Regressor Of The Fallen Family [EN]: Chapter 80

About a week after Logan and the Sword Emperor met the King, the event everyone expected finally happened.

The Sword Emperor was training when he heard the news. He was so excited that he quickly ran inside.

And on that day, the heir to the Esperanza family was born.

“Haha!”

Even though he wasn’t nearby, his familiar laughter echoed.

If it were a commoner’s baby, they would have laid it in a warm, cozy room and prevented any outsiders from approaching.

The Sword Emperor’s home was filled with excitement. Servants rushed around, carrying flowers and setting up tables. The air smelled of roasted meat and sweet cakes. When the doors to the banquet hall opened, Logan saw a huge room filled with people in fancy clothes. The room was bright with candles and decorations.

A tradition among the Grandian nobility, these birth celebrations were usually reserved for the birth of a son.

Despite thinking it was just the Sword Emperor’s unusual love for his child, most of the nobles in the capital accepted the invitation.

Logan had come to the capital city partly for this party, so of course, he went.

– Heir to the McLaine family, Lord Logan McLaine, enter!

As the usher announced him and the doors to the banquet hall opened, Logan noticed people everywhere turning to stare.

The situation was vastly different from just last year when he had come to the capital because of Imporic, tentatively peeking into the edges of parties.

The Sword Emperor’s disciple.

That title alone was enough to draw countless people’s attention to him.

“He looks so young….”

“They say he’s only twenty-one.”

Murmur, murmur.

Curious glances rained down on him. Logan felt a little uncomfortable with so many eyes on him, but he tried to look calm.

Of course, it wasn’t just glances.

“Lord Logan! Welcome! It’s good to see you here.”

There were many approaches, so aggressive that Logan was taken aback.

Fortunately, the attention on him didn’t last long.

Coincidentally, the most important guest of the day arrived right after him.

– The United Church’s Bishop to the Kingdom of Grandia, Crimson Matthew, has arrived!

A kindly old man walked in. His white hair was neatly combed, and he wore a tall, white hat. His eyes were gentle, and he had a warm smile.

The vestments he wore were also pure white, save for the nine circles depicted on them.

At the appearance of the old man, an emblem of kindness, all the nobles bowed their heads to him.

And the old man, in turn, gave a slight bow to the host of the party, who was seated at the head table.

“Congratulations on the birth of your heir, Duke.”

“Thank you, Bishop. I am honored that you would come in person.”

The Sword Emperor also rose from his seat and bowed in return.

Normally, a position equivalent to a high priest in a religious order was not one that even the Sword Emperor could ignore.

The old man chuckled at the respectful gesture.

“Duke, how could I miss this? Your child is important to all of us, so I had to come and give my blessing myself.”

“Haha. Thank you again, sincerely.”

Not only in Grandia, but in most of the continent, nobles had their children blessed by a god as a matter of course.

People believed that the blessing influenced the child’s abilities and character in later life.

To be unable to summon a priest to bless a child was considered a hallmark of a fallen noble family.

Among them, the blessing of Agna, the fifth of the nine gods, the god of trees and life, was something all parents desired for the sake of their child’s health.

So, the Sword Emperor’s delight at receiving the blessing of Bishop Crimson Matthew, the highest-ranking priest, was not unreasonable.

As all those gathered in the banquet hall focused their attention, the Bishop slowly made his way toward the head table.

The high seat at the innermost part of the banquet hall.

Normally, it would have been the Duke’s seat as the host of the party, but now there was a small, elegant bed that seemed out of place in the banquet hall.

On it, a tiny baby was wrapped in what appeared to be a soft blanket, fast asleep.

The baby, with its curly blonde hair, remained peacefully asleep until its mother, with a somewhat pale complexion, carefully lifted it into her arms, at which point it sensed the touch of a stranger and burst into tears.

“Wahhh!”

“To the nine gods who watch over the world, your humble servant prays….”

Bishop Crimson, holding the baby aloft, began to murmur.

As everyone held their breath, his soft voice mingled with the baby’s cries, and slowly, a soft white light began to glow around the Bishop. It grew brighter and brighter, like moonlight, until it surrounded him and the baby in a warm, gentle glow.

‘That’s divine power,’ Logan thought.

Logan focused his senses as he witnessed divine power for the first time in this life.

In his previous life, he had simply thought of it as a miracle, with no sense of any flow of power, just a sudden change in the situation.

The divine power of lower-ranking priests had been invisible to him.

But the sensation he felt now was different.

‘It’s closer to the source than Force, and more subtle than mana. No wonder other people can’t feel it,’ he mused.

He was already aware that his senses, or rather his cognitive abilities, were extraordinary, far beyond the norm.

So, he simply imprinted the newly felt characteristics of divine power on his mind and enjoyed the blessing process.

“Ooh!”

“Indeed, the Bishop!”

“Such distinct divine power!”

As the surroundings grew noisy, the baby in the Bishop’s arms, as if fascinated by the light, had stopped crying and was blinking its large, blue eyes, looking around.

“In the name of Agna, the god of life, I bless the newborn heir of Esperanza.”

Flash!

The last burst of pure white light filled the banquet hall and then vanished, and applause began to erupt around them.

“Duke, congratulations!”

“Such intense light, they are sure to become a great person!”

“Congratulations, Duke!”

Amid the pouring applause, the Sword Emperor’s face was bright with happiness. He looked like the proudest father in the world as he repeatedly bowed his head to acknowledge the cheers of the guests.

But among all the people gathered in the banquet hall, only two were not smiling.

Bishop Crimson and Logan.

‘Logan watched closely. He saw the white light touch the baby, but it seemed to push away, like water off a duck’s back. That’s strange, Logan thought.’

Logan could clearly discern that the final burst of light was not an amplification of the blessing, but rather a light that had been repelled by the baby’s body.

If he had sensed it, how could the Bishop himself, the one performing the blessing, not know?

The Bishop looked surprised and a little worried. His eyebrows went up, and his smile disappeared for a moment as he entrusted the baby back to its mother, who had started crying again, and once more summoned a pure white light.

“You have worked hard, Duchess. Please, take a rest with your child.”

The pure white light poured out again.

The Duchess’s complexion, who had been forced to come to the party, improved slightly, and the baby also stopped crying, as if enjoying the warm light.

But.

‘The Bishop tried again. Again, the light seemed to push away from the baby. Logan frowned. It’s happening again!’

The baby’s body was still repelling the divine power.

This time, even the Bishop, who had been trying to appear calm, visibly paled.

“Is something the matter, Bishop?”

“Ah, no. Duke. I was simply so captivated by the child’s beauty that I momentarily lost myself.”

But the Bishop’s expression was far from relaxed.

Geom-gong seemed to feel it too. His face became a little serious.

“Ah, I feel a bit tired after giving blessings for the first time in a while. Sorry, but I think I should go rest for the night,” he said.

The bishop of the Order would not be stopped and went back.

“Everyone! Have fun at the party! Let’s celebrate the new baby! Cheers, everyone!”

Geom-gong was left alone when the bishop suddenly left. He tried to make the party lively again.

So, the bishop left. Some people started to wonder about it.

Logan saw and felt what happened clearly. He felt worried inside.

‘…Why did that happen?’

Maybe it was just a small accident.

Yes, that was probably it.

Divine power is like magic. Maybe the baby was just special and reacted to it in a strange way.

Logan tried to believe this, but he still felt uneasy.

Then, a voice spoke.

“Long time no see, Logan McLain.”

Logan heard a voice he knew.

He turned and saw a man in his middle age, with blond hair and blue eyes. The man held up a glass and smiled in a cold way.

“Yes, it’s been a while, Count Vifroth.”

“Yes. Too bad you look so healthy. I thought you might be weaker.”

Logan laughed a little. It was like a child trying to be mean, coming from a Count.

“Thanks to you, I am.”

“…Still talking nicely, as always.”

“Because I feel good.”

“And still rude.”

“That’s what makes me special.”

Logan smiled, knowing he looked annoying and pleased with himself.

Crack!

Clang!

The wine glass in the Count’s hand broke and fell. People nearby looked over.

“Ah, my mistake. As I get older, my hands are getting clumsy,” Roger Vifroth said softly. He looked like it didn’t matter and called a servant to clean his hands.

Soon, people stopped looking and turned back to Geom-gong at the main table.

The Count came closer to Logan and whispered secretly.

“You should know you are alive today because you became Geom-gong’s student by luck. Because of that, important people are watching you. You are very lucky.”

“Yes, I know I am lucky.”

*If not, I wouldn’t have come back to the past.*

Logan really meant it, it wasn’t sarcasm.

But the Count’s face changed when he heard that.

“Yes. I hope you remember that when you meet the important person.”

“…Important person?”

“Romaine von Grandia. Prince Romaine. He wants to meet you. But I hope you say no.”

He said it in a roundabout way, but it was very clear what he meant.

Join Prince Romaine’s group, or you will die.

It was a clear threat.

But Logan saw the Count’s angry face and smiled again.

“If Prince Romaine wants to meet me, I would be honored. I will think about your offer.”

“Rude… You dare to call the Prince’s order an offer?”

“Isn’t it an offer? Or do you want me to take my teacher to the afterlife?”

Logan pointed slightly to the other side of the party hall. The Count’s face became even angrier.

Roger Vifroth was quiet for a moment. His face was shaking a little. Then he turned away, his teeth clenched.

“I will set up a meeting soon. If you trick me again, you will pay more than you can imagine.”

“I will be here.”

Logan watched Roger Vifroth leave, feeling happy inside.

‘Why are they being so secret now?’

The war was starting in a few months.

Even if he waited to meet, the Prince and the Duke would be too busy later.

He thought it was funny that Count Vifroth, just a Count from the border, was giving messages for the Prince.

They would be enemies soon, so the threat was just silly.

‘He probably didn’t want to give the message. Maybe…’

Logan looked where Count Vifroth was going. He saw a huge man standing there.

The man was over 2 meters tall, with big muscles showing even under his fancy party clothes.

His hair was dark grey, like a rock.

‘Infernal Sword, Jordan Valterheim.’

He was one of the three Dukes in the kingdom, a strong Aura user, and Prince Romaine’s grandfather on his mother’s side.

Duke Valterheim felt Logan looking at him. He glanced back for a second, but then looked away like Logan was nothing.

It was like he was saying, “You are not important enough to talk to me, you are nobody.”

‘Okay, they must want my teacher, not me.’

Logan smiled as he watched. Then another voice he knew spoke.

“Yes. You should think carefully, nephew.”

“Hmm?”

A man in his middle age, with neat black hair and pale skin.

Logan’s face suddenly showed he was annoyed when he saw him.

“Veron… Duke Kairos?”

He used polite words, but his voice showed he was not happy.

Even though Logan was not welcoming, Veron came closer, looking happy.

“Hahaha. It’s been a while, Young Master Logan. Seeing you grown up makes me, as family, very proud and happy. But what you said before was too quick.”

Logan was surprised by how eager Veron was.

*– Uncle? Who? Me? Haha. Kid. Don’t get too close.*

The young, sure man who hurt Logan badly when he was young was now older. He seemed less sure of himself, but now he was very bold.

Logan did not want to agree with him easily.

“Family? Who are you talking about? Not you, right?”

“Well, we are not directly blood family. But everyone knows the McLain and Kairos families are connected through marriage.”

Veron Kairos was not as important as Roger Vifroth who came before.

But in Prince Number One’s group, his family was closest to the McLains.

Of course.

“Hmm, wasn’t that connection broken already?”

Logan thought they were worse than strangers.