Regressor of the Fallen Family Novel - Chapter 245 (New)

Four days had passed since leaving the capital when the assembly Logan had dubbed the ‘Plague Relief Brigade’ arrived in Raftan.

Generally, massive caravans are slow to move. However, this company of nearly a thousand people traversed a distance in four days that would take a typical traveler a week, demonstrating the desperate nature of their errand.

The sight that met the exhausted group as they reached Raftan was harrowing.

“Mother…”

“Keep your eyes open, my son. Do you hear me? Just stay with me a little longer.”

“Only a moment more, just a tiny bit more…”

Their countenances were etched with deep fatigue and misery. Families, evidently local peasants, their skin a sickly pallor, were trudging toward a small stream while lugging their meager belongings.

Yet, the border of Raftan at the edge of the water offered no sanctuary, only the cold shadow of the Grave.

“Lieutenant! They are coming back!”

“Damn it, why won’t these idiots listen… No more waiting! Draw! Fire! Take them out!”

Troops stationed at the water’s edge, bows at the ready, were aiming at the approaching civilians. At the officer’s signal, the men reluctantly pulled back their strings. Already, a dozen corpses lay in the dirt, clearly executed by archery.

“Fire!”

Thwack, thwack, thwack.

The volley flew as the leader commanded.

“Ah!”

“My husband!!”

A man collapsed, and a woman clutching a small child shrieked as she fell beside him.

“Stop! Just a second! Look, take this…”

His hands were shaking violently. Even with an arrow buried in his thigh, the man managed to pull something from his tunic. It was a merchant’s guild emblem. Despite the group looking nothing like traders, the badge was of high quality.

“Blast it, you’re all too soft… Can none of you aim? Dammit!”

The lieutenant glared at his soldiers, sighing before yelling at the crawling man.

“What kind of trick is this with a counterfeit pass? Get back! No one departs Raftan!”

Upon hearing the officer’s shout, the wounded man’s face turned the color of ash. Despair crushed him as even his expensive merchant’s token failed to buy their safety.

‘There is nowhere left to turn…’

Retreating meant being branded a fugitive and facing certain punishment. Yet, what terrified him more than the law was… No, going back was impossible. It meant facing the same inevitable end.

“Please, good sir, have mercy! If we return, we are dead!”

His plea carried the raw weight of a man at the end of his rope.

However…

“Curse this. How did things turn so wretched?”

The lieutenant hated this duty. But the rigid commands from his superiors made a grim sort of sense to him. He had a family to look after as well. He lived in fear of the sickness finding its way to his own doorstep.

“Sir, at least allow my boy to pass. He is well! Our hamlet hasn’t been hit by the rot, and they say the young are safe from it!”

Oblivious to the reality of the situation, the man shouted desperate, baseless rumors.

“Enough of your nonsense! This is your final notice. Turn back now or be slain.”

Despite the stern threat, the man seemed to reach a final, defiant conclusion.

“Then kill us! Let’s see how you sleep after butchering the innocent!”

Who would wish for such a thing? Could they not see the bodies already cooling in the grass? Gritting his teeth, the lieutenant barked the order.

“Why are you standing there! Shoot! Give them what they want!”

The soldiers, once again showing their hesitation, raised their bows.

The final command followed.

“Loose!”

Thwack, thwack, thwack.

“My love!”

Dark arrows fell toward the stationary man, his wife, and the limp child. Just as the massacre was about to claim more lives…

A sudden flash of brilliant gold erupted.

Between the terrified peasants and the soldiers stood a warrior with blood-red eyes, projecting a terrifying pressure.

“There seems to be an incident here. Give me an account.”

The knight stood before them, his crimson gaze radiating a lethal aura.

“There is no cause for concern. The family is out of danger.”

Following the priest’s update on the family’s treatment, Logan fixed a piercing stare on the lieutenant.

“You were commanded to contain the area, yet you chose to execute villagers? You brainless fools…!”

As the shamed officer dropped to his knees, Logan’s eyes flashed with fury.

“We only targeted those attempting to flee. We gave them warnings first and—”

“Silence! I saw with my own eyes that you meant to kill. Do not attempt to deceive me.”

“Your… Your Majesty, our lord gave us these orders! we purposely missed the first shots as a caution—”

“Enough. Which master do you serve? They will be held to account for this.”

“Kelromon. we act under His Majesty’s decree.”

“Kelromon?”

“This is the territory of Kelromon, Your Majesty. It borders Raftan to the west.”

Hearing the knight’s clarification, Logan declared,

“My company and I are traveling to Raftan to quell this sickness. Instruct the Kelromon knight to report to me for duty. If he fails to appear…”

Crack.

The ground beneath Logan’s feet fractured and split.

Boom.

A nearby tree splintered as the soldiers gasped in terror. While it was a heavy-handed display for a member of the royal family, Logan intended for the message to be unmistakable.

“The House of Kelromon will pay the price.”

“Yes? Yes, understood, Your Majesty!”

Though unsettled by the encounter, Logan told himself,

‘There is a protocol for this.’

If their current supplies were insufficient, they would demand help from the surrounding nobility until more arrived. Having seen the situation personally, he would accept no excuses.

However…

“It isn’t just this border…”

Speaking softly to himself, a grim shadow crossed Logan’s face.

“The Kelromon lands, the Genchis barony, and the Perona barony; all three are utilizing these same tactics.”

During the brief halt, the knights had quickly gathered intelligence. Logan now understood the policy of the three neighboring lords regarding the suffering in Raftan.

“They are barricading the borders and shooting any peasant who tries to cross?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Why not simply use force to drive them back?”

“The troops are terrified that any physical contact will transmit the plague.”

He let out a weary sigh.

‘I understand the fear, but…’

Logan thought back to the words of Bishop Illia.

— One shared element. Extreme starvation and horrific hygiene.

With that in mind…

“Provisions…”

“Sir?”

“Tell all three territories they are to provide food to Raftan immediately. If their aid is lacking, I will hold them personally responsible for the murder of my subjects.”

“A messenger is being sent at once.”

Victor bowed, and three knights quickly rode off in separate directions as the main party entered Raftan with heavy hearts.

“We are humbled, Your Majesty, that you have come to us in person.”

Baron Eric Raftan was waiting outside the castle gates and sprinted over the moment he recognized Logan’s colors, falling to the ground in a deep bow. Although his face was naturally fleshy, his eyes were sunken and shadowed, showing the immense strain he was under. However…

“That nobleman recently raised his taxes to eighty percent.”

The whispered update Logan had received before arriving killed any pity he might have felt.

‘Blaming subordinates for following orders is a coward’s play.’

Was it too much to ask for them to take responsibility? Logan pushed the thought aside and got straight to the point.

“Give me the current status.”

The baron’s voice was a frantic sob in response to Logan’s icy tone.

“Twelve hamlets are infected! Even though we quarantined the sick early, the rot keeps spreading. Only yesterday, even my personal attendant showed the marks…!”

The baron cried out, tears streaming down his face. These hysterics did nothing to move Logan. Stopping the plague was the only thing that mattered.

Baron Eric Raftan, realizing his life was spared for the moment, did not fight the knight who led him away. Dealing with his failures could wait until the sickness was beaten.

“You, knight.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Take us to the nearest infected village. I must see it for myself.”

“But, sire, that’s…”

“Speak up!”

“The baron gave orders to execute every inhabitant of the infected villages this morning.”

Bishop Illia let out a horrified gasp as the knight’s flat, grim voice echoed through the hall, leaving a freezing silence in its wake.