Regressor Of The Fallen Family [EN]: Chapter 10

This man wouldn’t plan so much just to trick someone like him. Philip had nothing but debt.

‘So, this bloke is definitely mad.’

And there’s nothing more foolish than having a long conversation with a madman.

But.

“…How much are you thinking of investing?”

There was always a chance, however slim.

Philip asked the question carefully. He knew there was only a very small chance this could be real.

‘Maybe this is just some rich young master, throwing money around because he doesn’t know what else to do with it.’

Knowing it was a pathetic hope, Philip couldn’t completely abandon the expectation. He was in a position where he had to grab at even a rotten rope.

Logan leaned forward a little. “First,” he said, his voice still cheerful, “how much money do you owe? And… what ideas do you have for your next business?”

Philip blinked. The young man’s questions were strange, but… they weren’t completely crazy. A tiny spark of hope, like a weak candle flame in a dark room, flickered in Philip’s chest.

“…Are you really sure?” Philip asked, his voice quiet. “This trading house… it failed. Completely. Are you sure you want to put money into something that already broke once?”

Logan smiled, a bright, confident smile. “It’s alright,” he said. “I believe in you, Mr. Philip. I really do. And yes, I want to invest.”

‘When did he ever see me…?’

The madman kept talking nonsense, but his eyes never wavered.

Such consistent reactions weren’t something a madman would typically show.

Philip tried to forget his bad feelings. He looked at the young man’s eyes. They seemed a little familiar.

The eyes of someone he missed.

‘Father…’

It was the look only someone who was sure of their judgment, who knew the path they had to take and had the conviction to walk it to the end, would have.

Only then did the hope he had been trying to push away come back.

“You’re really going to invest?”

Ba-dump.

Like seeing a ray of light in the midst of despair, the anticipation grew stronger and stronger.

“That’s right. How much would it take to pay off your debts and get back on your feet? I’ll support you fully.”

Just as those sweet words were making Philip feel like he was floating on air.

Plop.

A small sound made him turn his head without thinking.

The dirt and dust that had been stuck to the self-proclaimed investor’s armor, who had thrown him hope, fell off, revealing a crest.

The moment he saw that crest, Philip’s boiling blood instantly turned cold. His shoulders slumped. He felt the last bit of hope drain away.

‘Damn it, I knew it.’

The greater the expectation, the more miserable he felt.

“I’ll meet your conditions as much as you want. Tell me.”

The excitement went away quickly. Philip saw the smiling face of the man he now thought was a trickster.

“Ha, seriously… you’re a creepy little brat. I was going to let you off easy since I misunderstood, but…”

The words that naturally came out were bound to be cold.

‘Huh? What?’

Logan was taken aback. He couldn’t hide his bewilderment at what was suddenly being said.

“You. If you’re going to scam someone, at least prepare properly. Like those bastards who scammed me.”

“…What?”

Philip answered in a way Logan did not expect. Philip’s face suddenly looked very different.

“Ha…”

He was not only pushing away the person who might save him but also picking a fight.

If Philip didn’t know what was going to happen later, he would think he was being stupid.

No, even if he did know, it couldn’t help but look like a foolish thing to do.

“What are you saying right now…?”

“You’re not an investor.”

“What?”

Did he take the wrong medicine? Why is he suddenly acting like this?

Did he become a mad dog after failing in business once and is trying to bite anyone?

Philip made a noise of dislike when he saw Logan’s confused eyes. Then he answered.

“The dirt hasn’t even been completely shaken off your shoes, so you haven’t been in Kyle for long. But you immediately come to the commercial district and start talking about investment? Do you even know me?”

The shoes Philip was pointing at, as he said, still had some mud on them.

That finger soon pointed towards Logan’s chest.

“And also, I’ve memorized all the noble family crests in this country. But the crest drawn on that armor is the McLine baronet family crest from the southwest. So, what’s the problem? Mr. Swindler and Noble Impersonator?”

What Philip said about the crest and the family wasn’t true for Logan. But Logan’s heart beat fast because he knew what Philip would say next.

“That family is a leeching family that lives off their in-laws. But investment? A family that can’t even pay off their own debts?”

‘Ugh…’

It hurt because all of it was undeniable.

“I’m really giving you advice because I pity your young life, but if you get caught impersonating a noble, it’s a capital crime, a capital crime. You’ll get your head chopped off here, you know?”

“No, that’s not true…”

“And decisively, your attitude!”

“What else…?”

“To a merchant desperate for capital, an investor is an absolute superior. But you’re acting like you’re desperate to invest in me. You’ve even picked the wrong target. You novice swindler. I’m really broke, broke! You know?! You son of a bitch!!”

As if trying to pour out all the pent-up frustration in his heart, the last words, with an increasingly strong tone, sounded like a scream.

“I… I don’t even have money to eat and die! You bastard!”

Philip’s voice, shaking the dusty commercial district, was filled with tears.

Seeing an adult man crying is as awkward as comforting a crying woman.

Logan felt that fact anew, but he didn’t rashly take a step.

There were many parts of Philip’s criticism that weren’t true, but if he hadn’t regressed, it would have been a reasonable suspicion.

Moreover, a young man who seemed to have given up on life was making such sharp criticisms, so conversely, he could see that he could make cold-blooded judgments even in such a situation.

‘That’s why I’m more worried.’

If he was scammed despite having such talent, it meant that he still had some shortcomings, and there was a big difference from the imperial tycoon he knew in his past life.

‘He’s not that capable person yet.’

Perhaps the hardships and adversities he had to go through from now on made him who he would be in the future.

No, judging from his current state, that was definitely the case.

‘Time must have made the tycoon.’

But Logan didn’t have time to wait for that.

Just leave the golden bug to roll around while suffering until it develops the same abilities as in its past life?

Then there would be no reason for him to have come all the way here to find him.

‘What to do…’

Logan’s worries kept growing bigger and bigger. Then, he suddenly thought of a very important question.

‘Wait, is there really a need to invest in the trading house?’

The future imperial tycoon is now trying to give up on the path of a merchant itself.

‘This is perhaps an opportunity to make the future top 10 imperial merchant my own man!’

The complicated thoughts seemed to be sorted out in an instant.

In the worst case, even if he couldn’t grow up like he did in his past life, it would weaken the potential of the Ares Empire in its own way.

Logan, having sorted out his thoughts, opened his mouth with a bright smile.

“How much would it take if I paid off all your debts and hired you for life?”

Those words were enough to stop Philip’s crying.

“What, you little punk?! Still scamming…”

Philip was about to shout again, but he stopped when he saw a golden light around Logan’s hand.

Was this genius, who could use magic at such a young age, pretending to be a noble to commit fraud?

There was no way someone would ruin their bright future like that.

And that showed that his initial assumptions were wrong.

“Ah… Ahahaha, r-really?”

Logan looked at Philip’s dazed expression and wasn’t convinced. But he tried to be calm, thinking, ‘He’s a future wealthy businessman. One of the Empire’s top 10 merchants.’

Logan calmed himself, trying to keep a straight face.

After an awkward silence, a sighing voice was heard.

“Haa… He really is a young master. Ugh. But what did you… say again?”

Philip asked, stumbling over his words as he tried to use polite language after cursing. He looked extremely awkward.

Logan barely stopped himself from sighing.

“I asked how much it would cost to pay off all your debts and hire you for life.”

“…You’d hire me? For life?”

“That’s right. Tell me the contract fee. Think of paying off your debts as a gift.”

Logan thought Philip would agree immediately.

But Philip’s face fell even more when he heard those words.

“…I apologize for my rudeness. I misjudged you.”

Logan felt uneasy at the worrying introduction.

“But! Unless something has changed that I don’t know about, the McLaine family shouldn’t have that kind of money, right?”

“Ah….”

“Are you saying we should add my debt to your already poor family and die together? Sorry, but I’m not interested in a joint suicide.”

Philip refused firmly. He might have misjudged Logan, but one thing was certain.

‘The McLaine family is a beggar family. They have no money!’

It was clear that either the noble young master was making fun of him, or he was clueless about the world, even if it wasn’t a scam.

‘Does being born a noble make everything seem easy?’

Philip decided to teach this noble young master a lesson about reality.

“The remaining debt alone is 250,000 gold, and I’m worth about the same. The only thing certain for a merchant is the contract. Can we sign a contract right away? Or should I give you some time to wait?”

The young master’s face hardened at Philip’s mocking tone.

‘I knew it.’

Just as Philip was about to lose all hope when he saw that expression.

“500,000… The calculation is strange. How can someone with a debt of 250,000 be worth another 250,000? Unless it’s minus 250,000.”

Logan’s words hit Philip hard.

“Keuheup. Th-that’s….”

“Well, fine. I’ll add another 50,000 for your pride. How about 300,000 in total?”

“What…? No, what did you say? Th-three hundred thousand?”

“Don’t you like it?”

Logan’s words were getting shorter, but Philip didn’t notice.

“Shall we go then?”

Philip was completely shocked by the huge amount and staggered back.

“300,000 gold! Great! Absolutely great!”

For Philip, it was like a lifeline. There was no reason to refuse.

“Shall we sign the contract right away then?”

“……Yes?”

As if it was nothing, Logan put down a worn leather backpack from his back.

Thud.

The heavy thud of the backpack struck Philip even harder.

Through the opening of the backpack, Philip could see golden light. It was full of gold coins.

A merchant wouldn’t be able to look away from that pile of gold.

“Fortunately, it seems like there’s enough for the down payment.”

Philip seemed to see a halo around Logan’s smiling face.

‘……What is this person? An angel?’

Philip, who suddenly felt unreal, couldn’t say anything for a while.

“Th-this is, r-really.”

Philip stared at the bag of gold with dreamy eyes. Soon, he teared up and grabbed Logan’s hand.

“Th-thank you. Thank you so much. I thought I was going to become a slave…….”

‘He’s going to kneel down…… No, he’s already kneeling.’

He was already sitting, but he looked like a believer praying to God. It was a little, no, quite awkward.

“S-so, why are you trying to hire me with such a huge amount of money?”

“I told you, I see future potential.”

“……Were you serious about that?”

“Who knows? Maybe you’ll discover your talent and greatly increase my wealth.”

‘No, it definitely will. It has to be that way for my sake.’

Logan focused his eyes, and for some reason, that seemed to impress Philip again.

“……You’re the first person to believe in me like this. Even my late father didn’t…….”

Logan smiled as he watched Philip, who seemed to be holding back his emotions.

“Now, let’s go sign the contract.”

“Yes? Where to…….”

“We can’t write a contract here, can we?”

“Yes?”

What did it matter where the contract was written?

Logan took the bewildered Philip to one of the few magic shops in Kyle. The windows were filled with bubbling potions and strange, glowing items.

“Okay. Contract complete!”

A drop of blood fell from Philip’s finger. The bluish magic on the contract glowed and wrapped around Philip’s body.

It was an expensive magic contract worth 10,000 gold.

From now on, if Philip intentionally did anything to harm Logan, he would feel terrible pain as if his soul was being torn apart.

If he didn’t like that, he would have to awaken his magic and become a knight of upper rank or higher, or ask a magician of the 4th circle or higher to lift the curse by paying hundreds of times more money.

It was a contract that didn’t say the word ‘slave’ but was essentially the same as exchanging 300,000 gold for Philip’s life.

Therefore, it was no wonder that Philip’s face, which had been full of emotion, now looked bitter.

“An angel, my foot. I was wrong about you. Damn… To make one person a slave, you use a contract worth the price of 30 slaves. And 300,000 gold on top of that?”

Philip kept grumbling.

Even though Logan heard those words, he smiled.

“How else can we trust each other at first sight? If you invest a lot of money, there has to be a guarantee.”

Philip was about to cry at Logan’s casual way of speaking, but he sighed and agreed.

‘It’s still better than being dragged away by those guys.’

It was better to be something similar to a slave than to be explicitly branded as one.

Thinking that way, he tried to calm himself, but… because his expectations were high, he felt even more depressed.

Just as Philip was about to become depressed again, Logan casually said, as if passing by.

“We can get rid of the contract after we build trust. So let’s do well in the future.”

Those words were vague, with no deadline or conditions.

But they were enough to plant a small spark in Philip’s dead eyes.