Regressor Of The Fallen Family [EN]: Chapter 6

A murmur rippled through the hall.

The number of people nodding as they looked back and forth between Logan and Riina gradually increased.

Logan clenched his jaw. This is going terribly wrong.

Logan swallowed the curse that had risen to his throat, struggling to maintain his composure.

Surely, Riina of his childhood had been a vibrant and adorable child.

The two children had clearly been close, spending a great deal of time together, at least for a limited period.

But had time changed her so much?

“Do you really think you’re a match for me? Know your place and just get lost. You can’t even beat a child, so why do you carry a sword…….”

He remembered this moment from his past life.

Her whispered words had pushed him, already emotionally cornered, over the edge.

As long as the memory of that day, which he had regretted for decades, remained vivid in his mind, that was just utter nonsense.

But for now, he had to endure. It wasn’t his time to step forward yet.

As he nodded with a stiff expression, the atmosphere in the hall shifted in a peculiar direction.

“However, being bound to my family, I cannot disobey their instructions. Therefore, I thought it best to meet with the Baron and young Master Logan directly and offer my apologies.”

The face of a weeping beauty was a sure weapon to stir the hearts of men, regardless of age.

In the hall, only two people, besides the maids, remained unmoved by that face.

“So, what is the reason from the Wolves? Lady Riina? I would like to hear that unavoidable reason.”

At the words of one of those two, Riina paused for a moment.

‘Well done!’

Who would have thought he would end up cheering for his stepmother?

While Logan was forcibly suppressing the twitch in his eyebrow, his stepmother, Merian, interjected.

“……I am sorry. It is a matter I am not privy to. I have nothing to say.”

“Are you saying you don’t know the reason for your own marriage annulment?”

“I am a woman. Destined to leave and become part of another household. My father does not consult me on important family matters.”

“Then, am I to understand that you have come to inform us of the annulment without any reason at all?”

Merian and Riina continued their tense exchange. Patrick watched, his face growing darker with each word.

“Instead, I wish to clearly state that the cause of this annulment lies with me, Riina Wolves, and my family, and to offer our apologies for it.”

Riina’s sorrowful voice continued.

However.

“Apologies…… Are you saying that the wounded honor of McLaine can be mended with a single word of apology?”

A chilling voice that made the listeners feel cold. Patrick’s expression, too, no longer wavered.

Riina bit her lip tightly, hesitated for a moment, and then spoke again with difficulty.

“……The Wolves family is willing to pay 3 million gold in compensation for this annulment.”

‘Good!’

Logan’s eyes gleamed at the words he had been waiting for, and the gazes of everyone gathered in the hall turned back to the head table.

To anyone listening, Riina’s words were clear: Take the money and leave us alone.

Moreover, since the person who heard those words was Patrick McLaine, the head of the McLaine family, the aftermath was as clear as day.

“HOW DARE YOU!” Patrick roared, his voice shaking the very tapestries on the walls. It was like a thunderclap in the high-ceilinged hall.

A gasp rippled through the assembled vassals. Some, weaker in spirit, stumbled back, clutching at chairs. Even seasoned warriors paled, feeling the raw force of Patrick’s fury like a physical blow. The air itself seemed to crackle with his rage.

Riina’s face drained of color, her eyes widening in fear.

“Lady, behind me!” Rockfern barked, his voice sharp and clear. In a blur of motion, he was there, stepping in front of Riina, his hand instinctively moving towards the sword at his hip.

The knight’s presence was a sudden wall against the oppressive anger. Riina sucked in a shaky breath, the suffocating pressure easing slightly.

“Rockfern, a knight of the Wolves, implores Baron McLaine. Please, calm yourself and continue the conversation!”

A voice as thunderous as Patrick’s echoed through the hall, mitigating the murderous aura.

Then, Patrick momentarily ceased his outburst of anger and glared at the knight.

“A high-ranking knight? At that age? Quite impressive.”

Around thirty years old.

The knight who identified himself as Rockfern was, surprisingly, of the same rank as Patrick.

Such a genius would surely be expected to become a future Aura User.

‘But that doesn’t really mean they’ll become an Aura User. Like me……’

Despite Patrick’s inner turmoil, he recognized Rockfern’s strength. The knight was more than capable of protecting Riina, the Wolves’ daughter.

But this only made his anger burn hotter.

“The life of a Wolves prodigy. That would be worth exchanging for the damaged honor of McLaine.”

As Patrick’s murderous aura, which had been covering the entire hall, focused on one spot, Rockfern’s complexion also turned pale in an instant.

On the surface, they were of the same rank, but Patrick had become a high-ranking knight more than 20 years ago.

He had not neglected his training since then, so the level of accumulated power was different.

Rockfern felt that more keenly than anyone else.

“I trust you will not do so.”

“Too bad. If you had even the slightest idea of how I feel right now, you would know that is a vain hope.”

“Our Lord assured me that you are a man who values honor, Baron. He also said that you are not one to oppress a young lady or a junior. I believe in those words.”

When Rockfern mentioned Count Wolves and spoke of honor, Patrick’s eyes wavered.

“We are not trying to buy honor with money. Please accept it as a token of sincerity to preserve the friendship between our two families, for the sake of the unfortunate situation that has arisen due to unavoidable circumstances.”

With Riina’s words added to that, Patrick gritted his teeth.

‘Kairon Wolves……’

If he pressured them any further, he would only become someone who did not know honor.

Even if the other party had insulted him and his family first, the targets were only a knight barely over thirty and a woman who had not yet come of age.

‘Were they underestimating him? Sending only a young woman and a knight?’ Patrick thought, his anger simmering.

Patrick, recalling the silver-haired man who was his longtime friend and colleague, quietly swallowed his anger.

Then, the suffocating aura that had been engulfing the hall began to dissipate as if it were a lie.

“……A cheeky little girl has grown into a confident young lady. And brought a sturdy shield with her.”

After confirming that Riina’s pale complexion had returned to normal, Patrick declared with a stern face.

“Although that visit is not for a pleasant purpose, a guest is a guest. McLaine does not oppress guests.”

Riina and Rockfern breathed a sigh of relief.

“However, I will also not accept that unilateral proposal from the Wolves.”

Patrick’s firm declaration that followed made their expressions stiffen again.

“The McLaine family demands only one thing as compensation for the annulment.”

Riina and Rockfern waited for Patrick’s words with tense expressions.

“Riina Wolves, as the envoy, must formally apologize to my son, who is the party concerned. I refuse any other compensation.”

The calm voice of a man who knew honor filled the hall.

“……As expected of the Lord.”

“That is a true noble.”

“Indeed…….”

Many of the people who worked for the family nodded their heads in agreement.

“My Lord! Because we are the ones hurt most by ending this promise, I have an idea.”

Logan had been watching quietly. Now, he walked forward to change what was happening.

‘I absolutely have to get it.’

Money.

It was the goal he absolutely had to achieve in this matter, and something he had to secure for the future.

‘To say you’ll settle for a verbal apology? That’s insane.’

Three million gold was about the same as the entire yearly budget of McLaine.

And that included the support from the Kairos family.

In his eyes, his father, who was refusing the money, and the people who agreed with him, seemed completely crazy.

Only a few people who managed the family’s money seemed to think like him. You could see it on their pale faces.

‘What nerve does a beggar family have to refuse money? They’ll be bankrupt the moment the support is cut off.’

So, he had to get that money. It was important to help them survive problems in the future.

“What is it, Logan? Speak.”

“I believe we should accept what the Wolves family is offering as an apology.”

“What?!”

But, as expected, this sensible idea made his father angry.

“Logan, are you arguing with me?”

His father was angry. His face became hard, and he looked right at Logan.

His voice was calm, but Logan felt his father’s anger like a heavy weight pushing down on him.

‘Ugh! As expected…’

An Upper Knight was indeed an Upper Knight. It was clear that he couldn’t handle it with just force.

The problem was that even his father only had some power in this area. Compared to the entire kingdom, he wasn’t even close to being considered strong.

He was just a small person who couldn’t even introduce himself to Top Knights or Aura Users, who were like superhumans.

Also, the Empire had Aura Masters who only appeared in stories.

‘If I can’t even handle this much… I won’t be able to do anything in the future.’

Logan gritted his teeth and handled the energy pouring down on him.

Although it was a small amount, the core inside him was helping Logan.

“Because I am the one most affected by ending this promise, I think I have the right to share my opinion. And I believe my opinion will help the family more.”

Logan looked at his father with determined eyes.

“…Helpful? No, Logan. McLaine is not so poor that he would give up honor for money.”

‘No, we are poor. We’ll be bankrupt as soon as Kairos stops supporting us.’

Logan wanted to shout it out, but he couldn’t say that in a formal setting.

So, Logan gave another reason that a knight family would understand.

“It’s because of that honor!”

“You’re saying you’re arguing with me because of honor?”

“I apologize, but the Wolves Earldom is a family with a higher title than us. And they are also the March of the East.”

“So?”

“Even though the Wolves family leads the East, they are not the family we serve. So, I’m worried that if we just accept their apology, people will say that our family has given in to the Wolves.”

The quiet hall became noisy as people talked about the reason Logan had been planning.

Luckily, it seemed to work somewhat.

The people who managed the money, who were always worried about the budget, looked happy at Logan’s words.

Taking the chance, Leena, who had been quiet, stepped forward.

“The Wolves family knows what is right. We will respect McLaine’s honor as much as possible……”

However.

“Isn’t it strange to talk about what is right when you’ve come to demand that we end the promise, Princess?”

Before she could finish, Logan interrupted her.

Logan looked at his former fiancée. She was very beautiful, like a fairy, but Logan’s eyes showed he didn’t believe her.

He hated seeing her beautiful face pretending to look sad.

The memory that came to him was unpleasant, even though it was just a memory.

In his past life, he had been dragged out of his room to attend the grand hall because he was part of the promise. He had to receive an apology in person because his father said so.

He remembered a pretty and cheerful little friend who had become a stunning beauty, crying as she bowed her head to him.

The fact that the reason was to end the promise broke his heart, and his own situation was even more pathetic, making him cry with her.

He thought that his beautiful fiancée was also truly sad about that ‘unavoidable’ fate.

“I want to make one last memory with you. Can you come to my room tonight?”

Looking into her beautiful eyes as she whispered to him, he decided to run away with her.

Since he was a ruined son of the McLaine family, he thought he would risk everything for the woman he loved.

And that night.

The her he met in her secretly entered chamber wore a strangely cold smile and tore her own clothes with a dagger.

“Kyaaaa!”

The young lady’s scream echoed through the mansion, and she threw the dagger at him.

He quickly pulled out his sword and knocked the dagger away.

Rockfern burst into the room and stopped him.

All the servants of the mansion saw the scene.

They saw the eldest son holding a longsword, being held down by a knight, and in front of him, a beautiful princess holding her torn clothes and crying.

And that was in the middle of the night, inside her room.

“No, it’s not like that! Leena, why are you doing this! You called me!”

Logan’s desperate cries were just excuses.

Because he already seemed guilty, even his family didn’t believe him.

And.

“Do you really think you’re good enough for me? Know your place and leave. Why are you carrying a sword when you can’t even beat a child…? Thanks to you, things are easier. Thank you.”

He heard a small whisper as he was being dragged away.

Logan was so angry by her words that he fought back wildly. Because of this, people thought the lie was true.

Because of this, the McLaine family had to apologize to the Wolves and pay a lot of money.

Also, getting rid of the family’s troublemaker was seen as a bonus.

That event, which happened before Logan was even an adult, greatly affected his life.

In a very bad way.

‘I can’t trust women because of you. You damned bitch.’

Logan gritted his teeth but spoke calmly.

He was still angry about what happened before. But that wasn’t important now.

“If you really want to apologize, shouldn’t you suggest that we accept the money? Right now, Princess, it seems like you want us to refuse it.”

At those words, the atmosphere of the grand hall changed again.

“I, is that so?”

“It does seem a bit…….”

“It looks like she’s trying to convince us not to accept it.”

Leena, who seemed surprised by the sounds of the audience, bit her lip.

“As someone from the Wolves family, and as part of the promise, I apologize again. Whatever the Lord decides, I will pay the amount I promised.”

The beautiful woman looked back at the seat of honor with a pitiful expression.

Baron McLaine looked back at Leena. His face, already stern, became like stone.