Regressor Of The Fallen Family [EN]: Chapter 236

After the first war meeting, the nobles were busy getting taxes from their lands. Then, they saw a notice about the army in the King’s own lands. They were not happy.

“Creating taxes to raise an army is stabilizing the kingdom, is it?”

“Is the King out of his mind?”

“Or rather, what is he planning to do with such a large army? The power of the existing McLaine and Esperanza alone is formidable enough…”

This worry brought many of them together in one place.

“Thank you for the invitation, Count.”

“Oh, Baron Hamel. Welcome.”

Jacques Huan smiled gently at the noble who greeted him and immediately turned his head.

Although the meeting was because of a serious situation, he was quite pleased.

The King was making mistakes, the nobles thought. Because of this, they started to look for someone to lead them. Jacques Huan was happy because he thought that person was him.

‘The King is foolish. It’s amazing how he came to be called a hero.’

If he had the power of Esperanza and McLaine, he would have coaxed the nobles, making them his friends. Then, in three or four years, the entire kingdom would have become loyal to him.

‘Taxes and armies. He’s making foolish mistakes. Well, it’s good for me, though.’

The King’s power, which had seemed strong, was getting weaker, and Jacques was becoming the leader of the nobles who opposed him.

The kingdom, where the Duke and Marquis families, except for the two families that were the King’s arms, had disappeared.

The title of Count had more power than it should have.

Of course, the biggest reason was his own actions.

“Oh! Count Ivan Claude. It’s been a while.”

“Haha. Didn’t we see each other at the Great War Council? I was impressed by you then.”

“Haha. It’s nothing, it’s just to protect what nobles like us deserve.”

Even Ivan Claude, a Count like him, was bowing down, so it seemed that the power he wanted was close.

“Now, now. Distinguished guests. Thank you for coming. The situation is bad, so I hope we nobles will unite to overcome this crisis. I hope today’s meeting will be the start of our plan.”

As soon as Jacques Huan finished speaking, people applauded.

But as soon as the applause ended, a sharp voice ruined the friendly mood.

“Since the King is ready to fight us, let’s skip the nice words and talk about what to do. Do you have any ideas? Count Jacques.”

Count Mike Teroda.

One of the few Counts left in the kingdom spoke his mind directly.

He also wanted to be the leader, and he didn’t like that the nobles had gathered at Jacques Huan’s house instead of his own.

Jacques Huan smiled gently, guessing how he felt.

However, his words made Mike Teroda’s comments sound much weaker.

“Haha. I don’t think there’s anything to worry about, Count Mike.”

“What?”

Mike’s face changed, and the other nobles looked confused.

“The King already has a strong army, and he’s raising thousands more soldiers, and you say there’s nothing to worry about? Knights are even leaving their lands to join the King’s army! Do you think we’re here to joke around?”

Many nobles agreed with Mike Teroda, as if they had been waiting to say something.

Some of the nobles were on McLaine’s side, not neutral, and even they were worried about the King’s recent actions.

But Jacques said there was nothing to worry about?

Jacques’ gentle smile stayed on his face even though everyone was staring at him.

“You have to look at the other side of it.”

“The other side?”

“Where do you think the money to raise that huge army will come from?”

“Isn’t it the taxes that we’re paying now! Everyone knows that…!”

“And that tax is only for a short time.”

“That’s…?!”

At those words, the eyes of some nobles, including Mike, started to look unsure.

They understood what he meant.

“I think it will be hard to keep that many soldiers for even half a year with the taxes we’re paying now. Even if McLaine and Esperanza give money, it won’t be enough. The two strongest families in this country will start to have problems because of the King’s army.”

Jacques Huan passed around a paper with the data he used to make his calculations.

The data showed the kingdom’s total tax money and how much McLaine and Esperanza were expected to give. Any noble who knew about money could see that it made sense.

Mike Teroda also had to agree after looking at the data with worried eyes.

But he didn’t give up easily.

“So, are you saying that the King is acting without thinking? You don’t think Logan McLaine is a fool, do you?”

Logan McLaine.

The nobles looked worried when they heard that name.

Jacques Huan also hesitated for a moment, but then spoke even louder.

“He is a young and strong king. A war hero who has proven his strength in battle. But he is young.”

“Aren’t you underestimating the King? You might be surprised.”

“Think about it, Count Mike. He becomes king, then doubles the taxes and quickly gathers soldiers. Does that seem like a wise thing to do?”

…….

“It’s a foolish plan that will cause problems later. No matter what he did in the past, the reality is what we see now. It’s common for a hero who becomes a king to turn into a tyrant.”

“It’s not that simple.”

Mike Teroda still didn’t agree.

“Wasn’t the old King also thought to be a great king at first? But how did he change after becoming king? We all saw it. Our experience shows that the throne can change people.”

Most of the nobles were now unsure because of Jacques Huan’s words.

Jacques Huan felt the mood change and gave his final argument.

“Even if the King has other plans, the problems from his mistakes will last for a long time. And if they don’t, we’ll make them last longer.”

We.

The nobles were surprised by that word.

“What do we have to fear if we unite? The Yeon-sa crossbow, which made McLaine strong, is now everywhere in the kingdom. Superhuman power? That king has shown that a few strong people can’t win a battle anymore.”

People started talking to each other.

It was hard for the nobles to unite, and they didn’t have a good way to deal with the superhuman power.

But Jacques Huan felt that the mood had changed, even though his words were a bit forced.

“Times are changing. And we are in the middle of it. Now that the King is making mistakes, we must unite and start a new era. So please trust me. I will represent you and protect the power of us nobles, who are the most important people in the kingdom!”

The nobles started to applaud Jacques’ confident voice.

Jacques Huan smiled as he looked at them.

I think we can manage the budget. Even if we raise 50,000 soldiers, we can make it work with the help of McLaine and Esperanza. Because we have ‘that’.

Even though he looked very tired, Dwayne was smiling.

‘I’ve reached the lowest point of this terrible budget. I’ve managed to do it!’

He wanted to praise himself.

But the King, who only knew how to spend money, surprised him again.

“We’ll have to use that magic stone for something else for a few months.”

……Ah. Hahaha, don’t joke around. Hahaha. Haha…….

Dwayne tried to laugh, but the King was serious.

……Damn it.

He was very angry and had been holding it in. Now, he could not hold it back anymore.

“Are you trying to see if I die when I say I’m dying?! Huh?! Just cut me open!! I can’t do it! It’s not possible! Absolutely not!”

He shouted his opposition.

“And let’s get more money. There’s empty land on the western ridge of the royal family. The Tenon River doesn’t reach it because of that mountain range.”

“No, surely…….”

“Let’s build another dam there. And let’s try the magic water farming method in the King’s lands and Esperanza’s lands too. Let’s save money for three more months, Dwayne. Huh?”

“Again?! Why now?! You’re starting so many projects, even though we don’t have enough money! Did you become crazy after becoming king?!”

The angry administrator went too far when his desperate cry didn’t work.

But the King knew he was asking too much, so he just smiled and didn’t blame him.

Just.

“Our land showed it this year. The magic water farming method lasts for 10 years, so if we work hard for a few more months with the dam, we’ll have enough food to feed the army from the next harvest.”

He calmly tried to persuade his helper.

“Ugh.”

However, Dwayne’s face didn’t look happy.

Still, Logan calmly shared his opinion.

“Only we and the dwarves know about the magic stone mine. This is the best way to control everything in the kingdom in 1 year. It’ll be three months. Let’s do it.”

“Our land…….”

“Huh?”

“Our land, McLaine, doesn’t want to take more taxes from the people, even with this tax increase. You know that, right?”

“Yeah. I know.”

Logan looked serious at Dwayne’s words, which came just as he was about to say it was thanks to the magic water farming method.

“To do what you say, McLaine must raise taxes like other lands and hurt the people. Using the magic stone mine for other things for three months means that. Do you know what this means, Your Majesty?”

…….

“Even the people who still praise you will curse you and turn against you. Do you really have to do that?”

His words made it hard to breathe.

He was ready to argue, but Logan was speechless at Dwayne’s words, which talked about the feelings of the people.

But.

After hesitating, he continued with a worried look.

“……1 year. It’ll be 1 year. I’ll fix everything before the next harvest and winter.”

At those words, Dwayne nodded with a forced smile on his sad face.