Chapter 44

I had been so busy with medicine that I’d forgotten, but this was the world of Ro.

The main stage was the Academy. All members of the main and sub couples were currently attending the Academy.

It was also why I had forgotten the original story and continued living.

Unless they dropped out like Anais and left, I assumed I wouldn’t have much chance to meet or get entangled with them.

If I had followed Siena’s instructions right after transmigration, I might have been selling opium tincture to Academy students and got caught by the protagonist, but… thankfully, I had avoided that future long ago. In exchange, I just ended up becoming a bigger-scale drug dealer.

Perhaps because I had lived forgetting all of this, encountering a familiar incident made it all feel rather fresh again.

“The radical Udriena clan… wasn’t that their name?”

The Elven society was led by five noble clans of honored bloodlines.

And the Udriena clan was one of those causing the current unrest.

For some unknown reason, they harbored hatred toward the Empire. They had advocated for war to completely expel the Imperial Army from Elven territory, but having failed due to opposition from other clans, they had resorted to guerilla warfare.

They probably believed that by constantly provoking the Imperial forces stationed along the border, they could create the situation they wanted.

Although their numbers were small, they were highly skilled in combat, causing significant damage.

“It’s understandable why Victoria is so serious about this.”

Right now, Victoria was listing the reasons why the Imperial Army needed the ‘bravery potion’ in such a way that highlighted the atrocities of the Elves:

“Soldiers are increasingly falling victim to traps set by the Elves.”

“You mean traps?”

“Subtle traps that target only the ankles. They seem to have determined it’s more efficient to render the soldiers combat-incapable rather than to kill them… Recently, soldiers escorting the wounded have also started to be frequently ambushed.”

“The soldiers must be terrified.”

“Yes, they’ve reached the point where they even shun regular reconnaissance missions. That’s probably what this kind of strategy aims to achieve — instilling fear in the Imperial army to weaken their spirit. Even though the death toll is low, the fear has spread widely.”

“Your Highness, still-”

“We can’t just leave it be!…”

Victoria exposed her unreserved hatred for the Elves, looking ready to set fire to the World Tree at any moment.

I wasn’t particularly surprised.

Victoria was technically in the scope of a sane person, unlike her siblings.

But she was, after all, a soldier. With the current fall in morale alongside the casualties, how could she worry about the side effects of a drug?

“Ultimately… the decisive factor is the Elves, isn’t it?”

I decided to ask her to confirm if the reason they needed the drug was indeed because of the Elves.

“First Princess, Your Highness. If the conflict with the Elves wasn’t so intense, would you have requested a stimulant that has a harsh effect on the human body… a drug named Ephedrine?”

“Why are you asking that?”

“Please answer.”

“Probably. Ideally, I don’t want to rely on drugs either.”

She didn’t appear to be lying. More like, she didn’t perceive any need to.

Ultimately, the root cause was the Elves.

If that were the case, Victoria’s problem could have been resolved without steampacks. After all, the world’s soon-to-come protagonist would likely resolve the Elf conflict.

“Of course, there’s no guarantee.”

I had involuntarily intervened in the life of one heroine already. With Anais imprisoned at the Monastery due to dealing drugs, there was no assurance that the male protagonist would follow the original storyline.

However, it seemed to me that the protagonist would likely get involved, voluntarily or not. Because…

“Sir Alan? What’s the reason for your hesitation?”

Looking up, I met Victoria’s piercing blue gaze.

“I can’t exactly tell her that things will resolve soon.”

Also, I couldn’t tell her that:

– The Celestial Divinity Sect’s saintess would soon be sent to mediate the conflict between the Elves and the Empire,

– A clerical professor, worried about the saintess’s safety, might unofficially request the protagonist — who’s a master swordsman and virtuous individual — disguised as a sub-deacon, to protect the saintess,

– And the protagonist would eventually accompany the saintess to the Great Forest, where, after some confusion, they’d uncover and suppress the extremist Elves’ plot, contributing to peace between the two sides.

Victoria would surely think I was insane if I tried to explain all this.

“Until the Elves become calm, they’ll probably keep asking for stimulants. What to do?”

Should I just make it for her?

That was also risky. If the situation were to resolve simply, I’d then have the problem of disposing of a large stock of unnecessary Ephedrine.

At such a time, it’s probably better not to give a clear answer and instead buy some time.

Fortunately, someone else came forward as my substitute.

“Siena, what are you doing here?”

Siena arrived with a large entourage, giving me an odd look as I conversed with her sister in the mushroom greenhouse.

Since things had unfolded like this, using Siena might not be so bad.

I immediately acted awkward and avoided Siena’s gaze, pretending that I had just been caught conspiring secretly with Victoria.

“Sir Alan had some business with me, as you can see.”

“Huh. I wonder if there’s any reason for my sister to have a private conversation with Sir Alan?”

To my relief, Siena immediately responded.

**

Victoria acted with integrity even in front of her sister.

In fact, she even proposed involvement for Siena, suggesting that producing Morphine and Ephedrine for military use could be mutually beneficial as they could compensate adequately for the service.

“I believe you’ll cooperate, Siena.”

Upon this, Siena looked at me instead of her sister.

I just smiled in response. Knowing Siena, she wouldn’t approve of this kind of closed-door discussion.

True to expectations, she moved exactly as I’d hoped.

“I see. So Ephedrine can be used for such purposes. Sir Alan never explained it to me, so I didn’t know. … Even though, I understand why you proposed this, sister.”

“Right. So let’s start with the material.”

“By the way, sister. Have you considered public opinion?”

“What?”

While suppressing a snigger, Siena pointed out that her sister was being rather thoughtless. It wasn’t out of character for her to provoke her like this.

“Isn’t Ephedrine essentially made from Ma Huang? Anais was imprisoned in the monastery due to a health syrup containing Ma Huang. How do you think people would react if they knew you intended to use it for military purposes?”

“It’s different from the health syrup, Siena. You should know better than I-”

“Of course I do. We wouldn’t mix it with Opium and it’s to be used under controlled conditions. Do you really think the public will see it that way? … If false rumors spread, the Imperial Court’s authority will crumble, and the basis for punishing Anais will be undermined.”

“…”

“Is it still okay to proceed?”

Siena was effectively challenging her sister.

It was an interesting scene. It was unusual for Siena to point out issues related to drugs to Victoria.

Moreover, Siena’s reasoning didn’t have any obvious flaws. Victoria was speechless and stumbled to respond.

After a while of silence, Victoria eventually spoke up.

“I’m willing to bear that burden, Siena.”

“You can’t handle it.”

“What?”

“Ultimately, the drug is manufactured by Medoff Pharmaceuticals, who’ll also profit from it. If any scandal erupts, it’s not something you can resolve merely by damaging your reputation. It will negatively affect me, and Alan too.”

“…”

“How many people are you willing to trouble for your ambition? And the way you’re pressuring Alan isn’t appealing either.”

Ambition. Inconvenience. Pressure.

Siena criticized her sister with these provocative words right in front of more than twenty palace attendants.

Victoria’s expression had become serious.

It would be natural for someone to get angry after being insulted like this. Victoria was known to be skilled in swordsmanship, so Siena wouldn’t stand a chance if they fought.

But Siena continued to confront her fearlessly.

‘She knows Victoria’s personality.’

Indeed, Victoria paused and then nodded after a while, faintly smiling.

“Yes, Siena, it seems I was too hasty.”

“I’m glad you understand.”

“The Emperor is currently in a state of despair, so I may have felt this overwhelming compulsion to take immediate action. I hadn’t even considered how this might burden the Imperial Court. On top of the Elven conflict, there are many other important state tasks.”

“It doesn’t have to be taken so seriously…”

“No, you are right.”

I sincerely appreciated it.

Victoria looked at Siena affectionately as if proud of her, lightly tapping her on the shoulder.

By this point, Siena too had calmed down. If Victoria had become overly aggressive, things might have escalated dangerously, but by simply accepting responsibility, Siena lost her fight. After all, you can’t argue alone.

Having pacified Siena, Victoria turned back to me.

“Sir Alan, I’m sorry. I’ve acted rudely by taking advantage of your goodwill.”

“There’s no need for an apology.”

“This is an essential project, and I’ll push forward soon. However… after the presence of the health syrup becomes less prominent, we can start. Until then, I’ll find other ways to support the two brigades facing the Elves.”

With this note, Victoria quietly left.

Siena smiled warmly at her departing sister, but soon after, her piercing gaze fell on me.

“Alan, you wanted me to act this way, didn’t you? I’m interested in new drugs too, so let’s talk about that later.”

If it’s you, it’s certainly to be expected.

Eventually, it seemed that the production of Ephedrine would happen anyway. Preparations must be in order to avoid working fifteen-hour days in the future.

But for now, gaining some time was enough.

Soon, the church would dispatch a saintess to mediate the relationship, and someone would request unofficial protection of the saintess from the protagonist, just in case.

The protagonist, who enjoyed helping others even back in his failing school days, would gladly accept.

“Then, the idea of giving stimulants to soldiers will probably be withdrawn.”

Of course, all of this assumes the story follows the original flow.

I resolved to check up on Leon Rothe Dale, the protagonist of this world.

---