Regressor Of The Fallen Family [EN]: Chapter 348

Jordan Marlins, Marquis and Chancellor of the Liberty Kingdom, bowed respectfully, but the cold-looking man who received the greeting merely nodded.

Despite the rude behavior, Jordan showed no sign of displeasure. Instead, he glanced nervously at the group, sweat beading on his bald head.

‘Even so, for such a powerful warrior from the Empire to come in person… what on earth did Gaille do?’

The man at the front, the Empire’s secret envoy, kept catching his eye.

He had snow-white skin, an expressionless face, and neatly combed-back white hair, giving a cold impression. His sharp eyes further emphasized this chilling impression, making anyone feel frozen when their gazes met his.

Sixty-three years old this year, Grit Einzhein, Commander of the 1st Legion of the Eastern Empire.

One of the Empire’s strongest men had visited Liberty as an unofficial envoy.

Jordan wiped away the cold sweat and spoke again.

“Welcome, Your Excellency,” Jordan began, his voice a little too loud in the sudden silence. “We have heard much of the Devil Spear’s fame,” he added, forcing a nervous chuckle. “It is truly an honor to meet you.”

“Guide.”

The word was clipped and cold, like ice breaking. It was not a request, but a command, delivered without even a glance at Jordan.

Jordan hurriedly lowered his head to hide his hardening expression.

“Yes… Of course, I must guide you. Please, follow me.”

Seeing the Empire’s powerful warrior not even using honorifics to a foreign aristocrat, he felt a surge of anger.

‘Such an arrogant fellow. I hope he doesn’t commit any rudeness to His Majesty?’

It was fortunate that this visit was unofficial, so not many would witness this outrageous scene.

‘Damn it. What on earth is Gaille doing…?’

Unable to express his dissatisfaction to the envoy, his unpleasant feelings only led to resentment towards Gaille Slayer.

His resentment only intensified with Grit’s attitude, which did not change even upon arriving in front of the King’s office.

As a secret envoy, he could not greet him in the grand hall with his vassals. Still, to save the King’s face, he had placed knights in front of the office, the place where he had decided to meet him.

But the moment the knight shouted, ‘A distinguished guest has arrived!’

Bang!

The red force emanating from Grit’s light gesture violently flung open the doors of the hall.

The smiles on the faces of the Liberty officials vanished, replaced by tight lips and wide eyes. Kran III, inside the opened door, also frowned and glared at him.

But as if he didn’t care, Grit, maintaining his expressionless face, turned his gaze to the five who had followed him.

“You will wait outside.”

“…Understood, Your Excellency.”

Jordan thought there was something strange about the way Grit looked at his party.

Even inside Liberty’s palace, he didn’t seem to care about the palace officials at all, but rather felt wary of the others who had followed him, those wearing robes.

‘It must be my imagination.’

It must be because he was trying to think of something else to endure the grim atmosphere.

Jordan blamed himself for thinking such things and quickly followed behind Grit, who was striding into the office.

“Grit Einzhein, Count of the Empire, greets the Monarch of Liberty.”

Grit’s bow, slightly lowering his head and placing his fist on his chest, was excessively brief.

Gunther Liberty and the escort knights, standing behind the King, visibly hardened their expressions, but Kran III nodded, his face calm, but a muscle twitched in his jaw as he met Grit’s cold gaze.

“Count Einzhein,” Kran III said, his voice smooth but with an edge, “we would have preferred a more… pleasant occasion for your visit. However,” he paused, letting his gaze drift to the knights behind him, “as that is clearly not the case, I trust you understand my… precautions.”

A faint smile crossed Grit’s expressionless face upon hearing those words.

He slightly raised one corner of his mouth before immediately returning to his expressionless state.

The faces of Kran III and the Liberty people stiffened at the sight.

The name of the Commander of the 1st Legion of the Eastern Empire, a famous warrior even in the Empire, could not be a bluff.

However, under the guise of an envoy, the weapon that had given him the infamous name of the Devil’s Spear had already been left tied up outside the palace. With Gunther Liberty, a strong knight, and 20 elite knights, even the Devil’s Spear would not be able to cope barehanded.

Kran III bit his lip as the thought reached that point.

‘He must know that is impossible.’

The difference between Liberty and the Empire now was that they had no choice but to endure most rudeness and abuse.

He pushed his uncomfortable feelings aside with a short, dry cough.

“Hmm… Then that’s settled. I have already received the information, but I would like to formally hear the purpose through the envoy.”

“The head of Gaille Slayer and the treasure he took from the Empire’s territory… that is what we seek.”

The content of the words was as expected.

However, following the answer that came out directly in a cold voice, was the delayed use of honorifics a mistake, or was it intentional?

Kran III, his expression hardening even further, frowned, but he had already devised a plan.

“…Grand Duke Gaille Slayer is our war hero, and he has unlimited freedom in his actions, at least within our kingdom. Therefore, all I can do is provide a venue.”

Grit’s expression changed slightly at those words.

“…Are you saying that you will not interfere, no matter the outcome?”

“Grand Duke Gaille is in charge of his own actions. We trust him to handle this situation himself.”

Grit’s brow furrowed slightly at Kran III’s answer. It was because he could not understand the words at all.

“Your Majesty. Did you properly understand what I said?”

“…Did I not already say it?”

Even at Grit’s rude question, Kran III simply nodded with a heavy face.

Grit was momentarily speechless at that.

Was this not a declaration to abandon the life of their own country’s powerful warrior?

It was a move he had not anticipated at all.

– Be sure to recover the treasure, but more important than that is Liberty’s submission.

The voice of the First Prince, who had repeatedly urged him, lingered in his head.

The original plan had gone awry too easily.

To extract a promise of becoming a vassal state in exchange for sparing the life of Gaille after negotiations maintaining a strong attitude, and to take the treasures of the ruins and one or two of Liberty’s national treasures.

That was the original purpose, but it felt like things were going wrong from the start.

‘Was I too firm?’

Such a thought crossed his mind for a moment, but Grit soon regained his composure.

‘No, no. What if it goes slightly wrong? Showing the Empire’s dignity is more important.’

He had received a request from the First Prince, but frankly, he had not been happy about it.

The price of the lives of Yaser, who had been a loyal subordinate, and about 100 elite knights was merely the submission of such a small country; it was not enough to satisfy him.

Therefore.

“…I will take care of the punishment for that fellow myself. Now, I will tell you the demands that our Empire is making of your country.”

‘If you don’t say what I want to hear, I’ll have to ask for even more.’

King Kran III’s face became tight when Grit said this.

“What do you mean?”

“Since he is taking responsibility, shouldn’t the royal family of Liberty pay the Empire for the Grand Duke of Liberty’s rude behavior?”

Grit looked sure he was right, his face showing he thought this was the only way.

King Kran III’s brother, Gunther, reacted angrily.

Thud!

“Count Grit, this is too much!”

The marble floor cracked under Gunther’s feet as a wave of heavy power slammed into the room, aimed at Grit.

But the power did not affect Grit at all. It was like a gentle breeze to him.

Grit smiled slightly, a small, cold smile, while Gunther Liberty’s face became even harder, like stone.

King Kran III hesitated, then said, his voice tight, “…Very well. What else do you demand?”

The King, his face serious, raised a hand to stop his brother from speaking.

“I want Liberty to promise to obey the Empire, and I want someone to stay with us as proof, Your Majesty.”

Excessive.

Too excessive.

It was like he wanted to eat the whole country, just because he had a small reason.

King Kran III’s voice became sharp.

“What if I do not agree?”

“Then you will face the Emperor’s anger.”

Grit looked at them as if asking if they were brave enough to face such a terrible thing.

To some of the knights from Liberty, who had never seen the Empire’s power, Grit sounded crazy. They laughed quietly.

But King Kran III knew better. He knew the Empire was strong, and he could not laugh.

But then, King Kran III remembered McLaine’s words.

– “The Empire wants to take over Liberty. They will use this as an excuse.”

– “Even if Gaille didn’t do this, they would find another reason. You’ll see.”

McLaine’s words, from the one who started all of this, flashed in his mind. He looked at Grit again.

Saying he would let them deal with Gaille completely was like giving up, if you didn’t see the hidden reason.

‘Why is Grit acting like this?’

Now he understood that McLaine was right.

‘But….’

He was at a turning point.

The Empire or McLaine.

Choosing the Empire seemed like the safe choice, but it could also bring danger from closer enemies.

Liberty was not strong enough to fight even a nearby enemy, let alone the Empire, even without thinking about the hostages, like his son in Gran.

‘It’s because we are weak.’

He clenched his fist under the desk without meaning to.

He felt very frustrated.

But he had no choice now, no matter what he wanted.

The Empire still thought Gaille was loyal to Liberty, but McLaine knew the Empire would react like this. McLaine even told him what to say.

“…Let’s talk about all of this after we deal with Grand Duke Gaille Slayer.”

Grit looked surprised by these words.

“…I heard Gaille Slayer is a hero. It sounds like he is stronger than you, Your Majesty.”

Grit was trying to make the King angry, but he spoke calmly.

But the answer that came next was shocking.

“Yes, that’s right.”

He meant McLaine, not Gaille.

King Kran III was saying what he really felt, something he usually kept hidden.

These hidden words shocked not only Grit but also Liberty’s people who were loyal to him.

“Your Majesty!” someone shouted in disbelief.

“How can you say that?” another cried.

Grit’s face changed for the first time, showing he was confused.

‘No, what kind of king is this?’

It’s not new for a king to have a powerful servant. But had a king ever said it out loud like this, especially to a foreign messenger?

‘Did he have no shame?’

It was unbelievable.

But the shocking words continued.

“So, if you are happy with how you deal with Grand Duke Gaille, I will agree to the Empire’s demands. But if you can’t defeat Grand Duke Gaille, I want you to drop all your demands and leave.”

Grit’s face became stiff again when he heard this.

‘Is he asking me to fight fire with fire?’

Rumors said Gaille Slayer was a good fighter, but not top level. Grit was a very skilled fighter, much stronger than that.

But the King seemed so sure…

‘Maybe the rumors are wrong. Could Gaille be even stronger than me? No, impossible.’

Someone incredibly strong who suddenly appeared in a small country, stronger than him.

It seemed impossible, but now he wasn’t so sure.

But Grit didn’t worry for long. He remembered the people from the Dongwang Department who came with him.

He could feel that some of them were very powerful, even though they were trying to hide it.

He knew at least two of them were mages. He was so surprised he even told the Emperor about it secretly.

But the Emperor didn’t seem to care. He just sent back strange messages.

– “The Emperor knows about these people and it’s okay.”

If the Emperor allowed them, they must be on his side, even if they seemed strange.

‘I’ll use them first.’

If he sent the mages first, and then fought himself, he would be safe, even if Gaille was stronger than expected.

So,

“Well, well, it seems I can be of great help to Your Majesty. I’ll get rid of this problem for you in Liberty.”

Grit smiled coldly and said to the King in a confident voice.