Regressor of the Fallen Family

“…What?”

At Logan’s words, everyone was startled once again.

Logan’s image had changed drastically due to the recent war, but the majority of those present remembered his behavior during the past broken engagement incident.

Logan’s reputation for loving money had not changed.

“I don’t mean to say I won’t take the reward. I just mean I won’t take it in money.”

Upon hearing that, everyone nodded as if they expected such a statement, but they were once again astonished by his next request.

“Instead of money, I would like to request land.”

“…Are you saying you want to create private land within the territory?”

The expression of Patrick, who had been infinitely amiable, stiffened slightly.

“Yes.”

“Heavens…”

With a deep sigh from Patrick, the administrators protested vehemently.

“That’s preposterous! Private land within our territory?”

“No matter how great the young lord’s achievements are, granting land is unheard of. In this small territory…”

“That sort of thing would only have been possible in the days of the old earldom…”

Some even invoked taboo words, receiving scowls from the others.

Yet, even if it was a conversation that would have been disregarded as worthless in the past, Patrick calmed the assembly first.

“Let’s just ask for now. Why do you suddenly want land?”

Feeling anew the change in his reputation, Logan smiled and continued his explanation.

“I am aware that the territory still needs a lot of money. Use that money for the territory, I’ll take one of the mountains in the western wastelands to develop.”

“The wastelands? A wild mountain?”

“Yes. Just one of the mountains near the border with the Thessalon territory, along the river will suffice.”

To every direction, the desolate MacLaine territory was the most useless, second only to the south with its abundance of monsters.

Although called a mountain, it was a barren land so desolate that even finding a few trees was a challenge.

“…Why that place?”

“What’s there?”

“What could possibly be there.”

“But why…?”

The administrators were naturally bewildered, and Patrick was no different.

“You want to develop that land?”

“Who knows? Maybe there’s gold buried deep in the ground.”

Logan’s off-the-wall comment left everyone looking at him in incredulity.

“The royal family has already developed all the gold mines… never mind, you just want that land, is that it?”

Frayed by the conversation, the lord of the house grasped his head and Logan readily nodded.

“Yes.”

At that response, the vassals shook their heads disapprovingly.

To them, it was merely another incomprehensible act of the young lord.

Everyone gathered began to think similarly.

After all, if it’s useless land, letting the young lord have it and saving the budget wasn’t a bad idea.

“Fine. Grant the wild mountain to Logan… Dwayne, bring the map. Show me precisely where… Hmm, yes, we’ll grant this mountain as private property.”

Thanks to this, the opposition disappeared, and permission was granted all too easily.

‘It’s done!’

Logan clenched his fist secretly under the conference room table.

‘This land is far more important than the mere 300,000 gold.’

His heart raced with elation at having overcome the hurdle of the provincial war, and pride swelled his soul, but he couldn’t afford to rest on his laurels.

‘Nine years from now.’

The thought alone was suffocating, recalling the calamity that would strike.

A noble house on the fringes of the kingdom, and he, merely one of its sons, had to become the pivotal factor in repelling the imperial invasion.

And there were also the internal calamities of the kingdom yet to come.

‘There’s still a long way to go.’

Both he and his house had many mountains left to climb.

This decision, too, was meant to proactively overcome those disasters.

‘It’s better for me to have it than the house if we’re to respond effectively in the future.’

The meeting soon ended, and Logan had obtained everything he desired.

* * * Having left the conference room, Logan immediately confronted another burden that had been weighing on his mind for a long time.

And, as always, this burden turned its edge on him.

“What in the world are you thinking?”

“Mother!”

“What kind of scheme is this! Others may be fooled, but do you think you can deceive your own mother?!”

Even Lorraine’s remonstrations couldn’t stop the new mother from yelling, her eyes bloodshot and complexion pale, now deserving pity.

“Mother! Please!! Brother, I’m sorry. My mother is heartbroken over the matters of the maternal family right now…”

“It’s okay, Lorraine. It’s alright.”

Logan smiled gently at his flustered brother, then turned back to the new mother.

Regardless of longstanding grudges, she was now no more than a powerless matriarch.

No longer could she pose any threat or interruption to him.

And precisely because of this, the timing was right to amend this twisted relationship.

‘Maybe now is the time for a sincere apology rather than excuses.’

While Logan was not without reservation, he was undaunted.

He took a deep breath, sorted his thoughts, and spoke calmly.

“Mother. I understand that the behavior I have shown over the years does not inspire trust. The actions I took, wrapped up in jealousy and an inferiority complex, I regret them profoundly.”

“See, Lorraine! He admits it himself! Everything was his doing…”

“Mother! Please, stop!”

Lorraine clutched at Merian’s waist with a sorrowful gaze.

“Brother, mother is not herself right now. Now is not the time for such conversations…”

“Just listen, Lorraine MacLaine. Truth is, you’re the one I truly owe an apology.”

“Yes…?”

“I’ve apologized since my return, but I never told you for what. Even decades of regret couldn’t overcome my cowardice.”

“…Brother?”

Facing words incomprehensible to Lorraine, whose expression became vacant.

“But you knew it, Lorraine. You’re no fool.”

And the outright confession that followed made Lorraine’s face harden like stone.

“For the past few years, I despised you.”

Marian was speechless, and Lorraine paled at the unembellished revelation.

Logan could only smile bitterly at that sight.

“By hating you, I tried to evade my own failings. Now, I sincerely regret that pathetic period, Lorraine.”

Logan forced himself to look directly into his brother’s eyes.

“Lorraine, my brother. I apologize now, however late it is. I was truly sorry.”

The new mother’s eyes widened with astonishment, and Lorraine was too flustered to even look properly.

Just speaking the words brought a surge of emotion that had been held back for decades.

Having returned to the past and overcoming one crisis of the house, Logan finally mustered the courage to apologize sincerely.

‘One cannot cover wrongdoing with right doing. Logan MacLaine, you’re still immature.’

Despite feeling relieved, he couldn’t help but laugh self-mockingly.

“It’s okay, Brother.”

His brother, who had seemed stiff for a moment, soon smiled brightly.

“I was fine even back then.”

“What?”

Those were words Logan had never imagined in this life or the last.

“If I did well, I believed one day you would return as the brother I knew. And you have… Haha.”

Laughing at the sight of his smiling brother, Logan could only emit a hollow laugh.

Why had he hesitated for so long over something so simple?

While still facing the distrustful gaze of his new mother, Logan stated as if making a vow.

“Mother. If I had intended to harm Lorraine, there were plenty of opportunities even during this war.”

“Such…”

“Instead, you saved my life, Brother.”

“…My intentions towards Lorraine are sincere. I genuinely wish for Lorraine to become the successor.”

“What? Brother, that’s…”

“I know it’s too much to ask for your belief right now. So please, just watch. See how I act.”

The new mother did not respond, but for Logan, that was enough.

* * * Despite the completion of the award distribution, the leadership of the MacLaine family had no rest, busy with post-war matters. The most important issue was the conversion of the captured knightly prisoners of war and soldiers. The soldiers needed little persuasion, but the knights took time.

The society had an implicit understanding of a knight’s duty, the most crucial of which was loyalty.

Abandoning the sovereign you serve and swearing fealty to another was like branding oneself a traitor.

It impeded social ascension within the nobility and shackled one’s status.

Nevertheless, there was some room for persuasion, given that it was the same kingdom and king they served, merely switching allegiance to their liege.

Though it was like willfully turning a blind eye, such reasoning was very important to individual knights. Without such justification, they would have to choose between death or infamy.

‘They’ll all convert because there is a pretext, even if the monthly pay is lower.’

Knights are human too, and Haman Thessalon was by no means considered a good lord. Of course, time was needed for some who’d put up a fight for the sake of pride.

From Logan’s point of view, he couldn’t comprehend why, but some people emphasized such matters.

Apart from that, there were other issues to deal with, such as administrative processes between Thessalon and MacLaine territories, military deployment for maintaining order, taxes, and issues with domain income.

All these remaining problems were not easy to resolve in a short time.

Yet Logan, who currently held no official position, was meanwhile calmly seeking his own path amid the chaos.

‘That’s why being a successor would be unfavorable. I would’ve been tied down without rest.’

It was troubling enough to overcome one of life’s hurdles; there was no room to wallow in paperwork.

‘Moreover, now is not the time for that.’

A flame flickered in Logan’s eyes, which appeared tranquil.

He had barely crossed over a small wave, but the torrential waves about to crash over the domain and country were just beginning.

The final obstacle was the invasion by the empire, which would destroy the country itself, but a calamity a year later, next winter, was the starting point of the country’s decline.

The sudden, unanticipated death of the current king, Samuel von Grindia.

Although royal power had weakened, the king was the legitimate ruler of the kingdom.

His abrupt and untimely death plunged the entire kingdom into a profound shock. Admittedly, the psychological impact on the citizens wasn’t particularly significant.

However, the war that started in Grang, the capital, due to the king’s sudden death and the civil war that broke out among the various claimants to the throne shook the kingdom for the next three years, significantly undermining its military power.

The invasion by the empire began before that power could be restored.

It was essentially the primary cause of the nation’s downfall.

The neutral MacLaine territory might have been able to lie low and avoid the turmoil.

They could have enjoyed tales of the many heroes and villains born from the civil war, merely lowering their heads as if seated in an auditorium.

‘But I can’t just throw away that opportunity.’

Logan aimed to actively expand his house’s influence during the chaos.

As quickly as possible, he planned to regain the former earldom’s territory and recapture the lordship of the southwest region.

Moreover, he hoped to become the card that would end the drawn-out civil war – or seek even greater ambition.

Snap.

‘Focus. I’ve just overcome a challenge. It’s fortunate that I can even contemplate this.’

Logan shook himself out of his spiraling thoughts by slapping his cheek and turned his thoughts to immediate actions.

‘There’s no use talking about military expansion or inciting a territorial dispute now; I’ll just be told I’ve lost my mind again.’

From Logan’s perspective, it was a time to enhance military forces, but there was no way to convince others of this.

‘So, for now…’

He needed to acquire ‘that’ and take a firm grip on the house’s finances.

Whether to increase military power or recruit talent for combat, no one could object to his management of personal funds.

Now was the time to prepare.

‘If the house refuses a territorial dispute, then I will…’

“What exactly are you up to now?”

As his thoughts spiraled into various possibilities, a voice suddenly shattered Logan’s reverie.

Turning around, Logan saw a dwarf with a blunt expression slowly following him.

At that sight, Logan barely suppressed a chuckle.

“You’ve had enough rest. Time to start working.”

“Worried, that’s what I am, worried. Seeing master laugh like this brings back memories of when… you squeezed out those items from us.”

“Don’t worry. This time, it’s definitely something you’ll enjoy.”

“How do you know what I’d like?”

Despite the dwarf’s retort, Logan’s smile never faded.

Unlike humans, whose preferences differ greatly, the Forgotten Races had common tastes within their kind.

And Logan was certain that what he was about to do would suit the dwarf’s tastes.

“Just come along and see. You won’t be disappointed.”

“And why are we heading towards the prison? Don’t tell me you’re going to lock me up for enjoying myself…”

“Stop with the needless worries, Hamar. I’m on my way to fetch the people who will be working with you.”

“To jail?”

“Yes.”

Hamar looked incredulous, but Logan’s words soon became reality.

In the MacLaine castle dungeon, where the prisoners were held.

In one corner of the sturdy iron cells reserved for knights, there huddled a group of burly middle-aged men, looking unimpressive in terms of strength.

“Oh ho! He actually came! That young master!”

“Wow, it really is him!”

“But what’s that next to him? Not human…”

“A dwarf!”

“What? A dwarf?!”

Their eyes gleamed as they caught sight of Hamar accompanying Logan.

“What’s with those humans?”

These were glances that Hamar had never experienced, even in the slave market.

Their beards alone were enough to make any dwarf’s whiskers bristle.

“They call themselves geologists or mining experts, but as far as I’m concerned, they’re just a bunch of guys obsessed with digging.”

“…Miners? Why miners, all of a sudden?”

“Because I need them.”

“For?”

“I’m planning to develop a mine.”

“Wha!?”

The dwarf was taken aback, and Logan just grinned.