Regressor of the Fallen Family novel Chapter 261

Cough. Cough.

“Jim, if you’ve caught a cold, why not rest a bit?”

Jack, the neighbor who had come with Jim to the training ground from their home, frowned upon seeing Jim continuously coughing.

However, the person in question shook his head with a stern expression.

“What are you talking about? A mere cold will get better if I move around a bit. Why should I rest when I can earn money even in winter?”

“People… Even with such a bountiful harvest, you should take care of your health.”

“Stop with that nonsense. Who can guarantee next year will also bring a good harvest!”

As Jim shook his head decisively, Jack, who couldn’t hide his discomfort for fear of catching the cold, changed the subject.

“Jim. Have you heard about the Healer’s Guild that’s been set up in the castle town? Perhaps you could visit after training.”

“The Healer’s Guild?”

“Yeah. They say they can cure diseases with herbs and treat injuries too.”

“Herbs? …Is that some sort of sham?”

“No, not at all. Gennon from the next village got some medicine from there, and his dreadful cold was cured just like that. You just have to pay a little money….”

“Money? Then I’m not interested. Why should I for a mere cold!”

“It’s only 1 silver, you know?”

“…What?”

At that, Jim’s expression wavered.

A century ago, when the continental currency policy changed, gold coins containing only a small amount of gold began circulating. Since then, the value of silver coins had plummeted.

Even for a commoner, 1 silver was only enough to skip a meal.

For Jim, who was quite thrifty, this was a tempting proposition.

“Is that true?”

“Do I only get fooled? Yes, it’s true! Go check it out!”

Since he was also worried about passing the cold to his family, he had actually come for training out of fear.

‘I should check out this Healer’s Guild.’

With that decision, Jim refocused his attention ahead.

In front of him, soldiers were demonstrating with crossbows (though a bit different in shape) that hunters would occasionally use.

The training of the local defense group had just started this winter.

The name, reminiscent of forced labor, was initially met with resistance, but the prospect of pay during training hours made everyone keen.

As a result, the men and women of the 20-40 age group from non-farming households had all gathered, with quite a number of females among them.

“Ah, come on! Why would women attend military training!”

“You get paid, mister! Are YOU going to earn that money!? If not, keep quiet!”

“……Well, fine then.”

“And the royal family is raising female soldiers too, so who are you to object!”

“Alright, got it. Ah, women. Always so assertive… Sure enough, I made a mistake in who I married….”

“What did you say!?”

“……I mean I married well. Certainly, it makes for a sturdy household. Yeah.”

In addition to the local defense group training every few days, there was also the opportunity to volunteer as laborers in sewer construction. Although many people did not understand the purpose of it, those who had lived precariously until the previous year were eager to contribute.

“The king doesn’t force you to work and you still get paid! Long live His Majesty!”

“Hurrah, hurrah!”

“Hahaha.”

Centered around the people of MacLaine and Esperanza, smiles lingered on the faces of the residents directly ruled by the royal family.

Even the domains that had not enjoyed a bountiful harvest had their silos full of grain thanks to tax reduction policies, leaving the farmers sweating with satisfaction even in winter.

And all of this was faithfully reported back to the royal family.

“Healers are asking for so little money?”

Upon Damian’s report, Logan, with a puzzled look, asked back.

It seemed impossible that such a small amount, just 1 silver, would cover the cost of the herbs.

“According to Guild Master Gilbert, they intend to offer low-cost services until they gain recognition from the people. And even when they raise the fees later on, they promise it won’t be too burdensome for the commoners.”

“…I see. If they volunteer, there’s no need to stop them. And it looks like both the magic energy water management and local defense group training are progressing well.”

“Indeed. The overall kingdom is showing a stable trend. Apart from minor accidents, there’s nothing significant.”

“Still, don’t neglect monitoring the trends and public opinion. If there’s a problem, I need to know immediately.”

“Of course.”

“Oh. And has there been any movement on the part of the empire?”

“Yes. We are collecting information in conjunction with Philip’s MacLaine trade group, but there has been no significant change.”

“Hmm. Is that so?”

Is this good news?

Logan was deep in thought.

Even to himself, the changes in the kingdom seemed quite radical. Assuming an invasion by the empire was a given, there should have been some kind of reaction by now.

“Huh. We haven’t managed to plant an informant in the imperial court, have we?”

“…No. The identity screening is too rigorous. If we want to plant an informant in the imperial court, we’d need at least a decade. If you command, we can begin now.”

“No, we don’t have that kind of time. We should use our efforts elsewhere.”

“We are persistently approaching the empire’s high nobility. We’re establishing connections with those who can indirectly provide us with information about the imperial court.”

“…Good.”

Regrettably, that seemed to be the best option for now.

However, with the irremovable unease in his mind, Logan let out a small sigh. Damian, hesitating for a moment, then suddenly broached a different subject.

“Your Majesty. His Grace Patrick MacLaine had a personal favor to ask of me.”

“What is it?”

Damian and his information organization were directly controlled by Logan. In preparation for war with the empire, he had not allowed anyone but himself to command them.

Was his father, who knew this well, overstepping that line?

Logan’s eyebrows slightly furrowed, but then relaxed after hearing Damian’s follow-up.

“His Grace requests to investigate the whereabouts of Prince Ronian. Though he said to keep it a secret from Your Majesty, I thought it proper to report to you.”

“Ronian…”

The only thing troubling him in these otherwise successful times was his brother’s whereabouts. It has been over a year since the last contact when he ventured deep into the Southern Mountains.

‘Maybe I should have left him in my domain to train.’

Knowing that Victor and Eillen, under the tutelage of their master, were still racing to the pinnacle of the ultimate realm, and Burdel on the verge of surpassing that realm, he couldn’t help regretting his decision.

However, there wasn’t much he could do about it now.

“If we want to minimize sacrifices when exploring the Southern Mountains, we need at least some trace to follow…”

He was suddenly concerned about Ronian again, having busied himself with other matters as an excuse to put his trust in his brother.

But then Damian mentioned something unexpected.

“We are not sure, but today we received reports from a village at the fringe of the Southern Mountains that a young man with red hair bought some food and disappeared. The villagers found his red eyes unusual and remembered him.”

“What?!”

“I apologize, Your Majesty. I took the initiative due to the possibility that the young man was your brother.”

“No, you did well. Hmm, he is alive after all. That’s right. I trusted that he was.”

Saying that, Logan felt a little relieved, but then something strange occurred to him.

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