Regressor Of The Fallen Family [EN]: Chapter 337

The pub was filled with loud voices and the smell of ale. Rough men in leather armor laughed and argued around wooden tables.

“No way! You said you fought ten Orcs?” one man shouted, his voice booming.

Another man chuckled. “That’s a lie! I saw you running away! You were faster than a rabbit!”

“That’s funny,” the first man replied, grinning. “Because I remember seeing *you* running away even faster!”

They both roared with laughter. “Idiots,” someone muttered nearby.

In a corner, a man with brown hair and a grim face sat alone, staring at his flat beer with his head bowed.

He seemed lost in thought, but his ears were wide open, searching for helpful information in the surrounding conversations. Logan needed information. He had a group called ‘Eyes of the Flame’ that found secrets. But it wasn’t everywhere yet. Logan had come quickly and didn’t have anyone to help him here.

He knew from his past life that rumors in places like this could be helpful.

“The Holy Kingdom is in an uproar because they’re excommunicating the Saintess.”

“The Great Temple has had a lot of big things happening lately. But is it true, that thing?”

Fortunately, there was no mention of the Saintess being captured, so it seemed Viktor was doing his job well.

“What thing?”

“There’s some friction with a country in the East, or so I heard?”

“Eh, don’t bother paying attention to things like that.”

“What if there’s a war?”

“Grandia, was it? The Empire and that tiny country? Hah! Forget it. Don’t talk nonsense, just drink your ale.”

Mercenaries usually care about war news. But they didn’t seem interested in the kingdom’s news. Logan felt relieved.

‘That’s a relief, at least.’

Logan smiled slightly, drank his beer quickly. It was a bit warm, and headed towards the counter inside.

An inn that doubled as a mercenary guild and a pub.

Thud.

As he placed his beer glass down, the bartender, who was also a member of the mercenary guild branch, turned to him.

“Another one?”

“No. I was wondering if you could recommend any jobs around the Crown Mountains?”

He wasn’t really planning on taking a job like a real mercenary.

He was just trying to find out if there was anything special going on, now that he was so close to his destination, but the bartender chuckled.

“You must be a foreigner. Your accent sounds like it’s from the East.”

“Is there a problem with that?”

“Of course, there is.”

“Hmm?”

The mercenary guild wouldn’t refuse people because of where they are from, would they?

As if understanding the meaning in his gaze, the bartender chuckled again.

“The Crown Mountains have been a forbidden zone for over three months now, and you’re asking about jobs? How could there not be a problem?”

The problem seemed to be a little different from what he had expected.

“What?”

“It’s recent news, so it’s understandable that you wouldn’t know. Unfortunately, you’ll have to look for something else.”

Colosseum, the city of mercenaries in the northeast of the Empire. Close to the Demon Forest in the north and with a very cold climate, this place was famous as a region where all sorts of conflicts never ceased, and as its name suggested, it was overflowing with mercenaries from all over the place.

And one of the most common requests in this city of mercenaries was to escort merchants heading to the center of the Empire through the Crown Mountains via the Hunter’s Road.

‘Somehow, there seem to be fewer people than I remember.’

The Hunter’s Road was dangerous, but it was also the fastest route.

There was no way merchants wouldn’t take the risk, so what was going on?

“What’s the reason? Did some giant monster appear?”

“If it were just monsters, that would be a relief.”

“What do you mean?”

“The Imperial Family has declared the Crown Mountains a forbidden zone under the excuse that monsters from the Demon Forest were coming over. They say no one is allowed to enter without permission.”

“What kind of bull is that? Since when has the Imperial Family cared about the safety of mercenaries?”

Even the very dangerous Demon Forest was a place mercenaries went to hunt.

But they closed the mountains for that reason?

Clearly, this wasn’t a normal measure.

“Haha, that’s right. That’s what happened. But what can we do about it now?”

“……What’s the real reason?”

“The Imperial Knights are going to take care of the monsters and use the area as a training ground.”

“What kind of nonsense is that….”

“I think I’ve heard that answer a thousand times, counting you. If you’re so frustrated, why don’t you go argue with them?”

If you have a hundred lives to spare, that is.

The bartender let out a hollow laugh and shook his head, leaving Logan with no choice but to frown.

‘Even though it’s recent news, there’s no rumor of it outside at all. So, they declared it a forbidden zone and then controlled the information.’

This hadn’t happened when he was working as a mercenary around here in his past life.

A bad feeling felt very right.

“Were you thinking of going to Aserian or Parzentium? Or Noviens? Either way, you can’t enter the Crown Mountains. If you came here wanting to shorten your route, you made a mistake… Hey, where are you going? Are you just leaving?”

Ignoring the bartender’s words, he headed out.

Logan’s expression was somewhat hardened as he looked at the setting sun towards the Crown Mountains.

Outside, the air was cold. Logan walked quickly towards the Crown Mountains, his mind already racing ahead to what he might find. Meanwhile, deep within those mountains…

Thump.

“It’s been three months, three months! Are you sure you’ve got the location right?! You’re not digging in the wrong place, are you?!”

The table inside the temporary tents was smashed into dust with a single, light punch. It wasn’t just broken; it was broken into tiny pieces.

This proved that the owner of that massive fist had a very strong body, taller than 2 meters, and huge strength.

However, even with that brutal display of power, the man sitting across from the table didn’t flinch.

His neatly combed, half-gray brown hair remained perfectly in place.

“I am certain.”

The faint smile on his wrinkled face also remained unchanged.

‘Is this guy even human?’

Yasel, the commander of the Eastern 1st Legion, seemed even more enraged by his calm way.

It had already been three months of hard work, something he wouldn’t have done if it weren’t for this wizard from the Imperial Family. It was too long to continue the work, trusting only in his assurances.

“Then why aren’t there any signs of it?! How far down do we have to dig?!”

“It is information provided by the First Prince. Are you doubting the words of His Highness?”

Yasel’s mouth, which had been about to unleash many insults, snapped shut.

Grumble.

‘Damn it.’

To add any more words here would be almost like insulting the likely heir to the throne, the First Prince Clyd van Ares.

Even Yasel, who was famous for his recklessness, couldn’t bring himself to do that. After all, this mission was a punishment for making trouble.

Forcibly gripping his trembling hands, Yasel tried to be patient again.

“……So, how much longer do you think it will take?”

“The barrier should be visible soon.”

“What?”

“It probably won’t take long. A week at most? Or it could appear in a few days.”

“Is that really true!?”

Yasel’s face lit up.

“Yes. So, do your job properly. On the day the barrier is discovered, make sure the sacrifices don’t do anything foolish.”

Yasel frowned again when he saw Harvie. Harvie was a wizard with grey hair on one side of his head. He said the word ‘sacrifices’ very quietly, which Yasel disliked.

‘Are they really going to carry out that terrible plan?’ Yasel wondered.

This was the biggest reason Yasel hadn’t liked Harvie from the start, and the reason why all this work was being kept secret.

The final stage of this excavation, planned by the First Prince and approved by the Dongwang Estate, was a horrific human sacrifice. It was a cruel plan to use the lives of the workers for the construction.

“Are you sure there really is such magic?” Yasel asked.

Harvie scoffed.

“You’re not actually worried about these workers, are you? If their lives don’t matter much, they can be used for the glory of the Empire. Wouldn’t that be a worthy sacrifice?”

“Even if I’m ignorant, I know that’s not how the word ‘sacrifice’ is used, wizard,” Yasel retorted.

Yasel’s anger at the unwanted task was directed at the wizard before him. It felt as if this annoying wizard, not the First Prince, had planned everything.

However,

“So, you’re going to defy the imperial order?” Harvie challenged.

“…Of course not.”

At Harvie’s words, Yasel had no choice but to lower his head. How could he defy the Emperor’s command? It was an irresistible, absolute order. He was an Imperial Knight who had been educated to obey his entire life.

“Then that’s settled,” Harvie said.

Harvie’s sneer pricked Yasel’s conscience even more.

“Don’t take it to heart, knight. It was necessary for maintaining secrecy anyway,” Harvie added.

“Hmm?”

Recognizing their differences, they only referred to each other as knight and wizard. That’s why Harvie’s words were unexpected. It seemed like Harvie was being considerate of Yasel.

However,

“Everything will be done according to His will,” Harvie muttered with a crazed look in his eyes.

Yasel gritted his teeth.

Meanwhile, far away in the forest…

‘Judging by the size of the camp, there must be over a thousand workers, with only a hundred knights guarding them and no soldiers? A strange setup,’ Logan thought.

In the forest not far from the excavation site, beneath the dim sky, Logan stood on a slender branch atop a tall tree, lost in thought. The branch seemed as if it would break, but he didn’t seem to mind.

He moved so fast, he looked like a ghost. He was almost invisible.

‘I can’t just kill them all…’ Logan thought.

Aside from the queasiness of having to massacre civilians, he wasn’t confident he could catch over a thousand people scattering. But he couldn’t just leave them alone either. He couldn’t know what they might do while he was inside the dungeon.

Also, he had to use all his strength to break through the dungeon’s barrier, meaning he couldn’t move stealthily.

Above all, the feeling that stimulated his soul, coming from deep within the mountain range, was intensifying. It was a feeling that was endlessly longed for, and therefore unpleasant.

‘Close. Not much left,’ Logan thought.

Because of that feeling, Logan knew how far the digging had gone, even before he got to the site. If he had wasted a few more days, the barrier would have already been discovered.

‘Is it because I’ve reached a suitable realm and my memories have been released, or is it because they’re getting closer to the barrier?’

All those questions would be answered once he grasped the Holy Sword again. Before that, he had to devise a plan to dispose of the excavation teams.

‘No matter how I think about it, it seems there’s only one way,’ Logan thought with a hardened expression.

For three days, Logan watched the camp. He saw how many people there were, where they kept their supplies, and how the guards moved. He investigated the surrounding environment to check for any unforeseen variables.

Then,

– It, it’s out!

A voice filled with elation echoed from deep within the mountain’s cave.

At the top of a tree, Logan snapped his eyes open.

“It was real, it was really real,” someone exclaimed.

Inside the dark cave, the torches were no longer needed. The barrier, revealed through the collapsed walls, emitted a pure white light, brightly illuminating the wide tunnel. Everyone felt it was a miracle created by a power different from magic.

“Wow!”

“I feel like crying.”

“Th, this is…”

“I’ve felt a similar sensation before. When I received consecration from the high priest,” a worker said.

The workers, looking at the white barrier with moved eyes, each uttered a word of admiration.

Yasel, who had rushed over, was amazed as well.

“A materialized divine power that is visible to the eye…”

“In the end, wasn’t I right, Knight?” Harvie asked.

“…Indeed,” Yasel said quietly, his heart sinking. “This is really going to happen.”

“Then, shall we start preparing?”

“…I know.”

A moment of conflict appeared on Yasel’s face as he looked at the workers, but that was pushed away by a firm resolve.

And then,

“Knights, gather the workers. Commence the final operation!”

Some of the senior knights, knowing what that meant, urged the regular knights and drove them outside.

“Bring in all the relief workers who are resting!”

“Quickly, quickly!”

“Yes!”

The voices of dozens of people shouting echoed inside the tunnel, then disappeared.

One of the workers, feeling uneasy, cautiously asked Yasel,

“Captain, why are you gathering the relief workers? Shouldn’t we just continue the excavation?”

Yasel’s face hardened, and he didn’t answer. As the worker’s unease grew,

– Wh, who!

– Aargh!

– It’s the enemy!

A scream changed the complexion of everyone inside the tunnel.