Regressor Of The Fallen Family [EN]: Chapter 69

“Since I am the elder here, I will let you make the first move.”

“No. I don’t want anyone saying I won because I attacked first.”

Logan thought, ‘I will win no matter what.’

Anyone who is not a fool would understand this.

“People call you a genius, but it has made you too bold. I will show you today that there is always someone better.”

Ramon’s face became hard. He pulled out his sword, Lampton.

As he did, the magic stone in the sword’s handle began to glow. A soft silver light spread around Ramon, making him shine.

“Ah!” gasped a woman in the crowd.

“Amazing,” whispered a man.

“Is that the power of a magic artifact?” someone else wondered aloud.

The people watching were filled with wonder. But Logan just smiled to himself. *Showing off like that?* he thought. *It’s like shouting, ‘Look at me! Come and get me!’ A perfect way to get yourself killed.*

It seemed the Count had given him an artifact that looked good but wasn’t very useful.

Logan thought the sword’s name, Lampton, was like ‘lamp.’ He guessed the sword was more for show than for fighting, like a lamp on a battlefield, and not very useful.

Clink.

Even though it didn’t have any magic, Lux gave off a soft light as it was pulled from its case.

It was simple and plain compared to Ramon’s weapon, but people who knew about swords could see how good it was.

Perfect balance. A sharp and sturdy blade.

The sword showed that even something made only for fighting could still be beautiful.

Treasure collectors and skilled knights immediately became interested.

But Ramon Percival could not see this.

“I wonder if such a pretty sword can beat an artifact. It would be bad if you lost because your weapon was not good enough.”

“You don’t need to worry; that won’t happen.”

Ramon’s eyebrows went up when he heard Logan’s calm reply.

“Be careful.”

Thud.

Ramon stomped his foot and rushed forward like an arrow.

He looked serious, and his sword glowed with the same silver light as his body.

He looked like a brave knight from a story, ready to fight evil.

Because of the weapon and because Ramon thought Logan was holding back, he tried to look as impressive as possible.

‘I should act along with him.’

Moon Knight and Plantz were watching.

You can hide your strength, but to trick the best knights, you need to act very well.

Wham!

“Ugh!”

Stagger a bit.

Scrape.

“Gasp!”

Let my skin get scratched a little.

“The end… Ack!”

Throw in a few sharp-looking counterattacks now and then.

“Not bad!”

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Show a bit of fighting spirit.

Make it look like luck helped him win at the end.

“Whew. I got lucky.”

And when the sword was against Ramon’s neck, Logan breathed out slowly.

Logan was happy with his acting. He even used his power, Force Core, to make himself sweat and look tired, making his act even more real.

But Ramon did not seem to agree.

“W-Wait, this is a mistake! Count! This sword… I’m not used to this sword…”

Ramon’s face was red as he begged, not to Logan, but to the Count.

However.

“Enough!”

“Just give me one more chance…”

“I said enough, Ramon. You disappoint me, especially with that attitude.”

Count Bipros’s reaction was cold, and he looked at Ramon with utter coldness.

“If you feel it was unfair, you should tell your opponent, not me! Or are you saying that you lost because of the treasure I gave you?”

“N-No! I’m sorry, Your Excellency!”

Ramon, his face pale, quickly bowed down, leaving Logan in an awkward spot.

“Tsk tsk, until the end… Ah, I forgot to clap for the winner. Forgive me for showing such a bad scene, Young Master Logan. You have won.”

“Thank you, Count.”

“Since my man disrespected you and made a mistake, I will let you choose an artifact from the Bigo.”

“Ooh!”

“That’s what you expect from the Count!”

“He’s always so generous…”

“Now, let’s all clap for the young hero!”

“Waaah!”

The mood changed quickly at the Count’s words.

But Logan was amused by the Count’s sudden change, from his cold face to his fake smile.

‘He’s going to keep me here no matter what, is he? So, it doesn’t matter what he gives me.’

The Count probably thought that any artifact he gave would only be gone for a short time.

‘It won’t go as you planned.’

Logan smiled, not hiding his true feelings for once.

And then.

“Y-Your Excellency! Just a moment…”

A man rushed in, his face a little red.

He wore clothes that were too fancy for a servant. He bowed to the Count and told him something.

The Count smiled and patted him on the shoulder.

After whispering something again, the man hurried out of the banquet hall, and the Count looked at the crowd with a happy face.

“A special guest who knows this man has contacted us. They are sorry they could not come, but they have sent a magic message to congratulate you.”

Who could be so important that Roger Bipros would be so happy just to hear from them?

Everyone was confused.

The man who had run out came back, almost tripping as he carried a crystal ball as big as a person.

“Be careful! You fool, no matter how urgent… Tsk tsk.”

People around them were amazed. They whispered about how big the Bipros family’s magic orb was.

The Count moved the orb to the chair where he had been sitting and smiled gently.

“It has been a while, Duke. I am happy to see you are well, even like this.”

[Too much politeness is rude, Count. Don’t be so humble on such a happy day.]

“No, I would never. Everyone, let me introduce you. The kingdom’s strongest warrior and the support of the royal family. Sword Duke, Duke Felix Esperanza!”

The Count introduced the person who had sent the message with a proud voice and a smile.

For the first time, Logan looked surprised.

[…and I congratulate the kingdom’s reliable support, the Count, on his birthday. I am sorry I could not be there, but I hope you all see how generous Roger Bipros is. That is all. Enjoy the party, and I wish the Count good health.]

“Hahaha. Thank you, Duke!”

Count Bipros’s lips stretched so wide they almost touched his ears.

[Oh? Isn’t that Logan over there?]

The banquet hall buzzed with polite chatter, but Logan felt a thrill of anticipation as the crystal ball began to glow. Then, a voice, booming and familiar, echoed through the hall. The Count’s face changed suddenly when he heard the words from the crystal ball. His smile vanished, replaced by a hard, angry look.

“Pfft,” the Count scoffed, turning away from the crystal ball with a dismissive wave of his hand.

*‘You really can’t act,’* Logan thought, hiding a smirk behind his wine glass.

It was so awkward, Logan almost choked on his wine. He coughed slightly, pretending to be surprised by the Duke’s sudden appearance. But, since he was the one who had asked the Duke to contact him through the crystal ball, he couldn’t stop it now. The plan was working perfectly.

The Swordmaster Duke’s congratulatory message came from the highest-ranking noble of the neutral faction, who was not connected to either the First or Second Prince.

Logan knew the Count could never refuse the Duke’s request, no matter which side he supported.

*‘I need to do well from now on,’* Logan thought.

Logan bowed respectfully in the middle of the banquet hall, where everyone could clearly see the crystal ball.

“It’s been a while, Master.”

With that simple greeting, the banquet hall went completely silent.

“Master?!”

“The Swordmaster Duke?!”

“Huh……”

“I knew it…….”

The banquet hall, which had been as quiet as a graveyard, was soon filled with murmurs and excited chatter.

The Duke continued calmly, despite the Count’s increasingly angry face.

[Logan! What in the world are you doing there? Ah, wait, southwest, isn’t that where your family lands are? Still, you should have visited me first!]

“That is correct.”

[To see the face of my neglectful disciple like this, without even a word, is quite bewildering. So, when are you coming up to the capital? I clearly said I would prepare a party!]

“I apologize, but due to family matters, I may have to stay in Bipros Castle for a while. The Count has made an offer I cannot refuse……”

Logan carefully chose his words to make it sound like the Count was forcing him to stay.

[Count, is that true?]

With a simple question, the Swordmaster Duke put aside the complicated family matters for the moment.

“Haha, well……. Ah, no. Since the Swordmaster Duke is looking for you, my business can wait.”

[Oh, is that so? I would be grateful if you did. Logan, let’s meet in the capital soon!]

“Understood. Thank you, Master.”

It was all according to the script, but the last words were sincere.

Watching the Count’s face twist slightly was incredibly satisfying.

The next morning:

– You have made a good connection, Lord Logan. But my offer still stands, so I hope you will reconsider.

Logan chuckled. He remembered the Count’s words and his angry face at the end of the party. Just then, someone knocked on the door.

“The Count… *sigh*… has ordered me to escort you for a report,” the knight said, his voice flat and unwilling.

Another party was planned for this evening, but Logan didn’t want to go.

*‘I have an excuse now. I should just grab the artifact and leave,’* he thought.

If it weren’t for this, he would have left yesterday.

Of course, he didn’t expect much.

*‘They must have moved the really important stuff,’* he thought.

He wondered if it would have been better if the Swordmaster Duke had contacted him today, but that was just wishful thinking.

He was lucky that things had gone as planned.

Logan shook his head, dismissing his greed, and followed the knight with a light heart.

“You have one hour to look around. The Count has permitted you to take any single treasure. Please be aware that you will be searched when you leave.”

“Understood.”

A massive stone door was guarded by eighteen knights, including three high-ranking ones.

After hearing the instructions in front of the stone door, ten knights split to the left and right, shouting as they began to push the door open.

“Uaaah!”

“Haaah!”

Thud!

Muscles strained, veins popped on their necks as the knights pushed. The stone door groaned and scraped against the floor, a sound like rocks grinding together. Dust fell from the ceiling as the door slowly, inch by inch, began to open.

Logan couldn’t hide his surprise at the unexpected security measure.

*‘The key to opening the vault containing the artifacts is pure physical strength……,’* he thought.

He laughed quietly to himself. He wondered who thought of this idea, watching the knights struggle for almost a minute to open the door.

Thud!

With a heavy sound, the door finally opened, revealing a staircase leading underground.

However.

“Huh……? That’s it?”

The opened door was only about 1 meter thick.

*‘Just ten knights strained themselves pushing that?’* he wondered.

There was no magic around it, so it didn’t seem like magic was opening the door…

There was no time to think about it.

“Please enter quickly. You have one hour. After that, the door will be closed.”

Unable to solve the mystery, Logan stepped inside, receiving resentful glances from the sweat-soaked knights.

After walking down the narrow stone stairs, he saw a wide, bright space.

The moment he looked around, Logan couldn’t help but exclaim.

“Wow…….”

A stone chamber seemed to be hundreds of square meters in size.

The massive stone chamber, clearly underground, was not dark at all because of the luminous nightstones embedded in the ceiling.

Rare gems that emit their own light, nightstones.

Selling just the hundreds of nightstones embedded in the ceiling would probably earn tens of millions of gold.

Of course, even that price seemed small compared to just one item in the corner of the stone chamber lit by those nightstones.

*‘Roughly thirty or so?’* he thought.

The number of artifacts visible at a glance, half of which were divine artifacts.

However.

“So, you moved everything, huh?”

They seemed to be divided into three categories: armor, weapons, and miscellaneous items. In each section, the innermost areas had many empty glass cases where something had been placed.

*‘What’s left is, at best, the level of those from yesterday……,’* he thought.

Also, without a guide or explanation, there was no way to know what the artifacts did.

He clicked his tongue at the Count’s stinginess, who pretended to be generous, but he understood why he did it.

“Well, anything is welcome when you get a free artifact worth at least ten million gold. I’m grateful, of course.”

Logan began to examine the artifacts with a cheerful attitude.

The amplified senses he gained from mastering Force Core allowed him to sense even the small differences in the quality and strength of the magic in the artifacts.

With that alone, Logan could guess what the artifact could do.

He passed by the swords and spears with magic for now.

He was already happy with Lux, and from the faint magic he could sense, none of them seemed better than the items at yesterday’s banquet.

Logan decided to look at the armor, thinking he might find something suitable.

*‘Is this lightning magic? Is it supposed to electrocute the wearer? This one’s fire? They use the armor for attacking? How absurd……,’* he thought.

It was hard to choose the best among the average items that didn’t stand out, so he had to think carefully.

Logan ultimately chose three items:

Upper body armor that weighed almost nothing but was very hard.

Gauntlets that could create a shield spell instantly.

Greaves that made the body lighter and deflected impacts.

He was thinking about which one to choose.

*‘……Huh?’*