Regressor Of The Fallen Family [EN]: Chapter 244

Logan’s statement caused a great stir.

Logan’s words caused a big reaction. The temple leaders quickly met. They decided to send a group of 120 priests to help. This group included the 18 priests already sent. Among them were 20 experienced priests and Ilia, the bishop of Amunda. Amunda is the god of the sea and change.

This was very different from how the temple acted before Logan came. Of course, the promised donation of ten million gold pieces must have played a big part. However, people believed the king’s announcement that he would go to the plague-stricken area himself was the biggest reason for the change.

The royal family was in an uproar.

“Your Majesty!” Dwayne exclaimed, his voice rising in panic. “You can’t be serious! You’re going to the plague lands?” His eyes were wide with alarm, almost pleading.

Logan had expected Dwayne to ask about the donation first. He smiled gently and patted his loyal retainer on the shoulder. “Worried about me, Dwayne? Even a superhuman?” He chuckled softly. “Don’t fret so much. It’s not necessary.”

“Superhuman or not, what disease would avoid you!?” Dwayne argued. “We don’t know enough about this plague!”

“True, but no superhuman has died from it yet,” Logan replied.

“So, you want to be the first one!?” Dwayne asked, concern etched on his face.

“If I go myself, the nobles and the temple will have to be more serious,” Logan explained. “Things will get done faster. This is the best way to stop the plague quickly.”

It was a hasty remark to put pressure on the temple, but as soon as Logan said it, he felt it was the right thing to do.

Of course, others didn’t agree.

“Your Majesty, is it really necessary for you to go in person?” His teacher’s voice was unusually high with worry. “I can go in your place. It would have the same effect…”

[I will gather the remaining forces of the McLaine territory to support you. Is it really necessary for the king to go in person?]

His father from the McLaine territory also expressed his concern.

“Why does it have to be you…?” Eileen insisted. “If you go, I’m going with you.”

It took some effort to keep Eileen from coming, using the excuse of her needing to train the royal army.

While Logan was calming his close aides, preparations for the plague relief effort were quickly completed in the capital. The scale was much larger than expected.

“Is His Majesty really going in person…?” someone whispered.

“Look over there, it’s true!” another replied.

“How can such an important person go to such a dangerous place…?”

Whispers spread through the capital like a fast-moving wind: the King himself was going! People rushed to the streets. They craned their necks, hoping to catch a glimpse. The air buzzed with excited chatter and nervous coughs.

Logan saw the residents watching him. He turned to look at the long line of the procession and bit his lip, realizing the size of the relief effort.

‘This is enough,’ he thought.

There were 120 priests, 300 healers, 200 knights, and 1,000 soldiers. Even though the Royal Guard’s training wasn’t finished, the best soldiers from McLaine and Esperanza were there to protect the king.

Carts piled high with food, supplies, and herbs stretched from the inner castle to the outer gate. It was a huge undertaking, far bigger than anyone had imagined.

Logan, seeing the amount of supplies, steeled himself. He turned to Dwayne, who had come to see him off, and asked, “Do we really have enough food to spare?”

“We took it from the military rations,” Dwayne explained. “But don’t worry, it will be replaced soon. I’ve ordered Philip to buy more with ‘that,’ which will give us a little extra.”

Logan saw the dark circles under Dwayne’s eyes, even darker than before. He patted him on the shoulder with a sad smile.

“Depart!” he commanded.

The relief effort, larger than expected, began its journey to the Laphtan territory in the southeast. They were on a tight schedule.

The sky above was a heavy blanket of clouds. Only a few faint stars peeked through the darkness, casting a dim light on the fields.

Campfires crackled and popped along the long line of the procession, sending the smell of woodsmoke into the cool night air.

In the center of the procession, Logan approached a blue carriage with elegant wave patterns.

“Y-Your Majesty?” a soldier stammered.

“Is Bishop Ilia here?” Logan asked.

“I’ll let her know!” The soldier hurried off. Soon, a silver-haired woman in blue robes stepped out of the carriage.

It was hard to guess her age. She looked young at first glance, but she wore the cap of a bishop, the head of the local diocese.

“Did you call for me, Your Majesty?” she asked.

“It’s nice to meet you, Bishop Ilia,” Logan said. “I was too busy during the day to properly greet you.”

“We are in a situation where every minute counts, so formalities don’t matter,” Ilia replied. “I appreciate you greeting me like this. But it doesn’t seem like you came just to say hello, does it?” Her tone was perceptive and direct.

“I actually came because I wanted to ask you something,” Logan admitted.

“How can I refuse when Your Majesty visits me in person?” Ilia said. “Please, ask anything. I will answer as best I can.”

Logan looked at Bishop Ilia with anticipation.

‘If anyone knows, it’s her…’

She was known as the youngest bishop in Grandia, specifically in the McLaine Diocese. She was famous for her knowledge of temple doctrines, her strong divine power, and her wisdom.

And she was also known as the only bishop who volunteered in the slums.

‘The only bishop among the nine in McLaine whose name is known to the people of the slums,’ Logan thought. Ilia, also called a saint by them, was right in front of him.

He hoped she could ease some of his frustration.

Logan nodded, full of expectation. “I think you’re the only one who can answer my question right now.”

Ilia nodded, her blue eyes shining. “It would be an honor to help Your Majesty. What are you curious about?”

“I want to ask about the cause of this plague, or rather, the cause of plagues like this,” Logan said.

It was something that didn’t exist in his previous life, but it was happening now. Logan was very curious about the reason.

He hoped that the temple, which healed all diseases, and especially a bishop like Ilia, would know the cause.

But the bishop’s reaction was a little strange.

“Ah…” she murmured.

“Does this seem like a difficult question?” Logan asked, his voice calm.

“No, not at all, Your Majesty,” Ilia replied quickly. But even as she spoke, her brow furrowed slightly, and she glanced nervously at the temple knights standing stiffly behind her carriage.

Temple knights, the best warriors of the temple, were rarely seen outside its walls. They were here to protect the Bishop on her journey. With a small, almost unseen nod from Ilia, they melted back, disappearing behind the ornate carriage.

“Why all the knights, Bishop?” Logan asked, curious.

“This matter might be sensitive, Your Majesty,” Ilia explained, her voice a little softer. “I wanted fewer ears to overhear. Are you alright with that?”

“No, no, it’s fine,” Logan assured her. “Please, speak freely.”

Logan nodded. He knew that even priests who believe in the same god can have different ideas. Ilia’s reason for sending away the knights – to avoid sensitive topics – made sense to him.

However.

“The temple believes these plagues are trials sent by the gods, Your Majesty.”

The answer that followed was far from satisfactory.

“…Trials?”

“Yes. As you know, divine power can cure all diseases. So, these trials are for non-believers. They strengthen their faith by receiving God’s miracle.”

“But wouldn’t most of the people suffering from the plague be followers of the Nine Gods?”

“The temple officially says those people don’t have enough faith.”

Logan had heard this story before.

However, he couldn’t help but grimace. It wasn’t a convincing explanation.

“…That’s absurd.”

“Yes, it is.”

Huh?

Logan was surprised. The same person who gave such a strange and unhelpful answer now nodded in agreement.

“Does that mean you disagree?”

“Before I tell you what I really think, please know this is just my personal idea. And if anyone says I said this, I will say it’s not true! Is that okay with you, Your Majesty?”

The way she started her statement made him even more curious about what she was going to say.

“…Of course.”

With that answer, Ilia took a deep breath, her shoulders slumping slightly. A bitter line formed around her mouth, and she began to speak.

“I believe a trial from God that kills people should not exist and should not be allowed.”

As soon as she said those words, Ilia looked determined. Logan finally understood why she had sent away the temple knights.

“Then what do you think causes the plague?”

“They are all different. Not all plagues are the same disease. But after looking at old temple records, I see some things in common.”

“Common things?”

“Other bishops might laugh at this, but if we just look at the old records, it’s very similar to what the healers’ guild believes.”

Ilia looked towards a group of healers, who were talking in small groups.

‘This is unexpected.’

Logan had heard the temple’s usual idea that Ilia mentioned.

– All diseases can be cured with divine power, so disease is a trial for non-believers.

Most people thought it was nonsense from priests who cared too much about money.

The healers were the ones who disagreed with the priests, saying:

– All diseases have a cause, and if we know the cause, we can cure them. Disease is not a trial from God, but a part of nature.

Because of this, the temple refused to recognize the healers’ guild.

The temple said healers use slow, weak remedies that are not proven to work. That was their official view of the healers’ guild.

That’s why Ilia was even more strange.

“Does a bishop like you support the healers’ guild?”

“While the priests live comfortably in the temple, the healers are the ones who treat the people, even with very little money. If you are a true child of God, you have to respect them. As you know, they are the ones who really help people, not the temple.”

Those were very unusual words for a bishop to say.

“I believe that’s different from what the temple says.”

“That’s why I’m only telling you, Your Majesty.”

Ilia’s bitter smile was unexpected.

‘How did a priest like her become a bishop? Does she have secret abilities?’

However, Logan was more curious about what really caused the plague than about the bishop’s background.

“So, what do the healers and you think causes the plague?”

“Many diseases have been so terrible they are called plagues. Most plagues, when they start, have some things in common.”

Ilia paused and sighed, as if she was worried about disagreeing with the temple. Logan waited quietly for her answer.

“Almost all plagues started in remote mountain villages or the slums of big cities, where it’s hard to survive.”

“You mean?”

“The two main places have one thing in common: widespread hunger and poor sanitation.”

“……”

“People generally believe the Pestian plague, which killed many in the west, started when starving people ate rats. Many plagues begin when poor people are forced to do desperate things.”

Those words made Logan feel heavy-hearted.

Especially the word ‘hunger’.

“…This disease is said to be like the Restaboom plague from the past. Is there a definite cure?”

“There has never been a disease that divine power cannot cure. Even if weak divine power can’t cure it, stronger divine power can. So, the temple doesn’t study diseases separately.”

“Then, what about the healers’ guild…?”

“If something could be cured without divine power, it wouldn’t be called a plague.”

In the end, there was no definite solution.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t answer your questions well, Your Majesty.”

Ilia’s bitter expression quickly appeared on Logan’s face.

‘Hunger… a plague caused by eating rats because of hunger.’

Even though it was a little different from the kingdom’s current situation, Ilia’s explanation weighed heavily on Logan’s heart.

He had unfairly collected taxes to make the country stronger.

The people in his lands were hungry because of it.

Could this be why the plague, which didn’t exist in his previous life, was happening now?

Once Logan started to doubt, it hurt his heart more and more.