from the desk, which showed how much she hated paperwork.

Logan took over the seat with a wry smile and began to stamp the documents with vigour.

Thump.

Thump.

Thump.

Logan moved with incredible speed.

Eileen, looking relieved, was about to leave the office but stopped and stared.

“Um… Lord Logan, aren’t you going to check the contents?”

“I hired good administrators precisely because I didn’t want to check these things. Dwayne will have done the final checking anyway.”

“Uh, what if something goes wrong…?”

“Then it’s the responsible party’s fault.”

“Wow…”

Eileen looked doubtful, her mouth open slightly and her eyes narrowed. The bearded administrator, Dwayne, was sorting through the treasures outside the mansion with a happy smile, when he suddenly shuddered.

“Ugh, brrr. Why am I suddenly cold?” he mumbled.

Logan had quickly gone through the paperwork, but he had asked Dwayne to handle all the details about the changes in his territory.

In reality, the only things Logan needed to directly handle were the additional recruitment notice for female soldiers and matters related to the fortress city of Taren, so three days was enough to understand what had changed in his lands.

Just as Logan, now with some free time, was thinking about the terrorist incident and gathering information, Dwayne burst into the office.

“Grand Heir!! Those rebels have recently risen up in the northeastern part of the kingdom!”

“Risen up? Do they have that many troops left? Which territory is it in?”

“It’s the former Zahid County. It’s the place ruled by the count who was executed for being part of the First Prince’s faction. And the armies of the nearby lords and viscounts have all been swept away!”

“What? Where did they gather such troops?”

“Well, I don’t know that either. The royal family has already contacted us to hold a meeting to plan what to do. It seems you’ll have to go to the capital.”

An unexpected event.

Only three days after returning to his hometown, Logan had to head back to the capital immediately.

After rushing on horseback, he arrived in the capital, Gran, in three days.

Logan didn’t even stop by his mansion, heading straight to his mentor.

“You’ve come.”

His mentor looked tired and worn.

But his face lit up the moment he saw Logan.

“I heard the story from the Empire. You made quite a splash.”

“Made a splash?”

“I’m talking about refusing the Emperor’s offer. I heard he even offered you a territory the size of a kingdom?”

“Well, I’m a Grandian, after all.”

Even as he spoke, he couldn’t help but think that, unlike the McLean territory, his mentor knew quite a lot of details about what had happened in Asrian.

‘Should I invest more funds into Damian to speed things up?’

He was newly aware of the need for a personal information network, when his mentor, who had approached him, looked at him with a glint in his eyes.

“But you, you don’t mean you’ve already…?”

“The trip to the Empire definitely helped.”

Logan looked at his mentor with renewed interest.

Just as his mentor had noticed his awakening, seeing his mentor’s aura as an Aura User gave a different feeling.

The fact that he could now roughly see its limits made him feel both proud and dismayed.

‘He’s definitely on a level incomparable to Luther or Wicken. But…’

He was definitely not on the level of Triss from the Empire.

To put it bluntly, Luther was lower-class, and his mentor was upper-class.

As he looked at his mentor with such complex emotions, his mentor, interpreting his gaze, patted him on the shoulder.

“Thank you. For not abandoning this country.”

“Why would I abandon it? It’s my home.”

“That’s why I’m thanking you, you rascal.”

“Has something happened in the meantime?”

“No, His Majesty hasn’t shown any particular movements. He’s just focusing on state affairs; there haven’t been any movements you were worried about.”

But the face of his mentor looked dark for some reason as he said those words.

It couldn’t be helped.

“His Majesty may be fine, but rebels? This is truly unimaginable.”

The reason they met was because of this.

“I heard that all the surrounding lower nobles were swept away. Can that many troops suddenly appear like this?”

“That’s what I’m saying. It’s a problem that troops on the level of the old Frontier Marquis suddenly appeared, and even at this moment, they’re growing larger.”

“They’re growing larger?”

“Lower nobles who lost their positions in the civil war are joining them one after another. What hope did they have?”

“Hmm… Do you have any idea at all?”

“No. That’s why we’re holding a meeting to plan what to do. Someone must have information.”

Even his mentor, who had an information network he didn’t know about, didn’t know who was backing these rebels.

Logan’s expression slightly darkened at those words.

It was because the expectation that something would become clear upon meeting his mentor had been shattered.

‘Unless these rebels are all fools, it means they have another purpose.’

With that uneasy feeling, Logan attended the grand conference at the royal palace with his mentor.

“Duke Felix Esperanza and Count Logan McLean enter!”

Creak.

As the doors of the royal palace’s grand hall opened, Logan felt the gazes of countless nobles lined up inside pouring upon him.

Even in the short moment as they entered the hall and approached the king at the head table, the surrounding nobles bowed and greeted them.

“Congratulations on your return.”

“Your Excellency, I heard you returned. The Emperor of the Empire was greatly impressed, wasn’t he? As expected…”

“Our Grandia’s star, the Emperor even bestowed a title upon you himself. Truly amazing.”

The nobles, having heard the news from the Empire from somewhere, were all flattering him.

“This isn’t the time to be talking about me, is it?”

Seeing them shrink back at his scowling words, Logan let out a small sigh and knelt before the king.

“Logan McLean greets the monarch of Grandia.”

“Felix Esperanza greets the monarch of Grandia.”

“It’s been a while, Duke, and Lord Logan. I heard many things happened in the Empire; I’m glad you returned safely.”

The previous king’s sharp attitude was gone.

Logan inwardly breathed a sigh of relief at the king’s welcoming appearance with a gentle smile.

“It’s thanks to your concern.”

“What could I have done? It seems rebels arise because the king lacks ability. In just the half-year you were away.”

“…The rebels will be dealt with soon. Please do not worry too much.”

“It’s reassuring to hear those words. Now, let’s quickly come up with a way to deal with them.”

The harmonious appearance of the monarch and the highest authorities.

It was a sight that made the nobles who had heard of the discord between Logan and the king tilt their heads in confusion.

And even in the ensuing meeting, the king showed his unwavering trust in Logan.

“It seems like it would be easily resolved if McLean would step forward himself. Lord Logan, may I ask for your help?”

The king’s softly smiling gaze met Logan’s red eyes.