Regressor Of The Fallen Family [EN]: Chapter 233

After a long journey from Inner Fortress Avenue, the grand procession finally arrived at the royal palace.

As the procession arrived, the royal palace gates slowly swung open. They looked beautiful and new again. Ministers, knights, and servants were waiting in neat lines in the big courtyard in front of the palace. They all bowed at the same time.

“We greet His Majesty the King!”

The officials, dressed in their best clothes, shouted together in a clear, strong voice. It was a formal sound, very different from the happy shouts of the people watching.

Then, the knights who had been with the procession moved quickly to stand in lines on each side of the royal palace gates. All eyes in the crowd watched them as they went into the palace.

Logan walked alone through the center of the path created by the ministers.

His eyes were fixed on something ahead.

In front of the palace altar stood a very old high priest. He wore a tall, white hat that looked much bigger than his head.

Logan had seen him before, at the funeral of the previous king.

Logan recognized him. It was Famiel Gernheim, the Grand Archbishop. He was the head priest of Aion, the god of water and farming. Now, he was in charge of the Temple of McLaine and the most important of the Nine Gods.

His wrinkled face smiled kindly as he waited for Logan.

“Congratulations, Your Majesty.”

“It has been a while, Grand Archbishop.”

The two exchanged pleasant greetings with smiles.

After they finished greeting each other, Grand Archbishop Famiel took a bright scroll from his robes. It was decorated with symbols of the nine gods.

He opened the scroll quickly and spoke in a serious voice, different from his friendly tone before.

“Logan McLaine, King of the McLaine Kingdom, heed the will of the gods!”

His voice was surprisingly loud for an old man. It filled the area in front of the palace. Logan slowly knelt down on one knee in front of him.

Grand Archbishop Famiel’s voice boomed out, reading from the scroll. “Logan McLaine, King of McLaine, hear the will of the gods! Aion, god of the life-giving waters and the harvest, asks: Will you be wise and help our lands flourish, ensuring food for all?”

Logan’s voice was clear and strong as he replied, “I swear it, I will.”

“Ageron, god of bright trade and wealth, asks: Will you seek prosperity and encourage commerce to bring riches to our kingdom?”

“With all my power,” Logan declared, “I pledge to do so.”

“Atlan, god of the strong earth and deep mines, asks: Will you value the strength of the earth and promote the digging of its treasures?”

“Yes,” Logan said firmly, “I will uphold this duty.”

The Grand Archbishop’s address continued.

To the Grand Archbishop’s questions, which listed the symbols of the nine gods, Logan calmly repeated the same answer.

And finally.

“In the name of the gods, I acknowledge and bless the coronation of Logan McLaine, King of the McLaine Kingdom!!”

With Grand Archbishop Famiel’s cry.

“Long live King Logan McLaine!”

“Long live the McLaine Kingdom!”

“We pledge our loyalty with all our hearts and minds!”

The ministers and officials, standing in formation, bowed down with a loud cry that seemed to shake the entire palace.

Logan looked back at them. His face was calm and serious as he raised his hand.

“I accept your oaths. And I shall open a new era for the kingdom, for the gods and the people!”

His calm voice spread to every corner of the palace.

“Long live, long live, long live forever!”

The officials responded to Logan’s words with another thunderous cry.

The coronation ceremony outside the palace concluded with that.

“His Majesty the King enters!”

With the knight’s cry, the doors of the main hall opened, and Logan slowly moved inside.

He couldn’t help but think that this ceremony, which had been going on for hours since noon, was a bit excessive.

Logan remembered his teacher’s strict words: ‘To be a strong king, you must look strong.’ So, Logan made sure his face showed no weakness.

Then, with all the ministers and territorial nobles kneeling, he slowly moved toward the throne in the main hall.

A silence fell where only the sound of his footsteps could be heard.

In that quiet atmosphere, Logan stopped before the throne and quietly touched its armrest.

A seat he never thought he would occupy until a few years ago.

Even now, standing before that seat, it felt a little unreal.

‘I will use this throne to make the kingdom stronger and stop the Empire. This is a chance to do good.’

Logan steeled himself once more, took a long breath, and sat on the throne.

Then.

“Long live King Logan McLaine!”

“Long live the new McLaine Kingdom!”

“All the blue blood of the kingdom pledges allegiance to Your Majesty!”

Once again, the sound of praise for McLaine filled the main hall.

And immediately after that.

“The McLaine Kingdom has inherited the traditions of old Grandia, and the Temple has acknowledged that tradition. Now, it is time for His Majesty the King to prove that he is the rightful successor to all of Grandia!”

With the voice of his father, Marquis Patrick McLaine, now a Grand Duke, the doors of the main hall opened once more.

Soon, a dozen knights slowly walked in, carrying a transparent box containing a treasure in the center.

“Ooh!”

The nobles exclaimed in admiration.

The Crown of the Ruler was a very powerful object, a Class 5 artifact. Only the King of Grandia was allowed to wear it. It shone brightly inside the box.

Logan knew it was just magical energy, ‘mana,’ that was now uncontrolled and spreading out. But even he had to admit, the crown was very beautiful.

Logan’s eyes gleamed as he looked at the overflowing mana.

‘There was talk of creating a new item suitable for the beginning of the new dynasty, but……’

Logan knew the story about needing to be the ‘rightful heir’ of Grandia was just made up. It was just a way to make this powerful crown seem even more important.

The magical feeling he had sensed at the old king’s coronation didn’t have any power to tell who was related to whom.

‘It’s just nonsense created by those who seized the throne as bastards or younger sons during the long history.’

That’s why Logan had planned this ceremony. He wanted to use the amazing crown without getting rid of it, and to make his claim to the throne seem more legitimate.

The Crown of the Ruler was placed in front of the steps leading up to the throne.

Watching the knights step back, his father and teacher beside him were still sending worried glances.

Logan smiled slightly as those words came to mind, and with a nonchalant expression, he opened the box and lifted the crown.

And amidst the gazes mixed with all sorts of expectations and worries, he placed it on his head.

Then.

The crown, which had emitted a burst of dazzling light, soon began to gather its light with a faint vibration.

The magical energy that had been spreading out now flowed into Logan’s body, becoming real magic for him.

At that moment, Logan could clearly feel its power.

‘A Class 5 shield, Class 4 detoxification and fatigue recovery, and even an automatic recovery function.’

Indeed, the Crown of the Ruler was the best artifact worthy of its reputation.

And.

“Really……?”

“……The crown has acknowledged His Majesty!”

“Huh, does that really mean he inherited the rightful lineage of Grandia?”

A murmur mixed with admiration spread among the watching nobles.

Hearing those words, Logan knew he had achieved what he wanted. People now believed he was the rightful king because the crown chose him.

Soon, he looked around with a calm expression and said.

“I, Logan McLaine, declare from this place the beginning of the McLaine Dynasty, which ‘continues the tradition’ of Grandia, and announce the start of a new era!”

“Long live, long live, long live forever!”

As soon as Logan’s voice finished, all the nobles in the hall knelt down again and shouted ‘Long live!’ Even Geom-gong, who seemed to hesitate for a moment, knelt with them.

‘In the end, I’ve come this far.’

It certainly wasn’t what he had initially planned.

But as he solved each problem he faced, step by step, he had somehow ended up here, on the throne.

The things he had done so far might not have been the best.

Perhaps there were better options.

But what was clear was that, though it might have been insufficient, he had always done his best, and the result of that process was this fact.

Logan once again recalled that every moment so far was part of the process to do his best.

‘So I will continue to do the best I can.’

So that one day, the voices of those many people cheering for him could be filled with sincerity.

And so that he could get rid of the deep anger and sadness inside him.

‘I will strive endlessly.’

Logan steeled himself anew and raised his hand towards the assembly.

“Woooaaah!”

The bursting cheers seemed to be encouraging his resolve.

Bright flags with the symbol of the new kingdom were put up all over the capital. Merchants and food sellers came from everywhere and set up colorful stalls in the streets for the festival.

But even after the news of the world changing and the festival spread, the residents of the capital did not easily venture out of their homes.

“They’re all the same nobles. They just swapped places among themselves. What’s going to change?”

“It’s even scarier. Have you forgotten the massacre those guys committed when they entered the capital?”

“Don’t wander around just because it’s a festival. You’ll be dragged away and killed without anyone knowing.”

The rumors got worse and worse, making people afraid. Even though it was supposed to be a festival, the streets were empty and sad.

“Tsk tsk. A new dynasty, my foot. It’s a usurpation.”

“They’re cursed because they killed the former king and became king themselves.”

“I’m a Grandian, so when did I become a McLaine person?”

The whispering voices in unseen places did not subside easily.

Rumors that weren’t true started spreading quickly among the people in the capital. They began to believe these rumors as if they were real.

In the end, less than a week after the coronation, Geom-gong and Patrick had no choice but to visit the king’s office together.

“Your Majesty, the public sentiment is not good because of the ominous rumors. Perhaps it would be wise to empty the royal treasury so that the people can actively enjoy the festival……”

“If that’s not enough, I will release all of Esperanza’s warehouses as well.”

“How can we pass the burden only to Esperanza? I will release McLaine’s warehouses as well. Please, Your Majesty, allow it.”

Geom-gong and Patrick requested with grim faces.

“No, don’t do anything unnecessary. Gaining public sentiment temporarily is just a waste.”

Logan cut off the request sharply.

“But the atmosphere in the capital is not good right now.”

“If no action is taken because of the ominous rumors, the situation may worsen. At this rate, the atmosphere of the founding festival……”

“There are many things to do. I refuse to waste resources for a simple change of atmosphere.”

Faced with Logan’s continued firm attitude, the two had no choice but to step back, though with uneasy expressions.

Logan turned away, facing the window after Geom-gong and Patrick left.

His red eyes, looking down at the desolate streets, were filled with deep contemplation.

As the desolate festival period neared its end, Logan summoned his close aides ahead of the new dynasty’s first grand council meeting.

“The biggest goal of the new dynasty is to strengthen our national defense. Preparing to prevent the Empire’s invasion, which will begin in 3-4 years at the earliest, or 5 years at the latest. Keep in mind that this must be the goal that takes precedence over everything else.”

“Even in this situation……?”

“Shouldn’t we at least try to appease the public sentiment to some extent before doing that?”

Logan’s aides could not hide their troubled expressions at his words.

There was no way they wouldn’t know the atmosphere in the capital. But Logan’s attitude was firm.

“It’s better to have a bad atmosphere now than to be enslaved or killed together in a few years. If you have any ideas on how to strengthen our military power, please tell me everything.”

His unwavering red eyes, filled with resolve, shone fiercely.