Regressor Of The Fallen Family [EN]: Chapter 368

It was clear why the Imperial Army was camped outside Noviens.

However.

“The Holy Kingdom is a sacred land that follows God’s will. We don’t want any other country interfering. If you want to investigate, we will only let one representative enter!”

The Holy Kingdom’s representative spoke, his words echoing across the fields, with no hint of compromise.

Of course, the people who heard this were very surprised.

Tris Hornsby’s words showed how shocked he was. “Is this a declaration of war? Has the Holy Kingdom finally gone crazy?”

Galen Dicaid was also surprised. “It seems the Saintess is young and doesn’t understand what will happen soon.” If the Holy Kingdom refused their good reason, the Empire could invade. Then, the Holy Kingdom could not complain.

They thought the Holy Kingdom should accept the army and then prove they were innocent during the investigation.

‘Of course, we won’t let that happen.’

But by refusing them, they were basically admitting they were guilty. This meant war for sure. There was no other way out.

But there was a problem.

“We can’t take over Noviens completely with only this many soldiers right now.”

The 10,000 soldiers were meant to strengthen the Empire’s power in Noviens after entering the city, not to fight a war. Noviens had 50,000 soldiers. The Imperial Central Army, along with the Hornsby and Dicaid families’ best soldiers, were among the best in the Empire, but the Holy Kingdom’s soldiers were also very strong. They were not strong enough to beat a force five times their size.

“Wouldn’t it be better to wait?” Galen asked. “Since we have a good reason, it will be easier to get what we want inside the Empire. Wouldn’t the Emperor be even happier?”

Even with Galen’s words, Tris looked worried. That might be true in general, but there were things he knew that others didn’t.

‘Is the Second Prince still alive? If those Black Serpent guys really took him…’

Getting ready for war takes time, and it couldn’t be done in just a few days.

What if the Second Prince, who had disappeared, showed up again?

And what if he started saying crazy things?

‘Like saying the Emperor was trying to kill him…’

That was the worst thing he could imagine.

Also, the unclear information he had received was making it hard to decide.

‘Did the kidnapping happen during the operation, or before? We need to find out exactly when it happened.’

If it was before, then even if the Second Prince was alive, it wouldn’t be a problem.

So, the first thing to do was clear.

“I need to contact Jerome.”

“But… like I said, he’s not answering. He is badly hurt and needs to rest…”

“That’s what the Holy Kingdom is saying, right?”

“Yes.”

“It might not be his choice. I’ll go in and see him.”

“Your Excellency!?”

“You will command the soldiers and wait for my orders.”

Galen looked surprised, but Tris didn’t change his mind. The Emperor’s secrets and his own were not something he could share with anyone.

Tris, with only a few knights, went to the city gates.

“I, Duke Tris Hornsby of the Empire, with six escort knights, want to enter the Holy City to investigate the problem!” His voice was loud.

This was the Empire’s representative, leading 10,000 soldiers! Also, everyone on the city walls knew the name ‘Sword Saint,’ the most famous swordsman in the land. His arrival caused excitement.

“T-the Continental Sword Saint?”

“What continental? He’s from the Empire.”

“That’s the same thing.”

“No! Commander Haman is the best on the continent!”

“All of you, be quiet! Is that old man really the Sword Saint?”

The arrival of such an important person caused a stir among the Holy Knights.

“Not a messenger, but the Sword Saint himself?”

“Crazy, what’s he thinking?”

“What should we do…?”

Only one person could calm everyone down.

“Open the gates.”

“Commander!”

“We knew someone from the Empire would come. Surprised it’s you, Sword Saint.”

The Holy Knights quickly obeyed the Divine Sword’s calm order.

Creak…

The eastern gates of Noviens opened with a loud creak, and knights in white armor stood in rows inside. There were almost a thousand, and each one seemed very powerful.

Seeing this, the Sword Saint admired them.

‘This is the Holy Kingdom’s pride, the Order of the Holy Knights.’

If all the Holy Knights around the world were gathered, there would be more than 10,000, making them the largest group of knights in the world.

As he faced the best soldiers of the Holy Kingdom, he believed it.

‘Even the average knight is skilled. They can use both strength and divine power, so they are tough for normal knights.’

He knew they could beat an equal number of regular knights.

But he couldn’t just admire enemies, so Tris pulled himself together and entered the city. He chuckled at the angry looks he received.

“Charming welcome you have here. Trying to scare us before we even get inside?”

The Holy Knights nearby felt cold sweat on their faces.

It felt like a giant was pushing down on them. They tried to stand straight, and they saw that their friends were also struggling.

The hundred or so Holy Knights in the front all felt the same thing.

– Is this guy really that strong?

Just as the front ranks were about to fall, someone stepped in and stopped the pressure.

“Guests should be welcomed differently, don’t you think?”

A normal-looking man came forward from the Holy Knights.

When Tris saw him, his eyes lit up.

He was a little over 180cm, short for a knight, and his face was plain, but he had easily stopped Tris’s power.

There couldn’t be another man like this in the Holy Kingdom.

“Are you Sir Haman, the Divine Sword?” His voice was admiring and sure.

Haman bowed slightly. “That is correct. It is an honor to meet the Sword Saint, who is famous everywhere.”

“The honor is mine,” Tris replied. “I thought the Sword of God would be narrow-minded and rely on the Holy Kingdom’s reputation…”

Tris admired him again and returned the greeting.

He could feel that Haman’s divine power was as strong as his own.

Also, since he was a Holy Knight with the power of God, how strong would he be if he used that power?

Could this man be stronger than me? Triss wondered.

Triss shook his head, banishing the thought.

“‘No, that’s impossible.”

People who use Aura power age quickly when they reach their limit. They lose their youth fast. But this man was old and still strong.

This showed he had gone beyond the normal limits of Aura. He understood the Force – the power of life – better than anyone else.

He was proud of what he had become.

“‘Didn’t he say Harman was almost fifty?’ Triss remembered hearing about the special power of Divine Aura. But he had never thought his own Aura might be weaker.

But Harman was as strong as him, even at that age. Triss was amazed. He couldn’t help but say,

“…Impressive skill, Sir Harman.”

With Triss uttering such pleasantries, Harman’s serious face softened a little.

“‘Thank you, Duke Triss. It is my honor to meet you. I wish we were meeting in better times.”

“‘Yes. Standing here like this is pointless. Can you take me to my disciple now?’

Harman paused for a moment, then:

“‘Of course.”

Right away, the paladins moved together, making a path.

The Commander of the Holy Knights was in charge of all soldiers in the Holy Kingdom. Even though he didn’t rule the country, he was very powerful. Harman was the most famous and respected Commander ever. He had great influence.

Triss watched the paladins move so quickly for Harman. His eyes narrowed slightly. Harman had a lot of power here.

“What happened here?” Triss stopped when he saw his disciple. Jerome was covered in bandages from head to foot. Triss stared at him for a moment, then spoke in a voice as cold as ice.

“‘They said you were badly hurt, but what is this mess?!’ Triss didn’t comfort Jerome. He was angry.

Jerome squeezed his one eye shut. He knew his master would react like this.

“‘…As expected, I cannot hide anything from you, Master.’

“‘Blast it, you foolish boy! What on earth have you done?!’ Triss yelled. *Thud.* He stamped his foot on the ground. Jerome, looking defeated, knelt down.

At the same time, red Aura burst out from Triss.

“‘Ah!’ The paladins jumped back and drew their swords with a *clang!* Harman watched calmly and raised his hand. “Hold!” he ordered his men. The red Aura grew and formed a wall around Triss and his disciple. It was like a red bubble, keeping them separate.

‘A conversation that must not be overheard… Even so, to draw this much Aura, instead of Force, and use it merely as a soundproof barrier.’

Either he was using his Force very inefficiently to make Aura, or he had so much Force it didn’t matter.

‘Maybe both,’ Harman thought. To do this, he must have perfect control over his energy, like moving it with his mind.

He had sensed it from their first meeting: a truly monstrous talent.

‘How would I compare?’

A competitive spirit began to stir.

People called him the Divine Sword, a great title. Since then, no one had been his equal. But now, facing Triss, who could easily block his attacks, Harman’s heart beat faster.

But…

‘I can’t be reckless,’ Harman thought. The Holy Kingdom was in a difficult situation, and so was he. He couldn’t just start a fight. He sighed, thinking about all the problems, and just looked at Triss.

And within the red barrier that blocked even his hearing, a conversation was taking place—one that must not leak to the outside world.

“‘The Varos Prince knew? How?’

“‘The Saintess, it seems. She gave him a clue.’

“‘Hmph. The Saintess… I thought she was just a beginner priest.’

Triss closed his eyes tightly when he heard Jerome. Actually, the Emperor’s plan was easy to guess if you only thought about what was good for the Empire. But it was hard for normal people to believe a father would hurt his own son.

Especially for the Saintess, who seemed like a good and honest priest, it was surprising she would even think of such a cruel plan.

“‘Yes, God must have chosen her for a reason,’ Triss sighed. He was wrong about the Saintess, but he didn’t realize it. What hurt him more was what his disciple had done.

Triss looked back at Jerome. Someone who used Aura and had reached the highest level of Force should not be this injured and unable to move. There were only three reasons: almost dead, hurt by Aura, or… he did it to himself.

“‘Did you think you could fool me?’ Triss asked. Jerome knew he couldn’t. His master was like a monster. He could always tell if someone was lying, and even how they got hurt.

“‘I didn’t want to trick you, Master. I just wanted to hide it from everyone else.’ Triss bit his lip, annoyed.

“‘Fine, maybe. But explain everything. Even if the Prince knew, you should have finished your mission. You didn’t choose the Prince over the Emperor, did you?’

“‘…I also listened to my conscience and what I thought was right as a knight.’

“‘The most important thing for a knight is to obey his ruler!’ Triss snapped.

“‘Prince Varos is my ruler,’ Jerome said instantly. Triss felt his heart break at those words.

“‘Why…! Why, you idiot! You’ve destroyed the Empire’s big plan! Do you even understand?!’

“‘I am sorry, Master,’ Jerome repeated. Triss was so angry he hit his own chest with his fist. He sighed heavily and looked into Jerome’s eyes.

“‘I have to tell the Emperor the truth.’

“‘…I know.’

“‘Ugh, you stubborn idiot! If you want to live, at least beg for mercy!’

“‘The Emperor values talent. I think he will make me a regular soldier instead of killing me.’

“‘You’ve really lost your mind. It’s not that simple…!’ Triss complained. But inside, he knew Jerome might be right.

But only if one thing happened.

“‘The Empire was so close to getting what it wanted for so long. If you want to live after ruining it, there’s only one way. You know what it is, right?’

“‘…Yes.’

“‘Then tell me the plan. If the Second Prince is still alive, how do we take over the Holy Kingdom?’

“‘We need to assume one more thing,’ Jerome said.

“‘What?’ Triss asked, impatient.

“‘First…’ Jerome remembered his lord’s last words: *’We must meet again. And to survive…’* Jerome looked at his master with his one good eye and said calmly,