Regressor Of The Fallen Family [EN]: Chapter 422

War began on a day like any other at Kyle Castle. Then, messages of victory started arriving, one after another, messengers bursting through the gates, shouting the good news.

But, things were not so good everywhere. Unlike Kyle Castle, which won easily, the fortresses in the north and south were badly hurt. This was because of unexpected problems.

Damian read from the report, his voice low. “For the Legions… it’s bad, Your Majesty. Out of two hundred and thirty thousand Imperial soldiers, we think one hundred and fifty thousand are dead or badly hurt. That’s just from the fifth to eighth Legions and two Central Army Legions.”

Logan’s face tightened. “And our allies?” he asked quietly.

“Fifty thousand from the McLaine Army, and thirty thousand from Teronan,” Damian replied. He paused, then continued, “Among the Transcendent Forces… Count McLaine lost Commander Graeme Turner, and another Transcendent. One more is badly wounded. Ten Black Knights are dead. And Viktor… Viktor is severely wounded, but he will recover.”

“A great sacrifice,” Logan murmured, his voice heavy. He wasn’t celebrating.

“But we have achieved victory,” Damian said, trying to sound positive, but even his voice lacked real joy.

Logan just nodded slowly. “Indeed,” he said quietly, but his eyes showed he was far from happy about this victory.

One whole legion of our allies sent to Armor… it was gone. Wiped out. But compared to the enemy, our losses were less. Logan tried to focus on the victory. They had won, after all. That was what mattered, wasn’t it?

However, there was something that couldn’t help but weigh on his mind.

‘Why did it have to be that way……?’

Logan, looking troubled, massaged his temples. Damian, who had been delivering the report, cautiously continued, watching him.

“…It’s about the Divine Beast, Your Majesty. After Lord Viktor saved it, the creature… well, it got very angry. It changed into its true form and attacked the Empire’s soldiers. It caused a lot of damage. Our soldiers were also hurt, but… it was because of the Divine Beast that we won.”

“Anything else?” Logan asked sharply.

“Pardon?”

“Were there no other rumors about the Divine Beast?”

“No, not really. Well, the only other things said were just praises for His Majesty. That the Divine Beast is helping us……”

No one is talking about mana. Maybe that’s good for now. But it will come out eventually. The Holy Kingdom… Illya is our friend. It should be okay.

Logan sighed and waved his hand, and the next report immediately followed.

Damian continued with the next report. The losses were still heavy. Eighty thousand more Imperial soldiers gone. Thirty thousand from the McLaine Army, twenty thousand from Liberty. Among the Transcendent Forces, Miles Malfin of the Imperial Guard was dead, killed by the Sword Demon. Blake Evandor, another commander, killed by Luther Kyle. Five more Black Knights fallen. Gunther Liberty, too, was dead.

“Shield also suffered greatly,” Damian said, “but it’s still a victory.”

However, there was also an unexpected and devastating loss.

“……Lord Sword Demon faced the Empire’s transcendents while suffering severe injuries from the Black Knights. As a result, he lost consciousness immediately after the battle and has not yet awakened.”

The moment Damian finished his report, his eyes squeezed shut…

“What!?”

Logan was on his feet before he knew it.

“……Master!?”

“The Sword Demon?”

His wife, Aileen, seated beside him, also looked shocked, but sensing the gazes around them, they suppressed their inner turmoil and were forced to sit back down.

‘Damn it, damn it, damn it!’

Their position, the current situation, did not allow them to reveal their personal shock.

The King and Queen, and their army, had once again emerged victorious.

Even now, cheers echoed from beyond the inner castle walls.

– Haha!

– We won again!

– Long live McLaine!

The voices of the wildly excited populace were loud enough to reach even the grand hall deep within the inner castle, and naturally, the commanders gathered inside were all flushed with excitement.

Logan forced himself to look calm, hiding his worry. He looked at Damian. “Send the best healers from all over the country to the north, immediately. And send the priests too. We must save Master!”

“Yes!”

Damian nodded quickly. He knew who ‘Master’ was – the Sword Demon, Logan’s teacher, a legend. He understood Logan wanted not just healers, but also the priests with their special healing magic.

Having quickly taken action, Damian immediately began the final report: the results of the battle of Kyle, the last and greatest victory of this triumph.

“……Estimated casualties are about half of the enemy force of nearly 400,000. We expect the number of dead enemies alone to reach 100,000! The crows are having a feast in the fields!”

Damian announced the results of the battle, even using dramatic descriptions that were not usually appropriate for official reports.

And in this place, at this moment, no one cared about Damian being a little too dramatic.

“Wooaaah!”

“We have won!”

“Long live His Majesty the King!”

“Long live Logan McLaine, the hero sent by the gods!!”

In an instant, the grand hall was consumed by cheers.

Logan, the object of those cheers, raised his hand to return the greeting, but suddenly coughed and spat out blood.

“Darling!”

Aileen, her face pale, quickly supported her husband. She, too, was treating severe internal injuries and a shattered left arm bone, but she knew that her husband’s wounds were far more serious.

“It’s alright, I’m alright,” Logan said, patting Aileen’s hand to calm her. *It’s a relief it’s only this much,* he thought. The shock about his master had made him lose control of his inner Force, the magical energy that flowed through him. He felt a crack in his Force Cores, the centers of his power. It was like a crack in his own life. But it wasn’t too bad. It could have been much worse. Still, he knew he would need to rest for months to heal.

But Damian, still worried, watched him closely. “Your Majesty, will you rest now? The reports are finished.”

“I’m fine,” Logan insisted.

“But… Your Majesty, your hair…” Damian pointed, his eyes wide. Others in the hall finally noticed too. Logan’s hair… it was half white now. A gasp went through the room.

“Your Majesty!” someone cried. “A priest! Get a priest!”

Logan sighed and rubbed his forehead. Their reaction was a bit much.

“It’s alright,” Logan said calmly. “The injury is already healing.”

His words calmed the room. They believed him. He was their king, an Aura User, someone with amazing healing powers. After this war, they saw him as more than just a king. He was like a god to them.

‘His Majesty is a legendary Aura Master.’

‘A hero who even brought divine punishment upon the Empire.’

‘The gods are definitely protecting him!’

The unbelievable rumor that the enemy emperor was a great archmage was quietly buried before that ‘myth’.

Logan, receiving the full attention of the sparkling eyes of the assembly, could only sigh inwardly. Even his aide, Damian, was looking at him with similar eyes.

“……What are our casualties?”

“……The Home Guard suffered nearly 30,000 casualties. And about 300 knights were killed or wounded, and 3,000 legion soldiers are unfit for combat. It is a great victory, Your Majesty!”

A face expressing joy even while speaking of the sacrifices of his allies.

Logan felt a strange discomfort.

No matter how great the victory, war was war, and sacrifice was unavoidable. And among them, there were truly heartbreaking sacrifices.

His master’s situation, too……

“……Is Clayton still the same?”

“Yes. He is still unconscious.”

‘I suppose so.’

Logan couldn’t bring himself to say the words out loud.

He had heard from Victoria what had happened while he was using magic. Moreover, after seeing the terrible scars etched into Clayton’s soul with his own eyes, he could only feel a fresh sense of sorrow.

‘Perhaps for the rest of his life……’

The words he couldn’t bring himself to say remained only in the back of his throat this time as well.

His master’s situation was still just an uncertainty, but this was a confirmed misfortune.

Logan bit his lip and asked about the whereabouts of another important person.

“……Where is Victoria?”

“He’s still by Clayton’s side.”

“……Right.”

What should he say?

He couldn’t thank them enough for what they had done. If the magic of annihilation hadn’t been directed at him, he wouldn’t have had a chance to step in.

He didn’t want to say that Clayton would never fight again.

In the end, he said…

“……He’ll get better soon.”

It was just wishful thinking, and he wasn’t even sure he believed it himself.

Afraid his doubt would show, Logan quickly added,

“Don’t get too excited about the victory. We don’t know how the Empire will react. We still need to be careful.”

His strong voice filled the grand hall, making everyone quiet.

News of the victory spread, causing huge reactions around the world.

– Maclane has defeated the Empire again!

– An unbelievable victory!

– Even the Emperor fought, but they lost!

Rumors said the Emperor was a powerful archmage and the King of Maclane was an Aura Master, but most people didn’t believe it.

“……Is it true?”

“Yes! Everyone is talking about it!”

“Was the Empire weak?”

“No, Maclane is just strong.”

For other countries, it was just interesting news. But for Maclane and the Empire, the reactions were very different.

“Wahahaha! We won again!”

“Long live His Majesty the King!!!”

“Long live Logan Maclane!!”

“He’s a hero sent by the gods!”

“Maclane never loses because the gods protect us!”

In Maclane, everyone from the big cities to the small villages was happy.

In the Empire, a heavy silence hung in the air. People felt hopeless.

“What is happening…….”

“How could our Empire…….”

“It’s not over! We are strong!”

“But we keep losing…….”

As rumors spread and people worried, more bad news arrived.

– The Western Kingdoms are invading the Empire’s western border!

The Western Kingdoms, a group of ten allied countries, had started a full-scale invasion of the Empire.

– They have 15 legions.

– The Empire’s western armies can’t stop them.

– The Empire is about to fall.

This shocking news quickly changed things on the Maclane front.

“The Imperial Army is retreating!”

“They’re leaving the northern fortress!”

“And the southern fortress too…….”

The Emperor, upset by the loss to Maclane and the invasion by the Western Kingdoms, decided to pull back his troops.

Recently, people had started to whisper about peace talks because of the victory. Some even hoped the Empire would just go home.

The events in the west made this happen faster.

In the end…

– Maclane has defeated the Empire!

Ten years ago, Logan wouldn’t have believed it. But now it was real.

“He’s a hero sent by the gods!”

“As long as King Logan is with us, the gods will bless our kingdom!”

“The timing is perfect……!”

“Long live His Majesty the King!”

The people of Maclane already liked Logan. Now, they saw the victory as a sign of the gods’ favor.

All of Maclane was celebrating.

“We did it…….”

We did it! We did it!!

Logan watched the Imperial Army leave and clenched his fist. He wanted to shout as loud as he could.

Ten years after he went back in time, no, nine years. He had finally reached his goal. Of course he was excited.

Whirr!

The Poscores vibrated, releasing a faint aura once more.

Eileen, who was watching Logan, calmed him down. He was too excited to notice what was happening.

“Ah, hoo…… It’s okay. Let’s announce our victory.”

Logan tried to calm his heart. He raised his hand to get everyone’s attention.

“We have won!”

“Waaaah!”

“It’s all thanks to you. Eat and drink as much as you want today!”

With those words, the castle walls turned into a party.

“We have won!”

“We beat the Empire!”

“Get lost, Empire jerks!”

“Don’t come back!”

“Euhahahahaha!”

The soldiers cheered and shouted, following their king.

Some even pulled down their pants and slapped their butts, or peed off the castle walls.

But no one cared at that moment.

Logan watched the Imperial Army leave, feeling thrilled.

‘I finally did it.’

I did it. I finally did it!

‘I changed it, I changed everything.’

He couldn’t tell anyone how he felt, but he wanted to enjoy this moment.

He trembled, trying to hold back his excitement. Tears ran down his face. He was about to wipe them away when Eileen reached out to his eyes.

Swish.

“You’ve worked hard.”

Eileen wiped away his tears and smiled. She looked tired.

Logan couldn’t speak. He nodded and looked at the sky, not wanting to cry anymore.

Then, Damian came up to him, looking excited.

“Your Majesty! Remember what you said? About what comes next?”

His heart suddenly felt heavy.

What he had said before.

To have lasting peace.

‘We must conquer the Empire.’

His heart, which had been so full of joy, felt cold.

Logan nodded, his face stiff.

And then…

“Sir Heyman is awake!”

News came that the mercenary, Clayton/Heyman, who had helped win the battle and then collapsed, had finally opened his eyes.