Regressor Of The Fallen Family [EN]: Chapter 56

“Hey, hey you. Whew. You.”

“Huh?”

“Cough. Haaah. You slave. Haaah. Don’t you dare act up.”

“What?”

“No matter how much Lord values you. Whew. A slave should know their place. Haaah. You need to know.”

The hulking figure, his face red and sweaty, like he was about to collapse, accosted Viktor.

Viktor, who had been regarding the figure with disbelief, turned his head towards Kai.

The instant Kai sighed and nodded, Viktor’s fist connected with the figure’s stomach.

“…Ugh. Keuhhh.”

The figure doubled over, barely managing a groan.

“Keep your mouth shut, you fat pig. Or I’ll break your back next time.”

The quiet voice echoed clearly around them.

The moment Viktor turned his head to look around, Logan chuckled at the sight of the trainees all looking down at once.

This one brief incident was enough to confirm it.

Logan had two reasons for bringing Viktor. First, Viktor was strong in training. Second, Viktor will be useful to control things.

Now that Logan had truly begun to build up the family’s power, Viktor was the most reliable card he had to control that power.

“Eat your fill, as long as it doesn’t interfere with the next training session.”

After the grueling training, a mountain of food was laid out before them.

There were no high-quality, gourmet dishes, but there was an overflowing supply of basic bread and soup.

“Wowwww!”

“This is the best!”

“T-there’s meat in the soup too!”

For the trainees, most of whom came from impoverished backgrounds, it was a feast fit for a king. They were amazed even by the small amount of meat in the large pot of soup.

The trainees began to devour the bread and soup, piling it high on their wooden dishes. The stress that had built up during the first training session vanished in that instant.

“E-eat lots… please.”

Among the servants distributing the meal, a small girl with bright blue hair and big, innocent eyes wandered around. She looked like she was only ten years old, and her smile was shy and sweet.

“Wow, she’s… pretty.”

Another trainee just stared, his mouth slightly open.

Many of the trainees felt a warm breeze blow through their weary hearts, and they reassured themselves that enlisting as soldiers was the right choice.

Of course, the child’s actual age was older than ten, but she looked every bit the young child, making her incredibly adorable.

“S-so cute. I want to pinch her cheeks.”

“I want to poke her cheeks.”

“I want to give her a kiss.”

Some of them were expressing their affection a bit too much, but— Wham!

“Eyes away. Before I gouge them out.”

The boy with the same blue hair and heterochromatic eyes of red and blue, delivered a chilling threat that stopped them from acting on their thoughts.

And so, the soldiers’ training seemed to be progressing smoothly.

The training continued, designed to test the trainees’ mettle and assess their grit.

Simple drills of aligning rows and columns continued for a full twelve hours, becoming more grueling than anything else.

The sun beat down on the dusty training ground as the trainees marched in straight lines for hours. Their feet shuffled in the dirt, and their breaths came in ragged gasps. Sweat soaked their clothes, and their faces were red with exhaustion.

However, given the current circumstances of the McLaine family, most of those who had volunteered as soldiers came from families struggling to make ends meet. For them, this place, which provided a warm bed and plenty of food, was something they could never give up.

Therefore, there were few who dropped out of training.

“Are you struggling?”

“No, sir!”

“If it’s too hard, you can give up. Go home and get some rest.”

“No, sir!”

“I like your attitude. Then two more laps!”

“…”

“Aren’t you going to answer!”

“Yes, sir!”

Even with training that made them want to scream, the trainees’ eyes were full of determination. Even the weaklings, staggering as if they were about to collapse, gritted their teeth and completed the training.

Basic physical training was progressing very smoothly.

“It seems the basic fitness of the trainees has been established.”

“Already?”

“They’re eating well, sleeping well, and, as you instructed, we’re managing their hygiene, including daily showers. It’s only natural that they improve quickly when they’re receiving such surprisingly luxurious training.”

Logan nodded at Kai’s satisfactory report.

“No one causing trouble?”

“Now that they’re getting used to the training, if there is anyone like that, they’ll show themselves.”

“Good. It would be nice if one of them popped up around this time.”

“As an example, you mean?”

“Yes. It’ll make things easier in the future, won’t it?”

“That’s true.”

The two men, who had devised the extreme training, smiled at each other.

As Logan and Kai had hoped, there were indeed troublemakers among the trainees. However, the direction they took was slightly different from what they had anticipated.

There’s a common expression: ‘lacking common sense.’ It’s used to describe someone who lacks the basic qualities that a person should have. There are also a small number of people who genuinely lacked common sense, who nonchalantly committed acts that most people considered ‘sins.’

Ordinary people referred to such individuals with insulting words such as madmen, villains, perverts, or trash.

Cowell, who came from a village near the southern mountains near McLaine Castle, was one such case. Cowell’s biggest problem was that he was a pervert who felt sexual excitement towards young girls. The reason he had volunteered for the trainee recruitment was because he was about to be kicked out of his village because of his perversion.

To such a fellow, Victoria, who looked only about ten years old, was not a young girl, but simply a ‘woman.’ Moreover, here, there was neither the father who had beaten him to stop him, nor the village elders.

“She’s just a kid?”

“She’s a ‘woman’ kid.”

“Crazy! Don’t you know she’s that monster’s sister?”

“If it goes well, it’ll be good for both of us. And even if he is a monster, what can that skinny runt do? Can’t you see my size?”

“You’re really insane…”

Cowell, dismissing his friend’s words with a smirk, put into action what he had only been thinking about for weeks.

“Wh-who are you?”

“Come here, little girl. Let’s have a little chat.”

The moment the large brute blocked her path and spouted strange nonsense, Victoria instinctively cowered. But she quickly remembered from experience that these kinds of guys came on even stronger if you showed fear, so she tried her best to appear strong.

“E-excuse me? Wh-what are you talking about, all of a sudden?”

“It’s nothing much. I’m just saying we should become friends who look out for each other.”

“…I don’t need that. My brother is enough to take care of me.”

“Ah, Viktor? I know him. But wouldn’t it be nice to have another brother?”

“No, I don’t want that. I only need my brother! Now, please let me pass!”

Although she was a little scared, there was no hesitation in her clear voice. That firm attitude ignited the pervert’s heart, who in his own mind, thought he was confessing his pure and devoted feelings.

“What did you say…”

“Let me pass, mister!”

Victoria’s ensuing shout snapped the pervert’s reason.

“Mister?! You little—!”

Slap!

“Ack!”

“O-oh. Sorry. You should have listened to your brother.”

Cowell, having slapped a child, was now spouting nonsense. He approached her with a seemingly apologetic expression, but to Victoria, he was nothing but pure terror.

“N-no!”

Terrified, Victoria scooted back, still sitting on the ground. It was a sight that would have evoked sympathy and pity in a normal person.

Gulp.

But to the pervert, who had lost his reason, it was merely a sight that excited him even more.

“Y-yes. Just stay still like that. Good girl…”

Riiiip.

Just then, the sound of the child’s clothes tearing could be heard.

Cowell’s eyes, already too bright, turned red. They shone with a cruel light.

“You son of a bitch!”

Viktor hit him hard. “Ugh!” Cowell grunted. Viktor roared and the punch sent Cowell stumbling back, his big body falling.

Cowell crashed to the floor. Before he could even think, Viktor was on him, hitting him again and again.

“Die!” Viktor yelled. “How dare you touch my sister! How dare you!”

Sounds of hitting and breaking bones filled the air. “Stop… please…” Cowell choked out, blood pouring from his face. He was spitting blood and begging Viktor to stop.

Seeing Cowell like this didn’t stop Viktor’s anger. “No!” Viktor screamed. “You will die!”

When Viktor’s fury finally calmed down, he looked at Cowell. Cowell was still, his body twisted and broken. He was no longer recognizable.

Logan frowned. “What happened?” He was surprised to hear about Viktor. He wondered if Viktor was more violent than he seemed. But when he heard *why* Viktor had done it, Logan understood.

Logan: “Tsk.” (Keep this for impatience) “How is Victoria? Is she okay?”

Vector: “Yes, Lord Logan. She is very shocked, but physically she is fine.” (More formal for Vector, shows concern.)

Logan: “And Viktor?”

Vector: “He is in the dungeon, as you ordered.” (Clarifies who ordered it.)

Logan: “Oh, for goodness sake… This is not what I needed.”

Vector: “Vector smiled nervously. ‘Cowell was guilty, yes, but Viktor killed him. The real problem, Lord Logan, is that Cowell was a common person, and Viktor is your slave. Our laws say…'”

Logan: “No. That’s not a problem for me.”

Vector: “Pardon me, Lord Logan?”

Logan: “Actually,” Logan chuckled, “in a way, this is good. Come on, let’s go see him.”

Deep under Tesron Castle was the prison. The darkest cells were for the worst criminals. Viktor was there, in chains. *Creak.* The heavy door opened. Viktor looked up at the sound. The torchlight was weak, and it was hard to see. *Thud, thud.* Logan walked slowly towards him. Viktor’s anger, which had been burning hot, seemed to fade as Logan came closer. When Logan stood in front of him, Viktor looked down.

Viktor: “…Lord Logan, I am sorry.”

Logan: “Do you regret what you did?”

Viktor: “Never! No, never!”

Logan: “Then why are you saying sorry?”

Viktor paused, thinking. “I… I killed your soldier, Lord Logan, without your permission. I am sorry for that.”

Logan: “Is that it? Hmm. Well, that’s… partly right. But I think you *should* regret something else.”

Viktor: “Regret? Never! That man hurt Ria!…”

Logan: “I mean, bringing Victoria here in the first place.”

Viktor: “What? Yes?”

Logan: “Don’t you see? Your stubbornness in bringing her here almost got her killed.”

Viktor: “…”

Logan: “Just trying to wrap her in cotton wool and protect her all the time isn’t always the best way.”

Viktor: “B-But…”

Logan: “Logan looked hard at Viktor. ‘There are many ways to care for someone, Viktor. But trying to keep them locked away, just to protect them? That’s the worst way. That’s not love, it’s like… keeping them in a cage.'”

Viktor: “But if I was always there, that… that man wouldn’t have touched her!”

Logan: “Always? Will you be with Victoria every second? Even when you train? Even in battle?”

Viktor: “Th-That’s impossible…”

Logan: “Danger can come from anywhere, Viktor. Even here. Think about it. A camp full of young soldiers, training with swords… maybe that’s *more* dangerous than you thought.”

Viktor: “…”

Logan: “It would have been safer for Victoria if she hadn’t come at all. I let you bring her here so you would understand this.”

Logan felt a pang of guilt. He hadn’t expected things to go this far. But Viktor needed to learn. “Do you understand?” Logan asked again.

Viktor: “…” Viktor nodded slowly. He didn’t look happy, but he nodded.

Logan thought, *He’s starting to understand.* Logan smiled, a small smile this time. “Good,” he said. “Come on, let’s get out of here.”

Vector: “Lord Logan!” Vector exclaimed, shocked.

Logan ignored Vector’s shout. He took the key from his belt and unlocked the cell himself. *Creak. Clang.* The heavy chains fell to the floor. Viktor looked up, still tense. Logan helped Viktor to stand.

Logan: “Killing is wrong, Viktor. Always. But… today, you did what you had to do.”

Viktor: “Yes, Lord Logan?”

Logan: “Next time, though, come to me first. I don’t want my knight to throw his life away for some piece of filth like that Cowell.”

Viktor: “…Yes, Lord Logan! I understand.”

Viktor’s face, which had been pale, started to get some color back.

Vector: “Vector, who had been listening quietly, looked completely lost. ‘Lord Logan,’ he said slowly, ‘didn’t you just say that a ruler must follow the law?'”

Logan: “Yes, I did.”

Vector: “But… Viktor is a slave, and he killed a commoner. If you just ignore the rules…”

Logan: “Viktor is *my* slave, Vector. He is mine to command. I ordered him to punish this criminal. So, what is the problem?”

Vector: “Oh… I see. Yes, Lord Logan.” Vector nodded, finally understanding, but still looking uneasy.”

Viktor stared at Logan, his eyes wide with surprise and something else… gratitude?

Logan: “Yes. Viktor acted on my orders. Put Cowell’s body on display at the castle gate. Let everyone know what happens to those who harm my people. And tell the soldiers – this is a warning to them all.”

Vector: “…Understood, Lord Logan.”

Logan walked out of the prison, his steps slow and deliberate. Vector and Viktor followed him. Viktor watched Logan’s back, his heart full of confusing feelings – respect, fear, and something like… loyalty.

News of Cowell’s death spread quickly among the soldiers. At first, they were shocked. But then, the story changed. People said Cowell had attacked ‘Victoria, the Barracks Angel,’ and Viktor had defended her. Suddenly, Cowell was no longer mourned.

Soldier 1: “That dirty dog! He dared to hurt our Victoria!”

Soldier 2: “He deserved worse than death! I would have done the same if I’d been there!”

Soldier 3: “You? You couldn’t even kill a fly!”

Soldier 2: “Hey! We all would have done it!”

Victoria, still shaken, stayed in her room. The soldiers’ anger now turned completely against Cowell. The things they said about him became harsher and harsher.

Viktor: “Ria? It’s me. Are you alright? Can I come in?”

Victoria’s voice (from behind the door): “…Sorry, Viktor… please… go away.”

Viktor clenched his fist. *Damn it.* He could hear how weak her voice was. She wouldn’t even see him. It was like just seeing his face reminded her of what happened.

Viktor thought, *Maybe I should have made him suffer more.*

*Bang!* Viktor punched the wall beside the door. “Ah! Ria! Sorry! I… I tripped.”

Victoria’s voice: …

Viktor sighed. He couldn’t stay here. “Okay, Ria. Rest then.” He turned and walked away, feeling heavy and lost.

Viktor and Victoria had always been together. Since they were small, life had been hard. They had lost their parents, been slaves, and faced so much. Now, things were finally getting better. And then this happened.

Viktor closed his eyes. He imagined what could have happened if he’d been slower. A cold feeling went through him.

No. That wasn’t the real problem. He remembered Logan’s words.

*’Are you going to keep her locked away forever?’*

*’Just protecting her all the time isn’t love, Viktor. It’s something else.’*