Regressor Of The Fallen Family [EN]: Chapter 429

“He will be here soon,” the soldier said. “Our special guest.”

Louis nodded to the soldier and stood up. If the soldier knew *who* was coming, he wouldn’t be so calm. But Louis needed to keep it secret. ‘It’s been so long,’ Louis thought, remembering the King’s face. He sighed quietly.

Louis had a secret he told no one: strange dreams had haunted him since he first met the King, years ago when he was just a young lord. In these dreams, Louis saw himself older, with scars on his face, shouting angrily. “For Grandia!” he roared in the dream. “For Grandia!” Sometimes he was fighting knights with golden dragon symbols on their shields, sometimes they were chasing him. Always, in these dreams, there was the King, older and wearier.

Louis didn’t understand these dreams, but they felt like pieces of a story, always returning when something important about the King was about to happen. Now, as the King was coming, the dreams were back.

In the latest dream, the King spoke to him. “I need your help,” the King said, “to free Grandia.” Louis, in the dream, replied, “I will do it.” The King nodded and walked away, leaving Louis with a heavy feeling in his chest. Another voice in the dream asked, “Captain, can we trust him?” And Louis answered, “Logan always keeps his promises. We must trust him.”

The dream was so real, the feelings so strong, it was hard to ignore. Louis hadn’t felt such real emotions in a dream for years.

‘My mind is troubled,’ Louis thought. They had won the war, but his lord was badly hurt. Louis couldn’t be happy about the victory, not while his lord was suffering. It was no surprise his dreams were strange. Louis sighed again, feeling tired and worried, and left the room.

*Neigh! Neigh!*

“Stop!”

“Who are you?”

Soldiers with spears blocked the two horses racing towards them from the south. Suddenly, a voice boomed from behind the soldiers.

“Let them pass. They are special guests. I will greet them myself.”

The soldiers jumped, surprised by the voice so close. They knew it instantly – it was Louis Heion, the commander. They quickly stepped aside.

Then, they saw something even more surprising. Commander Louis Heion was bowing deeply to two strangers!

“Welcome, honored guests,” Louis said.

The strangers accepted this deep bow as if they expected it.

“It has been a while, Duke Louis,” one of them said.

“Yes,” Louis replied, “you look… different.” He gave a small, sad smile.

The soldiers were completely confused. They watched, speechless, as Louis and the two strangers walked into the fortress and disappeared.

*Thump, thump* went the horses’ hooves as they entered the fortress. As soon as they were alone, the middle-aged man asked quickly, “How is Master?”

“No better,” Louis said, “as I told you.”

“Hmm,” the man said. “I see.”

*I see?* Louis thought, hope flickering in his chest. “Do you… do you know what’s wrong with him?” Louis asked, his voice trembling slightly.

“Not yet,” the man replied. “I need to see him myself to be sure.”

Just those words made Louis’s face light up. *If His Majesty says so…* he thought, *maybe there is hope.*

Logan saw the hope in Louis’s eyes and gave a small, sad smile. “I said I need to see him first. Don’t get too excited…”

But before he could finish, Louis fell to his knees. “Please, Your Majesty,” he begged, his eyes full of tears. “Please save His Excellency.”

*Your Majesty.* The words hung in the air, a secret spoken aloud. Louis looked up at him, desperate.

Logan saw the pain in Louis’s face and couldn’t be angry. “If I can,” Logan said softly, “I will. I promise.” He nodded, his voice firm.

With just that promise, Louis felt a huge weight lift from his shoulders. “I believe you,” Louis said, standing up, a little stronger now. “You always keep your promises.”

“Hmm?” Logan frowned as he watched Louis walk away, feeling lighter. ‘When did I promise *him* anything?’ Logan wondered. He remembered promises from another life, but in this life, he barely knew Duke Louis, except as his master’s loyal man.

Aileen, still in disguise, nudged him. “What’s wrong?”

Logan shook his head, annoyed with himself. “Nothing,” he said. “Let’s go.” *Why am I so worried about such a small thing?* he thought. *Am I just trying to avoid thinking about Master? Am I afraid he won’t wake up? How foolish.* Logan sighed, pushing away these worries, and walked faster.

Soon, they stood before a huge door, guarded by a man like a mountain.

“Your Majesty,” the giant said, kneeling.

“Thank you, Duke Luther,” Logan replied. He patted the giant’s shoulder, still reaching up even though Luther was kneeling.

*Whoosh.* A soft sound, and the middle-aged man vanished. In his place stood Logan, his gray-streaked hair now clearly visible. He looked a little healthier than before, but next to Aileen, who looked completely normal, it was clear how badly injured Logan had been.

Duke Luther’s eyes widened slightly. “Are you… are you alright?” he stammered.

“Better than Master,” Logan said. “Open the door, Duke Luther.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

*Greeeeaaan.* The heavy door groaned open. Sunlight streamed in from a window, lighting up a small room. A simple bed stood near the window, and a man with a bow, Burdel, stood guard. When Burdel saw Logan, he dropped to his knees.

“Your Majesty!” Burdel exclaimed.

“Yes. You’re having a hard time.”

Logan spoke quietly, looking quickly at the old man in the bed.

He was very thin and weak. His face looked much older now than before, even though Logan was stronger now. Before, he looked old because he had problems with the old king.

It was sad to see him finally look his age, after seeming younger for so long. But seeing him still not awake was even more painful.

“Master…”

He felt so sorry. He always owed his master so much. Now, it felt impossible to ever pay him back.

“He hasn’t gotten better since he fell. He can barely eat soft rice and drink water…”

“I imagine so.”

“…Yes?”

“Haa…”

Burdell looked confused, tilting his head. It was like Logan already knew everything just by looking. But Logan was too worried to explain.

‘I suspected as much…’

Luther, who came in behind him, spoke, biting his lip.

“The healers say his body is healed, but he still hasn’t woken up. They don’t know why…”

“His soul is damaged.”

“Yes?!”

Luther asked, surprised. Logan just bit his lip and thought deeply.

As soon as he heard how his master was, Logan thought this might be it. That’s why he came here so quickly, as soon as he could.

‘It seemed strange when I heard he beat three very powerful warriors even when he was badly hurt. He really did reach a new level of power.’

The problem was that it certainly didn’t work out well for his master.

Maybe his master was so strong because he used the power of his soul, even though he only had a little understanding of it.

But using too much power when his body was already broken was too much for him. So, his master wasn’t just hurt physically. He had fainted because his soul was used up.

‘Damn it…’

He cursed under his breath.

But as Logan looked closely at his master, his worried face relaxed a little. Luckily, his master’s soul wasn’t as badly hurt as Clayton’s had been.

‘Damage rate of 10%. At this rate…’

He knew souls couldn’t be fixed once broken. He had heard stories that maybe powerful gods could control souls, like the legend of Zivrik Kassel and his magical object. But that was just a theory.

Even though it was only 10% damage, for a normal person, losing even 10% of their soul would be like losing a lot of their body’s control.

And 10% of the soul had even more weight than that.

To the point where it seemed natural that his master hadn’t woken up yet.

But in other words, it’s only 10%.

But it was *only* 10%. If he could somehow give his master a push, and if his master already knew how to use his soul power, maybe he could wake up as soon as he regained consciousness?

With that expectation, Logan focused his power.

Oooong.

“Logan!”

Eileen quickly grabbed his arm, surprised by the golden light that suddenly came from Logan’s body. Logan’s Force Core was still broken and not healed.

Even though the Sword Demon was badly hurt, her husband was more important to her.

But Logan gave a bitter smile and pushed away his wife’s hand.

“Ah, it’s alright. I’m not going to use my Force power.”

“Yes?”

“I’m just trying to… wake up my master’s soul. Like, you know, when someone faints and you try to get their heart going again? Something like that.”

It didn’t really make sense, but Eileen didn’t argue. She let go of his hand, even though she was still worried.

Logan gave a bitter smile as he saw her expression.

‘For now, anyway.’

What was the harm in trying a little harder, if it could bring his master back?

Logan pushed those dangerous thoughts away, thoughts he knew Eileen would hate. He focused all his mind on his soul again.

Like he said, he didn’t need Force power. He just needed to wake up the soul that had fainted from the shock.

For anyone else, this would just make them faint again. But if his master really had learned to control his soul power, then maybe… maybe this could work.

– Master!

Oooong.

A wave of soul energy spread out, unseen and unheard by anyone else in the room. It reached out to the sleeping Sword Demon’s soul.

– Master, please wake up!

At first, nothing happened. But then, his master’s soul began to tremble, just a little.

– Master!

But only that vibrating sensation continued, and no further changes were felt.

‘Is it not working after all?’

Logan bit his lip with a heavy heart.

Should he give up on his master like this?

‘I haven’t done anything for him.’

He had always forced him to sacrifice.

*Memory:* His master’s voice, from long ago: “McLaine? Isn’t that from the south? What’s a boy from there doing here?”

From the moment they first met.

*Memory:* “I want you to be strong, to be a foundation for this country.”

Past the time when he began to receive teachings in earnest.

*Memory:* “You’re not trying to become king yourself, are you?”

Until the time when he was at odds with the late king.

He had abandoned his master’s expectations and only pursued his family’s and his own safety.

Even so, his master…

*Memory:* “I, Felix Esperanza, promise to be loyal to the new king.”

Pretending to just serve the new kingdom, his master had suffered everything, taken the blame for things, and helped Logan from secret.

And this is the result? Really, is this the end?

“No… I can’t. I can’t let you go like this!”

The room felt even heavier and sadder when Logan cried out.

But Logan didn’t even recognize that, and just bit his lip until it bled.

‘You deserve to be rewarded.’

You deserve to live out your natural lifespan in the peaceful country you created.

You deserve to fall asleep peacefully while being praised.

‘Not like this.’

Never!

Logan made a decision he had always avoided. He crossed a line he never wanted to cross.

And.

Oooong.

‘Kkeueueueueue.’

He started to force his own soul to give power.

10% of the soul is damaged?

Then I will fill it with my soul, even if it’s just a little bit.

He wasn’t thinking clearly, only feeling. Logan’s soul power flowed into the Sword Demon. He was giving away his own soul, something that could never be fixed, to save his master.

Soon, a dazzling golden light filled the room.

After a long moment of golden light, those watching finally saw something change.