Regressor Of The Fallen Family [EN]: Chapter 367

It was a very dark night. Even the moonlight seemed to be hiding.

The room was very big and fancy. It seemed too grand just for priests who were learning. The sound of someone breathing slowly filled the quiet.

Whoosh.

The sound of wind coming through a small gap in the window was very loud in the quiet room. The wind moved near an old bed. Suddenly, it seemed to gather together and become a see-through shape. Then, it changed into a dark knife that stabbed down onto the bed.

Thunk.

Splat.

Red blood burst out, making the clean white sheets a dark, horrible red. But the blood was not coming from under the blankets where the black knife hit.

“Ugh!?”

A person in a grey mask appeared suddenly, as if from nowhere. He grabbed his cut shoulder and stepped back quickly. But a bright silver light flashed from where the knife had hit the bed. This light stopped him from getting away easily.

Shhhwack!

His stomach was cut open. The masked man fell to the ground and looked up at the person who attacked him. The ‘Ghosts’ – the Ares Empire’s secret group – were not allowed to talk during their jobs. But he had to speak, he couldn’t stay silent anymore.

It wasn’t because he was afraid of dying.

“Lord Jerome? Why are you doing this?!”

The person who should have been his friend was now his enemy.

The knight with one eye answered the confused question calmly.

“Why do you think? Isn’t it a knight’s job to protect his lord?”

“Are you crazy?!”

Are you going against what the Emperor ordered?

“What will you do when you face the punishment?”

He tried to hide the real reason, speaking quickly and quietly because he was scared someone might hear.

“Heh heh heh… Madman. You are giving up honor to go to a terrible place.”

“…Number One. You are talking more than I thought you would.”

Cough.

“Your family, the Decaid family, will be destroyed because of you.”

Number One said these angry words, spitting out blood from behind his mask.

But the knight had already decided what to do and just smiled slightly.

“That won’t happen. My great-uncle will stop it.”

“Krrgh.”

Number One finally died and fell down. Suddenly, a bright white light flashed from the dark space next to the bed, and a young man with black hair came out.

“…Thank you for what you did, Lord Jerome.”

“I only did what I had to do. I am sorry I couldn’t tell you earlier.”

Baros smiled sadly and shook his head at Jerome, who was kneeling with his head down.

“No, no. I know you have given up a lot. I don’t know how I can ever thank you enough.”

Jerome shook his head, his face showing he was determined.

“I just did what a knight should do.”

Jerome’s one eye was bright with determination. He remembered what happened two days before. The Prince had figured out what the Emperor wanted and had called him and Leos to meet.

– “The Emperor’s weapon is not just the Ghosts. I…”

He was finding it hard to say, like admitting something difficult. But the Prince stopped him with a surprising comment.

– “Haha, don’t talk nonsense. If you are that weapon, then I am already as good as dead.”

– “A fool who tries so hard to trust someone he can’t trust deserves to die.”

The Prince looked straight at him, not even blinking, as he said these words. Those eyes made Jerome stop thinking about it anymore. But now, the Prince was very worried about what had happened.

“Lord Jerome, I am so thankful for your loyalty, even though you won’t get anything for it. If I live, I will definitely find a way to repay you.”

“No, Your Highness. You need to hurry. Like I said, Number One is not the only Ghost following you.”

“…Yes. I must.”

“So, will you do what we planned?”

“…Do I have another choice?”

First, he had to stay alive. Leos was waiting for him not far from here, ready to help.

And…

“I will make the way clear for you, Your Highness.”

Behind him was his knight, who had offered to take a difficult and dangerous path for him. He couldn’t show he was afraid.

“I need your help.”

“Yes! I will take care of it.”

As soon as he left his house, the attack started, just as they thought it would.

Swish.

Black knives flew out of the darkness. Even though he had seen them many times, they always made him feel scared. But next to him was someone with amazing eyesight who could see everything coming.

Crack.

Silver light cut through the air just before the black knives appeared. A lot of blood sprayed out from nowhere, and pieces of bodies fell to the ground.

“That’s five. We have taken care of all the Ghosts who were part of this plan. Now, I will go and find the others. Your Highness, please keep going straight on this path.”

“Okay.”

“Please be careful.”

“You too, be careful. If you can’t kill all the Ghosts to stop them from talking, then maybe…”

Baros stopped for a moment, about to say something else. *Maybe he means he would have to kill me later? That’s foolish.* Baros couldn’t hide how upset he was, so he just bit his lip and turned away.

“No, forget it. Let’s meet again. When things are better, and we are happier.”

*Will that day ever come?*

He didn’t sound like he believed it.

“Yes. For sure.”

Baros felt sad that they were so far apart in their feelings and walked faster.

“You are a bit late, Your Highness.”

“…You talk a lot. You don’t seem to be in a good situation yourself.”

“That’s true. But you, Your Highness, are something I really need to protect. Ho ho.”

*’Something,’ she called me.* Baros wasn’t angry that Tracey saw him as an object. His family line had always been what he was proud of. But now, his own family was trying to kill him. He had to grab any chance to live, even if it meant working with someone bad. *Even if it’s like making a deal with the devil.* Baros felt his desire to live come back strongly. They arrived at an empty hallway.

Creak…

Tracey pointed, and a staircase going down appeared in the wall that looked solid. The staircase went down into complete darkness. It looked like thick mud that would pull him down and trap him. Baros’s face became even more tense.

But.

“Hurry.”

Baros didn’t hesitate at all and started going down the stairs.

“Now, follow me… Ho ho, you are very quick to act. Very good. Let’s go.”

Tracey didn’t expect him to be so eager and followed him with light steps. Soon, the wall that had opened up became a smooth, white wall again. It was as if the staircase and the people who went inside had never been there.

And at the same time.

Not far away, two important people from the temple were looking down at the Pope, who was lying on the ground like he was dead.

“Luckily, he is just sleeping.”

“But he won’t be able to work as he did before, right?”

“No. It will probably take a long time…”

Harman was angry and ground his teeth when Ilia said this.

“To just let the people who did such terrible things go… it makes me sad.”

“We can’t help it, Commander. If we catch them now, the Empire will use it as an excuse to start a fight.”

“But the Empire planned all of this…”

“That’s why we have to let them go. They will keep causing problems for the Empire.”

Harman bit his lip and turned away because of what the Saintess said. Ilia sighed and looked at him, then looked up at the sky. The very dark night sky had a moon peeking through the clouds, giving a little light to the dark night. It felt to her like it showed how the Holy Kingdom was doing right now. Then, she thought of someone.

*’Thank you, Emperor Logan. You helped us avoid the worst thing that could have happened. How can I ever thank you enough for this kindness?’*

Ilia sighed in relief and prayed again, like she always did. It was a prayer to her god, but today, she was also thankful to someone else. Maybe that’s why.

Flash.

In her mind, which was shining with blue light, it seemed like her god was talking about that person.

– “Red eyes… %#@… messenger of… @$%. ”

The voice was still far away. But it was a little clearer. She felt bad that she was called a Saintess because she still couldn’t hear her god’s words clearly. But she was proud that she was getting better at it. And if it was about red eyes…

*’Maybe they are praising Emperor Logan.’*

Ilia thought this and looked at her god, answering.

– “I will tell King Logan about your praise. And as someone who serves God, I will thank him enough so I won’t be ashamed in front of God.”

Her god looked a little clearer than before. Amun, the big god of the sea and change, hit his chest and answered her. He seemed annoyed that he couldn’t say the divine words fully.

– “…Try hard again and again, and one day you will hear my voice completely.”

Ilia knew she still had weaknesses and prayed to ask for forgiveness again.

“The Prince has disappeared?”

“Yes. People we don’t know are said to have kidnapped the Prince.”

“And the Special Inspection Unit and Jerome were there?”

“The… um… the Special Inspection Unit members were all killed. And Lord Jerome is said to be getting better from very bad injuries.”

“Hmph…”

The old man, Tris Hornsby, looked surprised and confused at the knight’s report.

“What do you think, Galen?”

The mage with silver hair looked young even though he was almost as old as Tris. He answered, “It’s a bit strange. But if the Kassel Magic Tower decided to do something, it could be possible.”

Tris frowned a little. *That’s not it.* It was too strange that the people who were supposed to kill the Prince were dead instead, and even Jerome was hurt. But he couldn’t talk about the Emperor’s secret plan in front of everyone. The truth would make the Emperor look bad. It was a secret that even Galen, the Gale Mage, shouldn’t know. *Could it be that person…?* Tris thought about his student’s personality, but there was no time to waste.

“Hmm, anyway, we will continue with the plan as we planned.”

“Yes? What about the Prince?”

“…Tell the Imperial Family and wait for orders. But we will still do what we originally planned.”

“Well, thinking about this operation, it might actually be better this way.”

“What?”

Tris looked angry at the mocking comment. Galen Decaid, the Gale Mage, was a mage who only cared about his own talent. Tris knew this, but Galen had always been careful around him and the Emperor. Also, Jerome, who was badly injured, was Galen’s student and the great-nephew of the Decaid family.

*’And it’s better this way?’* Tris stared at him, confused. Galen looked back as if asking what was wrong.

“Isn’t it good? The Prince has disappeared in Noviens. Isn’t that a better excuse than the death of someone like Max?”

Tris had to agree with what Galen said next. He suddenly understood something surprising and strange.

“…Yes. Haha, I see.”

Maybe it was better after all. A mysterious disappearance was much better than having the Emperor’s own family killed by his student. His student wouldn’t be blamed, and it looked much cleaner. Of course, for that to happen…

*’The missing Prince must not come back. I need to use the Ghosts quickly.’* It was a bit more work, but he felt much calmer now.

“Very well. We will march forward and go into Noviens as planned. Tell the Holy Kingdom! We will demand they are responsible for the death of Max Illeya and the disappearance of the Prince!”

Tris’s loud voice filled the camp. The Imperial Central Army, along with the best soldiers from the Hornsby and Decaid families – 10,000 soldiers in total – started moving faster towards their target, the Holy Capital.