Chapter 84: The Winged Union (3)
<b>Chapter 84: The Winged Union (3)</b>
It was a luxurious mansion.
The interior of a building armed with dozens of security systems and protective spells.
In an officevishly decorated with jewels and gold.
Sian frowned as he reviewed the report submitted by his subordinate.
“Just as I thought, something’s definitely up.”
A few months ago, he had noticed some unusual activity.
At first, Sian dismissed it as insignificant.
The potion market, while not small, wasn’t exactlyrge enough to warrant serious attention.Even if someone was working behind the scenes to monopolize that market, it wasn’t something that demanded his focus.
As both a businessman and a mage, time was his most valuable resource.
And especially now, as he approached the possibility of reaching the 9th Circle, he couldn’t afford to waste time on trivial matters.
But now...
“The situation has changed.”
The investigation he had ordered, just in case, had uncovered more and more suspicious details about the potion merchant the deeper they dug.
There were strange efforts to conceal their identity.
For some reason, even the princess was looking into this merchant.
And, most suspicious of all… the price of the potions.
It was ridiculously low, not even a fifth of the usual price.
Such a price wouldn’t even cover the cost of materials. Yet, they were selling potions across the country at that absurdly low price.
It was baffling.
“Even if they found a recipe that could reduce costs, this approach is beyond unusual.”
Even if the merchant had the support of an alchemy genius, allowing them to produce potions at a much cheaper rate...
Why sell them at such a low price?
Even at market price, they could make a fortune as if money were falling into theirp.
Yet this lunatic of a businessman had disregarded profitability in favor of spreading their potions to those in need, as if they were donating them.
“This doesn’t add up.”
A businessman should prioritize profit in every decision.
Sian certainly did.
Take his own facilities, for instance.
Hundreds of mining sites where workers extracted mana stones without even basic protective gear—proof of his focus on profit above all else.
“They are clearly notcking in ability.”
Though they ignored profitability, their expertise was evident in their work.
And their skill at hiding their tracks was impable.
It had taken Sian a full month, with all his resources, to finally uncover the person’s name.
“Rubia, just who are you?”
There’s something here.
Something hidden, he was certain of it.
Sian’s instincts told him as much.
After much contemtion, Sian finally entertained a chilling possibility.
“Maybe… this is just a hypothetical, but…”
Such skill.
A person who, despite such ability, disregarded sess to help others.
Someone who valued secrecy above all else.
What kind of person could that be?
What sort of organization would such a person belong to?
Naturally, one word floated through Sian’s mind.
“ck Fangs.”
It might be an overreach, he thought, trying to reassure himself—but he couldn’t shake it.
The more he thought about it, the more everything seemed to fit.
All the odd behaviors, the focus on helping people over making money...
It made sense if ck Fangs was involved. They were an organization strangely devoted to helping others.
If they were backing the potion business, of course, they’d value lives over profit.
And the desperate secrecy would make perfect sense as well.
As spection turned to certainty,
Sian’s face filled with horror. Anything else would have been strange.
ck Fangs.
The mysterious organization that even the Empire struggled to contend with, an entity powerful enough to manipte nations from the shadows.
If that merchant Rubia truly belonged to ck Fang, Sian had meddled with someone he absolutely should not have touched.
Sian had repeatedly interfered with Rubia’s potion business.
All because he coveted the recipe.
Everything pointed to the fact that they had a form that drastically reduced production costs.
Until now, he hadn’t even considered that Rubia might be part of ck Fangs. He couldn’t be med for his actions… at least, that’s what he told himself.
“This… could be far more dangerous than I thought.”
He had made an enemy of someone who looked to be associated with ck Fangs.
Worse yet, he had attacked them first.
In this situation, would ck Fangs just leave him alone?
The infamous ck Fangs, known for their boundless kindness toward civilians and the weak yet unmatched cruelty toward their enemies?
On top of that, he ran hundreds of mana stone mines—operations that ck Fang was sure to despise.
“Of course not.”
At any moment, they would bare their fangs at him.
What would happen to him was all too clear.
The fate that befell every enemy of ck Fangs… woulde for him, too.
Sian’s life would end here.
All the wealth and fame he had struggled to build would vanish in an instant, reduced to nothing.
“…I need to prepare.”
He needed a way to fend off ck Fangs.
His own strength wasn’t enough.
Even as an 8th Circle mage, he was far from reaching the level of an archmage.
Meanwhile, it was rumored that ck Fangs’ leader could even overpower archmages.
Facing someone of that caliber with his current resources would be impossible.
It felt as if every path was blocked.
But… Sian gritted his teeth.
There was still a way.
There was one person he could think of who might help him survive this.
Usingmunication magic, he reached out to that person. Fortunately, he wasn’t doomed to die just yet.
The person agreed to hear him out and set a meeting with him.
“ck Fangs…”
‘No matter how powerful you are,
I won’t just sit here and ept my fate.’
Determined to do whatever it took to survive, Sian set off for the meeting ce.
<b>*****</b>
Before Sian’s eyes, an unexpected sight unfolded.
He had asked for a moment of that person’s time, saying he had something important to discuss.
They weren’t close by any means, so he’d been grateful the person even agreed to meet.
But it wasn’t just that person waiting there.
It seemed to be some kind of gathering.
Several other notable figures were present as well.
Seeing who was gathered here was a bit overwhelming, but…
Sian was not one to be intimidated so easily.
“This could actually be an opportunity.”
When he thought about it, the more allies he had, the better. This might just be a rare stroke of luck.
He knew exactly what he had to do.
“Please, lend me your strength to stand against the ck Fangs’ leader!”
Sian shouted with all his might.
To these most powerful of allies…
In other words…
To the great figures of the Holy Church.
“…What did you just say?”
The man before him—
Cardinal Dominic—asked, with a piercing gaze.
Cardinal Dominic was smiling, but the murderous intent emanating from his body was chillingly intense.
Yet, a smile appeared on Sian’s lips.
This was actually a fortunate turn of events.
He had anticipated that the Holy Church would despise ck Fangs for exposing their secrets, but he hadn’t expected it to be this intense.
Thanks to this, Sian’s n to secure the Holy Church’s support was one step closer to sess.
“That monstrous demon! We’ll erase the ck Fangs’ leader from this world with our own hands!”
Sian, now exhrated, responded to Cardinal Dominic’s question with enthusiasm.
Just moments ago, he had resigned himself to dying at ck Fangs’ hands. But now, he had found a way to survive.
Eight cardinals, and the rest were all archbishops.
A force powerful enough to be used in wars between nations.
With their cooperation, exterminating ck Fangs might not just be a dream.
Of course, this was only if the alliance materialized... but judging from the current atmosphere, he didn’t think he had anything to worry about.
The overwhelming killing intent was enough to make him shiver.
How desperately they must have wanted the ck Fangs leader dead—it was hard to fathom the depth of their hatred.
Sure enough.
“I ept your proposal.”
Cardinal Dominic smiled kindly as he made this deration.
It was perfect sess.
Sian had secured the Holy Church’s cooperation.
“To hear such profane words from that demon… I can no longer stand it. Just the fact that such an abomination exists in this world is nauseating.”
The Cardinal’s voice was filled with a manic fervor.
He seemed almost too eager, but that was a risk Sian was willing to take.
“How fortunate,” Sian thought sincerely.
Things were going so well.
Surely, he was the luckiest person alive.
Or so he thought…
“With all my strength, I will execute the demon as you wish.”
“That’s wonderful! Then, let’s head to the mansion right awa… Huh? Cardinal? Why are you suddenly—wait, the mace?!”
Bang!
That thought disappeared as Dominic,pletely consumed by rage, crushed Sian’s head with his mace.
He had made what seemed like a rational choice, yet the result was a gruesome end, sliced in half after relentless torture.
To Sian, it was nothing short of unfair.
…But what could he do?
In the end, he had brought it all upon himself.
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