Regressor Of The Fallen Family [EN]: Chapter 346

“Failure?” The voice was calm, but it felt like ice.

Klummel bowed quickly, sensing the danger. “It went wrong,” he said fast. “Someone stopped us. A superhuman, with a silver light around them, appeared. They destroyed Yasel Priesman, the leader of the Eastern 1st Legion, and a hundred knights. They even killed the wizard from Dongwang Manor.”

Cleed’s anger jumped up, but he pushed it down. He thought about the worst thing that could have happened. “…Could Dongwang Manor have done this to themselves?” he asked. It was Dongikwang Gerard who offered this mission to help Cleed win the succession war. But if things went wrong for Dongikwang, Cleed had to wonder if they were to blame.

“I don’t think so,” Klummel replied. “The wizard who died was a magic engineer.”

“…What?” Cleed was surprised. Everyone knew there were only 32 superhumans in the Empire – or 31 now, since one had died.

Cleed thought there were probably ten more hidden in secret groups, but superhumans were still incredibly important.

Superhumans could win small battles and even decide big wars. They were so valuable that many small countries didn’t have even one.

And yet… “Dongwang Manor had their own superhuman?” Cleed asked, surprised.

“…We’re not sure,” Klummel said, “but witnesses say it’s very likely. Dongikwang looked very shocked too.”

“…Still,” Cleed said, his voice hard, “he promised me success, and he failed. My commander, the leader of the 1st Legion, is dead!”

“Yes, it’s bad news about Commander Greet,” Klummel said, “but it’s not all bad for us.”

“Because you got into the ruins?” Cleed asked.

“Yes. They think the superhuman was alone, so they probably didn’t take much from inside.”

“But he might have taken the best thing,” Cleed argued.

“Yes,” Klummel agreed. “We need to find him. But experts say the ruins themselves are as valuable as treasure.”

“Ruins with no treasure?” Cleed frowned.

“…Dongikwang said they are very old, from more than a thousand years ago. They think it’s a ruin from a Transcender.”

“Even so…” Cleed started to say.

“But,” Klummel interrupted, “the Emperor is very interested in the ruins and the pictures on the walls inside.”

“…What?” Cleed asked again, surprised.

“The Magic Tower thinks they might find clues about ancient times there, especially about the Great Migration from a thousand years ago. People are also saying the ruins have powerful magic inside them.”

“The Emperor is interested…?” Cleed repeated.

“Yes. So, even though it’s bad for Dongikwang and Greet, it’s not a bad result for us.”

“True,” Cleed said, thinking. “Maybe you’re right. Yes…” The Ares Empire, which used to be the Ares Kingdom, was built on things found from the Great Migration a thousand years ago.

So, it made sense the Emperor was interested. And if the Emperor cared, it would help Cleed in the succession war. Just thinking about this made Cleed’s anger disappear.

But something still worried him. “What about Max Ileia, the Legion Commander who died in the Holy Kingdom?” he asked. “Any news?”

“Yes. The Special Inspection Department is working on it. But it looks like they will just ask the Holy Kingdom for money. Maybe a lot of money…”

“What does Baros get for this?” Cleed asked.

“They say he’ll lose a few more points.”

“…Is that it?” Cleed bit his lip, annoyed. The money was a lot, but the Holy Kingdom could easily pay it.

*’The Emperor is letting the death of a Legion Commander be forgotten for just money? Baros must have found something important in the Holy Kingdom…’*

Cleed tapped his fingers on the armrest, faster and faster, then slower and slower. Finally, he spoke, his voice low. “Have you found out why Baros went to the Holy Kingdom?”

“…We were wrong to only look at the Second Prince,” Klummel said.

“Hmm?” Cleed questioned.

“At first, I thought the Second Prince was behind it. But now it seems the Holy Kingdom wanted this, not the Prince.”

“The Holy Kingdom wanted it?”

“Yes. The new leaders of the church in the Holy Kingdom want to work with our Empire. And for some reason, they asked for Prince Baros.”

It was new information, but it was not enough to erase the unease.

“…Whatever the circumstances, it is true that Baros has benefited from it. On the other hand, I am tied to the Imperial Palace.” Cleed’s lips twitched unpleasantly. He hated feeling like he was always in the dark, especially when it came to Baros.

“You still don’t know the reason?”

“His Majesty may know, but…”

“He won’t tell me. That’s the kind of person he is.”

“…Yes.” Cleed recalled his half-brother with a stiff expression. A fellow you couldn’t read since childhood. And a fellow who was ahead of him in the succession war until last year. Even though he had cut his own score with a series of blunders, he had miraculously found his place again.

Thinking about it, this change in Baros started… “When he disappeared,” Cleed said, “was it said the Black Serpent caused the trouble?”

“Yes. The Black Serpent. Wizards who are enemies of the Imperial Family,” Klummel explained. “Why are you asking about them?”

Cleed had been lost in his thoughts, but now he suddenly clapped his hand on his knee. “Damn it! Why didn’t I see this before?”

“Yes?” Klummel asked, confused.

“After Baros came back, he didn’t lose his place, even though he made a huge mistake. In fact, he got something important – a mission to the Holy Kingdom!”

“That is strange,” Klummel agreed, “but why are you talking about this now…?” Klummel didn’t know the secrets of the Imperial Family. He didn’t know the hidden history of the Cassel Magic Tower and the Imperial Family, so he didn’t understand why this was so strange.

But Cleed knew better. The Imperial Family always destroyed everything connected to the Black Serpent. How could a prince captured by them come back and still be important? It didn’t make sense at all.

*’The worst thing is… Father has been tricked by them.’* Cleed thought, his mind racing. *’No, that can’t be right. But… if it is…’*

“…They must have offered something to Baros,” Cleed said slowly. “Something valuable enough for the Emperor to forgive them.” He thought hard. That was the only thing that made sense. Surrender. The Black Serpent, one of the Empire’s biggest enemies, had given up and joined the Imperial Family again. That would be a huge victory, big enough to ignore Baros’s mistakes.

“It makes sense they waited to announce it. They needed time to check if it was real. If they balanced out the good and bad things, then it makes sense Baros was forgiven for his mistake.”

“Yes?” Klummel said again, still confused. Cleed was thinking fast. It was just a guess, but it felt more and more like the truth. And that was very bad for Cleed. Even if everything was even now, Baros had gained something powerful that Cleed didn’t have.

*’Maybe the Emperor stopped the Imperial Family from moving around to see if the Black Serpent really had surrendered.’* Cleed’s guess was getting closer to the truth. And this guess made him feel impatient.

Baros had gained a new, strong power. A power that had once almost destroyed the Imperial Family. And Baros had a secret mission that Cleed knew nothing about. *’I can’t relax just because I’m a little ahead now. No, this is dangerous.’* Cleed’s thoughts raced towards a risky plan he wouldn’t normally think about.

“…I have to do what Baros couldn’t do,” Cleed said, his voice tight.

“Yes?” Klummel asked, confused.

“Like… the plan against the McLaine Kingdom. Before ‘that day’ comes, we need to destroy McLaine from the inside, or hurt them just as badly.”

“…What are you talking about?” Klummel asked, shocked. “McLaine? Now?”

“I have to do something!” Cleed said, his voice rising. “If I do nothing, we’re finished. I know it!”

“…Yes!?” Klummel’s face went pale.

How could a good report lead to this? But Klummel knew Cleed. The Prince didn’t say things like this without a reason. *’There must be something I don’t know,’* Klummel thought, his face getting even darker. If the Prince had decided on a goal, Klummel had to find a way to make it happen. But this seemed impossible. It felt like trying to do something with no chance of success at all.

“Baros tried to do this and failed, even after trying so hard,” Klummel argued. “And McLaine now is much stronger than Grandia was back then.”

“That’s true,” Cleed agreed.

“…With less than a year before they choose the next Emperor, the only way to really hurt McLaine is war. But we can’t start a war before ‘that day’…”

“Right. The Emperor has forbidden it,” Cleed finished.

“Yes. Because we have other enemies to worry about, not just the kingdoms in the east.”

Klummel’s words were logical. But Cleed couldn’t ignore the feeling of danger, the impatience burning inside him. “We can’t break them apart from the inside?” Cleed asked.

“I don’t know exactly what Baros tried,” Klummel said. “But McLaine is strong now. They have a very strong government, and the king controls all the soldiers. We can’t divide them.”

“So, only war…” Cleed said, his voice low.

“The army experts say we’d need all eight legions in the east to take McLaine without losing too many soldiers.”

“That many?” Cleed asked, surprised.

“Yes.” Klummel’s meaning was clear: give up.

“We should find another way…” Klummel suggested. But Cleed heard something different. He was desperate to find a way out of the danger he felt coming.

“Are you saying… if we just get rid of the king, it would work?” Cleed asked, his eyes suddenly bright.

Klummel gasped, his face blank. He saw the fire in Cleed’s eyes and spoke quickly. The Prince was too impatient now. “Baros couldn’t do it, even with… all his advantages. To do more than Baros, we’d need the Emperor’s permission. And right now, that’s…”

“Impossible,” Cleed finished, his voice flat.

Klummel sighed in relief as he saw the Prince look defeated. But Cleed started pacing again, looking worried and restless. He wasn’t giving up.

“The best way is to do what Baros failed to do,” Cleed muttered, pacing. “To show I’m better than Baros… What could it be?” Klummel watched him, his face still tense. Suddenly, a hurried voice called from outside the door – “Your Highness, urgent news!” A strange, excited light jumped into Cleed’s eyes as he heard the news.

“Gale Slayer from the Liberty Kingdom?” Cleed repeated, surprised. “That’s a strange name. Are you sure?”

“Yes. Even if other things are wrong, the silver light around him can’t be faked. Silver light is rare. If it’s not Jerome Dicaid from the Imperial Palace, it must be that superhuman from the small kingdom.”

“…This is crazy,” Cleed said. “A superhuman from a tiny kingdom at the edge of the continent robbed our ruins? How did he even find out about them?”

“We don’t know…” The knight looked worried. But Klummel stepped forward, his eyes bright. “Your Highness,” he said quickly. “Think about it. Baros didn’t just fail with McLaine.”

“Hmm?” Cleed questioned.

“The Small Kingdom Alliance! That was also Baros’s failure. It made McLaine and the small kingdoms in the east even closer.”

“Then…!” Cleed’s eyes widened.

“Yes!” Klummel said, smiling. “We can’t ask the Emperor to attack a small kingdom directly. But we can use this! This is perfect!” Klummel’s tense face broke into a smile, and soon Cleed was smiling too.