The Regressor Plays the Game Too Well - Chapter 185

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 185
185
A massive inner castle so grand it could pass for the royal palace of an entire nation.
Within that inner castle, seated upon a throne—or imperial throne, as it might grandly be called—a middle-aged man listened to the words of a young man bowing before him.
One might expect his expression to shift with each revelation.
Yet it remained utterly unmoved.
Instead, the ominous aura swirling around him changed moment by moment, as if betraying his true temperament.
The young man before him, sensing this oppressive presence, trembled violently as he remained prostrate.
No one could mistake this for the posture of a son reporting to his father.
In the suffocating silence that seemed to stretch for eons, Ban Kawen, the eldest son of Marquis Kawen, trembled as he waited for his father to speak.
One careless word might cost him his head.
He had to endure. Had to remain silent.
Even beneath an aura that cut like a blade, he had to weather this silence.
How much longer did it stretch?
When his mind could barely hold on any further.
The Marquis finally spoke.
“So such a thing occurred.”
For all his deliberation, the words were remarkably simple.
Yet Ban Kawen, as the eldest son, understood well.
Just how displeased Marquis Kawen was in this moment.
He feared his own report might invite the Marquis’s wrath upon him.
His anxiety was immense, but fortunately, such a thing did not come to pass.
“Travelers and provincial nobles, then….”
His displeasure evident, his aura pressed down savagely upon those around him.
A testament to the truth behind Marquis Kawen’s reputation as a Sword Master.
Without a shred of mercy toward his own son.
Marquis Kawen pondered for a moment, then a thin smile crossed his lips as he spoke.
“I understand. I must meet with the Emperor. Make preparations.”
“Yes! I shall prepare at once!”
At the Marquis’s command, his retainers cried out loudly and made their preparations with flawless coordination.
With preparations complete, Marquis Kawen thought to himself.
‘So Whinter didn’t betray me—he’s dead.’
That small-livered wretch couldn’t even be called a traitor; he’d wondered why supplies weren’t being sent through the Trade Route.
So that was it.
This put Marquis Kawen in considerable difficulty.
By now, it must surely be exposed how much of the goods destined for the Imperial Palace he’d been diverting.
Count Zapin would certainly move against him, armed with justification and righteousness.
Count Zapin, nearly a Sword Master himself, was far more cunning than he appeared.
It wasn’t a lack of strength or intellect that had kept him inactive.
Merely a lack of ambition.
But what sudden motivation had driven him to act?
I was consumed with curiosity.
Just as Marquis Kawen was about to head toward the Imperial Palace.
His gaze suddenly turned toward his son, Ban, who had brought him this information.
Now that I thought about it, that made sense.
‘Count Zapin had made contact with the Travelers as well, and Ban said he’d learned this information from them.’
Even a cursory consideration suggested there was some connection.
Marquis Kawen then summoned his son before him.
“Ban.”
“Yes, yes. Father.”
Tsk.
My eldest son, hopelessly weak-willed.
Looking at him made me sigh involuntarily, but he was my only son.
I couldn’t cast him out.
In any case, such thoughts weren’t important right now.
The Travelers.
“Bring me the Travelers who gave you this information. If I need them, I’ll summon you, so wait.”
“Yes! Ah, understood, sir.”
Watching my son respond earnestly and bow his head, I felt that at least he’d learned proper manners well.
I nodded and rose from my seat.
Now I had to report to the Emperor.
Or more precisely, I was going to manipulate the Emperor.
I couldn’t let this Empire slip away.
I couldn’t stand by and watch my power diminish.
“Then I’ll be off.”
When Marquis Kawen left his Territory and headed toward the Imperial Palace.
Ban Kawen, who looked ten years older than his father, exhaled a sigh of relief and shook his head.
He was always terrifying to behold.
But wasn’t that precisely why he was always trustworthy?
And since I’d already anticipated my father’s reaction.
Ban Kawen headed toward where the Travelers he’d summoned were waiting.
Two users were waiting for him there.
When Valen and Raigan saw Ban Kawen enter and began to bow, Ban Kawen waved his hand dismissively.
“You needn’t show such courtesy to us Travelers. Since I’ve finally earned my father’s recognition, I’ll repay this debt handsomely.”
“Thank you.”
“We’re glad we could be of service.”
Both of them maintained their courtesy throughout.
Both Valen and Raigan knew.
Despite his words, Ban Kawen was more authoritarian and aristocratic than anyone else.
How could the son of a corrupt nobleman possess any decent principles?
In any case, Ban Kawen wore a thin smile as he observed the two of them.
Then he asked.
“So how strong did you say that traveler was?”
“…It is presumptuous of us to speak before you, the sole heir of Marquis Kawen, but the strength is beyond our comprehension.”
“Hmm, to that extent?”
“He slaughtered hundreds of thousands of beings at our level.”
“Hmm.”
From Ban Kawen’s perspective, these individuals at level fifty and above—hundreds of thousands of them—had been defeated.
Even hearing it, one could tell it was no ordinary matter.
But would such a thing work against his father?
That was impossible.
This conviction bordered on faith itself.
Yet there was always the possibility of unforeseen circumstances.
Above all, Count Zapin, who approached the level of Sword Master, stood on their side.
“By any measure, this is a favorable battle for us. We have the Magic Tower. And another Sword Master—the commander of the Imperial Knight Order—stands with us.”
“Your words ring true.”
“Victory is assured.”
Despite how severely Valen and Raigan had suffered at Jin-woo’s hands, this was clear reason to join this side.
Count Zapin’s faction had no Sword Masters, as far as they knew.
Dukes and counts with superior military strength had gathered together, and while Count Zapin himself approached the level of Sword Master, he was not one.
Moreover, the Magic Tower stood with them, did it not?
In such warfare, the number of mages naturally shifted the balance of power.
Above all, even Jin-woo could not overcome such forces alone.
‘This time, we will surely win.’
‘We will avenge Kaiser.’
This time, they would defeat Jin-woo and restore Kaiser without fail.
That was why they had joined this side.
The odds were overwhelmingly in their favor.
No matter how formidable Jin-woo was, he could not escape this.
With Marquis Kawen on their side, defeat was impossible.
He was the Empire’s mightiest Sword Master, after all.
* * *
Meanwhile, while Valen and Raigan were scheming, what of Jin-woo?
Naturally, he was quite busy.
“Sigh.”
He exhaled a long breath while gazing at his phone.
What was he doing?
He was chatting with Gia.
Nothing of particular importance.
Just trivial matters—what are you doing, that place we visited last time was pretty, this restaurant was delicious, and so on.
The kind of messages people typically exchange when they’re flirting.
Though amidst all that, important conversations occasionally surfaced.
For instance….
[Yu Ji-a : By the way, oppa, do we not need to prepare anything?]
[Jin-woo : Huh? Prepare for what?]
[Yu Ji-a : The war. (trembling rabbit emoji)]
[Yu Ji-a : I’m worried the users who sided with the Empire might be scheming something.]
Jin-woo: Hahahahaha
[Jin-woo : You don’t need to worry.]
[Jin-woo : I’m already working on something.]
[Yu Ji-a : Working on something?]
When Gia asked, I paused to consider.
Should I tell her?
I’d thought about revealing it as a surprise later, but I shook my head.
There was no real reason to keep it hidden.
[Jin-woo : Usually, the consensus is that our side is at a disadvantage, right?]
[Yu Ji-a : Yes, initially we thought our side had the advantage.]
[Yu Ji-a : Since you’re with us, we figured we’d naturally win. But the Empire’s lineup is formidable.]
[Yu Ji-a : People are genuinely anxious about it.]
[Yu Ji-a : I trust you, oppa, but others don’t have that confidence.]
[Jin-woo : Well, that’s true.]
It was the truth.
Looking purely at NPC forces, the Empire was overwhelmingly superior.
They had the Imperial Family and Marquis Kawen.
Two Sword Masters alone, plus the Magic Tower on top of that.
Just considering these factors, the gap in military strength was substantial.
Count Zapin approached Sword Master level, but he wasn’t one himself.
People understood this, and those who’d already joined our faction felt uneasy.
It was only natural.
But that assessment was based solely on surface-level strength.
[Jin-woo : We have a Magic Tower too, and a Sword Master.]
[Yu Ji-a : (surprised rabbit emoji)]
[Yu Ji-a : Really?!]
[Jin-woo : Yeah, even without me, we have enough firepower to compete. Though having me is definitely better.]
As I said this, I thought of the Abyss Knight.
The potential he possessed could already be considered Sword Master caliber.
And.
‘Count Zapin is far more cunning than people realize.’
I chuckled inwardly and shook my head.
Count Zapin would know this as well.
Why, you ask?
By now, word of Marquis Kawen would reach his ears whether he liked it or not.
Even without Valen and Raigan, it was only a matter of time.
But did Count Zapin truly not know this?
That cunning fox?
There’s no way.
He had already mentioned it to Jin-woo before the war began.
That Count Zapin was also a Sword Master.
And his loyal knight was one standing on the threshold of becoming a Sword Master.
Of course, this meant the number of Sword Masters was insufficient, but Jin-woo and the Abyss Knight were there.
The Abyss Knight had already been set to move with Count Zapin.
To any observer, it appeared to be a living knight.
So who would Jin-woo take on?
It was obvious.
[Jin-woo: When Count Zapin heads for the Imperial Palace, I’ll go after Marquis Kawen.]
[Yu Ji-a: You, oppa!?]
[Jin-woo: Yeah. There’s no one else who can buy us time like I can.]
[Yu Ji-a: I suppose that’s true, but I’m still worried.]
[Yu Ji-a: You’re strong, oppa, but…]
[Jin-woo: Then come with me.]
[Yu Ji-a: Pardon?]
[Jin-woo: I was planning to take about three people anyway. That Demon King user Kan, and the one called Ren, those two, and you, Gia. I’m taking all of you.]
[Yu Ji-a: Yes! I’m fine with that!]
Watching Gia respond quickly, as if afraid Jin-woo might change his mind, he let out a small chuckle.
He would take these elite fighters and hold back Marquis Kawen.
It would be ideal if they could stop all of Marquis Kawen’s soldiers, but that was impossible.
Even Gia couldn’t manage that.
While Jin-woo engaged Marquis Kawen, the rest would buy as much time as possible against the remaining soldiers.
That was their role.
Of course, Ren and Kan were a bit of a stretch.
But it couldn’t be helped.
‘It would be difficult to command without Yuna and Barmon since they’re guild masters.’
Besides, having them at Headquarters to provide support was far more advantageous.
The entire operation was already planned.
Count Zapin, Yuna, and Barmon would head toward the Imperial Palace from Headquarters, while Jin-woo, Yu Ji-a, Ren, and Kan would form a separate unit to face Marquis Kawen.
They kept it to just four people so they could withdraw easily if things turned unfavorable.
The war was drawing closer, faster than ever.

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