Chapter 216
Chapter 216
The father and son, reunited after so long, had much to say to each other.
After guiding Burdell to his temporary quarters, they turned to face one another and immediately asked:
"What the hell happened?"
"What happened? What about Kankun and Banjoni?"
"......"
"......"
Two pairs of crimson eyes, strikingly similar, locked onto each other before the younger of the two let out a soft chuckle and nodded.
"Yes. I'll explain first."
Logan recounted everything—his experiences in the Empire, the process of becoming a Transcendent, the suppression of the rebellion, and his dealings with the King—holding nothing back.
As Patrick listened to the lengthy tale, his expressions shifted between awe and deep concern, nodding repeatedly. Eventually, he sighed.
"At this point, isn't your relationship with His Majesty already too far gone? What do you plan to do from here?"
"I intend to shift the nation's atmosphere."
"Atmosphere?"
"Yes. To reverse the flow I've created, I must sway even the hearts of the people."
"Is that even possible...? No, even if it is, wouldn't it only be temporary? Aren't you placing too much burden on Sword Duke-nim...?"
Patrick couldn't shake his worried expression, and Logan sighed faintly in agreement.
Shaking his head, Patrick clicked his tongue in dismay.
"Power is terrifying. To think the prince, once known for his wisdom, could change so drastically in less than two years..."
"Not even two years. It was before I left for the Empire... Ah...?"
Logan, who had been nodding along with a bitter smile, suddenly felt something odd.
'...Right, is it normal for a king to turn against the very people who put him on the throne within less than a year of his coronation?'
At the time, swept up in the urgency of events, he hadn't stopped to question it. But now that he sensed something amiss, an uneasy feeling lingered.
With this doubt in mind, the man who had always been at the King's side stood out even more.
'Cleo, was it? He's definitely suspicious. I should order an investigation—even if it means taking some risks.'
As he organized his thoughts—
Patrick, noticing the sudden shift in his son's expression, asked worriedly:
"Is something troubling you?"
"Ah, no. By the way, why did you only bring Burdell back? Banjoni is one thing, but Kankun is a mercenary—I thought hiring him would've been easier."
"Ha... That bastard openly picked a fight."
"Huh?"
His father's short sigh carried a mix of complicated emotions.
"He said he was destined to become an important figure in the Empire and had no intention of being hired by some backwater kingdom whose allegiances were unclear. If we really wanted him, he'd consider a one-month contract..."
"You could've hired him for that month and tried persuading him afterward."
Logan couldn't help but feel regret.
In the future, Kankun would unite countless mercenary guilds in the Empire and earn the title of Mercenary King.
Of course, that was over a decade after the Empire War, but the man was undoubtedly a prodigious talent.
But—
"He demanded a million gold. For one month."
Logan's eyes sharpened instantly.
A million gold—that was the kind of sum joked about when hiring a 5th-Circle mage.
And a Force user was demanding that as his monthly fee?
"...He was insane. Ah, so that's why you said he picked a fight."
"Right. His personality wasn't mentioned in the report. Well, since he provoked me first, it made things easier for me."
Recruitment or death.
Patrick chuckled, recalling how his son had earnestly warned him—never expecting the condition to be fulfilled so effortlessly.
"He was still green—freshly ascended to the top ranks, overflowing with confidence. That brat..."
Though it was clear Kankun hadn't been at that level for long, Patrick remembered the mercenary in his thirties who had relentlessly pressed him in battle.
Watching the man grow stronger mid-fight, he fully understood his son's words—and in the end, the man who had mocked the "backwater kingdom" died with his heart pierced by its noble.
"Thanks to that, his mercenary band chased us the moment we left the city. If not for Burdell's help, I might not have made it back."
Only then did Logan understand the scars on his father's face.
"You've been through so much..."
"I'm not done yet."
"Huh?"
"The one you called Banjoni was worse. The leader of Evil One, Lugalheim's unified crime syndicate. Ha... Even now, it's absurd to think about. A crime boss who was a Transcendent."
"A Transcendent?!"
"Yes. Banjoni was already a Transcendent. If he had realized I was trying to kill him, I would've been the one dead."
Patrick gritted his teeth, his expression hardening.
"Tch..."
Logan let out a hollow laugh before exhaling sharply.
He had considered the possibility.
With only four years left until the Empire War—
It was more likely that Banjoni had already become a Transcendent rather than ascending suddenly in those four years.
'But if that were the case, given Banjoni's personality, he would've already laundered his identity...'
The doubt forming in his mind was swiftly answered by his father.
"At first, he actively sought recruitment, claiming he was looking for a way into legitimacy."
"That Banjoni said that?"
"Yes. But when I told him I was a noble from the Kingdom, not the Empire, he changed his tune."
"Hmm."
"Anyway, when I asked him to deal with Kankun's mercenary band, he laughed about suddenly coming into a fortune. Though it left me penniless."
"At least that's something."
"Right. Thanks to them being a distraction, I escaped that monster. That little monster."
Logan nodded in agreement, recalling information about Banjoni.
A stature as short as a dwarf's, a giant mole covering half his face, and gleaming gray eyes—
These were the defining traits of the infamous Evil Sword Banjoni.
His complex about his appearance had driven him to cultivate his strength ruthlessly.
Had it ended there, he would've been a symbol of human triumph—a Transcendent who overcame physical limitations.
Instead, he twisted his desires into atrocities against the weak, committing countless crimes.
By five years after the Empire War, even the Empire—known for valuing talent—issued a bounty for his head, branding him an irredeemable criminal.
'He was someone who had to die.'
Separate from his vile nature, his awakened abilities specialized in massacring the weak—
A Transcendent whose impact on the battlefield was immense, though in a far darker way than Burdell's.
"Is he still in Lugalheim?"
Though he understood the killing intent flashing in his son's eyes, Patrick could only shake his head.
"He probably disappeared to launder his identity. He laughed about it being his 'last back-alley job.'"
"Tch, what a shame."
The man would appear four years later—no, now just three and a half—as a Transcendent mercenary in the Empire War.
'To minimize his damage, I'll have to kill him the moment he appears.'
His father had done his best, even surviving an unexpected brush with death.
Pressing further would only sound like criticism toward someone who had already suffered enough.
"I'm ashamed. If only I were stronger..."
"Not at all, Father."
Logan pulled his stiff-shouldered father into an embrace and smiled.
"Killing Kankun and bringing Burdell back is already more than enough. You've worked hard. I'll handle Banjoni myself."
"Good. I trust you."
"Yes."
Though some things had deviated from expectations, preparations for the future were steadily progressing.
Afterward, Logan immediately set to work creating the "flow" he had spoken of.
He publicly disclosed MacLaine's overall development plans—the dam, the repeating crossbows, and the soldier selection criteria—across the entire Kingdom.
The response was explosive.
- So this was the secret behind MacLaine's strong soldiers.
- A new farming method that turns wasteland into arable land.
- With just this, even we could...!
Dams capable of diverting rivers began construction in every territory with wasteland.
Across the Kingdom, military recruitment standards shifted overnight.
Of course, some territories forcibly mobilized their people for construction despite it being the farming season, eliciting outcries—but the Kingdom was undeniably changing.
Moreover, Logan followed up with another declaration to amplify this momentum:
- If you lack expertise in dam construction, I will personally assist in design and implementation. If finances are tight, I will even lend you funds.
Financial aid to other nobles was just the beginning.
- If you have questions about soldier selection and training, I will dispatch knights to refine your methods.
He implemented an aggressively open policy of sharing know-how—so proactive that even MacLaine's own vassals struggled to comprehend it.
As a result, nobles with territories enthusiastically embraced the flow MacLaine had created.
Even the establishment of female soldiers—something thought unthinkable in Grandia—began to spread, with territories gradually adopting it.
This surprised even Logan.
'I thought that prejudice would be harder to break.'
The first female knight, Ellen Floyd, was none other than Logan MacLaine's fiancée.
Strong women are the trend of the new era.
Even he hadn't anticipated how this single rumor, born in high society, would snowball into driving such change.
While these shifts aligned with Logan's intentions, they also unmistakably showcased MacLaine as the family leading the Kingdom's momentum.
Beyond political or military reasons, it was now visibly clear that no noble in the Kingdom could oppose MacLaine without losing practical benefits.
Meanwhile, Logan received reports that his two primary objectives had been achieved.
- Branch offices have been established across the entire Kingdom.
"You've worked hard, Philip."
Public merchant guild branches now spanned the nation.
- Agents have been planted beside most territorial nobles. No movement among the aristocracy will escape our 'Eyes of Flame.'
"Well done, Damian."
A covert intelligence network had been established.
All of this accomplished in just half a year.
Days had passed in a dizzying rush.
Outside the window, the first sunrise of the new year peeked through the thick snow.
'Three and a half years until the Empire War.'
Though time felt suffocatingly fast, he was gradually gaining confidence.
"The flow is set. Now, we just need to accelerate it."
As Logan smiled to himself—
Someone else was scowling for the same reason.
SLAM!
"Who the hell is the King here?! Who?!"
The moment he entered his private office, the King slammed a bookshelf and roared in fury.
"In peacetime, endlessly expanding military forces—why does everyone follow that bastard's lead?!"
Seeing the attendants flinch at his outburst, he forcibly suppressed his anger and swallowed his words.
Clearing his throat, he glanced around.
"Ahem. The stress of state affairs has made me somewhat agitated. All of you, withdraw. Summon the Head of Inner Palace Guards."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
The attendants vanished as if relieved, and the King—who had been feigning composure—resumed pacing anxiously, deep in thought.
- Your Majesty, Cleo is here.
"Enter!"
Creak—
A middle-aged official with plain features stepped inside, carefully closing the door before kneeling before the King.
"Your Majesty, I heard you summoned me."
"Yes. I wanted your opinion on something."
"Huh?"
"Isn't turning women into soldiers a violation of this Kingdom's traditions?"
"Ah, yes... Of course it is."
"And needlessly digging into mountains to expand farmland in this prosperous land—what about that?"
"...Huh?"
"Isn't it just damaging the land's vital energy?!"
"Y-Your words are most wise."
"Exactly! Yet those so-called ministers only take his side! What kind of King am I if I can't do anything about this?! Does this make any sense to you?!"
Under the King's unrestrained fury, Cleo could only bow repeatedly.
"They are simply ignorant fools who fail to grasp Your Majesty's wisdom. Please do not trouble yourself over them."
The truth was, interfering in territorial governance wasn't the King's prerogative, and opposing policies that benefited everyone only proved one unfit to rule.
But instead of stating the obvious, Cleo soothed the King's ego—
A classic sycophant's tactic, one the King welcomed eagerly.
Only after a long while did the King finally calm.
"...I feel a bit better now. Truly, having you here is a blessing."
"Not at all, Your Majesty. If my presence can ease even a fraction of Your Majesty's worries, there is nothing I wouldn't do."
The King smiled at the fawning words and looked at him.
"Ha... That's what makes it all the more frustrating. If only half my ministers were like you."
"With Duke Logan MacLaine's influence so strong, it can't be helped."
"Right. That—that is the real problem."
"Your Majesty...?"
"I must do something. This can't continue."
Outwardly, he seemed calmer.
But the dangerous flames rising in the King's heart were slowly staining his gaze with something unnatural.