Monopoly 2: Holy Church, the Saintess's Private Prayer Room
Holy Church, the saintess's private prayer room. The massive stone door sealed shut, cutting off every sound from the world outside. Only the gentle trickle of clear water echoed in her ears.
A enormous marble bathtub dominated the center. Within it, sanctified holy water shimmered with a blue glow, rippling softly.
"...Hoo."
Isha von Estel shed her white holy robes and slipped naked into the holy water. Sizzle— The moment it touched her skin, agony like flesh burning away surged through her entire body. It had always felt refreshing before, but now, tainted by the abyss's poison, the holy water was no different from acidic solvent.
"Urgh…."
Isha bit her lip to stifle the groan rising in her throat. The holy water rose to her nape, washing away the black poison clinging to her body. Amid the rising white steam, her wet white hair clung in disarray. She closed her eyes, enduring the pain, focusing her mind to seek the divine.
Beer.
At the Han River riverside, that man chugging a cold canned beer. The crisp sound as it went down his throat. That bitter, arrogant smile as he tossed the crushed can aside. Why was that surfacing now?
"...Ha."
Isha was exasperated with herself. A saintess meant to save the world, daydreaming about some criminal's beer during her purification rite.
"I'm crazy.... Totally lost it."
Isha splashed water on her face to wash it away. That night at the Han River. Why had she gone looking for him? The excuse of sharing information, but maybe she just wanted confirmation. Was he truly a villain who'd turned his back on the world, or a lonely hero bearing burdens in secret?
And why, oh why, did he have to leave behind that stupid note at the end.
Happy Birthday.
"Ughhh…."
Isha shuddered in embarrassment. Her face burned so hot she couldn't even feel the holy water's chill. Celebrating a mere criminal's birthday, no less. And handwriting it herself. What if it came back to bite her as a weakness later?
"No. It was just charity. Mercy bestowed upon a pitiful soul."
Isha shook her head, desperately rationalizing it.
Chill.
Suddenly, a cold shiver raced up her spine. Not the holy water's chill—this was instinctive dread. Like someone was hawking her name on the black market, a slimy unease.
"...Lee Han."
Isha's eyes narrowed. There was only one source for this foreboding.
"No way.... He's not stirring up another disaster, is he?"
Anxious, she dunked her head deeper underwater. No amount of holy water could wash away the premonition of the massive trouble that man was undoubtedly causing.
New York, USA. Antonio's office.
"...What?"
Antonio dropped the cigar from his mouth. It smoldered into his priceless Persian rug, but he didn't care.
Black Rose, standing beside him, choked and coughed violently.
"Cough! Hack! W-what did you say?"
She glared at me with teary eyes and whispered fiercely.
"Are you insane? Out of your mind? What if it gets out! That old man's the type to skin you alive for blaspheming the saintess!"
"Shh. Rose. Just translate properly. You're the secretary here."
I kept my brazen poker face.
Antonio's face flushed beet red.
"She is my wife."
Thinking he hadn't heard, I repeated it slowly, driving the wedge home.
"Bullshit!"
Antonio shot to his feet. In response to his rage, the bodyguards behind him flicked off the safeties on their mana guns in unison.
Click-clack!
Despite paling at the menacing tension, Black Rose did her job.
"He says it's bullshit."
"I figured. Just chill."
I casually raised both hands, shaking the item in my palm for emphasis.
"How dare you insult the saintess? Blasphemy! Drag this scum out and snap his spine!"
Enraged, Antonio bellowed without even glancing at what I held.
"The proof is right here."
I approached slowly and gently placed it from my hand onto his desk. The document envelope with Black Moon's 1st Branch intel that Isha had given me at the Han River—and with it, her handwritten note.
Happy Birthday.
I shot Antonio a pointed look as I set down the note.
"Isha wrote this card herself on my birthday. Check the handwriting. A die-hard fan like you would spot a fake in a second, right?"
At Black Rose's translation, Antonio snatched the note, snorting in fury. He pulled a top-grade appraisal magnifying glass from his drawer, ready to blow my head off if he found any forgery traces.
"......!"
His hand froze as he peered through the lens.
"Th-this elegant curve.... The sacred stroke pressure, the vowel in birth tilted slightly right at this angle!"
Antonio's mouth gaped wider. He'd collected dozens of Isha von Estel's autographs, proud to be the world's number one saintess superfan. Her handwriting was etched in his mind like DNA.
"This is.... real. Definitely the saintess's handwriting!"
His gaze drifted to the note's edge. A tiny, cute heart doodled beside the text.
"And this little heart at the end!"
Antonio shrieked.
Of course, that heart was a forgery I'd meticulously drawn with a ballpoint pen just five minutes before entering. But to the fanatic already overwhelmed by the authentic script, it looked like a holy token of love.
"O, Oh my god…."
Antonio collapsed onto the sofa. His hand trembled clutching the note.
"It was real? The saintess has a partner?"
The creed he'd upheld his whole life shattered. His pure, noble saintess—someone's wife? That slippery Asian guy standing before him, no less.
But in that instant, the look in his eyes toward me transformed dramatically. No more contempt or murder—just a bizarre brew of jealousy, envy, and awe.
"You.... What country did you save in a past life?"
Antonio mumbled dazedly, then continued.
"The saintess's beloved.... That makes you family!"
Antonio sprang up and lunged at me. He seized my hands and shook them vigorously.
"Sorry! I didn't know! Treating the saintess's husband like dirt at my door—I've committed a mortal sin! Forgive me!"
"No need. It's top secret.... Happens all the time."
I channeled the world's most bittersweet, devoted tragic hero.
"Because of her position as saintess.... We can't reveal our relationship. To protect her honor, I've lived in the shadows."
"Ooh.... I failed to grasp such profound meaning."
Antonio teared up in. He blew his nose into a handkerchief.
"And I didn't realize! You're a true romantic."
"This deal, actually.... Isha personally asked me to handle it."
I hammered the final nail.
"She heard kids in Korea are crying without pepperoni pizza after the Black & White Food explosion. Heartbroken by that, she tearfully begged me."
"Ooh.... As expected of the saintess! Her compassion reaches across the Pacific to New York!"
Antonio sniffled in admiration. He immediately summoned his secretary.
"Hey! Get the contract now!"
"Boss?"
"Empty the warehouse of every pepperoni stick! Run factories 2 and 3 full throttle! Export it all to Korea! Price? At cost! No—I'll cover shipping too! This is the saintess's will!"
Mission accomplished. With one swing of Isha's name value, I'd secured New York's top pepperoni supply—on outrageously favorable terms.
Black Rose, watching beside me, finally caught on and nodded subtly.
"Wow.... You really are something else...."
I signed the contract Antonio thrust forward.
"Good deal."
I shared a firm handshake with Antonio, flashing a triumphant smile. Isha would probably kill me if she found out. But she already had plenty of reasons to hunt me down. One more wouldn't change a thing. Hell, if this gave her an excuse to come see me, all the better.
"Thank you, Chairman Antonio."
"No, no! Give her my regards."
"Of course. I'll tell her your granddaughter's growing strong."
Phase 1 supply chain secured. The headache of feeding Adel to shut her up was solved, and as a bonus, I'd monopolized Korea's pepperoni market. Our steps leaving Antonio's private harbor were feather-light.
Black Rose stared holes through the contract detailing New York's prime pepperoni supply, exhaling in awe.
"Lee Han. I seriously underestimated you."
She leaned naturally against my shoulder, meeting my eyes.
"Honestly, I was skeptical at first, but seeing Antonio on his knees? Convinced me. You're really that close to the saintess? How'd you snag someone as lofty as Isha von Estel?"
"Don't get the wrong idea."
I loosened my tie.
"It was all bullshit."
"...Huh?"
Black Rose's eyes went wide. She blinked in confusion.
"Bullshit? What about that handwritten note? Antonio even appraised it. Said it was real!"
"The note's real. The birthday wish is legit too."
I added a brief explanation.
"But it's not a love confession. Just casual charity—and I twisted the context into an epic romance."
"......."
Black Rose looked uneasy. Using the saintess's kindness to scam a mafia heavyweight. What was this guy's liver made of? And how would he handle the fallout?
"Anyway, crisis averted. Let's head back to Korea."
On the return flight, I sank into my first-class seat, organizing future plans. Things went smoother than expected—no hotel needed, pepperoni secured to cure Adel's withdrawal. Once sane, I'd have her mass-produce mini detection sensors with magitech. Red Skulls could work her day and night.
"Hmnya."
Black Rose drooled in sleep beside me. I'd use her to open a pizza joint for the 1st Branch. That way, we could track Eden Farm where the second elder was hiding.