I Alone Regress in a Hero Party That Was Annihilated - Chapter 88

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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#88. Northern Honey Wine (2)

Whooooooosh—

The blizzard outside the window was growing increasingly fierce.

Soleil, Family Head of the Mörsolt Family.

He sat before the fireplace, lost in thought.

“….”

Soleil was originally a Margrave.

Mörsolt was a prestigious family that traced its lineage to the Warrior of the party that once defeated the Demon King, and had been called the Iron Blood sword family of the Northern Region since the Mythical Age.

They had stood firm as the Northern Wall that blocked invasions from monsters and barbarians, and had been granted autonomy for countless ages.

The Emperor had personally granted the Northern Region’s frontier territory to Mörsolt as their fief, and within this domain they held supreme authority over administration, military, and judicial matters—Mörsolt could truly be called the supreme ruler of the Northern Region.

“But that is only true within the Northern Region.”

The Mörsolt Family’s reason for existence was to suppress the monsters and barbarians of the Northern Region.

The powerful autonomy held by frontier lord families existed solely for that purpose.

“If Mörsolt were to intervene in the power struggles taking place in the Imperial Capital… we would lose all justification for the autonomy we’ve been guaranteed.”

Soleil stroked his chin.

He was a loyal knight who had sworn absolute loyalty to the current Emperor.

But that virtuous and wise Emperor had long been bedridden as a vegetative patient.

The Emperor, descendant of the Hero from the Mythical Age.

That iron-blooded monarch who should have easily lived three hundred years was bedridden at the mere age of seventy.

“His Majesty has too many successors. The bloody winds will blow very fiercely.”

The situation was even more serious because no clear succession had been established.

There were dozens of factions throughout the Empire that could be called the Emperor’s relatives or supporters.

Most of them possessed very powerful military forces.

“Which side should we join. In the end, it comes down to that question.”

Soleil let out a deep sigh.

In ordinary conflicts, it’s often best to stay out and observe from the sidelines.

But some fights are different.

Sometimes, simply staying still can mean taking one side or the other.

“If we have to fight whether we get involved or not… it would be better to get involved from the start.”

Neutrality doesn’t exist in this world.

Even if it did exist, human judgment cannot correctly choose the exact middle point.

In the end, humans must lean toward one side or the other.

Especially as the Family Head leading the powerful force of Mörsolt, he had to make an even wiser decision.

…Crack!

Thick firewood split in half as flames blazed up fiercely.

Soleil closed his eyes, bathed in the firelight.

“…Those with great hearts are always at peace, while those with small hearts are always anxious. Broaden your thoughts and the path forward will reveal itself.”

When choices are difficult, he reflects on the teachings of his ancestors.

Soleil recalled his father’s broad back from his childhood.

And soon.

“…”

He made his decision on which path to take.

* * *

The next morning.

Even though the blizzard has not yet stopped, Tochika Castle is bustling with commotion.

Only a few days after the battle with Purosange ended, Featherback had once again assembled an expedition party.

Though the expedition’s purpose had not yet been announced, the mere fact that Featherback was the commander was enough for countless knights to volunteer.

Everyone wanted to join in the footsteps of the boy hero whose name resounded thunderously throughout the entire Northern Region.

“Quinbits.”

At Featherback’s words, Quinbits’ ears perked up from far away.

“Study carefully the pattern of Shedyoldis’ body reconstruction. It will help in completing Garmelda’s Equation.”

“I’m already doing that. It’s truly incredible. Every time I dissect that monster’s body, answers that I couldn’t find even after three years of solo research come pouring out. At this rate, I can dramatically shorten the research time.”

“I look forward to when this expedition ends. I hope there will be meaningful results.”

“Um, excuse me…”

“?”

Quinbits called out to Featherback as he was about to turn and leave.

After hesitating for a long while, Quinbits opened her mouth.

“It’s nothing special. Just… have a safe trip.”

“…? I understand.”

Featherback tilted his head once and then turned his horse around.

At that moment, someone approached alongside Featherback.

“Young Master is truly popular.”

A man with gray hair and orange pupils winked one eye and smiled slyly.

Skolsage Mörsolt.

An honest and loyal branch family knight who had devoted his entire life to the Mörsolt Family.

If one were to trace the family lineage, he would be something like Featherback’s fourth cousin ten times removed.

He had briefly assisted Featherback during the previous Levarb Family subjugation.

Skolsage, who had come to follow Featherback well during the process of purifying Tochika’s water source, spoke up with his usual brazenness.

“Those peerless beauties only have eyes for Lord Featherback. As a man, I’m truly envious.”

“Beauties? Who are you talking about?”

“Who else! Of course I mean Lady Quinbits and Lady Rorschach!”

Hounded popped out beside Skolsage.

The two had somehow become close and kept following behind Featherback.

“You’re being too cruel, Young Master. I’ve never even dated once at my age.”

“The knights’ morale is declining due to relative deprivation. We need emergency measures.”

Featherback raised one eyebrow slightly.

“Emergency measures, you say?”

“Among those who migrated from Tochika this time, there’s a vigilante group composed entirely of women. They may not be as strong as the Purosange Rangers, but they have considerable combat ability and courage. I heard they performed admirably against monsters during the migration.”

“What’s your point?”

“Well… I was wondering if you could arrange a group blind date between them and the Mörsolt Knights… hehe.”

At Skolsage’s words, Hounded also rubbed his hands together obsequiously.

“Everyone’s dying of loneliness from fighting wars day and night. I’d like to have a lover too.”

“We want to try dating at least once too!”

The two knights shouted at the top of their voices.

Then Featherback’s brow furrowed with mild irritation.

“You feel like you’re dying of loneliness?”

“Yes!”

“It would be a great loss if a knight died for such a frivolous reason.”

“Right?”

The corners of Skolsage and Hounded’s mouths slowly curved upward.

Featherback pointed his finger alternately at Skolsage and Hounded.

“I’ll help you die in war instead of dying from loneliness. You’re both drafted into the expedition force.”

“Huh!?”

“Seeing you babble nonsense about romance and whatnot, you seem to be overflowing with energy. You can release it on the battlefield.”

Featherback spat out those cold words, then turned his horse around and walked away.

Skolsage and Hounded stood there with dejected expressions.

…However.

“See? I told you this would get us into Sir Featherback’s expedition force.”

“You really are a genius! This time we can become the Young Master’s closest aides and assist him.”

“Phew, the Young Master’s prestige keeps growing, making it harder to serve by his side.”

“There are many competitors, you know. We have to survive somehow. If the skills are equal, the one who’s better at office politics rises up, that’s what I’m saying.”

“Hehehe— We are the Left Hand and Right Hand of the Northern Region’s boy hero!”

Surprisingly, the two knights had climbed right on top of Featherback’s head.

Then Sir Dvorak, an old knight passing by, clicked his tongue.

“Tsk tsk— Young people these days only look for shortcuts, what a problem. They should think about earning the Young Master’s recognition through skill.”

“But how can we gain recognition when there’s no opportunity to show our skills? The Young Master finishes everything by himself before we can do anything.”

“Quiet, you fools! Young Master Featherback plans to subjugate the Levarb Family once more tonight, so prepare yourselves thoroughly! Make sure you don’t become a burden to him!”

“Yes! We’ll prepare immediately!”

The Mörsolt Knights moved busily.

Like this, Featherback was already a great source of pride for the Mörsolt Knights.

Just following behind was enough to feel like all the hardships endured to receive knighthood were being fully compensated.

* * *

The Levarb Family fortress.

Each brick, thickly covered with frost, had been standing guard in the same place for centuries.

The tower rising majestically at the center of the fortress soared sharply as if to pierce the sky, its peak hidden within blizzards and clouds.

The castle gate was made of sturdy coniferous wood, firmly secured with hundreds of steel nails and blocked by an iron bar.

Sharp ice stalagmites protruded from the granite floor, creating quite a menacing atmosphere.

Though it was a castle as tall and solid as Tochika Castle of Purosange… its new master, Breivy Levarb, could not hide his anxiety.

“Why the hell aren’t those Purosange bastards responding? Why aren’t the envoys who went to Tochika returning? Damn it!”

Breivy.

After Vargo Viscount was detained by the Mörsolt Family, the Levarb Family had fallen into the hands of his eldest son.

Breivy shook his sagging cheeks once with a flutter.

He muttered while gnawing on his thumbnail.

“Those arrogant Mörsolt bastards. I’ll make them pay the price for daring to disrespect our Levarb Family. I’m grateful they helped bring down Father… but with the family fallen to such depths, there’s no point in what I’ve managed to seize. Damn it. To establish connections with the Imperial Capital, those Mörsolt bastards need to disappear as soon as possible…”

Just then.

Knock knock knock—

Someone knocked on Breivy’s office door.

“Come in!”

“E-excuse me.”

The door opened and a thin, bald man entered the office.

It was Sir Habu, Breivy’s subordinate.

Breivy pressed Habu urgently.

“What happened!?”

“Well….”

The subordinate answered while spreading out the documents.

“It went according to plan. The Mörsolt forces moved their troops and entered Purosange Territory.”

“And? Were they annihilated?”

“We haven’t received such news yet. But naturally, wouldn’t that be the case? The Purosange Rangers are incredibly strong. Moreover, there’s that terrifying Mage there as well.”

“Right? That’s how it has to be, isn’t it?”

Breivy nodded his head.

They had already coordinated with Purosange.

The subordinate said.

“Please don’t worry too much. The Purosange Family has someone from our side, doesn’t it? Sir Jono.”

“Jono? Who was that again?”

“He’s Breivy-nim’s cousin. He’s also Vargo Viscount’s nephew.”

“Ah, I remember. That idiot. The one who was trembling behind the curtain even when a corkscrew was stuck in Father’s neck.”

“He’s ashamed of what happened that day. That’s why he said he’d go to Purosange as an envoy and achieve merit.”

“Like a rat, he was always good at stealing information.”

Breivy nodded his head.

But his anxiety hadn’t completely disappeared.

“Still, there’s been no contact. If they killed or captured that arrogant bastard Featherback according to plan, a messenger bird should have arrived by now.”

“They’re probably busy because they’re in the middle of war.”

“This won’t do. I can’t just keep waiting like this.”

“Pardon? Young Master. What are you planning to do…?”

“Don’t call me Young Master, call me Family Head!”

Breivy slapped Habu across the cheek and shouted.

“Prepare five hundred soldiers. I’ll personally march to Mörsolt’s main castle.”

“Oh my, even so, wouldn’t that be a bit much?”

“It doesn’t matter. The Mörsolt forces would have been wiped out by Purosange by now. I’m basically just raiding an empty house.”

“We don’t have as many as five hundred soldiers, do we? Because of that Featherback bastard, the family’s financial situation became difficult and we had to reduce our forces significantly. Even scraping together everything, we don’t have quite two hundred.”

“What about those mercenary bastards we bought recently!”

“Weren’t they recruited as cheaply as possible? They’re all ignorant fools who don’t even know how to shoot a bow. They were slash-and-burn farmers until recently.”

“It doesn’t matter. I just need to fill the numbers. The Mörsolt forces were either wiped out by Purosange or only a very few survived. I’ll be the one to crush what’s left. I’ll achieve the greatest military merit.”

“Hmm, if things go well, we might even be able to rescue Vargo Viscount who’s being held at the Mörsolt Family’s main castle.”

“That would be perfect. That way I’ll be recognized as the legitimate Family Head of Rebarb. Kekeke—”

Breivy laughed.

“You speak truly, kookookook—”

Habu also laughed, following his lord.

“Kekekekekeke—”

“Kookookookookook—”

While the two men were laughing so sinisterly.

“Family Head, someone has come to visit outside the castle gate.”

A maid spoke from outside the door.

Habu answered on his behalf.

“The Young Master, no, the Family Head is currently in a strategy meeting! Tell them to wait!”

“They say it’s urgent business.”

“Tch! What could be more urgent than a strategy meeting! What kind of bastard is so arrogant? Who is it?”

When the subordinate shouted angrily, the maid responded with a puzzled voice.

“From the Mörsolt Family… he says his name is Featherback.”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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