The Curse of Being Hated Has Been Lifted

48 – Rise of Wemyung

-clang! clang! clang!

The sound of hammering echoed incessantly in the Redrika forge.

“Can this even work?”

The only blacksmith in the forge, with his arms crossed, did not expect the hammering to continue, even as he only checked the results.

“It’s still not as good as the original.”

Logan had attempted to replicate the recipe stolen from the dwarves, but even with human craftsmanship, it was impossible to match the dwarven alloy, let alone with automated machines.

However, through the efforts of Ashuheit and the help of Redrika, they succeeded in producing an alloy of excellent quality, though not as good as the dwarven one.

Ashuheit had put in tremendous effort to create a machine that would automatically produce the alloy once the materials were added, and now the machine continuously produced the alloy.

Utilizing a massive amount of energy emitted from the giant engine, numerous intricate mechanical devices were creating a beautiful sight, almost like a form of art.

“What do you think of the quality?”

“…It’s not necessarily superior to the alloy made by a professional craftsman, but considering the speed at which it’s being mass-produced, it’s truly remarkable.”

The profits from the iron products, including the valuable ores that had been quite lucrative for Logan, were mostly substantial, but the cost of labor was also quite high.

It took a lot of effort to remove impurities from the iron ore and refine it consistently, so even well-refined iron ores fetched a considerable price.

For complex alloys requiring precise forging and perfect blending, the price was even higher.

Not to mention the cost of materials, the labor cost was eating up too much money.

Basically, a blacksmith capable of making alloys was an exceptional one, and it meant paying a hefty sum.

However, Logan’s alloys were different.

Given their immense facilities and the substantial physical force required, they did demand a fair amount of mana stones for engine operation, but it wasn’t nearly as much as the cost for human labor.

“… No matter how I think about it, these alloys seem like they’d earn more than carriages.”

Carriages could only be sold to a few people, but the alloys Logan created were superior enough that any skilled blacksmith beyond a certain level would be tempted.

Even Redrika was considering purchasing Logan’s alloys to shorten her work hours.

“Carriages are about money, but they’re also about influence. And we have to gift our master, too.”

“Influence…”

Redrika pondered in her mind.

Would selling a few carriages to the upper class have more influence, or would the impact from selling that absurd alloy at a reasonable price be greater?

Certainly, the latter seemed overwhelmingly more significant.

******

[Logan Asrian, who is he?]

[Academy’s greatest genius! Let’s explore his inventions.]

“You seem to have a very joyful expression.”

“Do I have the luxury to care about my expression?”

“Look in the mirror. Even if Senior Logan said that with a face claiming he’s so burdened he could die, I wouldn’t have anything to say to that.”

Under the request of Arua, who was learning the sword from her, Swordmaster Arna was enjoying these days.

“My exceptional disciple!”

Not too long ago, he was worried not just for himself but for the absurd curse from Stella. But as he engaged in various ventures and began to expand his influence, he became so renowned that he was now featured on the front page of an empire-wide recognized newspaper.

Not long ago, being a disciple of Swordmaster was the norm, but now that he was focusing on his accomplishments, it brought him even greater joy.

“Indeed, Logan is a genius. Perhaps Stella’s abilities are not insignificant either? Trying to hinder the progress of the entire empire by cursing Logan with a sword, such was the intention.”

“Ah, yes, it seems so.”

Arha’s words were extremely stern, but Arna paid no mind.

Her disciple was so talented that she wanted to show off to someone, and conveniently, the most suitable woman was right in front of her.

*******

“At last…”

It had been about 50 days since Harue recklessly confronted Logan, only to receive a court judgment and fall near the abyss.

Some claimed to have seen Harue apologize to Logan in court, and seeing her show self-restraint, Harue was accepted back into the ranks of the Knights.

Although she didn’t receive special treatment as before, Harue was content just to be treated as a proper member once again.

“That damned Asrian’s son.”

Harue wasn’t foolish enough to bother Logan any further.

Losing the privileges didn’t mean Harue’s talents vanished, and her status as the heir of the Harue family remained unchanged.

“As long as I inherit the Marquisate, Logan is nothing.”

There was no need to rush.

Time was on her side anyway.

No matter how much the Asrian Marquisate or that guy grew, it wouldn’t be anything remarkable.

Moreover, Logan had no talent in swordsmanship.

Harue knew well how pathetic his abilities were.

“Maybe I should just make him my slave, considering he couldn’t even hold his ground against Asrian Viscount.”

It wasn’t an impossible feat if she ascended to the Marquisate…

When I thought about it, I could recall different rumors about Logan every day.

“Now that I think about it, there was a rumor that Asrian is a disciple of Geomseong…”

As she had never seen Geomseong and Logan together, she didn’t believe that rumor.

“Even if it’s Logan, if he’s a disciple of Geomseong, he must have been much stronger than now.”

It made more sense to think about the rumor that Geomseong owed something to the Asrian family or had some connection to Logan from their childhood.

This was something that happened because Huaru knew Logan better than the public did. For those who didn’t know Logan’s exact talent, just hearing that he entered the academy with his swordsmanship would make them think he was remarkable, but not for Huaru.

To be more precise, she acknowledged Logan’s swordsmanship skills, but she couldn’t acknowledge his talent. No matter how poorly he ate, the rate at which his skills improved was too slow. If Geomseong was in his right mind, there was no way he would have taken Logan as his disciple.

So, for now, there was no need to worry about Geomseong.

“In the end, time is on my side.”

As long as I receive the dukedom.

I can trample on someone like Logan as much as I want.

That’s what she had thought.

“Did you hear the news? Asrian has done something incredible again this time.”

“He’s producing alloys with tremendous performance, and because of that, some knight orders are considering completely replacing their equipment.”

“… What? Alloys?”

The ones who just spoke to Huaru’s ears were her colleagues, so naturally, disdain crept into her tone.

Since they didn’t all use the same casual language, her colleagues, hearing Huaru’s tone, couldn’t help but feel a slight hostility instinctively.

They were not adult knights, so listening to Huaru’s words and getting annoyed was inevitable. Until now, they had endured it, but as Huaru’s position within the knight order had become less prestigious than before, unnecessary courage had arisen.

“Don’t you even read the newspapers?”

“What?”

Haru, who had expected a detailed explanation, could only respond with confusion when she received a remark that felt almost like an insult.

“Honestly, how can you not know the name Logan Asrian? I can’t help but think you lack culture.”

Haru’s eyes widened in disbelief.

“These crazy people?”

Even if they were classmates, they were not all on the same level. Until they came to the academy for learning, Haru treated them as friends. However, the Knights were a place where promotion varied according to skill, and Haru had the potential to surpass them and become a superior.

But how could someone like herself be subjected to such ridicule?

If it were the old Haru, she would have immediately erupted in anger, but now she couldn’t. It wasn’t because she had changed, but because of her position.

Just when she had finished her meditation, she couldn’t afford to cause any trouble.

“Calm down, Alp. The news might be delayed. Are you taking that as the standard? It’s said that Logan Asrian has developed a new alloy and is supplying it to the Institute at an unbelievably low price. It’s naturally inferior to the top-quality metals, but the price is so reasonable.”