Regressor Of The Fallen Family [EN]: Chapter 459

It’s one thing to suspect something, but it’s a completely different feeling to see it confirmed as true.

And that wasn’t even the end of it.

Harman said, “To put it simply, learning the scriptures and saying prayers is like doing rituals to connect with the gods’ souls.”

Logan replied, “Hmm.”

Harman continued, “Think of it like a rancher branding cows. But in this case, even a tiny mark from a god’s soul can give you special powers.”

Logan asked, “Divine power….”

Harman answered, “Yes. That divine power becomes proof of their existence, attracting more people. But they don’t realize it’s damaging their souls.”

Logan asked, “Damaging?”

Harman explained, “Yes, damaging. I just realized this myself, but even if my soul hadn’t been changed, I wouldn’t be an Aura Master. My soul is now tuned to Aria’s power, and I’m using some of that.”

Harman’s words were far beyond Logan’s expectations.

Harman said, “Don’t worry about it. I might not be an Aura Master, but I can still use the power of the soul. Once I’m back to normal, I can beat most Aura users, even with only one arm.”

Logan replied, “That’s a real shame…”

Harman said, “It’s okay. It was my choice. I got rid of the god’s soul at the cost of this arm, and I can still use some of its power. It’s a good trade. It’s like a farmhand stealing grain from the master’s warehouse after being betrayed.”

And it doesn’t even make a dent in that warehouse.

Harman’s face looked bitter as he continued.

Harman said, “Now I understand why Aura Masters never came from the Holy Knights Commanders, who were always thought to be the strongest on the continent.”

Aura Master. A place where one soul rises above and controls other souls.

How could someone who has felt even a little of that power give up wanting it?

Logan felt sorry for the longing Harman would feel for the rest of his life. But besides that, he wanted to know one thing.

Logan asked, “Then how is it even possible to bring a soul back to life?”

Of course, Logan had seen it with his spirit sight: divine power resonating and growing, bringing the dying soul back to its original size.

But even after watching it happen, it was hard for him to understand, since he didn’t have divine power.

Harman understood Logan’s question and quickly answered it.

Harman said, “Like I said, the gods take human souls to feed themselves. You could call them ‘soul eaters.’ And divine power is borrowing some of the power of those gods.”

Logan replied, “Hmm.”

Harman continued, “The power of someone who feeds their own soul by eating another’s. So, wouldn’t the opposite be possible? That’s what I thought.”

Logan exclaimed, “Ah…!?”

Seeing Logan’s surprised face, Harman smiled sadly.

Harman wondered, “Will this explanation even help him?”

Harman said, “The problem was, I couldn’t see or control my soul like an Aura Master. Since I couldn’t measure the wounds and paths in my soul, I needed something like a mirror.”

Logan replied, “Ah… so that’s why….”

Harman said, “Yes. That’s why I needed to meet the Saintess. Or more specifically, someone else who had survived a god stealing their soul by their own will.”

Logan said, “……Umm.”

Harman explained, “The Saintess and I looked at each other’s souls and guessed how the gods steal power, drawing in their power. We used the same paths they used to steal the soul.”

It was a hard story to believe.

Those who were almost taken over by a god instead survived with the god’s power?

More than anything, the problem was that if souls were brought back that way, it would be hard for him to copy.

Logan thought, ‘What about Duke Clayton……?’

It was only half a success, and his heart felt heavy.

Logan thought, ‘I have nothing to say to Lia.’

By now, she must have heard about the Saintess’s revival.

Logan thought, ‘She must be really looking forward to it…….’

He couldn’t use the same method he used to revive his master, the Sword Demon. Now that he was more skilled, he knew how dangerous that method had been.

Logan thought, ‘I need to learn more about how gods steal souls and about divine power.’

Thinking about getting as much information as possible from Harman as soon as he got back, Logan’s face became serious without him realizing it.

Harman seemed to misunderstand his expression.

Harman said, “I know it’s hard to believe. I thought it was a gamble too. But the gods didn’t try to stop the power from flowing back at all.”

Logan asked, “Hmm? They didn’t stop it…?”

Harman replied, “No. There was surprisingly no resistance. It might be because it was only a small amount of power to them, but from what I’ve seen, they don’t usually act like that. So…….”

Harman hesitated, then brought up an interesting idea with a serious face.

Harman said, “Like I said, I think there might be some kind of cost or punishment when creating followers. So, I think Amun and Aria might not be able to interfere with us right now. But that’s just my guess.”

Logan replied, “Hmm……. No, that makes sense.”

It was more than just possible; it was definitely convincing.

Logan put aside his disappointment about bringing souls back to life and focused on this new information.

Logan thought, ‘If they get punished for failing to create a follower, then killing a follower might also hurt the god…….’

Of course, the best thing would be to stop the gods from interfering in the human world completely, but he still felt uneasy.

As if reading Logan’s mind, Harman carefully continued.

Harman said, “Since the gods don’t like you, you might think about getting rid of or sealing the sacred objects of the McLaine Diocese and the old Caron Kingdom. I’ve hidden the other five sacred objects, except for Licentia and Aurum, in different places.”

Logan asked, “Are you saying I should openly fight against the temples?”

Harman replied, “You don’t have to go that far. Hasn’t the Pope already taken your side? It might be complicated, but he would be happy to seal the sacred objects now.”

Logan said, “……That’s true.”

Of course, he couldn’t do that right away. Now was the time to focus on dealing with the Empire and the Casel Magic Tower.

Also, it was something he couldn’t easily tell anyone except Harman or the Saintess.

But it was unsettling to think that the gods were planning something behind his back.

Since he couldn’t directly do anything to the gods in the higher dimensions, all he could do was…

Logan said, “……I should tell the Saintess what sealing the sacred objects means as soon as I get back.”

This was the only thing he could do for now.

Logan felt angry at the gods.

He thought about how he hadn’t done anything special, but his life was still in danger.

It was then.

“If you want to get back at the gods, I have a very good idea.”

“Hmm?”

The person who spoke these words was someone who really, really disliked the gods at this time.

A week later, after the Saintess had come back to life in Kyle Castle, Logan arrived in Lusphelheim.

Logan reached Lusphelheim in just one week. On his way, he talked to Harman about divine power – where it comes from and how to use it. This was helpful, but not his main goal.

His trip was quick, so no one suspected anything. It had been less than a month since he secretly told Damian he was leaving.

The Imperial Army was moving as fast as Damian expected.

Damian looked very tired. “I feel like I’ve become ten years older this past month!” he said with a big laugh. “But you look great, Your Majesty!”

Logan knew Damian was being a bit cheeky. He felt a little guilty, so he just smiled awkwardly.

Logan asked, “But I got the Holy Kingdom to fully support us, right? Isn’t that a big win?”

Damian sighed. “Well… yes. You did a good job,” he admitted, still looking a bit annoyed. He wanted to complain more, but he couldn’t argue with success.

Damian couldn’t hide his annoyance. He was too honest to pretend he wasn’t bothered, even when Logan had done something amazing. Logan smiled. He liked Damian’s honesty. It was proof that things were changing for the better. He wanted to encourage Damian to keep being himself.

Logan added, “And as a bonus, I brought back someone who can use Aura. We have a new Aura User on our side.”

“R-Really?!”

“Yes! Hee hee hee. Well, it was worth the trip. Well done, haha.”

Unlike before, his laughter was genuine.

Logan, pleased, patted Damian’s shoulder and whispered something he had intended to keep secret for a bit longer.

“And I’ve become confident enough to take on the Emperor and the Master of the Kassel Magic Tower at the same time.”

Logan felt the power surging within him. He knew he was stronger than ever before.

“Pardon?!”

“With this much, it was worth the trip, wasn’t it?”

Logan acted as if he had planned this skill increase from the start, but Damian had no way of knowing that.

“Really, really?!”

“Yes.”

When Logan grinned and nodded, Damian burst into cheers.

“Wooaaah! R-Really?!”

“I’m telling you, really.”

“That was possible, hee, hee hee. Hahaha! Well done! Yes. Really well done! If that’s true, then all the stress was worth it! Puahaha.”

Logan was briefly taken aback by the words amidst his genuine cheers, but soon a smile returned to his face.

Besides, there was another gift for the strategist.

“Set up a way for me to talk to Kyle Castle. I will speak directly with the Saintess. Make sure it’s very secure.”

“Pardon?”

Damian, who had been laughing, was momentarily stunned by the sudden words.

“Quickly. The faster, the more advantageous the war will be.”

At his lord’s words, he forgot even to reply and quickly scurried away.

That evening, Logan spoke with the Saintess for a long time. The next day, their conversation sent shockwaves across the world.

– Logan McLain, the Sun of McLain, the greatest swordsman on the continent, is the hero chosen by the Nine Gods to stop the chaos.

– In the name of the Temple and the Saintess, we express our support for the hero sent by God and give him the title and blessing of Honorary Saint.

The Saintess’s declaration before the high priests and paladins gathered in Kyle spread throughout the continent in an instant.

“The Temple really said he’s chosen?”

“Yeah! How else could he become so strong so fast? He must be a hero from God!”

“Right! He’s like… God’s special helper.”

“Helper? No, he’s a hero! God’s hero! We should call him a Holy Hero!”

“Long live our Majesty!”

The McLain Kingdom was buzzing with excitement. The news made their army, ready for war, even more confident.

But in the Imperial Army, it was the opposite.

“…The king of the enemy country is a hero from God, they say?”

“Eh, no way.”

“It’s true. The Temple said so!”

“…It must be a lie.”

“Didn’t we hear before that the Empire is against God?”

“Stop saying bad things!”

The Imperial Army became very worried and confused. Soldiers even talked about running away. Before the war even really started, things were already going badly for them.

“Well, it’s a good start.”

“How, how did you do it, Your Majesty?”

Logan only smiled at the admiring questions around him, because he couldn’t tell the truth that this was actually an idea from the former Commander of the Holy Knights, and that the Pope, who wanted to defy the gods, was enthusiastically responding to it….