Chapter 56. Traces (3)
There was Ian’s regret.
There was also the need to prepare for a possible battle against the Monarch of the Abyss.
‘The medicinal ingredients needed to treat Seraphia....’
Just as I finished organizing my thoughts—
“Then this lowly one will continue investigating the man named ‘Ian’ and contact you immediately if we discover any noteworthy information.”
Edlen’s voice reached me.
He understood what needed to be done without being told. Edlen was remarkably perceptive.
“In addition, could you obtain the medicinal ingredients I’m about to name?”
“Ah, yes! Please wait just a moment!”
Edlen instantly pulled a sheet of paper from beneath the counter and prepared to write everything down.
Searching my memory, I listed the medicinal ingredients that Predatory Instincts[S] had identified as capable of improving Seraphia’s condition.
“Flame Heart, Sun Herb, Magma Pillar, and Dawn’s Flame.”
Even their names sounded extraordinary.
“Uh....”
Perhaps that was why Edlen’s expression became serious as he wrote them down.
“They won’t be inexpensive.”
“Approximately how much will they cost?”
“At the very least....”
Edlen drew out his words as though calculating the cost.
“I believe we should expect each ingredient to cost twenty thousand gold.”
It was an outrageous amount.
However, it was roughly what I had expected, and it wasn’t a serious problem for me now.
I took one hundred platinum coins from my inventory.
In other words, one hundred thousand gold.
When I placed them on the counter—
“Gasp?!”
Edlen recoiled in shock.
However, it wasn’t the inventory that surprised him.
Edlen’s widened eyes remained fixed upon the one hundred thousand gold.
He truly was a merchant.
Apparently, one hundred thousand gold was more astonishing to him than the Inventory.
When he eventually looked at me again, a trace of awe filled his eyes.
“Can you obtain them?”
“M-May I ask what you intend to use them for?”
“Are they difficult to obtain?”
“Unfortunately, yes. It will probably take quite some time.”
Apparently, they weren’t items that could be obtained immediately merely by possessing enough money.
That was precisely why I was entrusting the task to Edlen. I didn’t have enough time to search for them personally.
“Is it urgent?”
“They’re intended to treat my younger sister.”
Edlen’s eyes widened.
It wasn’t that he hadn’t known I had a younger sister.
Rather, he apparently hadn’t known that she was ‘ill’.
I was already known throughout Freche as the delinquent of the count’s household, so naturally, people also knew about Seraphia.
However, information about Seraphia’s illness was a different matter.
Edlen fell silent, appearing deep in thought.
I briefly wondered what he was doing.
“Please place your complete trust in this lowly Edlen!”
Edlen shouted boldly.
“I’ll immediately search the entire continent and obtain them as quickly as possible!”
“I’ll provide you with a generous commission—”
“No! A commission? Absolutely not!”
“It will still take up your time.”
And this was when he should have been focusing on maximizing his sales.
“My goodness! Lord Adrian, do you know how much you’ve already increased my sales? Something like that is nothing!”
Of course it wasn’t nothing.
Even so, Edlen appeared completely unconcerned.
“If you tell me about your younger sister’s symptoms, I’ll even hire a skilled Alchemist and deliver the completed medicine you require!”
He would go that far?
“So please don’t worry about anything, Lord Adrian. Just concentrate on your business!”
Edlen thumped his chest, telling me to leave everything to him.
His intentions were perfectly obvious, but I didn’t find them unpleasant.
It was clear that Freche could be regarded as entirely on my side.
In any case, there was no reason to refuse when he was offering to handle everything himself.
I took another ten platinum coins from my inventory.
I placed ten thousand gold on the counter.
“Pay a generous commission to everyone involved. You may use whatever remains as you see fit.”
“Th-This much...?”
Edlen’s eyes widened when he saw the amount.
Ten thousand gold wasn’t some trivial sum.
It certainly wasn’t an amount someone could casually hand over.
However, I had earned an enormous profit by selling Rex meat for five thousand gold per one hundred grams.
Edlen eventually swallowed hard.
“I, Edlen, shall continue serving Lord Adrian with my life from this day forward!!!”
Edlen bent at the waist in a perfect ninety-degree bow.
◆Edlen’s Affinity toward you has increased significantly!
A translucent message announcing the increase in his Affinity toward me appeared before my eyes.
◆Edlen’s Affinity toward you has reached the [Favor] state!
◆A person in the [Favor] state possesses basic goodwill toward you.
◆This person will show consideration for your words and actions and will tend to prioritize your needs over their own.
◆However, continued attention and consideration are still required. If contact is severed, their Affinity may decrease easily.
His Affinity had reached the [Favor] state in an instant.
As expected of a merchant, his Affinity soared the moment I handed him money.
“Continue as you have been. I’ll be leaving now.”
“Yes! Have a safe journey! And if you ever need this lowly one’s assistance, please call for me at any time!! No matter when or where, I’ll abandon everything and rush to your side!!”
And so.
Edlen remained bent at the waist until I had completely disappeared from sight.
The cost of Seraphia’s medicinal ingredients and the commission.
I had spent more than expected.
As a result, the money currently remaining in my possession was—
‘Around three thousand gold.’
I could practically be considered penniless.
It was nowhere near enough to establish and operate the Coalition Forces.
More importantly.
‘The Dark Merchant Company....’
It was nowhere near enough capital to oppose the Dark Merchant Company.
‘The Dark Merchant Company is moving sooner than I expected.’
In other words, the Emperor had begun moving sooner than anticipated.
The Dark Merchant Company was deeply involved in the politics and economies of various kingdoms.
It operated from behind the curtain through political patrons and collaborators within noble society.
Even the kingdoms’ armies were little more than puppets of the Dark Merchant Company.
However.
‘Not yet.’
After all, the Emperor wouldn’t begin operating in earnest until approximately ten years from now.
That meant the Emperor would complete all preparations to devour the continent ten years in the future.
The Dark Merchant Company might have started moving sooner than expected, but that didn’t mean its preparations were already complete.
It had probably only just begun laying the groundwork.
‘I have to stop the Dark Merchant Company before its influence spreads.’
Therefore, I needed to keep the Dark Merchant Company in check now.
At this stage, it could still be stopped.
The Dark Merchant Company had not yet completely seized control of the kingdoms’ politics and economies.
It was only now beginning to recruit political patrons and collaborators from noble society.
If I intervened at this point, I could completely ruin the Dark Merchant Company’s plans.
That was another reason I had established the Predator Merchant Company.
The Predator Merchant Company hadn’t been created merely to find Ian. It was an organization intended to exert influence across the entire continent.
To accomplish that, I needed capital.
But the three thousand gold in my possession was nowhere near enough.
However, a line of people stretched like a snake in front of the restaurant.
The moment they saw me, they leaped into the air and shouted.
“H-He’s here!! The owner of the Predator Merchant Company is here!!”
“He’s here? Where—? It’s true!”
“You there!! I’ll pay twice the price, so please sell me some Rex meat! The Marquis said he would kill me if I failed to obtain it again!!”
“Hey, you! Can’t you see the line?”
“You think you’re the only one whose life is at stake?”
I could extort money from the nobles....
No, I could earn money from them.
Therefore, there was no reason to worry.
* * *
Numerous kingdoms were spread across the continent.
Generally speaking, a Kingdom was a nation governed by a Monarch who wielded absolute power and sovereignty.
Most kingdoms on the continent were based upon this system of government.
However, there was one exception.
There was a nation governed according to the will of a god, with a political system in which divine authority and royal authority were closely intertwined.
Its religious doctrines served as both its laws and social norms, and the nation’s purpose was to manifest its god’s will upon the earth.
The Holy Kingdom of Cordelia.
Hundreds of candles flickered beneath the soaring ceiling of the vast Papal Palace, casting a dim light below.
Countless believers had gathered beneath them.
Before long, a solemn hymn began resonating throughout the hall.
“My beloved brothers and sisters.”
A pure, clear, and crystalline voice reverberated gently.
“Today, we have gathered before God. Beneath His grace, we seek to purify our hearts and ask for mercy on behalf of those who suffer.”
Her voice struck the marble walls of the Papal Palace and echoed like a voice from heaven.
A noble woman stood at the central altar.
Her softly glowing white vestments and radiant platinum-blonde hair flowed gently beneath the candlelight.
Her lips were as soft as roses and as pink as tulips.
Her smooth ivory skin was as pure as a lily shining beneath the morning sun.
Her long eyelashes softened the shape of her eyes, yet they emphasized her unearthly beauty more than any sense of vitality.
“Guide us so that we may free ourselves from sin and walk upon a new path.”
As though holiness descended wherever her gaze fell, reverence filled everyone’s heart.
Her expression was calm and serene.
Her eyes contained profound compassion and benevolence, as though she carried all the suffering in the world.
“Grant food to the hungry, comfort to those who grieve, and healing to the sick. May they rediscover peace within Your mercy.”
The believers lowered their heads in unison.
They listened intently, unwilling to miss a single word she spoke.
Treating her voice like a prayer, everyone clasped their hands together.
It was a magnificent sight, as though the countless believers had become a single soul.
“Listen to today’s sermon. These are the teachings God left to us.”
The woman standing at the central altar occupied that place as the world’s savior.
At that moment, she wasn’t merely human.
She was a messenger conveying God’s will and His representative upon the earth.
“He taught us not to regard another person’s success as our own failure. Envy is not inherently a shameful emotion. Do not drag others down. Instead, use it as your motivation and enter through the narrow gate.”
Her clear eyes revealed a quiet but powerful faith and devotion.
When she raised the Holy Grail and began the blessing ritual, the choir resumed singing a hymn of praise.
The believers joined the hymn and watched the ritual draw to a close.
Eventually, the woman slowly descended from the central altar.
Her name was Isolde Cordelia.
She was a princess of the Holy Kingdom of Cordelia and the 213th Saintess.
After descending from the central altar, Isolde quietly departed from the Papal Palace.
The believers’ hymn of praise continued resonating inside as Isolde walked along the corridors of the Papal Palace.
An attendant priest hurried after her.
“Your Holiness, suspicious rumors have recently begun circulating throughout the kingdom.”
“Suspicious rumors?”
“There are rumors that monster meat is becoming popular among the people.”
Isolde abruptly stopped walking.
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