Chapter 106

The first idea that came to mind was escape.

However, at this point, fleeing in the form of asylum was impossible.

The Empire wasn’t the sole superpower controlling world order. There was the Turu Republic on the continent that stood against the Empire relatively well. And across the sea to the east, there was Chinguk, a nation whose power surpassed even the Empire’s.

‘Perhaps it could’ve been possible if I had thought of this before going to the Great Forest.’

Upon reflection, that was the last possible moment I could’ve fled.

If I had run away, regardless of whether war broke out or not, I could’ve avoided ending up between the two princesses like this.

Creating a crisis through political maneuvering, using it as a pretense to flee to a foreign country, and handling myself flexibly so the Emperor wouldn’t retaliate against me—such an approach was feasible back then. At least, it would’ve been if I had thought of running myself.

But now, it wasn’t an option.

Because the Empire wouldn’t tolerate my defection.

To be honest, even going abroad as an envoy was impossible.

The Empire, having witnessed the power of heroin, and knowing that opium is a crucial ingredient for both heroin and morphine, wouldn’t let me go easily. Once I stepped outside the country, I would be seen as a living, breathing source of heroin.

‘Wherever I settle in another country, they’d surely kill me in the end.’

Even if I survived, I’d have to live my whole life in constant fear.

That’s not living—it’s just existing. I decided to erase the asylum option from my mind entirely.

The next idea was to figure out what the princesses found appealing about me.

What Victoria liked was the extraordinarily competent and loyal retainer in me, while what Siena liked was the cunning drug lord who dismantled the Great Forest in a matter of months. Traits that might make a common person lose interest were exactly what made the princesses cling to me.

I could try to undermine those very traits myself.

‘Whether it will work or not, only time will tell.’

First, I decided to drop a bait to test it.

I didn’t toss it myself but called up a person who could be used effectively.

“Did you call… I mean, summon me, Mr. Alan?”

The former baron who now works under Siena.

Originally a proud member of the Anais faction, he now runs errands for Siena along with a few other nobles. Recently, he advertised widely to recruit skilled workers for the silver mines in the Great Forest region.

But today, he was here to carry out an errand for me. A very simple one.

“I’ve heard there are people systematically purchasing spearmint and the bran of red-millet. I’d appreciate it if you could find out who’s behind this. Use as many people as necessary and don’t spare expenses.”

“Is there really such a power?”

“This is a piece of information I stumbled upon by chance. Please hurry as it’s urgent.”

“Uh, of course, I will follow your instructions.”

The former Baron Draghead was visibly tense, rubbing his hands together.

Though he was once a baron and still runs a business, he looked much diminished. Maybe that’s from serving the difficult Siena.

Spearmint and red-millet bran.

These two are among the ingredients widely rumored as components for morphine.

This wasn’t some random rumor but rather information I deliberately spread to create a smokescreen.

Not only did I spread the rumors, but I had also actually made purchases of various items at times, though I used the bran to grow mushrooms.

Spearmint is occasionally used as an herb, and the variety of red-millet in question is cultivated in my hometown, the Longkenny Prefecture. It would be easy to assume it has some connection to morphine.

Of course, there have already been several people who failed after mixing raw opium with various things…

‘But they probably still haven’t given up.’

Someone, somewhere is likely still researching the morphine production method.

So, what if the nobles under Siena conducted an investigation following my instructions? Everyone would naturally misinterpret the situation.

They might suspect that the secret of morphine production has been leaked, and that Alan Medoff, who stands to lose his livelihood, has taken steps to address it.

Even the former Baron Draghead seemed to suspect something.

“Um, is it… morphine… or, perhaps heroin?”

“No. Don’t inquire further about the details. Just carry out my request.”

“Should I hide this from Princess Siena?”

“I don’t expect anyone to act in secret behind the Princess’s back. There’s no need to investigate quietly. Just gather information.”

“Yes, I understand.”

In the end, the former Baron Draghead accepted my instructions and slowly backed away. I rested my forehead and muttered, as if for his ears, “I drank a bit too much. I should’ve been careful.”

Of course, this was also to encourage misunderstanding.

‘With this, they’d think information leaked from me.’

Siena wouldn’t buy it. She’s smart enough to understand by now.

But Victoria would be different. If she heard the rumors and came to suspect me, her reaction would be interesting. If Victoria showed even a hint of disappointment or suspicion toward me, that would indicate there was potential.

If it worked, I was thinking of taking more decisive action.

**

The princesses didn’t take long to respond.

First, Siena.

As expected, she wasn’t fooled.

“Red-millet bran? Alan, why on earth are you messing around with livestock feed?”

“Princess Siena.”

Though she seemed to be unaware of my precise intentions.

“I understand your plan to identify people who are dabbling in trying to make morphine, but is it really necessary? Sure, you mentioned it’d be hard to keep things secret forever, but this isn’t an immediate concern, is it? Why not just let them play around and leave them be?”

She seemed to assume I was using bait to uncover potential competitors. There was no reason to dispel this misunderstanding.

“Just checking ahead of time. After the Wolphall family’s fall, I doubt anyone will be interested in morphine.”

“I guess that’s true.”

“Are you opposed to my course of action?”

At this, Siena paused for a moment, shook her head, and added, “Would I ever oppose anything you do?”

This was the extent of Siena’s reaction.

The next day, Victoria came to see me.

“I am truly grateful. Sir Alan.”

“No need to be.”

“I know you attended the execution on His Majesty’s orders. But standing by my side despite the risk of being shunned was a real help. It meant a great deal to me. I’m truly grateful and impressed…”

“Princess Victoria.”

“Ah.”

That wasn’t the point. After a brief look of bewilderment, Victoria got to the point.

“I heard a baseless rumor.”

“A rumor, you say?”

“Yes. Rumor has it that you disclosed the morphine production method—specifically, the other ingredients besides opium—while drunk. It’s said the rumor started from the public agricultural auction. There’s also a rumor that the emissaries of the Darien Kingdom and the Telmar Kingdom have already obtained the method.”

“It seems I might’ve handled myself poorly.”

“Of course, it’s nothing but a rumor.”

Victoria dismissed the rumor without even hearing my explanation.

She must have realized the investigation by Siena’s nobles caused this rumor. So, why was she so certain it was false? Did she have a rudimentary understanding of solvent extraction like Siena? Or had she grasped my hidden intent?

Neither was the reason.

A moment later, Victoria, who had been taking her time, spoke with a faint smile.

“You’re a thorough person, quite unlike me. You wouldn’t make such a mistake.”

“Your Highness…?”

“You know better than anyone what would happen if the morphine production method were leaked. That’s why you currently only supply it to the military and to facilities where retired soldiers with injuries or severe illnesses recover, right? There’s no way you’d make such a mistake, just because of alcohol.”

“And dealing with foreigners at that? I will not believe it.”

How highly does she think of me that she trusts me this much? I was slightly late to respond because I suspected it was sincere.

“That… Princess, I’m human too. I drink and make mistakes.”

“Sure. But I still believe any mistake would be deliberate. You wouldn’t harm the Empire even in a state of confusion. The Alan I know wouldn’t do that.”

“…”

“Do I have that wrong?”

No trace of suspicion could be found on Victoria’s face.

In this moment, I could feel her absolute trust in me.

If I were to feign incompetence, she’d probably say, “There’s no need to be so modest.” Even if I falsely claimed, “I did leak the morphine production method,” she’d probably offer understanding, believing I had a reason. That was the extent of her trust.

It was an incredibly heavy and solid kind of trust. And another emotion born from that trust.

There was no way to break it.

Victoria was still staring at me intently.

“…Princess Victoria, if you don’t mind me asking, what do you think is the reason I initiated the collection of information on certain materials?”

“There must be a reason. You don’t have to explain if you don’t want to.”

“…”

“I’m sure spearmint isn’t a raw material for morphine. I doubt there’s any connection at all. And, judging from your reaction, I feel confident that the method for producing morphine hasn’t been accidentally exposed.”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“Then…?”

“As you assumed, these two ingredients have no connection to morphine. If someone is mistakenly acting on that belief, it wouldn’t hurt to identify them ahead of time.”

“Indeed, my suspicions were correct.”

Finally, Victoria’s face lit up with a radiant smile.

Of course, if I were determined to cause trouble, I could create discord with Victoria. But doing so would also put my own safety at risk, making such a plan ultimately futile. It was hard to make her leave me due to disappointment.

“Nevertheless, it’s nice to see your face. I actually had an issue I wanted to discuss.”

In the end, I assisted in cleaning up the remnants of the Wolphall family and returned.

…

Fortunately, amidst all this,

there was someone besides me worried about this situation.

“Mother wishes to see you.”

News arrived that Empress Lianhua, who had been unusually quiet, had summoned Siena. In fact, she summoned not only Siena but also Victoria.

It was clear she didn’t call them just to see their faces.

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