Chapter 29
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I'll purchase divine power with money.
Chapter 29
* * *
"...."
What is this? Am I seeing things because I'm so exhausted right now?
"Lady Victoria, have I been exercising too hard lately and weakened my body? I'm seeing things—should I rest for a while and recover?"
"You're experiencing the same thing, Your Holiness? So am I. I think I should request a vacation."
"That sounds good. I'll just rest in my room without going anywhere, so don't worry about me, Lady Victoria. Go ahead and take your rest."
We exchanged words while standing side by side.
It was 7 in the morning—the perfect time to finish my morning exercise and sink into blissful rest.
As always, I dragged my weary body toward the bench, moving with all the grace of a limp squid.
Monica should have been waiting at the bench with cool water and a clean cloth to wipe away sweat, but surprisingly, someone else was there with her.
Lute Sheary, to be precise.
...Why is that man here?
"Why does it feel unreal when such a handsome person appears?"
Lute Sheary snatched the water cup from Monica's hand and approached me with a smile.
Seeing Monica glaring fiercely at Lute from behind, I realized this wasn't a hallucination.
"You're spouting nonsense, so it must be real. Why are you here at this hour, Duke?"
"Your Holiness sent me a letter saying you desperately wanted to see me, so I dropped everything and rushed over. But you're quite diligent—I never expected you to exercise at such an early hour."
"Ah, I did miss you. Specifically, your money, not you personally."
I snorted and accepted the water cup he offered, gulping it down eagerly.
For some reason, Monica—who usually enjoyed handing me water after exercise—sent me a look full of disappointment.
"I'd like to live lazily myself, but diligence has become so ingrained in my body that I can't manage it."
Ordel's body was optimized for laziness, but my mind, shaped by years as a detective, refused to tolerate idleness.
My goal was to brush everything aside once it was finished and live lazily....
Could I actually achieve that? Or would I just end up being diligent then too?
"You came because of the potion business, didn't you? I never expected you to be diligent enough to come here in person, Duke."
"The Sun God Grand Temple, which once wielded tremendous influence, is starting the potion business again—of course I had to come. Besides, I'm not particularly fond of the Sea God Temple."
Lute Sheary's lips twisted into a sneer.
The languid impression created by his crooked glasses and hastily tied hair instantly transformed into something thoroughly unpleasant.
"Your Holiness is preparing to make those bastards eat dirt, and there's no way I could miss that."
Hostility burned fiercely in his eyes.
It seemed there was some conflict with the Sea God Temple.
"Considering the Sea God Temple's attitude, they've almost certainly done something wrong."
"Exactly. Your Holiness understands perfectly."
When I cursed the Sea God Temple as if it were obvious, Lute's face brightened.
Whatever it was, those people had clearly made a grave mistake.
"I intend to support this business very actively, if only to see the faces of the Saint and Saint of that place contort in anguish."
The Saint and Saint of the Sea God Temple.
They were siblings, carrying the bloodline of one of the great noble families of the Karnus Empire.
Born with a silver spoon in mouth, and then chosen by the divine—these two strutted about as though the world belonged to them.
Even in the original work, I was infuriated by their behavior.
The thought that I'd eventually witness such a spectacle in person was already horrifying.
"In that regard, I've found an alchemist who would be perfectly suited to the Saintess's tastes."
At Lute Sheary's words, I quickly banished thoughts of that insufferable Saintess and Saint.
"Already?"
"Grateful, aren't you?"
"I'm deeply grateful."
Since Lute Sheary operated a trading company with excellent intelligence networks, anyone he found would surely be highly skilled.
"But I've only found one person—is that acceptable?"
"Ah, that's fine. Since we're short on priests, I was planning to recruit about two, and it seems we can fill one from our own ranks."
I glanced at Monica standing behind Lute Sheary.
Just as not anyone could play the heroine's closest friend in the original work, the same held true for her.
Monica was the daughter of an excellent noble house from the central aristocracy of the Karnus Empire.
The problem was that she'd run away from home.
She said she still hadn't informed her family of her whereabouts.
Yet when I mentioned needing an alchemist, she readily borrowed her family's influence.
'You ran away, but you're sure about this? Your parents will find out you're here soon enough, won't they?'
'It's fine! This is for the Temple of the Sun God! I was planning to contact them soon anyway!'
Monica's spirited declaration was truly reassuring.
Had she not been by my side, things could have gone very wrong.
I'd earn plenty of money and feed her delicious food in abundance. Never let her go hungry.
"Shall we go draft the distribution contract now?"
Lute Sheary waved a stack of papers, saying he'd prepared contract samples.
"You're well-prepared. But let's postpone that for later."
Lute Sheary tilted his head as if asking why.
Grrrrrrrowwwwl.
A thunderous sound erupted from my stomach. Having exercised on an empty stomach since morning, it was only natural that my belly was demanding food.
"I haven't eaten yet. Let me wash up, have a meal, and get properly satisfied—then we'll meet again."
"...."
"Don't look at me like that. It's the Duke's fault for arriving so early in the morning."
I would never forgive anyone who expected me to work on an empty stomach.
Perhaps sensing my resolve in my clenched fists, Lute Sheary said nothing in protest and quietly followed behind me.
* * *
Still, since they were guests, I couldn't just leave Lute Sheary and Yuri standing, so I offered them a meal as well.
I considered asking them to pay separately since they were wealthier than us, but decided against it.
I'd squeeze them harder when discussing the business deal instead.
"...Why do you have that expression on your face?"
Barely had we sat facing each other in the Reception Room after the meal when Lute Sheary asked me.
"It's a smile of affection toward the business partner I'll be working with going forward."
"I'd prefer to call it capitalistic benevolence."
Sharp kid.
I pretended not to hear and skimmed through the contract Lute Sheary had brought.
In truth, business contracts like this should be handled by High Priest Airic Dert, not me.
But there was one problem.
'High Priest, have you ever reviewed contracts before?'
'....'
'Have you negotiated terms?'
'....'
A man who entered the Temple as a child and spent sixteen years there couldn't possibly have experience reviewing contracts.
And it's not as though Sun God's Temple conducts nearly as many business ventures as the Sea God Temple does.
So I decided to handle it myself.
I had the expertise of a former detective who'd caught countless con artists—I couldn't afford to fumble something this straightforward.
"This is merely a sample. Once we adjust the terms, we'll draft a formal contract accordingly."
From my quick review, there were no poison clauses or unnecessarily convoluted language.
Satisfied with the clean presentation, I nodded.
"How will you handle wages for the alchemists you hire? Frankly, looking at the Temple's current condition, it seems difficult to afford."
He'd grasped our situation at a glance.
The unkempt garden, the marble columns with no maintenance whatsoever, the worn priestly robes—everything spoke volumes.
We couldn't even pay the employees already working here, so his concern about hiring alchemists was entirely justified.
"That's why I was thinking—what if my side handles hiring the alchemists? In exchange, we'd increase the distribution rate accordingly."
Distribution rate? Absolutely not. I shook my head immediately.
"That won't be necessary. I plan to accept the alchemists as our believers."
As for wages, I could trim them slightly by covering food and lodging, then add incentive clauses tied to revenue increases.
More than anything, I desperately needed every single believer right now. This was non-negotiable.
"Will you be able to pay their wages?"
"There's no difficulty. We have the Duke's donations, after all."
The Achievement transaction and Lute Sheary's donations were separate matters entirely.
When I pointed this out with a broad smile, Lute Sheary let out a hollow laugh.
Even if Lute Sheary was the source of the funds, the donations counted as sacred relics were distinctly separate from merchant operations and should be calculated independently.
"However, for purchasing materials and supplies needed for potion production, I'll need the Duke's assistance. We don't have connections to quality suppliers."
After finalizing various terms,
only one task remained: determining our respective profit ratios based on the agreed conditions.
"Eight to two. Obviously, eight is ours."
"What are you saying? It should be six to four. We're handling all distribution and material procurement."
Sparks flew between Lute Sheary and me.
The Sun God's Temple potion business was destined to be a massive success, so even a single percentage point difference would mean enormous profit variations.
But I had one trump card.
"Eight percent. In exchange, let's add one more condition—something the Duke will find absolutely irresistible."
I rested my chin on my interlaced fingers and smiled, and Lute Sheary let out a low groan.
"Ah, I'm anxious about this. It's only our second meeting, but I've come to understand one thing clearly—the Saintess never acts in a way that disadvantages herself."
"You've grasped it perfectly. But don't worry. This will certainly be advantageous for the Duke."
I may have extracted quite a bit, but in the end, I'm returning everything I received, aren't I?
Lute Sheary, understanding my meaning, let out a hollow laugh.
"...Well, let's see how it goes."
To him, who ultimately acquiesced, I whispered in a subtle voice.
"I will search for a way to permanently cure the Duke's illness."
Not merely alleviating the pain, but complete healing of the disease.
At the condition I presented, Lute Sheary's black pupils contracted.
Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org