Chapter 27
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I'll purchase divine power with money.
Chapter 27
I should've just sent that one line, but instead I wasted ten lines writing it out.
"Is this how he'll test me?"
That fool—whether it was William Gale or someone else—must have relayed my promise to gain Airic's trust and bring profit to the House of Count Kiris.
Through my answer to this question, the Count would decide whether to believe me or not.
I scoffed and wrote my reply.
The Duke mentioned he came searching for something of great importance, but since the High Priest didn't inform me of the details, I'm not entirely certain. However, from the circumstances, it appeared to be some sort of sacred relic.
And I stated that I would visit the Temple once a month going forward.
I'd blended truth and falsehood in equal measure.
By mentioning the sacred relic, it would make sense that I didn't know more than that.
Since I had no idea what Lute had taken, the Count wouldn't be able to learn anything further either.
"Monica, and Lady Victoria."
After sealing the letter, I called the two of them over.
"Since you've both become my inner circle, I'll tell you this: Count Kiris is trash."
"...Pardon?"
"I knew it!"
Unlike the bewildered Victoria, Monica clenched both her fists tightly.
This reaction was quite refreshing.
"I only came to reflect on my past because I realized the Count was trash. It's difficult to turn my back on him right now, but someday I'll completely leave the House of Count Kiris. And the Temple of the Sun God will also break free from the Count's patronage."
Monica nodded vigorously, while Victoria, though uncertain, seemed to accept it for now.
"But since we need money, we'll grovel and squeeze funds from the House of Count Kiris. So even if I feed lies to the Count, just accept it. Understood?"
"Yes, understood!"
"I will obey your command."
Victoria didn't object to this either and agreed immediately.
A Holy Knight not objecting to extorting someone else's money—it seemed she too had accumulated quite a bit of resentment.
"Good. Then Lady Victoria, would you go send that letter for me? Monica, I have something to ask you, so stay."
"Yes, I'll be back shortly."
After Victoria left with the letter, I asked Monica a question.
"Monica, do you happen to know much about the Empire's potion market?"
"The potion market?"
"Yes. You said you lived outside the Temple until six months ago, so I thought you might know well."
Monica answered willingly, though with some confusion.
"Currently, the potion market is divided between Sea God potions and alchemical potions. Though I suppose calling it a division is generous—the Sea God side is overwhelmingly dominant."
"Really?"
"Yes. The difference in whether divine power is present makes a significant impact. Thanks to that, they're acting like thugs."
Monica's lips suddenly twisted as she explained matter-of-factly.
Even with that lovely face, such a sneer was possible.
"They won't hesitate to do terrible things to monopolize the potion business. They've always been cowardly anyway."
It was a brutally candid answer I hadn't expected.
In the original story, the Sea God Temple's children were indeed ill-mannered, but can I really say this so openly...?
Why not? This is the Sun God Temple. The Sun God will handle fighting the Sea God on his own.
"Of course, that doesn't mean alchemical potions don't sell. The efficacy is lower, but the price is much cheaper, so commoners seek them out frequently."
A potion that heals wounds simply by drinking it isn't sought only by nobles.
Rather, commoners who engage in harsher and more grueling work than nobles need them more.
However, the Sea God Temple prefers wealthy nobles over poor commoners, so they only manufacture high-quality, expensive potions for them.
As a result, the alchemists naturally began targeting the commoner market.
Especially since the Sun God's Temple potions—unmatched in healing power—had dried up.
"Since the Sea God Temple doesn't care about commoners' circumstances, no matter what garbage they do, the alchemists' potion business won't collapse, right?"
Monica, I really love how candidly you speak.
"But why suddenly about the potion business? Gasp, Saintess, could it be...?"
Monica's eyes widened as she set down the tea before me.
Instead of answering, I grinned.
That's right. Now that I have funds, I should naturally start a business.
I can't keep leeching off Lute and House of Count Kiris forever.
Above all, the potion business is the operation the Sun God's Temple must prioritize first.
When it comes to healing power, no one can match the Sun God.
That's why the potion business was the Sun God's Temple's greatest source of revenue.
But as the Sun God's power wavered and the potions' quality declined, the Sea God faction seized the opportunity and took over the business.
It wasn't illegal, and since the temples naturally compete with each other, the Sun God's Temple couldn't protest.
But the reverse is equally true.
If we reclaim the potion market and punch some holes in the Sea God Temple's coffers, they won't be able to say a word either.
"I'm planning to restart the potion business."
Having gained confirmation from Monica, I summoned Airic Dert and Seth Noel to the Reception Room.
Without further ado, I got straight to the point.
"Potions...?"
Airic Dert's eyes wavered, as if he hadn't considered it.
In those green eyes, I could sense excitement and desire.
"...That would be difficult."
But the moment he closed his eyes firmly and opened them again, the desire vanished without a trace.
What remained was resignation, more familiar than hope.
"Thanks to Duke Sheory, our budget has become somewhat more comfortable, but not enough to restart the potion business. Moreover, we have far too few high-ranking priests capable of wielding strong healing power."
The latter is the greater problem.
In the original story, the Sun God's Temple's potion business could shine again only thanks to Idella's formidable power.
But now?
All I have is one inexperienced Saintess with merely 10% divine power.
Moreover, Airic Dert doesn't know I've truly become a Saintess, so he would have no choice but to oppose it even more.
"How many priests can actually manufacture potions?"
"Probably fewer than ten. Among them, only three or four of us, including myself, can wield significant power."
Starting the business immediately would be perfect for working them all to death from overwork.
"What if we waited until the Temple of the Sun God stabilized before starting?"
"No. If we keep postponing, we'll never do it. Besides, I have no intention of fighting the Grand Temple of Sea God from the beginning. We're going to methodically conquer the commoner market first."
"But the Alchemist Guild controls that market. How do you plan to handle it? With so many alchemists, it won't be easy to conquer."
This time, Seth Noel asked the question.
His voice trembled with excitement at the thought that he might help fulfill the Temple of the Sun God's long-cherished dream.
At this point, I played my trump card.
"What if we collaborated with the alchemists?"
The Grand Temple of Sea God's faction was aggressive by nature and only satisfied when they were the best—they could never coexist with us. But alchemists? There was no reason we couldn't join hands with them.
There was no reason we couldn't work together, was there?
"There's no law saying alchemists can't become followers of our faith, is there? If our followers want to create potions together with us, who could object?"
The potion market was currently controlled not by individual alchemists, but by an organized guild.
But surely there were individuals among them who harbored ambitions to become mainstream?
"We recruit the minority alchemists who have been overshadowed by the Alchemist Guild and unable to shine."
We could fill our shortage of priests, and the alchemists could overcome the limitations of alchemy that divine power alone couldn't solve.
"And on top of that, we could even conduct research fusing divine power with alchemy—isn't that the best outcome?"
It was a true win-win strategy.
"It seems like a reasonable approach to me."
Seth Noel voiced his opinion while glancing at Airic Dert.
He still seemed to be deliberating, so I added further explanation.
"The problem boils down to two things: finding alchemists who are skilled but non-mainstream, and who are also willing to become followers of the Sun God. And then there's distribution."
"Exactly."
Airic Dert nodded immediately, as if this was precisely what had troubled him.
Then I had to crush that concern.
"That's why I'm planning to bring Duke Shearry into this venture."
"What? The Duke would participate?"
"Did the Duke discuss the potion business when he visited last time?"
Airic Dert and Seth Noel asked in turn, both bewildered. They were asking strange questions.
"No. The Duke doesn't know about this yet."
With all the complications from sacred and divine artifacts, I hadn't had the chance to discuss business matters.
"But the Duke won't refuse if we offer him a stake in this venture."
I declared confidently.
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