Regressor Of The Fallen Family [EN]: Chapter 33

Count Davis was from a Royalist family, a group who supported the old royal family. This was a very respected group. His family was famous in Gran. Two of his family members had been Ministers of Finance, even though they didn’t own land.

The current head of the family, Count Falun Davis, was working as a secretary in the Ministry of Finance at the young age of twenty-five. Everyone thought he would become the third Minister of Finance from his family in the next ten years.

Because of this, many people wanted to be friends with Count Davis’s family, and with so many guests, they had parties all the time.

The Davis family’s mansion was always full of guests.

“Hoo. I don’t think I’ve seen that flame symbol before. You’re Baron McLaine? Okay, come in.”

The Davis family’s gatekeeper had checked the flame symbol on the silver ID tag.

He was just a soldier, not even a knight. He looked Logan up and down with a smirk and spoke to him rudely. It’s like the saying, ‘a servant acts proud when their master is important.’ The master’s power was so great that even a soldier could look down on a lower-ranking noble.

This was common, so Logan didn’t react. He signed the guestbook and went into the huge mansion.

The garden was huge, and the mansion was even bigger than McLaine’s castle. It was so confusing that someone visiting for the first time could easily get lost.

But Logan didn’t need to ask any of the servants for directions. He just followed the music coming from the party hall.

Before going into the party hall, Logan had to show his ID tag again.

The knights guarding the entrance looked at Logan’s awkward coat and sad face with suspicion.

“Ah, sorry. I hope you enjoy the capital’s culture, young master.”

Even after they saw his ID, they laughed in a way that didn’t seem friendly.

“The son of the McLaine family has arrived!”

The announcement was very loud, and everyone looked at Logan.

“Who is it?”

“McLaine?”

“Is there a family like that?”

“He looks like he’s from the countryside.”

“Oh, look at those clothes that look like they’re from the countryside.”

But that was all the attention Logan got.

The party was for meeting important people or finding someone to marry.

Logan had red hair, red eyes, and a handsome face, which got him some attention. But his coat was too flashy with gold and red, and that was all people noticed.

So Logan smiled, feeling satisfied.

‘Good choice, Phillip.’

He was sad that no one knew the McLaine family, but he didn’t want to make friends who wouldn’t help him with his plan.

After all, the people at the party were like bees around flowers, trying to get something they wanted. They would all disappear when trouble came.

The people who would survive the coming chaos and become famous wouldn’t be wasting time at a party like this on a weekday afternoon.

“Oh, how country. I wonder where they came from.”

“Don’t even look at them. I don’t want you to see something so ugly.”

The couple talking like this right in front of him seemed silly.

Logan ignored them and walked toward his goal. Someone stopped him and asked to be introduced.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Simpson Brown.”

“Logan McLaine.”

“I’ve heard a lot about the McLaine family. It’s an honor to meet you.”

“…Baron, actually?”

“Eh? Not a Count’s family? I thought I remembered… Ah?! Uh, uhm. Sorry. I thought you were someone else.”

“…Hmm?”

The man pretended to be embarrassed and backed away. Then he high-fived his friends.

‘Did you see? I did it! I did it!’ He moved his lips so Logan could see that he was just making fun of him.

‘There are all sorts of strange people in the world.’

Logan ignored the people who were happily looking for something to gain, not knowing that trouble was coming. He finally saw the person he was looking for.

It was Count Falun Davis, the host of the party.

He had a bit of a belly, a round face, and a friendly smile. He was surrounded by noblewomen, and they were all laughing.

Even in a country full of corruption, it was strange to see a man who was important in the Ministry of Finance having a party at this time of day.

‘He’s a sad man, really.’

Because of his family and his job, he should have been a good person to marry.

But even though he had married at a young age and had a concubine and a mistress, he had no children.

‘Because he can’t have children.’

When Logan was looking at the information Knox gave him, he saw this man’s name in all three books. Suddenly, he remembered something from his past life.

It was a name that had become a little famous, even if it was for a short time.

‘The Count who killed himself because of his wife.’

– A man who can’t even get it up!

Whatever had happened, his wife had revealed something at a party that made him kill himself.

Logan didn’t understand it, but it seemed that what other people thought was important enough to him to control his life.

Of course, Logan didn’t care what would happen to Count Davis in the future.

He just wanted to help the sad man, who already had three wives and was having a party to find another one because his family wanted him to.

Logan went up to Count Davis and spoke quietly.

“Excuse me, Count. A guest wants to say hello to the host of the party.”

“Oh, my. A new guest. Welcome… Where are you from, young man?”

Falun Davis was surprised by Logan’s clothes and almost laughed. But he stopped himself.

At a party like this, even people who weren’t invited were still guests.

Any noble could come to the party, so the host had to be polite.

“I’m Logan McLaine, the oldest son of the McLaine family from the southwest. I came to the capital for work and wanted to say hello when I heard about your Lordship’s fame.”

That was true even for a merchant from a small, unknown place.

He was being a good noble and showing respect.

“Oh, you’re here for work. Gran already has everything. Haha, but I guess there might be some special things from the countryside that the capital doesn’t have.”

He was criticizing Logan, but in a hidden way. This was how nobles talked.

Falun was happy with his clever words.

The stress he had been feeling at the party seemed to be going away, at least a little.

But this country noble didn’t seem to know his place.

“Yes. I’m sure it’s something that doesn’t exist, which is why I’ve come to sell it.”

“Ah… I see. What are you selling?”

He asked, but he didn’t seem interested.

“Medicine. A medicine that’s like nothing else in the world.”

“Ah, really? Then I’ll leave you to it…”

“A medicine that’s very good for men, especially for things at night.”

He whispered the last words quietly, so only the Count could hear as he moved closer.

The Count might have been surprised by Logan’s sudden move, but his eyes were definitely wide because of what Logan said.

“…What do you mean by that?”

Logan leaned closer, his voice a low whisper. “It’s a special kind of medicine,” he said. “They call it an aphrodisiac. Said to make even a eunuch stand at attention, a cure for erectile dysfunction, you see.”

It was still a whisper, barely audible, but to the Earl, it must have sounded like a thunderclap.

Logan expected the Earl to be angry or dismissive, but Fallon’s reaction was different.

“A nobleman’s son is selling aphrodisiacs, you say?”

As if trying to humiliate him, he deliberately raised his voice to draw attention.

Several ladies of the court blushed slightly and turned away.

Looking at Fallon’s raised eyebrow and slight smile, Logan knew the Earl was mocking him.

“So, you don’t believe me, is that it?”

Logan knew the Earl had reason to doubt him. The Earl was a powerful man, used to people trying to trick him.

“Because I’m confident in its effects.”

Logan, unperturbed, simply shrugged and smiled nonchalantly.

“An item hardly befitting a nobleman’s dignity. But well… trade is free in this country. I wish you the best of luck.”

Fallon scanned Logan from head to toe, then turned away with a stiff expression.

Watching him go, Logan produced the final card he had prepared.

“Still, as an outsider, I must observe proper etiquette. I’ve brought gifts to present to the influential figures of the capital.”

“Gifts?”

“A product called ‘Imporic,’ which I plan to sell for one hundred gold coins apiece. I’ve brought three samples as a special gift for Your Lordship.”

Whether it was the mention of one hundred gold coins or simply the word ‘gift,’ the Earl readily turned back around.

“I can swear on my honor as a nobleman that this is a top-quality remedy with absolutely no side effects.”

At Logan’s final words, the Earl’s eyes flickered like waves.

“Do you think the Earl will come to buy this medicine?”

“Hmm. I’d say there’s a higher chance he won’t.”

“Huh? Then why…?”

“But I’m not just going there.”

“Ah, I understand what you mean.”

“The one in need digs the well. If I cast the bait a few times, someone is bound to bite. And then…”

“And then everyone will want to know about your medicine.”

“Not at all. It’s just beginning.”

Their words differed, but their meaning was the same.

Logan and Phillip exchanged a smile.

The bustling streets of Grand Inner Castle.

At its heart stood the royal palace, surrounded by the residences of high-ranking nobles.

The street leading from the inner castle’s west gate to the center boasted the highest land prices in the capital, Grand.

“This tiny little spot costs 10,000 gold a month?”

Logan stared at the space, barely ten square feet in size, with a dumbfounded expression, but the broker’s face remained smug.

“Haha, young master. This spot was hard-won. There are so many people who want to do business here…”

“Phillip, what do you think?”

“We don’t need a big space,” Phillip said. “If we make it look good, that’s what matters.”

Normally, when starting a business, one would carefully consider and compare various factors, but for them, establishing a presentable front was paramount.

Logan, understanding the hidden meaning in Phillip’s words, gave a wry smile.

Unlike him, who had thought that the nobles would seek him out if things went well, Phillip argued that a formal sales route, like a proper merchant guild or store, was necessary.

Phillip explained that seeing people come to a real shop would make the rumors spread much faster.

Finding the argument persuasive, he secured a store in the most expensive location in the inner castle.

However, he couldn’t help but be concerned about the exorbitant monthly rent, something unimaginable in McLaine Castle.

“I’ll have to move even more aggressively.”

“I’ll focus on decorating the store luxuriously for now.”

“Alright.”

The decision was swift, and Logan became even busier from that day forward.

Three-quarters of the nobles of the Grandia Kingdom were concentrated in the capital, Grand.

The majority of the honorary nobles, who accounted for more than half of all nobles and did not possess territories, resided in the capital. But even the territorial nobles often left the management of their estates to stewards or heirs, while they themselves lived in the capital.

The purpose of these individuals was mostly networking, and the parties held for this purpose made the center of the capital, Grand, lively even today.

It was not uncommon for a young nobleman from the countryside, newly arrived in the capital, to loiter around such parties.

Parties held for networking purposes were mostly open to anyone with the minimum qualification: noble status.

However, among these individuals, there were hardly any who came dressed in such flamboyant attire as Logan.

“Do you have an invitation? If not, please show me your identification badge.”

The soldier bowed politely towards Logan.

More to suppress his bursting laughter than to show respect.

As this was the seventh time he had encountered such a reaction from a soldier, Logan nonchalantly shrugged and held up his identification badge, displaying its crest.

‘It’s about time someone took the bait….’

He visited one or two parties a day, scattering his lures.

The individuals he had marked as targets, strangely enough, held more parties than ordinary nobles.

‘Is it because of an inferiority complex?’

A chuckle escaped him, but the reason didn’t matter.

Once a single channel was opened, everything would start to unravel quickly.

For now, it was important to cast as many lures as possible to achieve that.

So, today as well, Logan smiled and bowed to a very overweight nobleman, trying to hide his disgust.

‘I think his is because of the weight. Losing weight would be better than medicine… Ugh. Let’s just cast the bait for now.’

The reward for his hard work appeared in less than five days.

“Aren’t you going to a party today?”

Logan, who was sitting on a 20,000 gold chair and staring blankly at the ceiling in a small room decorated like a king’s private room, with rich red velvet and gold trim, answered Phillip’s question a little late.

“I’m wondering if there’s a problem. Did the gaudy clothes damage my image too much?”

“Don’t be too hasty. Lord Logan’s strategy is perfectly reasonable. The reaction is slowly…”

“Is anyone there!”

At that perfect timing, the voice they had been waiting for was heard.

“He’s here.”

“He’s here!”

Smiles spread across both of their faces.