Chapter 38
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I'll purchase divine power with money.
Chapter 38
"Thank you for the compliment."
"I was merely stating facts. Oh! I apologize for the late introduction. It's a pleasure to meet you."
The Violet-haired Woman placed her right hand over her left chest and bowed respectfully.
Her cheerful expression and the muscular arms visible between her short sleeves made even this exaggerated greeting seem perfectly natural.
"I am Jun Ludmin, the vice-master of the Lumen Merchant Guild, which belongs to the Sheary Duchy."
In other words, she was the person who would be responsible for our potion distribution from today onward.
Considering that Lute Sheary was the guild master, this woman likely handled most of the practical operations.
"It's wonderful to meet you. I am Ordel Kiris, a saint of the Sun God's Temple."
As I introduced myself, I found my gaze drifting not to Jun's face, but to her arm muscles.
I knew it was impolite, but those muscles were so impressive that my eyes kept wandering there.
"Ohhh!"
That moment didn't last long. Jun suddenly let out an exclamation, and I looked at her in surprise. Her face was filled with a delighted smile.
"You're quite different from how the guild master and Yuri described you."
A sense of foreboding struck like a blade.
"What exactly did they say about me?"
"The guild master said that despite her terrible personality, you must never be disrespectful to the saint and should be very careful!"
So this woman also knew that Lute Sheary had a terrible personality.
But that fool Lute—how dare she criticize my character when she doesn't even examine her own?
I've been working so hard to maintain this refined image!
"Yuri also said you were quite an unusual person, so I came prepared for the worst, but from what I can see, the saint is far superior to both the guild master and Yuri!"
My expression brightened immediately.
"For a vice-master, you certainly have keen insight. Your judgment seems far superior to theirs."
"Exactly! Haha, I do have a knack for these things!"
We laughed together in delight and shook hands.
I had an intuition that Jun would make an excellent business partner.
"Ah, I'd love to talk with you more, but since I came on business today, it's difficult to spare more time."
Jun wore an expression of regret, seemingly sharing my sentiment.
"Please do visit next time with more leisure. Then we can share tea and have a longer conversation."
"Oh! You've made a promise. I'll be counting the days until then!"
Jun grinned widely and gestured to the guild members who had accompanied her.
They carefully transferred the potion bottles into boxes equipped with safety mechanisms to prevent breakage.
Even bringing such precautions—a successful merchant guild truly excels in preparation.
"I've received all the precautions and sales information from the guild master, so please don't worry and trust me."
"I'm counting on you, Vice-master."
"Yes, then I'll sell these beauties splendidly and return!"
Once preparations were complete, Jun placed her hand on her forehead and declared confidently.
Watching her depart with her guild members seemed reassuring and trustworthy.
Was it really because of those arm muscles? Now that I looked closer, her back muscles were impressive too.
I sighed deeply. What an enviable physique.
"I was somewhat surprised."
I couldn't tear my gaze away from the solid shoulders visible even through the shirt when Airic Dert spoke from beside me.
"Yes? What is it?"
"I didn't expect Jun Ludmin, the vice-guildmaster, to personally oversee distribution. It seems the Sheary Duke intends to invest properly in this venture."
Airic Dert exhaled a breath of relief, his mind finally at ease.
However, I didn't quite understand what he was saying.
"Why Jun Ludmin? Isn't it normal for the vice-guildmaster to handle most of the work since the guildmaster, the Sheary Duke, is busy?"
"Ah, it seems you didn't know. The Lumen Merchant Guild is so large that three divisions under the vice-guildmaster divide the work among themselves. When the guildmaster, the Duke, gives an order, the vice-guildmaster relays it to each division."
"What? So the vice-guildmaster...."
"The vice-guildmaster only moves when the guildmaster, the Duke, directly orders her to act. She's an exceptionally capable person."
In other words, Jun coming all the way here meant this was all work ordered by Lute Sheary.
She was entrusting the entire potion business to Jun, the most important person in the guild—she was truly serious about this venture.
I was genuinely astonished.
...Wait, the most important person in the guild?
Ah, damn it. A sinister setting from the original work that I'd forgotten suddenly came back to me.
The reason I didn't know her true identity despite her having such a distinctive appearance and holding a major position.
It was because Jun Ludmin's name never appeared properly even once in the original work.
That didn't mean she was an extra with less presence than a supporting character—far from it. She was actually an extremely important figure.
The destruction of the Lumen Merchant Guild, which became the catalyst for Lute Sheary losing her humanity and becoming a complete villain.
And the trigger for this guild's destruction was none other than the death of Jun Ludmin, the vice-guildmaster who connected Lute Sheary to the guild.
* * *
"Tch, those bastards are getting worse every day...."
Martin, who had just left the Alchemy Potion Shop, clicked his tongue in irritation and kicked at a rolling stone.
A member of a mercenary company that primarily hunted monsters, he had come out to the street to purchase potions.
The most effective were the divine sea-marked potions, but with the mercenary company's income, that was impossible, so he'd planned to buy alchemy potions as usual.
But then.
'Damn bastards! They raised the price again!'
This was already the third time this year!
The effect was identical, yet they kept raising the price.
They were truly shameless scoundrels.
"...But there's no other choice."
Martin, who had been walking with angry strides, eventually stopped after not getting far.
Hunting monsters without potions was unthinkable. That would just mean certain death—he had to buy them no matter what.
However, since other potions had poor efficiency for their price, the only option left was the place he'd just stormed out of.
Just as Martin was about to close his eyes and turn back.
"Hello there!"
A woman with violet hair suddenly appeared before him.
"You just came out of the potion shop, didn't you?"
"...And?"
"I wasn't trying to eavesdrop, but since we've just started our potion business, my eyes naturally wandered over!"
Started a potion business?
Martin found himself intrigued despite himself.
And for good reason—merchants just beginning sales often cut prices to attract customers.
If these potions were cheaper than those ruffians' wares and just as effective, bulk purchasing here seemed worthwhile.
"Which alchemical organization are you from?"
"We're not an alchemical organization. While alchemy is involved, the primary ingredient is something else entirely."
"What? What do you mean by that...?"
"The potions we sell at our merchant guild are a revolutionary creation—divine power from the Sun God infused with alchemy, something that has never existed before!"
At the woman's declaration, Martin's eyes went wide.
Passersby who had overheard the conversation reacted identically.
"Divine power? The Sun God? Is there even such a deity...?"
"Oh, now that you mention it, I think the Sun God was one of the Three Principal Deities."
"Really? I've always wondered who the third one was among the Three Principal Deities, and it turns out it was the Sun God. But they sell potions there?"
"Strange. I only knew about the Ocean Deity's temple potions."
After murmuring amongst themselves for a while, the gathered crowd gradually approached the woman—Jun—with questions.
"Are these potions truly infused with divine power?"
It was only natural they were curious, since divine power's healing properties were fundamentally superior to alchemy.
"Of course! And you all know this, don't you? The Sun God's divine power possesses the strongest healing properties of all."
Most looked utterly bewildered by this revelation, but Jun pressed on undeterred.
"Right now, you can purchase potions made from that very Sun God's divine power at bargain prices. It's our grand opening special!"
Martin's eyes widened as he calculated—far cheaper than Ocean Deity potions, yet priced comparably to alchemical ones.
"Where else could you buy divine power potions at these prices? Only our merchant guild could manage such a thing."
Now was the moment to drive the final nail home.
Jun pointed toward the massive shop at the center of the street and cried out.
"By the way, Sun God brand potions are sold exclusively through the Lumen Merchant Guild!"
Not just Martin, but everyone's eyes bulged wide open.
The Lumen Merchant Guild? Wasn't that one of the Empire's three greatest merchant guilds, known for dealing only in verified goods?
Exclusive sales through such a place?
'This—I absolutely must buy this!'
With the Lumen name attached, there was no room for doubt.
"I'll buy some right now!"
Martin shouted loudly and immediately sprinted toward the Lumen Shop.
The crowd, who had been cautiously observing, rushed after him as if they'd been waiting for permission.
Watching from behind, Jun wore a satisfied smile.
"Our Saintess won't return empty-handed."
The omens from the very start had been excellent.
I should inform our guild master soon—she's deeply invested in this business venture.
Jun hummed cheerfully to herself as she resumed her sales pitch to the surrounding crowd.
Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org