Chapter 61

A black carriage came to a stop in front of a tea shop on a bustling street.

Though the lights were on inside, the establishment was nearly empty—someone had rented out the entire place.

The door of the carriage opened, and a tall man in uniform stepped out.

With dazzling silver hair and emerald-green eyes, this guest from afar had come directly for his first meeting.

It was Duke Lancelot Ovier of Montella, an esteemed noble of the Empire—yet the humble tea shop did not seem to match his rank.

Duke Lancelot took a seat on a chair that wasn’t even half as elegant as those in his carriage. His secretary, wearing a monocle, followed him inside and scanned the surroundings.

As expected, in one corner sat a man with his face almost entirely concealed behind a mask—Cain.

When Cain saw the duke, he stood and gave a small nod before sitting down across from him with a cool gaze.

“Are you the operative leader of the Scavengers?”
Lancelot’s low voice flowed from his lips.

Cain nodded once, his piercing eyes fixed on the duke.

“I am.”

A letter had arrived from Montella stating that the attacker who had gone after the Guildmaster had been sent by him.

If they handed over the desired medicine, they would be handsomely rewarded. If not, the Scavengers would be raided to take it by force.

As the Guildmaster had suspected, the attack had not been an assassination attempt, but something else entirely.

“To reveal your identity and meet like this—you must be in quite the hurry.”

“Well, rather than urgent…”

Lancelot moved his lips in a tone that sounded indifferent.

“Since I was invited to the Empire by the Emperor, I figured I might as well collect what I need while I’m here.”

Strike while the iron is hot, as they say.

“As I said, we don’t possess the drug you want. We sold off our pharmaceutical business to another company and are currently focused on distilling spirits.”

Cain’s words were true. Ever since they received the distillation rights from Lady Elemoer, the Scavengers had made plenty of money.

By the Guildmaster’s orders, all facilities and personnel from their former illegal drug operations had been transferred to Elma Pharmaceuticals, a legitimate business.

“What we can do is tell you who has the drug you seek, and arrange a meeting with that person.”

Lancelot remained silent.

This aligned with the letter he’d received—it had said he’d be told the person’s identity after making contact.

“Who has the drug?”

Cain nodded once and showed him a newspaper article.

[Lady Catrin Elemoer’s Title Inheritance Ceremony Approaches in Two Weeks… High Hopes as She Succeeds Duke Luciano Elemoer.]

Lancelot’s brow twitched as he stared at the image of the beautiful woman confidently facing the camera.

“Lady Catrin Elemoer?”

He had heard of her, of course.

The infamously wicked noblewoman who had inherited immense wealth after her parents died.

Despite her beauty, they said that just spending two hours near her could give you trauma—she was cruel and completely self-centered.

“Have you heard of Elma Pharmaceuticals, the company that saved countless lives from the half-century plague that recently swept the Empire? The largest investor in that company is Lady Catrin Elemoer.”

Lancelot’s eyes twitched again.

The plague had hit Montella hard, and even now, coughs echoed throughout its streets.

Many of the weak died, and due to the shortage of imported medicine, many couldn’t be saved.

Elma Pharmaceuticals must’ve grown considerably from that tragedy—and knowing that Catrin Elemoer owned the largest share came as a shock.

“The medicine you seek is very difficult to formulate. But Elma Pharmaceuticals has modern labs, advanced facilities, and most importantly, rare herbs that once belonged to the Scavengers. They can manufacture the drug you want.”

Lancelot said nothing.

“So you should contact her. Negotiate. Give her what she wants and get the drug.”

Cain’s voice was calm but firm as he offered the best solution he could to Duke Lancelot Ovier.

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Revolutionary Army Info

• Military Strength: Adequate [Expand]

• Supplies: Slightly lacking [Expand]

• Comfort Level: 75%

• Funds: 1,490 Den

• Revolution Progress: 90% (Imminent)

On the Watch, information from Eti’s revolutionary army—gathered after his meeting with Carmel Beatrice—showed a steady upward trend.

Military power was now rated “Adequate,” and equipment and supplies had increased somewhat.

Most notably, the revolution’s progress had reached 90%. The end was in sight, and it filled me with emotion.

I had decided to immigrate to Montella when the progress reached around 97%.

Supporting Eti to ensure nothing happened to him during or after the revolution would reduce the chance of quest failure.

“The return condition was ‘Eti must survive for 3 years after the revolution,’ right?”

But I didn’t plan to stop at just that.

I intended to secure conditions so he could survive 30 years—or more.

Today again, through Heros, I had transferred 100,000 Den to the revolution base.

That, along with carts full of supplies.

“I also passed along intel on imperialist informants gathered under the pretense of reorganizing imperialist nobles.”

They were dangerous people—ones to watch out for.

Another plan was already forming in my head.

When I had returned the Frozen Lands, I knew it had drained the emperor’s finances.

What if I made him spend even more?

He would have no choice but to reduce the army’s size or sell off military factories.

This might be the final step I take before the revolution.

“…”

I looked at the mining rights transfer contract sitting on my desk.

I was planning to sell a mine from the Elemoer estate—barely worth 10 million Den—for several tens of millions.

The report I had prepared falsely claimed that over 30 million Den worth of ore was buried there.

Of course, the Emperor wasn’t a complete fool, so he had invited Duke Lancelot—the master of Montella, rich in minerals—to verify the mine’s value under the guise of diplomacy.

“But if he needs that drug, as in the original story… then he’s on my side.”

As long as no other variables intervene.

The money from the mine sale would be left entirely to Eti—to rebuild the Empire.

Because Eti’s happiness and health are my happiness.

BEEP—

Everything will be perfect as long as this continues smoothly.

I turned toward the chirping Piyo on the windowsill, then flinched when I saw something moving in the wide garden below. I pressed my face to the glass.

Piyo, piyo—

Piyo bounced excitedly, and soon the maids and servants began to gather, buzzing.

“Shall we go down too?”
“Piyo!”

As Piyo jumped onto my shoulder, I opened the door.

“Milady?”

Passing Heros, who was coming in with a snack, I headed downstairs and stepped outside.

The creature I’d seen from the window ran happily toward me.

A Border Collie, tongue out and eyes sparkling like it was smiling.

‘…Adorable!!!’

I smiled brightly and patted its head. It wagged its tail with delight.

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Meanwhile…

In a grand estate on the western edge of the capital—

Carmel Beatrice, who had extended his stay after reserving the manor during the royal hunt, had made it feel as luxurious as any noble’s home.

He had ordered the chef to prepare the finest dishes for the son of his returning liege—Etius.

No matter what he gave or how many soldiers he offered, he felt it could never be enough.

Carmel had bowed so many times that his forehead had split and was now bandaged.

On the balcony, Etius stood facing the cold wind, lost in thought.

Watching him, Carmel stepped up beside him and spoke.

“By the way, among the people we must capture once the revolution starts…”

Etius handed Carmel the plan shared with the revolutionary army.

It outlined each stage of the revolution in detail—thorough and feasible given their current resources.

With Carmel’s troops added, success became far more likely.

“Why is Lady Catrin Elemoer marked as the top priority target? And why is it specifically stated that no harm must come to her?”

Catrin was a leading member of the Emperor’s faction. Carmel furrowed his brows, puzzled.

She and her family had tormented Etius—shouldn’t she be executed on the spot?

“I cannot disclose the reason due to security… but not a single hair on her head must be harmed.”

Etius’s lips moved with firm resolve.

“Absolutely not.”