Regressor of the Fallen Family

“Gather all your strength! It’s an all-out war!”

As Prince Romaine exited the council room, his declaration solidified the grim expressions of the nobles trailing behind him. The looming possibility they had feared was now a reality, leaving them with no choice but to tense up.

Among them, Roger Bifrost’s face was the most hardened. ‘Damn it all!’ He couldn’t claim to have been completely unprepared for such a scenario. While hoping the conflict might end in a proxy war or a duel, the outcome had, unfortunately, escalated to full-scale war. ‘No, let’s face reality. Whether it’s a duel or anything else, as long as the princes are alive, there will be no submission. I wouldn’t yield either. War was inevitable.’

The real issue was the suddenness of the event, leaving no time to prepare his domain. ‘Macline. Those lucky bastards…’ But he couldn’t oppose the Second Prince, or more precisely, Duke Yordan Valtermime, who observed the assembly with a sharp gaze.

Suppressing his boiling anger and mixed emotions, Roger waited for the Second Prince’s lengthy speech to conclude. After the nobles dispersed and the Prince returned to his palace, Roger sought out Duke Yordan Valtermime separately.

“What do you wish to discuss?”

“My apologies for disturbing your rest, Your Grace, but there’s something I must convey.”

“Get to the point.”

The grey-haired giant’s tone was cold, but Roger knew it wasn’t due to displeasure. The nickname ‘Blazing Sword’ indicated his martial prowess, but his true nature was of utmost coldness. ‘My calculations must be precise.’

Swallowing hard, Roger began, “As you might be aware, my domain was already in a war before this. A ruthless family greedily occupied one of my castles without permission…”

“I’m aware. And?”

“…I should be mobilizing troops in accordance with the Prince’s will, but doing so would lose the chance to punish those scoundrels. Please grant me a little time.”

“Time? Hmm. You ask for time when an immediate full-scale war with the First Prince’s faction is possible?”

A wrong answer could spell disaster. Roger looked into the indifferent black eyes and quickly responded, “It won’t take long. Just ten days…”

“Inefficient.”

“Pardon?”

“The most efficient course would be to pull those scoundrels, the Maclines, into our faction. There’s no need for you and them to exhaust each other when their forces can strengthen our cause.”

“Your Grace, but…”

“I even sent Luther for that, but someone was busy spreading rumors, making them seem inedible.”

“That… That’s…”

Roger’s face froze under the duke’s icy gaze.

“One should take their share, but causing harm to the faction for personal gain is unacceptable. What should I do with you, Roger?”

Ashen-faced, Roger knelt. “Please forgive me, Your Grace! Blinded by personal greed, I’ve done the unthinkable!”

“You’re quick to grasp situations. But sometimes, greed blinds you.”

“…”

Duke Yordan Valtermime continued with a frosty look, “Everyone was caught off guard by the king’s death, but the situation post-death was enough to understand why Juan and I tried to win over those trivial figures. Were they that significant to you?”

“I am without excuse.”

“You are a vital force in our faction, far more valuable than those trivial ones. But even they have their uses, especially now when the enemy feels equally strong.”

“…”

Roger remained silent, his head bowed. A wrong facial expression could be irreversible, so he chose to hide his face.

“Just curb your greed for now. Luckily, they haven’t sided with the enemy yet. Just leave them be for a while. After we win this war, I’ll wrap them up nicely and present them to you. Understand?”

“I am sorry.”

“Good. Now, go and summon your elite forces. We need to look beyond those scoundrels to a bigger future.”

“Yes.”

Roger left, having achieved nothing he intended and even failing to break even. But he couldn’t help feeling relieved. If it weren’t for the critical need for every bit of power at such a time, he wouldn’t have gotten off so easily.

Yet, why did the image of that smug, smiling figure alone in the council room keep haunting him? Understanding the need to wait for the future, Roger Bifrost still struggled mightily to suppress the rising anger within him.

“Huh. What is this…”

“Indeed, the Golem Tower is remarkable.”

Padric could only gape in amazement, unable to find words, while Logan whistled brightly in awe. The sight before them was unavoidable. Even including the two weeks of travel to and from the capital, and the ten days spent there, they were only away from Tomodo Castle for barely a month. Yet, now the castle walls stood 5 meters taller and more majestic than before, encircling the entire area.

It’s the lord and his son!

Open the gates!

The heavy gates lowered over the now deeper and sturdier moat amidst the loud clanking of chains.

“Perfect…indeed.”

“Yes, certainly beyond expectations.”

The father and son entered the castle with uplifted spirits. The troops, having shed their previous exhausted appearance, greeted them with confident smiles.

“Bifrost could attack again, but we’ve thoroughly reinforced the defenses. Are you pleased?”

“Of course, Heinkel. Well done.”

“It was more the magicians of the Golem Tower who did the hard work. Ah, they did use quite a lot of magic stones though…”

“That’s to be expected. Everyone worked hard.”

“Still, it might be a shock…”

Heinkel muttered, watching the delighted faces of the MacLaine father and son. After their departure, Clayton had driven his disciples relentlessly, resulting in a significant consumption of magic stones. The cost would likely far exceed their expectations, making it hard for him to wholly rejoice.

And his prediction hit the mark. The father and son’s faces twitched at the mention of the spent budget. However, this concern was quickly overshadowed by a magical communication from the Valtermime Duke’s House.

“Valtermime Duke?!”

“Why from there?”

“I’m not sure. Anyway, an emissary from there insists on speaking with you.”

The father and son had no choice but to rush to the communication room.

[I respect your wish to remain neutral. However, if you break this promise and continue provocations, you’ll be severely punished. This is the Duke’s will. Do you understand, Baron?]

“…Of course. I shall keep Your Grace’s will close to my heart.”

[Good. I hope you maintain this attitude.]

The magical communication abruptly ended without even a formal goodbye.

“…Such arrogance from a mere representative. Tsk.”

“Well, it’s from the Valtermime Duke. Anyway, with this development, we can worry less. We don’t need to rely on our master now.”

“If Bifrost isn’t attacking us, he’ll be gathering forces to head to the capital. This gives us some breathing room, but the situation is worrying.”

“We can’t change what has happened. For now, we should focus on what we can do.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Padric absentmindedly nodded, still unaware of the extent of his son’s ‘what we can do’.

The internal war that erupted following the murder at Grand Noblesse and the death of scribe Larry Clet began escalating into direct conflicts within a week. It all started in the northern part of the King’s Direct Dominion, in the territory of Count Tritan, part of the Second Prince’s faction. While sending troops in response to the Second Prince’s summons, they unexpectedly clashed with the forces of Count Zahid, loyal to the First Prince.

This unexpected battle between the two counts disrupted all the war plans made by the central leadership. As the war was for the succession and the throne, the primary targets were the princes and dukes, not territorial occupation. The strategists, planning on assassinations and quick clashes in the central front, were thrown off by this unforeseen battle in the north, eventually leading to a long frontline cutting across the kingdom.

With the war dragging on, the leaders of both factions started to squeeze the last resources from their domains. Bifrost, too, had no choice but to deploy most of his forces to the central front, leaving only minimal troops at home.

“Your Grace, aren’t we withdrawing too many troops from the main castle?”

“Lentor is left behind; he’s a high-ranking knight, enough for maintaining order.”

“But what if the Maclines…”

“…Unless they’ve lost their minds, they won’t ignore Duke Yordan’s warning.”

“But in case of an emergency, Lentor’s tactics compared to his strength…”

“It’s fine. The reason why Yordan, that cold man, is called ‘Blazing Sword’ is known to most of the kingdom. Unless they’re suicidal, they won’t defy him. Unless they’ve lost their minds…”

Roger Bifrost muttered repeatedly, ‘unless they’ve lost their minds’, reassuring himself. His fear of Yordan’s temperament was the reason he had mobilized most of his forces. But despite his words, a cold unease lingered in Roger’s heart, a nagging sense of dread tied to the unpredictable Maclines.

‘Unless… they’ve truly lost their minds.’

“We must seize this opportunity to capture Bifrost!”

Logan declared in a meeting with his vassals, sparking an uproar.

“Didn’t we receive a warning from the Valtermime Duke? Are you suggesting we ignore a warning from the Duke, from a superhuman?”

“Yes.”

Dwayne was stunned into silence by the short, decisive response.

“Bifrost can’t respond now. He can’t withdraw his forces from the central front in this situation.”

“But ignoring the warning could be seen as challenging the Second Prince. They might accept some losses to warn other neutral forces…”

“No. We started this war even before the internal conflict. It’s a personal vendetta against a family, not a challenge to the Second Prince. They’re not foolish enough to misinterpret and suffer losses for it.”

Logan smiled at Heinkel’s accurate deduction, but the atmosphere was tense. The vassals looked to Padric, hoping he would dissuade his son, but he, lost in thought since before the meeting, finally sighed and spoke.

“Yes. Even if everything you said is correct, Duke Yordan Valtermime is a man who will demand accountability later. Have you considered that?”

“No, I haven’t.”

“What? Have you forgotten our previous mistake already? Please, consider everything this time…!”

“There won’t be a need for Duke Yordan Valtermime to hold us accountable.”

The absolute certainty in Logan’s voice left everyone speechless, and soon the Macline forces began to mobilize again.

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