Chapter 56
Chapter 56
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 56
Chapter Title: Holy Blood (10)
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The bodyguards from both sides eyed each other warily, locked in a sharp standoff.
The room was thick with a suffocating tension that hung in the air.
"........."
"........."
The opponent's escorts numbered only two, but their aura was anything but ordinary. They stood on equal footing with the dozen or so former elite mercenaries encircling the area.
In that hair-trigger atmosphere, I looked at the man right in front of me.
The executive from a massive corporation who had shown up demanding exclusive distribution rights for the wine—"Holy Blood"—that we were smuggling into the city.
Benjamin Hayes faced us with the same leisurely posture as moments ago.
His calm demeanor stirred complicated thoughts in my mind.
'How the hell did word leak out that our church is the source of Holy Blood? Was it the Black Tiger Gang after all?'
That notion was quickly dismissed in my head.
No.
The premise was wrong.
If they wanted to know something, they could just know it.
No tricks needed—all the information inside and outside the city would be right there in the palm of their hand.
In this city, corporations held that level of absolute power.
They simply didn't bother with trivial matters. There was no profit or interest to be gained from them.
That was the same reason our church had operated under their radar all this time.
It wasn't because we hid well.
Not because we concealed ourselves expertly.
From the corporation's perspective, we were just worthless. They didn't care about the turf wars among small-time gangs scrapping it out in the outer slums. They hadn't even bothered to poke at the trash heap.
But the moment they turned their gaze our way—even just a fleeting glance—they had pinpointed the church leader's location, me, with perfect precision.
A chill ran down my spine at the realization.
I'd thought I'd prepared extensively against various threats up to now.
But tangling directly with a "corporation" like this was a first. Maybe that's why I hadn't truly grasped what they were, or the extent of their influence.
At that moment, the man let out a hearty laugh and gestured casually.
"Hey now, why the sudden hostile vibe? We're not here to throw down."
With those words, his two bodyguards, who had been in a deadly standoff moments before, immediately stepped back.
They even bowed politely.
"Our apologies."
The abrupt de-escalation left my church's encircling escorts momentarily hesitant.
Benjamin stroked his neatly trimmed goatee and laughed boisterously at the sight.
"Everyone, just relax a bit. Looks like there was some misunderstanding. I told you—I came to do business. If we meant to threaten you, a drone squadron would've bombed this place before I even showed up. Right? Hahaha!"
He laughed again as if he'd told the funniest joke, but I couldn't bring myself to join in.
All the elite mercenaries—dozens strong—that our church had painstakingly gathered... In the face of a "corporation," they posed no real threat at all. That reality hit hard.
"......"
Still, his words rang true: they had no immediate hostile intent toward us. That let me calm down a little.
I nodded to my surrounding escorts, and they straightened up without fully dropping their guard.
Let's think this through coolly for a second.
They knew about the church's existence—and even the Saintess's true identity—and came here anyway.
But strictly speaking, that was fine. Wasn't the church created precisely as a shield for such scenarios?
A facade of a shady cult, hiding the true secret of "miracles" behind it.
As long as that purpose was fulfilled, there was no need to panic over the surface-level Saintess identity being exposed.
Of course, someone might think:
'If corporations have that much absolute power in this city, couldn't they easily uncover the miracles witnessed by so many people?'
But surprisingly, the believers who had seen the miracles firsthand maintained secrecy far more rigorously than expected.
In the previous world, there were martyrs who gave their lives for faith alone. These people had experienced miracles right before their eyes and been saved by that mercy—they couldn't even fathom betraying a god who truly existed.
For them, following God's will and protecting the Saintess had become their paramount duty, above all else. Unless real external pressure came down hard, no one was slipping up and leaking church secrets.
So, the crucial secret of the "miracles" was still holding—for now.
If they knew everything, they wouldn't be here haggling over mere wine distribution rights.
I let out a short internal sigh and spoke.
"If it's just business, it would've been nice if you'd contacted us first instead of showing up like this."
"Haha, sorry if my sudden visit startled you, Miss Eve."
He replied leisurely.
"But your church doesn't have a proper channel for dealing with outsiders. Sure, I could've gone through regular believers and worked my way up, but business is all about speed, right? The sooner, the better."
"......"
I had no real retort to his point. I'd never imagined getting tangled in business dealings with city corporations, so setting up contact methods hadn't even crossed my mind.
Benjamin continued.
"We even went out of our way to show respect by sending an executive like me in person, but it seems that caused a misunderstanding instead. Haha, my bad."
Truth be told, his attitude had been polite enough so far. For a corporate director to come all the way to the outskirts personally—that was either impeccable business etiquette or proof of how serious they were about this deal.
It was almost suspiciously courteous.
'Is he really just that into the wine?'
Whatever his true intentions, I decided to hear him out more.
"Alright. You said a deal? You want exclusive supply rights for the wine?"
"Exactly. As I said, we want to exclusively distribute every drop of 'Holy Blood' entering the city."
From what I remembered, Lumina Group handled distribution, dining, hotels, and more.
They'd naturally have demand for premium vintages.
Benjamin added an explanation.
"We won't pry into your sourcing routes. Our labs and experts verified the quality—it's top-tier, no question. Our only condition: stable supply at this level. We can handle all the minor issues on our end."
He paused, then got to the crux.
"Anyway, the real key is the contract terms. Here's our offer: We'll pay fifteen times the current market price per bottle you deliver. What do you say? Pretty generous, no?"
"....!"
I almost thought I'd misheard.
"...Fifteen times?"
"Yes, as of today's auction prices... something like this?"
He pulled a napkin from the table and scribbled a number with his pen.
It was a figure beyond imagination. I was left dumbfounded.
No matter how much I wanted to suspect ulterior motives... that number... that figure...
I couldn't even process his further explanations.
"Listen, Miss Eve. Our experts say this 'Holy Blood' is no ordinary wine. Depending on how we value and brand it, it could make history. For that, we need a new strategy. First, we'll strictly control supply volumes from now on. Then, through our networks, we'll supply high-end restaurants, brand it as ultra-premium luxury—"
It was that staggering a profit. Even if they took all the inner-city Holy Blood sales, jacking up the delivery price that much would multiply our revenue by over tenfold instantly.
Plus, they'd launder the sourcing issues, eliminating any loose ends.
I muttered without thinking.
"Why... offer such generous terms?"
This was Omega Detroit's corporate elite. Even in win-win scenarios, they squeezed every drop of profit, often swallowing suppliers whole. Guaranteeing terms like this didn't add up. It shattered my image of this world's "corporations."
But he seemed equally puzzled.
"That's what I'd like to ask you."
"Huh?"
"Miss Eve, do you have some personal connection to our chairman?"
I shook my head reflexively. Know a corporate tycoon? No chance.
Benjamin elaborated.
"This deal is entirely on the chairman's orders. Group policy would never allow terms like these. Honestly, it's so outrageous our security audit team might get involved."
He stroked his goatee thoughtfully.
"I have a hunch, though. Last time, I got a bottle of your wine by chance and gifted it to the chairman. Must've hit the spot. In the grand scheme of our group's funds, wine ventures are kid stuff anyway... This is probably just his personal hobby or whim."
'Is that for real?'
I pondered briefly.
If Benjamin was here purely because of the tycoon's eccentric tastes, it explained not prying into sources and the lavish pricing—to a degree.
And if we could stomach the minor risk of corporate ties, it was a windfall for us.
But it still felt too good to be true.
'Just because the chairman liked my wine? That's it?'
The more I thought, the less sense it made.
Even this guy delivering the offer seemed in the dark on the full story.
Maybe that's why he'd stayed so courteous to someone in my "weaker" position.
'Considering the average corporate personality in this city...'
Yeah, Benjamin Hayes had been a gentleman so far.
But who knew what face he'd show if I turned it down.
Better to grasp the offered hand while they were being friendly than risk offending them.
Maybe I never had a real choice.
After a short deliberation, I said:
"We'll take the deal."
"Excellent. Worth the trip. Now that it's settled, we'll follow up on the details later."
The man smiled in satisfaction. He straightened his clothes as if ready to leave.
"Then, your contact info... Hm?"
But he looked at me with a puzzled expression.
I caught on and replied quickly.
"Ah, not the comms implant—register this one."
I pulled out my trusty old terminal from my pocket, and his eyes glinted meaningfully for a moment.
"Hooh..."
But he nodded nonchalantly right after.
"Got it registered. We'll touch base soon for the nitty-gritty. I've got a tight schedule, so I'll take off. Nice meeting you, Miss Eve."
He stood, offering one last handshake.
As he turned to go, something occurred to him, and he looked back.
"Oh, one more thing, Miss Eve."
He added with a playful smile.
"About our agency rep's scouting offer earlier—that's completely separate from this deal. Still on the table."
"Huh?"
As I blinked in confusion, he explained.
"Pure coincidence. One of our staffers happened to be nearby, so we reached out on the spot. The offer had nothing to do with this transaction—purely based on your talent. And after chatting face-to-face, I agree with him."
I was utterly baffled, not getting what he was on about.
Benjamin grinned at my blank face.
"If you change your mind and call, we'll back your idol debut full throttle. As Starlit Entertainment's VP, I guarantee you've got massive talent! In this day and age, even a Saintess can be an idol, right? Wahahaha!"
"......."
He left with a booming laugh, tailed by his escorts, vanishing from the cafe.
The AV parked on the street ahead soared into the sky and disappeared.
On the table sat just his digital business card.
I stared down at it, still dumbfounded.
"...."