Regressor Of The Fallen Family [EN]: Chapter 252

The Sacred Order agreed that deer blood worked. They used deer blood and the new medicine together. Slowly, the plague started to get weaker.

This new medicine uses deer blood and Lethe’s grass. It’s working much better than just drinking blood!

Excellent! Well done!

Because Gilbert found a cure, they could treat people much faster. Also, people stopped drinking raw deer blood, which was a horrible sight. The priests felt relieved and could focus on helping people get better.

So, the plague that started in winter was gone in just three months! It disappeared before the time to plant crops even began. This was amazing news.

You worked very hard, Bishop Ilia.

Not at all, Your Majesty. It’s thanks to your wise plans.

A priest who knows how to give too much praise, I see.

Too much praise? Just look around, Your Majesty.

Ilia smiled and pointed behind her.

Behind her, the wide fields were full of people. They had come to say goodbye to Logan and his group. Everyone felt sure the plague was finished. Logan was not cruel. He didn’t make the people who were sick come out to wave goodbye. They came because they *wanted* to. It was their own choice.

When Logan looked at them, cheers suddenly burst out everywhere.

He’s looking at us!

Thank you!

Long live the King!

Long live the McLaine Kingdom!

The cheers were so loud, like thunder, and they filled the whole field. Logan and his friends smiled.

The people were truly thankful. There seemed to be more than ten thousand of them. Their thanks was so powerful, it even made the priests who had been complaining the whole time smile.

It’s all thanks to you, Bishop, and all the priests. I will give a big gift to the Temple of Amun when I get back.

He had paid for training soldiers, new weapons, getting mana stones, and building a dam.

The king looked very pleased with himself, like he had plenty of money left.

However.

Instead of giving money to the temple, please take care of your people first, Your Majesty.

Of course, but what else?

Your people are suffering because of high taxes, Your Majesty. The time to plant crops is coming, and they are very hungry. If things stay like this, another plague could easily start.

As if she had changed from when she arrived.

Logan chuckled at Ilia’s appearance, offering painful direct words with a bright smile.

Logan thought, ‘I’ve paid for almost everything using the nobles’ taxes.’

He had spent almost all that money, but because of the mana stone mine, he still had enough.

Okay. I will think about it.

Thank you, Your Majesty.

Thanks? It’s what a king should do.

Ilia just smiled and bowed. Logan looked at her and suddenly said what he was really thinking.

Actually, I never liked temples or priests much.

Really?

Ilia looked surprised.

That is, until I met you.

Now Ilia understood what he meant. She couldn’t just smile anymore. She gave him a shy smile.

Oh… You are too kind, Your Majesty.

If you ever need help from the royal family, just ask. I will help you, even if it’s not for the temple.

What would a priest ask from a king? Thank you for your kind words, Your Majesty.

Logan smiled. He liked what she said.

You never know what might happen. I just hope you remember we are friends.

I understand, Your Majesty.

Everything had ended well. Everyone in the group was happy. They started to leave, and the people cheered for them.

Behind them, the people of Raftan kept cheering and waving.

They cheered until Logan and his group were gone from sight.

Long live the King!

Suddenly, BANG!

Is *this* all that new plague did? How could you mess it up so badly!

A loud shout filled the fancy room. A young man with messy black hair yelled angrily.

Cleo was kneeling on the floor in front of him, shaking. She hit her head on the floor. *Thud.*

I-I’m so sorry, Your Highness! I didn’t think it would be so weak.

*Thud.* Prince Baros van Ares watched Cleo bang her head again and again. He was so angry he was grinding his teeth. Then he fell back into his chair.

Nothing good ever happens when Logan McLaine is mixed up in it!

*Tsk.* The Prince clicked his tongue. He sighed a little to calm down. He ignored Cleo still on the floor and looked to his right.

Leos, what’s the score now?

Leos, a handsome man with blue hair, stood quietly. He didn’t show any surprise at the strange word “score.”

We heard that the First Prince has done something amazing in the West.

Amazing?

We don’t know exactly what. It’s something to do with the Gaia Kingdom. Only their ‘Recorder’ and the Emperor know the details. But you are still winning.

Of course. Hmm…

The Prince smiled again. He liked that news.

What if we tried to trick McLaine again?

King Logan is bad at ruling, except for dealing with the plague. Our experts think his kingdom will fall apart within a year.

So, if we push him harder…

Making a kingdom that’s already falling apart worse won’t make you look much better. I think you should look at the group of small kingdoms near McLaine.

Hmm…

Prince Baros thought about the king of that small country. He had red eyes and red hair. Baros couldn’t forget him. It wasn’t just because that king had stopped Baros’s plan to start a war. There was something about him that annoyed Baros.

I don’t like him…

Yes, Your Highness?

…That guy keeps getting on my nerves.

So…?

We don’t have any more plagues we can control, do we?

“Your Highness, this sickness is very bad. Even someone as skilled as Restaboom needed the Imperial Magic Tower to help.”

“Indeed. That Imperial Magic Tower. Not very helpful at all. I’m not expecting miracles.”

Leos’s eyes darted slightly at that cynical reply.

“Your Highness, like I said, we will control the McLaine Kingdom for now…”

“Ah, I understand perfectly. Still, let’s try just one more thing.”

“Yes?”

“Our war planners think he will ruin himself by making an army too fast, yes?”

“…Yes.”

“I don’t think he’s quite that foolish. Hmmm.”

The Second Prince stroked his chin for a moment, then spoke as if something had suddenly occurred to him.

“What if he has another source of funds?”

“Yes? That’s impossible. A source of funds that covers the national finances can’t just pop up like that…”

“I said, let’s guess! Guess! What if he does?”

“…Are you suggesting we assume he has the funds to maintain an army?”

“Yes.”

“Even if he makes an army, the bad things he did as king will still hurt him. The people are what makes the country strong. They will start to starve, and many people will die from hunger. Even if he somehow manages to survive for a year, because people will be very unhappy, they will not want to help the country. That is the limit of a small kingdom’s king’s vision.”

“Hmmm. A limit, you say.”

“This will cause problems for years to come. He is trading the country’s future for just 50,000 soldiers.”

“Then he’ll try to buy food.”

“Yes?”

“If he’s not as stupid as the war planners think, and if he has a source of funds, wouldn’t he buy food to at least prevent the people from starving to death?”

Leos raised his eyebrows when he heard that.

“If he had intended to do that, he wouldn’t have raised taxes so much in the first place.”

“It’s about creating an army. And a force that is 1.5 times the average size of our Imperial Army’s legions. He would have needed a huge amount of funds initially.”

“…I think Your Highness is overestimating King Logan.”

“Overestimating?”

“Yes. If he had a source of funds to maintain that many troops in the first place, he could have taken several years to create them.”

Tsk.

That was certainly true.

‘If he doesn’t know what our Empire is planning, he shouldn’t be in such a hurry. But….’

The Second Prince strangely couldn’t ignore that uneasy feeling.

“Perhaps. But I have a bad feeling.”

It was the wish of the Empire’s most promising heir to the throne.

So, even if the reason was just ‘a bad feeling…,’ the people who worked for him could not argue.

“So, let’s just do one more thing. Just one.”

Leos couldn’t say anything more at the Second Prince’s subtle smile.

Next to them, Cleo was still hitting his head on the floor. Blood was running down his face. He had been doing this since they started talking. He was shaking and couldn’t even lift his head.

“Gilbert, what do you think is the cause of the plague?”

“Your Majesty, as I said before, our healers’ guild believes it’s a germ…”

“Aside from that germ, I mean.”

Gilbert’s face had been happy because Logan seemed to support him. But then, his face became a little serious.

“Well, that’s… um….”

Seeing his hesitant expression, Logan chuckled and spoke instead.

“You mean starvation and poor sanitation, then?”

Seeing Gilbert’s surprised expression, Logan couldn’t help but sigh softly.

“The taxes are too high. I know that well enough, as it’s something I caused. I don’t intend to blame you for it, so speak your mind.”

“Yes. That’s actually the most important thing. The Pestian plague from before…”

“Was caused by people weakened by hunger eating rats?”

“…How do you know so well?”

Seeing Gilbert’s uncomfortable expression, Logan made up his mind again.

The logical structure that excessive taxes led to starvation, which in turn led to the plague, gradually became a conviction.

‘Let’s put aside the guilt. For now….’

It was time to think about the countermeasures.

Therefore.

“I intend to make sure that at least no one starves to death during each farming season.”

“…Yes?”

“If, despite doing so, a situation like this happens again, I may have to rely on you again.”

“I will rush to Your Majesty’s side whenever you call.”

“Yes. I would be grateful if you would.”

Logan was very sure about his plan. But when he went back to the palace and talked to his helpers, they stopped him right away.

“To ensure that no one in the entire country starves… Haha….”

Dwayne’s face became empty, and then his eyes looked like they were on fire. Logan stepped back a little without even thinking about it.

And glaring at the king, Dwayne spoke each word carefully.

“Your Majesty, I don’t know if I should say this.”

“…Say it.”

The moment Logan, pressed by that fierce energy, answered in an awkward voice.

“Are you out of your mind!?”

A shout that echoed through the office erupted.

“Impossible! It’s impossible! Absolutely impossible!”

No one could stop Dwayne, who was jumping up and down as if having a fit.

“A country where no one starves. It sounds good! But even the Empire can’t do that! Do you think the king’s power is some kind of divine power!? The king’s power comes from the budget, the budget!! There’s not enough money to even eat and die!”

Dwayne was shouting much louder than a helper should to his king. But even the strict Swordmaster just looked away and didn’t tell Dwayne to stop.

Because what he said was clearly not possible.

Luckily, Logan had expected people to disagree. So, he changed what he said a little to make it sound better.

This loyal retainer had taken his words too literally.

“Not to ensure that no one in the entire country starves, but to make sure that at least no one starves to death. If we squeeze the budget somehow, wouldn’t that be possible?”

At those words, Dwayne, who had been angry until then, stopped moving.

Dwayne wanted to say it was completely impossible. But then he remembered the extra money they were getting from the magic stone mine. So, he couldn’t say ‘no’ so easily.

He had calculated it in an instant.

‘I wish my head were worse.’

Ughhh.

Dwayne was very upset and pulled at his hair.

Dwayne sighed sadly. The king had been watching how Dwayne was reacting for a while. Then, Logan asked a question that Dwayne really didn’t want to hear.

“…Does that mean it’s possible?”

Dwayne slumped down in his spot, dazed.