The Curse of Being Hated Has Been Lifted

41 – A Gift From a Younger Sibling

“You come looking for me every day.”

“Don’t you want to see the face of your disciple’s teacher?”

“That’s not it.”

“But am I bothering you?”

Ashuhitte was a useful slave.

He was already being paid a considerable monthly salary, performance bonuses, and had values that couldn’t be compared.

Just by selling ores, he was already in the black, and considering the gradually completed components of the car, it was truly a divine move to have recruited him.

However, that doesn’t mean he was no longer a slave.

“Well, you complain a lot about working while receiving money. Shut up and get to work.”

“Tch.”

Despite knowing that Arna’s true identity was Gumsung, Ashuheit treated her with a considerable lack of respect.

There were a few reasons for this – he had never seen Gumsung’s true abilities, and he was good at keeping his emotions in check.

“But, Logan.”

“Why do you call me Master?”

Even with the increase in slaves, Logan couldn’t afford to rest.

While not as skilled as Ashuheit, Logan was a capable engineer, and he too was involved in various experiments alongside Ashuheit.

The reason Gumsung called him wasn’t out of jealousy towards Ashuheit.

After being heavily involved in the curse, Arna’s interest in Logan skyrocketed, but she wasn’t jealous enough of Ashuheit, who wasn’t even a woman.

“Do you really not need my help?”

“Of course. This disciple is not a weak human. As Gumsung’s only disciple, I should naturally prove my qualifications.”

“Well, then I’m glad.”

Arna tilted the cup and drank the steaming hot tea.

The tea was so hot that it could melt the ceiling, but for Arna, it was just the right temperature.

“Do I really not have to lift a finger?”

– Crash!

The handle of the cup shattered and was crushed by the pressure.

Due to Arna’s desire for revenge, she didn’t investigate the work while she was away from Logan.

However, there were things that one would come to know even without being explicitly told.

“Did she say it was Leah Haru?”

The seriousness of the matter was evident from Yebbi’s approach to report.

The insane girl who had tormented Logan the most during his first year at the academy.

Even with the brief information from Yebbi, it was enough to tear her apart, but she belonged to Logan.

The source that had made a mess of Logan’s life was Arna.

The source that had turned Logan’s life into a living hell had to be dealt with by Logan himself.

That’s why she was staying still.

That’s why she was sticking close to Logan’s side.

Every time she looked at the cute and handsome face of her disciple, a rage surged within her, almost unbearable.

“Oh, is this going to work?”

“This should definitely make up for the lack of momentum when starting. But isn’t the speed slowing down too much? If half of the maximum speed is cut in half, why not just use a rickshaw?”

“… It’s complicated.”

The completion of the car still seemed far off.

“What’s the problem?”

“It’s not a problem within your comprehension.”

Arna, feeling provoked by Logan’s confident tone, leaned in closer to him for no reason.

Although Arna almost lost her temper and almost snapped at Arua from behind, she ultimately didn’t, so it wasn’t a big issue.

“Still, please talk to me. I’m bored.”

“It’s possible to use the momentum stably, but the problem lies in how to utilize that momentum. If you increase the speed, it’s difficult to start from a standstill or climb uphill. If you reduce the speed, starting from a standstill or climbing uphill works well, but the speed doesn’t increase.”

“How slow can you go?”

“Slower than you running.”

If that’s the case, it’s better to just run.

Muttered Arwa.

“Hmm… Ah! I have a great idea!”

“What is it?”

“When starting, go with the slow mode! Then, after starting, switch to the fast mode!”

“How is that even possible…”

“You’re a genius!”

Logan suddenly exclaimed.

“No… That’s absurd, changing the mode of a moving car…”

“What’s absurd about it?”

Logan patted Ashuheet’s shoulder.

“We have a genius engineer among us.”

“I can’t think of any solution.”

“You’ll figure it out.”

“Will this delay the development by about a year?”

“Then we’ll release the prototypes developed in the meantime.”

Ashuheet’s lips twitched.

If they agreed here, it was certain that for the next year, they wouldn’t sleep properly and would just work.

“No matter how I think about it…”

“Logan! Your uncle is here!”

And just like that, Ashu Heat’s final chance soared to the sky, abruptly interrupted by the sudden appearance of Repair.

*******

“It’s been a while, Uncle.”

“That it has. Seems like you’ve put on quite some weight during that time. Eating well, I presume?”

“Thanks to you.”

Repair ruffled Logan’s hair affectionately.

“So, who are the young ladies over there?”

While Arua couldn’t hear Repair’s discreet whisper, it resonated well with Gumsung.

From Noble mtl dot com

Moments ago, she had felt a mysterious envy seeing Repair’s vigorous petting of Logan’s head, and now, using all her mana, she strained to catch Logan’s words.

“One is a trustworthy junior, and the other is an irreplaceable mentor.”

“A mentor? Your mentor was undoubtedly…”

“At that time, their identity was concealed.”

Arua’s energy surged fiercely around her.

When unbridled, it was a violent force seemingly capable of destroying everything around her, yet now, controlled, it lacked the same intimidating aura.

“Could it be Gumsung?”

Repair, too, had ties to the sword. The moment he laid eyes on the pitch-black hair and crimson eyes, thoughts of Gumsung were inevitable.

“Seems like the news hasn’t reached Asrian Viscount yet, huh?”

“Hmm… Achievements seem to come faster compared to Logan’s talent…”

“G-G-G-G-G-Gu… Gu-Geumseong-nim?”

The mention of Geumseong completely stunned Royan, who was standing behind Repaire.

“You’re from the Asrian family, the second son, right?”

“Yes!”

A gasp escaped from Royan’s throat.

It was embarrassing, but considering the person in front of him was Geumseong, it wasn’t that strange.

“Even the younger brother of the uncle… What’s going on?”

“Let me take it from here.”

Logan intervened between Repaire and Arna, speaking.

“Let’s change the location first. There are too many outsiders here.”

Though Ashuhit reached out sympathetically from behind Logan, he wasn’t strong enough to stop a family conversation.

“Did you come here on behalf of the Asrian Count?”

“As expected, my nephew, you’re quick to catch on.”

“Considering their personalities, they won’t just send the uncle and the youngest one obediently, right?”

Both Repaire and Royan were from the Asrian family, but Logan wasn’t feeling too good about it.

Even if they carried the Asrian surname, Repaire was one of the few adults Logan respected, and Royan was his cute little sister, despite the distance.

“So, why have you come?”

“For external reasons, to ask for your forgiveness and to reconnect with the Asrian Count. There have been rumors in the Asrian Count, you being under Stella’s curse all this time. Originally, it seems the uncle and his wife were going to come in person, but that would only sour things up. I came for the sake of the Count’s peace.”

“I… I came to deliver a message to my older brother!”

When Royan finally mustered the courage to speak, he looked truly adorable.

Due to the curse, there had been no opportunity for closeness, yet Royan was Logan’s only younger sibling.

“Well, what do you want to say?”

It had been quite some time since Logan’s curse had been lifted.

While Logan still came across as aloof to those who were meeting him for the first time or to those who had known him previously, he was able to speak quite gently to close friends or new acquaintances.

“I… I just wanted to express my gratitude to you, brother… I may seem presumptuous to offer words of comfort without truly understanding… But…”

He didn’t seem presumptuous at all.

In fact, Royan, who had struggled to speak up, was rather admirable.

“I just wanted to offer words of comfort first. And I also want to apologize. Even though you were going through such immense pain, I couldn’t offer any help.”

There was no reason for Royan to apologize to Logan.

When Logan was cursed, wasn’t she very young?

It was unreasonable to expect the child who had been terrified every time she looked at Logan to act in his favor.

Simply not hating Logan to his face and avoiding him out of fear were already significant support for him.

“And lastly… If I become the Duchess of Astrian, I will give Astrian to you, Brother!”