Regressor Of The Fallen Family [EN]: Chapter 41

“What did you just say?” Clayton’s voice was low and dangerous. His eyes, usually serious, now burned with anger.

The young mage, who had brought the message, flinched back. He seemed to get smaller under Clayton’s fierce look.

“Lord Grik and all ten disciples… are to be sent away,” the mage squeaked. “Elder, please! I’m just giving you the message!”

Clayton took a deep breath, trying to calm down. He usually tried to smile, even though his serious face made it hard for people to smile back – except for his own students. He fought to control his anger at the mage’s scared reaction. It wasn’t the messenger’s fault.

“Yes, I know. I know. The Tower Lord, that old geezer, is going all the way…”

What sin does this fellow delivering the message have? The Tower Lord is the one at fault.

Clayton sighed and strongly controlled his anger.

“Where to? For how long?”

He asked, hoping the Tower Lord would at least maintain a shred of conscience.

“The McLaine territory, a rural area at the far southwest end. The construction period is half a year…”

“What?”

Unlike his quiet tone, the rapidly rising mana filled the room, and his anger was palpable.

The lower-ranking mage, his face turning blue, clutched his chest at the force of Clayton’s fury, which was fully felt despite not being outwardly expressed on his expressionless face.

“Ugh… El, Elder!”

“Hmm, I’m sorry about this.”

Clayton once again barely suppressed his anger and allowed the lower-ranking mage to breathe.

And as soon as the fellow regained his senses, he glared at him with an angry stare and asked.

“Yes. Is that ridiculous sound, no, that order, really the plain truth?”

“Yes, yes! Of course!”

“Hoo. So that’s how it is.”

With Clayton’s deep intake of breath, his anger surged again, and the innocent lower-ranking mage’s face kept changing color.

“I understand, so you may go.”

“Th, thank you!”

Clatter!

An angry stare followed the mage’s back as he dashed out of the room with a noisy sound.

Of course, the anger contained in that gaze was directed at the one who issued the order, not the mage.

‘McLaine? A territory I’ve never even heard of, and for half a year, no less? Haa.’

Until now, although they were consecutive, they were at least short-term business trips sent to the vicinity of Gran.

Lately, it seemed like the duration was gradually getting longer, but this seemed like they were planning to keep them constantly rotating outside.

Everyone was in their young twenties, a time when they should be developing, but his disciples were going to end up working all the time without being able to train.

“Tower Lord of the Magic Tower. Are you really trying to do this?”

It all started after he reached the 5th Circle a year ago and became an Elder.

Reaching the 5th Circle at the young age of only 50. His age made it difficult to see him as an Elder, but according to the regulations, there was no way to prevent him from becoming one.

The disciple of a rival who had competed for the Tower Lord position in the previous generation probably didn’t like the fact that he was threatening his position.

Yes, that was possible. Clayton understood that much.

“But you’re messing with my disciples, even if you don’t care about me? To this extent?”

He tried to endure it moderately, but now it was too much.

Because all the business trips leaving the Magic Tower were being passed on to his disciples, his disciples couldn’t even find time to rest, let alone train or research.

Even this time, they had just returned this morning and were immediately assigned work, and even that long-distance business trip.

“I need to sort this out for good this time.”

Clayton, the youngest Elder of the Earth Magic Tower, stormed out of the room with an angry look.

“Are these… the ones?”

Logan looked at the Tower Lord with a dubious expression, and the Tower Lord nodded with a smile.

“Yes, they are the ones who will assist you, young master, for half a year. Grik, aren’t you the representative? Introduce yourself. This is Lord Logan McLaine. He will be your employer for half a year.”

“Hoo. I am Grik, a 3rd Circle mage. I look forward to working with you,” a simple greeting came from the mouth of the young mage, who looked to be about thirty, as he stepped forward to represent the ten mages, along with a long sigh.

More than anything else, the dark shadows under his eyes and his pale complexion caught his attention first.

Not only that, but those behind him also looked similar.

At a glance, they all looked extremely exhausted.

“I am Logan McLaine.”

After exchanging names for the time being and sending the young mages out for a while, Logan opened his mouth with a frown.

“They look like they’re about to collapse, Tower Lord? Are those really the right people?”

“Even though they look like that, they are the most experienced young talents in our tower. They will properly fulfill their assigned roles.”

“Hmm…”

“They may look a little tired now, but those friends are our Magic Tower’s specialists. Specialized in construction. Haha.”

Specialists specialized in construction.

Even Logan, who was not a mage, knew that no mage would like to hear that.

It was no different from putting down his own Magic Tower’s disciples.

Logan’s slightly bewildered gaze, recalling the gloomy expressions of the young mages he had seen a little while ago, turned to the Tower Lord, but the Tower Lord’s expression remained unchanged.

“They certainly seem to have the ability.”

Rather, the Tower Lord’s expression hardened slightly at the words praising the mages.

“Haha. That’s right. They are talented friends. Talented…”

Listening to the Tower Lord’s praise, which contained not a shred of soul, Logan was lost in thought.

‘The deal itself isn’t bad. But…’

– 1.2 million gold per month. Support for 120 Collapse Scrolls and ten mages.

Radios’s face was almost twitching when he said that amount after three hours of arguing.

From Logan’s point of view, it was a satisfactory deal, but he was rather uneasy because the abilities of the tired mages he had been introduced to seemed to be better than he had thought.

The level of these mages that Logan’s senses had read was as much as…

‘Almost a 3rd Circle master-level young mage and nine 2nd Circle experts and masters.’

Moreover, they were all in their twenties, talented individuals who would be promising talents in any Magic Tower.

To send these people out at a cheap price? Even while incurring dislike?

Naturally, he couldn’t help but feel like there was another ulterior motive.

“Well, well, it’s specified here in the contract.”

Thump.

Perhaps sensing his hesitation, the Tower Lord hurriedly handed over the contract with his seal stamped on it.

The contract, with the ink not yet dry, already had the agreed-upon conditions and the Tower Lord’s seal stamped on it.

Along with a smile that seemed to be asking if he still wouldn’t do it.

That appearance made him look even more suspicious, so Logan couldn’t help but hesitate.

‘Why are the conditions so good?’

As Logan frowned and pondered, a cold voice rang out from outside the roughly opened door with a thud.

“Tower Lord! I need to have a word with you.”

The face was as cold as his voice. He had a strong face, eyes that looked right through you, and a rough, overgrown beard.

A long, jagged scar cut across his face, starting on his forehead and ending near his lip. It looked old and rough, making him look less like a wizard and more like a tough soldier, or even someone dangerous.

He looked big and strong under his robes, like he had lots of muscles.

He looked as though he would be more comfortable in armor than robes.

“Clayton?”

Redios sounded a little worried. Behind the middle-aged man, young wizards were trying to dissuade him.

“Master!”

“Master, you don’t have to do this!”

The Tower Lord’s big room suddenly became as loud as a busy market. Logan’s eyes opened wide when he saw the wizard who just arrived.

‘A Fifth Circle!’ Logan thought.

Logan could clearly sense the five circles, a dark yellow color, nestled within his heart.

Romelun, standing behind the Tower Lord, frowned and shrank back, not entirely due to the newcomer’s serial-killer-like appearance.

The Tower Lord, however, merely hardened his expression slightly.

“Elder Clayton, I have a guest. We can talk after my business is concluded.”

“Isn’t that business about my disciples? I must speak now.”

“…Clayton, do you really want to cause a scene in front of my guest?”

“Aren’t you already making a scene, Tower Lord? Emotionally pushing away the children who are the future of the Magic Tower…”

“Enough!”

Redios’s face flushed crimson at Clayton’s piercingly cold rebuke.

But after glancing at Logan once more, he sighed deeply. He looked tired, like he had many problems, and continued slowly.

“It’s all for the good of the Magic Tower. Where else can you find children as capable as your disciples?”

“That is precisely my point! Why ‘only’ my disciples have to do all the hard work? Especially when they just returned today.”

A dagger-like glare was sent his way, but Redios remained unfazed.

“Come now! It’s for the sake of the Magic Tower! Don’t you know the saying, ‘The hardships of youth are worth buying’? It’s a saying that hard times when you are young make you stronger later. It’s all for their own good!”

“Is it because you don’t have the authority to directly order me, an Elder, that you harass my disciples? Did you think I would stand by and watch?”

As the unexpected argument dragged on, Logan quietly gleaned the necessary information from their conversation.

‘So that’s it,’ Logan thought.

Logan instantly understood why such a favorable contract had been so easily offered.

The internal conflict within the Magic Tower had worked to Logan’s advantage.

“If you dislike following the Tower Lord’s orders, you are welcome to leave with your disciples immediately.”

“Ha, what? Are you even serious?”

With Clayton’s fury, Clayton’s magic got stronger, and then the Tower Lord’s magic also got stronger.

Oooom.

The magic, though of the same dark yellow hue, felt very different, like fire and ice, vibrating throughout the room.

‘Ooh!’ Logan thought.

The confrontation between high-level wizards, which he was witnessing for the first time in this life, seemed intriguing, but…

‘That’s not the issue right now,’ Logan thought.

Knowing their circumstances eased his uneasy feelings. So, what needed to be done?

Logan quickly retrieved his identification badge from his pocket and stamped it below the contract. ‘This is my chance!’ he thought.

Wham!

“Well, with that, the contract is done. The ten of you standing over there, follow me.”

The calm voice instantly shattered the atmosphere, which had seemed ready to explode, and everyone’s gaze turned to Logan.

“Ah! You two… well, do as you please. The contract remains valid even if the Tower Lord changes, right?”

But Logan’s face, as he waved the contract, was full of smiles.

The two dueling wizards stared at Logan with bewildered expressions.

However, the reactions after that were distinctly different.

“Ahem. I have shown an unsightly side in front of a guest. Very well. The scroll will be sent as soon as it is completed.”

“Tower Lord, I am not finished speaking!”

“Elder Clayton! Are you now saying you will go against an officially sanctioned contract of the Earth Magic Tower? Remember your position!”

Clayton glared at Romelun with eyes that seemed to spew fire at his sudden interjection, but his words were not wrong.

Clayton’s face still twitched with resentment, but he reluctantly averted his gaze and stepped back.

The Tower Lord and Romelun smiled as they watched him, but then Clayton uttered words that no one had expected.

“Very well! Then I shall follow my disciples as well.”

“Clayton!”

“Are you saying that an Elder will disregard the dignity of the Magic Tower and follow a construction site!”

“My disciples come before the dignity of the Magic Tower! My little ones can’t even rest because of some ruthless bastards; I will follow them and finish the work quickly so they can rest.”

“You truly are acting as you please. As if you can just do as you….”

“As an Elder of the Magic Tower, I have the freedom to choose my whereabouts, as long as it’s not about something very important for the Tower. Have you forgotten?”

“…Ha, so that’s how you want to play it? Do as you wish. A Fifth Circle wizard doing construction work.”

The cold gazes exchanged between the Tower Lord and the Elder seemed to bring the conversation to a close, but there was a crucial problem.

“Um… you two? I have no intention of hiring a Fifth Circle wizard?”

At Logan’s words, the wizards’ gazes once again converged on him.

‘Why would I need a Fifth Circle wizard for construction? What a waste of money,’ Logan thought.

Everyone knew that the cost of hiring a wizard above the Fifth Circle started at a terrifying one million, and Logan had no intention of wasting such a huge amount of money.

‘Absolutely not!’ Logan thought.

Just as Logan made up his mind, preparing to cut off any further discussion, Clayton spoke. He looked at the young wizards behind Redios with a worried look.

“I simply intend to help my disciples with their work. I have no intention of receiving separate payment. I merely wish to cooperate in completing the work as quickly as possible.”

At the enchanting words that sounded like a voice from heaven, Logan immediately bowed at a ninety-degree angle.

“I will serve you with great respect, Elder. What kind of carriage would you prefer?”

Even Clayton’s grim face momentarily blanked at the sudden change in attitude.

“…Something ordinary will suffice, young master.”

“I will prepare everything to ensure you travel in very comfortable.”

Who was the employer and who was the employee?

Everyone stared with dumbfounded eyes, but Logan simply smiled brightly.

‘Yes! Top-tier manpower for free!’ Logan thought.

With a Fifth Circle wizard, the original goal of obtaining the Collapse Scroll was practically unnecessary.

Therefore, he could readily nod at Clayton’s subsequent words. He looked at his disciples with a soft expression, even though his face was still rough.

“Give me one more day. My disciples need to rest and recover before departing.”

“Of course. I have matters to settle as well.”

The contract with the Magic Tower was a huge success, and Logan’s smile did not fade.