Chapter 169: Council (6)

"I shall ask! Did you obtain that wicked knowledge from a Demonkin!"

The Saint of Radiance's sudden Declaration of War.

At that Declaration of War, the priests in the Assembly Hall swallowed a Dry gulp.

Because a single answer to this Question could shake the religious order.

A situation that could perhaps recreate the Nightmare of the Magic Tower of the 13th Month right here.

Just when the thread of tension was pulled taut.

Before long, The Black Saint opened his mouth.

Along with a snickering sound.

"Out of all my knowledge, there is not a single grain of knowledge that a Demonkin has taught me. And it will continue to be so in the future."

The Holy Flame spewed out a dazzling Red Light of Truth.

Looking at that flame, Yulian wiped his cold sweat.

'I'm glad he asked the Question like that.'

If he had asked whether I had ever contacted or met a Demonkin, it would have been difficult to answer.

Wondering if meeting in my head counts as contact, and such.

However, if he was asking about knowledge, it was a different story.

'Babel hasn't taught me any knowledge.'

Originally, the source of that knowledge is Yulian's memory.

Babel was just freeloading there, merely tossing out memories that Yulian had overlooked.

I swear, there was not a single 'new knowledge' he had taught me.

'In the first place, he's a guy who just eats my meals, drops some foreshadowing, and then disappears.'

I don't even know what kind of Demonkin he is.

Because he keeps saying Words with unknown meanings.

Saying Happy Birthday, looking forward to my choice, telling me not to make a mistake.

Babel had never even once answered the meaning of those Words.

That was why Yulian could say his knowledge did not originate from a Demonkin.

Because......

'Where are there Demonkin in my Previous life?'

Although in my Current Life, I was mistaken(?) for a Saint while freely borrowing the knowledge of great medical scholars from my Previous life,

not a single one among the sources of that knowledge could belong to a Demonkin.

Flare!

The Holy Flame that had flared Red once did not seem to know how to go out at all.

At Yulian's confident declaration, Sighs of relief poured out from all over the Assembly Hall.

On the other hand, a sense of failure and Anxiety dawned for the first Time on the elegant face of Lauren, who had been certain of his victory.

"T-That can't be......! If not a Demonkin......"

He had brought up the suspicion of a Demonkin even fully prepared for the Backlash.

But to think that wasn't it.

There was no way.

Then did all this knowledge and Accomplishment really come from one person's head?

If it were one or two, he could understand, but could it exceed dozens?

Lauren urgently pressed on.

"Then that knowledge! If you didn't create it yourself, and didn't receive it from a Demonkin, then who in the world did you obtain it from!"

"......"

Yulian kept his mouth shut.

It wasn't that he didn't answer, but that he couldn't.

How on earth was he supposed to explain the medical scholars of Earth from his Previous life to the people of this Fantasy world?

He couldn't reveal his Previous life either.

Lauren, trying to somehow misinterpret that silence as guilt, spat as he spoke.

"Ha! You cannot answer! If you stand proud, how can you not speak! As expected, with a Demonkin......"

Just as he was about to push fiercely, the Chairman on the podium tapped his Cane and stopped him.

"Enough."

The Chairman did not side with the excited Lauren.

Although he had given Permission to speak per the Rule of the Council,

now that the suspicion was almost gone, he had not permitted a Witch Hunt.

The Chairman restrained Lauren, who had crossed the line.

"Please ensure you do not undermine the Authority of the Holy Flame, Lord Saint of Radiance."

"......"

Lauren gritted his teeth and returned to his seat.

Looking at his back, the Chairman harbored a brief thought.

'No matter how young he is, he's an eyesore.'

Was it the Fault of being raised like precious jade in the Holy City since he was young?

Even though he was on the verge of coming of age the day after Tomorrow, he was no different from a Child.

The Chairman barely held back a Sigh and asked Yulian carefully.

"O Black Saint. As this is a Council, we need to be certain. Could you tell us who exactly passed on that knowledge to you? If such individuals exist, this is a very crucial Agenda item directly tied to the reason for your Canonization."

Yulian's Miracle originated from the numerous Accomplishment he had established.

However, if that Miracle originated from another being,

the foundation of The Black Saint's priesthood would be shaken.

'If it's at least a Spirit or Fairy......'

The Chairman hoped for that to be the case.

No, rather, it would be hundreds of times better if it was something like that.

Since everyone would accept it and move on if it was at that level.

However, Yulian still did not answer.

As that silence lengthened, Cardinal Wendras carefully raised his hand and asked.

"By any chance...... is there a reason you cannot answer that Question?"

The Cardinal's Voice was trembling strangely.

"Or, are they 'unspeakable beings', whose identities cannot even be casually uttered?"

Yulian let out an internal Sigh and nodded.

'Since this much is...... a half-truth.'

The Holy Flame also flared Red.

Even emitting a golden light, as if telling them not to doubt.

At that moment.

The Clerics swallowed a Gasp.

There was no Murmur.

However, everyone was thinking of the same thing.

Beings whose names could not be dared to be uttered.

If he had received their help......

'A Revelation......!'

'Good heavens. Has he already reached the Level of Mastery of a Revelation?'

Revelation.

The Level of Mastery to communicate with The gods.

A Power that priests who awakened through the method of the New Testament could never attain.

The primordial Miracle permitted only to the Prophet who had painstakingly accumulated Good Deeds in the Old Testament Style during the distant Age of Gods.

That Revelation was recorded in different forms in each of the Scriptures.

For some through dreams, for some through hallucinations, for some through a Voice, and for some through stars.

However, those Revelation had one thing in common,

which was that those who received a Revelation had always invariably brought about immense Miracles.

"Ah......!"

"Did the Revelation descend in the form of an Inspiration......!"

Everything made sense.

Some of the priests covered their faces, overcome with Overwhelming Emotion.

Lamenting their narrow Faith that had always assumed a Revelation would be accompanied by the Awakening of Divine Power.

At the same Time, someone crumbled.

It was none other than Lauren.

'That can't be. The one chosen should have been me! It should have been me, who was special from birth.'

The reason a Saint and Saintess are special is because they were chosen by The gods.

Not because that person put in Effort.

'My Nanny told me so......'

His Nanny, who comforted him whenever he struggled from missing his family in his Hometown, told him so.

His specialness was a Result of being chosen by The gods,

and that it was not Lauren's Fault that he was living apart from his family like this.

Therefore, the most important thing in his Faith was The gods' 'choice'.

If one could sit in a clerical position through Effort, what specialness would remain in The gods' choice?

This was Impiety; it was Blasphemy.

At least in Lauren's world, it was so.

That was why Lauren hated Yulian.

He hated the world that man had created.

He hated the Surgery and medications that allowed a High-rank Healer to dare look toward a level similar to a Saint, causing his own specialness to fade.

He hated his Triage system that allowed others to recreate the Miracle he had used to save the village.

He hated Yulian's innovations, which caused the number of people ignoring him to increase day by day.

This Era, where Effort was catching up to The gods' choice, only felt like Impiety to him.

He hated that everything he had to go through because of his specialness was becoming nothing.

Above all, he hated Yulian, whom his Nanny, who always praised him for being special, kept praising.

Therefore, to him, Yulian was an Arch-enemy.

Because he was an existence that directly denied his view of Faith and his specialness.

However,

'If that man received a Revelation......'

If Yulian's Genius was truly The gods' Revelation.

Did The gods truly wish for Effort and Inspiration to replace a Miracle?

Then why did The gods choose him?

There was no way.

It shouldn't be so.

In the end, Lauren could not overcome his anger and shouted.

"A Miracle is only for those who are making Atonement and those who have been chosen!"

His shrieking, having lost his reason, tore through the sacred air of the Assembly Hall.

It was something that should not be said as a Saint.

But this was the only logic left for Lauren.

"In the rotting Mud Puddle outside the Holy City, are they not filthy ones who have fallen ill by committing Crimes? Treating such impure Sinners without a Miracle is—!"

Disease is the Price for Crime.

The reason the impious and rotting Humanity outside the Holy City suffers from disease is because they committed a Crime.

Treatment is the Charity of the noble.

Only Clerics have the Right to forgive Crimes through treatment, and at the very top sits the Saint.

Only The gods' Miracle can wash away Crimes.

It has been so until now, and it must be so.

Since that was the only specialness left for Lauren.

"That cannot......"

It was then.

The Saint in the Crow Mask, who had been answering softly while maintaining his Courtesy until now,

spoke for the first Time as if admonishing, and simultaneously despising him.

"Saint Lauren. Have you ever once seen a Child grow cold right before your eyes? A Child who hasn't even opened their eyes, let alone committed a Crime?"

"......"

"I will assume you did not mean those Words. Next Time, please do not say such Words so lightly."

With that, Yulian muttered.

If only a Miracle had dwelled within him as well.....

Everyone who heard that monologue was at a loss for Words.

Lauren also could not bear to continue his Words.

Because his Intuition had ultimately read the emotions contained in that Voice.

Sadness and frustration.

In the face of those raw and bitter emotions that couldn't even be compared to his own misfortune, Lauren lost his Words.

Only then did he realize his mistake.

'It wasn't the trace of a Demonkin....'

Had he misjudged the Mourning for those he couldn't save as the stench of a Demonkin?

A sense of regret washed over him.

At the same Time, he could not help but realize what a pathetic young Child he was.

Like that, Lauren collapsed back into his seat.

"Then, I will declare the Resolve on the Second Agenda."

Bang, bang!

The Chairman tapped his Cane.

Along with that, the religious order reached an unintended Conclusion regarding the Second Agenda—Yulian's Morality.

— "The Black Saint's Genius originates from the Inspiration bestowed by The gods as the Price for his asceticism."

A Conclusion that only Yulian, the one furthest from Faith in that place, did not know, spread secretly among the Believers.

***

After the Council ended.

Lauren, whose world had shattered into pieces, trudged out of the building.

There was no one to welcome him or follow him.

Because after the Incident at the Council, his followers had also slyly begun to distance themselves from him.

Just then, he noticed that another direction was becoming particularly noisy.

It was the Exit where Yulian was walking out.

"Lord Saint. Hello. You've worked hard."

"......Excuse me, but who are you?"

"Ah, if I were to introduce myself, I am Guild Master Andrew of Kenin Pharmaceuticals."

"Ah, you are Guild Master Andrew. We've only communicated through Letter, and since this is my first time seeing you in person, I was late to recognize you."

Lauren's eyes widened.

Guild Master Andrew.

He was the Guild Master of a Major Trading Company that dominated this surrounding area.

This Guild Master of a Major Trading Company, whose guild had recently rapidly risen due to a certain medicine, was a figure who received Count-level Status no matter which Territory he went to.

The Guild Master approaching Yulian wasn't the only one.

"It has been a while, Director. Ah, excuse me. I should call you Lord Saint, shouldn't I?"

"You can call me as you did before. We've known each other for years, after all."

"Then, with Gratitude, I shall call you Director Schun."

Guild Master Matel.

A Big shot in the Holy City on par with Andrew bowed his back to Yulian.

That man, who would only give a light Nod even in front of Lauren!

Even after that, the figures approaching and pretending to know Yulian were not just one or two.

Before long, a Procession made up of the leaders of the Pharmaceutical Merchant Guild in the Holy City was formed, strictly to greet Yulian in person.

'......Why are those people?'

Lauren could not understand.

Yulian does not have a Faction.

In other words, he wasn't the type to take their side just because they gave Flattery like that.

There was no way the Guild Masters didn't know that fact either.

Why were they welcoming him so eagerly, coming out barefoot?

And the Solution to this lay in Yulian's medication Patent Right.

"I am truly full of Gratitude that you gave Permission to our guild for Penicillin as a generic (Replication drug) last Time."

It was because of none other than the Replication drug.

Usually, medications are broadly divided into two types.

The original sold by the Company that made it,

and the Replication drug, the generic.

Generally, a patented medication's Patent expires after 20 years.

When that happens, as other trading companies start making the medication whose Patent is lifted, the price of the medication would usually drop drastically.

This was a generic.

However, perhaps due to the influence of Arcane Magic, the concept of 'Patent expiration' did not exist in this world.

'At this rate, the medication price won't drop.'

Yulian did not wish for this.

So he created the concept of generics.

In a method slightly different from his Previous life.

"Haa. How full of Overwhelming Emotion we were when the Lord Saint gave Permission for our guild to make generics."

"At your decision not to hold a Monopoly on Penicillin and the Vaccine, we had no choice but to be in awe."

Yulian released quite a lot of medications as generics, taking Royalty Fees and giving Permission for specific trading companies to sell them.

The start was Penicillin.

It was his Fault for not being able to handle all the massive Demand for that medication.

Even the directors, who would normally have opposed it to suck the sweet nectar of a Monopoly, did not Backlash against Yulian this Time.

— "Heo...... There are too many deals."

— "Honestly, it seems it will be difficult to handle the Demand for Penicillin on our own."

If they tried to hold a Monopoly on this, their stomachs might burst.

No, rather than bursting, their stomachs would be sliced open.

The Military wanted to deploy Penicillin to the battlefield immediately, but Merkur Trading Company alone could not handle that Demand.

Because for Quinine, they only had to handle the Demand in the south, but for Penicillin, they had to handle the Demand from all directions: east, west, south, and north.

This was a burdensome level even for the Merkur Trading Company.

— "If we continue our Monopoly, The Military might just slice our stomachs open."

Furthermore, unlike Viagra, Penicillin was a medication where every second was urgent.

A situation where, if they had the guts to claim a Monopoly, the Lords and The Military might slice the trading company's stomach open.

So they released Penicillin as a generic to other trading companies.

"Honestly, I felt a little sorry for calling you over back then, but wasn't the Royalty Fee too expensive?"

"Ayu, such a great medication naturally holds that much value."

The generic system Yulian introduced to this world allowed them to sell by just paying the Royalty Fee, even if the Patent hadn't expired.

This method was something other trading companies wouldn't even dare to conceive.

— "Do the Research funds and Development cost just come out of digging the ground?"

— "If they do that, what does the Merkur Trading Company live off of?"

However, the Merkur Trading Company was an Exception.

This deformed trading company, running on Director Schun's One-man show,

unlike other Pharmaceutical Merchant Guilds, did not spend that much on Research funds and Development cost.

So even without squeezing it dry and just receiving Royalty Fees, the trading company made enough profit.

"I am so filled with Gratitude, but if you'd like, it seems we might be able to help with the Promotion of other medications from the Merkur Trading Company, even if just a little."

"No. There's no need for that. Since it was difficult for us to handle the Demand for Penicillin with just our trading company's power alone. In the future, if New Medicine comes out, I would be filled with Gratitude if you all could take charge of this region."

"As expected! To be this devoid of greed, it makes sense that The gods would hand down a Revelation."

"......A Revelation?"

"Oops. That was a Slip of the tongue."

At the level of a Major Trading Company, they were bound to have eyes and ears inside the Council.

The conversations exchanged during this Council had already entered the Guild Masters' ears.

However, since it wasn't something good to reveal externally, he hastily corrected his Words.

Of course, Yulian didn't even understand what that Revelation meant.

Just then, another Guild Master spoke carefully to Yulian.

"Our guild's right to Penicillin is scheduled to expire this year, so...... a renewal......"

"Ah, if it's that, I'll do it right away. Since I'm here, there's no need to go through the hassle of exchanging Letters."

"My Gratitude!"

Even after that, the Flattery from the Guild Masters was endless.

In fact, as Time passed, Guild Masters from outside the Holy City joined in, and the Flattery became even worse.

Hearing the News that Yulian was attending the Council, they had flown all the way to the Holy City taking this Opportunity.

"Lord Saint! Since we heard the Lord Saint liked the aroma of Coffee, our guild has cleared out the finest Coffee house! Please, won't you pay a visit!"

"If you aren't leaving right away, how about staying at our guild's Headquarters' penthouse?"

"We're planning to make a Reservation for a seat on a state-of-the-art Airship on your way back, would that be alright?"

The reason they were acting so submissively like this was not simply because of profit.

'Ayu, it's so great that he isn't picky to please like the other Clerics.'

'Since he doesn't suddenly change his Words later, we must somehow win a Contract this Time.'

'There's no way this person would include unreasonable clauses. I can just renew it like this, right?'

He isn't difficult to please, and he never suddenly changes his Words.

Not only does he never pull a Prank with the clauses, but he also remains loyal to the trading companies he has done business with for a long Time.

He doesn't even do that ever-so-common Power Tripping!

Is any further explanation needed as to why the Guild Masters came out themselves instead of leaving it to the Sales Department?

(Of course, the Sales Department also came along in Preparation for any mistakes.)

"Eoyu, I thought so even when I saw you through the Communicator, but meeting you in person, you look so dashing."

"......This Mask?"

Surprisingly, these Flattery were sincere, coming from deep within their Danjeon.

He makes their trading company hundreds of millions in profit, while generously giving it all away without any emotional drain like Power Tripping.

If this isn't a Saint, who else would be a Saint?

"Wow......"

The other Clerics who saw that sight were also filled with Admiration.

The Holy City is home to the Headquarters of numerous massive Pharmaceutical Merchant Guilds.

As it is the stronghold of the Healing arts, the massive Pharmaceutical Merchant Guilds have gathered accordingly.

At this Time, these Guild Masters were mostly Big shots who could throw their weight around if they went to another Territory or City.

And yet, such Guild Masters were pouring out Flattery to Yulian like the Sales Department.

It was a scene that allowed even those who knew The Black Saint was amazing, but hadn't realized his Authority, to understand at once.

"By any chance...... are you considering generics for that Medication for treating the Demon Disease?"

"It isn't a finished product yet, so it seems difficult to give you a definitive answer. However, considering the Demand, the possibility is quite high."

In that atmosphere, Cardinal Wendras read the other reason why the Guild Masters were using Flattery to this extent.

'The Era is definitely changing.'

He was convinced by the meeting just now.

That an Era had arrived where the Medical Arts of several well-taught Intermediate Healers were far more practical and useful than the Divine Power of a single Saint.

Because Wendras had personally witnessed the Saint's Great Performance at the Meyer Infirmary, he could accept that fact faster than the other Clerics.

'It might become a world where a Low-rank Healer who puts in diligent Effort receives better Status than an Intermediate Healer.'

The other priests will probably be late to accept this fact.

For a Cleric with a lower Rank than oneself to surpass them.

They couldn't accept it, nor did they want to.

However, Cardinal Wendras had seen too many of such things at the Meyer Infirmary.

With the complex Surgery and numerous knowledge Yulian introduced, incidents where a Low-rank Healer surpassed an Intermediate Healer occurred frequently.

The position of a High-rank Healer, who could even make a severed arm grow back, hadn't been caught up to yet, but

'The Saint's position won't be steadfast either.'

Cardinal Wendras recalled The Saint of Radiance who had run rampant today.

Perhaps if it had been 10 years ago, no, even just 2 years ago, the religious order would have been helpless before The Saint of Radiance.

It was an Era where five Heals a day was the average.

In such an Era, The Saint of Radiance was an existence the religious order couldn't easily dare to touch.

However, now, as it approaches 1 year since Penicillin was released.

A Saint could no longer wield as much prestige as in the past.

'Divine Power has started to become plentiful, and there is no longer a need to fear small wounds.'

The Cardinal, located at the very top of the religious order's power structure, could not help but know this flow better than anyone.

No matter how much of a Saint one is, they wouldn't be able to defy this flow.

Emergency Triage was gradually becoming systematized, and along with Penicillin, the Vaccine for Tetanus was also starting to spread.

Already, cases of Intermediate Healer Teams creating Miracles comparable to a Saint all over the battlefield were frequently heard.

The Era where the world trembled before a single Saint or Saintess was now a thing of the past.

'The Guild Masters must have acutely read that flow better than anyone.'

Even if one doesn't want to give Acknowledgement to it, the flow of money is more honest and faster than anything else.

To the point where no intelligence Institution or Prophet could be faster than the flow of money.

That was why the Guild Masters were trying so desperately to create a connection with Yulian like that.

Because in a changing Era, there was no reason to cling to a fading radiance.

'Tsk tsk. Is this the Result of not being able to read the changing Era?'

Cardinal Wendras stopped his Idle Thoughts and turned his head.

In that direction, The Saint of Radiance was surrounded by Guild Masters from small and medium-sized trading companies.

It wouldn't be wrong to call it a gathering of those who had yet to read the flow of the Era.

"Lord Saint Lauren?"

"......"

Lauren was trembling, tightly clenching his fists.

The Guild Masters of the small and medium-sized trading companies merely tilted their heads, wondering why Lauren was acting like this.

Cardinal Wendras turned his head away from them.

'Well, thanks to that Power, he will continue to receive the Status of a Saint to some extent in the future.'

Lauren was, of course, special.

Up until 2 years ago, that is.

But not anymore.

A massive Organization is slow to change.

But just because it is slow, doesn't mean it doesn't change.

Cardinal Wendras was located at the apex of that massive Organization.

Even if he couldn't control that massive and slow flow, he could read it more clearly than anyone.

'Now Saints and Saintesses are becoming nothing more and nothing less than Symbolic objects.'

If that happens, they would have no choice but to Conduct themselves well from now on.

Since they wouldn't be able to act like a ruffian forever on the grounds of being irreplaceable like in the past.

Perhaps in 100 years, the role of a Saint and Saintess might be nothing more than waving their hands in a Procession.

Well, even the Cardinal couldn't be certain if the Saints and Saintesses, many of whom were immature, would immediately adapt to that.

'Compared to such humans, The Saintess of the Lamp is...... Haa......'

Is this what the saying "a Bean grows where a Bean is planted" means?

He didn't even hope for them to be at The Black Saint's level.

If only they could learn even half of Ayla's Humility.

That was enough Idle Thoughts.

Cardinal Wendras completely forgot his thoughts about Lauren and joined Yulian's Procession.

"Lord Saint. As promised, I shall introduce the City to you."

Since he had to serve the real Saint from now on,

he didn't have the mental capacity to allocate his attention to a brat who was no different from a Mascot.