Regressor Of The Fallen Family [EN]: Chapter 284

A nervous messenger arrived from Tria, breathless and sweating even in the cool castle air. She was Princess Elara, the King of Tria’s daughter, but everyone knew she was also their best spy. Speaking quickly, she reported seeing a man in the Tahiti Principality.

“His name is Donati Pello,” she said, her voice hushed. “He used to be a high official in the Emperor’s court.”

Donati Pello brought some very strong people with him. This helped Leon Tahiti, who was just the Grand Duke’s brother. Leon Tahiti then took over power in a sudden attack.

According to King Ramon I, the new Grand Duke of Tahiti listened to Donati Pello’s advice. He broke the tradition of the alliance and created policies that caused chaos.

“What specific policies are you talking about?” Rogan asked.

Even though they are allies, they are still separate countries. Tahiti has made it easier to cross borders and is slowly lowering taxes on trade. They want to remove these taxes completely in the future.

For the maritime kingdom of Calon, the only island kingdom among the Seven Kingdoms in the East Sea, and for the Tahiti Principality, which makes money from trade between McLaine and the Empire, this policy was good.

The policy was excellent.

Also, they have given the Principality’s soldiers repeating crossbows from McLaine. They are making the nearby kingdoms nervous with daily military training.

The national defense was also strengthened.

Moreover, they say that the four kingdoms have been ignored in the alliance. They are taking control of the alliance’s voting rights. If this continues, the alliance will do whatever they want in the future.

Diplomacy was also well-handled.

“Well, is he a good king…?” Rogan wondered.

“Sorry?” Ramon I responded.

“Ah, never mind. What do you want from us?” Rogan asked.

Rogan quickly changed the subject when Ramon I looked confused.

Then, Ramon I changed his expression and got straight to the point.

“I think all of this is a plot by the Empire. Our kingdom has already been hurt by the Empire. We want to become close allies with McLaine. Tria will give McLaine anything it wants.”

“Oh? Anything?” Rogan asked, surprised.

It was a tempting offer: just become allies, and we’ll do anything for you.

Rogan’s eyebrows shot up, and he leaned forward, surprised. “Anything?” he repeated, hardly believing his ears.

“Yes. We will agree to any request. After all, McLaine is the stronger nation,” Ramon I said.

Because they were praising McLaine so much, it was clear they would ask for something in return.

“But, we want you to get rid of Donati Pello and remove Leon Tahiti from the Grand Duke’s throne,” Ramon I stated.

“Huh…?” Rogan questioned.

He was asking the king of one country to commit murder?

Rogan was shocked by Ramon I’s ridiculous request.

“What do you think?” Rogan asked Damian.

“I’ll think about it,” Damian replied.

With those words, Rogan ended the call with Ramon I and asked Damian for his opinion.

Because the Empire is a threat, Tria’s offer seemed like a great advantage.

However, there were reasons to be suspicious of accepting it without question.

And Damian pointed out those suspicious points exactly.

“Maybe what the King of Tria said is true, but not completely true,” Damian said.

“What do you mean?” Rogan asked.

“The Empire would never use someone whose identity has already been revealed as a spy. Remember Cleo. We still haven’t found any real proof that he was an imperial spy, except for his head. And the Second Prince, who we think is the mastermind, brought it to us himself,” Damian explained.

“…That’s right,” Rogan agreed.

“But maybe it’s true that the Tahiti Principality has changed because of Donati Pello, and that the small kingdom alliance has been changed as a result. I think it’s very possible that the Empire really made a move,” Damian continued.

“That’s right. The problem is that there must be another reason why the Empire is helping the Tahiti Principality, and I don’t know what that reason is. And if you ignore Ramon I’s biased words, the new king of the Tahiti Principality is making policies that help them,” Rogan added.

“That’s right. And the rapid growth of the Tahiti Principality means the rapid growth of the weakest in the alliance. And the rapid growth of the weakest Principality means that the existing order is being overturned for the other kingdoms,” Damian stated.

“Everyone will be trying to stop it? Like Ramon I?” Rogan asked.

“Yes. To them, it will seem like the order that has existed for hundreds of years is collapsing. And that thought will cause chaos,” Damian replied.

“Certainly… that’s right. So they want to remove that variable and return everything to ‘normal.’ That makes sense. But that’s probably not all that the King of Tria wants,” Rogan said.

The world is complicated, but especially in matters between nations, there is no such thing as ‘unconditional.’

Things are bound to change in matters that affect the lives of hundreds of thousands, even millions.

But the fact that he set a condition that couldn’t exist meant something clear.

“…It means he doesn’t plan to keep his promise. It seems Ramon I is looking down on me too much,” Rogan realized.

“To be honest, Your Majesty, you weren’t very good at pretending to be sick. People could easily see through it,” Damian joked.

“What?” Rogan asked.

“Just kidding,” Damian replied.

Rogan chuckled at Damian’s joke.

Did this man even know how to joke?

He felt a strange feeling as he sensed the difference from his past life. Damian cleared his throat and quickly changed the subject.

“Ramon I is passing the burden on to us because they will face a huge backlash if they try and fail. Also, it seems they are just taking a shot because they have nothing to lose whether they succeed or fail,” Damian explained.

“If they fail, they will say they have nothing to do with it,” Rogan added.

“If they succeed, they will try to regain control by turning us into enemies of the alliance,” Damian stated.

It was the moment when Rogan and Damian agreed completely.

“At least that’s what I would do,” Damian said.

“Yeah. He definitely seemed like a snake, that old man,” Rogan agreed.

“‘He’? Am I a snake…?” Damian asked jokingly.

Oh, you.

In my past life, you were like a venomous snake full of poison.

Rogan couldn’t say that, so he quickly changed the subject.

“Ahem. I mean that he seems that cunning, no, that smart,” Rogan corrected himself.

“…Well, I’ll take it as a compliment,” Damian replied.

“Yeah. So, what should we do? Anyway, the more allies we have to fight the Empire, the better,” Rogan said.

“I don’t know if Donati Pello is really involved with the Empire, but it’s about overthrowing a principality. It’s not difficult, but I’m worried about what will happen after. However…” Damian paused.

Damian gave a strangely chilling smile.

“If we plan it well, we can create an environment where we can carry out Your Majesty’s wishes much more easily,” Damian suggested.

“Oh?” Rogan asked, intrigued.

“We eliminate Donati Pello and remove Leon Tahiti as the King of Tria requested, and make it look like the Empire did it,” Damian explained.

“Weren’t you the one who said that the Tria Kingdom would turn us into enemies if we did that?” Rogan questioned.

“So, first we need to make sure King Ramon I keeps his promise,” Damian concluded.

“Hmm?”

Logan thought, “They can’t expect us to work only with messages. They must have a plan. But we need to ask for more than just that. We need to ask for things that will be very hard for them, no matter what it is.”

“What if he tries to back out?”

“That’s unlikely. We will know more as we investigate, but if the King is directly stepping forward and taking such unreasonable measures, his situation is probably worse than he lets on. They’re in more of a hurry than we are.”

“Good. First, let’s get a proper grasp of the situation.”

“Yes,” Demian nodded, his usual calm face showing no surprise at Logan’s quick thinking.

Demian was right. It only took three days to find out.

“The Kingdom of Tria is much more dependent on trade than we thought.”

Demian spoke calmly, placing a tall stack of papers on the table. They looked old and official, tied with string. There was quite a lot of information gathered in just three days.

“What does that mean?”

“Tria doesn’t have many special products. If we had to pick something, it would be that they have more farm goods than other small kingdoms. But the royal family and nobles spend way too much for such a small thing.”

“Oho,” Logan said, raising an eyebrow. He leaned back in his chair, listening intently.

“They got rich by charging high taxes on trade between kingdoms because of where they are located,” Demian explained, pointing to a map on the table. “Now, they have lost that main way to make money. It’s all gone.”

“They must be very worried,” Logan said, a hint of amusement in his voice.

“Yes,” Demian agreed calmly. “They probably have no choice but to agree to almost anything we ask.”

A confident smile crept onto Logan’s face. He knew he had the upper hand now.

Before long, a private call was connected to Ramon I, the King of Tria. Logan sat in his study, the fire crackling softly as he waited for the call to connect.

[Conditions, you say?]

Ramon I sounded like he was trying to hide his worry.

“Yes. As you know, it’s hard for us McLanes to work in a kingdom within the Federation.”

[Indeed, it must be.]

“You said you would agree to anything, so I think you have some ideas. Why don’t you tell me first?”

Show me your cards first.

Ramon I’s image appeared on the screen, his face pale and his room looking less grand than Logan expected. Ramon I wore a troubled expression.

But only for a moment. After a few false coughs, Ramon I cautiously opened his mouth.

Then, he brought up a condition that was quite unexpected.

[I have a lovely daughter who will be sixteen this year. As proof of our alliance, I would like to send her to His Majesty as a concubine.]

How many daughters does this man even have?

‘No, before that…….’

Logan clenched his jaw, trying to hide his disgust. He forced his face to stay calm.

“No, that’s alright. Tell me another condition. The current Queen is more than enough for me.”

[Eh? How can such a young hero refuse a woman… ahem. Forgive my rudeness.]

Ramon’s eyes widened in surprise, his mouth slightly open, making him look almost foolish.

Seeing that, Logan was certain.

‘This man doesn’t see his daughters as anything more than tools.’

He could once again be sure that, unlike his friendly appearance, this man was a completely different person on the inside.

Moreover, what he said next was absurd.

[Our kingdom’s situation is not very good right now, so it’s hard to offer a large price now. How about we provide a written promise of another kind?]

“Another promise?”

[After the Federation returns to normal, we will create a document promising that our kingdom will steadily repay McLane every year.]

“Ho……. Are you talking about paying tribute?”

[If it can restore the Federation to normal, what wouldn’t we do?]

It was practically the same as becoming a vassal state.

But Logan subtly shook his head.

“Hmm. That’s a tempting offer, but…….”

Even a strong knight could easily break a magic contract between people. Also, a treaty between countries without a special witness or real power can become useless if the king just says so.

If they came out saying they had no money and simply refused to pay, it would be quite a difficult situation.

If, as expected, Ramon I was planning to use McLane, it would be no exaggeration to say it was meaningless.

‘A document with no validity, just words, and even his own daughter……. Hmph, this man really has no intention of actually losing anything. He’s underestimating me too much.’

So, he felt the need to be a little stronger.

“……I would prefer to receive something real as collateral rather than such documents.”

[Tangible? As I said, our kingdom has no spare resources right now. Ah, perhaps you mean one daughter is not enough? Then, how about three…….]

This crazy man…….

Logan barely managed to suppress the shivers that threatened to run down his spine and firmly cut off the king who was trying to trade his daughters.

“I would like you to entrust the national treasure of the Kingdom of Tria to me for a while.”

[Eh?!!]

Ramon I’s eyes widened to twice their size, as if he hadn’t expected that.

The seven heroes who had escaped the oppression of the ancient Grandia Kingdom and built their own kingdom.

Their leader, the Spear King, Tria Kassel, left behind the Flash Spear ‘Ignis,’ known as a 6-class artifact, as a relic.

After that, the Spear King’s name became the surname of the Tria royal family, and the relic became the national treasure of the Kingdom of Tria.

[Ignis is one of the few remaining 6-class artifacts in the world and our kingdom’s national treasure. How could we…….]

Ramon I didn’t even mention the royal seal, the symbol of the royal family.

That was how great the value of the national treasure was.

‘That’s why it has value.’

Logan continued calmly, even as he saw the other party’s bewildered expression.

“I’m just holding onto it for a while. Since the work we have to do is quite significant, shouldn’t we have that much collateral to believe it’s a firm promise?”

[……Th, that.]

“Or did you perhaps think you could move our kingdom with just a few words and meaningless scraps of paper?”

At the chilling smile Logan displayed, the King of Tria in the communication device couldn’t say anything for a moment.

After a short but seemingly long period of silence, Ramon I spoke in a hesitant voice.

[……I would like you to keep it a secret externally.]

It was an unspoken surrender with his head deeply bowed.

Logan accepted that declaration of surrender with a face full of smiles.

“Of course.”