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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 29
Chapter Title: The Negotiation
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“...”
What is this? Am I seeing things because I'm so exhausted?
“Dame Victoria, have I been working out so hard lately that my body's given out? I'm seeing things. Maybe I should take a break for a while and recuperate?”
“You too, Saintess? I'm the same. I think we might need to request some time off.”
“That sounds good. I'll just rest up in my room and won't go anywhere, so don't you worry about me, Dame Victoria. Just get some rest.”
We exchanged words while standing side by side.
It was seven in the morning, the perfect time to finish our morning workout and enjoy a sweet rest.
Just like any other day, I was dragging my exhausted body toward a bench, flopping like a squid.
But on the bench where Monica should have been waiting with cool water and a clean towel, there was, surprisingly, someone else with her.
Lute Ciel, to be precise.
...What is that man doing here?
“Why? Is it because someone so handsome appeared that it doesn't feel real?”
Lute snatched the glass of water from Monica's hand and approached with a smile.
Seeing Monica glaring fiercely at Lute from behind, I figured it wasn't a hallucination.
“Judging by the nonsense you're spouting, you must be real. What are you doing here at this hour, Duke?”
“The Saintess sent a letter saying she desperately wanted to see me, so I dropped everything and rushed over. You're surprisingly diligent, though. I didn't expect you to be exercising this early.”
“Oh, I did want to see you badly. Not you, Duke, but your money.”
I scoffed and took the glass he offered, gulping it down.
For some reason, Monica, who loved handing me a glass of water after my workout, shot me a look full of disappointment.
“I'd love to live a lazy life, but diligence has been forcibly ingrained in me, so I can't.”
Ordel's body was optimized for laziness, but my mind, having lived as a detective, couldn't tolerate it.
My goal is to shake everything off and live lazily once this is all over...
Will I ever be able to achieve it? Won't I still be living diligently even then?
“You're here about the potion business, aren't you? I'm the one who's surprised. I didn't expect you to be diligent enough to come all the way here yourself, Duke.”
“The Grand Temple of the Sun God, which once wielded immense influence, is starting its potion business again. Of course I had to come. Besides, I'm not very fond of the Grand Temple of the Great Sea God.”
Lute's lips twisted into a crooked smile.
His languid impression, created by his askew glasses and hastily tied hair, instantly turned smug.
“The Saintess is preparing to screw those bastards over. How could I not come and see?”
Hostility blazed.
It seemed he had some issues with the Great Sea God's side.
“Considering the attitude of the Grand Temple of the Great Sea God, there's a high chance they were the ones in the wrong.”
“Exactly. That's it. You know them well, Saintess.”
Lute's face brightened when I cursed the Grand Temple of the Great Sea God as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
I didn't know the details, but it seemed they had done something terribly wrong.
“I'm planning to support this venture very actively, if only to see the faces of their Saintess and Saint twist in despair.”
The Saintess and Saint of the Grand Temple of the Great Sea God.
They were siblings, and the blood of the high nobility of the Carnus Empire flowed through their veins.
Born with a silver spoon in their mouths, they were then chosen by a god, and so they strutted about as if the world belonged to them.
I remember how infuriated I was by their behavior in the original story.
The thought of one day seeing them in person was already dreadful.
“On that note, I've found an alchemist who should be perfect for your needs, Saintess.”
At Lute's next words, I quickly shook off my thoughts of the bratty Saintess and Saint.
“Already?”
“You're grateful, right?”
“Extremely grateful.”
Since Lute ran a merchant guild, his information network was excellent; anyone he found was sure to be highly skilled.
“But I only found one. Is that all right?”
“Ah, that's fine. We're planning to recruit about two, since our number of priests is low, and I think we can cover one of them from our side.”
I glanced at Monica, who stood behind Lute.
Just as not just anyone could play the role of the female lead's best friend in the original story, the same was true for her.
Monica was the daughter of a very good family, from the central nobility of the Carnus Empire.
The problem was, she had run away from home.
She said she still hadn't told her family of her whereabouts.
However, when I mentioned needing an alchemist, she willingly offered to use her family's influence.
‘You ran away from home, are you sure this is okay? Your parents will find out you're here soon enough.’
‘It's fine! This is for the Grand Temple! Besides, I was thinking of contacting them soon anyway!’
Seeing Monica shout like that was very reassuring.
If she hadn't been by my side, I would have been in real trouble.
I'll have to earn a lot of money and feed her plenty of delicious food. I'll make sure she never goes hungry.
“Shall we go and draw up the distribution contract now?”
Lute said he had prepared a sample contract and fluttered a bundle of papers.
“You're well-prepared. But let's put that off for later.”
Just as Lute tilted his head as if to ask why...
*Grrrrrooooowl.*
A very loud sound echoed from my stomach. It was only natural for it to clamor for food after I'd worked out on an empty stomach since morning.
“I haven't eaten yet. Let's meet again after I've washed up, eaten, and am full.”
“...”
“Don't look at me like that. It's your fault for visiting so early in the morning, Duke.”
If you expect me to work on an empty stomach, I will never forgive you.
Perhaps sensing my resolve in my tightly clenched fists, Lute followed me quietly without a single word of protest.
* * *
He was still a guest, so I couldn't just leave him standing around. I offered a meal to Lute and his companion.
Since they had more money than us, I considered asking them to pay for their meals, but I decided against it.
I'll just squeeze more out of him during the business negotiations instead.
“...Why are you making that face?”
Lute asked as soon as we were alone together in the reception room after the meal.
“It's a smile of affection for my future business partner.”
“It would be more accurate to call it a capitalist's smile.”
The quick-witted bastard.
Pretending not to hear, I scanned the contract Lute had brought.
To be honest, a business contract like this should have been handled by High Priest Airic, not me.
But there was one problem.
‘High Priest, have you ever reviewed a contract before?’
‘...’
‘Have you ever negotiated terms?’
‘...’
How could a man who entered the temple as a child and lived there for sixteen years have ever reviewed a contract?
It wasn't as if the Grand Temple of the Sun God was involved in as many businesses as the Great Sea God's side, either.
So, I decided to take charge of it myself.
With my experience from catching swindlers, it would be a disgrace to my past as a detective if I couldn't even handle this.
“This is just a sample. Once we've negotiated the terms, we'll draw up a formal contract.”
A quick scan of the contract revealed no poison pills or unnecessarily convoluted language.
The content was clean, and I nodded.
“If you hire alchemists, what about their salaries? Honestly, looking at the Grand Temple's current state, it seems you'd have a hard time affording them.”
He must have understood our situation at a glance just by looking at our Grand Temple.
The unkempt garden, the unrepaired marble pillars, the worn-out priestly robes, and so on.
We couldn't even pay the salaries of our current employees, so it was only natural for him to worry about how we planned to hire alchemists.
“So I was thinking, how about my side hires the alchemists? In exchange, we could raise the distribution percentage.”
Distribution percentage? Absolutely not. I immediately shook my head.
“That's all right. We plan to accept the alchemists as our followers.”
We can slightly reduce their salaries in exchange for providing room and board, and add an incentive clause based on sales increases.
Most importantly, I'm desperate for every single follower right now. I absolutely cannot give up on this.
“Will you be able to pay their salaries?”
“It won't be a problem. We have your donation, don't we, Duke?”
The business transaction and Lute's donation were separate matters.
When I pointed that out with a bright smile, Lute let out a hollow laugh.
Even though Lute was the source of the money, the guild's business and the donation for the holy relic were strictly separate, so it was right to calculate them differently.
“However, we will need your help, Duke, in purchasing the necessary ingredients and materials for potion crafting. We don't know any quality suppliers.”
After finalizing the various terms and conditions.
All that remained was to decide on the profit-sharing ratio based on those terms.
“Let's go with an eighty-twenty split. We, of course, get the eighty.”
“What are you talking about? It has to be at least sixty-forty. We're handling all the distribution and material supply.”
Sparks flew between Lute and me.
The Sun God's Grand Temple's potion business was destined to be a huge hit, so even a one percent difference in the ratio would mean an enormous change in profits.
But I had a cheat code up my sleeve.
“Eighty percent. But I'll add one more condition. A condition that you, Duke, will find very tempting.”
I rested my chin on my intertwined fingers and smiled. Lute let out a groan.
“Ah, this makes me nervous. It's only our second meeting, but I've already figured out that you never do anything that would put you at a disadvantage, Saintess.”
“You've figured me out perfectly. But don't worry. This will definitely be to your advantage, Duke.”
I might be squeezing him for a lot, but in the end, I give back as much as I take, don't I?
Understanding my meaning, Lute let out a weary laugh.
“...Let's hear it, then.”
As he finally conceded, I whispered to him in a suggestive tone.
“I will find a way to permanently cure your illness, Duke.”
Not just simple pain relief, but a complete cure for his illness.
At the condition I presented, Lute's dark pupils constricted.
