Regressor Of The Fallen Family [EN]: Chapter 468

“Moving?” Louisa asked, surprised.

Ban Jony, the dwarf, grinned. “Yes, Elder,” he said. “This place is just a trap, in case enemies follow us.”

Louisa frowned. *Not here?* she thought. *Then why did the Tower Lord bring us…?* Her mouth suddenly felt very dry. *This isn’t right.*

She had been suspicious on the way. When she heard that even she, an Elder, couldn’t leave without the Tower Lord’s permission, she was sure this was the place for the ‘ceremony.’

They arrived at a big cave in mountains in the north. Inside the cave, there were rooms for hundreds of people.

Louisa thought the situation was strange. Before going into the cave, she secretly sent a message to Ronian.

*This is bad.*

If McLaine sent people here, and they fell into a trap, McLaine would think they were enemies. McLaine believed this place was the Cassel Magic Tower’s last safe place.

She wanted to erase the ‘code’ she had left near the cave right away, but she couldn’t go back out, and she couldn’t show she was worried.

“I understand. So, where are we going?”

“You’ll find out when we arrive. Until then, please rest,” Ban Jony said.

“Until the Tower Lord arrives, I’m the highest-ranking person here, right? I should know.”

“Ah, Elder. You’re wrong. I’m sorry, but you’re not in charge of this… I am,” Ban Jony said.

Ban Jony smiled in a strange way. His purple mole, which covered half his face, looked twisted.

“I know you’re an Aura User. But the Cassel Magic Tower only sees mages who follow the Tower Lord’s orders as leaders. You are…”

“The Tower Lord ordered it directly. You’re not going against the Tower Lord’s orders, are you?”

A chill ran down her spine at his smile, and she felt very anxious.

*He’s leaving me, an Elder, and putting this guy in charge?*

*Did he find out something? A signal when the brainwashing breaks?*

The worst thing that could happen flashed through her mind, but she quickly told herself it wasn’t possible.

The Cassel Magic Tower does not forgive traitors.

*If the Tower Lord knew, this guy would have attacked me first.*

No matter how strong a mage she was, if an Aura User attacked her up close, she couldn’t defend herself.

Thinking that way calmed her down a little.

Of course, she only felt calmer because she had a reason to think calmly. The situation was still bad. In fact, she felt even more worried.

“Then I’ll think you understand. We’re leaving tomorrow morning. Rest well,” Ban Jony said.

Even after Ban Jony left, Louisa couldn’t sleep.

*Why…?*

Why would the Tower Lord make that dwarf the leader instead of her?

*If he knew my brainwashing had broken, he would have ordered me to be killed right away. Even if he thought I might betray him, he would do the same.*

She was sure of that.

So, there must be something hidden that she shouldn’t know.

Also, all the other Elders were going to the war, and only she came here.

That meant…

*It’s something that needs me.*

She kept thinking, but she couldn’t figure it out. Then…

Knock, knock.

“Louisa, let’s talk,” her father said in a low voice from outside the door.

“Did you hear we’re moving?” he asked.

“Yes, I didn’t know either,” Louisa replied.

“Is the next place really where they’ll do the ceremony?” he asked.

“What do you mean?” Louisa asked.

“Even if the Tower Lord is helping the Empire, and even if you know McLaine, do you think he would leave out important people from the war?” he asked.

“No,” Louisa said.

Then she realized what her father was saying.

“Are you saying the Tower Lord wants to get rid of me? If that’s true, he would have done it already,” she said.

“Yes, he would have. But doesn’t it seem like he has other plans? Like, something that needs the blood of the Four Directional Royal Families. I’m saying this because you’re an Elder and might know something,” he said.

“Huh? What’s that…?” Louisa asked.

“Some people came into this hideout a while ago. They made a bit of a fuss, and I recognized them. Erina, the second child of the Western Royal Family, and Grandon, the heir of the Southern Royal Family,” he said.

“Yes?” Louisa asked.

“It’s not strange that the Tower Lord has influence over other members of the Four Directional Royal Families. But why are those kids here? They don’t have much power, and they don’t seem to have learned the magic of the Cassel Magic Tower,” he said.

Louisa’s face became serious.

*What is he planning by gathering the royals?*

At this important time.

If he’s not using her, a mage, as a soldier, it must be about the ceremony.

The first thing she thought of was…

“Sacrifice,” Louisa said.

Louisa’s face turned pale, shocked by her own words.

The next day.

The way they moved was strange from the start.

“Into the cave?” Louisa asked.

“It’s a cave that goes to the other side of the mountains. Did you think we’d go outside again?” Ban Jony asked. There was a hint of mocking in his voice, but Louisa didn’t react.

Most of the strong members of the Cassel Magic Tower here were Sword Mages.

And their leader was Ban Jony, standing right in front of her.

*It’s a trap, but it also leads somewhere.*

If so, the message she left for Ronian wasn’t completely wrong.

*That’s a relief.*

“- Take care of yourself.”

Louisa remembered the young man’s voice from their last talk and touched her chest without thinking.

Then, she was surprised at herself.

*What a silly thought.*

To be thinking about a man when she had to risk her life on a dangerous trip.

…A man?

“Pfft.”

For a moment, she laughed because she was so surprised. It wasn’t right for the serious situation.

Then, the dwarf turned around and frowned.

“I really hate hearing laughter behind me, Elder. Please be careful,” he said.

His brown eyes were angry, and there was even a hint of wanting to kill her. He was being polite, but it felt like they could start fighting at any moment. His hand twitched, like he wanted to grab the sword on his back, which was as big as he was.

*Yeah, I knew this guy wasn’t normal, but…*

She didn’t think he would react like this to her, an Elder. It was clear that things were not going to go her way.

“I don’t care about you, dwarf, so mind your own business,” she said.

Ban Jony ground his teeth.

He looked like he wanted to kill her. The words she used on purpose seemed to have hit him hard.

Ban Jony took a deep breath.

“If you weren’t an Elder of the Tower, you would be dead right now. Be thankful to the Tower Lord,” he said.

He was being sarcastic, but he looked away and turned back around.

“We’re the first group. We’re leaving, so follow quietly,” he said.

To Louisa, a mage who worked with souls and dimensions, he seemed very strange.

*A crazy man following orders without doing anything crazy…*

She focused her senses and could feel the small traces of magic in the excited man’s aura, which she couldn’t miss.

*Brainwashing, like I thought…*

If he was brainwashed, he didn’t plan to hurt her right now.

Knowing that, Louisa followed Ban Jony with a worried look.

*The real place where the ceremony is. Once I find it…*

Even though she knew the Sword Mages behind her were looking at her in a scary way.

The big cave was getting smaller and smaller.

Also, the path split into two or three every hundred meters, whether it was natural or made on purpose.

And Ban Jony moved without stopping.

*This time, the first one on the right.*

At each split, Louisa left a mark with magic, like she promised Ronian.

The traces of magic were very small, and they would only appear an hour after the group passed.

The problem was…

*Even after they know it’s a trap, they have to trust my mark.*

She was worried, so she walked slower, but that was all she could do.

In fact, there were many things to worry about, like the war between McLaine and the Empire, so she should just do what she could for now.

Of course, even as she thought that, Louisa couldn’t shake off her worry for more than half a day.

Walking through the dark, with only a few torches, was hard even for a mage with knight-level strength.

It was even harder because she was so worried.

But the light that appeared and the strong energy she felt snapped Louisa out of her thoughts.

“This is…”

“This is where our great work will happen. What do you think?” Ban Jony shouted proudly, spreading his arms wide. Behind him was a plaza so big it was vast.

On the floor was a magic circle filled with old words that even Louisa couldn’t understand. It glowed with a faint gray light. It was so big that it lit up the whole plaza.

Ooooooong.

“Amazing,” Louisa said.

Even though she was in a bad situation, she couldn’t help but admire the magic circle as a mage, because of its size and energy.

While Louisa was looking at the magic circle, a noise broke the silence.

Rumble!

A shaking and roaring sound, like an earthquake, came from the path they had taken.

It was the noise they were most worried about in the cave, so everyone turned their heads.

“This is…!?”

“Huh? An intruder?!”

“What!?”

Louisa’s eyes widened at Ban Jony’s words.

So soon?

McLaine should still be at war with the Empire, right?

“What about the people behind us?! My father…!” Louisa asked.

Unlike her, who was worried, Ban Jony quickly calmed down and said, “It seems you were closer than I thought? Well, it’ll be fine. It’s probably just the building collapsing. The people behind us should have gone far by now. I don’t know who those guys are, but they’re in trouble.”

A mage can’t doubt the strength of an Aura User. Also, they still need each other, so she should believe him.

But Ban Jony was too calm, and it bothered her.

“Still, shouldn’t we get ready since there are intruders? We don’t even know who they are?” Louisa asked.

“It’s okay. Even if they live through this trap, they’ll die in the maze. The Tower Lord said that unless they’re superhuman, they can’t get through the magic in the maze. And all the superhuman people are in Luthspellheim now,” Ban Jony said.

“But we can’t go out either, right?” Louisa asked.

“You don’t have to worry about that. There are enough supplies here. A mage wouldn’t have a problem just because they can’t see the sun, right?” Ban Jony asked.

“Of course not,” Louisa said.

“Then please wait for the Tower Lord and get ready for the ceremony. There are rooms prepared,” Ban Jony said.

“Prepare? I haven’t gotten any instructions,” Louisa said.

“You can prepare your magic as you normally do. The Tower Lord controls everything,” Ban Jony said.

What did his smile mean?

Louisa’s face became serious as she thought about something that had been bothering her.

But then…

KABOOM!

The noise rang through the cave again. Louisa knew it was closer than before.

Even Ban Jony, who had been calm, looked worried.

Louisa looked at his back, her eyes shining.