Regressor Of The Fallen Family [EN]: Chapter 11

It only took one day to pay off Philip’s debts and pack his things. Logan explained what would happen next to Philip inside the manor. This manor was all Philip had left.

Logan said, “Even if I bring you with me, it doesn’t mean you’ll have a proper job with my family straight away.”

He didn’t need to say the real reason: hiring Philip immediately would hurt Logan’s own reputation.

“So, for now,” Logan continued, “I want you to do the jobs I give you here.”

Philip replied, “Yes, I understand, Lord Logan.”

His voice was steady, even though he must have had many questions. Was he just agreeing because he felt he had no choice but to follow Logan? Or was he simply not interested?

Logan wasn’t sure what Philip was capable of. ‘I need to test him,’ Logan thought. ‘Work will show me what he can do.’

Logan wasn’t going to focus on making money right away. First, he wanted Philip to use his skills as a merchant to buy things. They were in the busy trade city of Kyle for two reasons. One was this task for Philip. The other was to get supplies for the coming war over land.

“Your first job,” Logan said, “is to buy a lot of cartridges and clockwork parts. They need to be made from ironwood, the strong wood that grows in the south of the Empire. And get some glue too.”

“Yes?” Philip looked confused. Logan just explained exactly what kind of cartridges, clockwork, and glue he needed, without saying why.

“And I want about a hundred samples first, so we can test them,” Logan added.

Philip asked, with a hint of sarcasm, “…Are you planning to make toys or something?”

Even though Philip sounded mocking, Logan knew why he would think that. Philip was supposed to be helping Logan make money.

“Well, something like that,” Logan replied, not wanting to say too much. He wasn’t going to tell Philip yet that he was planning to make weapons for the war.

For now, he just needed Philip to get the samples, based on what Logan remembered from his past.

Philip thought aloud, “The ironwood from the south must be for strength. And the clockwork parts just need to be the right size, yes? If you’re making things, then strong glue is best.”

“That’s right,” Logan confirmed.

“Then we don’t need to buy them here, or even in the Empire,” Philip said quickly. Logan was surprised by how fast Philip understood.

“What?” Logan asked, surprised.

“The ironwood from the north is even stronger than the southern kind,” Philip explained. “It mostly comes from the Tritan area in the north. Lots of craftspeople there use it, and they have good glue too. I think it’s much better than what you get in the Empire. And if you buy straight from them, not from traders here, it will cost less.”

“Really?” Logan was a soldier. He had used weapons made from these materials after the Kingdom fell, but he didn’t know where they came from.

“I still know people there, from before,” Philip continued. “If you want, I can get those hundred samples sent to McLaine territory on credit. Should I contact them?”

“…Alright,” Logan said, just nodding as Philip kept talking quickly.

‘He’s smarter than I first thought,’ Logan realized. But he was still holding back his full opinion of Philip. That’s why he brought up the biggest idea he had, one after another, like testing Philip further. This idea could make a lot of money, even if Logan wasn’t a great businessman yet. It was based on knowledge from the future.

‘Philip will be shocked,’ Logan thought, feeling a bit like a child about to play a trick. Then, casually, Logan dropped his big surprise.

“And I’m thinking of buying monster meat.”

“Ah, I see… Wait, what?!’ Philip said, his voice changing. Of course, Philip was shocked. Monsters were not normal animals. They were terrible things that destroyed nature and seemed to enjoy hurting living creatures.

Some people said they were left over from old demon lords or devils. Others said they were a curse from a forgotten, ancient time. Still others thought they were just monsters made by evil wizards.

Clever people argued about where monsters came from, but they all agreed on one thing: Monsters hated all living things. Their blood and meat were full of poison that kept hurting creatures and the land even after they died. So, when people killed monsters, they usually burned everything except the bones and skin. Only special parts from rare monsters, used for magic or other things, were kept.

Philip laughed nervously. “Am I hearing you right? Did you say *meat*? Ha, you mean monster *parts*, right? Like, the bits you don’t burn?”

“No,” Logan said firmly. “I mean meat.”

Philip stared at him. “…Are you serious?” He tried to be polite, but his face showed he couldn’t believe it. Logan chuckled, enjoying Philip’s reaction.

“I’m thinking of buying and collecting meat from Karoks. You know, those low-level monsters.”

“…Karoks, you say?’ Philip repeated slowly. Karoks were those low-level monsters that looked a bit like wild pigs, but with a horn on their head. They might look like farm animals, but they were still monsters, and their blood was poison. Just because a Karok looked like a pig didn’t mean you could eat it.

“Yes,” Logan said again, “Karok meat.”

“Why do you keep saying *meat* like that?” Philip asked, his voice rising. “Are you saying people actually *eat* it?”

“I just want you to buy and collect that meat,” Logan repeated, ignoring Philip’s question. Philip stared at Logan as if he was looking at something disgusting. His eyes seemed to scream, ‘Are you completely crazy?’ But Philip tried to stay calm and speak reasonably.

“You can only burn monster meat!” Philip argued. “No matter how much you spend, you’ll just lose all your money!”

“That’s not true,” Logan said firmly.

“What rubbish are you—” Philip stopped himself from swearing. He glared at Logan, but Logan didn’t change his mind at all. His eyes shone with certainty.

“Haa…” Philip sighed, giving up. “Fine, if I have to. Okay, how much money are you thinking of spending?” Philip asked, raising his hands in defeat.

Logan’s answer made Philip jump in shock. “A million.”

“A MILLION?!’ Philip yelled, his voice cracking. ‘Are you completely mad?!’ He was truly panicked. But Logan just smiled calmly.

“You can spend even more than that,” Logan said, “and still make money. I promise you.”

“I don’t know what stories you’ve heard,” Philip shouted, “but stories are not a reason to spend this much money! To make a story real, you need proof that no one can argue with!” Philip’s face was red, and his voice got louder and louder. People walking past outside the manor stopped and stared, but Logan didn’t change his expression at all.

“Proof will come,” Logan said, calmly. “For sure.”

“What in the world…’ Philip muttered, completely confused. Anyone would think Philip was right, given what everyone knew then.

But things would change a lot in just a few years. Next summer, a magic tower in the Empire would start selling something that could stop monster blood from being poisonous. It wasn’t made with rare magic plants or magic spells, but with normal things you could find easily. It only worked on the blood of low-level monsters, but it was very cheap and effective. Anyone could make it if they knew what to put in it.

Most monster hunters and soldiers hunted low-level monsters anyway, so this new stuff spread everywhere very quickly. Soon, in places where food was hard to find, people started eating monsters that looked like farm animals, starting with Karoks. That winter, this shocking new idea spread, and people started saying that eating Karok meat could even cure a man’s problems with… well, with having children.

People started saying that Karok meat helped men who were injured or could not have children. As soon as the Grandia Royal Magic Tower said it was true, everyone wanted Karok meat. It started in Gran, the capital city. In less than a year, Karoks were gone. No one could find them anywhere on the continent. It was shocking. One moment they were there, the next, gone. After that, Karok meat cost more than gold. Even dried pieces of jerky were expensive. Humans had fought monsters for thousands of years. They had never killed off a whole type of monster before. But just because one study said it was good for men’s strength, one kind of weak monster vanished.

‘It’s a funny thing.’

But he couldn’t tell Philip the truth – that he knew this from the future.

“Are you really sure about this, Lord Logan? I don’t think it’s right…” Philip said.

“Yes,” Logan replied.

Philip sighed and thought for a moment.

“Okay then,” Philip said. “How much are you planning to pay for the Karok meat?”

“…Karok meat is worth nothing now,” Philip said. “No one wants it. They are probably burning it.”

Logan knew Karok meat was worthless now. He wondered why he was even saying he would buy it. But Philip didn’t question it.

“So,” Philip continued, “if you just bring the dead bodies of the Karoks, I’ll give you money. 200 gold for each one should be enough, based on how much it costs to move things around the kingdom. If you catch many Karoks and move them together, it will be cheaper.”

“Wow,” Philip said, raising an eyebrow with sarcasm. “Transportation costs? You’ve thought of everything,” he said.

“Is my calculation wrong?” Logan asked.

“No. It’s not wrong.”

“Then?”

“You’re setting the price like that, and you have a million gold budget… Are you planning to ask the mercenary guild to hunt Karoks for the whole kingdom, and then have me buy them from the mercenaries?”

“…Yes? What’s wrong with that?”

“Nothing is wrong with the numbers. But you’ve missed the whole point.”

“Hmm?” Logan asked.

“Why are you paying so much?” Philip asked. “You’re even paying for the mercenaries to work! You big… spender! Ah, actually, I don’t feel so good,” Philip said, suddenly looking pale.

“What did you just say…?” Logan asked, feeling angry again, like yesterday when Philip thought he was a con man. Philip looked at him with pity and seemed to be changing what he was saying. But Philip quickly changed his face and kept talking.

“Think about it,” Philip said. “Isn’t it the meat you need, not just the dead bodies? And I told you, the meat is being thrown away! So, if you just go to the merchant guild and ask for Karok meat at the price of beef…”

“That’s right…?” Logan said, slowly understanding.

“Exactly!” Philip said. “Merchants will sell anything to make money. Even garbage that’s being thrown away! It will cost almost nothing. They will fight each other to bring it to you.”

“What?” Logan said, surprised.

“If you ask them,” Philip continued, “they will probably bring you all the Karok meat in the kingdom! Nicely cut up too.”

“Heh….” Logan said, finally getting it.

“If you just ask,” Philip said, “they’ll bring you Karok meat from everywhere in the kingdom! And it will be nicely cut up!”

Logan was silent, thinking. ‘This guy is good. Really good,’ he thought. He remembered Philip was a top merchant in his past life. He was even better than Logan remembered.

“So, from now on, Lord Logan,” Philip said, “don’t worry about money. Leave it all to me. My future is tied to yours now.”

Logan felt a little uneasy. Philip’s words were helpful, but also a bit strange. Logan nodded, impressed and a little worried. Philip was definitely useful. And Philip got to work right away.

*** Philip stayed in Kyle to get ironwood from the Tritan Territory and to collect Karok meat to send to the McLaine Territory.

“How much?” a merchant guild clerk asked.

“A deposit of 50,000 gold,” Philip said clearly. “I will buy smoked Karok meat or dried jerky for one gold coin per kilogram. It must have the merchant guild’s stamp to prove it’s real. If we use up the 50,000 gold, I’ll pay another 100,000.”

“Huh…” the clerk mumbled, writing it down slowly. The room went quiet. The deposit was to show the request was serious, so merchants wouldn’t waste time on fake jobs. Even with the deposit paid and the contract written, everyone in the merchant guild office stared at Philip. They looked like they couldn’t believe their eyes.

“Crazy…” someone whispered.

“Monster meat? Who wants monster meat?” another voice said.

“Didn’t the Claude Merchant Group go broke?” someone else muttered. “I heard it was because the boss went mad!” Many voices whispered around the room. None of them were good. And soon, the word spread about the crazy client.

“Logan McLaine… Doesn’t that name sound familiar?” one merchant asked.

“Yes! Ah! The broken engagement!” another replied.

“Oh, that guy who took money from his ex-fiancée?!” a third exclaimed.

But even with the bad rumors, many merchants wanted the job.

“Do you need any other monster meat?” one asked eagerly.

“We sell all kinds of monster parts!” another merchant group said, pushing forward. Suddenly, many people rushed towards Philip, like hungry animals seeing food. They looked like they would sell every piece of monster meat in the world. It was hard for Philip to even talk to them all.

About two days after Philip gave the request to the merchant guild and paid the deposit, rumors started. “Logan McLaine, the oldest son of the McLaine family, the one who broke off his engagement, has gone crazy! He’s buying monster meat!” The rumors spread like fire in dry grass, especially among the merchants in Kyle Territory.

“…I’m really sorry,” Philip said, bowing his head with a sad face. “I didn’t know people would talk about you like this.”

It was Philip who had started the rumors. He had told many merchant groups about the request himself. It was a plan to make sure everyone knew about the Karok meat request, even faster than the merchant guild could spread the word. But he didn’t expect the rumors to hurt Logan’s reputation.

“Haha!” Logan laughed, patting Philip on the shoulder. “It doesn’t matter! The request spread faster, right? That’s good! Very good! Well done!”

Philip was surprised by Logan’s reaction. He was being insulted, but Logan was praising him.

“Th, thank you… Haha,” Philip stammered. *This guy is really crazy,* Philip thought, but he didn’t say it out loud.

*** Philip stayed in Kyle. He worked on getting ironwood from the Tritan Territory and collecting Karok meat to send to the McLaine Territory. Logan gave Philip a huge amount of money: 500,000 gold. “If you do the work I asked you to do,” Logan said, “you can use this money to start your own business. It’s okay if you fail, as long as you try hard. And if you succeed, I’ll give you a big bonus.”

Logan trusted Philip now because of how well he handled the Karok meat. Philip was surprised. He wondered why Logan trusted him so much with so much money. *I saved him money anyway,* Philip thought. Logan had planned to spend 1.5 million gold in Kyle Territory, but he only spent 450,000. Even with the 150,000 gold for ironwood, he saved over 900,000 gold. So, Logan didn’t hesitate to give Philip the money – it was more like an investment. Logan felt a weight lift off his shoulders. He had found someone he could trust. *Philip Claude. Funding mission complete,* Logan thought, feeling satisfied. Giving Philip 500,000 gold was also a way to celebrate finding a good person for his future plans. But Philip was for the future. Now, Logan needed to find someone to help him with the first problem: the territory war. *I need an engineer,* Logan thought. Someone who can build things just by hearing about them. *And maybe an instructor too,* he thought. Someone who can train the mercenary group that Dwayne wanted. Logan needed special people for both plans. Luckily, the place to find them was not far from Kyle.