Regressor of the Fallen Family Novel - Chapter 85 - 86 - 87 (New)

Chapter 85: The Return and an Unexpected Engagement

“The Young Master has cleared the Macline Castle gates!”

“Truly? His arrival should be any moment now.”

Padric beamed upon receiving the intelligence. Recently, the winds of fortune had favored the territory. He was naturally elated that his son—the architect of this newfound prosperity—was returning. His only lingering anxiety concerned Vipros, the family’s bitter rival, but they had remained strangely quiet.

‘This is all thanks to the mentor Logan found,’ Padric mused. His son had traveled to the capital to secure a strategy against their enemies, and Padric was eager to see the fruits of that journey.

“It appears there will be a slight delay, however,” the messenger added, wiped out from his frantic ride and drenched in sweat.

“Oh? Why is that?”

“He is traveling via carriage, not by horse.”

“A carriage? He shouldn’t have much baggage. Why the change in pace?” Padric asked, though he dismissed the weary soldier to rest rather than press for answers he didn’t have. He found he couldn’t return to his paperwork; his mind was occupied by thoughts of his son.

‘Since when did I become such a doting father?’ He chuckled at himself, but the feeling was pleasant. ‘A carriage… perhaps he’s bringing a guest?’

Unable to sit still, Padric left his office. Outside, the manor was already a beehive of activity. Word had spread like wildfire: the Young Master was coming, and he wasn’t alone.

“Look! The castle walls!”

“Excellent work, everyone.”

After a brief exchange with the town sentries, Logan pulled the carriage window shut as the townspeople’s cheers followed them.

“My word, it’s far more developed than I imagined,” a voice remarked from inside.

“It’s a recently developed sector,” Logan replied with a humble tone, though a small smile played on his lips.

“Can you believe the Young Master orchestrated all of this? Is it not breathtaking, my lady?”

“Indeed! Our mistress certainly chose a capable partner!”

The two attendants—one from each house—chatted back and forth. While such informal interruptions might be considered rude elsewhere, Logan and Eileen didn’t mind. Their constant banter had helped bridge the silence during the long trip home.

“Young Master, My Lady. We have reached the lord’s manor,” Henry, the coachman, announced.

As Logan stepped out, he found a welcoming committee led by his father and the senior retainers. He tensed momentarily, fearing a crisis, but the broad smiles on their faces quickly put him at ease.

‘Right. The storm hasn’t broken yet. There is still time,’ Logan reminded himself. He turned back to the carriage and announced, “I have returned.”

The crowd didn’t answer. Their eyes were glued to the carriage door.

Thump.

“So, this is Macline.”

A woman stepped out. She wore functional armor rather than silk, but her vibrant red hair—even more lustrous than the Macline family’s—and her striking blue eyes left no doubt about her identity.

The crowd erupted in whispers. Padric stepped forward, his eyes wide. “Welcome home, Logan. But… who is this young lady?” He was already grinning internally. To think I worried he had no interest in the opposite sex.

“Father, this is my fiancée, Lady Eileen Floyd.”

“Oh!!”

“The Young Master’s fiancée?!”

“Incredible!”

The commotion grew. Padric stepped forward to greet her, but Logan wasn’t finished.

“And she is also the newest recruit for the Macline Knights, Father.”

Padric froze. “Knight-Commander Padric Mc… what? I think my hearing is failing me.”

“I said she is a new recruit for our order. And my fiancée.”

“A fiancée and a soldier? Logan, have you lost your mind? She is high nobility! You cannot simply draft your betrothed into the infantry!”

“I don’t see why not,” Logan replied coolly.

Dwayne cautiously stepped in as Padric sputtered. “Perhaps the Young Master has a specific strategy in mind?”

“Logan! A word in private. Now,” Padric demanded.

“Actually, Father, we need to inform Count Floyd of our safe arrival. Why don’t you join the call? It’s time for a proper introduction.”

[Ah, you made it. How are you feeling, my dear?] The voice of Roberts Floyd crackled through the communication device.

“It has only been a week, Father,” Eileen replied.

[It feels like a year…]

“Baron Macline is present as well!” she reminded him.

[Ahem. My apologies. Baron Macline? A pleasure. I am Roberts Floyd.]

“The pleasure is mine, Count,” Padric replied, still looking dazed. “I must apologize for the suddenness of this… and for my son’s rather eccentric ideas about your daughter’s career.”

[Ha… believe me, I understand,] the Count sighed heavily. [I ask for your patience in this matter, son-in-law.]

“Son-in-law? You’re actually agreeing to this?!” Padric’s voice rose in shock.

[She is stubborn, Baron. I have given my blessing. She is a well-bred girl, so please… look after her.]

“Count, if you are against this, there is no need to break with tradition! I can talk her out of—”

“Father!!” Eileen’s sharp cry cut him off.

Logan wore a brazen smirk. “As you can see, Father, the Count has given his consent.”

The call ended shortly after, leaving an awkward silence in the room.

“Regardless of his permission,” Padric grumbled, “I am still against this.”

“One obstacle cleared,” Logan noted as they walked through the manor. “You should rest. It was a long journey.”

“Don’t patronize me, Lord Logan,” Eileen replied with a sharp smile. “I start training tomorrow.”

Logan watched her go, a mix of admiration and concern in his eyes. He knew the internal strife was coming, and he only had about two months to prepare for war. He didn’t have time for a wedding, but he did have time to forge the ‘Iron Rose’.

Chapter 86: The Hardest Dawn

Long before the sun crested the horizon, during the coldest hour of the morning, Eileen’s eyes snapped open. Since awakening her Force, her internal clock was precise. She didn’t have room for lethargy today.

She donned a simple martial outfit and looked at the armor in the corner. It was a plain, smaller set Logan had bought for her on the road. It wasn’t high-quality, but it was functional and, most importantly, she could put it on without assistance.

‘What will Lord Logan teach me today?’ she wondered, her heart racing with anticipation.

When she arrived at the training grounds, the knights were already whispering.

“A woman?”

“Is the Young Master serious?”

Padric was there too, head in his hands. “Logan, be reasonable. There has never been a female knight in the history of this kingdom.”

“There has never been an invasion like the one we are facing, either,” Logan countered. “She has awakened her Force. We need talent, regardless of gender.”

“She is your fiancée!”

“I can do it!” Eileen’s voice rang out, strong and clear. “I will prove it to you.”

Logan made a final wager: “If she fails the training, I will take back everything I’ve said.”

Padric reluctantly agreed to a “temporary” trial.

Twelve hours later, Eileen was face-down in the dirt, her body shaking.

‘These people are insane.’

They had started with a 30km run, which she handled. But then they were ordered to scale cliffs while carrying heavy stones. This wasn’t knightly training; it was a death march. She looked around. The other knights were exhausted, but they were still standing. Some of them had less Force than she did.

‘Is it because they are men? No. It’s because I haven’t worked hard enough.’

She forced herself to stand, her muscles screaming in protest.

“You’re handling this better than I expected,” a familiar voice said.

“Of course… Lord Logan!”

“Any regrets?” he asked with a smile.

“Only that I didn’t start this training years ago.”

A week later, Logan watched from a distance as Eileen practiced the Iron-blood Sword. She was smaller and weaker than the others, but she never fell behind. The other knights were starting to respect her.

‘She’s becoming a part of the order,’ Logan thought. ‘Now, for the rest of the plan.’

Logan spent his nights reviewing reports from Kaisolon, Lugel Heiss, and Dwayne. Everything was moving according to schedule. One morning, as dawn broke, he sensed a familiar aura near the back of the residence.

He found his younger brother, Ronian, swinging a wooden sword with terrifying intensity. The boy was seventeen now, caught between childhood and manhood.

‘Ronian?’

Logan noticed blood dripping from Ronian’s hand, staining the training sword. The boy was overtraining to the point of injury.

“Brother!” Ronian gasped, startled by Logan’s presence. He quickly hid his bleeding hand behind his back.

“Why are you pushing yourself this hard? You’re going to break your body,” Logan warned.

“I… I feel useless, brother. You are leading the family, and even Victor is fulfilling his duties. I have no responsibilities. I have to do something.”

Logan felt a pang of guilt. He had paired Ronian with Victor to spark competition, but he hadn’t realized how much pressure his brother felt.

“You’ve gone too far ahead,” Ronian whispered as Logan walked away, “and I’m just running like a madman to keep up.”

Logan stopped but didn’t turn back. He remembered Ronian from his previous life—a powerful Aura user who rose to the top without a mentor. He realized that this level of obsession was perhaps what was required to reach that height.

‘I’ll let him run for now,’ Logan decided. ‘If he falls, I’ll be there to pick him up.’

Chapter 87: The Cost of Preparation

“Sigh!”

Thwack.

Norden, a young soldier with only a year of experience, watched his crossbow bolt thud into the dirt. He was frustrated. Despite his efforts, he couldn’t match the Knight Trainees.

There were 300 trainees who could fire with pinpoint accuracy while galloping or even shooting backward. These were the elite—the ones destined for the Macline Knights.

‘I need this,’ Norden thought, his eyes stinging. His father was sick, and his mother was pregnant. He needed the doubled wages of the crossbow cavalry to support them.

Suddenly, a voice boomed across the field. “You, you, and you! Round them up. We’re forming a unit of one thousand. Focus only on horsemanship and the crossbow for now!”

It was the Young Master. He was pointing right at Norden.

“How are the Sylvan knights?” Logan asked.

“Integrated perfectly,” Heinkel reported. “The mithril and bloodsteel swords have worked wonders for morale.”

“Headcount?”

“152 knights in total.”

Logan turned to Dwayne. “Can we afford to maintain a thousand crossbow cavalry and 150 knights?”

“We could afford twice that,” Dwayne said confidently.

“Only twice?” Logan muttered.

“My Lord, are you planning a war?!”

“What does it look like I’m doing?” Logan replied, his face turning somber. “The time to act is now.”

Logan’s latest addition to the training regimen was a “fortification drill.” It involved knights scaling vertical cliffs while being attacked with wooden swords from above.

“It’s a death trap!” the knights grumbled.

“It’s excellent training,” Padric countered, though even he looked a bit concerned by the intensity.

One petite knight caught everyone’s attention. She scaled the cliff with incredible speed, dodging a strike from a wooden sword and delivering a counter-blow that nearly sent the defender flying.

“She has incredible potential,” Padric admitted, watching Eileen reach the summit.

Logan smiled. Eileen had won them over. She was becoming the Iron Rose he needed for the storm that was about to break.