Regressor Of The Fallen Family [EN]: Chapter 73

“So, this child… she saw the threads of magic?”

When Clayton heard Victoria’s story, his face showed he didn’t believe it. He looked like an adult telling a child to stop playing silly games.

However, after a few tests, he was astonished.

“I-I will raise her! Such unbelievable talent!”

He explained that even the most powerful magic users, called archmages, could not see magic with their eyes like Victoria could. He said her sensitivity to magic was the highest he’d ever seen in a mage. He was very, very excited.

Logan had been expecting answers like ‘she’s a girl, so it’s impossible,’ so this was unexpected.

‘Was it really that great a talent?’

He wondered how much more excited Clayton would be if he said he could see it up close too.

Logan chuckled to himself.

Then, turning to the bewildered girl, he spoke again.

“Victoria, do you really want to learn magic?”

“I-if it’s about controlling giant dolls, then I want to learn it.”

“Why?”

Logan watched the hesitant child and waited patiently with a smile.

“…If I have a strong doll, there will be more things I can do.”

The girl’s desire to find something she could do hadn’t changed.

Feeling a mix of pity and admiration, Logan nodded.

“Alright. If that’s what you want, then so be it. In that case, Mr. Clayton, I leave her in your capable hands.”

“No, the honor is all mine!”

Clayton, who usually looked serious and a bit scary, was now beaming at Victoria. But his smile was too wide, and his eyes were too intense. It wasn’t a warm, kind smile; it felt a little unsettling to watch, but in the end, it was a satisfactory outcome for everyone, even for Logan, who watched them from the side.

‘The talent of an archmage, eh…?’

Even if Clayton was exaggerating, it was clear that she had a rare gift.

‘Both siblings are geniuses, then?’

Both children, with their unusual appearances, possessed genius-level talent in specific fields. It made him wonder just what kind of bloodline they had inherited.

But.

‘Well, there’s no need to know.’

The Imperial War was seven years away. No matter how much Victoria grew, having another powerful asset was never a bad thing. Facing another hurdle, this unexpected good news lightened Logan’s heart, if only a little.

After calming the surprised family and retainers, and settling the affairs of Ronian and Victor, Logan announced his intention to head straight to the capital, Gran.

The price for the little play in Bifrost was, after all, a journey to see the Sword Master. Of course, even without the Sword Master’s summons, a trip to the capital was necessary to understand the unfolding of the most important event of the year, and, in addition to that, for another important purpose.

As always, Logan wanted to leave alone, but this time, he had no choice.

“It’s disrespectful to the Sword Master. You must take at least a minimal escort.”

Even his firmly established reputation as the heir could not sway this decision. Thanks to that, Logan had to embark on his journey with unwanted baggage in tow.

“I am Henderson, the leader of the 18th squad of the McLaine Knights. It is an honor to accompany you, young master. I will serve you with utmost loyalty.”

Henderson shouted loudly, unable to hide his excitement, and bowed deeply. The five knights behind him, who mirrored his bow, felt the same. They were overjoyed to be accompanying the eldest son on this journey.

‘I must seize this opportunity and become one of the young master’s closest aides.’

Henderson’s mind was filled with nothing but that thought. At only 21 years old, he possessed the strength to single-handedly kill an advanced knight, a genius of swordsmanship so extraordinary that he seemed to have stepped out of legend. And it wasn’t just his martial talent.

Once called lazy, he had waited patiently, and when the family faced a crisis, he finally revealed his true brilliance, the savior of McLaine. He was the genius of the century who had turned a losing war into an overwhelming victory and performed the miracle of turning a wasteland into fertile plains.

How many of his comrades had he competed with to volunteer for this journey? There were jealous whispers that he had been chosen because his large size made him stand out, but he believed that his lord had recognized his loyalty.

‘I am serving a man who will become a legend in future generations. And the legend will say that the immortal knight Henderson was always by his side…’

The thrilling fantasy unfolded endlessly. But after more than half a day of silence since leaving the McLaine territory, the first order given by the hero was different from his expectations.

“Go get some firewood.”

‘There are servants with us, so why order the knights?’

Henderson’s pride was wounded, but…

– The young master’s thoughts are beyond the comprehension of ordinary people. No matter how absurd it may seem, there is always a reason, so do not speculate and serve with utmost loyalty.

Remembering the words of the Knight Commander, who had repeatedly emphasized this before their departure, Henderson rekindled his enthusiasm.

“Understood.”

But the forcibly ignited enthusiasm led to excessive action.

Rumble!

A mid-level knight who had mastered the Iron Blood Sword was swinging his sword at a tree with all his might. It was nothing short of a disaster in the quiet forest at night.

“…What is that madman doing?”

He was told to gather firewood, but instead, he was causing a ruckus in the forest. Since they were near the main road to the capital, there wouldn’t be many wild beasts or monsters, but making such a commotion at night, when sounds traveled far, was not a good idea.

As he stared at the remaining knights with a dumbfounded expression.

“Oops. Is the tent ready?”

“I should get ready to start the fire.”

“I’ll prepare dinner.”

As if suddenly remembering what they had to do, they scattered in all directions, pretending they didn’t see their leader’s madness.

‘What is this…?’

Was this the downside of choosing a squad leader based solely on martial prowess? It seemed that the foolish leader had only chosen subordinates like himself.

The one good thing was that there was at least one sensible person among them.

“Squad Leader Henderson is strong, but not very bright. I’ll try to keep him in check. I apologize, young master.”

“…Digrom.”

Logan nodded reluctantly at the words of the knight he at least knew. That wasn’t the most important thing right now.

Logan gestured to Rick, who was glancing at him nervously from a short distance away.

“Come here. Let’s talk.”

“Hee hee. Young master, is there anything you need?”

They say you can’t get angry at a smiling face, but seeing him rubbing his hands together and grinning, Logan felt a surge of anger. The words he couldn’t bring himself to say when his parents were watching naturally spilled out.

“Why did you come along?”

Logan wanted to avoid bringing anyone who wasn’t a fighter, even if he needed a few knights.

But somehow, that rascal Rick had managed to join the group, probably after talking to his parents.

Rick asked, “Why do you ask! If a dignified heir of a noble family is always wandering around without even a servant, what will people think of the McLaine family!”

Logan replied, “Hmm… they’ll probably think I’m a beggar.”

“I will protect the McLaine family’s honor so that such rumors don’t spread! I will, without fail!” Rick said with a determined expression, but it was clear he wasn’t being sincere.

Logan asked, “…You just want to go to Grang, don’t you?”

Rick replied, “W-what are you talking about? My heart is always with you, Young Master, out of pure loyalty….”

Logan said, “Hmm. It seems that my loyal servant will soon be injured and returning home. Where do you want to get hurt? Take your pick.”

At those words, Rick immediately bowed down.

“I really want to go! To the capital!”

“Haaah… You rascal,” Logan sighed.

“Please take me! Please! Let me go out to a big city too!” Rick begged.

Logan warned, “Leaving home means hardship….”

Rick complained, “Even the maids, even Mary, won’t even talk to me anymore! They say I smell like dung all the time! And it’s all because of you!”

Logan couldn’t help but smile a little at Rick’s complaining. He knew Rick was annoying, but he was also funny.

Logan asked, “No, so the reason you want to go to the capital is…?”

Rick’s eyes burned with desire as he said, “I need to get married too!”

As if on cue, another loud shout echoed from the forest.

“Eura-cha-cha!”

Rumble.

Awoo-ooo-ooo!

Kraaak!

Cries echoed from afar, as if in response.

Logan thought, ‘Agh. These burdens….’

He already had so much to do, and his head was already aching.

The purpose of this trip to the capital was twofold: to find out if anything might change future events, and to meet the Third Prince and become friendly with him.

Both were important, but neither was dangerous to him.

‘I owe Rick a debt from my past life, anyway,’ Logan thought.

Because of that, Logan didn’t argue about Rick and the knights coming with him.

However….

“Wowwww! It’s Grang, alright!”

“Amazing!”

“Look at that over there!”

The fuss started even before they entered the capital, and Logan immediately regretted his decision.

They were clearly people from the countryside.

Whoosh!

“Hey, miss. I, Henderson, am a man of McLaine, a very manly man….” Henderson said, flirting in a way that only a street thug would.

Thwack.

“Ugh. What are you doing….” Henderson complained.

“You crazy bastard! Tone it down a bit! Are you in heat!” Digrom stepped forward and smacked Henderson on the head, stopping his foolish actions.

Digrom glanced at Logan, watching to see how he would react, and said, “They are new knights, still young and full of energy. They haven’t learned to behave properly yet, sorry.”

Logan said, “No, it’s fine.”

Digrom sighed in relief at the calm response.

Of course, he would have frowned if he knew what Logan was really thinking.

‘From the moment we arrive at the Swordmaster’s estate, I’ll work them very hard, until they are exhausted. They won’t even have time to think about anything bad,’ Logan thought.

Logan noticed many women in fancy city dresses quickly walking away from his group. They looked annoyed by the loud knights and Rick’s clownish behavior.

The capital was a place where rumors started easily, so it wouldn’t be strange if some kind of trouble were to happen at this rate.

Logan stopped himself from beating the knights right there in the street and made his horse go faster, hoping to find someone sensible in this group.

But then.

– McLaine Special Products! Imporic’s Crazy Blowout Sale!!

– Our Young Master has gone mad! He’s telling us to close down a successful business!!

– Fire Sale! As hot as the burning hearts of the merchants, we’re giving it away like wildfire!

The one who should have been sensible was wearing a clown costume, dancing around with signs that had strange phrases on his back.

“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! Here, the must-have item for the capital’s social circles that made the nobles very impressed. Today only, we’re giving it away! Hey, Young Master, I’m giving it away like crazy. You look just like our Young Master… Hahaha. Ha. When did you get here?”

Snap.

Logan’s hand clenched.

“No, it’s just that there are too many competitors, so I had no choice… Ugh,” Philip said.

Logan replied, “You’re unsure. Keep your balance.”

Philip, with Logan on his back and his head buried in the ground, felt it was unfair.

Even with so many competitors, Imporic, as the first one to start, had already taken control of the market.

He was only trying to find the best solution when he was told to close down a good business that didn’t need to be shut down.

‘That man used to laugh it off, saying it was okay to make money even if he heard worse nonsense than this,’ Philip thought.

How could he have known that Logan would suddenly change like this? Philip felt wronged.

Of course.

Logan said, “I told you that it was time to change our image, right? But I never imagined you’d try to change it like this.”

He had heard those words, but still…

Philip asked, “Y-you should at least tell me the reason….”

This employer was always the same.

He never told him the reason and always just told him to do as he was told.

Of course, the results had been good so far, so he couldn’t complain, but this kind of thing was bound to happen if he was forced to work without a clear direction.

‘It’s not my fault! I’m being wronged!’ Philip thought.

Philip felt the need to fix this flawed work structure.

‘I need to make it clear,’ he thought.

After getting ready, he spoke firmly.

Philip said, “I’m….”

Logan interrupted, “I told you I’d make you more money, so don’t worry about the Imporic bonus, right?”

Philip replied, “……I will be especially careful in the future!”

What did a work structure matter?

Money was what mattered.

Logan said, “Alright, that’s enough. Get up. And say what I told you to remember.”

At those words, Philip’s face became serious.

The story he was about to tell was a heavy topic just to think about.

Philip paused for a moment to collect his thoughts before carefully speaking.

“Contrary to what you said, there is no bad news related to the royal family. However, as the king is getting older, the fighting between groups among the nobles who support the princes, who are the heirs to the throne, is getting worse. Recently, at the State Council….”

The story that began in that way continued for longer than expected.