Regressor Of The Fallen Family [EN]: Chapter 57

Logan blinked, as if just waking up. “Is it the New Year already?” he murmured.

Kai smiled faintly. “Time goes quickly, Lord Logan. It has been two years since we first met.”

Logan looked thoughtful. “So it has,” he said, a hint of surprise in his voice.

The winter winds howled, the coldest of the year, as a new year dawned. Snow lay thick on the ground, but this year, there was a different feeling in the air. Food was being given out, as always in winter, but this time, people talked of feasts and celebrations. For the first time in years, there was enough food for everyone to think about more than just surviving.

But away from the talk of feasts, near Tesron Castle, soldiers trained hard, ignoring the New Year. They ran in heavy iron armor, their breath clouding in the freezing air.

“One!” shouted the training master.

“Hah!” the soldiers yelled back, their voices strained.

“Two!”

“Hah!”

The biting winter wind whipped around them as they swung their swords again and again. Sweat poured down their faces, despite the cold. They were focused only on the training, pushing their bodies to the limit.

“No one is giving up anymore,” Kai said. “Like you said, only the strongest and most determined are left.”

“It seems so,” Logan agreed, pleased.

Training: 90 days. Started with: 1,000 soldiers. Quit training: 12. Died during training: 1. Passed basic training: 987.

Adding these to the 502 regular soldiers, plus knights and mercenaries, we now have over 1,300 soldiers.

Logan smiled. More soldiers had passed than he expected. “The basic training is almost done. And the crossbows are coming along well too. We don’t have enough for everyone yet, but 400 new ones have arrived.”

“Good work. Hamar is doing well,” Logan said, chuckling. He imagined Hamar, back from his break, now in charge of building the village and making crossbows at the same time. Every time Logan saw him, Hamar glared, but Logan planned to keep him busy until the trouble started later this winter. Thanks to Hamar, Logan had almost all the soldiers he needed.

Then Logan said, a glint in his eye, “It’s time for some real fighting.”

Kai’s usual calm face changed. “Real combat?” he repeated, his voice a little shaky.

“You’ll see,” Logan said, a small, mysterious smile playing on his lips. “You’ll like it.”

Kai’s eyes widened slightly, a flicker of worry crossing his face. Logan just smiled, enjoying Kai’s rare moment of unease.

“So, clearing the Monster Forest for wood… that was your idea too?” Padric asked, raising an eyebrow.

“It’s about time for monsters to attack anyway,” Logan explained. “And since monsters could come out of that forest at any time, we might as well clear it out while we get wood.”

Padric looked doubtful. “You think the Monster Forest, which our family has left alone for centuries, will be easy to cut down?”

“Yes,” Logan said confidently. “We have enough soldiers now. If we use the knights too, it will be no problem.” He was sure of it because of the fast crossbows he had used against monsters before. Even if there were many weak monsters, they could be defeated quickly.

Padric thought for a moment, then nodded slowly. “Hmm. Well, the forest near the mountains shouldn’t be too dangerous. And the knights do need to practice fighting for real.”

“Oh?” Logan asked. “So, the Iron Blood Sword technique…?”

“They know the basics now,” Padric said. “But to truly master it, they need real battles.”

“Exactly,” Logan agreed. “Fighting for real is the best way to learn.”

As father and son shook hands, both smiling with satisfaction, the knights under McLaine were unknowingly being given a very hard task.

“Is everyone ready?!” Padric shouted.

“Yes!” the knights yelled back.

They looked tired and thin after months of hard training. They didn’t look like powerful knights at all. But they answered loudly, with forced smiles that didn’t reach their eyes.

‘Anything is better than more training,’ they thought.

The knights, their faces pale and drawn from the terrible training that was supposed to be swordsmanship practice, all felt the same way.

But then Padric spoke again, his voice booming, “The Monster Forest has mostly weak monsters. If you get even a tiny scratch, you will duel with me for three days straight. Do you understand?!”

Padric’s roar made the noisy knights fall silent instantly.

“…What?” one knight whispered.

“That’s crazy…” another muttered.

“This is insane…” a third one said, shaking his head.

Quiet complaints started to spread through the ranks. But as more and more knights started to grumble, the training ground suddenly sounded like a busy market, full of angry voices.

Padric’s face turned red with fury, and silence fell again as quickly as it had broken.

“Oh, really?” Padric sneered. “Are you saying you can’t even avoid getting hurt by weak monsters? Is that all the McLaine knights are good for?”

Luckily, none of the knights were foolish enough to take the bait.

It wasn’t about the monsters being weak.

To clear a huge forest and not get even a scratch was almost impossible.

It was like being told to be careful of every single twig.

They couldn’t just fight bravely; they had to be overly cautious and protect themselves perfectly.

But their crazy lord had another ridiculous order.

“Stand in a straight line, side by side, and cut down trees with your swords at the same time. And fight off any monsters that appear. Use the Iron Blood Sword technique as much as you can, and don’t step back, hold your position!”

“Huh…” one knight breathed.

“He really wants to kill us…” another whispered.

“What if monsters get past us?” someone asked.

Even weak monsters would fight if they felt cornered. If many attacked at once, some would get through the line of knights. If the knights chased them, the straight line formation would break.

It was a good question, but the answer was simple.

“Ignore them,” Padric said.

“Yes?” a knight asked, confused.

“We’ll put the new soldiers behind you,” Padric explained. “We need to see how well they learned their training, right?”

So, the knights realized, their job was just to cut down trees. They were basically lumberjacks.

The knights were annoyed, but no one argued. After the last two months, they knew how crazy their lord could be. They had even forgotten their old fights with each other and were now united against their lord’s madness. Objecting would only mean more terrible duels with Padric.

“Alright, everyone, get in position!” Padric ordered. “I’ll watch from the back!”

To the knights, that sounded like a threat. ‘Do it right, or you’ll regret it.’

They quickly put on their helmets. Behind their face shields, their eyes burned with determination.

“Monsters will run away from the knights and come this way. Don’t let any get past you!” Logan commanded.

“Yes!” the soldiers shouted.

“First, use crossbows. If any monsters get too close, the backup teams will handle them. Got it?!”

“Yes! Got it!”

The soldiers’ faces were tight with worry and excitement. They gripped their weapons, ready for their first real battle.

The air was thick with more than just the usual training sweat. This was the soldiers’ first real fight after all their practice.

Before this training exercise, Logan had told everyone he would choose the best soldiers to become knight trainees.

The soldiers’ eyes shone with eagerness. They all wanted to be chosen. But Logan watched them with a cool, distant look. He didn’t seem impressed.

Logan thought to himself, ‘Maybe I’m not imagining things. What I’ve felt since training started… it might be real. Perhaps the usual tests are not even important.’

He had been watching these soldiers closely, and he noticed something. They had changed, even in this short time.

As he watched them train, Logan realised something strange was happening. He could feel tiny differences in some of the soldiers, especially those led by Viktor.

It was like they were slowly gathering some kind of power, a little bit at a time, unlike the others. It was just a tiny spark, a hint of something. It was hard to even call it “Force,” but Logan could definitely feel it.

Many of these soldiers were chosen because they had sharp senses. Some were already soldiers, and a few were picked just for their strong bodies.

Logan had never felt anything like this before. Maybe it was because his own Force Core was getting stronger, making his senses sharper too.

It was a small difference, but to Logan, it felt like a huge breakthrough.

‘Could I find people who are likely to use the Force, even without the usual tests?’ Logan wondered.

The more he focused on that tiny difference he felt, the more he believed it was possible.

‘If my senses keep getting stronger,’ he thought, ‘and if I watch these soldiers closely, maybe I can find out what makes them special. Maybe I can find the reasons why some people have the talent for the Force.’

He realised he might be able to understand “Force talent” better than anyone before, even the great Empire in the future. If he could find this hidden talent, something magic itself couldn’t easily find, it would be huge. It could change everything!

‘But first,’ Logan thought, ‘I need to be sure. Is this feeling real, or am I just imagining it?’

This mission to clear the monster forest wasn’t just training. It was also a way to find answers.

And Logan knew one thing for sure: he didn’t need soldiers who were talented but useless in a real fight.

With this thought in mind, Logan chose only the soldiers who had impressed him the most. He told them to use swords instead of crossbows.

He wanted to see how they fought when they were close to the monsters.

‘Maybe it’s lucky we only have 400 crossbows,’ he thought. ‘This way, I can really test these sword fighters.’

About 150 of these soldiers were the ones he had been watching for their Force potential. Another 150 were chosen because they were the best fighters in hand-to-hand combat.

Logan hoped that how these soldiers fought now would give him even more clues for the future.

Logan looked at each soldier carefully, his eyes bright with interest. Then, he heard a loud shout.

“Start!” a voice boomed.

“HAAA!” the knights roared back.

The knights stood in a line at the edge of the forest. Together, they swung their swords.

CRACK! It sounded like bones breaking. Then, with a groan, seventy-three trees began to tilt and fall.

RUMBLE!

Some knights were stronger than others, but most of them could chop down the thick ironwood trees in just two or three swings. These were strong trees, as thick around as a person’s body, and they had been growing untouched for years.

The knights of the past could never have done this.

“WHOA!” the watching soldiers gasped.

“It… it really works!” someone stammered.

The knights who had chopped down the trees cheered even louder. They could feel the power of the Iron-Blood Sword style again. They had learned this sword style in two tough months of training, focused on strong, powerful strikes.

Padric listened to the cheers and smiled slightly. Then he yelled, “Move to the right! Line up again!”

The forest was about half a day’s ride south of Maclane Castle. It was a wide forest, maybe a kilometer across, and the knights were slowly cutting down trees along the edge.

RUMBLE! The sound of falling trees had been going on for over three hours now.

The soldiers were getting used to the noise. Some even started to yawn.

Then, nine golems, each about two meters tall, and one huge golem, over three meters tall, lumbered into action. They carefully lifted the fallen trees and carried them away.

Golems weren’t like people. They didn’t jump at the scary sounds of animals and monsters in the forest. They moved slowly, but they were incredibly strong, easily carrying the heavy trees.

Logan watched, nodding in approval at Clayton and his students. He gave them a thumbs up. Just then, a weird sound cut through the air.

A high, screeching cry tore through the air. It was followed by a harsh, rasping sound, like someone struggling to breathe.

Then, they came. Small, hunched figures with black horns, only half the height of a person, burst from the trees.

“Goblins!” the knights yelled.

The sudden attack shattered the quiet boredom of the forest clearing.

Goblins. Weak monsters that lived in groups in the woods. They were smaller and faster than humans, and they used nasty little weapons – daggers and poisoned needles.

But…

“Is that it?” one knight scoffed.

SLASH!

“Just goblins?” another said, sounding disappointed.

SNIKT.

“This is too easy!” a third knight grumbled.

SKIK.

“KEEEK!”

The first goblins were cut down quickly by the knights at the front.

“KEEEK!” More goblin cries echoed from deeper in the forest.

This time, goblins came from everywhere. They didn’t rush straight at the knights. They darted left and right, trying to run away into the trees.

“Crossbow squads, forward!” yelled a knight.

“YES!”

“Stop them from escaping! Form wings on the left and right!”

If the goblins got away, they would regroup and become a bigger problem later, especially for nearby villages.

Luckily, the soldiers were ready for this. They had practiced this exact situation.

TAP TAP TAP. The soldiers split into smaller groups and ran after the fleeing goblins, spreading out to the sides.

“FIRE!” shouted the squad leaders.

Without hesitation, the soldiers raised their crossbows and fired.

THWACK THWACK THWACK. The crossbow bolts flew like a storm of arrows.

The goblins were weak and slow. They were no match for the crossbows. They fell quickly, one after another.

Then, Logan saw it – a goblin bigger than the rest, with red skin. It was hit by many crossbow bolts at once and crashed to the ground.

“We got the hobgoblin!” someone shouted. “Forget the rest! Back to camp!”

Without a hobgoblin leader, the other goblins would just scatter and not cause much trouble. The soldiers knew this. They stopped chasing the fleeing goblins and went back to their lines.

“HAHAHA! Did you see that?”

“I got two of them!”

“I got three! They’re nothing!”

“Why were we ever scared of these things?”

The soldiers were excited. Their faces were red and sweaty, and they grinned as they talked about the fight. This first battle had woken them up after the long, boring training.

But their smiles didn’t last long.

“KYYYAAAAAAH!”

A new cry echoed through the forest. It was a terrifying sound, nothing like the goblins. The soldiers’ faces froze. Their smiles vanished, and their skin went pale.