The letter Jun sent, announcing the start of potion sales, arrived directly to Lute.
Lute smiled in satisfaction as he looked over the sales report, perfectly organized without a single flaw.
"They picked a good spot."
In just ten days since the sales began, all 500 bottles of the prototype had completely sold out.
Cheaper than the Potions of the Sea God, and more effective than alchemy potions of similar price, it was only natural that the product received an enthusiastic response.
The timing was perfect, too.
Recently, the prices of alchemy potions had been rising frequently, leaving many people dissatisfied.
Thanks to this well-timed move, word-of-mouth would spread quickly.
"Our dear Saintess must be having a blast running the potion factory."
He could vividly picture Ordel's face, letting out a joyful scream upon receiving the sales report from Jun.
"But now I'm curious. Where is she spending all that money she's earning?"
He'd already poured thousands of gold into the Temple of the Sun.
Yet Ordel hadn't indulged in luxury with that money.
Normally, people would decorate the reception room first, since that's where guests visit most often—but nothing had changed. Her appearance, too, was as plain as ever, clad in her modest saintess robes.
It wasn't as if being a saintess meant she had to wear only that, after all. But she didn't wear lavish dresses, not even a simple ring or a pair of earrings.
The memory of the Saintess of the Sea God, who loved flamboyant attire, briefly flashed through his mind, but Lute quickly shook his head.
No need to think about such useless things.
"I doubt she's spending it all on the temple's reconstruction."
If that were the case, she would've openly taken the money. But she hadn't even let the high priest know.
She had no interest in luxury, wasn't using it for reconstruction… so what was she doing with all that money? He suddenly grew very curious.
Well, this was Ordel, after all.
There was a good chance she was up to something extremely interesting.
"Looks like I've got another reason to keep visiting the Saintess."
Lute smiled pleasantly as he recalled Ordel, who—despite her temper—had subtly shown concern for him.
Unfortunately, it wasn't a situation where he could go see her right away.
"I wonder how they'll react."
Lute looked back at the sales report Jun had sent.
The potions had gained popularity so quickly that reservation inquiries started pouring in as soon as they sold out. Surely, the alchemists would soon catch wind of this too.
He was curious how they would respond now that the market was being split.
One thing was certain—this would trigger a major upheaval.
Lute's prediction was spot-on.
The alchemists, on the verge of having their business snatched away overnight, flew into a rage.
"Goddamn it! What the hell is the Temple of the Sun doing here?!"
Louis Martin, head of an alchemy potion shop.
He was furious when he heard that the Temple of the Sun had entered the potion business.
It made him even angrier that they were targeting commoners, just like him, instead of nobles.
"I can't believe those bastards are still around!"
Unable to contain his rage, he slammed his desk.
The Sun God, whose name had almost completely vanished by now.
Louis was one of the few who still remembered that god.
There was a time when the Temple of the Sun had held sway over the entire continent with their highly effective potions. How could he forget? Especially when it was people like him who had taken over their empty place.
Strictly speaking, the Sea God's faction had taken the main share, and he'd merely squeezed in afterward.
"I thought they were all wiped out and finally felt at ease… Goddamn it!"
It had already been years since the name of the Sun God began fading from people's memories.
No word of them had been heard anywhere, and he'd only recently begun to truly relax—convinced that those bastards were gone for good and would never come back to steal their business.
But to think they'd show up again now of all times!
"And what, the Lumen Trading Company? Why is Lumen involved in this?!"
Yes—that's the real problem!
Lumen Trading Company.
That name alone carried weight.
Wasn't it one of the Empire's three great trading firms, personally run by none other than Duke Sheari—a man even the imperial family dared not touch lightly?
If it had been a regular trading company, the Sun God's potions wouldn't have sold at all. They probably wouldn't have even been properly introduced before getting swept away and forgotten.
Hardly anyone even remembered the Sun God anymore—one of the Three Main Gods in name only now.
Besides, they themselves would've sabotaged it.
But what? Lumen? Lumen is getting involved in this?
This was nothing short of an ecological disaster!
"Ha, I was just starting to feel relieved that the Sea God's faction wasn't interested in the commoner potion market at all…"
Just as they were finally approaching full market domination, and getting ready to raise prices—this cursed development had to happen!
"…No, wait a second. Wouldn't the Sea God's temple also be unhappy about this?"
The Sun God's potions were starting by targeting commoners.
But it wouldn't stay that way forever.
No one with healing power superior to the Sea God's would stay confined to the lower ranks.
It was only a matter of time before they made a push into the nobility—and eventually the imperial court itself.
And with Duke Sheari's trading company backing them, it wasn't outside the realm of possibility.
Would the Sea God's temple really stand by and watch that happen?
And there was one more thing.
The Sea God's temple was greedy.
Whether that stemmed from the Sea God's own nature or not, the priests who served him were people who couldn't stand unless they were on top.
Would those kinds of people really wish for the Sun God's revival?
At the very least, the current Saintess and Saint of the Sea God's temple certainly wouldn't.
"Right. There's no need for me to step in. I just need to pit the two temples against each other."
They wouldn't be able to fight Lumen with Duke Sheari at its head.
But the Sea God's temple was different.
It might not outmatch Sheari, but it wouldn't go down without a fight either!
Pleased with what he considered a perfect plan, Louis Martin got straight to writing a letter, a smile lighting up his face.
The recipients: the Saintess and Saint of the Sea God's temple.
The two were so elusive that even gold was barely enough to earn an audience—and they certainly didn't just accept any letter.
But he was the head of the alchemy potion trade.
If the letter was about potion business, there was no doubt they'd read it at least once.
And just as he predicted—
Sea God's Temple.
In a lavish bedroom filled with extravagant and beautiful decorations, the letter was promptly delivered to the Saintess.
"Louis Martin sent a letter about potion business?"
The woman sitting on a plush, luxurious sofa spoke, her sky-blue hair—resembling flowing water—swaying with each word.
Every time her long lashes fluttered, her jewel-like blue eyes sparkled between her sharp, striking gaze.
Even while doing nothing but sitting still, she gave off a pressure so intense it made anyone watching shrink back instinctively.
She was the most powerful woman on the continent's religious stage—Saintess Carmen Aria of the Sea God's Temple.
"You're the one in charge of the potion business. Why am I being bothered about doing business with some alchemist? Am I supposed to personally care about every single little thing now?"
Carmen's beautiful face twisted in displeasure as she looked at the temple priest who had delivered the letter.
Faced with her piercing presence, the high priest—overseeing all potion business under the Sea God—hurriedly bowed.
"I checked the contents myself, and… no matter how I look at it, this seemed like something the Saintess had to be informed of. That's why I came directly."
Sweating profusely, the priest explained. Carmen's fierce energy subsided just a little.
"…It better be worth it."
For someone like him, who knew her temper well, to bring this letter anyway—it had to mean the contents were genuinely serious.
Without another word, Carmen began to read the letter.
"…What the hell is this?"
Before long, her hands began to tremble, and her blue eyes violently swayed.
The letter was long, but it boiled down to one point:
"The Sun God? The Sun God's temple? They've started a potion business?!"
It sounded nothing short of insane.
"Those bastards… they actually survived and are still crawling around?!"
Without realizing it, Carmen shot to her feet.
The maids who were tending to her hair quickly stepped back and dropped their hands.
"And this?!"
Her eyes swept across the letter again.
Just as shocking as the revelation that the Sun God's followers still lived like leeches—
"Why is Lumen helping those Sun God bastards?!"
Unable to contain her rising fury, Carmen threw the letter.
"When did Duke Sheari even form ties with the Sun God's temple?!"
Lute Sheari.
She had once believed he was trying to become a devotee and even personally gave him her blessing to welcome him in—only for that arrogant man to snort and walk away.
And now that very man, the one she so desperately coveted, had joined hands with the Sun God's temple? It infuriated her to no end.