Chapter 49

‘I almost gambled with soldiers’ lives.’

Victoria felt her face grow cold as she steadied her breathing.

It wasn’t just her face that was numb. Her chest felt as if it were weighed down, and her hands fidgeted nervously on her knees, against her will.

Alan was making a counterproposal, moving his lips, but none of it was getting through.

“Sir Knight, let’s just go with three pills. But could you add just one Monglongyi?”

At that moment, a humbled voice came from outside the door.

It was the voice of the genius from the Department of Swordsmanship, whom Alan had chased out of the Audience Chamber.

Perhaps realizing that the deal had fallen apart due to overreaching, he was repeatedly apologizing and revising his terms. Clearly, his rational thinking was gone. Alan also appeared exasperated, halting his explanations and letting out a sigh.

“Leon. I’m having an important discussion with Her Imperial Highness, the 1st Princess. If you don’t leave, there will be no medicine.”

Only then did the hesitant presence by the door finally disappear.

What followed was silence. An incredibly uncomfortable one.

Alan wiped his face with a perplexed expression, and Victoria couldn’t bring herself to look at him, instead staring at the documents on her desk.

It just happened to be a report on the status of the Navy Penal Brigade.

‘I was going to show this and try to persuade Sir Alan.’

She had planned to administer Ephedrine to 50 sailors from the Penal Brigade as a trial, intending to confirm its efficacy and side effects.

But upon further reflection… In truth, she hadn’t really been trying to verify the side effects. She just needed evidence to reassure Alan, so he could feel comfortable supplying the army with the stimulant.

If things had gone according to her greedy plans, there was a high probability that countless war veterans would abandon their lives and spend the rest of their days chasing after the drug.

Their existence would have become a great burden on the Empire. Once someone became addicted, like Leon, they’d likely do anything for more drugs—especially considering they were once soldiers, their impact could’ve been devastating.

The mere thought of such a catastrophe made her vision blur.

Still, amidst all this, there was a question that came to mind.

“Sir Alan, you mentioned you had something to say, did you not? Before that, there’s something I’d like to ask… of course, if you allow it.”

“Yes, please ask.”

“Why, exactly, did you give him, Leon Rothe Dale, the drug? Of course, I’ve heard that he was addicted to the syrup, but wasn’t it unnecessary to give him an even more harmful medication? Please don’t misunderstand; I’m not questioning your intentions.”

She knew it wasn’t her place to ask, but the doubt lingered nonetheless.

Was it really necessary to make the owner of overwhelming talent, admired even by the masters of the Empire, a slave to drugs? Wouldn’t simply letting him consume syrup have been better? He wouldn’t have fallen apart so completely then.

At her question, Alan summoned a wistful smile.

“It’s simple. So that I could at least save his life.”

“What…?”

“That man didn’t just gorge on syrup. Reports say he was smoking opium all day long, even skipping meals. I thought it was better to give him a stronger drug to pull him out of the opium fumes.”

“Did he lose interest in opium and syrup after taking your medicine?”

“Exactly. He says there’s no thrill in opium or syrup now. In fact, he even mocks his former friends who are still addicted, calling them idiots for rolling in opium smoke.”

“Well… why mock…? No matter, he’s already beyond fixing.”

Only then did Victoria understand Alan’s intentions.

He must have helped tame Leon with something stronger that wasn’t readily obtainable, thereby saving his life. Someone of Alan’s knowledge could surely control the dosage enough to keep him from dying.

Perhaps Alan simply couldn’t bear to see such a talented junior knight waste away? She understood that sentiment.

‘And here I was misinterpreting Sir Alan’s actions when he was trying to prevent my mistakes.’

Instead of thanking the person who had tried to stop her misguided decision, she had doubted him. Another wave of self-loathing washed over her, making sitting across from Alan increasingly unpleasant.

In the end, Victoria helplessly dropped her gaze.

“Sir Alan, the introduction of the stimulant is rescinded, as you already know. I apologize for the trouble.”

“Thankfully so.”

“You said you had something to tell me. What is it?”

“It concerns the Great Forest border. There’s a way to reduce the security burden.”

“I see. Though… Sir Alan… wouldn’t it be better to directly suggest this to the Minister of Military Affairs instead of me? For all I am the Imperial Princess, my rank is merely that of a Lieutenant Colonel under the Special Advisory Bureau. If you wish, I can arrange a meeting.”

Frankly, at this point, it seemed ridiculous to be concerned about ranks.

She had already, as a Lieutenant Colonel, unilaterally decided to introduce morphine and informed the deputy minister. That was simply for formality’s sake, as she wielded influence far beyond her rank.

But what was the point of having such power if one couldn’t use it properly?

‘I almost caused trouble again. It would be best to reflect for a while.’

Her expression management was quickly becoming difficult.

Victoria pretended to shuffle through the documents, hoping her benefactor would quickly leave the Audience Chamber.

However, Alan, infuriatingly, refused to let her off.

“Her Imperial Highness. If I may, I would rather discuss this directly with you.”

“Well, you are free to speak, but as I’ve said….”

“I understand why you’re avoiding the conversation. However, admitting a mistake takes courage. In fact, you’ve revoked it before it could even be carried out. Nobody was harmed.”

“Sir Alan.”

She lifted her head to tell him there was no need to pander to her feelings, but Alan shook his head with a faint smile.

“I’m not trying to win your favor. I’m merely being stubborn because I believe only Her Imperial Highness can realize my goal. This matter is beyond the capacity of either ministers or bureaucrats.”

With his words, the humiliation that had been plaguing her began to fade, though not entirely, to a tolerable degree.

‘Right. My feelings don’t matter.’

Victoria looked directly at Alan Medoff.

The unique knight who studied pharmacology to clear his lord’s name, and now, a loyal subject of the Britannia Empire with a plan to reduce tensions at the Great Forest border.

He was far too capable and conscientious to be under Sienna.

“Very well, Sir Alan. Speak.”

Listening to him was far more important than mere appearance.

—

Reluctantly, I had to act. Victoria’s moment of vulnerability couldn’t be missed.

Frankly, in my opinion, it was odd that she felt such guilt over something this minor.

Victoria didn’t drench the Britannia Empire’s army in stimulants to enable ceaseless rapid advancements; she simply scrapped the plan at the conceptual stage.

This was an opportunity to reaffirm what kind of person she was.

‘It’s not bad for me, either.’

I could earn her trust just by comforting her wounded pride.

It was insurance to prepare against any future accidents by Sienna, but luckily, it seemed to work. Though at first she nervously fiddled with pieces of paper, now she was looking at me directly.

I cut straight to the point.

“I will sell the drugs to the elves.”

She flinched slightly but nodded promptly. Anything that came from my mouth, she seemed to believe, was worth hearing.

That made it easy for me to explain.

“As you can see, my products immobilize people and place the drugs above their own lives. Morphine, while somewhat less harmful when given to patients with severe pain, quickly cripples a healthy person.”

“Using these properties, couldn’t we incapacitate the elves without resorting to combat that sacrifices our precious troops? If well-executed, we could subdue the elves without a war.”

“Even if it fails, numerous elf warriors will be lost from combat capabilities. That’s surely better than giving it to our soldiers, right?”

—

I didn’t explain which drugs, in what quantities, or how I would distribute them.

Once I got approval, I’d handle everything myself. Victoria had already seen what happened to Leon, so she probably had an idea of what would come.

‘Even without Victoria’s approval, there are ways to proceed.’

However, receiving support from the First Princess would certainly make things easier.

After all, I’d have the justification of working for the Empire’s army—or rather, the Empire’s benefit.

It was like having the nation as cover to distribute narcotics openly. If anything went wrong, the burden would be lessened.

Fortunately, Victoria didn’t hesitate much.

“Fine. Sir Alan, you may request any support you need. Though I must request one thing. Do you have a guess what it might be?”

“Are you asking me to ensure that the drugs do not make their way to the Imperial Army?”

As soon as I inquired, Victoria nodded, quietly adding “That will be enough” in a soft voice.

She was still troubled by the shocking sight of Leon.

Still, she didn’t seem to care at all about the elves being affected. After all, this was the woman who had considered giving stimulants to her own soldiers to deal with the elves—it was only natural.

“Understood. I will start the operation immediately.”

I promptly left Victoria’s Audience Chamber.

Though I had secured the cooperation of a military heavyweight, I had plenty to do.

The Great Forest, essentially a nation of elves.

If it hadn’t been for the resources available to me—not just the employees of Medoff Pharmaceuticals but also the palace attendants under Sienna’s command—I wouldn’t have dared to attempt to saturate such vast territory with narcotics.

First, I needed to secure enough quantity.

I headed to the production facility to begin manufacturing.

I wasn’t about to simply produce more morphine.

I intended to create something far more deadly for the elves.

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