Chapter 35
Episode 35
The person who opened the door and entered was a middle-aged man with graying hair and a dignified appearance.
Dressed in an immaculate suit with a face that had aged gracefully, he looked every bit the part of a nobleman from some distinguished family.
But the moment he saw Logan and Philip, the deep bow he offered made it clear he was someone accustomed to serving others.
"My master has ordered me to purchase a medicine called Imporic from this establishment."
"Your master...?"
Philip stepped forward in Logan's stead as the latter observed the middle-aged man with keen interest.
"My apologies, but I've been instructed not to reveal his identity..."
The middle-aged man wore an awkward expression, clearly unsure why he had been sent here.
Just as I expected...
Though this outcome had been anticipated since opening the shop, selling the medicine outright wasn't an option.
At Logan's silent signal, Philip followed their prearranged script.
"I'm sorry, but we only sell this medicine to nobles whose identities have been properly verified."
"Excuse me? What do you—"
"If the master cannot come in person, we would at least require a certificate bearing their official seal."
"...Huh."
The condition seemed absurd at first glance, but it was the best course of action.
We need to establish that this isn't just any high-end product available to anyone.
Though it risked touching upon the nobles' secrets, emphasizing that this medicine wasn't for indiscriminate distribution was necessary.
"H-Here is the certificate."
After a long while, the middle-aged man returned, sweat beading on his forehead, and presented the document—his face now filled with bewilderment.
This was likely the first time he had ever needed to bring such paperwork just to buy something.
And Logan confirmed the noble's seal stamped on the certificate.
Just as I thought.
The emblem on the document was a lily—the crest of the Davis Count Family.
The first fish had taken the bait.
As Logan nodded, Philip addressed the middle-aged man again.
"Did you bring the payment?"
"Yes. As instructed, I brought it all in cash."
Given the scale of the transaction and the fact that it was taking place in the capital, a bank deposit certificate or verification would have sufficed.
Yet they had insisted on cash...
They don't want any records.
The middle-aged man pulled out a heavy pouch of gold coins from the bag he had been carrying.
Thud.
"A total of 10,000 gold. I was told this was the price for 100 boxes..."
"You must have misheard. It's the price for ten boxes. Would you like to confirm again?"
A seasoned servant like him wouldn't have misheard his master's orders.
More likely, he simply couldn't believe that a single box of medicine could cost 1,000 gold.
"N-No, my memory is quite clear now. Ten boxes. It's definitely ten boxes."
"Here you are, sir."
Tap.
The small, lightweight boxes were a stark contrast to the heavy pouch of gold coins.
Even wrapped in luxurious silk, their actual cost couldn't have exceeded a single gold coin.
The middle-aged man alternated his gaze between the boxes and the pouch, his expression one of utter confusion.
"Is there a problem?"
"N-No. But... is this really Imporic?"
"Yes. It's the same product we provided to your master. He'll confirm it when you deliver it."
"...Haah."
With a deep sigh, the man slumped his shoulders and left the shop.
Left behind, Logan and Philip high-fived, sensing the beginning of a lucrative venture.
"Time to head to the party."
"Of course. Another day of hard work awaits."
Logan's tired eyes regained their vigor.
From that day onward, the small but upscale shop began attracting more and more customers—one or two at a time.
And then, a week later...
In the heart of the Inner City, a small shop with no sign—only a nameplate reading Logan MacLaine—began drawing lines of people from early morning.
Most of them were faces Logan and Philip had seen before.
In other words, repeat customers—the fundamental condition for a thriving business.
Of course, the real customers weren't them, but their masters.
They're all sending servants. But what's the point of this?
The servants lining up in front of the shop whispered among themselves, eyeing each other.
"Count Hammel too?"
"Why is Baron Talun here again?"
"Whoa—the Davis Count Family's butler is here!"
Logan couldn't identify their masters just by looking at the servants, but the servants recognized each other.
Thanks to that, Logan could deduce who their employers were just by eavesdropping on their chatter.
And since they knew one another, rumors would spread even faster.
Exactly as Logan had intended—he couldn't help but smile.
To top it off, Philip had posted something new in front of the shop that day:
- Daily Limit: 50 Boxes.
With sales gradually increasing, they had finally moved to the next phase of their plan—limited sales.
"I'm sorry. We've sold out today's stock."
"What?! My master told me to buy just one more box! Isn't there any way?"
"I'm sorry. It's our shop's policy..."
"No, this can't be! If I go back empty-handed, I'm dead! Please!"
Before long, Logan's shopfront was flooded with desperate pleas from people begging for just one more box.
Even those who had bought multiple sets of ten boxes returned within days—Logan didn't want to know why—but the spectacle alone was enough to advertise Imporic's value to others.
So Logan left them be, and soon, the shopfront was crowded with despondent servants.
"Please, just sell me one!"
"My master will kill me!"
Commotion.
They couldn't possibly return empty-handed, so they lingered, unable to leave.
"What's going on over there?"
"Pardon? I didn't catch that, my lord."
"Why is there a shop in the middle of the Inner City crowded with servants instead of nobles? And since dawn, no less. Go find out."
Curious onlookers began appearing one by one.
"They're selling medicine for 1,000 gold per box?"
"What? Have you ever seen such madness?"
"But they say the effects are worth it."
"...What kind of effects?"
Once word spread that there was substantial demand despite the exorbitant price, rumors about Imporic began circulating at an explosive rate.
A revolutionary tonic—exceptionally beneficial for men.
It didn't take long for the rumors to spread throughout the entire capital.
"Another sellout today."
In the first week after sales began, they had sold only 100 boxes.
But in the following week, sales skyrocketed to 350 boxes—hitting the daily limit every single day.
Naturally, Logan's face was radiant.
"Who knew there were so many... incapable nobles?"
"Not all of them are incapable. It works as a stamina booster too, right?"
"True. Honestly, the greed of these nobles..."
"Thanks to that greed, we're making money. Can't complain."
"Right, greed. Hmm... Logan! You said you'd leave the sales to me, didn't you?"
"Eventually, yes. You're already handling most of it anyway. Why?"
"You've got a little over half of the original stock left, right? Starting tomorrow, can I set the prices?"
"Prices too? Hmm..."
Was it wise to suddenly change the pricing of a product selling so well?
Logan hesitated briefly—but this was Philip, the future Golden Bug, one of the Ares Empire's top ten merchants.
"Fine, give it a try. But if things don't go well..."
"Don't worry. It'll work."
Philip's confident grin made Logan decide to trust him.
The next morning.
"3,000 gold?! It was 1,000 gold yesterday—why the sudden increase?!"
The first customer erupted in protest.
Even Logan was taken aback—the price hike was extreme.
"My apologies. We can't disclose all our guild's circumstances. Since you're just a purchasing agent, perhaps you should seek permission again?"
For the entire morning, Philip turned customers away.
"Hey, what's your plan? Tripling the price out of nowhere..."
"It'll still sell. Just watch."
Logan was skeptical, but Philip's unwavering confidence made him hold his tongue for now.
And Philip's bold claim became reality that very afternoon.
"One box! Just one box!"
"Two—no, three boxes!"
"Here you go, sir! And—that's it for today! Sorry, but those of you at the back, please come back tomorrow!"
"No, this can't be! If I go back empty-handed, I'm dead!"
"One box! Just sell me one!"
"...Damn."
To Logan's astonishment, Imporic's popularity showed no signs of waning.
"Wow... 2.55 million gold in just four weeks... This is insane. And the production cost is practically..."
Even Philip, the architect of this success, sounded dazed.
Beside him, Logan clenched his fists, unable to contain his exhilaration.
"WOOOOOOH! WE DID IT!"
To say he hadn't been nervous would be a lie.
Though based on his past-life knowledge, he had significantly altered the original course of events.
Fortunately, the result was nothing short of a staggering success.
Especially after Philip's price adjustment—they had made a whopping 2.1 million gold in just two weeks.
"You brilliant little bastard!"
"Ahhh! Get off me!"
If this trend continued for a full month, they could reach 4.5 million gold—more than half of MacLaine Territory's annual budget.
With this money, we can develop the mine much faster than planned.
The windfall was so immense that Logan had to revise his plans.
There was just one nagging concern.
"If Imporic sells this well, won't people start figuring out the ingredients?"
The Grand Prince's bizarre purchase of Karok meat had been dismissed as madness.
But if that same prince suddenly introduced a revolutionary new medicine?
Someone would connect the dots sooner or later.
Yet Philip waved it off with a relaxed expression.
"Ah, don't worry. People's preconceptions don't change easily. The idea of eating monster meat is already hard to swallow—they'd never link it to medicine."
Given that Philip himself had pieced it together instantly, Logan wasn't entirely convinced.
"I only figured it out because I heard Logan's plan to profit from Karok meat and helped gather it myself. Trust me—no one will catch on."
Philip's gaze was unwavering, without the slightest hint of doubt.
"My concern is actually something else."
"What?"
"It's a bit late to bring this up now, but... there really are no side effects, right?"
"...Yeah, none. At least, not that I know of."
"Why do you keep adding qualifiers?! Ugh."
Philip, now fully entrusted with Imporic's sales starting next month, seemed deeply conflicted.
"Ugh. If something goes wrong..."
"And yet you tripled the price despite worrying?"
"If things go wrong, whether it's 1,000 or 3,000 gold, I'm dead either way! Might as well make as much as I can first. But... sigh..."
The pressure seemed to be weighing on him, filling his mind with pessimistic thoughts.
Can't blame him. He's got no personal stake in this.
Leaving him like this wasn't an option, so Logan decided to motivate him—in the most extravagant way possible, the method any merchant would love.
"Starting next month, you'll get 1% of the sales revenue."
Snap.
Philip's eyes instantly lit up.
"Y-You're serious?!"
"Dead serious. So do your best."
"LEAVE IT TO ME!"
Not a trace of his earlier anxiety remained in his booming reply.
Only about 700 boxes of Imporic were left.
Even if Logan returned to the estate immediately to send more, sales would have to halt for at least a week or two.
The business was so successful that supply couldn't keep up—but Philip saw even this as a positive.
- A 1-2 week gap will only increase Imporic's perceived value. Of course, we can't let this happen too often.
Logan smiled, thinking once again how reliable Philip was.
Now, it was time to use that money to prepare for the future.
Should I stop by that place on the way back? No, better to discuss it with the family first...
Though Imporic's success had eased his worries, achieving one goal only made the next tasks loom larger.
For today, I won't think about anything else. Focus!
He tried to shake off his thoughts and return to the now-familiar meditation that replaced sleep—
Swish.
His heightened senses barely caught it—an extremely faint presence. A stealthy movement.
A thief?!
His own reaction was swift and precise.
Breaking his meditation, he grabbed the longsword beside his bed and pointed it toward the source—every motion seamless.
"Who's there?!"
But the sword met empty air.
And his still-heightened senses detected someone behind him.
What the—?!
A chilling sensation surged—raw danger.
Logan spun around like lightning, channeling his full strength into a single slash.
Swiish!
The blade cut through the air—and registered the faintest resistance.
"Huh?!"
A surprised exclamation confirmed the intruder's presence.
"Who the hell are you?!"
Logan's voice was a growl, his blade radiating killing intent as it pointed at the masked figure who had appeared out of nowhere.
The masked intruder stared at him briefly—then vanished just as abruptly as they had appeared.
Logan strained his senses, but there was nothing—not even the faintest trace.
"Was I hallucinating...?"
The thought crossed his mind—until he spotted a scrap of black fabric, cleanly sliced from a sleeve, lying beside his bed.
His expression hardened.
"What the hell was that...?"