The Curse of Being Hated Has Been Lifted - Chapter 42



42 – Product Description

“It seems I’ve burdened you with too much.”

Logan’s hand gently caressed Royan’s head.

Royan was a well-mannered and kind child.

He had always been afraid of Logan since he was young, and that was evident in Logan’s eyes, but Royan had always been well-mannered.

It had been decided long ago that she would inherit the family, so she had always carried a heavy burden on her shoulders.

“Are you worried about me, Jim?”

“Yeah, it seems I’ve caused you unnecessary concern because of the curse hanging over me.”

There was no reason for Royan to apologize.

She was young, and she hadn’t done anything wrong to Logan.

There was no reason for this young kid to carry guilt towards Logan, and if she lived with that guilt, Logan would feel uncomfortable too.

“I have no intention of returning as the Asrian Viscount. So, there’s no reason for you to talk about giving the title to me. Put your worries down. You have no responsibility in this.”

“But…”

“And there’s no need to worry about this estate. I believe I can succeed even without the Asrian name.”

When Logan spoke softly yet firmly, Royan could only stay silent.

If their relationship had been a bit closer, they might have shared more conversations, but as siblings who came from the same lineage but hardly ever conversed in reality, they couldn’t engage in intimate discussions.

As the atmosphere between them rapidly chilled, Repaire changed the topic.

“But what about the money that came with the letter?”

“It’s just a rightful dividend from an investment.”

“Investment? Who did I invest in?”

“In me.”

Logan’s expression was so assured that Repaire momentarily lost words.

“That’s pocket money, lad. You shouldn’t consider that an investment.”

“It’s an investment, Uncle. After all, isn’t the person receiving pocket money giving it for the well-being of the giver? It’s an investment in humanity itself.”

Logan’s gaze was resolute.

No matter what Repaire said, Logan’s determination not to take the money back was unwavering.

“…Yeah, let’s call it an investment. But where did all this money come from?”

The money Logan handed over amounted to 10% of the allowance Repair had given him.

It was a somewhat ambiguous sum to say it was a repayment of his allowance, but it was too much money to call it a dividend from an investment.

“I earned it.”

“Are you saying it’s some kind of mana condition assessment or something?”

“That’s part of it. There are other reasons too. I hate to admit it, but I have Asrian blood running through my veins.”

After Logan confidently spoke, Repair let out a deep sigh and pulled out a pouch he had prepared in advance.

“Here.”

“I told you earlier, I don’t plan on taking it back. It’s a fair dividend for the investment.”

“I know, you bastard. Reinvestment, it’s reinvestment. There’s an investment that returns 10% in just one month after putting it in, so of course you have to reinvest.”

As Repair said that, Logan finally accepted the money pouch Repair had handed over.

“Fine. I’ll make sure to record it properly in the ledger.”

“Anyway… I’m leaving now. No matter what I say, I don’t plan on coming back to the family. I only came here to fit the mold from the beginning.”

“If you go straight away, won’t you raise suspicions in the family?”

“I’ll stop by here and there on the way, it’s been a while since I went out, so I’ll show Royan around too.”

Repair said, tapping Royan’s forehead lightly.

“Take care, Father! I’ll see you later!”

“Yeah, see you later.”

The two of them disappeared in an instant.

Even though they had just met again after a long time, they left without exchanging any pleasantries.

“What’s up? Why did you come in alone?”

“After finishing up some business.”

“Weren’t they family?”

“They were.”

Logan sat down and started jotting something on a piece of paper.

“You too should work; at the start, move with strong force and then swiftly change while in motion.”

Yashuheet glanced at Logan as if questioning if he’d really consider doing that, but Logan continued earnestly pondering ideas flowing onto the paper.

*****

“Nice to meet you.”

“Yes.”

Short greetings were exchanged.

Both had cold personalities, so it was expected.

“Let’s get straight to the point.”

The man seated across Logan was quite a figure.

As the heir to the Redrika family, a prestigious lineage in the realm of magic.

If it weren’t for Herman Redrika’s personal acquaintance, facing him would have been impossible.

Despite the grandeur of the Black Star’s fame, being a disciple of the Redrika family, not just known for magic, but even for swordplay, didn’t wield much influence.

He had simply come upon the request of his cute younger sister to spare some time.

“Understood.”

As Logan pressed a peculiar-looking rod, light began to illuminate one side of the wall.

It was merely a light magic that wouldn’t have been noteworthy if it only illuminated, but the wall clearly displayed words and drawings.

“Take a look at this.”

The magic itself was nothing special.

It was simply a well-combined light magic.

When a skilled magician and a blacksmith collaborated, it was entirely feasible.

Yet, no one had ever thought of preparing presentation materials using light magic until now.

His adorable younger sister, Herman, was skilled enough as both a magician and a blacksmith to be called a master, but she lacked innovation as an inventor.

“This must be his work.”

Some kind of show.

It was probably to showcase his skill and ideas beforehand.

“What I’ve created is a means of transportation using magic.”

From Noble mtl dot com

What appeared on the screen was a carriage.

Apart from the bizarre metal blocks at the front of the carriage instead of horse stones,

“Transportation using magic… I’m aware that’s already been commercialized, isn’t it?”

High-end carriages already had devices attached to enhance propulsion using magic.

“I misspoke a bit. What I’ve made is a means of transportation solely using magic.”

Herun Redrika reassessed Logan.

“Enhancing propulsion using magic is highly inefficient.”

The mana consumption is too high compared to the increasing speed.

Even in a carriage propelled by horses, the efficiency isn’t great. So, transporting people using only magic?

It would naturally be much more inefficient.

“There’s no way my younger brother doesn’t see it that way.”

Herman may not have had the qualities of an inventor, but he had exceptional magical talent and a keen eye.

If the man in front of him was trying to sell him a pile of scrap metal that only moved by consuming a lot of mana, there was no need for an introduction in the first place.

So, of course, it meant that he had created a machine that moved by consuming reasonable amounts of mana.

“Please continue explaining.”

Logan’s invention was truly remarkable.

It had the output to move a carriage with less than 1/100th of the mana previously required.

“You’re not going to explain the operating principle?”

“No, it’s a trade secret.”

Heron decided to trust Logan’s words for now.

More accurately, he trusted in Heron who trusted Logan.

“By not explaining the detailed operating principle… it seems like your real intention was to sell it.”

“Actually, it’s more of a pre-order. It’s in the development completion stage, but it’s not yet ready for mass production.”

“That’s fine.”

According to Logan’s explanation, the product he had developed this time, called the “car,” was not only much faster and required less manpower compared to carriages, but it also had lower operational costs.

“But the important thing is not that.”

If we assume that all of Logan’s words were true, the car was an innovative invention.

Being a transportation vehicle that could move without the need for horses and consumed reasonable resources, it was a product that showcased its value regardless.

Logan’s offered price for the car was 500 gold.

It wasn’t a cheap price, but approaching it as a way to uphold the family’s prestige rather than just a personal possession, it didn’t seem all that expensive.

“I won’t buy it unless it performs as promised. And I want to see the power source myself. Even if I can’t see the inside, I want to see it in action at least.”

“Of course, I’ll arrange for you to visit.”

Logan turned off the lights and left the lounge, which was designed to look like an office.

“Here I am.”

Since they had initially met at Red Lica’s forge, there was only a slight difference of about five steps to the engine.

-Clank, clank, clank!

With Ashit’s involvement, there had been significant changes to the engine, and now it could produce high output very stably.

“Is this mana stone the only power source?”

“Yes.”

“It certainly has high efficiency.”

Even the exceptional mage Herun couldn’t fully comprehend the engine’s workings.

He could only grasp that it emitted energy far beyond what its mana consumption would suggest and that there were traces of ice magic scattered throughout.

“I’m back. Did you leave, brother?”

At that moment, a familiar voice was heard from outside the forge.

“…Still here.”

“Hermon!”

Herun immediately turned around and ran to Red Lica, embracing her.

To be precise, it could be said that he hugged her.

His height was just enough to reach Redrika’s chest.