Regressor of the Fallen Family Chapter 126
Honestly, Logan didn’t know much about Romaine von Grandia, the second prince. All he remembered was that the second prince had received even worse reviews than his brother, the first prince Luther, who was later called a tyrant who had ruined the nation due to his qualities as a dark sovereign. Apart from that, Logan only recalled the prince’s arrogant nod at the Grandia Noblesse or his angry pointing and shouting at his brother.
‘Well, that’s enough to know about his character.’
Beyond his character, Logan hadn’t realized until now how foolish the second prince could be.
“Did you really expect that by kneeling now, I would welcome you and acknowledge you were right? You’re nothing but bats, only clinging to the winning side!”
Winning side? Who?
Logan was dumbfounded by the prince’s lack of awareness of the current situation and couldn’t help but shake his head. Fortunately, when he looked up, he noticed most of the nobles behind the foolish prince were looking down at the ground or up in the sky, seemingly embarrassed by the prince’s words. At least, not all the leadership was as foolish as he was.
“Prince, your baron would have understood by now. I’ll take it from here.”
“Hmm, fine, Duke. I am tired, I shall retire for now.”
Had he done anything at all? From his first word to his exit, every single bit of the prince was shockingly foolish. And it wasn’t until the prince had completely vanished into the castle that a real, substantial conversation took place.
“Firstly, welcome to our cause.”
“It is an honor, Sir.”
“You certainly have better manners than your son.”
“My son has manners as well.”
“Really? It seems not.”
Yordan’s skeptical gaze was not far away. Logan faced off against Roger Bifrost, and Yordan addressed him.
“It’s been a while, Count.”
“Astonishing, truly.”
“Isn’t this a good situation? Haven’t you been saying that our southwest should unite? Now it has finally happened.”
Crack.
“And are you so free with your words now…”
“Ah. Are those gentlemen behind you Jeff Percival, the baron, and Derek Luffman, the baron? Pleased to meet you. But may I ask, as unpleasant as it is to inquire on first meeting, where do you plan to attach yourself after the war?”
“You little…!”
“Ahh, still with a powerful voice. Glad to see you’re in good health.”
Roger Bifrost’s body was trembling as if he would explode at any moment. And Logan silently cheered (?) for him. Initially, he had only meant to provoke, but the count’s reaction was swift, almost as if his patience had evaporated. ‘Maybe even a little move like this could hook him? Come on! Don’t hold back!’
Logan was confident that even if the count attempted any trickery, he could cut him down before anything happened. If the count struck first, there would be no one to blame for his death. After all, there would be no pleasure in keeping an enemy at his back, even if they were temporarily on the same side. However, his expectations vanished when the man with silver hair intervened.
“Sir, please restrain yourself. Being near filth only brings smell.”
Logan inwardly clicked his tongue at Franz’s ghost-like gaze sweeping over him. ‘Tch, too bad.’
“…Fine. Let’s see how things go.”
As Roger Bifrost regained his composure and turned away, Logan caught sight of Aslan pointing at himself and then making a throat-slitting gesture.
Logan could only smile wryly and turn away when suddenly, the gray-haired giant who had been at a distance approached him.
‘Yikes! That startled me!’
Logan was inwardly shocked by the man’s silent approach but outwardly smiled calmly.
“It’s been a while, Duke.”
“Hmm? Have we actually met before?”
“We saw each other from a distance at the naming ceremony of my master’s child.”
“Ah, yes, that was the case. If I had known things would turn out this way, I would’ve made an effort to meet you then. Don’t you think?”
“One never knows how things might turn out in life, but I do share the sentiment. Ha ha.”
“As for seeking us out now, what has you thinking? The baron told me to ask you since you’re practically the leader of McLaine now… “
The gray-haired giant’s brown eyes snaked over Logan.
“Ha ha, what am I thinking? I’m thinking of profit, of course.”
“Profit…?”
“Isn’t the payoff higher on the losing side?”
“Don’t tell me that condition was no joke?”
“Why would I joke? If we help you win this war, it wouldn’t be an excessive demand. Especially after receiving ‘such a gift’ and then coming to seek you out.”
At the word ‘gift,’ a flicker of flame rose in Yordan’s brown eyes, but that flame quickly extinguished and the Duke laughed heartily.
“Ha, it seems you believe we would definitely lose without you. But many things in this world can’t be judged on appearances alone.”
“The same goes for the opposition. Don’t you think?”
“Indeed, not losing a word. It’s no surprise Roger is so irked.”
“Ha ha, I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“And even if you join us, we can’t trust you entirely just yet. You know that, right?”
The light-hearted conversation suddenly dove into the heart of the matter, but Logan didn’t flinch and readily replied.
“Of course.”
“Your soldiers will have to wait outside the fort for a while. And though you’ll have the right to attend the leadership’s strategic meetings, you won’t have a say until McLaine has proven its trustworthiness.”
“How shall we prove it?”
“We’re on a battlefield. Prove your trust by achieving merits, no?”
“Easy.”
The conversation quickly reached an agreement, the nuances hidden behind their words.
* * *
“A week ago, the last assassin was captured, and since then no more assaults have targeted His Majesty. This signifies that the despicable ones are running out of ways to reach him. It’s time we turn up the heat again!”
“Yes!”
At Duke Yordan’s command, the noble assembly of five responded in unison. Including the Half-Giant Luther Kaihl, the Frontier Count Julio Tristan, Lucen Talos, Pamil Cherno, and the former Frontier Count Roger Bifrost holding the core power of the second prince’s forces.
Watching the gathering, Logan swallowed a chuckle. ‘As if they never participated.’
A war not over land but for the throne. No matter how the situation developed, the moment an opposing prince fell, the war would end. If the successor to the throne died and the war dragged on, the currently neutral forces would undoubtedly align with them, and major defections would occur even among the allies.
In this war, then, assassination attempts on either prince weren’t vile – they were necessary.
That’s why, despite needing to stick close to their respective princes, Yordan Valdermaine, the Blaze Sword, and Juan Douglas, the Ice Magician, could not stray too far from them.
‘A war fought not for territory, but to kill men.’
Moreover, the objects of this war wished to sacrifice everything around them to survive at all costs. This made the war all the more horrible and drawn out, eventually ripping the roots of the kingdom – a tragedy that was the civil war of the previous life.
‘Kill those who need killing as quickly as possible and put an end to this war. And…’
The tactical meeting, as pointless as it felt, carried on. Logan let the information go in one ear and out the other while he immersed himself in thought until something jumped out, impossible to ignore.
“We want the McLaine troops to circumvent the enemy lines and attack from behind.”
All eyes turned toward Logan. There were looks of disregard from those who considered him too young and blazing glares from those who wished to tear him down on the spot—and some with mere curiosity…
‘Hmm? Curiosity?’
Logan’s gaze was drawn to one particular noble with a distinctive look—Lucen Talos, a man with plain features, brown hair, and blue eyes. He thought back and realized that even during the exchange at the west gate earlier that day, Talos had watched him with the same peculiar expression.
‘What happens to him later…?’
No significant information came from Logan’s past life memories, causing him not to pay extra attention to Talos. That made Talos’ expression even more intriguing.
While preoccupied with the unusual attention, the sharp voice caught his ear again.
“Does your silence mean you refuse or do I need to ask the baron who put all his trust in you?”
“No, not at all. A circumvention to attack the rear, you say?”
“Yes. The elites from both sides are already accounted for. The only variable is your house. So, you must create the opportunity, shouldn’t you?”
Logan barely held back a laugh at the shameless suggestion. In a battlefield with over 50,000 soldiers between the two sides, the idea of circumventing the field with a mere 5,000 men to strike from the rear was tantamount to a suicide mission. Even more so considering the delighted twitch of Roger Bifrost’s mouth.
“An interesting proposal. I accept.”
“…What?”
Even Yordan, who proposed it, was surprised.
The nobles observing were equally perplexed.
“Is there anything else I need to know?”
“No, that’s all. If you understand, then plan the details on your own.”
“Understood.”
With no real plan in mind, Logan concealed his thoughts and left.
* * *
“If he had refused, we would’ve dispersed their army and taken away their command. We needed a legitimate reason to get our hands on those weapons of theirs.”
“I understand.”
“If they’d even refused that, I was planning to send them to the front lines. If they didn’t want to plan or disperse, I’d have no choice but to give them a position on the front.”
“I was assuming as much.”
“But to immediately agree and leave? Does he really intend to carry out that ridiculous plan? He didn’t seem that stupid.”
“The man is anything but stupid.”
“Indeed. So, what do you think his plan is?”
Duke Yordan’s question hung in the air, and Roger Bifrost hesitated to respond hastily. How to account for the man who had so shockingly taken his lands?
Then:
“He’s confident.”
The annoyingly blunt owner of the voice interjected.
“Lucen?”
“There’s no need to overcomplicate it. If someone readily agrees to a tactical suicide without argument, they’re either a fool or confident, and that young man is clearly no fool.”
“He’s confident he can flank and hit from the rear in full view of the first prince’s army? It’s a difficult task, even for me, leading my knights.”
“That’s because if you, Sir, took action, the enemies would also be doing their utmost to counter. But it’s different for them.”
At Lucen’s words, Yordan nodded slightly, but it didn’t dispel all his doubts.
“…Still, I won’t just sit back and watch. At minimum, I’d send at least 5,000 from one count, even if it cost my main army. Even if it’s a bit risky.”
“Yes, I also would. So would the enemies likely think, and so would he.”
“So that is to say?”
“It boils down to the same conclusion. He must be confident that he can trample over at least one count’s army. Unless he plans to defect straight to the enemy.”
At Lucen’s calm words, Roger interjected.
“Nonsense! Even with little time I could’ve easily crushed them! How could this…?”
“Logically, that’s correct. Even considering their weapon you mentioned.”
“Pointless talk!”
As Lucen Talos looked at the raving Roger Bifrost, he clicked his tongue.
“Roger, I understand your frustration with the young man, but why can’t you keep your calm? Unless he’s an absolute buffoon, then the confidence he displays should make sense. We only need to observe.”
“Right. In that formation, even if they betray us, they can’t cause us much harm.”
The Duke agreed with Lucen’s opinion.
“If he is just a fool, then he will at least inflict some damage on the enemy and a fool from our side will be gone. If he’s not a fool, he must have some kind of plan and will bring us results.”
Ironically, it was Roger Bifrost who had the highest opinion of Logan, finding it hard to believe Logan would be a fool. And yet, he couldn’t accept the possibility that in such a short time they’d amassed a force capable of surpassing his own might.
Caught between his boiling rage and his cold logic, the former count could do nothing but brood silently until he was once again taunted.
“Personally, I hope you’re not the real fool who was played by a supposed fool.”