Regressor of the Fallen Family

“As expected, the Pereta family has submitted a request to become our vassal.”

“Percival or Rufman wouldn’t be a problem, right?”

“…For now, as they’re outside our domain, and those guys have already joined the Second Prince’s faction with all their main forces. They were dispatched as soon as the civil war began. It’s difficult to interfere.”

“I see. For now, we’ll have to be satisfied with this.”

Logan had no intention of simply accepting the once-bared fangs of Pereta with just their taxes.

‘Slowly drain them until they die, and then completely absorb their forces.’

Imagining his future, Logan smiled with satisfaction.

“We’ve already achieved more than enough. The previous lords would be pleased.”

“Who knows? They might be cheering us on, saying it’s still not enough.”

Despite the chill that followed Patrick’s stale joke, the lord’s office was enveloped in a heartwarming atmosphere for the first time in a while.

There were still unresolved issues, but those were worries for the future.

All immediate threats could be considered gone.

And now…

“It’s time for the delayed party.”

At Logan’s words, everyone laughed.

The war was over.

At a time when the entire kingdom was in turmoil due to the civil war, it wasn’t something that could be said officially.

But it became a widespread secret that everyone knew.

McLain would not wage war anymore.

And to prove that rumor, Logan generously rewarded the knights and soldiers, even holding banquets for the combatants to ensure they had ample rest.

Although morale was high following recent victories, the actual state of the forces was not that great.

There were few casualties in the capture of Bifrost Castle, but the loss at Tomodo Castle was far too great.

The numbers told a clearer story.

Knights: 152, with 54 dead and 98 survivors.

Crossbow Cavalry: 1,000, with 289 dead and 711 survivors.

Infantry: 1,532, with 655 dead and 877 survivors.

Moreover, the most effective method McLain had to bolster forces in the past, converting captured knights, was no longer viable.

Although there were a few who surrendered at Tomodo Castle, converting them was pointless as long as their former lord lived, branding them as traitors.

Of course, they were previously sent to appease the Second Prince faction by way of Roger Bifrost.

Therefore, it was even more crucial to raise morale as high as possible in celebration of the current victory.

Thus, Logan prepared a separate party for the knights who were the main force, aside from the banquet for the soldiers.

And not just any party, but one with lavish gifts.

“Sir Heinkel, step forward.”

“Yes, sir!”

“In recognition of your efforts in leading the knights to victory in the war, I hereby award you one million gold in prize money and lands of equivalent value.”

All onlookers gasped.

An incredibly generous sum of prize money alongside land was distributed, sharing the spoils of conquering a wealthy Earldom with his men without reserve.

‘If only the artifact storehouse had been intact, it would have been even better.’

About twenty artifacts had disappeared without a trace, possibly taken by Bifrost’s forces.

While a bit regretful, Logan continued to smile and applaud endlessly.

“The Crown Prince has reportedly cleared out this warehouse.”

“Should we be concerned as well?”

“Eh, it’s different for a captain.”

Though the knights spoke with some expectation.

That expectation was soon met.

Each knight received a reward of at least 100,000 gold – not as much as what Heinkel received, but a significant prize nonetheless.

While all the knights were overjoyed, Eileen stood out, notably pleased with her reward.

“Are you so happy? The Floyd family isn’t exactly lacking in funds.”

“This is the first money I’ve earned myself! And it’s such a large amount…”

“Ah…”

“In this country, there aren’t many opportunities for women to earn this kind of money. This alone makes it feel like my dreams are getting closer to reality.”

Seeing Eileen on the brink of tears, Logan could only silently smile and pat her on the shoulder.

However, the greatest reward of the evening did not go to the knights.

“The greatest merit of the defense of Tomodo goes to the Golem Tower, so we declare that the land of the Golem Tower within McLain Town is to be granted to the tower perpetually without imposing any taxes, and in addition, a prize of ten million gold will be awarded.”

As soon as Patrick finished speaking, Clayton knelt on the spot.

“Th-Thank you so much. The disciples of the Golem Tower will work tirelessly for McLain.”

While the lead disciple Griek joked about Clayton working their bones to dust, the elder of the Golem Tower, once plagued by financial worries and forcing his disciples into all sorts of manual labor, was now a proud owner of the tower, a legitimate mage.

‘Something feels off, but nevertheless,’ Clayton thought, overjoyed.

“Furthermore, we promise compensation to the families of all the fallen soldiers, double the amount for those who survived.”

The lord, Patrick’s final declaration, brought everyone’s spirits to a climax.

Thus, the party went on throughout the night.

As each person raised their glass, they sang praises to Logan and the McLain family.

“Long live McLain!”

“I pledge lifelong loyalty!”

“Loyalty to the everlasting flame!”

The morale of the McLain forces soared to unprecedented heights.

And Logan thought,

‘It feels this good to receive acclaim for someone else’s property.’

He raised his glass in honor of the absent Bifrost, in front of the plundered treasure vault.

* * *

Not long after those buoyant times,

Logan once again ordered the recruitment of more soldiers.

From the five castles of Bifrost, to Teslon, Sylvan, McLain Castle, and McLain Town,

a massive recruitment was initiated throughout the McLain domain.

“Start with two thousand…?”

“So, to recruit more later… Heh.”

“From each of the nine castles, that’s over two hundred each. Goodness.”

“It seems like the treasury will drain quickly…”

“Come on, snap out of it. If our prince commands it, we do it! Administrative staff have been replenished, haven’t they?”

The administrative officials, complaining in undertones, were silenced by Dwayne’s shouting.

Fortunately, unlike Sylvan or Teslon, many of Bifrost’s administrators had not been siphoning public funds.

Hence, other than Bifrost and McLain Town, which formed the foundation of the McLain family, transferring to other castles wasn’t overly burdensome due to the increase in numbers.

And with that entire process handed over to Dwayne, the administrators were all too ready to carry out the orders of the man who had reestablished their bread and butter.

However,

“Isn’t this criterion a bit odd, Dwayne?”

“That’s right! A touch test? What does this have to do with being a soldier?”

“Moreover, the methodology is bizarre… This is quite…”

Any rational person would question such a situation.

Nevertheless,

“Just do it without the questions! Our prince is godsent! Just do it, and everything will work out!”

The finance manager, with eyes glowing with almost religious fervor for the great prince’s command, tolerated no disagreement.

Eventually, the forceful notice was tacked up in all nine castles of the now McLain territory.

However, the reaction was not as heated as Logan had anticipated.

* * *

“Wouldn’t being a soldier be dangerous? The kingdom is noisy, with wars all over…”

“Right, the whole country’s in unrest…”

“But if it’s our lord’s army, wouldn’t it be somewhat different?”

“It’s still an army nonetheless! I can’t just let my child get swept away and killed in the nobles’ squabbles.”

During a time of war spreading across the kingdom, with harrowing rumors swirling everywhere,

despite lowering the age for recruitment to 15 years and up, the turnout of applicants fell short of expectations.

Ironically, the lowest number of volunteers came from McLain Town, which Logan had focused on the most.

They barely managed to fill the ranks, and even that came with a ridiculous background.

“People were forced to volunteer from among the townsfolk, fearing my anger? To meet the numbers?”

“…Not all, but it appears some were compelled that way.”

“It’s just…”

Logan was at a loss.

Soldiers, after arduous training, had a slim chance of social advancement.

To realize that those prospects fell secondary to one’s immediate safety invited nothing but hollow laughter.

In his past life, as a freedom fighter risking everything for values beyond life itself, he couldn’t understand the psyche of ordinary citizens.

Furthermore, the five castles under Bifrost that had been running peacefully with moderate taxation were in a similar situation.

Yet ironically, only Sylvan Castle saw an influx of applicants over five times the expected number.

Only the citizens of the castle, who had joined McLain under its banner after suffering under tyranny, chose to take a risk over safety.

This led to nearly 3,000 candidate enrollees far surpassing the initial goal of 2,000 due to the sheer number from Sylvan, though the test results were far from satisfying.

Logan had devised only two criteria for the new soldier fitness test.

The first involved surrounding the applicant with hung wooden logs while a test administrator hurled them randomly at the candidate.

With their eyes blindfolded with cloth, the participants simply had to time their dodges correctly to avoid the logs.

It was a test designed to measure beyond the tactile sensation of a slight breeze—a test of intuition.

While the wooden logs wouldn’t cause substantial harm even if they hit, some applicants didn’t bother to dodge at all.

“Why don’t you even try to avoid it? Why are you even taking the test?!”

Frustration boiled over even for the examiners.

But the second test was even more telling.

Mid-level knights who could manipulate murderous intent served as examiners, brandishing wooden swords and stopping them right before the applicant’s face.

The test required choosing the sword that felt most threatening to touch.

It was a test of survival instinct, but yet again, disinterested applicants were common.

Despite the apparent danger, some tightly shut their eyes, refusing even to look.

In the end, the candidate selection process, which spanned ten days across McLain’s entire domain, yielded only about a thousand individuals who fell short of the projected figures, even when taking those who barely missed the cut.

“Lowered the standard and yet only a thousand? Is that all?”

“Isn’t the number of those who passed the peculiar test more important?”

“….”

“Hm. Hm. My apologies. Anyway, the reports say that more than half the applicants from both Bifrost and McLain Town seemed to lack any will to participate.”

“…..”

The issue was more serious than it appeared.

These tests weren’t just for drafting soldiers to handle the immediate crisis at hand.

Broadly speaking, it was a test to select the knights of the future, the pillars who would withstand the empire’s invasion.

But how could they cooperate like this?

‘It’s problematic… Should I delay it?’

They could hastily recruit soldiers now to boost immediate forces, quieting the chaos within the country before spreading new standards nationwide; that was one option.

But even if everything went smoothly, it wasn’t clear if that would take a year or two.

With at most just over seven years until the war with the empire, that time could mean the difference between thousands of knights existing or not.

‘…I need to start getting this right.’

Forcing recruits through harsh training wouldn’t produce worthy knights in the end.

The dilemma was acute, with no clear solution immediately apparent.

But then,

“What’s the big worry? There’s a simple solution.”

“What?”

Dwayne suggested a method with a smirk.

“Throw some money at it. Anyone who passes the soldier test above the threshold gets a thousand gold. If they have sons, families will swarm to you.”

A thousand gold was a game-changing amount of money for an ordinary citizen.

“Oh….”

“If we’re talking about 2,000 men, two million gold will cover it. It’s pocket change for our domain right now.”

Two million gold, considered pocket change—a day he never thought would come.

‘Life sure has a lot of twists and turns.’

While the finance manager Dwayne’s inner joy danced to the beat,

“That would work?”

“Excuse me? What do you mean?”

“People who didn’t apply because it’s dangerous—will they really move for some money?”

“Heh. Haven’t I told you? There’s nothing money can’t do.”

“But still, that’s…”

“Minister Dwayne. I implore you again with sincerity. Remember this well.”

“What…”

“There’s no such thing as an impossible task with money, just insufficient money. This is the truth! The truth! More reliable than any scripture!”

“….”

Crushed under that inexplicable zeal, Logan nodded, though he didn’t truly believe those words.

A week later,

He received a report that an ‘additional’ 2,000 trainees who had passed the requirements had been secured.

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