Regressor of the Fallen Family

Chapter 235

The royal family decided to increase the taxes collected from the nobles.

What would the nobles do next?

“Increase the taxes we collect from our domain residents! Up to 70%!”

The nobles of the kingdom raised the existing taxes by as much as nearly double.

Naturally, this drew groans of suffering from the common people.

“What kind of new era is this? An era of a new hell!”

“They said he was a tyrant, and he truly is.”

“Damn it. Whether it’s this guy or that, nobles are all the same…”

Most of the nobles were notorious for their leisurely handling of affairs, but they were as quick as lightning in moments like these.

“The madmen… They’ve raised the taxes to 70% from 90%?”

He had thought that by taking more for himself, he could squeeze more out of the domain residents.

However, the behavior surpassed Logan’s expectations.

Even the conscientious nobles, who had taken taxes of three or four parts, instantly transformed into tyrants squeezing their people dry in the face of their dwindling income.

‘Well, I’m the one who caused this situation, so I don’t have a right to complain.’

He felt a twinge of conscience, but…

“What will you do, Your Majesty? We need a policy to soothe the public sentiment…”

“No. There’s no helping it right now. This is the time to focus and exert all of our energy on what needs to be done.”

Logan had to maintain a firm attitude in response to Dwayne’s concerns, even with worries about public sentiment put aside for the moment.

“Freelance knights and knights from local domains will come flocking if they’re given guidance under the direct command of aura users like me. The king is a ruler among rulers, and they will have a just cause not to be seen as traitors to their lords.”

Heinkel nodded in agreement and added his own opinion.

“I understand your Majesty’s words. However, the training of soldiers needs to be even more distinctly differentiated.”

“Differentiated?”

“Investing in training the soldiers is, after all, using the funds mobilized regardless of the decay of public sentiment. With the support of Esperanza and Maclaine, we’re essentially investing much more money than it may seem from the outside. Therefore, we should aim to drastically raise the qualitative standards to attract applicants.”

“Raise the qualitative standards?”

“As for knights, they may be persuaded to come for a similar treatment like before, lured by the prospect of aura user instructions. However, soldiers are different. For them, immediate treatment is more important than future possibilities.”

Everyone nodded in understanding, finding the discussion straightforward.

“Let’s propose a higher monthly wage then.”

Dwayne frowned at the money-sensitive suggestion, but Heinkel nodded as if stating the obvious.

“That’s only logical. We also need to invest generously in training facilities and equipment. It’s important to emphasize that they can focus solely on training for a full year without any other duties and that after passing through the training, they will have an educational course available that would make them senior soldiers in any domain.”

“The recruitment of soldiers seems like a plea from a ruler in desperation. Heh, I’ve lived long enough to see all sorts of things.”

Even Heinkel’s statement, which stirred Swordmaster who had been silent, was accepted by the listeners as carrying weight.

Everyone, except one particular person.

“…All this budget is going to leak out like water. Hehehe.”

Dwayne expressed his distress by clenching his hair, but no one responded to his concerns.

Instead…

“We’ll need at least ten million gold to produce the equipment alone if we want an initial force of 50,000. We should mobilize all the magic workshops to start producing the new soldiers’ weapons. That should lower the costs somewhat, right?”

Even Logan attempted to slightly alleviate the financial officer’s hardships.

“Make them ‘strictly’ at cost. Thoroughly. I’ll discuss with Master Hamar. Hehe.”

Dwayne’s eyes, already bloodshot, resonated with a strange tension.

Heinkel then brought up a proposal that could make those blood-shot eyes double in size.

“The target level for soldiers should be at least up to Macline’s crossbow cavalrymen. For that, we would need repeating crossbows and…”

“That’s nonsense! It’s impossible to secure such amounts of horses in short order! Even if there were a way, the moment we buy the horses, we’d instantly go bankrupt…!”

“Of course, I haven’t thought about going that far. Just talking about the level of training. Haha, was just saying we need to perfect the training in crossbow, weaponry skills, tactics.”

“Haa… Sir Heinkel, please give such news a bit faster next time. Whew, whew. Hahaha. Thought my heart was going to drop.”

Dwayne, clutching his heart and gasping with a flush face.

Heinkel momentarily set aside his suggestion that at least 10% of the excellent soldiers should also receive cavalry training.

Then…

“At least two or three hundred of Macline’s skilled soldiers must become instructors for the royal soldiers. Given the scale, we need at least that many.”

“That shouldn’t be a problem.”

“If it’s for swordsmanship training, then knights from the Esperanza Order could also serve as instructors.”

“That might be a bit excessive for training soldiers, but that would certainly guarantee the effectiveness of the training.”

“It’s still overwhelming. In one year, we have to recruit an elite army of 50,000 that won’t be outdone by any other.”

“There’s no other way. We have to achieve the best results in a short period. Isn’t that right, Your Majesty?”

“Of course. Don’t worry too much, Master. The Macline knights will help too.”

With that, it was decided to employ the knights of Esperanza and Macline for the training of new soldiers.

A few days later…

A generous recruitment notice for soldiers, unprecedented in the kingdom’s history, began to be posted across the entire kingdom.

In essence, any knight was welcome to apply, and the conditions for soldiers were exceedingly drastic, inviting virtually anyone to apply.

The announcement became the hottest rumor throughout the kingdom nearly in an instant.

And that rumor pierced the ears of the young peasant workers who were most desperate from the news of the tax increase during the harvest season.

“At this rate, even if we farm, everything will be taken away, might as well apply to be soldiers.”

“Oh mother! Even women can apply! With taxes this terrifying, we have to reduce one more mouth to feed at home!”

The lines for application started regardless of gender.

Especially beginning with the young commoners living in the central regions under direct control of the royal capital, a multitude of people soon gathered like clouds in Grand.

“Don’t step on me!”

“Don’t push from behind!”

“Ow! Who elbowed me!”

The crowded gates of Grand were chat filled to the brim with people.

In Grand, where the population had continued to decrease amidst the tense atmosphere since the inauguration of the new dynasty, the city was bustling for the first time in a while.

On the other hand, the faces of those who had to take the entry exam according to Macline’s standards were growing pale by the moment.

“My lord, why do we have to…”

“…If they say to strip, strip. What can we do about it?”

Former Captain of the Royal Guards, Francisco Romero, whose face was ashen as he watched the throngs of black-clad applicants, had lost his title after being released from prison following his capture during the civil war as part of Esperanza’s reinforcements. His cavalrymen, once Royal Guards, were now pending reassignment to the newly forming Kingdom Defense Force.

And their first task was exactly this.

Sighs were the only response to the situation, but there was no other choice.

‘If I don’t handle this properly, I’ll indeed fall out of favor.’

Francisco was assigned this menial task, presumably because they wanted to tame him. To defy now after being disliked was tantamount to risking his neck.

Thus, Francisco clenched his teeth as he accepted the applicant’s papers and stamped them.

“Move, get inside the barracks! Men, to the other side! You idiots! How dare you-“

Occasionally, he would swat at a foolish man attempting to enter the women’s barracks, throwing them back to the opposite side.

The situation was on the verge of chaos.

But Francisco labored to manage everything, grinding his teeth and trying to maintain order.

The application period was set for a month.

The dark circles under his eyes seemed to grow more profound, but it was inevitable.

‘These will all be my subordinates later. Yes, let’s think of it that way.’

Now was the moment to be patient.

Survival comes from bending one’s pride.

Francisco Romero abandoned his pride and worked relentlessly.

“What’s the situation?”

“The number of applicants continues to overflow, and the count keeps rising. At this rate, not even a full month, but just half of it would bring in more than 50,000 people.”

“That’s somewhat relieving.”

“It’s not all good news though.”

As Logan breathed a sigh of relief, Dwayne’s expression turned even gloomier.

“…There’s an abundance of applicants, you say?”

“Yes. Far more than expected. And that’s the problem— the cost of feeding and housing the applicants during that period is far exceeding our estimations. This is not good at all! We’ve barely begun to collect the new taxes!”

“…Is that so? Why are so many flocking?”

“The arbitrary policy of a certain tyrant has made farming impossible as a sole means of livelihood!”

The direct words of the Treasury advisor about the unexpected expenses made the tyrant break out in a cold sweat.

“Well… it’s better than having a shortage.”

Logan shifted his eyes away, evading responsibility.

Watching the King dodge the issue, Dwayne sneered softly to himself and pointed towards the crowded area of applicants.

“There’s another problem.”

“Another one?”

“What about deploying the former Royal Guard Knights in full to welcome guests? Isn’t that a waste of workforce?”

As Dwayne said that, Logan coldly replied.

“A waste of workforce would mean sitting idle with nothing to do. And what have those men done so far, anyway?”

Logan’s impression of the Royal Guard was ineptitude, impotence, non-existence.

The only thing left in memory from the time the first civil war ended was…

“Well, that is the case, but there is also Count Francisco Romero among them, a top-tier knight.”

“Hm? Ah… yes, that mustachioed one.”

He was the only one who stood out, after all.

And unfortunately for Francisco, Logan then finally remembered him.

“Yes. Advanced and top-tier knights might think such tasks are an insult.”

At that moment,

– Where do you think you’re going! To your side, you madman!

Right before their eyes, a ‘top-tier knight’ was jumping up and down, restoring order as he had been described.

“…Isn’t he doing a good job, though?”

“It seems… that way.”

“Leave him be.”

“…Yes, understood.”

Was he aware that such zeal only made him suffer more?

Dwayne felt a sudden sympathy for the middle-aged knight.

Soldiers were not the only ones rushing to apply.

Years of successive civil wars in the kingdom produced countless knights without masters. Although the last civil war ended relatively quickly with fewer casualties, those who sided with the deceased king saw their houses practically ruined, leaving hundreds of knights without a place to return to.

Many of them, who could not lower themselves to the status of mere mercenaries due to their standing as quasi-nobles, lived as unemployed men under the name of freelance knights. For them, the military recruitment notice issued by the royal family was tantalizing.

Guidance from aura users.

Especially direct service to the royal family was quite enticing.

Not only them, but others were also tempted by the announcement.

“The king would be our master’s ruler. So changing sides isn’t actually betrayal.”

Unsatisfied with their treatment in the provinces, local knights also turned their gaze towards the Royal Guard’s recruitment.

As a result, against a forecasted number of 300 knights, over 540 applicants arrived.

Receiving their applications, the Swordmaster simply responded.

“Approve them all.”

“What? But Your Excellency, some of these have abandoned their masters to come here…”

“If they are not behaving like true men, we will mold them into men. And those who truly cannot be reformed will be weeded out by the training.”

The Swordmaster, who had taken on the role of Chief Instructor for the Royal Guard knights, let out a brutal smile.

And no one was more sensitively aware of these movements within the direct realm of the royal family than the nobles themselves.

The King himself is collecting applicants to create an army directly under his command!

[Knight]

Apply immediately to support and serve behind the people of the kingdom, led and directly instructed by the champions of our lands, including the Swordmaster!

[Soldier]

Recruiting young men and women between the ages of 18-25, regardless of gender.

Guaranteed a one-year focus solely on training without other duties, upon full completion, will receive treatment as a senior soldier from any domain, with all meals and equipment provided. Monthly wages are in accordance with the standards of senior soldiers from other domains!

Applicants from across the kingdom are welcome, and with the King’s permission, travel for residents of other domains is allowed.

Nomads and slash-and-burn peasants can apply past conduct notwithstanding, unless they’re violent criminals.

However, those around him couldn’t easily dismiss the situation.

“Hasn’t it been a short time since the new dynasty started? Should we not soothe the people’s minds?”

“Laboring the already struggling citizens will, in the long run, diminish the national productivity itself. Please rethink this, Your Majesty.”

Heinkel and Dwayne revealed their concerns one after another.

Yet, Logan stood firm.

“We can’t all die trying to appease the public’s sentiment right now. I understand the worries, but just for now, I wish for focus on our most urgent goal. It won’t last forever. Just one year, and it will be enough.”

With those resolute words, sighs erupted simultaneously from around him.

They exchanged worried glances, but soon, they could only force a bitter smile.

Everyone gathered here had experienced Logan’s stubbornness not once but numerous times.

– Even if it looks forced, when Logan McLaine insists, results always follow.

That experience made them go along with this seemingly reckless policy.

“If His Majesty wishes so, we should focus on discussing the organization and training of the troops to be recruited. If anyone has any thoughts, please speak up.”

Following Heinkel’s words, all eyes turned to Logan once again.