Chapter 168
Chapter 168
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 168
Chapter Title: The World's Strongest Spirit User (3)
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Rias Merchant Company.
A massive trading firm that had swallowed up not only Selkeph's commerce but most of the surrounding cities' markets as well. Even the Kalia Merchant Group, which had tentacles stretching across the world, couldn't exert much influence in this area.
Naturally, plenty of money had been poured into the company's headquarters building.
On the top floor of that lavish structure, in the chairman's office.
Chairman Banito, who had arrived on time and was just savoring a cup of tea prepared by his secretary, suddenly had to receive an important guest who had shown up at the crack of dawn.
"No, what brings Your Excellency here?"
The visitor was Nepheli, the bishop in charge of the Selkeph diocese.
Though they worked in different industries, they shared the common ground of dominating their respective fields in the region, so they naturally knew each other.
Their relationship wasn't bad at all. There was no reason for a merchant to pick a fight with the church, and Nepheli was particularly mild-mannered among the clergy, making conflicts even less likely.
"I'm here on business."
Yet today, Nepheli's usually gentle expression seemed somewhat stiff. That alone made Banito uneasy, so he asked cautiously. They hadn't been involved in any joint "business" with the church recently.
"...Business? What kind of business brings you here?"
"It might be sudden, but we're about to conduct a comprehensive audit of the Rias Merchant Company."
"...Pardon?"
"One of your merchants... more precisely, a merchant affiliated with your company has stirred up serious trouble."
"W-Wait a moment! Are you saying one of our company's merchants... offended the church?"
"Worse than that. They offended something you must never offend more than the church itself. So from this moment on, you'll need to cooperate fully."
"N-No... What is this..."
Nepheli's voice remained low, and her tone was still soft. Her expression wasn't exactly bright, though.
But Banito couldn't express anything beyond stammering.
No matter how delicate and meek Nepheli appeared on the surface, she was a bishop. On par with gold rank. She could kill someone like Banito with a mere flick of her finger.
Just because a beast seemed tame didn't guarantee it wouldn't attack. There was no way a commoner could physically resist a bishop.
Of course, there were other ways to resist. That's why he never imagined something like this could happen out of the blue.
"Y-Your Excellency. You know this, right? For us to cooperate... our superiors..."
"Who doesn't know it's the Spirius Family backing you?"
Prestigious families didn't like the church-backed Kalia Merchant Group encroaching on their turf. So they either ran their own trading groups or propped up local ones to keep them in check.
Thus, it wasn't some special secret that the Rias Merchant Company was essentially the Spirius Family's money pipeline. Rias, Spirius. The names were blatantly similar.
"If the family permits it, we have no issue."
"Pardon? We haven't received any such orders..."
"They'll come soon."
Nepheli raised her index finger and pointed at the ceiling.
"Someone even higher than me has gone to them."
Banito, who had been staring blankly for a moment, swallowed dryly. He spoke in a voice that trembled slightly.
"C-Could it be—"
"Curious about exactly who it is?"
"N-No, it's fine."
"If it was just one merchant's deviation, it'll end with minor commotion. You know the church never harasses the innocent."
He knew that all too well.
Instead, the guilty were crushed so mercilessly that they'd beg for death themselves.
Banito's back grew slick with cold sweat as he forced a smile.
Anton's sudden visit threw the upper echelons of the Spirius Family into chaos.
As a prestigious house subtly at odds with the church, they knew better than most how terrifying it could be.
Normally, they would go to meet an archbishop, not the other way around—and without prior communication? That was unheard of.
And it wasn't just any situation; accompanying him was Michael, the famous pro-church Gem Warrior.
For what was supposedly a casual visit, the guests' calling cards carried far too much weight.
It would normally warrant a full family alert, but thankfully, Anton had come quietly, so they could limit it to a select few with tight lips.
"Please forgive any shortcomings in our hospitality."
Jason, the current head of the Spirius Family, had cleared his schedule to greet the two men hastily.
"If you'd given advance notice, we could have prepared something more fitting..."
"Sorry about that."
Anton replied to Jason's subtle jab about the lack of warning without looking particularly apologetic.
"I know it's against protocol, but this is such a sensitive matter that prior coordination wasn't feasible. Hence the unannounced visit."
"Must be a major issue if both of you came together."
"Our paths just happened to overlap."
Michael said curtly.
"I figured I'd drop by to see Lord Atma's face while I'm at it."
"I see."
"How is Lord Atma faring?"
"He's in excellent health. Lately, he's been so absorbed in his training that even I hardly see him."
"Is that so."
"He hates interruptions... I've informed him of your visit, but whether he comes out is another matter."
"Can't force him if he doesn't want to."
It sounded like casual conversation at first glance.
But both Michael, asking, and Jason, answering, knew it was pure formality.
For starters, "paths overlapping" was nonsense. Selkeph wasn't some central hub; it was way off to the northwest of the southeast grand diocese.
A map would show the left side completely blocked by a massive mountain range. Not a place you'd just swing by.
And visiting to see Atma's face? Also nonsense. Atma and Michael weren't strangers and had some acquaintance in their youth, but they weren't on exchanging-visit terms now in old age.
Maybe nod and chat briefly if they bumped into each other on the road? No unannounced visits before, nor in the future.
Of course, it wasn't so implausible they'd admit publicly. What could you do if they said they just wanted to meet? But to insiders who knew the truth, it felt like subtle pressure.
"Anyway, what brings you both here?"
"The Rias Merchant Company. More precisely, Ben."
"Ben? A person's name? One of Rias's merchants?"
"First you've heard of him?"
"I can't know every single merchant under the company. We don't directly manage its operations."
Anton stared at Jason's utterly clueless expression before continuing.
"But ignorance doesn't absolve responsibility in this case."
"...If Your Excellency is taking such a hard line, there's only one possible reason."
"Whether you know it or not, the church constantly watches for demonic traces in the shadows."
"How could I not know that."
"Among them are fools recklessly wielding vile tools called magic weapons. We've encountered them several times lately, and lamentably, they all trace back to the same source."
"Don't tell me that merchant Ben..."
Anton nodded. Jason's face hardened.
"We're completely in the dark. As I said—"
"You're not running it directly, just backing it, so you might not know. But surely someone in the company knows something?"
"...More than me, yes."
"So, apologies, but we need to shake down the Rias Merchant Company. That alright?"
"...Even if it weren't, you'd do it anyway? I just got a report that Bishop Nepheli visited their HQ right before you arrived. Is that why?"
"If you already know, that makes it easier. We appreciate your cooperation."
"Very well. Proceed as you see fit."
It wasn't said graciously. His expression oozed discomfort.
Still, Jason permitted it because he knew how fanatical the church got over demon-related matters. Refusal was pointless; they'd force it anyway.
"One thing, Your Excellency."
"Speak."
"If the investigation turns up nothing suspicious in the Rias Merchant Company, what then?"
"Then we didn't investigate thoroughly enough."
He'd asked what they'd do about flipping their own money source upside down, only to get "the problem is we didn't flip it enough."
Jason's expression soured further.
"...That confident? Something will turn up?"
"Ben's actions were too bold for a mere personal deviation. Not some lowly errand boy either."
Anton's eyes narrowed slightly.
"If the company felt nothing amiss... maybe the higher-ups deliberately ignored it?"
Jason's eyebrow twitched.
Whether "higher-ups" meant the chairman or above, it amounted to the same. The Spirius Family didn't micromanage; they just installed their own as chairman.
"Depending on interpretation, that could be... quite offensive."
"So I hope the fault lies squarely with the Rias Merchant Company."
Anton's narrowed pupils glowed faintly as the stigmata within quietly boiled.
"I don't want it escalating further either."
No one wanted this incident surfacing before clear results emerged—not the church, the Spirius Family, or the Rias Merchant Company.
Thus, the investigation proceeded as quietly as possible behind the scenes.
Aside from a tiny circle in the know, even those being questioned didn't fully grasp why they'd been summoned.
Days passed like this.
As before, Galen and Lilia waited for nightfall, sneaked into the church, and met Anton.
"Seems like things aren't going smoothly."
"It's gotten a bit tricky."
When Galen asked based on his expression, Anton let out a low sigh and shook his head.
He briefly explained the gist of his talks with the Spirius Family and the investigation's progress, then sighed again.
"I never seriously expected to find magic weapons stashed in their warehouse, of course. But... it's cleaner than I imagined."
"That thorough?"
"The most significant info we've got is that mysterious crates sometimes came and went, and even the transporters didn't know what was inside... Hard to claim those were magic weapons."
"True. Unless you catch them in the act and crack one open on the spot."
Wealthy folks having a few "discreet" hobbies wasn't unusual. Deliverers naturally didn't peek to protect customer privacy.
No telling if those secret crates held magic weapons, slush funds, or embarrassing contraband.
"So, time to raid the Spirius Family directly?"
"Probably, but... if they've locked down the company that tight, I doubt the family is any sloppier. They'd be even less cooperative..."
Of course, torture would loosen tongues. The church's interrogation methods were legendary.
But the issue was lacking ironclad proof tying it to demons.
The church's absolute authority stemmed from never grabbing innocents. If they tortured first and it turned out wrong, the backlash would be unmanageable.
"We've exhausted covert options. I thought hitting them head-on while unprepared would shake something loose. But with zero gains... makes me wonder if we're barking up the wrong tree."
"Hmm..."
Galen pondered briefly, then realized something and asked.
"By the way, where's Lord Michael?"
"He... went to the Spirius Family."
"This late at night?"
"He knows there's no progress. After agonizing over a breakthrough, he decided to lean on old ties and meet Lord Atma. Hoping for some clue."
"Without you?"
"He was openly uncomfortable with me tagging along."
"I see."
"Frankly, Lord Atma and the church aren't on good terms. Same for the other Gem Mages. It's fortunate Michael got an audience at all."
Galen nodded at Anton's words, his eyes sparkling with interest.
"In that case... we have something we can do now."
"Hm? What do you mean?"
"The investigation's stalled because there's zero hard evidence. Get one piece, and we can torture out more."
"Fair point."
"Then let's shake someone down."
"...Shake down?"
As Anton double-checked what he'd heard, Galen grinned mischievously.
"Time to cross the line a bit."