Regressor of the Fallen Family - Chapter 114
Episode 114: Logan didn’t just try to steal talented people from families that were ruined by the civil war.
Although they were not able to openly recruit people, they continued to knowingly or unknowingly spread rumors through other villages and merchants that McLane was giving preferential treatment to refugees.
Then, more than two months after the civil war broke out, refugees, or war refugees, began to flow into the McLane territory one by one.
And the speed was gradually accelerating.
In the end, a report came in that McLane Town’s resident capacity limit would be reached much sooner than expected.
“I think we will have to implement the second town plan sooner than expected.”
Dwayne reported with a serious face.
“It’s the second town. So it’s between Tomodo and Sylvan?”
“Yes. More efficient production management will be possible if we gather together the villages scattered across the Bipros Plain, or the old McLane Plain, and bring in refugees as well. As McLane Town has already proven.”
“Now that the number of troops is increasing and materials are being consumed quickly, won’t there be some financial burden?”
“It’s still okay. So, we need to create a town before we start farming and raise our production expectations for this year.”
“Are you sure you have a budget?”
“You will have to tighten your belt for a while. So, Confucius, in the meantime, please…”
“Ah. Okay. Do it.”
That is how the construction of the second McLane Town began.
However, the construction plan was fraught with difficulties from the planning stage.
“You could be short of money?”
“Because of the war, wood consumption has increased tremendously. It is no longer possible to get anything from the Tritan territory, and we have to bring it from the empire or bring wood from the southern mountains, but the latter will have great aftereffects.”
Logan sighed, feeling a bitter taste forming in his mouth, but the person who had directly ordered the reinforcement of troops, which was a major source of wood consumption, had nothing to say.
However, we cannot stop producing crossbows.
“…I guess I’ll have to import it from the empire. I’ll also cut down some trees. How much more will it cost?”
“It’s okay for now. However, after the town construction is completed, we may have to tighten our belts until this year’s harvest comes out. Since there is a problem with the military, I think we will have to make do with the money from the gold mine.”
As the two’s expressions became serious, Philip, who was listening, asked with a puzzled expression.
“Why am I short on money? Is there more than enough to sell in the estate?”
“What to sell?”
“what?”
“Food.”
The two people’s expressions changed dramatically at Philip’s calm answer.
“Why are you selling food?! The current situation is critical! We need to prepare for emergencies.”
Dwayne shouted, his face turning red, but Logan’s eyes shined.
“Ho? Food? Did we have that much to spare?”
“Yes. I heard that you did not sell the excess food you produced in preparation for the war. But our war ended easily, a civil war began, and food prices skyrocketed. Even if you sell only half, you won’t have to worry about money. Confucius said. “Construction of the ranch you envisioned will also go much faster.”
Ranch construction.
It was essential in the long-term preparation process for mass producing thousands of crossbow cavalry.
Until now, all horses used to operate cavalry had been entirely dependent on imports, but eventually an opinion emerged that not only management but also own production of horses was necessary to maintain troops.
That’s why we saved more of the food we produced…
“Let’s sell the food that was supposed to be consumed on the ranch and build the ranch early.”
“Yes. No matter how much I think about it, I don’t think there will ever be a time when food prices will be more expensive than they are now. This is a good time to sell excess food.”
No, it will be more expensive in about two years.
But…
“That’s a good idea.”
“Confucius!”
“I knew you would!”
“Go, Confucius. Then, if something unpleasant happens, our food…”
“I’m just taking some time off now to produce more food. Think of it as an investment, an investment.”
“Isn’t that what you mean? Just in case…”
“Uh, that can’t be possible.”
“Confucius!”
Dwayne’s concerns were understandable.
But Logan was confident.
War is the result of madness created by reason.
However, sometimes that madness consumes reason.
It is only natural that the moment the damage increases, the war intensifies.
The current war, which is as fleeting as it is, will not last long.
All that remains is for the civil war to become increasingly more intense as time goes by.
And if that situation comes.
‘No one cares about those who are still. They’ll only be looking to kill each other.’
The corners of Logan’s mouth slowly rose.
“Sell half of the remaining food to each faction. Philip will take care of that. Make sure to squeeze out as much profit as possible. Use the money to purchase some wood.”
“Yes, Confucius.”
“Dwayne, please prepare for the construction of the second town.”
“…yes.”
Dwayne, who was in tears, answered in a sighing voice.
It may have been a frustrating development for some, but even at this moment, McLane was clearly improving.
And when Logan was smiling with such confidence.
A report from Knox, who had been faithfully carrying out a request he had long forgotten about, arrived in front of him.
Dear Logan McLane. During the quest to find a person that was requested two years ago, I found out the whereabouts of a worthy person. Wizard Chern Crow. His whereabouts have been confirmed in Ruspel, a territory near the border with the kingdom of Grandia in the eastern part of the current empire. It roughly matches the appearance you requested and even matches the estimated level. It’s not the name of Crowne you mentioned, but there’s a high probability…
It was the result of a request to track down an independent superhuman who was active during the Imperial War.
“Kraune, the mage of massacre. Ha… at this point… it’s not like anyone else.”
That made Logan distraught.
During the Imperial War in my previous life.
There was a mage who worked as a mercenary for the empire.
A magician who wrapped his entire body in artifacts he developed himself and, unlike a magician, played an active role in the battlefield on the front lines and massacred the kingdom’s troops.
The Evil Sword (The Evil Sword) Although he was a superhuman who gained the worst notoriety along with Banjoni, his evaluation and treatment were completely different.
Because of Banzoni’s misdeeds, the imperial family, which had signed a mercenary contract with him but did not recognize him as a member of the empire, on the contrary, actively pursued a campaign to woo Crowne.
However, the Mage of Massacre continued to reject the advances and acted as a simple mercenary.
Of course, the number of Grandia troops he killed while working as a mercenary in that war was enormous, but what made him more important was another reason.
– A developer who succeeded in distributing low-level artifacts in large quantities and one of the top 10 merchants in the empire.
Even 10 years later, when the speculation that his direct participation as a mercenary was due to his inability to withstand the pressure of the imperial family became persuasive, he was the strongest man in terms of both military and financial power, envied by no one else.
And the consensus among historians was that the low-level artifacts he supplied to the imperial knights accelerated the fall of Grandia by half.
so.
‘The best thing is to embrace him. Or at least kill him.’
Logan’s eyes naturally became lifelike.
Even without considering the Grandia Kingdom army that was sacrificed by the artifact he created, the damage suffered by the independent army he belonged to in the future was enormous.
Emotionally, he was a person I wanted to kill the moment I saw his face.
‘Still, we need to accommodate them if possible.’
The Mage of Slaughter was such a talented person.
So I couldn’t not go there.
Even if Knox’s report was false, it had to be confirmed.
The only person who would recognize him was himself, so it was a task he could not entrust to anyone else.
In the end, Logan announced to his vassals that he would go to the empire for a short period of time.
Naturally, the reaction was not good.
“Where are you going in this situation?”
“A little bit outside the border.”
“So you’re going to the empire?”
“Rather than an empire, it is literally a brief stopover in another territory outside the border.”
“That’s the empire?!”
“Well, if you’re talking about nationality, it’s an empire. It’s not that far from our border.”
“so why?!”
His father made a bewildered expression, and Logan had no choice but to be somewhat honest.
“I have a request for you. I know the location of the item I must find, and I think I must obtain it even if it means taking risks.”
“thing?”
“yes.”
I couldn’t tell the truth because I had nothing to say if I said it was a person and ended up killing it.
And although it’s still just a guess, there were actually things to bring.
‘If you are a mage of massacre, you would have made a few artifacts by now. Maybe it’s more than you can imagine.’
So I was able to speak confidently.
“What on earth…”
“It’s an artifact.”
“Huh…”
Padric was speechless for a moment and looked at his son.
There have been several instances where we have done incomprehensible things for reasons we do not know where we are getting our information from, but most of the time, we have succeeded.
Although I feel uneasy because I don’t know the basis for it.
“Is it dangerous?”
“I won’t be in any danger.”
“then?”
“We don’t know where the civil war will go, so please keep an eye on it at all times. There are still signs of it slowly escalating, but we cannot be sure because of what we committed against the Duke of Bipros and Jordan. The training of new troops is just beginning, and we are also preparing the existing troops. “I haven’t fully recovered.”
“It wasn’t us, it was you… no, it was us. Huh. So, you are saying that we should go even though we are aware of all the dangers you just mentioned?”
“yes!”
Padric silently raised his head and looked into red eyes that resembled his own.
Even if he didn’t know the basis or did something absurd, his son’s goals always led to results for the family.
It wouldn’t be difficult to believe it once more.
“Okay. All right. Go back. But make sure you disguise yourself well. Our family has very distinct characteristics, so word will spread quickly.”
“of course.”
Although there were some uneasy moments, permission was eventually given.
Logan walked out of his father’s office with a relieved heart.
* * *
“I hope you come back safely.”
“Thank you, soldiers.”
As always, the soldiers guarding the border posts allowed the peddlers to pass in exchange for an appropriate amount of money.
They are fire moths carrying a bundle on their bare bodies and aiming for the jackpot.
Most of them will die without even being able to go near the imperial metropolis.
So, it was natural to think of these minor deviances as earning pocket money.
And the same was true for the soldiers at the imperial guard post, which was less than a few hundred meters away.
No, this one goes a step further.
One of these soldiers had connections to a gang of robbers operating on the border.
The soldier will be rewarded with a certain amount of money depending on the value of the items in the pouch.
‘So you should know that the world is scary, merchant. ‘Where are you wandering alone?’
Imperial soldier Largo grinned as he remembered the red-haired, ‘blue’-eyed merchant who had given him a piece of gold earlier.
“Empire…”
After passing the border post, I walked a while longer and green fields began to appear.
Logan rubbed his eyes, which were sore from the magic.
As I was looking at the scenery in the distance, I felt a sense of déjà vu.
Clothing that imitates a tableau. A disguise that only changes eye color.
Since it was something I had done countless times in my past life, the memories of that time naturally came to mind.
Because they have so many distinct physical features, they look completely different just by changing one of them.
It was also his great strength in disguise, so he traveled this route the most among his comrades.
If you go west along the canal road visible in the distance, it will lead you to Ruspelheim, a large city in the eastern part of the empire, a three-day walk away.
The city that became the bridgehead and supply depot for the imperial invasion, the city of love and hate that was most frequented during the time of the independence army… no, it is the city of hate.
So much so that, if possible, I would want to burn it down right away.
But that wasn’t the destination now.
‘Further south. Close to the border…’
I don’t know why the massacre mage who would later become a superhuman was at that border, but it was an opportunity I couldn’t miss.
‘I guess I’m still not a superhuman.’
It makes no sense for an adept to hide his own state and confine himself to the realm of the border.
When I think about the things Crowne did later, his sense of publicness was greater than that of others, but it was never small.
‘It makes sense if you are researching in a quiet place and raising your level.’
If that’s the case, he’s probably a 5th circle wizard, or if you look at his characteristics, he’s a 5th class wizard.
In terms of force users, it would have been on the same level as the highest level.
However, class wizards are slower to activate magic than circle wizards, so they can be easily killed….
Okay!
“Sweet. Why do you keep thinking like that? If possible, we should first try to accommodate him. Put aside the grudges from his past life.”
Logan slapped himself and walked down the street in silence, trying to come to his senses.
We walked for several hours like that until the sun went down.
Logan had no choice but to wait for the star to rise in the middle of the forest path.
A forest path that escapes the familiar road.
Because at some point, I felt like I had lost my direction in a deserted forest.
‘I guess I’ll just have to walk all night and look at the constellations. ‘Tsk.’
While lamenting, I sat down and waited.
After a while.
“Stand! Stand there! Redhead!”
“Why is that guy who said he’s going to Ruspelheim so sideways?”
“You’re a suspicious bastard. I think this will help us do something good for the country.”
“That’s right, you’re walking really fast. Your head is like a lump of blood. I’ll make you bleed exactly the color of your hair. Oh, it’s so hard.”
In an instant, a dozen scary-looking men wearing decent leather armor and carrying iron weapons surrounded him.
Logan laughed.
Because I have a guide.