"Thank you for the compliment."
"I only stated the truth. Oh! I'm late in introducing myself. It's a pleasure to meet you."
The woman placed her right hand over her left chest and gave a deep bow at the waist.
Perhaps thanks to her bold face and the muscles revealed through her short sleeves, even such an exaggerated gesture suited her very well.
"I'm Jun Rudmin, the vice-leader of the Lumen Merchant Guild under Duke Sheary."
In other words, she was the one responsible for handling our potion distribution starting today.
Considering Lute was the guild leader, it was likely that most of the actual work would be handled by this person.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Ordel, the Saintess of the Temple of the Sun God."
Without realizing it, I introduced myself while glancing—not at Jun's face—but at her arm muscles.
I knew it wasn't polite. But those muscles were just so appealing that my gaze kept drifting back.
"Oooh!"
Only for a moment. At Jun's sudden exclamation of admiration, I looked at her with startled eyes. Her face was full of joy.
"You're quite different from what the guild leader and Yuri described."
A sense of foreboding flew in like a dagger.
"What did those two say about me?"
"That nasty guild leader told me never to act rashly or carelessly in front of the Saintess!"
So this person knows full well that Lute Sheary has a terrible personality.
And yet that Lute dared to talk as if my personality is the problem, completely ignoring his own?
I've been acting so prim and proper just to change my image!
"Yuri also warned me to be on guard, so I came fully prepared, but from what I can tell, the Saintess is a far better person than either of them!"
My expression instantly relaxed.
"For a vice-leader, you certainly have a keen eye. I'd say your judgment is much sharper than theirs."
"Right? Hahaha, that's just how I am!"
We both laughed heartily and shook hands.
I had a strong feeling that Jun was going to be a great business partner.
"Ah, I'd love to chat more with you, Saintess, but I came here today for business, so I don't have much time."
Jun looked genuinely disappointed, as if she felt the same way.
"Please be sure to come by again with more time to spare next time. Then we can have some tea and talk more."
"Oh! You've made a promise now. I'll be looking forward to that day!"
Jun flashed a grin and signaled to the merchant guild members who had come with her.
The waiting members carefully transferred the potion bottles into boxes equipped with safety measures to prevent them from breaking.
To think they even brought those—this really shows how well-prepared a top-tier merchant guild is.
"I received all the instructions from the guild leader, including precautions and pricing, so don't worry. Just leave it to me."
"I'm counting on you, Vice-Leader."
"Yes! I'll go sell these beauties splendidly and come back!"
Once the preparations were complete, Jun placed a hand confidently on her forehead and declared cheerfully.
Watching her leave with the other guild members filled me with a sense of reliability and trust.
Maybe it's those arm muscles again? Now that I look closer, even her back muscles seem incredible.
Haaaah. What a body to envy.
"I was a little surprised," said Airic beside me as I couldn't take my eyes off that sturdy back, clearly visible even through her shirt.
"Huh? About what?"
"I didn't expect Vice-Leader Rudmin to handle the distribution herself. Looks like Duke Sheary intends to invest seriously in this business."
Airic let out a sigh of relief, saying he felt reassured.
But I didn't quite understand what he meant.
"Why is it surprising that Vice-Leader Rudmin is handling it? Isn't it normal for the vice-leader to manage most of the work since the guild leader is busy?"
"Oh, you must not know. The Lumen Merchant Guild is so large that the vice-leader has three teams under her, and they divide the work among them. When the guild leader gives an order, the vice-leader relays it to the teams."
"Wait, then the vice-leader…"
"The vice-leader only acts directly when the guild leader personally assigns the task. That's how capable she is."
So Jun coming here in person means Lute gave her the order himself.
Entrusting the entire potion business to Jun, the most important person in the guild, shows just how serious he is about this venture.
I was genuinely surprised.
…Wait a second. The most important person in the merchant guild?
Ah, damn. A foreboding detail from the original story, which I had forgotten, suddenly resurfaced.
Despite her distinctive appearance and key role, the reason I didn't recognize her identity was simple:
Jun Rudmin's name had never once properly appeared in the original work.
But that didn't mean she was some background extra with no relevance. Far from it—she was incredibly important.
The downfall of the Lumen Merchant Guild, the event that caused Lute to lose his humanity and become a complete villain—
The person who set that downfall in motion was none other than Jun Rudmin, the vice-leader who had connected Lute with the guild… and whose death triggered it all.
"Damn, those bastards are getting worse by the day…"
Martin grumbled as he kicked a loose rock on the road after leaving the alchemy potion shop.
He was a member of a mercenary corps that mainly hunted monsters, and had come to town to buy potions.
The best-performing potions were the ones branded by the Great Sea God, but those were far too expensive for a mercenary's budget. So, as usual, he intended to buy the cheaper alchemy potions.
But—
"Those sons of bitches raised the price again!?"
This was the third time this year already!
The effects hadn't improved at all, yet the price kept going up.
What a bunch of scummy thugs.
"…Still, I don't really have a choice."
Martin stormed down the street angrily, only to come to a stop after a few steps.
Hunting monsters without potions? That was suicide. So he had to buy them—no matter what.
The problem was, the alternatives were too inefficient for their price, so the only real option left was to return to the very shop he'd just stormed out of.
Just as Martin closed his eyes tightly and was about to turn back—
"Hello there!"
A woman with purple hair suddenly appeared in front of him.
"You just came out of that potion shop, right?"
"…Yeah, and?"
"I wasn't spying or anything! But it just so happens that we've recently started our own potion business, and I couldn't help but notice!"
Started a potion business?
Martin's ears perked up without him realizing.
It made sense. New sellers often offered discounts to attract customers.
If her potions were cheaper and still effective compared to those overpriced thugs, maybe it was worth buying in bulk from her.
"What alchemy group are you with?"
"Oh, we're not an alchemy group. It does incorporate alchemy, but the main ingredient is something else."
"Huh? What do you mean by that…"
"The potions we sell at our merchant guild are completely new—made by blending the divine power of the Sun God with alchemy!"
At her declaration, Martin's eyes went wide.
So did those of several people nearby who had overheard the conversation.
"Divine power? The Sun God? Since when was there such a god…?"
"Oh, now that you mention it, isn't the Sun God one of the Three Pillars?"
"Really? I've always wondered who the third god was—so it's the Sun God. And now they're selling potions?"
"Right? I've only ever heard of the Great Sea God brand for divine potions."
People whispered among themselves for a while before they began cautiously approaching the woman—Jun—with questions.
"Are these really potions infused with divine power?"
Since divine power was known to have stronger healing properties than alchemy, it was natural for people to be curious.
"Of course! And you all know, right? The Sun God's divine power is said to have the strongest healing effect of all."
Most of them looked like this was news to them, but Jun didn't seem to mind and kept going.
"Right now, you can buy those very potions made with the Sun God's divine power at a bargain price! It's our grand opening special!"
They were far cheaper than the Great Sea God potions, and around the same price as regular alchemy potions—Martin's eyes lit up.
"Where else could you buy potions infused with divine power at this price? Only our merchant guild can offer this!"
Now was the time to land the final blow.
Jun pointed toward a massive store in the center of the street and shouted:
"Just so you know—Sun God-branded potions are exclusively sold by our Lumen Merchant Guild!"
Everyone's eyes widened—including Martin's.
The Lumen Merchant Guild? One of the empire's top three merchant guilds, known for only dealing in the best goods?
And they were exclusively selling it?
This was a no-brainer. He had to buy.
With a name like Lumen behind it, there was no room for doubt.
"I'll take it right now!"
Martin shouted loudly and bolted straight toward the Lumen store.
Others who had been hesitating quietly followed suit like a flood.
Watching the stampede from behind, Jun gave a satisfied smile.
"Our Saintess won't be going home empty-handed."
Things were off to a very promising start.
She would have to let their guild leader know right away just how well it was going.
Humming cheerfully, Jun resumed promoting the potions to others nearby.