10 He wouldn’t lay the groundwork like this to defraud himself when the only thing he was angry about was debt.
‘So this guy is definitely crazy.’
And there is nothing more foolish than having a long conversation with a crazy person.
but.
“…How much do you plan to invest?”
Because there is a possibility that something might happen.
Philip hinted that he was preparing for something just in case.
‘It could be that a rich boy can’t control his extra money and is making a waste of it.’
Even though he knew it was a sad hope, Philip could not completely give up his expectations. This is because we were in a situation where we had to hold on to even the rotten rope.
“First of all, how much debt do you have? And what are your next business plans?”
But the crazy guy’s answer had its own logic.
A faint hope grew in Philip’s heart.
“…is it really okay to invest in a top that has once failed?”
“Well, that’s okay. I believe in Philip’s talent. I’d like to invest.”
‘When did you see me…’
The crazy guy kept saying crazy things, but his eyes didn’t change at all.
A consistent reaction like this is not something a crazy person would see.
As I removed some of my prejudices, the look in the eyes of the young man in front of me felt a little familiar.
The eyes of someone you miss.
‘Father…’
It was the look in the eyes of only a person who was confident in his own judgment, knew clearly the path he should take, and had the faith to walk to the end.
Only then did the hope that I had been forced to ignore raise its head again.
“Do you really want to invest?”
Excited.
As if I was seeing a ray of light falling in despair, my anticipation grew bigger and bigger.
“That’s right. How much will it take for you to repay your debt and get back on your feet? I will provide you with enough support.”
That time when sweet words made Philip’s mood float.
Tuk.
My eyes rolled back involuntarily at the sound of a small sound.
The dried dust on the armor of the self-proclaimed investor who gave hope fell, revealing a pattern.
The moment Philip saw that pattern, his boiling blood instantly cooled down.
‘Damn it then.’
The higher my expectations were, the more miserable I felt.
“We will do our best to accommodate your wishes. Please tell us.”
When my excitement, even if only for a short time, completely subsided, the smiling face of the ‘scammer’ caught my eye.
“Oh really… that little guy is disgusting. I misunderstood something, so I tried to send him off in an appropriate way.”
Naturally, the words spoken were cold.
‘Eh? what?’
Logan was confused. I was doing well and suddenly I couldn’t hide my bewilderment at what was happening.
“If you’re going to scam me, prepare properly before doing it. Just like those bastards who scammed me.”
“…what?”
Philip’s expression changed drastically and he responded with an unexpected swear word.
“Ha…”
It looks like they’re getting into an argument because they can’t throw away the person who might save them.
If I didn’t know his future, I would have thought he was just an idiot.
No, even if I knew, it would inevitably seem like a stupid thing to do.
“What are you saying now…?”
“You’re not an investor.”
“what?”
Did he take the wrong medicine? Why is he acting like this all of a sudden?
Are you going to turn into a crazy dog and bite anyone just because your business failed once?
Philip snorted and answered the look in his eyes filled with all kinds of questions.
“It hasn’t been long since I joined Kyle, and the dirt hasn’t even gotten off my shoes yet. But then you come to the store right away and talk about investing? Do you know me?”
As he said, the shoes Philip was pointing to still had a little bit of mud on them.
The finger soon headed toward Logan’s chest.
“And I go around memorizing the emblems of all the noble families in this country? But the emblem on that armor is that of Baron McLane of the southwestern region. So what’s the problem? Are you this conman and impersonator of nobles?”
Neither of them were true, but my heart ached because I knew what was going to happen next.
“That family is a beggar family that lives with their in-laws. But investing? A family that can’t even repay their own debt?”
‘Ugh…’
It was heartbreaking because it was all an undeniable fact.
“I really feel sorry for the young guy’s life, so I’m giving him advice. If you’re caught pretending to be a noble, you’ll be sentenced to death. Did you know that you’ll be scolded here?”
Philip’s expression was full of pessimistic irritation as well as skepticism as he pointed at his neck and clap his hands.
“No, that’s true…”
“And your attitude is crucial!”
“What else…”
“For a merchant in urgent need of capital, investors are the absolute best. But instead, you’re acting like you’re anxious because you can’t invest in me. At the very least, you’ve identified the wrong target. You novice scammer. I’m a complete loser. 개털! 알아?! 이 개새끼야!!”
The last words, in a tone that grew stronger as if trying to pour out all the anger that had been building up in one’s heart, sounded like a raw scream.
“I… I want to eat and die, but I have no money! You bastard!”
Philip’s voice, which shook the dusty shopping mall, was full of tears.
Watching an adult man cry is as embarrassing as comforting a crying woman.
Even though Logan felt this fact again, he did not hastily take his steps away.
There were many things Philip pointed out that were not true, but if he had not actually regressed, it was a reasonable doubt.
Moreover, since a young man who seemed to have given up on life made such a sharp point, I could see that he was capable of making cool-headed judgments even in such situations.
‘That’s why I’m even more worried.’
Even though he had such talent, if he was scammed, it meant that he was still immature and there was a big difference from the imperial colossus he knew in his previous life.
‘I’m not that talented yet.’
Maybe the hardships and hardships he had to go through from now on had shaped his future.
No, looking at the current state, it would definitely have been like that.
‘I guess time is what made the giants.’
But Logan had no time to wait for that.
Let the golden bug roll around in agony until it develops the same abilities as in its previous life?
Then there was no reason to come here to visit him.
‘What should I do…’
Logan’s worries, which continued one after another, suddenly reached a fundamental question.
‘Is there really a need to invest at the top?’
The future imperial colossus is now trying to give up his path as a merchant.
‘This might be my chance to make the future top ten merchants of the empire my own!’
My complicated thoughts seemed to be organized in an instant.
In the worst case, even if he does not grow like he did in his previous life, that will in its own way weaken the power of the Ares Empire.
After organizing his thoughts, Logan smiled brightly and opened his mouth.
“If I were to pay off all my debt and hire you for life, how much would it be?”
Those words were enough to make Philip stop crying.
“What?! Still a fraud…”
Philip, who was about to scream out loud again, kept his mouth shut as he saw the golden force rising above Logan’s hand.
A genius who can use the Force at that age is committing fraud by forging his noble identity?
There is no way such a fool would throw a bright future into the trash.
And it proved that the most important basis for his guess so far was wrong.
“Ah… ahaha really?”
Looking at Philip’s dazed appearance, I couldn’t trust him, but I thought, ‘He is a future colossus.’ He is one of the top 10 merchants in the empire.’
Logan worked hard to calm himself and control his expression.
After a moment of awkwardness, a sighing voice was heard.
“Ha… You really were a master. Ugh. But what did you say…?”
Philip asked back with an extremely awkward expression, as if his tongue was twisted as he suddenly tried to show respect after swearing.
Logan suppressed a sigh that was about to come out.
“I asked how much it would be if I paid off all my debt and hired you for life.”
“…You’re going to hire me? And for life?”
“That’s right. Tell me about the down payment. I’ll consider paying off the debt as a gift.”
Logan thought he would get over it without a second thought at this point.
But Philip’s expression became even more crumpled when he heard those words.
“…I would like to first apologize for being rude because of my guess.”
Logan’s discomfort grew at the unusual beginning.
“But! Unless a huge change occurred without my knowledge, the McLane family wouldn’t be able to afford it, right?”
“Ah….”
“Since we are from a family of debtors, are you asking me to kill you with my debt on top of it? I’m sorry, but I have no interest in committing suicide together.”
Philip firmly expressed his refusal. He may have looked at the wrong person, but one thing was certain.
‘Baron McLane is a family of beggars. ‘What kind of money do you have!’
Even if it wasn’t a scam, it was clear that either the boy from a noble family was trying to make fun of him, or the boy was immature and didn’t know what was going on in the world.
‘Does everything in this world seem easy since you were born as a nobleman?’
Philip decided to teach this noble master about reality.
“The remaining debt is 250,000 gold, and my ransom is about that much. The only thing that is certain for a merchant is a contract. Is it possible to sign a contract right away? Or can I wait for a while?”
The master’s expression hardened at the intensely sarcastic tone from beginning to end.
‘Of course it is.’
Looking at that expression, Philip was about to extinguish his last remaining hope.
“500,000… the calculation is strange. How can a person with a debt of 250,000 owe another 250,000? I wouldn’t know if it was minus 250,000.”
The powerful fact attack that came at an unexpected time struck Philip deeply in the heart.
“Hehehe. That’s…”
“Well, that’s fine. I’ll give you 50,000 more for your pride. How about 300,000 in total?”
“What…? What? Four or three hundred thousand?”
“no, I do not want?”
Logan’s words were getting shorter and shorter, but Philip didn’t seem to even notice that.
“Then shall we just go?”
Philip, who had been distracted by the unexpected amount, finally broke down at that single word.
“300,000 gold! Great! Absolutely great!”
For Philip, it was as if a word of salvation had come down to him just by saying something. He had no reason to refuse.
“Then shall we sign the contract right away?”
“…yes?”
Logan said as if it was no big deal and put down the travel backpack from his back.
thud.
A heavy sound, not like a backpack, struck Philip’s chest even more heavily.
A golden light appears through the entrance of the backpack that was opened by Logan’s indifferent touch. Everything in it was gold coins.
The money Logan found in advance at the Coopers Kyle branch on the way today.
A merchant could not help but be drawn to that pile of gold.
“Luckily, it looks like the down payment is enough.”
Philip seemed to see a halo on the smiling face of the backpack owner.
‘…What is this person? ‘Is it an angel?’
Philip suddenly lost touch with reality and was unable to say anything for a while.
“This, this, that, really.”
Philip looked at the gold coin backpack in front of him with dreamy eyes for a long time, then held his hand with tears in his eyes.
“Thank you. Thank you so much. I thought I should be a slave without moving…
” No, I’m already on my knees.’
Although I was sitting down to begin with, my posture was like that of a believer praying while looking at God, so it was a bit burdensome.
“Why do you want to spend such a large amount of money to hire me?”
“I told you. I see possibilities for the future.”
“…Did you really mean what you said?”
“Do you know? Perhaps your talent will blossom later and my fortune will greatly increase.”
‘No, it will definitely happen. It has to be like that for me.’
Logan put strength into his eyes with his will, and for some reason, it seemed like it thrilled Philip.
“…This is the first time I’ve ever had someone trust me like this. Even my late father…”
Logan smiled as he looked at Philip, who looked like he was in tears and was controlling his emotions for a moment.
“Now, let’s go sign the contract.”
“Huh? Where…”
“You can’t write a contract here, right?”
“yes?”
What does it matter where the contract is written?
The place where Logan took the confused Philip was to one of the few magic supply stores in Kyle.
* * *
“Okay. Contract completed!”
As drops of blood fell from Philip’s fingers, the bluish mana engraved on the contract glowed and enveloped Philip’s body.
It was an expensive magic contract worth a whopping 10,000 gold.
From now on, if Philip intentionally does something that will harm Logan, he will feel terrible pain as if his soul is being torn apart.
If you don’t want to do that, you will have to awaken the Force yourself and become a knight of advanced level or higher, or pay hundreds of times that much money to a magician of the 4th circle or higher and ask them to lift the curse.
It’s just that the word ‘slave’ is not written in it, but in fact, it is a contract that changes Philip’s life and the money of 300,000.
Therefore, it was no wonder that Philip’s expression, which had been filled with emotion just moments before, turned sour.
“Angel, what is wrong with my sprained eye? Damn… Are you writing a contract worth the price of 30 slaves to make me a slave? Plus 300,000 gold?”
Philip’s complaints continued.
Even after hearing those words, Logan’s face was filled with smiles.
“How can we trust each other at first meeting? If you invested a lot of money, there should be some kind of guarantee.”
Philip was moved to tears by the now completely flat surface, but he soon sighed and agreed.
‘But it’s better than being dragged by those guys.’
It is better to be similar to a slave than to be labeled and branded as a slave.
I thought that way and tried to console myself, but as my expectations were high, I couldn’t help but feel even more depressed.
Just as Philip was about to fall into depression again, Logan blurted out a word in passing.
“Once we build trust with each other, we can get rid of the contract. So let’s do our best in the future.”
A vague statement with no deadline or conditions.
But those words were enough to plant a small spark in Philip’s dead eyes.
