I Regressed to My Ruined Family – 19

 #I returned, and my family was ruined (19)

Could it be that I was just hit?

Dexter, one of the most promising knights in Namja?

He covered his cheek.

He felt a sharp pain in his cheek, which was swollen as if it were about to burst.

The pain was bad, but the biggest problem was…

“I didn’t see him.”

He hadn’t seen the enemy’s attack at all.

There were rumors that the knights of Namjaga had been defeated by the enemy.

Those rumors seemed to be true.

A voice came from far away.

“You were looking for your brother, weren’t you?”

Ethan opened the carriage door and lifted something.

Dexter’s eyes narrowed.

“No way…”

He saw a figure slumped over.

It looked strangely familiar.

Soon, he was horrified.

It was his younger brother, Ruin, hanging limply in Ethan’s hands.

“Here’s your brother.”

Ethan threw Ruin away.

“You damn brat!”

Dexter rushed over and caught Ruin. His brother’s face was unrecognizable, and his entire body was swollen from being beaten so badly.

He quickly checked his pulse.

Fortunately, it was beating normally.

However, something was wrong.

“…There’s no mana?”

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It was exactly as he said.

There was not a trace of mana in Ruin’s body.

Dexter’s face contorted as he frantically examined Ruin’s body.

It wasn’t the worst-case scenario of the mana hole disappearing, but it was just as serious.

His gaze turned to Ethan.

“You… What did you do to my youngest brother?”

“Do I have to tell you?”

The relaxed smile that appeared on Ethan’s lips made Dexter lose his mind.

His youngest brother, who was just like him, was the brother he loved the most.

Even though he was addicted to alcohol and gambling, he believed that he would come to his senses someday.

His brother should never have been beaten so badly by such a worthless man.

“I’ll kill you!”

He dropped Ruin and disappeared.

Dexter instantly drew his sword. Not only had he achieved the rank of 3-star knight at a young age, but he was now close to becoming a 4-star knight.

There were few knights in the Southern Kingdom who could match him.

That was why he had threatened the Grand Duke without hesitation. He was confident that he could break his neck if necessary.

Dexter’s figure quickly approached Ethan.

If he killed him here and now!

His father would try to cover up this incident rather than punish him.

It was much better to solve the problem this way than to bow his head to that man.

That was why there was no hesitation in Dexter’s sword strike.

The sharp sword was approaching Ethan’s neck.

It was an angle that was impossible to avoid.

“He’s dead!”

His eyes were filled with joy.

In a moment, he would be able to plunge his sword into the man’s neck.

Just then.

Ethan chuckled.

“You’re just as clumsy as the one who taught you.”

It seemed like he had somehow stolen sword techniques and mana breathing methods, but there was not a single trace of subtlety in his strike.

If he just bent his neck slightly like this…

“Huh?”

It was easy enough to dodge the sword.

In an instant, Ethan grabbed the man by the throat and moved the essence of fire.

An incredible force boiled up in his arm. He used that force to slam the man into the ground with all his might.

Bang!

Dexter’s face was smashed against the hard stone floor. The force was so great that the stone floor cracked.

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He didn’t need to see it to know what had happened to the man’s face.

“Guh!”

He could feel the vibrations from the man’s neck trembling in his hands.

The sword he had been holding had long since flown far away. Ethan stared intently at Dexter.

He never thought there would be someone who would treat the sacrifices of his direct descendants as nonsense.

As expected, the world was vast and full of trash.

This guy was one of them. He was real trash that was difficult to even recycle.

To have such a son, the baron must have been a piece of trash himself.

“It would be a waste to kill him.”

It would be too much of a luxury to let such a man die easily.

“I’ll keep him around for a while.”

I’ll seal his mana hole, cut off all the nerves in his limbs, and make him crawl like a bug so that when he looks at his direct descendants, he’ll have to lift his head from the floor.

That way, he’ll at least understand a little bit about manners.

The punishment was decided.

The creature seemed to regain consciousness and began to twitch its hands.

Ethan watched expressionlessly and said,

“Knights are such a nuisance. They’re uselessly resilient.”

Ethan lifted Dexter and immediately slammed his face onto the stone floor.

“Aaah!”

Thud!

“Noisy.”

At this point, the situation began to get chaotic.

“Bug-like creatures.”

The ones who had been watching quietly when this guy was gloating were now swarming like ants as soon as the crisis hit.

Starting with the knights, the baron’s family members came out of the inner courtyard and widened their eyes at the scene before them.

Dexter, the second prince of the family.

He was lying face down on the stone floor, unable to put up any resistance.

If it had been the opposite scene, he could have understood somehow.

“Aaaah!”

Screams rang out from all directions.

Among them, there was a woman screaming the loudest.

It was the baron’s wife.

“My lady!”

“Quickly, take her inside!”

The servants were about to lead the baroness inside the castle.

The baroness violently pushed them away and pointed at Ethan, shouting.

“What are you all doing? Stop that madman! Hurry up and stop him!”

It was at that moment.

Ethan, who had been filming Dexter, looked around.

“Could there really be someone here who would dare to raise a sword against Ardan?”

“Ardan? No way…”

The people inside the inner courtyard narrowed their eyes.

There was only one person who came to mind who would mention Ardan’s name and whose face was unfamiliar.

Ethan Ardan, the grand duke who had recently come to power.

The young man who was mercilessly smashing Dexter’s face was none other than the grand duke himself!

Some knights were hesitating at the countess’s urging.

“Grand Duke! Stop!”

An old man’s voice rang out.

Baron Helmut.

The old fox had finally revealed himself.

Ethan turned his head toward the source of the voice.

The baron was surrounded by nearly twenty knights.

As soon as she saw the baron, the baroness rushed toward him, crying.

“My dear! Our son! Our son…”

“…Lady, go inside. I’ll take care of this. Sir Walton!”

“Yes!”

“Take the lady inside the castle.”

“Yes, sir. Lady, please come with me.”

“Dexter!”

Even as they entered the inner courtyard, the baron’s wife’s voice could still be heard echoing throughout the courtyard. Only after she had disappeared did the area around them become quiet.

The baron sighed and spoke.

“It’s been a long time, Grand Duke.”

“It’s good to see you, Baron. Has it been ten years?”

“Please let that child go.”

“I’m sorry, but that’s impossible.”

At those words, the baron’s eyes narrowed sharply.

“Why?”

“This man not only insulted me, who was invited by the baron, but also used a dagger. He dared to raise a knife against a direct descendant. His crime must be punished with death.”

“……”

“You must know that this is the law of the duke’s family.”

“Huh. I know my son is hot-blooded. He must have made a mistake in his words… Wouldn’t it be better for both of us to let him go at this point?”

“Better for both of us?”

“If the Grand Duke wishes, the Count of Karagas will be at your service.”

Ethan chuckled.

“The count has a way with words.”

“What do you mean?”

“You sent him to me even though you know he’s hot-blooded? That Luin was the same way… Did you send these two here because you wanted me to do this?”

“No, that’s not it.”

“Well, anyway, I intend to follow the law. I believe you have no right to interfere.”

“The Count of Carcas is a member of the Council of Elders. The law? That may have been true in the past, but now the judgment of the Council of Elders is the law itself.”

What an arrogant thing to say.

The count added one more sentence as if to make it clear.

“I will leave the punishment of my son to the judgment of the Council of Elders. So, let go of him.”

“I don’t understand.”

“It’s been ten years since the Grand Duke awoke, so it’s understandable that he’s unfamiliar with the changes. However, even a tree with deep roots will fall someday. The masters of the era are always changing.”

“Are you saying that the Duke’s family is a fallen tree?”

“I thought the Grand Duke knew that to some extent. However… if you join us now, we may be able to revive your family…”

“It seems you don’t understand, so let me repeat myself. My answer to the Baron’s request is this.”

Crack!

Dexter’s face was crushed against the stone floor. Seeing this, Helmut shook his fist.

Fifteen years ago.

When all the direct descendants of the duke’s family were still alive, the collateral branches did not dare to even think of opposing them.

That was when the name Ardan resounded throughout the Western Continent, beyond the borders of the Kingdom of Haiden.

Back then, even if just one of the duke’s elite knights came, it could destroy an entire family.

If it were then, I would have fallen flat on my face, trembling, and waited for a merciful punishment.

“But…”

Now it was different.

Now, the Duke of Ardan was nothing but a hollow shell with nothing left but the honor attached to his name.

So there was no need to be afraid.

“Dexter was right.”

There was no need for him to be so submissive. Especially not when his second son’s face was being smashed into the stone floor.

“Do you think you will be safe if you act like this, Grand Duke? I warn you, it would be best to stop. Even my patience has limits.”

“Was the invitation you sent so kindly just a deception? You are no different from your son.”

“Remember that this is the house of the Baron of Karagas, Grand Duke. I must change my demands. Release my son immediately and beg for forgiveness for your rudeness.” “Forgiveness?”

Ethan chuckled.

He was so incredulous that he couldn’t help but laugh.

“Don’t take my warning lightly.”

At those words, the knights behind the baron reached for their swords.

Nearly twenty knights were emanating a menacing aura.

Seeing the knights, the baron felt reassured. It was impossible to persuade the Grand Duke anyway.

In a situation like this, it was better to resolve it with force.

The baron looked at the grand duke and smiled slyly.

“I heard that Manahol was completely destroyed… Do you think you’ll come to your senses if that destroyed hall is crushed into pieces once again?”

Twenty knights were more than enough to cripple the grand duke.

As long as they weren’t killed, there was a way to smooth things over.

“So, before it’s too late, kneel down and beg for forgiveness.”

“It seems that the punishment for the Baron of Karagas has been decided.”

“…Punishment?”

Ethan drew his double swords and looked at the knights lined up behind the baron.

“Baron Helmut not only dared to threaten me, a direct descendant of the duke, but also tried to harm me directly. Therefore, he will be severely punished for treason.”

Treason.

It was a crime that could result in the confiscation of all the rights of the vassal family, including their noble titles.

At those words, the baron snorted derisively.

“Ha! Do you think the Grand Duke can decide that? You’re just a mere heir! There’s nothing more to see here! Knights, subdue the Grand Duke immediately! If necessary, cut off one of his limbs! And crush his mana core into pieces!”

“Yes!”

The knights drew their swords and began advancing toward the duke.

To destroy the mana core.

It was a declaration of intent to end his life as a knight. He couldn’t help but feel disgusted.

He could see the knights approaching.

“Twenty knights.”

He would need to use at least one technique to wipe them out.

A massive amount of mana began to gather above the great sword held by Edan.