The Magical Holy Woman Seraphina - Chapter 14

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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The Holy Mage Seraphina
Episode 14
“Arden mentioned Temeren Ho earlier.”
Listen.
Temeren Ho is a collective of poor sailors. Their main commodity is tea leaves imported from abroad.
The lord of the Eastern Empire who deals in tea leaves once received a favor from the former captain of Temeren Ho, so he sells only the finest leaves exclusively to them.
“You know how much the empire’s people love tea, don’t you, Tofu?”
The place on the third floor of the Costume Room isn’t even a coffeehouse—it’s a teahouse.
Temeren Ho’s tea leaves are absurdly expensive, and yet they can’t keep up with demand.
They’re still paying back the bank for the ships they purchased, but at this rate they’ll be wealthy soon. They make money hand over fist.
Meanwhile, what about the Ingrid Trading Company right in front of us?
It’s a massive trading company backed by noble families, but Temeren Ho doesn’t really need anything from them. Maybe they’d buy some explosives, but that’s about it.
On the other hand, the Ingrid Trading Company absolutely must secure the tea leaves that Temeren Ho brings in. Otherwise they can’t offer their customers the finest tea.
A massive trading company like Ingrid finds itself bowing and scraping to Temeren Ho, a mere sailors’ collective.
“You understand where this is going, right?”
“Not a clue.”
“Their pride is wounded. They’re a huge trading company. And yet—”
Temeren Ho sells expensive tea leaves, while Ingrid Trading Company sells comparatively cheap explosives.
“In every transaction between the two, Ingrid always takes a loss.”
So here’s the question.
If I were an empire citizen, even a five-year-old would know the name of this massive trading house—yet it can’t overcome a mere commoners’ collective and has to submit to them every time.
And even as they negotiate with wounded pride, they’re always the ones paying more.
So in this situation, what would wicked people do?
“Bingo! Piss in a pillow!”
“That’s one option, but the Ingrid Trading Company chose a different method.”
“You don’t mean—”
Tofu’s ears perked up.
I nodded.
“The Ingrid Trading Company chose to addict Temeren Ho’s sailors to drugs.”
By gifting them drug-laced cookies.
Then blackmailing them.
Do as we say, or we cut off your supply.
“Drug misuse is strictly forbidden in the empire. Once addicted, Temeren Ho’s sailors become accomplices and have no choice but to keep the secret, and they’ll pay whatever price Ingrid demands for the drugs.”
If they try to get drugs elsewhere, Ingrid would report them immediately.
And meanwhile, they’d also pressure them to lower the tea leaf prices.
Now the balance of power has reversed.
“It’s a method with historical precedent.”
“How do you know it was forced addiction?”
“Pepper’s father said he left the cookies so Pepper’s mother could eat them too, remember?”
If he’d received them unknowingly, that’d be one thing, but if he received them knowing what they were, then he’d already been addicted by that point.
What addict shares drug-laced cookies with someone else? They’d be barely scraping by themselves.
“So it was really intentional….”
“Must have been.”
Once we check the Ingrid Trading Company’s ledgers from the time Pepper’s father started acting strange, the evidence will come right out.
“How could they do such a thing!”
“You’d be amazed what people will do for money.”
I pulled myself up from the roof of the neighboring building where I’d been hiding.
“Now that we know who’s behind this, that’s enough for today. Let’s head back for now, gather information about the residence’s layout, guard positions, shift changes, and then come back fully prepared in about a week to infiltrate—”
“Seraphina! Look!”
“Woof!”
“Hmm?”
I turned my head in the direction Tofu’s paw was pointing.
In the quiet luxury residential area, a man was dragging a large dog behind him.
“Collie?!”
The golden retriever that Pepper raises.
What’s going on? What’s happening?!
“Woof! Woof!”
“Shut it!”
Collie thrashing and refusing to go. The man yanking and forcing him along. And where they were headed—the Ingrid Trading Company residence.
“What in the world is going on!”
A guard standing in front of the main gate blocked the way of this man.
“You bastard!”
“Yelp!”
The man kicked Collie, who was trying to escape, and brought him to a halt before the residence, then bowed deeply to the guard.
His eyes were bloodshot, his face yellowed and sickly. On top of that, his hand gripping the leash had been trembling violently the whole time.
Anyone could see the man was in poor condition as he cowered before the guard.
“Oh, I’m terribly sorry for coming at such a late hour.”
“Who are you?”
“I’m a sailor with the Temeren Ho…….”
“The Temeren Ho? What brings those association rabble here?”
“Well, that is…….”
Spittle flew from the man’s mouth as he stammered and rambled incoherently.
“I conducted a very, very important transaction with the Sub-Master of the Ingrid Trading Company today, and this damned dog of mine tore apart my, my, well, my goods and scattered them everywhere……. But you know how it is — once those goods are torn open, they’re useless, aren’t they…….”
“And?”
“I was wondering if, perhaps, I might obtain some additional stock…….”
The man rubbed his palms together and laughed obsequiously. The guard snorted.
“What? You came all this way at this hour for that? And why’d you bring the dog?”
“I’ve already spent my entire month’s wages on the cost of the goods. Despite appearances, this dog has decent bloodlines. Would you consider taking him instead…….”
“What am I supposed to do with a mutt? Get out. Come back tomorrow. Bring money.”
“No, that won’t do! I need something right now…!”
“I said get out!”
“What’s the commotion?”
At that moment, a voice carried from inside the closed residence.
“S-Sub-Master.”
The hooded man who had gone in earlier — the Sub-Master of the Ingrid Trading Company.
The man, holding a lantern with paper covering, frowned with displeasure beyond the latticed gate that divided the interior of the residence from the outside.
“What’s all this noise?”
“Sub-Master!”
Pepper’s father quickly pushed past the guard and rushed forward.
“You remember me, don’t you? I’m a helmsman with the Temeren Ho!”
As the Sub-Master listened to the entire story, his gaze settled on Pepper’s father, who looked visibly anxious, and on Collie whimpering beside him.
Pepper’s father spattered saliva as he spoke.
“The Master does enjoy collecting taxidermied animals, doesn’t he! A dog as well-fed and glossy as this one is rare to find anywhere!”
“……I did mention that I wished to acquire a yellow dog.”
“Yes, yes! That’s precisely why I came — I knew! Look at this one! This dog’s coat is yellow! Well-fed and sleek, just shining!”
“Come in.”
The Sub-Master gestured. The guard hastily opened the door.
“Yelp! Yelp!”
Collie cried out pathetically, desperately resisting being dragged away.
“Seraphina?! What do we do?!”
“…….”
“Seraphina!”
“…What else can we do?”
What are we really going to do?
I surveyed the area beyond the wall of the Ingrid Residence.
The windows of the historic two-story residence bore an Ancient Protective Spell that gleamed with blue light even at night.
Should an intruder scale the wall while the gate was closed, the Alarm Magic inscribed on the glass would trigger.
What if. What if, really.
To infiltrate that residence today.
The only opportunity is now, while the door is open.
‘But I’m not prepared for this at all right now.’
The original plan was to come back in about a week after I had everything ready. But if I went in now and got caught too?
But if I don’t go in, the dog dies.
But my preparations…….
But the dog…….
Preparations, dog, preparations, dog…….
Damn it!
“Thank you! Thank you so much!”
“Yelp!”
“Shut up!”
Pepper’s father kicks Collie once more as he stumbles, then hurries after the Sub-Master.
The guard’s gaze dips for just a moment—in that gap, I vault from the neighboring roof into the compound.
I roll once across the garden lawn, and at that same instant the gate swings shut behind me.
“Huh?”
I press myself flat against the fence wall, slipping past the guard’s questioning stare.
“Huff, huff.”
Tofu, cradled in my arms as we jumped, plants himself against the wall beside me, matching my pace.
“W-what do we do now? What do we do?”
“Well. First—”
The Sub-Master, Pepper’s father, and Collie have already rounded toward the back of the Main Building.
There seems to be a single-story storage shed near the Back Garden. That’s where they’re headed, it looks.
“First?!”
“We follow them.”
“And then?!”
“I don’t know—shoot us all with a gun?”
“Us?!”
……
I ignore Tofu’s panicked protest—he hates guns—and crouch to sprint forward, but then I pause.
“Oh. Right.”
“What what?!”
“I haven’t transformed yet.”
……
Tofu, who’d been trembling with tension, goes very still and turns to look at me.
I meet those accusing eyes with an embarrassed shrug.
“Can you do a silent transformation? Without the light?”
Money!
Honor!
Health!
★★★★★
Magical Holy Maiden Seraphina!
(Silent Mode)
Transforming……
🔕🔕🔕🔕🔕

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