The Curse of Being Hated Has Been Lifted

9 – The Curse Is Lifted

[I hope you haven’t read this letter, which probably means I’m dead or unable to contact you by now.]

The letter began, surprisingly heavy in its tone for Logan’s mentor.

‘This can’t be serious.’

Dying,

Words that truly didn’t suit Logan’s mentor at all.

[By now, you probably think it’s a joke.]

It seemed Logan’s mentor understood his state of mind.

[It’s quite reasonable for you to think that way. Even I can’t envision a future where I die. Though I might not be the strongest, I’m still something of an empire’s strongest.]

Only now did it sound a bit like Logan’s mentor.

Perhaps the only thing that didn’t match the heavy mood was her penchant for milk.

[So, this is for insurance. Perhaps you’ll never read it. If I were still alive, I would have come to tell you in person.]

The thought of moving on to the next paragraph became daunting.

Contrary to the vehement denial in his mind, Logan’s chest insisted something was awry.

[There are two conditions for you to be able to read this letter. One is that the curse on your body has been lifted, and the second is that a situation has arisen where I cannot contact you. Both must apply for you to be able to open this letter.]

‘A curse?’

[Firstly, I want to apologize. I’ve been cursed with this abominable curse, and so far, there’s been nothing I could do to help my precious disciple. You probably never suspected. The curse of Stella is truly horrific, and only those who have reached my level can even grasp that the target is under a curse.]

The content of the continued letter was truly shocking.

The reason Logan had lived, despised by everyone until now, was not due to his own mistakes but because of Stella, referred to as the worst witch.

[I had no magical prowess, so there was no way other than personally killing that damn woman, Stella.]

As Logan continued reading the letter, his gaze froze.

On the day everyone abandoned Logan, even his only master believed she had abandoned him simply because she suddenly hid her presence, not starting to despise him like the others.

[I tried my best, but it took too long.]

Logan’s hand began to tremble.

[The fact that you’re reading this letter probably means I’m no longer here. Live your life without holding onto the dead master’s heart. I hope you do many things you haven’t done so far, eat delicious things, and live happily.]

[P.S. Never entertain thoughts of wanting to die.]

The recent auditory hallucination, which seemed more like a real sound, echoed in his mind.

‘Master…’

It was not a long letter. In terms of paragraphs, it didn’t even reach ten.

But the contents of the letter were far from light.

Until now, the fact that Logan had been cursed was surprising enough, but the fact that Gumsung was dead…

“It’s unbelievable.”

The Gumsung known to Logan, and to the people of the empire, was the strongest swordsman of the empire. It was inconceivable that such a swordsman would die fighting a mere witch.

The letter also mentioned a situation where Logan couldn’t be reached, so it must be that he didn’t die, but something must have come up.

-Miya Aoyang

Without even realizing the sensation of the furry mass pressed against his side, Logan tucked away the letter and walked slowly.

“Master…”

To Logan, the master was just another person who had suddenly betrayed and left him one day, like everyone else.

She had disappeared without a word, so he considered her no different from the others, even though she had a better understanding than others. In the end, she was just like them.

“Gumsung clearly said that he had been exerting himself for ten years to capture Stella.”

In the end, he had been running for ten long years, not caring about his own life, for Logan’s sake.

Thinking that he had lived hating such a master, Logan felt a pang of resentment and tightness in his heart.

“You haven’t changed, clinging to your foolishness.”

To sacrifice one’s own life for a disciple,

She was truly a foolish master.

Logan tucked away the letter and made his way slowly to the classroom.

The letter talked about Gumsung’s death, but Logan knew.

Gumsung couldn’t have died.

In the midst of Stella’s mansion, it was evident that she would be sprawled out, likely catching some sleep.

If the investigative team were to find her, she might say, “Oh, sorry, I dozed off,” or something along those lines.

From the moment the curse afflicting Logan was lifted, Stella had already lost her life, and it was absurd to think that Gyeomsung also lost his life simultaneously.

Wanting to believe that badly and engaging in self-brainwashing wasn’t foolish.

Gyeomsung was a trustworthy person, and Logan believed in him.

-Drrrrring

As we opened the door and entered the classroom, we could feel an instant focus on Logan.

Among the gazes directed at him, most carried an expression of bewilderment.

The usual repulsiveness one could sense from Logan wasn’t there at all, so it was understandable that everyone looked at him in surprise.

“A curse…”

According to the contents of the letter, the reason Logan had suffered until now was because of the curse Stella put on him.

In other words, they had their justifications, to some extent.

“Asrian?”

A female student sitting nearby approached Logan, who was seated.

Her gaze was different from the usual disgust that others directed towards Logan; it was rather warm and gentle.

“What do you want?”

Having experienced a lot, his words were sharp.

Of course, that wasn’t the only reason.

Even if he was under a curse, the attitudes of others towards Logan crossed a line.

Although Anna, to some extent, showed remorse, others exhibited a strong tendency to solidify their positions by tormenting Logan, who was considered a social weakling.

The approaching female student to Logan was of the same kind.

“Feels different today, doesn’t it?”

“Looks like you’re in a bad mood. How about calling it a day? There’s definitely something wrong with your eyes, so you should get treatment as soon as possible.”

Even with the curse lifted, Logan remained unchanged.

“If you have nothing else to say, leave.”

Faced with Logan’s icy response, the female student slowly retreated and took her seat.

Normally, she would have picked a fight, using Logan’s foul mood as an excuse for cursing at her. However, now that the curse was lifted, something seemed different.

While everyone paid attention to the changed Logan, there was one female student who was more perplexed than the others.

“That’s Logan?”

The Logan reflected in Anna’s eyes was completely different from the one she had known.

It wasn’t the dark, repulsive Logan who always seemed covered in darkness, inducing discomfort at an instinctual level.

As if someone intentionally removed the darkness veiling him, there was no sense of repulsion emanating from his body.

“He’s not kicking me out today.”

Perhaps due to the curse being lifted, Logan could stay in the classroom without being expelled for once and attend the lecture.

Is this what others generally experience in their daily lives?

It felt a bit unusual.

“Logan, can we talk for a moment after class?”

Anna approached him as soon as the lecture ended.

“I don’t know what suddenly got into you to talk to me.”

Logan’s tone remained as sharp as ever.

The curse on Logan wasn’t the type that earned him the resentment of others; it wasn’t a curse that sharpened his tone and made him unpleasant.

Even though the curse had disappeared, the scars etched in his heart still lingered deep, preventing his tone from returning to normal.

As if shattering her heart, Anna flinched at his cold voice.

Until now, she hadn’t noticed the aura enveloping his body, and Logan’s tone was always cold and rigid, unnoticed.

“Wasn’t I a disappointment to you? Do you remember finding my gratitude for the last chance you gave me quite repulsive?”

Anna couldn’t respond to Logan’s words.

There was no denying what Logan said.

“So, what’s the story you want to tell so badly?”

“…It feels different from usual.”

“You’ve got an eye problem too, huh? Seems like an eye disease.”

“My eyes are fine.”

“Then, am I the one who changed?”

In response to Logan’s words, Anna recalled what he had said before.

He claimed that nothing had changed.

“Yeah, some might think that way. The damn Logan, feeling bad one day and suspicious the next. Sorry, but there’s no way for me to prove my innocence. So just go ahead and doubt it on your own.”

Anna couldn’t continue speaking in the face of Logan’s cold words.

The weight of Logan’s past 10 years was pressing on Anna.