Regressor of the Fallen Family novel Chapter 236

Chapter 236

After the first war council meeting, the nobles, who had been busy increasing and collecting taxes from their fiefs, couldn’t help but furrow their brows upon seeing the recruitment notice for the army put forth by the royal direct jurisdiction.

“Raising armies with the taxes is meant to stabilize the kingdom?”

“Is the king out of his mind?”

“More to the point, what does he plan to do with such a sizable army? Even the established forces of Clan Maclaine and Esperanza are formidable…”

And such trepidations brought many of them together in one place.

“Thank you for the invitation, Count.”

“Oh, Sir Hamel, you’ve arrived at the right time.”

Jack Juan greeted the noble who had come to pay his respects and quickly turned away with a smooth smile. Although the meeting had been called under serious circumstances, he was quite pleased. Due to the king’s repeated misrule, the nobles had found a focal point, and it happened to be himself.

‘The king is foolish. How he ever came to be called a hero is beyond me.’

Had he, Jack Juan, held the power of both Clan Maclaine and Esperanza, he would have appeased and gently led the surrounding nobles, eventually turning them into his loyal supporters. In just a few years, the whole kingdom would have been the king’s loyal subjects.

‘Taxes and now an army, tsk tsk, one foolish act after another. Well, good for me.’

As the seemingly absolute power of the new king gradually waned, Jack Juan found himself becoming the central figure among the nobles opposing the king.

The prospect of this thrilling accomplishment was becoming a reality before his eyes.

With the disappearance of the Dukes’ and Marquises’ families, except for the two families that served as the king’s arms, the title of Count wielded influence beyond its nominal power. Of course, the biggest reason for this was his own actions.

“Oh! Count Ivan, it’s been some time.”

“Ha-ha, haven’t seen you since the war council. I was deeply impressed with you then.”

“Ha-ha, it was nothing. Just ensuring the rightful powers of us nobles.”

Even Ivan Claude, a fellow Count, had to humble himself upon entry, making Jack Juan feel the weight of his imminent rise to power.

“Ladies and gentlemen of esteemed nobility, thank you for answering my humble invitation. As the times are fraught with uncertainty, it is imperative that we nobles of pure blood unite our strength to overcome these adversities. May this gathering lay the foundation stone for a long and prosperous journey.”

The room erupted in applause at Jack Juan’s words, but the warm atmosphere was soon punctured by a clear, cutting voice.

“Skip the formalities; the king sharpens his blade against us. What’s the plan, Count Jack?”

Count Mike Terroda, one of the few remaining Counts in the kingdom, unabashedly expressed his unease.

Jack Juan gracefully smiled, despite sensing Mike Terroda’s ill feelings—stemming from his discontent with the nobles assembling at the Juan family estate instead of his own.

However, the words from Jack Juan rendered Mike Terroda’s remarks inconsequential.

“Ha-ha, there’s no need for grave concerns, Count Mike.”

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Mike’s face twisted, along with the puzzled expressions of the other nobles.

“The king is amassing an enormous force. Is that not cause for alarm? Knights are even abandoning their fiefs to join his army! Are we gathered here to jest?”

Count Mike Terroda’s interjection drew sympathetic nods from many, including those who were neutral or aligned with Clan Maclaine. The king’s recent moves had been so striking that even his staunchest supporters were feeling anxious.

Yet, Jack Juan’s composed smile did not fade amid the questioning gazes.

“You must consider what lies behind the surface.”

“And what is that?”

“From where will the funding for such a vast army come?”

“The taxes he extorts from us, obviously! Who doesn’t know that—”

“And those taxes are temporary.”

“Temporary…?!”

The words made Mike and a few other nobles waver as they grasped their implication.

“In my estimation, the taxes collected this time won’t even sustain such an army for half a year. Even with additional funding from Maclaine and Esperanza, it’s like pouring water into a sieve. The military demands will start to take a toll on both families, the strongest in our nation.”

Jack Juan accompanied his words with documents presenting the calculations, which any noble with some understanding of finances nodded at compellingly. Mike Terroda himself, after scrutinizing the documents with trembling eyes, had to reluctantly accept their logic.

Yet he was not one to back down easily.

“Are you suggesting the king is spending recklessly without a thought? Are you underestimating Logan Maclaine?”

Logan Maclaine.

The gravity of that name tightened the expressions of all the nobles present. Even Jack Juan flinched for a moment but soon regained composure and responded with an even more vigorous voice.

“A young and hot-blooded king. A war hero and superhuman who proved his strength through conflict. Yet he is naive.”