The Curse of Being Hated Has Been Lifted

24 – New Ventures

“Is that Logan Asrian?”

“I don’t know what to do, seriously…”

Even before the curse was lifted, Logan was an intriguing figure, but now, with the revelation of his cursed state, he attracted an unprecedented level of attention.

“Oh… Logan, go ahead and order first! Or should I buy for you?”

“If there’s anything you need, just let me know.”

“I apologize. I committed a sin worthy of death.”

Wherever he went, this feeling persisted.

Logan was receiving an overflowing kindness he had never experienced in his lifetime, yet it didn’t feel entirely comfortable.

On the day Logan’s curse was lifted, if those who were unaware of it being lifted reacted like this, Logan might have felt annoyed and frustrated, but he could still have gratitude for their kindness.

However, even after Logan’s curse was lifted, they treated him similarly.

There were rumors lately that he seemed to have improved a bit, but fundamentally, they still treated Logan like a problem child.

Except for Anna, Sirene, and Ricky, they saw Logan similarly even without the curse.

That’s why their kindness felt repulsive.

Where did this kindness of theirs come from?

Was it not from their hearts but rather from sympathy toward Logan?

That’s why Logan couldn’t accept their kindness as it was.

“…”

“Why are you like that? If it were usual, you’d be teasing, saying something like ‘overnight, you’ve become a celebrity.'”

“That… would be disrespectful.”

What changed wasn’t just distant people from Logan.

Even Showell had changed significantly.

He felt as if Showell was censoring every word he spoke to Logan.

“You’re talking as if I’ve changed.”

Logan spoke with a mocking tone.

“I might be talking redundantly, but nothing has changed for me. The only difference is how society judges me. I can still handle being treated the same way as before without getting hurt. In fact, being so timid about it feels awkward.”

“There was never a time when I felt intimidated.”

Even though she said that, Shohel’s body was visibly tense.

“If a friend seems down, it affects me too. So, cheer up.”

“… What did you just say?”

“Cheer up?”

“Before that.”

“I become affected too.”

“Before that, you didn’t say anything?”

When Logan flashed a playful smile, Shohel’s expression brightened.

“Can I treat you the way I used to, like a friend?”

“Of course. I don’t like seeing you down, and I don’t like tiptoeing around you either.”

To Shohel, Logan was perhaps the first friend he had made in 10 years.

Knowing that Logan had approached him before the curse was lifted kept Shohel’s true self intact.

Shohel might not feel the same way, but Logan considered him a friend.

“How does it feel to suddenly become a celebrity overnight?”

“It feels terribly awful. It’s not pleasant to receive pitying looks.”

“It’s inevitable. People know about your dark past; how can they not feel sorry for you?”

Shohel had regained some of his old spirit, but there was still a hint of sympathy in his gaze when he looked at Logan.

It wasn’t just a day or two; it had been 10 years.

During the long period when the river landscape changed, and the boy turned into a man, Shohel grew up under a curse, never receiving favor from anyone.

Unable to eat properly, everyone thought of him as a criminal, and despite working hard with hope just to survive, he couldn’t earn money properly and faced theft and assaults.

How terrible a life it would be, Shohel couldn’t even dare to imagine.

“Honestly, I’ve lived through a much more unfortunate past than others… But still, it was a livable life.”

“…Excuse me? What nonsense is that?”

“Except for being hated by others, my life was better than that of a boy born in a poor family. They weren’t even given the opportunity to earn money. I know it’s a bad habit to endure by comparing with those worse off than me, but thinking that way, my life wasn’t so bad.”

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Shohel looked straight into Logan’s eyes.

There was no falsehood in his eyes.

Only the decency forcibly instilled in him by the world remained.

Talking like a grown-up, but Logan was still in his adolescence.

How much pain did he endure before he could casually utter such words?

Even his seemingly mature words were just a kind of self-justification.

It was a protective shield built laboriously to endure the dreadful reality.

“No, senior’s life wasn’t just livable. It was terrible, and I think it’s incredible that senior lived through that life while enduring.”

There was an easy path to blur his words or affirm what he said, but Shohel had no intention of choosing such a path.

“I admire the senior who, despite being hated by everyone and ignored for the efforts, sought a vision and pondered over the future. That’s why I’ll do my best now so that the senior can live happily.”

As Shohel finished speaking, his face turned red.

‘What did I just say?’

I’ll do my best for your happiness.

It sounded like a proposal, even though he had blurted out whatever came to his mind, like a sentence out of nowhere.

‘What should I do? Honestly, if it’s a senior, they’re way too good for me…’

“Thanks. But you don’t have to go all out. I’ll take care of my own happiness.”

Ignoring Shohel’s concerns, Logan calmly walked out of the academy gate.

Until Logan returned to the academy, the Mana Condition Auto-Searcher, which used to generate about 30 silver in daily profit, was experiencing a surge in demand due to rumors that it would help Logan.

“Where are you going again?”

“We’ve got an investor. We’re starting a new business.”

The money Repair gave to Logan was quite substantial.

Precisely 100 gold, an enormous amount, allowed Logan to outline several steps of his business plan.

“Oh! The next business!”

When Logan talked about the next business, Shohel was genuinely delighted.

Watching Logan’s insane creativity from the side brought a strange thrill.

“What genius idea is it this time…”

“It’s nothing that impressive.”

Logan headed straight to Redrica’s blacksmith.

“Oh… you came?”

Rumors spread fast, as they say. Even the always confident Redrica’s gaze towards Logan was unusual.

When looked at with a stare resembling someone observing a soaked puppy, Logan felt chills all over his body.

It felt unpleasant being looked at with such eyes by a bulky woman.

“If you look at me like that again with those eyes, I’ll gouge them out.”

“No, you’re too harsh with the person who cares about you!”

“You haven’t lived your life well enough to be worried about.”

Logan grabbed the notebook he had brought from the academy and threw it at Redlica’s face.

“What’s this about?”

“It’s a new business idea.”

“Oh… a business? But who’s the lady next to you? Your girlfriend?”

As Redlica opened the notebook and spoke, Logan nodded his head.

“!!! Ouch!”

“Ah!”

Shohel, who had unconsciously thrown a punch, stopped just short of hitting Logan’s back, looking extremely flustered.

“It’s not that I don’t like you…”

“What are you saying? You acknowledged it too, didn’t you?”

Shohel’s face turned crimson.

“When did I?”

“Earlier, we agreed to treat each other as friends.”

Realizing that she had misunderstood Logan’s girlfriend as just a female friend, she was at a loss. She wanted to shout, “How could I not know this!” but she couldn’t speak out of turn, knowing that Logan’s life was as tumultuous as Talula’s.

“There was a bit of a commotion.”

Shohel tried to calm the situation, but her face was still red.

“Anyway, is this the next business plan?”

It seemed necessary to quickly change the subject for the sake of the girl who was barely managing to calm down her flushed face.

“Yeah, it might take a while to read, so I’ll step out for a bit.”

With that, Logan left the room, leaving only two people who had just met.

“What the…”

As Logan carefully read through the business proposal he handed to Redrika, amazement began to form on her face.

The item Logan had ordered for Redrika was a massive machine, and its role was truly bizarre.

To put it simply, it was an item that could be described as a machine that makes machines.

If it had ended there, Logan would have been delighted, thinking as always that he only asked for things beyond imagination. However, the business plan contained detailed blueprints of the machine.

Writing down detailed figures was always something Logan did, but it also meticulously described what magical devices should be included in each part.

Of course, it didn’t contain magical formulas, but without at least some magical aptitude, it would be impossible for Logan to describe what kind of magical array should be included in such a large and complex device.

Even if Logan hadn’t written it, it would have been a simple matter for her to handle, but it was something that Redrika could not help but be surprised by, as it had completely popped out of nowhere.

“But, sis…”

“Yeah?”

“Did I really seem like a senior girlfriend to you?”

“No, I was just teasing, you know?”

Shohel’s face turned red again.