Note: The Novel Will Be Corrected Until Chapter 105, After That Chapter It Will Be All MTL
C34 - 35 - 36
Episode 34
The man who entered through door number 34 was a dignified, middle-aged man with graying hair. Dressed in a crisp suit and possessing a face aged with elegance, he could easily pass for a noble based on his appearance alone. However, his deep bow upon seeing Logan and Philip immediately suggested someone accustomed to serving others.
“Our master has instructed me to purchase a medicine called Imporik here.”
“And this master would be…?”
Philip stepped forward, intrigued, as Logan observed the middle-aged man.
“Regrettably, I have been told not to disclose their identity.”
The man’s uneasy demeanor revealed he was unsure why he was there.
‘Just as I expected…’
Though Logan had anticipated this when he opened the shop, he couldn’t just sell the medicine outright. At Logan’s signal, Philip stepped forward as planned.
“I’m sorry, but we only sell to nobility whose identities have been verified.”
“What do you mean by that…?”
“If they cannot come personally, at least bring a document bearing their seal.”
“Huh…”
This might have seemed like an absurd requirement, but it was necessary.
‘We need to create the impression that it’s a premium product not just anyone can buy.’
Despite the risk of offending the nobility, it was important to emphasize that the medicine wasn’t to be distributed lightly.
“Here, this is the certificate.”
The middle-aged man returned later, sweating profusely, and presented a certificate. He must have never imagined needing such a document for a purchase. Logan confirmed the noble seal on the certificate.
‘As expected.’
The seal was a lily – belonging to the Davis Earldom. They were the first to take the bait.
Upon Logan’s nod, Philip addressed the man again.
“Did you bring the money?”
“Yes, I brought it all in cash, as instructed.”
In truth, for such a large sum and in the capital, a bank deposit certificate would have sufficed. The insistence on cash suggested a desire to leave no trace.
The man took out a heavy pouch of gold coins from his backpack.
“Thud.”
“It’s 10,000 gold. I was told this is the price for 100 boxes.”
“You heard wrong. It’s the price for ten. Perhaps you should check again.”
It was unlikely such an experienced servant misunderstood his master’s instructions. The price of 1,000 gold per box must have seemed unbelievable.
“Ah, yes, now I remember. Ten boxes, that’s right.”
“Here you are, sir.”
The boxes, too light and small compared to the weight of the gold pouch, were wrapped in luxurious silk but probably cost about one gold each to produce. The middle-aged man looked bewildered as he alternated his gaze between the boxes and the pouch.
“Is there a problem?”
“Is this really Imporik?”
“Yes, it’s the same as what we gave to your master. He’ll confirm it for you.”
With a sigh, the man left the shop with drooping shoulders. Logan and Philip, left in the shop, high-fived, sensing a business boom.
“You should go to the party.”
“Of course. Another busy day ahead.”
Logan’s eyes, once weary from repetitive work, now sparkled with energy. From that day, the small but luxurious shop began to attract more customers.
A week later, in the heart of the Inner City, the small shop with no sign but just a nameplate reading ‘Logan McLine’ started to see lines forming from morning. Most of the people in line were familiar faces to Logan and Philip, indicating repeat customers – a key to a successful business. Though the real customers were their masters.
“Everyone sends only their servants. But what’s the use?”
The servants whispered among themselves.
“Count Hammel too?”
“Why is Baron Talun here?”
“Look, there’s the butler of the Davis Earldom.”
While Logan couldn’t identify their masters by face, the servants recognized each other, spreading the word even faster. Exactly what Logan had intended.
“Is that shop selling medicine for a thousand gold per box?”
“What? Those lunatics.”
“But it’s said to be highly effective.”
And so, the rumor of Imporik, an extraordinary tonic for men, spread rapidly throughout the Grang.
“Wow, we sold out again today.”
The first week saw a total of 100 boxes sold. But in the following week, sales soared to 350 boxes, hitting the daily limit. Logan’s face brightened with success.
“So many impotent nobles.”
“Not all of them. It’s also a good tonic, right?”
“It’s their greed that’s making us money.”
“It’s that greed… Hmm… Logan, you said you’d let me handle the sales?”
“It seems like it’ll end up that way. You’re almost doing it already. Why?”
“There’s just over half of your stock left. Can I set the prices tomorrow?”
“You want to set the prices? Hmm…”
Changing a well-selling product’s price was risky, but Philip had led one of the top ten merchant groups in his past life.
“Go ahead, but if it seems to go wrong…”
“Don’t worry. It will work out.”
The next morning.
“3,000 gold?! Why has the price tripled overnight?!”
Philip had to turn away many customers throughout the morning.
“Philip, what are you thinking? If you triple the price…”
“It will still sell. Just watch.”
Despite Logan’s doubts, Philip’s confidence was unwavering. His prediction proved correct by the afternoon.
“One box, please!”
“Two, no, three!”
“That’s it for today. Please come back tomorrow!”
The popularity of Imporik did not wane.
“Wow, 2.55 million gold in just four weeks… And the cost is almost…”
Even Philip, who orchestrated this, was astounded. Logan, on the other hand, was overjoyed.
“We did it!”
Though risky, the plan, based on information from his past life, was a tremendous success. Especially since Philip had raised the revenue to 2.1 million gold in just two weeks with the new pricing.
“What about you, Philip? Any concerns?”
“Well, I was wondering… this has no side effects, right?”
“No, not that I know of.”
Philip’s worry seemed to grow.
“If something goes wrong…”
“If something goes wrong, a thousand or three thousand gold won’t make a difference. We need to make money while we can. But still…”
Recognizing Philip’s burden, Logan decided to motivate him.
“From next month, 1% of the sales revenue is yours.”
Philip’s eyes lit up.
“Really?!”
“Yes. Now do your best.”
With renewed vigor, Philip committed to the task.
700 boxes of Imporik remained. Even if more were sent from the main house, sales would have to pause for 1-2 weeks due to the supply shortage. But Philip saw even this positively.
“A 1-2 week break will increase Imporik’s value. Of course, we can’t let this happen often.”
Logan smiled, trusting his capable partner. Now it was time to use the profits for future plans.
‘Should I stop by there on the way back? No, I should involve the family…’
Having achieved one goal, Logan began to focus on future tasks.
“Just for today, let’s not think about anything. Concentrate!”
As Logan settled into his meditation, he sensed a faint presence.
‘A thief!’
His reaction was swift. He grabbed his sword and turned towards the sound.
“Who’s there?”
But there was no one. Sensing someone behind him, Logan spun around and struck with his sword.
“Hmm?!”
His surprise was evident. The intruder, a masked figure, vanished as quickly as they had appeared.
“Was it a ghost…?”
But the piece of black cloth from the intruder’s sleeve on his bed confirmed it was real.
“What was that…?”
-------------------------
Chapter 35: The next morning.
Unable to hide his astonishment, Phillip looked at Logan after hearing his words.
“A thief, you say? And even you couldn’t catch them, Lord Logan?”
“Indeed. I couldn’t lay a finger on them, nor sense their movements.”
“Hmm. That person must be at least a high-level Force User, if they can elude you. It’s strange for someone like that to resort to thievery.”
Phillip’s impression of Logan’s realm was simple, having only heard about it in stories.
But for Logan, it wasn’t something to accept so lightly.
His senses were amplified several times over during meditation.
Even with his physical abilities and senses elevated by the Force Core, and the concentration brought through meditation, he barely felt a presence.
‘That’s not just high-level. It’s at least top-tier Force User. No, even that doesn’t suffice. It wasn’t merely a sensation of a high level; it felt like a completely different class. Could it be…?’
Underestimating an enemy is a problem, just as overestimating can be.
Hence, Logan tried not to jump to premature conclusions, but his intuition was suggesting that this unprecedented guess might be accurate.
“A Force User… as a thief? That’s nonsense…”
The ridiculous thought made him snicker involuntarily.
Having obtained the power of Aura, capable of tearing through everything, which set them beyond the limitations of an ordinary Force User—an individual of such caliber could become a noble of a domain in an instant or even earn a title of earldom if they went to the empire.
And yet, such an Aura User resorted to mere thievery.
Phillip too scoffed with an incredulous expression.
“Come now, Lord Logan. Don’t go too far with such ludicrous talk. Just check if anything is missing, instead.”
“Not much is missing though.”
“…Not much, you say?”
“Did we pack the Imporik correctly?”
“Of course. We were going to sell it to the nobles, so we checked it multiple times… Eh? No way?”
“Two Imporik pills are missing from a box. It’s an ambiguous detail that’s quite bothersome, but that’s all there is.”
One would expect the entire box to be stolen.
Just opening the packaging to take only two pills was too bizarre.
‘It’s possible we packed it wrongly, but…’
It seemed more likely that the thief had taken them out.
But connecting that inference with the previous guess only led to a more bizarre conclusion.
– An Aura User stole precisely two aphrodisiacs.
‘For what purpose?’
An Aura User, who reached the pinnacle of Force and harnessed the superior Aura powers, would typically have tremendous physical capabilities, even virility.
Hence, a typical Aura User often had numerous concubines and, in many cases, dozens of children.
But an Aura User needing an aphrodisiac?
‘No. Imporik isn’t just an aphrodisiac. Though it’s advertised as a miracle elixir that could even heal physical impotence… Could it be?’
Once again, it was merely intuition, without concrete evidence.
Yet following that shining premonition, Logan spoke to Phillip.
“Those records! Were there Aura Users in them?”
“Eh? That’s confidential—you have to pay extra. You declined, Lord Logan, saying we didn’t need it.”
“Ah, yes. Then…”
“Didn’t you say you knew everything already and it wasn’t necessary?”
“What?”
“In the capital, there’s precisely one Aura User without offspring.”
“Ah!”
Logan’s memory was of distant recollections.
He hadn’t paid attention to the absolute powerhouses since he believed there would be no connection for a while, but now it suddenly came back to him.
There were five Aura Users in the Grandia Kingdom, with only two residing in the capital.
Among them was certainly one such individual.
A typical Aura User with a powerful physique would boast abundant virility, yet there was one without any descendants.
* * * Giggles.
“Catch me if you can!”
“Waaaah! Mommy!”
“Nurse! He hit me.”
“Waaaaah.”
The frolicking children on the streets were lively.
Watching over them, even from afar, made for a heartwarming scene, but the face of a middle-aged man observing from a mansion window was tinged with bitterness.
‘Children…’
A life without regrets. One he could proudly declare.
Most people who knew him would say the same.
The only blemish on his triumphant life was the absence of children.
That was it.
Of course, he never showed that side to anyone.
Having merely one regret in life meant, inversely, how fortunate he was.
He wasn’t greedy or insufficiently cultivated to not realize that.
But sometimes, like now, when he caught sight of such bright and lovable children, a pang of longing would jab his heart with the sharpness of a needle.
Despite his efforts to look away, all he could muster was a wry smile.
“…What are you looking at?”
At that moment, a lovely, familiar voice made him hastily turn around.
“Oh! My wife. Ha, I was just admiring the scenery outside for a bit. It seems I carelessly left the window open in this chilly breeze. Let’s go inside.”
He felt ridiculous calling the warm breeze of early summer chilly.
His wife’s eyes were already holding the children outside in their gaze.
“You, again…”
The pain that flickered in those large eyes stung his heart even more.
So before she could finish speaking, he hastily took the initiative.
“No, I was simply enjoying the external view. Don’t worry about it. Come, let’s go inside.”
The origin of the pain was his own doing; he was bringing it up again and disturbing it.
Hiding his darkened expression, he turned around quickly, but suddenly…
Delicate arms wrapped around his chest from behind.
“…Honey. I’m truly happy to have met you. You know that, right?”
He momentarily raised his head and stared at the ceiling to suppress the welled-up emotions.
“I feel the same…”
His response was a bit delayed, but it was filled with sincere truth.
“Then don’t be so pained. We’re together, aren’t we?”
It was such a precious sentiment, yet he couldn’t face his wife.
He felt tears might fall once more, now that he had aged quite a bit.
So all he did was stroke the soft hands clinging to his chest and glare at the innocent ceiling.
Felix Esperanza.
The pain that lingered in the heart of the man known as the kingdom’s greatest swordsman began with an injury in his youth.
During a battle for his country, he happened to damage his groin—a critical flaw for a man.
But in his younger days, he barely minded it.
He lived as he wished, suffered the injury doing what he wanted to do.
‘A knight got hurt during his duty. It’s an honorable wound.’
Though it wasn’t a part of his body he could boast about, he wasn’t embarrassed.
It was just a pity. That was what he thought.
But as time passed and he aged little by little, the regret etched deeply in his heart began to ache sharply.
‘I need to leave an offspring…’
It hit him in his fifties when he was recognized as the kingdom’s strongest and his fame began to peak.
What’s the use of elevating a baron’s house to that of a duke and spreading your fame across the country if your lineage had no heir?
It all felt vain.
When he was younger, the regret even spurred him on to train more.
It was around this time that he began to perceive his longing as a real pain.
Then, he met his current wife.
At first, he thought it was simply out of pity.
He just wanted to restore light in the eyes of a prime-aged maiden who looked as if she was dying inside.
Felix didn’t realize it was love.
But she was too grateful, and beyond that, she actively expressed her affection.
Even when embarrassed, he spoke candidly about his weaknesses.
– How much did you suffer?
Seeing her weep more painfully than he did, he felt the regret, which he thought was just sorrow in his heart, washing away.
Only then did he truly understand love, and recognized his pain.
– If you’re okay with it, please allow me to serve by your side. I’ll repay this kindness for a lifetime.
An exceptional person. An overwhelming love, he thought.
It even led to engagement, defying the objections of his retainers.
And so he had already spent more than a decade with his wife.
It was undoubtedly a happy time, but the ache in his heart had not completely vanished.
Actually, because everything was so perfect, he couldn’t help but keep noticing that one shortfall.
That’s why he sometimes made such foolish mistakes like this one.
“Cough, cough. I’ll go take a look at work, my wife. I might be a bit late.”
“…are you really okay?”
“Of course, who do you think I am! Don’t worry.”
Felix, nearly of septuagenarian age, boasted with all his might in front of his wife as if he were a young boy—preventing himself from showing tears was a hundred times better.
* * *
“…That concludes the regular report.”
“You’ve done well.”
Though the periodic report on the domain had come to an end, the adjutant did not move, obviously having something more to say.
“Luis. Speak up if you have something to say.”
“Your Excellency. It’s just that… it’s about that matter again…”
The adjutant hesitated to bring up the subject, causing Duke Felix’s brows to furrow deeply.
“The issue with adopting a son again?”
“…The retainer’s urging has been quite persistent.”
“Do those people actually wish for my early demise?”
“That couldn’t be. They’re just concerned about the future of the house.”
“Hmph. I care not! How many times must I say this? When it’s my time to go, those bastards in the collateral branch might already be having grandchildren. And now they’re harrying me to decide on an heir?”
He was nearing his seventies.
But the outward appearance of the duke, hailed as the strongest Aura User in the kingdom, didn’t look a day over his forties.
So his bluff wasn’t entirely false. Yet, no Aura User could stay forever young, not unless one became an Aura Master of legend. Typically, Aura Users age rapidly at some point in life and pass away.
The retainers who knew this couldn’t help but feel insecure.
But obviously, Luis couldn’t just say, ‘Because we don’t know when you might die.’ So the adjutant remained silent again.
Duke Felix understood the retainer’s position as well.
He was aware that he was pushing the issue.
‘But not yet, it’s not time yet.’
Adopting a son felt like a declaration of surrender to the deeply rooted yearning in his heart.
Despite knowing there was no other way, he really did not want to.
‘Not yet, I want to wait a bit longer…’
No matter how foolish, no matter how silly it seemed.
“Speaking of which, Your Excellency. I am hesitant to mention this, but…”
“What now?”
“Recently, an efficacious drug gaining fame in the capital has emerged.”
“…A drug?”
“It is called Imporik, an apparently potent medicine for men…”
The adjutant braced for his superior’s reproach, but the reaction was unexpectedly calm.
Luis, emboldened, quickly followed up with the most crucial information he had.
“People say it’s such a miracle drug that it can heal even physical wounds!”
“Ah…”
“Of course, I know you don’t believe it, but word has it that those who’ve used it are seeing great effects.”
“Hmph. Haha.”
Watching the adjutant hang his head, Felix just let out an exasperated laugh.
How could he not understand that his adjutant spoke with sincerity?
But he was already familiar with those rumors. In fact…
‘I’ve already tried it.’
A memory of the previous night crept up, heating his cheeks.
He saw his wife last evening, crying as she watched children play in the setting sun outside the window.
At that moment, his years of discipline crumbled.
Driven by emotion and allowing instinct to take over, he committed a theft he had never attempted in his life.
The two Imporik pills, obtained through that shameful act, were already inside him.
But…
No miracle had occurred.
“Luis. Filter out the rumors before you listen to them. If Aura can’t fix it, how could some mere medicine?”
That one foolish act of blind hope was enough.
“…My apologies.”
The day’s work seemed to end with such a ludicrous event.
“Your Excellency. A visitor from outside…”
That was until a knight brought in a disconcerting message.
--------------------
Episode 36
“Who has come to visit?”
“Well… It’s a man named Logan McLean. He came without an appointment and insists on speaking with Your Excellency, pushing quite aggressively for a mention.”
Upon hearing this, Felix’s expression notably hardened, and the knight witnessing this also wore an increasingly stern look.
“I apologize! I will send him away immediately.”
“No, let him in.”
“…Excuse me?”
The knight’s eyes widened at the unexpected response.
* * *
– Let him in.
With a low voice reverberating, Logan was able to enter the modest-looking office.
Unlike the usual aristocratic offices filled with paintings, pottery, and lavish decorations, this one was furnished with simple pieces.
A handsome middle-aged man with a golden beard that reached his chin sat by the window through which sunlight streamed, his friendly eyes notable.
As soon as Logan saw him, he bowed his head.
“I’m honored to meet the Sword Sage. I am Logan McLean, the eldest son of the McLean clan.”
“McLean? Isn’t that the territory in the southwest? What brings the son of that region all this way?”
The voice that matched the stately appearance.
He looked about forty or fifty but that was due to his powerful aura suppressing his aging; in truth, he was nearly seventy, an old sword sage.
Felix Esperanza, respected as the strongest sword sage in the Kingdom of Grandia.
As Felix’s solemn gaze fixed upon Logan, he remembered the warning voice of Philip before coming here.
– Anyway, I’m not going. Absolutely not! If something happens to you, Logan, I’ll pretend I know nothing. You got that?!
Philip hadn’t understood Logan’s confidence about seeking out the Sword Sage.
To put it dramatically, what Logan intended to do was akin to knocking on the door of one of the kingdom’s most powerful and superhuman figures and saying – Are you perhaps impotent? And did you steal my goods yesterday? Hehe.
…That was essentially the plan.
– You’re just inviting trouble. We could have ignored the whole thing… If things go wrong, we’re screwed!
Although Philip wasn’t really wrong to worry.
But if that man truly was the Sword Sage, then this was an opportunity that Logan couldn’t miss.
The chance to form a good connection with one of the country’s highest authorities.
Such a chance was certainly worth taking a gamble on.
‘I don’t have to bring up yesterday’s incident. If he truly is the Sword Sage and the rumors are true, then…’
Logan had a way to fix it.
Philip might think it was just another tall tale, but the effects of the remedy were unquestionably real.
Of course, the two doses he had taken the previous day would not have been enough to see a proper effect.
‘The problem is figuring out whether the thief from yesterday was really the Sword Sage…’
Even facing him directly, Logan still had no absolute certainty.
After all, who could comprehend why a man of Sword Sage’s stature would personally carry out such an act?
However, the mere fact that Sword Sage Felix agreed to meet with a no-name countryman at the drop of a hat added to Logan’s confidence in his assumptions.
And Logan had come with the perfect gift, assuming all his conjectures were correct.
“It is an honor to meet you. And this is…”
No sooner had Felix finished speaking than Logan quickly retrieved a box from his pocket.
“I’ve recently started a business in the capital, and on the way to see you, I brought this gift.”
Despite it seeming customary to offer a reply, Sword Sage remained silent.
Felix observed Logan and the box without any discernible emotion in his eyes.
However, Logan, undaunted, walked confidently towards him.
“The product I sell is called Imporik, a tonic. Its effectiveness is proven through various nobles, and it’s already guaranteed to be an excellent drug for men.”
“…Is that so?”
Felix’s voice, deep and discharged, was unmistakably uninterested.
Yet, Logan’s following words caused a slight tremor in the Sword Sage’s blue eyes.
“But such things are hardly necessary for a superhuman like Your Excellency. Hence, I prepared a more special item.”
Upon seeing this, Logan silently cheered within.
‘I was right!’
His indifferent expression was probably due to the ineffectiveness of Imporik.
Given the way Imporik worked, it naturally made sense.
The flesh of the monster Karok contained toxins, and the cost-effective antidote mitigated its toxicity without harming people.
However, a slight toxicity remained, mixing with the flesh’s composition to act both as an aphrodisiac and a remedy for sexual dysfunction.
This function was so powerful that, in that particular area, it even seemed to have restorative effects.
But what if it met a superhuman or a user of aura?
That minute level of toxicity would have had no impact on such a sturdy constitution.
Hence, the solution was simple.
‘Concentrate the toxin to an extreme degree.’
Click.
Logan, smiling, opened the lid of the small box.
“This is the very…”
Inside was a pill, ornately wrapped in gold leaf.
“A special limited edition.”
“Mmm.”
Felix let out a single, complex sigh.
Little did he know, the “special limited edition” was merely fifty pills condensed into one, with gold leaf as nothing more than fancy packaging.
‘I had my share of hardships swallowing it…’
The agonizing pain in his stomach and the part of him that refused to settle.
Recalling the hardships he endured through self-experimentation just before coming here made Logan briefly break into a sweat.
Had it been an average person, they would likely have died when, even as a possessor of the Force Core, he had struggled so much.
‘But for an aura user…’
He doubted the toxin would cause any internal pain.
At that point, only the effectiveness would remain.
The miraculous effect wrought by the flesh of a monster, a creature not fully understood even in his previous life.
This gave Logan the confidence to extend the offer.
“It may not catch your eye, but please consider it a token of my concern for Your Excellency’s health.”
“That’s all you seek? Nothing more?”
“If you have any wishes, feel free to voice them.”
This seemed to suggest hidden implications, but Logan’s response had no hesitation.
‘Bringing up last night’s incident or making demands would spoil everything.’
Now it was enough merely to continue the connection with Sword Sage Felix.
Logan bowed his head with such a thought.
“Hmm…”
Even as he bowed, he could feel the Sword Sage’s perturbation.
A moment of silence passed, long enough despite its brevity.
“Huff, huff. Since it’s for my health, I’ll gratefully accept your gift.”
It was the moment when Logan’s fists clenched with resolve.
‘I’ve passed the first hurdle.’
They had tacitly acknowledged each other’s knowledge about the previous night’s events, and yet had avoided discussing it, establishing a fresh connection instead.
What was left was merely to wait for the result.
“If by any chance you find satisfaction after trying it, please mention it to me. I am willing to supply as much as you need, always maintaining strict ‘confidentiality’.”
Even as he took his leave, Sword Sage’s expression did not seem utterly positive.
But…
The Sword Sage’s messenger looked for Logan the very next day.
* * *
Same place, same time, a different day brought a Sword Sage with a much brighter expression.
Logan smiled at the striking contrast to the previous day’s mood.
“What do you desire?”
Before Logan could even introduce himself, Sword Sage Felix opened with an astonishing prompt.
“…Excuse me?”
“Do you wish for something? Within my capabilities, I will grant any request.”
Sword Sage’s voice conveyed an eagerness that almost felt too friendly.
Caught off-guard by the unexpectedly proactive approach, Logan hesitated briefly.
The Sword Sage was still vividly recalling the unusual sensation from that morning.
‘The effect is… present. Still.’
As an accomplished martial artist and master of the life-giving force, the aura, he could tell with certainty.
This strange drug had given his long-unresponsive body a positive stimulus.
And he could imagine what change might follow from this stimulus.
With roughly thirty more uses…
‘I can be restored!’
Each thought made his clenched hands tremble with the anticipation of resolving deep-seated regret and long-held resentment.
He didn’t need to maintain emotional equilibrium cultivated over decades of training—not when his heart was racing with the joy bestowed by hope.
So, how could he not be grateful for the young man before him?
‘He didn’t even bring up my mistake…’
An insightful young man who had come to him on the slimmest evidence, without showing his intent and instead presenting a gift.
Plus, the outstanding sword skill he had observed the other day surpassed what one could expect for his age.
Truly, he was a promising young talent worthy of “miraculous elixir.”
“Such generosity is overwhelming. Please tell me why—at least.”
Being humbled, even with such talent, was commendable.
‘Marvelous!’
Felix, who always had a soft spot for extraordinary youths, felt even more gratified.
“Ha-ha! I guess I was too eager. Well, the gift you presented yesterday has shown the possibility of healing my longstanding pain. Therefore, I wish to repay you.”
Yesterday’s gift. The mention of the drug’s effect would normally have been embarrassing.
Especially so for someone with a social status like Sword Sage.
However, the countenance he wore as he said it shone genuinely bright.
Looking at Sword Sage’s expression, Logan gained another assurance.
‘The rumors appear to be true, indeed.’
Truthfully, Logan, while selling Imporik, held a disdainful view of the nobility that crazed over it, believing that only those with promiscuous lives or intentions would purchase the drug.
Yet, he had to acknowledge anew that there might indeed be legitimate therapeutic uses.
“Very well. Do you have any requests for me? Speak frankly.”
Snapped back from his momentary reverie by Sword Sage’s pressing voice, Logan’s sense of reality returned.
‘The Sword Sage is capable of many things.’
The range of things that the man could do was enormous, even by simple reckoning.
It was a huge windfall, and at that thought, Logan’s fists clenched again.
‘But this is too much in return for just supplying Imporik.’
That’s why he couldn’t simply seize this opportunity without restraint.
Logan subdued his elated heart to calmness.
His aim was a lasting connection with Sword Sage Felix.
A figure who maintained a paramount aristocratic position even after internal strife.
Also, the kingdom’s mightiest sword during the war against the empire, halting an imperial army of a hundred thousand with merely his knights for over a week.
What Logan sought was the person himself: Sword Sage Felix, the highest aristocrat and the most powerful aura user in the current kingdom.
Therefore, it was…
‘There’s something I thought I’d ask for, as insurance.’
To lay the groundwork for an ongoing connection, it was best to show a willingness to take a calculated loss.
On his way there, Logan had considered a proposal he now brought forward.
“If you insist… Would it be possible to obtain an unused sword manual?”
“…What?”
Sword Sage questioned his own hearing at the request.
“Perhaps you misspoke about an intermediate-level sword manual?”
“I mentioned an unused manual. It could be low-level. However, it would be preferable if it came with a confirmation from the Duke.”
“Huh?”
The request seemed utterly absurd to Sword Sage.
Not least because the vast chasm between basic sword skills that train the body and lay the foundation, and intermediate-level sword skills used by aura users, was beyond description.
Had he asked for an intermediate-level sword manual, Sword Sage would have comprehended.
Though he couldn’t teach the secret techniques of the Esperanza knights, among the manuals he had collected were several quite decent intermediate-level sword techniques.
But low-level ones?
‘Almost any favor or request for money would have been acceptable. Disappointing, yes, but…’
This was beyond what Sword Sage had fathomed, an unimaginable request.
Yet, somehow, it didn’t displease him.
“…Why?”
“I simply wish it as a testament that our McLean family has connected with the Sword Sage.”
“Haha, a connection, you say.”
For Sword Sage, that sounded as absurd as it gets.
Owning one of his sword manuals wouldn’t create any special relationship.
After all, many had learned from the sword manuals he had accumulated or perfected, with his touch evident even on the Grandia Kingdom’s sword technique, deemed the foundation for all kingdom knights.
Based solely on a sword manual, near every knight in the country had the right to call themselves his disciple.
So for him, it was more about feeling apologetic than anything else.
“Rather than that, I’ll pass on a suitable intermediate-level sword manual. If you want, I can even teach you personally.”
An exceptionally generous offer, and Logan seemed momentarily affected before he responded again.
“If it’s about intermediate-level sword skills, I believe our McLean family’s technique isn’t lacking either.”
It was an empty boast.