Regressor of the Fallen Family Novel - Chapter 294
C294
Under a starless night sky, where only a few twinkling lights could be seen,
the flickering flames of a small campfire lit up a clearing in the woods.
“Is this our first time out alone together?” asked a woman in leather armor, with short brown hair and matching eyes. The man with brown hair in similar attire replied,
“It seems like it.”
Glancing at the dark sky for a moment, the man sighed softly.
“I wish there were more stars.”
“I like it this way. How about you?” Eileen asked, resting her head on his shoulder by the fire. Logan smiled and nodded in response.
With a clear goal and heading towards the battlefield,
tension was inevitable, but there was a certain charm to the starless night they faced on their journey.
Perhaps it was because of the person next to him.
Unexpectedly, sentimentality emerged, revealing an inner thought.
“Have you ever considered that maybe my stubborn plans could be wrong?” he whispered.
“We’re doing this for our future.”
“Even so, my decisions could be wrong. There have been several missteps.”
“This time will be different.”
“Hm?”
“Our strategies are convincing, except for having to match hair and eye color exactly.”
Eileen raised the identity badge she carried close to her.
The badge glowed blue,
appearing as a simple token of nobility, but it was actually a transformation artifact made by the mage Clayton.
“Yes. It was quite an accomplishment of his recent work.”
The credit belonged to the research journals left by Ignis and Craune, but there was no need to delve into those details.
‘And if those journals were from an actual organization…’
A group of mages represented by a black serpent.
As Logan’s expression tightened at the memory of that ominous insignia, Eileen suddenly brought up another point of dissatisfaction.
“I’m not entirely pleased with it.”
“Hm? What about?”
“It’s too ordinary. You could have given me a more attractive face.”
“Ha!”
A laugh was inevitable.
Although the face they had chosen for Eileen’s disguise was average, it still retained some of her original features, making it quite appealing.
Logan smiled involuntarily as he realized that his wife’s teasing was meant to lighten his burden.
“See?”
“What?”
“When you smile, even that face looks much better. We may be in a rush, but let’s savor these few days alone.”
It seemed he had appeared too serious.
Logan, too, had a stern expression due to his altered appearance.
“…Sorry.”
“And enough with the apologies.”
“Ah, that…”
A light chuckle.
“We are sufficient as we are.”
Eileen spoke calmly, and Logan nodded firmly in agreement.
“People might find our relationship dull, but we find joy in moments like these, simply conversing together.”
Logan gently kissed Eileen’s forehead, momentarily setting aside his worries about the future.
Three days later.
“Is this the crossroads? It’s a pity. From now on, you’ll be known as Gail of Liberty, right?”
Eileen’s disguised voice, lowered to match Logan’s, inquired. She had trimmed her long hair short to maintain her transformed appearance.
“Correct. And you’ll be Armud of Teronan.”
“…Be cautious.”
“You too.”
Logan watched his wife walk away down one path of the crossroads for a long time before turning back.
As a king, but more importantly as a man, he couldn’t help but feel guilty for sending his wife into battle.
But there was no need to worry about a superhuman, especially one with awakened defensive attributes, in a small kingdom’s war, let alone an imperial conflict.
Suppressing his urge to follow her, Logan headed down his own path.
Two days later, Logan arrived in Libertas, the capital of the Kingdom of Liberty. Despite a recommendation from Lord Yordan Marlinz, entering the castle of a nation on the verge of war wasn’t easy.
So Logan revealed his ‘Silver’ aura.
“Just a moment, please!”
After witnessing the aura effortlessly slice through steel like butter, the guards rushed into the palace.
– A superhuman is here!
In just 30 minutes,
A bald official, resembling Yordan Marlinz, hurried out to meet Logan.
“Huff. Huff. Are you Gail, sir? Unfortunately, Yordan Marlinz is inspecting our supplies. So I’ve come to greet you. I’m Eric Grecke.”
Fully aware,
‘That’s why I’m here.’
Even though his appearance had been altered by disguise, Logan didn’t want to risk being recognized by Yordan, with whom he had previously spoken.
However.
“Excuse me, but may I see the token, if you don’t mind?”
Proving one’s identity was a necessary step.
Without a word, Logan handed over a jagged, split identity badge.
Click.
Eric Grecke, the bald official, matched the broken half from his pocket and immediately bowed with a bright smile.
“Welcome to Liberty, Sir Gail.”
“It’s nothing. I too am a son of Liberty.”
It was all part of the act, but Eric’s smile widened, and within an hour, Logan stood before the King of Liberty.
“Are you the reinforcement?”
The king, Logan, and a knight beside the king – just the three of them in the room.
“That’s correct. It’s an honor to meet you, Your Majesty.”
Logan finished the greeting with a simple nod, and the old knight next to the king glared at him.
Simultaneously, an imposing force emanated from the knight, pressing down on Logan.
– Kneel.
‘That must be Gunter Liberty.’
Though unspoken, the knight’s disdainful attitude seemed to convey it.
In response to the challenge, Logan’s eyes gleamed as he returned the gaze.
Vroom. Crackle.
The space between the two distorted with a rupture sound, sending winds in all directions.
Gunter Liberty, the knight with a grave expression, bowed slightly to his king.
“He is almost my match.”
The king looked at Logan in awe. Logan found it somewhat amusing –
‘His skill rivals Duke Luther’s. Impressive, but…’
In the larger scheme, just a piece of the alliance.
Gunter Liberty, the solitary superhuman and also king, was only an intermediate Aura User – respectable but not exceptional.
Logan felt the stark difference between the alliance and McLaine, and even more so with the Empire.
“Remarkable. He appears to be in his thirties.”
“Your Majesty. Looks can be deceiving. He’s likely much older. Nevertheless…”
As Gunter spoke, Aura Users often appeared younger than their actual age, rejuvenated after reaching certain stages.
But appearing youthful was only achievable for one reason.
“…He reached his stage in his thirties.”
“What? Unbelievable. How could such a man go unnoticed?”
“That’s the point. If McLaine possesses such power, the rumors may hold some truth.”
The earlier hostility seemed to dissipate, replaced by Gunter’s amicable demeanor.
Of course, perhaps because Gail was an ally from Liberty, but there might have been another motive.
‘He probably thinks I’m weaker than him.’
Merely an intermediate Aura User – that was the disguised identity ‘Silver’ that Logan maintained.
It was the result of forcibly altering his own essence, aiming to present a facade.
A trick he could only pull off now, as a superhuman seeking to transcend the highest tier – not everyone could manage it.
– Changing the essence itself when I told you to observe the essence and move the origin…
– It’s amazing that you are unharmed after that. Truly, you are my student, but Your Majesty’s talent is…
Even his teacher marveled at this skill, ironically useful in unexpected ways.
Logan praised himself for his flawless performance and bowed gently.
“You flatter me. And until this war concludes, I am a son of Liberty. Please remember that.”
The king laughed heartily at those words.
“Yes, indeed! With Gunter protecting me and you on the battlefield, this war will quickly turn in our favor.”
If Gunter entered the fray, he could easily shift the balance.
But who could argue against a ruler prioritizing their own safety?
Logan reaffirmed his decision and nodded.
However.
“As I arrived, I noticed the atmosphere doesn’t seem quite prepared for an impending war. Could you enlighten me?”
“Oh, certainly. Let him know, Gunter.”
“Yes, Your Majesty. The situation with the alliance is…”
Logan listened as the explanation closely matched what he, the Flames of the Eye, and Damian had foreseen.
– We will not quietly accept the demands of the three kingdoms.
The four allied kingdoms had declared war in response to the Triangle’s aggression.
No sensible person would believe they only aimed to conquer Tahiti, and the next steps were predictable.
However, an unexpected variable arose.
“The issue is that the mobilization of troops in the Kingdom of Tria, the instigator of this conflict, is delayed.”
“What?”
“Well, they offer plausible excuses, but can we truly believe those who first called for war were unprepared? According to our sources, unfortunately, it seems to be the case.”
“What does that mean?”
“It appears they thought they could get away with only talking big without actual readiness.”
A spark of interest flickered in Logan’s eyes, unnoticed by Gunter or the king.
“So now Tria has begun to mobilize, and the four kingdoms can’t fully unite due to the Tahiti situation. Therefore, war is imminent.”
“We aim to place you at the forefront of this conflict.”
Deploying a foreign reinforcement at the frontlines might sound audacious, but it made sense when that reinforcement was a superhuman.
Furthermore, this aligned perfectly with Logan’s intentions.
“I understand. I will do my utmost to swiftly end the conflict.”
Logan spoke sincerely, his true motives concealed beneath another layer of genuine effort.
And so, just two days later, he was sent to the frontline of the war.
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