I Regressed to My Ruined Family – 66

 #I returned, and my family fell into ruin (67)

Rumors that the Grand Prince would tour the entire domain spread quickly.

The domain’s residents lit up at the news. Since he began ruling the four domains, the quality of life for the domain’s residents had rapidly improved.

At least they no longer had to worry about going hungry.

Praise for the Grand Duke grew unabated.

They hoped he would visit their village.

All the people of the domain desperately wanted to meet the hero in person.

A week later.

Two men on horseback left the city.

They were Ethan and Ilia.

“Aren’t you taking a carriage?”

“There’s no reason for the coachman to get involved.”

Ilya’s eyes lit up at those words.

The Grand Duke.

He usually behaved like a tyrant, but every now and then he showed this warm side of himself.

This was especially true when it came to his subjects.

“At least the people who live in your domain are not unhappy.”

“Making people unhappy means you are an incompetent leader.”

This was a lesson that had been passed down through generations of dukes. Ethan remembered it well. At the very least, a leader must set an example.

And so, the tour of the villages began.

From the Earl of Itun to the Earl of Dekun, the Earl of Romenton, and the Earl of Karagas.

It was a tour of all the territories he had previously visited.

Every time they visited a village, Ilia couldn’t help but be amazed.

“It’s the Grand Duke!”

This was because the moment the villagers recognized him and shouted out, all the residents knelt down and paid him the utmost respect.

This was not a reaction that could be achieved through simple education.

If they had knelt down out of a sense of duty, they would not have shown such emotional eyes.

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It was a level of respect that even royalty could not receive.

The Grand Duke was a hero who had won the hearts of the people of the Duchy.

“Everyone, raise your heads and stand up.”

“We… we see the Grand Duke!”

Only after the village chief shouted loudly did the villagers begin to straighten their backs one by one.

Soon, bright eyes turned toward the Grand Duke.

As if they were baby birds following their mother, the residents’ eyes followed his gaze.

“The… Grand Duke saw me!”

The marriageable girls in the village blushed, and the young men’s eyes lit up with hope every time they caught his gaze.

If they could catch the eye of the great hero, they could become the knights they had always dreamed of.

In contrast, the middle-aged and elderly residents of the domain had only one thing on their minds.

How could they get their children to receive the blessing of the Grand Duke?

The previous duke was a benevolent ruler who, if not every year, would visit the entire duchy at least once every five years.

It was a famous anecdote that he would shake hands warmly and offer his blessings each time.

Of course, those blessings were not really that great. Even those who received them did not necessarily succeed.

However.

The story of the former duke’s blessing had become a kind of superstition that bound the people of the domain tightly.

If I ever get the chance…

Meanwhile, the grand duke looked at the village chief and asked, “Are there any difficulties?”

“No, sir!

“Yes! Since Your Highness took over the domain, taxes have been lowered, and subsidies are coming in regularly! There is nothing difficult about our work!”

Compared to the past, it was like heaven. How could they complain?

No matter how ignorant they were, their conscience was still alive and breathing.

“If you have any difficulties, send a letter to the castle anytime. I will resolve any issues that can be resolved.”

“Um…”

“Speak.”

“Could you give some advice to the children in our village…”

“Advice?”

If he said the right words, he felt he could even receive a warm handshake.

The village chief shook his head urgently.

“No, that’s not it! The thing is, there are so many children who want to hold the prince’s hand…! If you could just say a few kind words to our children…”

He couldn’t hold the busy hero’s feet for long. That’s why he wanted the children to at least see the prince.

If they saw the hero, their children could become great people too.

Ethan nodded cheerfully.

Soon, young children began to gather around. Ethan smiled at their bright eyes and patted them on the head.

“Grow up and become great people.”

“Yes! We will definitely become great people!”

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Some children answered clearly.

“Thank you!”

Some children blushed and thanked him.

There were dozens of villages in his domain alone.

Ethan and Ilia

continued their inspection.

Finally, they arrived at the Caragas Barony, located at the southernmost tip of the Southern Union.

Ilia stared at Ethan.

“…What an amazing man.”

The main purpose of the inspection was not to look around the village, but to attract swarms of bees.

Nevertheless, Ethan moved from village to village without showing the slightest sign of annoyance.

He clearly demonstrated what a natural leader he was.

Even a grand magician would not receive such respect and support.

The Ardan family.

It was a time when I realized once again how great the reputation of that family and the support of the people were.

“It’s already been a month.”

Ethan nodded.

He thought there would be an attack as soon as they left the Itun viscount’s territory, but surprisingly, there was nothing.

The enemies hadn’t even shown their faces.

He had been on an inspection tour with a girl who looked to be only ten years old for a whole month.

“To them, this must be like a feast laid out on a silver platter.”

Yet they hadn’t shown themselves. Either they were extremely patient, or they had a completely different purpose.

It had to be one of those two.

The count and the cult.

Could it be that the two groups had joined forces for something other than assassination?

“That could be.”

Still, the journey wasn’t entirely fruitless for Ethan. It was a period when the interior was tightly guarded.

Just then.

“Hm. They’re here.”

Ilia whispered quietly through her magic.

“There’s a magic circle 100 meters ahead. It looks like it’s been prepared for quite some time…”

Soon, her eyes flashed blue. It took her only a fraction of a second to analyze the magic circle.

“Hm. I can roughly gauge the level of that bishop. He is indeed a “bit of a weakling,” as you said, but he is no match for Ilia.

Is that so?

Meanwhile, Ilia continued to whisper through her mana.

“That’s a prison array. The moment you move there, a mana wall will form, and no one but the caster of the magic array will be able to leave. What do you want to do?”

Ethan looked at Ilia.

“Go.”

Ilia flinched.

What Ethan had just demonstrated was a method of whispering through mana. Even upon second glance, his control over mana was breathtaking.

“Your goal is to capture them all, isn’t it? Leave it to me.”

Even as they spoke, their gazes and footsteps remained unchanged.

At that moment, they entered the magic circle. The bishop, who had disguised himself with magic along with the knights, smiled slyly.

“We’ve been caught.”

The past month.

During that time, the count and the bishop had thoroughly investigated whether this was a trap.

And they realized.

That only those two had come on the inspection.

One girl who had been brought from the Tower of Magic.

That was a group that could be described as modest, even poor, with only the grand duke. On top of that, there was no sign of the Dragon Slayers, who had been gaining fame recently.

At this point, they had really been patient.

There was no danger.

The count and the bishop were certain of that.

“Complacency leads to death.”

With their recent rise to fame, there was nothing left for them to gain.

Otherwise, there would be no reason for just two people to travel around the domain.

At that moment, the bishop flicked his finger. A massive amount of mana spread toward the magic circle, and soon the area was completely covered by a wall of mana.

Only the bishop, who had cast the magic circle, could escape the thick wall of mana.

Seeing the wall, the bishop slowly walked forward. Of course, the knights of the count’s family followed him.

“Hmm. You’re trapped.”

The man in the white robe.

Ethan asked when he saw him.

“Who are you?”

“Haha. Before you go to the afterlife, you should at least know who killed you, so you won’t feel so wronged. I am Eric, the eighth servant of the Archbishop.”

“Bishop?”

“You know me well. That’s right.”

A smile appeared on his lips, visible through his robe. Ethan saw the knights standing behind him and chuckled.

Although they hid their appearances with pitch-black robes, they couldn’t completely hide their aura.

“We’ve met before. Was your name Zard?”

Zard, who had flinched, quickly regained his composure.

It wasn’t difficult for the Grand Duke to guess who had come to kill him.

Besides, he had recently had a conflict with him.

However, he did not answer.

Instead, he had a very good tool that could resolve the current situation.

Sling!

Ten swords were drawn.

Seeing the Grand Duke looking at the wall of mana behind him, the bishop smiled and said,

“There is no escape. Not until you become corpses.”

The Grand Duke.

He maintained a calm demeanor on the outside, but he must have been panicking on the inside.

It was remarkable that he was able to hide it.

At least he hadn’t lost his composure.

“He’s different from the rest of those worms.”

The bishop thought of all the people he had killed.

The list included the royal knights of a kingdom and the leaders of various knight orders.

If it had been them, they would have shown signs of confusion.

But the man called a hero was different.

So he wondered.

Would even he scream when his life was hanging by a thread?

The bishop moistened his lips slightly.

The descendant of a great hero.

How sweet his scream would be.

Just imagining it made him feel ecstatic.

“The magician next to you, your name is… Ilia, right?”

“Yes, that is correct.”

Before he knew it, Ilia had taken out a small wand.

Seeing this, the bishop smiled and said,

“That name is similar to someone I know. Although I suppose it is just a coincidence that you have the same name as Ilia here.”

“Hmm. Eric, was it? He was a very talkative fellow.”

“Haha! He is a hero, so we must see him off properly.”

At that moment.

Ilia looked at Ethan and nodded.

“Thanks to that talkative fool, I am now ready. How about you?”

“Let’s begin.”

“Understood. Watch closely. This is the power of a grand magician!”

The moment he finished speaking.

Roar!

A tremendous wave of mana burst forth. The wand Ilia was holding began to shake as if it were about to explode.

“……!”

Eric’s eyes widened.

That was because viscous mana was seeping through the magic circle he had set up. From the control of the mana to its quality.

The little girl in front of him was a magician who was superior to him in every way except for the amount of mana she possessed!

Terrified, he hurriedly poured mana into the magic circle.

However, ownership of the magic circle was gradually shifting to the girl in front of him.

Not even a second had passed.

The ownership of the magic circle had completely shifted.

“Escape is now impossible. Not until you’re dead.”

“……”

At the girl’s words, the expressions of the bishop and the knights began to harden.