Chapter 184
Chapter 184: Master of the Trade Route (21)
The next day.
True to her title as the Black Knight, Echina slipped out of the eldest son's mansion without a hitch.
Linie, having concluded her negotiations, also spoke well of me to Eric.
Thanks to that, the eldest son seemed a little less suspicious of me, even walking me to the gates of the mansion with a smile.
“I hope we meet again, Roger.”
Eric’s expression exuded the characteristic ease of a high-ranking noble.
Of course, it wasn’t the kind of arrogance or haughtiness Edward had.
It was the calm, businesslike expression of someone who led a group.
“I’m sure I’ll see you again soon, Young Lord.”
After exchanging farewells with the eldest son, I got into the carriage.
As we departed, I caught a glimpse in the mirror at the rear of the carriage—he was already speaking with someone the moment I left.
His eyes then looked nothing like the smiling ones he'd just shown me.
‘It’s true… there were corrupt dealings I didn’t know about back then, when I wasn’t yet the Chief Secretary.’
Not that it’s a problem now.
I had already gained the ability to uncover his weaknesses myself.
The carriage rolled away from Royal Luton.
As we passed through the streets, I could see buildings rising one after another, built on overwhelming wealth and powerful connections.
Occasionally, passersby marveled aloud at the scale of the structures.
But I watched the scene unfold with an expressionless face.
Behind all that splendor…
I knew what was buried—scandals and corruption, including those involving Anes.
And those misdeeds would soon come to light.
――――――
In the far-off horizon, the peaks of tall buildings came into view.
About an hour later, I arrived at a splendid street where most shops had already opened.
「Angde.」
While everyone else had changed the city’s name to reflect the Luton family,
Echina alone had suggested keeping the original name: Angde.
Thanks to that, the city naturally gained the image of a traditional town rich in history.
And with the cathedral and the Yekaterina shopping district at its center, it succeeded in attracting tourists.
Of course, Echina’s commercial district was thriving as well.
“If I’d stayed at the Grand Duke’s estate, I never would’ve dreamed of seeing a view like this.”
Leaning an arm on the window, I admired the city with satisfaction.
Only about a month remained now.
Eric might not finish all the facilities, but he would at least make it look complete.
Even that would be enough—grand in scale and sure to catch the attention of the Grand Duke of the North.
But.
What if the funding behind this illusion of completeness were suddenly cut off?
To execute the next phase of my plan, I headed not to my office but somewhere else.
To Istina’s Cathedral.
A grand marble cathedral in white tones welcomed me.
I stepped out in front of the wide-open fountain plaza and made my way toward the benches behind it.
There, a woman wearing a snow-white hood sat alone.
“…?”
She sat with her back to me, gently stroking something in her lap.
As I quietly approached, I saw a cat curled up on her thigh.
“Are you Lord Roger?”
“How did you know…?”
The Saint hadn’t turned her head.
In response to my question, she pointed at my shadow with her finger.
“I could tell it was you just by your silhouette.”
I stepped past the bench and glanced down at her.
With her pure white hands, she gently stroked a small cat resting on her lap, her gaze filled with kindness.
‘From the outside, she really looks like the very image of a holy symbol of the national religion…’
It was fascinating to think that in truth, she was a shrewd, calculating businesswoman.
“So, what kind of interesting information have you brought me this time?”
Istina asked while stroking the cat’s head.
The little thing playfully pretended to bite her snow-white fingers, proudly showing off its spirit.
“It’s certainly intriguing information.”
I sat beside her.
She tilted her head slightly, then…
Lightly sniffed my shirt with her sharp nose.
“It’s a scent I haven’t smelled before…”
The mercy in her eyes vanished for a moment, replaced by a chilling sharpness, like that of a she-wolf.
“Ah, I met with Eric yesterday. He brought a woman to a drinking party.”
“What, was he trying to set you up? Didn’t look like they were that close.”
She muttered in a cold tone, her sharp gaze piercing.
Even the cat, sensing the shift in her mood, retracted its fangs.
“It was a predictable trick. He was desperate to plant an informant near me.”
Feigning indifference, I reached out to the now timid cat.
Judging that I was safer than Istina in this moment, it subtly rubbed its face against me.
“I pretended to go along with it and entered the bedroom with her, but nothing happened. I actually persuaded her to take my side.”
“Don’t trust women too easily, Roger. If Eric sent her, she won’t be someone easy to handle.”
The Saint spoke as she looked at the women exiting the cathedral after their prayers.
As the mistress of the cathedral, she knew well that those women hadn’t come just to pray, but to meet men.
“Then should I not trust you either, Saint?”
I teased.
Istina looked up at me quietly for a moment…
Then responded with the same soft smile she had shown me the first time we met.
“It’s fine. I’m a Saint.”
We sat in silence, watching the flow of people come and go at the cathedral.
Almost as if we were silently asking God for forgiveness for discussing business in such a sacred place.
“So, what is this information you risked yourself to gather from enemy territory?”
Before answering, I recalled a certain memory.
A few months ago, when she had healed Sonia after her sword training match—her healing technique.
“Lady Istina, are you well-versed in pneumonia?”
“Quite well. It’s a stubborn flu, nearly impossible to cure completely even with healing arts.”
She let out a bitter smile, saying she’d seen many patients.
“When the inflammation worsens and reaches the lungs, it can lead to shock and death. It’s a dangerous illness.”
The pace of her speech picked up slightly now that we were talking medicine.
“But why ask about pneumonia? Did Eric catch it or something?”
“No. He’s investing in the development of a pneumonia treatment—hoping to rake in a fortune.”
A cure for an illness so persistent that even healing arts blessed by God couldn’t fully heal it?
The Saint frowned deeply, her thick eyebrows knitting together.
“A treatment? That’s news to me.”
“That’s to be expected. I heard he classified it as confidential with the heads of the Medical and Alchemy Associations. Details are scarce, but the medicine apparently uses an herb called ‘Anes’ as its base ingredient.”
Fortunately, Istina seemed to recognize the name “Anes.”
Her lips parted slightly at the mention of the familiar herb.
“Anes, huh. It’s said to have some effect on pneumonia, but there’s still way too much unverified information.”
“Looks like the two association heads have already fallen for Eric’s words.”
I turned my gaze to the goddess statue standing within the cathedral as I continued.
“Even if something goes wrong, the association heads—whose terms are nearly over—agreed to take the fall on their way out.”
“They’re all even worse scum than I thought.”
Istina clicked her tongue and shook her head.
“What do you plan to do, Lord Roger?”
She turned her body toward me.
The warm sunlight wrapped around her indigo priestess robes.
“For now, I’ll let him mass-produce Anes.”
“That dangerous drug?”
I nodded calmly and added,
“Yes. From Eric’s perspective, he needs a new source of income to recover the money he poured into Royal Luton. That’s why he turned to pharmaceuticals, which yield high returns.”
Everyone knows how profitable pharmaceuticals are.
In today’s world, even the announcement of a new drug can send stock prices skyrocketing by hundreds of percent.
“I plan to push him into overextending and expanding the scale recklessly. If you and the imperial physician both stoke his ambition, he’ll be all the more greedy.”
“No matter how much I’m your partner, I won’t let a drug like that hit the market.”
She emphasized that public safety came before money.
I liked that about her—how clearly she drew the line between work and principle.
“Of course, I don’t intend to let it reach the market. Once he’s sitting on piles of inventory, I’ll expose its hidden side effects.”
“So, similar to what you did with Edward?”
Istina had already deduced that I was the one behind the shutdown of the Fern construction project.
I smiled with my eyes, as if praising her intelligence.
“That’s right. But Eric’s much more perceptive and cautious than his younger brother.”
“Then how…”
She, too, knew how meticulous the Grand Duke’s eldest son could be.
Which only made her more curious about the card I had up my sleeve.
In response…
I looked toward the women lingering in the cathedral under the pretense of prayer—really, seeking new connections.
“I’m going to get myself caught up in it with him.”
“…What?”
It was the first time.
Istina had ever spoken to me informally.
“Through Linie, Eric’s probably confirmed by now that I’m willing to cooperate with him. So, I’ll go ahead and do business with him.”
I rose briefly from the bench.
Then, with my hands behind my back, I stepped behind the Saint.
“I’ll claim that I learned about Anes through a conversation you had with one of the association heads.”
With Eric’s intelligence network, he would already know I was close to Istina.
So if she happened to hear about Anes from one of the heads, it would be natural for me to find out as well.
‘And if I approach Eric afterward, he’ll think the story adds up.’
“I’ll invest all of my personal fortune—excluding the Erian Foundation funds—into Anes. That way, I’ll earn his trust and go down with him.”
At the mention of throwing away everything I’d earned, Istina even stopped stroking the cat.
“What… You’re really going to just throw away all the money you’ve made?”
“He’s just that hard to deceive. I have to make him believe I’m sincere, or he won’t fall for it.”
Istina moistened her red lips, reminiscent of an apple.
“But your goal is to rebuild your family. You’re letting go of that dream...”
“Money can be earned again.”
I looked down at Istina quietly.
A faint, modest scent of soap drifted from the Saint’s hair, now that her hood was removed.
Unlike Linie, she didn’t use expensive perfumes.
Even though she likely possessed far greater wealth, she chose to carry her natural scent.
“And my goal is a household that no one can interfere with. For that to happen, rotten powers like Eric need to be wiped out.”
The Saint looked up at me for a moment.
Then, with a soft exhale, she gave a small nod.
“All right. I don’t want to see someone who mocks the people end up ruling Nord either.”
She resumed stroking the cat.
And at the same time, murmured something very quietly.
“Money, well… I could just give it to you. Or maybe get him in my debt while I’m at it…”
“What calculations are you mumbling through over there?”
I tilted my head as I asked, and the Saint rapidly petted the cat until it grew irritated, then shook her head.
“Ah, it’s nothing. I just meant I’d lend you some money if you ever ran short.”
“Even the offer is appreciated.”
I chuckled softly and straightened my back.
Then I took in a deep breath of the crisp air of the Nord Mountains.
As I exhaled, a thought rose in my mind.
‘Wait for me, Eric. Let’s see this through together—right to the end.’
“Well then, I should get moving.”
Istina stood up from the bench along with me.
“If I’m to follow through with your plan, I’ll need to hurry and set appointments with the association heads.”
“Are these people you already have ties with?”
I asked, and she brought a hand to her chin, thinking for a moment.
“The Head of the Medical Association’s been desperate to marry me off to his son ever since he found out I might become a bishop, so I can approach him easily.”
I nodded as if to say I understood.
And then, she quickly waved her hands and added,
“Of course, I have zero intention of getting engaged to his son.”
“I wasn’t particularly curious.”
At my cold response, Istina narrowed her eyes.
Just as she was about to retort—
“I just didn’t think you were the type for such stiff, formal arrangements.”
“……”
Hearing what I added, she went momentarily speechless.
“I feel the same. Isn’t it far more romantic to meet someone by pure chance?”
“By pure chance, huh…”
Istina echoed my words quietly.
“You’re right. A true bond is one that’s formed by chance.”
We both turned our eyes toward the cathedral’s great doors.
Istina didn’t speak for a while, as if lost in a memory.