Regressor Of The Fallen Family [EN]: Chapter 220

“Everything has been quiet?” Logan asked, his voice low.

“Too quiet,” the other man replied, a frown on his face.

“Indeed. Since news of your escape – your *breakout* – there have been no attacks on the dwarf artisans, nor any warehouse raids. Of course, we’ve multiplied the guard tenfold, but still.”

“I see….”

“What is it?”

“No, it’s nothing.”

He still needed to organize his thoughts a bit more, but the answer to the dilemma that had plagued him throughout his return to the territory seemed almost within reach.

Accidents and terror ceased in McLaine the moment he escaped?

‘There are indeed those plotting behind the scenes.’

One person immediately came to his mind.

Cleo. The administrator with the smooth voice and eyes that never quite met yours. Logan had always felt uneasy around him.

‘Cleo. That wretch either manipulated the King, or someone is behind him.’

He couldn’t help but arrive at that conclusion.

The King’s actions were too extreme to ignore another possibility. He was risking everything, pushing McLaine and himself to the edge. It didn’t make sense unless someone else was pulling the strings.

‘He’s incapable of rational judgment.’

Thinking that way, he was newly grateful for his escape.

The King would likely have proceeded with his schemes, regardless of his mentor’s opposition.

Had he delayed any longer, bloodshed and a chase might have erupted from within the royal palace itself.

Thinking that, anger flared in his chest like a wildfire.

‘Damn it. How did things come to this…?’

The grand plan he had envisioned to prepare for the Empire’s invasion had crumbled from its very foundation.

The seething emotions naturally turned toward the one he deemed the culprit.

‘Cleo. I will crush you and everyone behind you.’

Logan ground his teeth, channeling all his murderous intent.

“I can’t stand the King’s tyranny any longer,” Logan growled, his voice low and dangerous.

“The King I put on the throne, I will tear him down with my own hands.”

“Yes,” the other man agreed, his red eyes burning with the same fury as Logan’s.

“It’s time to make them pay.”

Just then, as a cold, deadly intent flashed in their eyes, the door burst open and a messenger stumbled in, pale and gasping for breath.

“Lord Logan!” he cried.

“Terrible news! The Sword Emperor… he has declared war on McLaine!”

It was truly shocking news for the other members of the family, except for Logan, who had been preparing himself.

“I’ve continued to try to connect, but he’s still not answering.”

“Of course, he wouldn’t.”

– If you leave like this, Logan, you will truly become a traitor.

Remembering his mentor’s warning, Logan gave a bitter smile.

‘Now that it’s come to this, there’s no need to hesitate any longer.’

Just as he steeled his resolve once more, the thoughts of those around him differed greatly.

“Logan, no matter how I think about it, antagonizing the Sword Emperor is going too far. Maybe you can still talk to him? Try to persuade him?” His father’s face was stiff with worry, lines etched deep around his eyes. He was not just Logan’s father, but the leader of McLaine, and he felt the weight of this conflict heavily.

“Young Lord Logan. Do you have the confidence to face the Sword Emperor? If not, try to resolve it through dialogue somehow. The sacrifice seems too great….” Eileen’s usual bright eyes were clouded with concern, but beneath it, Logan saw a spark of defiance. She was scared, but she would stand by him.

“That’s right. Wouldn’t a full-scale war with the Esperanza Grand Duchy be too much of a burden? There will be great sacrifices. I also think that attempting dialogue should be the priority.” Even Heinckel chimed in, agreeing with those words.

However, Logan firmly shook his head despite their numerous concerns.

“He knew the Sword Emperor. Once his mind was set, it was like stone. There was no changing it. The fight is already unavoidable.”

At that assertion, everyone gathered there sighed in unison.

But soon…

“If we can just contain the Sword Emperor, we can minimize the damage. If you’re not confident, the Knights must find a countermeasure.” His father, with a stern expression, immediately spoke of containing the Sword Emperor.

“The Esperanza Grand Duchy… It’s daunting, but it’s not like we can’t fight. The soldiers’ morale is high. Seeing their seniors awaken as Force Users one after another, some are even waiting for the war.” The former Knight Commander clenched his fist, mentioning the soldiers’ morale.

“The same goes for the female soldiers. All twelve hundred of them are eager for a chance to prove their worth.” Eileen, who had been wearing a worried expression, also showed her fighting spirit, her eyes sparkling.

Even with the news that the Esperanza Knights, said to be the strongest in the kingdom, and other nobles were joining forces to invade, no one was intimidated.

‘Well, they might be.’

The current military strength of McLaine was indeed formidable enough for them to be so confident.

Although there had been some recent issues, the production of Liberatio was already at full capacity, and the number of knights had long surpassed a thousand.

And more than a third of those knights were equipped with artifacts developed by Clayton.

It might seem that their three superhuman forces—himself, Luther, and Clayton—were somewhat lacking compared to the Sword Emperor and Wiken Kallian, but…

“Unlike what outsiders think, we have the advantage in superhuman power. Keep that in mind.”

“Is that really true?”

“Yes, I am confident.”

“……Alright. I’ll believe you. Then there’s definitely a greater chance of success.”

Luther Kyle was breaking through the wall that had stagnated for over a decade, repeating sparring sessions with him.

Clayton was now capable of facing Juan Douglas, even if the man from the past were to return.

And he himself was, in fact, a special case even among superhumans.

‘Perhaps I can handle Master all by myself.’

Thanks to that, Logan’s voice was full of confidence.

There were no worries about military strength.

Now, only the psychological burden of facing his mentor remained.

And…

‘How many more talents will die because of this conflict?’

How great will the variables that arise from it be?

His heart was heavy with that thought.

But even that vanished without a trace when he thought of the giant’s shadow lurking far to the west.

The Emperor.

Thinking of him, he didn’t want to awkwardly delay the situation any longer.

‘Even if dialogue is possible, now is not the time.’

If they found common ground and retreated once, they would continue to retreat.

There was no time to waste like that.

Therefore…

“If it’s something we must do, let’s do it properly. Let’s show the world just how strong our McLaine is!”

“Yes!”

At the words he poured out as if declaring, everyone’s fighting spirit soared endlessly.

At a time when the entire McLaine was frantically focused on preparing for battle, Logan received an unexpected call.

Whirr!

“Hmm?”

Logan frowned. He felt a small tingle of magic energy against his chest, under his cloak. He quickly found what was causing it. It was the small, round communicator the Second Prince had given him. *A trick,* Logan thought, his jaw tightening. This wasn’t just any communicator; it was made by the Empire using their best magic technology, a one-time-use device. Now, it was vibrating softly against his skin. Logan thought, “Was this made so *I* could contact *him*?” He remembered the Second Prince’s smiling face – too smooth, too perfect. Distrust prickled at Logan again, like tiny needles. He frowned and put a little bit of his own magic power into the bead.

As he did, the Prince’s face appeared above the bead.

“[It’s been a while, Lord Logan.]”

“……It has been a while, Your Highness. But why are you contacting me?”

This was not a friendly chat. Logan didn’t want to ask why the Prince was calling him when *Logan* was supposed to call first.

Even though Logan asked directly, the Prince kept smiling.

“[I heard that Lord Logan was in a difficult situation. So, I decided to contact you. It’s hard to get the McLaine family’s exact location in another country, you see.]”

“‘A difficult situation,’ Logan thought.”

He knows it well enough.

Logan became even more suspicious. The Prince’s words showed he knew a lot about what was happening in Logan’s kingdom.

“It is a somewhat difficult situation, but I don’t see why Your Highness would contact me.”

Logan thought, ‘Just get to the point.’

“[Ah, didn’t I give you this communicator as a gift before? I told you to contact me if you needed my help.]”

“……And that means?”

“[I contacted you first, in case you had forgotten. I thought I might be able to help you in this trying situation.]”

The Prince had changed ‘difficult situation’ to ‘trying situation.’

Logan tilted his head, watching the ever-smiling Prince.

“If you mean help, what exactly are you talking about? You don’t mean to send Imperial troops, do you?”

That wouldn’t be help, it would be an invasion.

‘Or would it actually be helpful?’

If the Second Prince went that far, his master would have to join forces with him again.

The Imperial war might happen faster…

Tch.

‘Nonsense thoughts…’

The Second Prince, the future Emperor of the Empire, was not so foolish.

As Logan was thinking, the Prince smiled again and continued.

“[Of course not. Though you may want it, I don’t want to cause an international problem.]”

“If that’s the case?”

“[You may not know it, but I have some talented people who help me. Some of them are very skilled. If you want, I would say that even the Storm Sword, could be assassinated.]”

The Prince spoke quietly when he said ‘assassination,’ and Logan’s face became serious.

‘Assassinate a superhuman?’

Of course, it was possible if another superhuman was the assassin.

But it was not sure if a superhuman would do such a thing, and if an Imperial superhuman was found in the Kingdom, it would be like the Empire directly attacking the Kingdom.

Therefore…

“You mean there are normal people who can kill superhumans…?”

“[Haha. How common could such people be? If they were, His Majesty the Emperor would not be so interested in Lord Logan.]”

“Then?”

“[While they are not as good as Lord Logan, I can say that there are people who, when they work together, can do such a thing without leaving any evidence.]”

Assassins who can kill superhumans.

‘If this guy is so confident, they must be very skilled.’

Logan’s face became serious without him meaning to. He felt cold sweat on his back.

At the same time, a certain group, only rumored in his past life, came to mind.

The power of the Empire suddenly felt very real and scary. Logan tried to stay calm.

“Hmm. Why are you going so far for me?”

“[Hahaha. I’m not asking for anything. It’s enough if you remember my kindness and we stay friends. We can help each other live, after all.]”

To Logan, the Prince’s words sounded like this:

– I will get something from you later, something big.

His face turned colder.

As they talked longer, Logan felt something strange about the small communicator.

Logan felt a magic pattern that was not like a normal communicator.

Because the Prince offered help for free, Logan became even more suspicious. He started to guess what the strange thing about the communicator was.

‘Recording… maybe.’

If a video was released showing him asking an Imperial figure to assassinate his own country’s superhuman…

How bad would it be?

Even if he won the war, nothing good would come of it.

Therefore…

“Hmph. I appreciate the offer, Your Highness. But I have to say no.”

“[Yes? Hmm. You must be in a very difficult situation. I didn’t think you would care more about pride than what is practical….]”

“Ahahaha. You’re wrong about me. If I didn’t value pride, how could I have refused His Majesty the Emperor’s offer?”

“[Huh……. Are you really refusing help because of pride?]”

“Don’t think it’s pride. It’s confidence. I am confident that I can win with my own strength and my family’s strength.”

“[Erm. If you say so, I understand. I can’t make someone take help if they don’t want it.]”

What did the regret in his face mean?

Was he regretting that Logan hadn’t fallen for his trick?

“[But I and the Empire are sad that a hero like you is having such a hard time. Since you don’t want help, I’m sad about that. But please remember how I feel.]”

“Of course.”

“[And if things don’t go as well as you think, come to the Empire anytime. His Majesty will make the same offer again, and I will help you too.]”

‘So, you also think our family will fail.’

Logan scoffed, but suddenly, this felt strange.

‘This contact at this time…?’

Over the Second Prince’s face, the suspicious Cleo seemed to appear.

Of course, even if he was really working for the Second Prince, there was no proof now, and nothing he could do.

‘…We’ll see.’

Logan felt worried about the Empire, but he used it to make himself even more determined.

“Thank you for your words. But it won’t come to that.”

“[……I wish you good luck.]”

Tch.

Logan didn’t want to talk anymore. He just tightened his grip.

Crack!

The communicator broke into pieces. Blue magic energy scattered in the air.

Logan looked angry as he watched the broken pieces. He spoke to Dwayne, who was standing nearby.

“The preparations are complete. Tell everyone in the Kingdom that we will overthrow the bad king and build a new Grandia. Any noble who helps the bad king will be punished by the McLaine family later.”

The second civil war.

This was the start of it.