Regressor of the Fallen Family

Regressor of the Fallen Family Chapter 127

“It’s nonsensical!”

Heinckel immediately objected as soon as the mission (?) was relayed.

“I expected there would be a test, but this is too much! This is practically telling us to go off and die on our own!”

“Instead of joining before, now that we’ve already joined, we’re to split up again and aim for the rear of the enemy lines? You must be joking, Logan?”

Even Patrick, with a face revealing his disbelief, looked at his son, but Logan only gave a bitter smile and shook his head.

“Unfortunately, this is the reality. The Duke’s mind was narrower than I thought.”

“Ha. So, do you have an alternative?”

“None. We just have to make it happen.”

But it was only for a moment, as opinions from all directions burst forth simultaneously.

“How about pretending to follow the plan and then retreating instantly in the direction of the main camp to lure them…”

“That could provide an excuse for the Second Prince’s faction to purge us for insubordination!”

“Or what if we start moving now and make a wide detour around the castle?”

“If we get discovered, we’ll face a full-frontal attack from the First Prince’s faction!”

“We have no choice but to make use of the repeating crossbows to conduct guerrilla warfare. Assuming we maintain range and hit and run, we might avoid serious damage…”

“With an army of 5,000, guerrilla warfare? Perhaps just the knights and crossbow cavalry…”

“Quiet, quiet!”

Thump. Thump.

After quieting the noisy crowd, Logan continued speaking calmly.

“Even if the First Prince’s faction has the upper hand, the difference isn’t that significant yet. So they can’t afford to pull out too many troops to catch us. At best, an army of a single border count may come. One that’s been in sync for a long time.”

“Like the old elite forces of Bifrost, you mean?”

At Patrick’s words, the faces of the commanding knights and Heinckel in the tent stiffened.

Most of them were veterans of the battle of Tomodo.

The thought of clashing with an army possessing similar strength to Bifrost at the time raised their concern and fear.

The fact that Bifrost had been one of the stronger border counts was something they couldn’t forget.

While observing the gloomy atmosphere, Logan calmly spoke.

“Since guerrilla warfare came up, that seems to be the most realistic approach. Sir Heinckel, what do you think of this possibility?”

“…Even if we were to engage in guerrilla warfare by maintaining our range and hit-and-run tactics, our crossbow cavalry wouldn’t be able to fend off the enemy’s knight order. If we want to block the knight order, our own knights must step in, and the moment they clash, it turns into a full-scale battle unless we decide to use our knights as expendable pawns.”

The tent became silent again at the absurd suggestion.

“Even if we win in the end, the damage will be tremendous. Wouldn’t that defeat the purpose of us joining the faction?”

“It would seem so. But what if we could win a full-scale war without significant damage?”

“…Pardon?”

“Sir Clayton. That would be possible, right?”

Logan’s gaze, and thus the gaze of everyone else in the tent, turned to a corner. The grim-faced middle-aged mage nodded confidently under their collective attention.

“Of course.”

“What…?”

“Sir Mage?”

“What does that mean?”

While the crowd stirred once more, Patrick raised his hand to calm them and sighed softly at Logan.

“You’re saying you want to use that in our first battle?”

“It’s a necessary move in our current situation.”

“…Am I the only one who doesn’t understand what you’re talking about?”

Heinckel looked around with a sense of unfairness, but only Patrick, Logan, and Clayton nodded in agreement.

“We have a new weapon prepared through the combined efforts of the Mage Tower and the Workshop. My apologies for not speaking about it earlier, Sir Heinckel.”

“A new weapon…?”

“It’s a powerful and dangerous tool, and as such, maintaining security was needed. I hope you understand.”

“Ah. Ha ha. Well, if it’s something like that, no worries. A weapon that truly guarantees us victory… right?”

“Of course.”

Heinckel’s expression brightened quickly.

Despite being a senior member of their family, he showed no sign of displeasure at being kept in the dark about a crucial secret.

His mood matched that of the commanding knights who nodded with bright expressions in response.

Years of explosive growth and battles had firmly established trust, plainly visible in their faces. Logan also nodded with contentment at the sight.

* * *

“The McLaine family has joined the Second Prince’s faction? Ha… Have they gone mad, or has Yordan lost his mind?”

As Juan Douglas murmured to himself, a response came from behind him.

“Either way, it’s just more lives to be taken.”

“Ha ha. Aren’t you too cold, Kyron? Weren’t they old classmates? I believe their children were even betrothed at one point?”

“That relationship is over now.”

The handsome middle-aged man with silver hair and black eyes calmly replied to the duke’s words.

“Cold-hearted, aren’t you? Don’t you feel a pang of regret? After all, they even restored their old homeland. If that bond had continued, they might have had no choice but to stand with us.”

Shining platinum hair and bright blue eyes.

Although stemming from different lineage, the pure blood of the Grandia royal family ran thickly through Juan Douglas’s veins, evidence present before Kyron Wolves, who inwardly sneered.

The ambition of this mage with more maternal blood was to break past his insurmountable status and sit in a seat he would not otherwise be able to occupy.

If anyone stood in the way of that path, he would not let them be.

The McLaine family, which had gone awry, was already mere target for removal in his mind.

The question had an expected answer.

He merely bowed his head, spouting the determined response.

“Had that been so, I would have lost my connection with your Highness. Why would I dwell on the small when I have gained so much more?”

“Ha ha. Still, I find it regrettable. Weren’t our bonds bound to continue?”

“…I shall put an end to that regret in the next battle.”

“Oh? Are you confident? Those are the ones who outsmarted Bifrost.”

“That was just a cheap trick. And the secret weapon they have was already obtained by our family long ago.”

“Secret weapon?”

“Our elite troops have just completed their training and joined us. I will show them to you in the next battle.”

“Hmm… Really? Well, I’m looking forward to it.”

In the brief exchange within the castle of the First Prince’s faction, the impact of the McLaine family’s joining was still minimal.

For now.

* * *

The fierce but unseen assassination warfare resumed inconclusively, and after a long lull, an all-out war broke out.

Surprisingly, it was the beleaguered Second Prince’s side that drew their swords first.

– Charge!

Bwooooooom!

With the resounding trumpet blast, the eastern gate of Alrun Castle was flung open, and stern-faced knights began to emerge.

Despite the months of battle, the Walter Main Knight Order still maintained near a thousand numbers, leading the endless troops pouring out of the gates.

It took well over two hours for the nearly 50,000 troops to fully emerge, and naturally, during that time, an opposing army reacted by springing forth.

While both sides were distinctly impressive with hundreds of mages in white and blue robes on the enemy front, the numbers were so large that both sides appeared fairly matched overall.

The only outlier was the McLaine army, which, without entering the castle, circumvented the walls to align on the right side of the Second Prince’s army.

While drawing the eyes of both friend and foe alike, Patrick, who stood at the forefront, murmured with a hardened face.

“At one wrong turn, we could all be dead.”

His gaze was fixed not on the enemy force but on the Second Prince’s army, cautiously maintaining a certain distance.

“I feel like attacking them this very moment.”

“Well, that’s only natural. This whole skirmish is likely due to their distrust in us, to begin with.”

Logan spoke indifferently.

And in his mind, there was only one thought.

‘To kill those that need to be killed as quickly as possible, and to end the war.’

This was the first step towards that goal.

While thinking this, Logan’s gaze unexpectedly scanned both the First Prince’s and the elite of the Second Prince’s armies.

Suddenly, a major cry filled the battlefield.

– Attack!

Bwooooom!

With the trumpets blasting simultaneously and flags fluttering atop the walls from various points,

Thud.

The first step taken by the massive army was overwhelming in its sheer force alone.

Maybe it was that intimidating feeling that caused Patrick’s command to come a beat late.

“Let us also depart!”

Broad flags waved by his side carried the lord’s will to every corner of the 5,000-strong army.

As both sides slowly approached with a total of 100,000 troops, McLaine started to stand out with their noticeable movements, breaking away from the main force and beginning to circle the battlefield.

Both camps’ leadership teams kept a vigilant watch on their movement.

“The ones who were humiliated at our first encounter and given such an absurd mission are moving as instructed, Your Grace?”

The Second Prince Romaine, who once doubted Logan’s intelligence, watched the circling McLaine forces with an icy glare colder than his sapphire eyes.

“We must wait and see, Your Highness. Soon it will be clear whether their intentions are true or not.”

Yordan, with the same cold gaze, revealed a trace of suspicion on his face.

‘Really going with the plan?’

For him, who had anticipated even a surprise attack disguised as a surrender, this was an unexpected move.

He naturally had no choice but to watch the movements of McLaine closely.

And naturally, it wasn’t only them watching.

‘It’ll be a total disaster.’

Roger Bifrost watched the McLaine troops with a deathly glare, while on the other hand,

‘Hmm, indeed?’

Lucien Talos watched with interest laden eyes.

Leaders of the Second Prince’s faction scattered among their troops also watched McLaine’s retreating forms with complex emotions.

And of course, the movements of McLaine had an even more significant impact on the First Prince’s faction.

“These crazy people have really lost their minds. What are they thinking?”

Juan Douglas’s incredulous tone reflected the sentiments of the majority of the First Prince’s leadership.

“They must have thought we would just watch. Like playing with toy soldiers.”

Ha ha ha ha.

Despite being amid battle, and on the verge of a clash, the laughter erupted from the commander’s single comment.

It was the relaxed atmosphere created by the faction recently holding the advantage in several skirmishes.

Such ease translated into confidence and thus Juan Douglas did not bother to quiet the laughter.

And this was further proven by the flags signaling wildly in agitation.

“Count Teran Zahid has requested permission to intercept the detouring forces.”

“And Count Grimar Tahil’s the same…”

“Count Ostine Trumbel as well.”

“Wolves has also…”

Until recently, they were of a family whose name, let alone being a mere countryside baronet, was unknown.

Even if they had snatched a count seat at the onset of the civil war, it was common logic to think their limits were clear.

Thus, it was natural to guess that the number they saw was just an assembled rabble.

Juan Douglas laughed as he gave the command.

“Leave it to Kyron Wolves. He was confident in his previous boast, so he should show some solid performance.”

“Yes, sir!”

Following that simple decision, a force of over 5,000 from the First Prince’s faction broke away.

“Indeed, a bad relationship remains a bad one.”

Kyron Wolves squinted slightly at the distant banner with the flame emblem.

Thirty years back, at the capital’s academy, a mere son of a baron exhibited astonishing talent and caught everyone’s attention.

Kyron himself was drawn to that talent.

Despite the differences in social status, he saw the boy’s future and even betrothed his child to him.

But that talent was fleeting, and before turning thirty, the ‘friend’ who had become a high-grade knight spent over the next 20 years without further achievements.

Granted, a high-grade knight was a formidable force, but a knight in his fifties was merely one among nearly ten in the House of Wolves.

In the rural borderlands, he could boast, but that was the extent of it.

So, the annulment of the betrothal was natural, and coincidentally, since that broken engagement, that very family soared higher and higher, naturally troubling to Wolves.

As a result, he was able to obtain their source of military strength, a new secret weapon, earlier and with more difficulty than anyone else.

“If they had faced any other border count, they might have had a chance.”

Although he toyed with the idea of letting others take the stage and waiting to claim a larger victory after their failure, that would erode away his allies’ strength, which would have been a loss from a broader strategic perspective.

So, he decided to take the forefront.

“With the weapon that originated from your house, I will use it to bring your ruin, Patrick. I’m sorry for you.”

Kyron whispered inaudibly, with a sneer.

With overwhelming knightly military power and the new weapon in hand.

‘I can’t possibly lose.’

Kyron Wolves blocked the path of McLaine confidently.

And then.

Kwaaang!

He stood gaping in the face of a sight he had never foreseen.

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