I Will Buy Divine Power With Money! - Chapter 29

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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“….”

What’s this. Am I so exhausted that I’m seeing things?

“Sir Victoria, have I been exercising too hard lately and weakened my body? I’m seeing things, should I rest for a while to recover?”

“You too, Holy Maiden? So am I. I think I should apply for leave.”

“That sounds good. I won’t go anywhere either and just rest comfortably in my room, so don’t worry about me and go rest, Sir Victoria.”

We stood side by side exchanging conversation.

It was 7 AM. The perfect time to finish morning exercise and take a sweet rest.

Today, like any other day, I was dragging my tired body toward the bench, swaying like a squid.

At the bench where Monica should have been waiting with cool water and clean cloth to wipe sweat, surprisingly, there was someone else with her.

Namely, Lute Sieri.

…Why is that man here?

“Why, does someone so handsome appearing make it seem unreal?”

Lute, who had snatched the water glass from Monica’s hands, approached with a smile.

Seeing Monica glaring fiercely at Lute from behind, it doesn’t seem to be a hallucination.

“Seeing you spouting nonsense, you’re real alright. Why are you here at this hour, Duke?”

“The Holy Maiden sent me a letter saying she desperately wanted to see me, so I dropped everything and rushed over. But you’re surprisingly diligent. To think you’d be exercising this early.”

“Ah, I did miss you a lot. Not you personally, Duke, but your money.”

I snorted and took the water glass he offered, gulping it down.

For some reason, Monica, who likes handing me water after exercise, sent me a look full of regret.

“I’d like to live lazily too, but diligence has been forcibly ingrained in my body, so I can’t.”

Ordel’s body was optimized for laziness, but my mind, having lived as a detective, couldn’t tolerate laziness.

My goal is to shake everything off and live lazily when all is done….

Can I really achieve that? Won’t I still be living diligently then?

“You came about the potion business, right? I didn’t expect you to come here personally so diligently, Duke.”

“Of course I had to come when the Sun God’s Main Temple, which once wielded tremendous influence, is starting the potion business again. And I don’t really like the Temple of the Sea God.”

Lute twisted up the corner of his mouth.

His impression, which had seemed languid due to his crooked glasses and roughly tied hair, instantly turned unpleasant.

“When the Holy Maiden is preparing to screw those bastards over, how could I not come see?”

Hostility was burning fiercely.

There must have been some problem with the Sea God side.

“Considering the Temple of the Sea God’s attitude, there’s a high probability those bastards did something wrong.”

“That’s right, exactly that. You know well too, Holy Maiden.”

When I cursed the Temple of the Sea God as if it were natural, Lute’s face brightened.

Whatever it was, those bastards must have done something seriously wrong.

“I’m thinking of helping the business very actively, if only to see the faces of that place’s Holy Maiden and Holy Figure contort.”

The Holy Maiden and Holy Figure of the Temple of the Sea God.

They are siblings, with the blood of Karnuss Empire nobility flowing through them.

Born with golden spoons in their mouths, when they received divine selection on top of that, they strutted around as if the whole world belonged to them.

Even in the original work, I was so infuriated by those two’s behavior.

Thinking I’ll see that sight in person someday already makes me feel terrible.

“In that sense, I found an alchemist that’s perfect for the Holy Maiden’s taste.”

At Lute’s following words, I quickly shook off thoughts of the bratty Holy Maiden and Holy Figure.

“Already?”

“Grateful, right?”

“I’m tremendously grateful.”

Since it’s someone found by Lute, who has excellent information networks from running a trading guild, they must surely be highly capable.

“But I only found one person, is that okay?”

“Ah, that’s fine. Since we’re short on priests, I was thinking of recruiting about two people, but we can probably fill one position from our side.”

I looked at Monica standing behind Lute.

Just as not anyone can play the role of the female lead’s best friend in the original work, the same goes for her.

Monica is the daughter of a very good family, from central nobility of the Karnuss Empire.

The problem is she ran away from home.

She said she still hasn’t informed her family of her whereabouts.

However, when I said I needed an alchemist, she willingly borrowed her family’s power.

‘You said you ran away from home, will it be okay? Your parents will find out you’re here soon, won’t they?’

‘It’s fine! It’s for the Temple! I was thinking of contacting them soon anyway!’

Monica shouting like that was truly reassuring.

If she hadn’t been by my side, I would have been in real trouble.

I need to earn lots of money and feed her lots of delicious food. Make sure she never goes hungry.

“Then shall we go write up the distribution contract now?”

Lute waved a bundle of papers, saying he had prepared contract samples.

“Good preparation. But let’s postpone that.”

It was the moment Lute tilted his head as if asking why.

Grrrrrrrrowl.

A very loud sound echoed from my stomach. Having exercised on an empty stomach since morning, it was natural for it to make a fuss demanding food.

“I haven’t eaten yet. Let’s meet again after I wash up, eat, and get full.”

“….”

“Don’t look at me like that. It’s the Duke’s fault for coming so early in the morning.”

If you tell me to work while starving, I absolutely won’t forgive you.

Perhaps sensing my determination from my clenched fist, Lute didn’t say a word of objection and quietly followed behind me.

* * *

Still, since they were guests, it felt wrong to just leave them standing, so I served meals to Lute and Yuri as well.

Since they’re people with more money than us, I considered charging separately for the meal but decided against it.

Instead, I’ll extract more when we talk business.

“…Why are you making that expression?”

As soon as we faced each other alone in the reception room after the meal, Lute asked me.

“It’s a smile of affection toward a business partner I’ll be working with from now on.”

“It would be better to call it a capitalistic smile.”

Sharp kid.

I pretended not to hear and skimmed through the contract Lute had brought.

Actually, this kind of business contract should be handled by High Priest Airic, not me.

But there was one problem.

‘High Priest, have you ever reviewed contracts before?’

‘….’

‘Have you done condition negotiations?’

‘….’

How could someone who entered the temple as a child and lived here for 16 years have experience reviewing contracts?

It’s not like the Sun God’s Main Temple conducts a lot of business like the Sea God side either.

So I decided to handle it myself.

With my experience as a former detective who caught scammers, if I can’t even do this much, the title of ex-detective would be crying.

“This is just a sample. When we adjust the conditions, I’ll formally draft a contract to match.”

From briefly skimming the contract, there were no poison clauses or unnecessarily complicated language.

I nodded at the clean content.

“How will you handle the alchemist’s salary when you hire them? Honestly, looking at the temple’s current state, it seems difficult to manage.”

He must have grasped our situation at a glance seeing our temple’s condition.

The untidy garden, marble pillars with no maintenance at all, worn priest robes, etc.

When we can’t even pay salaries to existing employees, it’s natural to worry about how we’d hire an alchemist.

“So I was thinking, how about my side hiring the alchemist? In exchange, we’d increase the distribution ratio accordingly.”

Distribution ratio? Absolutely not. I immediately shook my head.

“It’s fine. I’m planning to accept the alchemists as our believers.”

As for wages, I can cut them slightly in exchange for providing room and board, and add incentive conditions based on sales increases.

Most importantly, I’m in a situation where I desperately need every single believer. I absolutely can’t give this up.

“Will you be able to pay wages?”

“It won’t be difficult. We have the Duke’s donations, don’t we?”

The relic transaction and Rute’s donations are separate matters.

When I pointed this out with a bright smile, Rute let out a hollow laugh.

Even though Rute is the owner of the money, the donations paid for trading guild business and relic prices are strictly separate matters, so it’s right to calculate them separately.

“Instead, we’ll get the Duke’s help in purchasing the materials and items needed for potion production. We don’t know any good suppliers.”

After finishing the adjustment of various conditions.

Now only one thing remained: determining our respective profit ratios based on the conditions.

“Let’s make it 8 to 2. Of course, we get 8.”

“What are you talking about. It should be at least 6 to 4. We’re bearing all the burden of distribution and material supply.”

Sparks flew between Rute and me.

Since the Sun God’s Main Temple’s potion business is destined to be a huge hit, even a 1% difference in ratio would mean enormous differences in profit.

But I have one cheat key.

“8% ratio. Instead, I’ll add one more condition. A condition that will be very appealing to the Duke.”

When I smiled while resting my chin on my interlocked fingers, Rute let out a groan.

“Ah, this makes me anxious. This is only our second meeting, but I’ve clearly figured out that the Holy Maiden absolutely never does anything at a loss.”

“You’ve really figured me out properly. But don’t worry. This will definitely benefit the Duke.”

I did take quite a lot from him, but in the end, I give back everything I received, don’t I?

Understanding my meaning, Rute let out a helpless laugh.

“…Let me at least hear it.”

To him who finally acquiesced, I whispered in a subtle voice.

“I will find a way to permanently cure the Duke’s illness.”

Not simple pain relief, but complete treatment of the disease.

At the condition I proposed, Rute’s black pupils contracted.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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