314 - Regressor of the Fallen Family

Chapter 314 “Hurry! We must get to Gran quickly!” Under a moonlit sky, clouded and dark. In the center of Cleed Estate, the lord’s manor buzzed with frantic activity. “Honey, do we really have to leave in such a hurry?” “Have you forgotten what happened the other day? If we stay, we’ll die!” The plump noblewoman pouted with feigned anger, causing the mustachioed middle-aged man to rage back at her. As the noblewoman's face turned ashen and she hesitated, seemingly indecisive, the middle-aged man thumped his chest impatiently. “Do you hear me? We must flee now!” Baron Ted Cleed’s expression was grim. Though a small, insignificant estate in the rural areas, it was, after all, his ancestral land. Abandoning it filled him with unease. But there was no other choice. ‘I mustn’t die like this.’ His trembling fists were filled with terror, not anger. Ted Cleed was hardly a benevolent lord. A tax rate that once reached up to seventy percent was just one of the many reasons he was despised. He treated the estate's residents like objects, imposing various taxes under any pretext, and shamelessly hunted peasants for sport if the game wasn't plentiful enough, claiming he needed them for hunts. Furthermore, he resurrected the right of the lord to sleep with a new bride, a custom that had been virtually extinct for centuries. Many young brides taken under this pretext were found dead the next day, leading to boundless resentment and hatred from the estate's residents. Yet no one could challenge him. He always had a dozen sturdy knights by his side, a symbol of invincible force that ordinary people could not overcome. However, the oppressive power that served as the foundation of his tyranny had utterly collapsed due to the new policies implemented by the king. ‘Damn the king and his absurd policies…….’ Lowering taxes wasn’t the only problem. The primary issue was that most knights became part of the royal army, and only a few were assigned to rotate within his estate. Deployed knights, along with a handful of aged soldiers who couldn’t join the army and the local militia, were tasked with maintaining order on the estate. However, the knights sent by the kingdom bore no loyalty to the lord and often carried crossbows, meant for training, during regular hunts — which was concerning. A few days ago, this unease became reality when a quarrel suddenly grazed his cheek during a rare hunting outing. His mind replayed the incident from days ago in a flash. “Who dares!!” Momentarily frozen, Ted shouted in rage as blood flowed from his cheek, but the soldiers only turned to the knight beside him. “Damn… Capture him! An attempt to assassinate a noble!” “Yes, sir!” No matter how despicable a lord, he was still nominally in charge of the estate. Yet, the soldiers only rushed forward to find the would-be assassin after the knight, with a faintly stern expression, nodded. It was an unpleasant scene, but Ted couldn’t afford to dwell on it now. “Sir Shiron! You must! You must catch him! I’ll tear him apart personally……!” Watching Ted’s wild outburst, Knight Shiron quietly asked, “Do you have any suspects? Perhaps someone who holds a grudge……?” “How dare a commoner……!? Ah. Gr-grudge?” “Yes. Someone with a motive to want you dead.” “There’s no way! I’ve lived my life with such integrity……!” Seeing Ted bluster angrily, Knight Shiron let out a dry laugh. Then, with a look of disbelief, he retorted, “Truly?” “Ugh!” How dare a mere knight glare at me! Though anger surged within, Ted swallowed hard upon seeing Shiron’s gaze. A gaze filled with contempt. That gaze had been there since the moment he was dispatched here, and Ted could say nothing against it. Shiron was the king’s knight, not his, and a mid-level Force User at that — rare for such a rural area. In the past, even in the days of Grandia, Shiron could easily overpower the knights Ted had under his command. Thus, all Ted could do was complain. “I’m merely exercising my noble rights! It’s absurd for them to resent me for that!” That was his only gripe. Shiron’s brows furrowed further at these words. Having ears of his own, Shiron was surely aware of the rumors surrounding the lord. It was why he distanced himself from Ted. “Sigh…” A natural sigh escaped as the lord began to badger him again. “Sir Shiron. You have an obligation to maintain the peace of this estate! Find the person who shot at me immediately…….” “I understand, my lord. However, to capture someone who likely fled far by now, we need at least a hint. Are there truly no suspects? If there aren’t any, it may be difficult.” Suspects holding grudges? Among the nobility, certainly not. Ted always groveled before those more powerful than himself. But among the common folk… there were too many. – How are we supposed to live like this!? The memory of watching an old man, beaten to death for daring to question excessive taxes. – Please return my wife to me, my lord. Taking a man who begged on his knees over his already dead wife as ‘prey for the hunt.’ – My lord! – How can you do this!? – Monster! You’re a monster! Faces of the wailing commoners surfaced in his mind as he recalled the countless incidents where he had indulged in his superiority. “Is there nobody?” “I-I only exercised my rightful, rightful noble privileges!” “……There truly isn’t, then.” Even in response to Shiron's definitive statement, Ted found himself unable to utter a word. No, he did say something. “Commoners! It’s the commoners who bear grudges against me…!” “Which village are you referring to?” “They have crossbows, don’t they!?” “Every village has a local militia.” “……” With too many suspects to pinpoint just one, Ted began making irrational demands. “Round up all the commoners with crossbows! One of them must be involved!” “You intend to arrest His Majesty's officially sanctioned militia without cause? Are you challenging the king?” Faced with such a chilling voice, Ted had no choice but to fall silent. He still remembered those rumors about the king, who allegedly left the capital littered with the corpses of nobles. As Shiron watched Ted’s reaction, he shook his head with a derisive smile. It implied that every commoner on the estate could be a suspect. ‘This will be difficult to solve.’ Not that he truly had the desire to pursue it earnestly. And his predictions quickly turned into reality. “I’m sorry, my lord. All of them have solid alibis.” “How could this be…!” Whether it was due to Shiron’s lack of resolve or the actual lack of evidence was unclear, but Ted lacked the courage to question it. Ultimately, the attempted assassin was not captured, leaving Ted gripped with the relentless fear of a quarrel flying at him at any moment. After days of trembling in terror, today’s flight had been decided. “If we don’t flee, we’re as good as dead!” Hoping to live in Gran while simply collecting taxes, Ted urgently hurried his household to pack. Oblivious to the fact that his greed in attempting to take all his wealth even in flight was stirring even more trouble. “Hurry up! Faster!” Crack. Whack. Despite the coachman’s relentless whipping, the ponies tethered to the heavy cart struggled to get moving. “Ugh!” The coachman was exasperated. They were tasked with transporting the entire wealth of the lord’s family with only two ponies while the family themselves left in their four-horse carriage. But he was hardly in a position to complain to the lord. ‘He’d probably whip me if we’re late.’ Grinding his teeth, the coachman tried desperately to catch up to the lord's carriage, but the ponies stubbornly refused to pick up the pace. Yet soon enough, he found himself thanking the heavens for their sluggishness. Thud. Thud. Thud. “Aaahhh!” Neigh! From the lord's carriage ahead, came the sound of something repeatedly piercing, followed by horrific screams. * * * – Baron Ted Cleed and his family were attacked and killed while attempting to flee the estate. Even people who didn’t know where Cleed Baron’s territory was, couldn’t help but prick up their ears at this news. It was suspected to be an incident where a nobleman was murdered by a commoner. And this event was enough to chill the spines of nobles throughout Maclaine territory. Especially those who, like Baron Cleed, had squeezed their people dry were stricken with fear. “Could this happen to us too?” “Come on, killing a noble is a grave sin. Even those ignorant know that.” They consoled each other with such words, easing the bubbling anxiety within. However. – Culprit behind the murder of Baron Cleed remains unknown. Not only had they failed to capture the culprit of the incident in Baron Cleed's territory. – Baron Roman Deruna has been assassinated with a crossbow. The following tragic news (?) announced the death of another notorious lord, Baron Deruna, similar to Baron Cleed. And even before the investigation into his murder was thoroughly underway. – Viscount Max Perretta has been assassinated. Also with a crossbow. The shocking news came that even the head of the Perretta Viscounty, closest to the birthplace of King Logan in Maclaine and who had surrendered to Maclaine before Logan’s ascent, had been assassinated. This news stirred fear not only among the unscrupulous nobles trembling over their past crimes but also among ordinary nobles. Max Perretta having been notorious himself before yielding to Maclaine mattered little. “Perretta is practically a vassal to Maclaine, isn’t he?” “If even someone like that is dead…….” In the end, the terrified estate nobles began assembling in small groups to submit petitions to the royal family. – Allowing commoners to possess repeating crossbows poses a danger. Please reconsider! Amidst this, another shocking rumor hit the kingdom hard. Baron Trevor Dalan had hired mercenaries to attack his local militia who had ambushed him. The Dalan estate was devastated in the skirmish between the local militia and the lord’s forces. An incident marking the serious clash between commoners, represented by the militia, and nobles, represented by the lord. This rumor stirred the entire kingdom. “Isn't this leading to something serious?” “It’s the nobles who provoked this.” “Look, can we even afford to blame anyone now? Could this lead to the country's downfall?” Those aware enough realized the kingdom’s very foundations were shaking, and as they were gripped with anxiety. – All nobles, gather at the royal capital. For the first time in a while, the king called a grand assembly encompassing all nobles. “We propose dismantling the militia!” “The recent incidents are more than mere assassination cases.” “Indeed. Noble blood deserves respect!” Anxious-faced nobles raised their voices the moment they received permission to speak. Statements tantamount to a full frontal assault on Logan’s persistent push for strengthening national defense. While normally, no noble dared oppose Logan on any matter, this time was different. “The nobles, the backbone of the nation, are quaking in fear due to recent events. If such issues persist, the kingdom cannot be sustained. Immediate solutions are needed, Your Majesty.” Per King’s father-in-law, Roberts Floyd, this threatened the very base of the noble system, persuading the nobles that regardless of how it plays out, they faced dire consequences. However, seated at the head of the grand hall, Logan looked down at the nobles with a faint smile. 'How precisely everything is unfolding according to plan.' The most vulnerable point in Maclaine's series of radical reforms. – The fact that commoners now wield more power than the nobles. This is the major flaw in His Majesty's current policies. If this turns into an explicit incident… He couldn’t help but be impressed by the advisor who had foreseen the situation. And he had already prepared countermeasures for it. "Everyone, silence!" Thud. With a single authoritative stomp, the tyrant quelled the uproar in the great hall, opening his mouth with a chilling smile.