Chapter 117
Chapter 117
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 117
Chapter Title: A Villain's Scheme
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Despite his numerous business ventures and diverse experiences, Dusk couldn't picture it.
‘How am I supposed to take over the Alchemist Guild? And the Southern Alchemist Guild is the biggest one there is.’
No matter how hard he wracked his brain, he couldn't see a way. Still, he had to answer.
“I will make it happen, no matter what!”
The words that came out were the opposite of his true feelings. But to survive, he had to project confidence.
“How?”
“Pardon?”
“I’m asking how you’re going to do it.”
“Well, that… I’ll have to do it well.”
As Wang-sik slowly raised his hand, Dusk instinctively covered the back of his head.
A memory of the past resurfaced.
“F-First, I’ll meet with the Guild Leader and…”
“And?”
“N-Negotiate! Tell him to hand over the guild! If he doesn't, I’ll threaten him until he does!”
“And if he still refuses?”
“Then it’s war!”
*Smack!*
Wang-sik finally smacked him on the head. He held back more than he used to, though, not even knocking him out.
“With a brain like that, it’s no wonder you couldn’t even take half of Neresa.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Where is the Southern Alchemist Guild’s headquarters?”
“That’s… next to the city hall.”
“And you’re going to start a war there? Are you saying you’ll fight the Imperial Army?”
Neresa was home to many influential figures, so no single entity held absolute power.
Instead, these powers-that-be formed alliances to protect their interests, and the Alchemist Guild held a significant position among them.
“Then what should I do?”
“Take it over with money.”
“M-Master. I may have a lot of money, but the Southern Alchemist Guild must have several times more than me.”
Wang-sik stood up and said.
“They’re broke.”
“What?”
“They have no money. So, you can take them over with money. But before that, you need to stop them from making any more.”
With those parting words, Wang-sik left.
* * *
—Hyung, they’re probably in a tight spot financially. The amount they’ve invested in research is enormous. I’ll start by cutting off their cash flow.
Oh Min-jae had long since improved upon their magic ingredient formulas.
He had been holding back since his goal was to find his target, but now that things were certain, he was setting his plan in motion.
—Still, we can’t ignore their power and connections. They’ll recover quickly if we give them even a little breathing room.
The Alchemist Guild, along with the Gate Research Institute, was one of the most heavily subsidized organizations after the Magic Guild.
But they couldn't survive on subsidies alone.
While they had a partnership with the Mirje Trading Company for magic ingredients, their most profitable sector was actually medicine. Apart from the temple’s potions, most medicines came from the Alchemist Guild, ranging from common remedies to beauty elixirs for the nobility.
These were essentially cosmetics, a business so lucrative that the Alchemist Guilds maintained separate research facilities for them. This was something Oh Min-jae had considered pursuing when he first established his own Alchemist Guild but had ultimately abandoned.
The methods were too similar to those on Earth, and he worried it might arouse suspicion.
—To avoid suspicion, our guild's alchemists would have to develop it themselves, but they’re not exactly brilliant.
He had no choice but to proceed by indirectly dropping hints, which naturally took a long time.
Fortunately, the research was now in its final stages, and a prototype was about to be produced.
“Time to shake things up properly. And I have just the expert in dirty work for that.”
This was why Wang-sik had sought out Dusk.
* * *
Dusk gathered his subordinates and fell into deep thought.
Five men were assembled, including his right-hand man, Adum. All were trusted loyalists, each managing a major business in Neresa, and they had all been performing well.
“From this moment, I want ideas on how to take over the Alchemist Guild.”
A heavy silence filled the room.
“Which guild are you referring to?”
“The Southern Alchemist Guild.”
Silence fell again. Uncomfortable with the quiet, Adum stood up and pounded his chest.
“I’ll go take care of it right now!”
“Sit.”
“Boss! When it comes to taking things, I’m the best…”
“I said, sit.”
He wanted to smack him on the back of the head, but he restrained himself in front of the other executives.
In any case, Adum’s outburst had broken the ice, and the other subordinates began to speak up.
“Boss, the Southern Alchemists are one of the most powerful groups in Neresa. If we make a wrong move against them, we could be wiped out overnight.”
“That’s right. We can’t touch them. They’re more dangerous than most nobles.”
Everyone except Adum shared the same opinion.
But this wasn't a matter of choice, and more importantly, Dusk had a feeling that this, too, would succeed.
‘He has never once given me an impossible task.’
The takedown of Drepia.
The bloodless entry into Ellat.
Both had sounded impossible when he first heard them.
‘He accomplished them all. And with such ease.’
This time would be no different.
“Have I ever given an order that couldn’t be carried out?”
“Well…”
“Once we take the Alchemist Guild, no one in Neresa will be able to stop us.”
If that happened, they would no longer be an underworld organization. They would be completely transformed into legitimate businessmen through the Alchemist Guild. Their relationships with the people they used to meet in dark alleys, exchanging bundles of gold, would also change.
“We could become an even greater entity than Drepia.”
Regardless of the truth, Dusk's past achievements had earned him the trust of his subordinates.
Besides, coming from the underworld, they considered it a principle to follow the boss's decision once it was made.
“Our first task is to stop them from making money. Start giving me ideas.”
The meeting of true villains had begun.
* * *
Wang-sik was staying at a luxury inn on the coast of Neresa under the pretext of a vacation.
It was an inn exclusively for nobles, the equivalent of a five-star hotel back on Earth.
Fine wine and food.
He appeared to be leisurely enjoying the beautiful scenery, but it was all a ‘show’ for the other guests.
The Sunset Cloud Inn was unique in that only nobles could stay there. As a result, a small party was held in the first-floor hall every evening, which often served as a way to expand one’s network.
Wang-sik, in particular, attracted the attention of many young women.
His gentle yet refined rejections only improved his image, which was enough to capture the interest of other nobles as well.
On the third day of his stay.
As he was slowly enjoying a meal of high-end lamb steak and wine in the inn's dining room, a group of people approached.
“May we join you?”
It was a group of women in their early twenties with whom he had spoken several times.
Led by a duke’s daughter, the group included the daughters of a count and a baron, and a clear hierarchy based on their titles was visible among them.
‘This sort of thing always seems so pathetic.’
Wang-sik hid his inner thoughts behind a smile and gestured for them to take a seat.
“One of you seems to be missing.”
“Oh! Elena is receiving treatment right now.”
“Is she ill?”
Elena was the duke’s daughter, the leader of their group.
At Wang-sik’s question, the two women looked slightly disappointed. The count’s daughter, especially, pouted, displeased that Elena's name came up when she was trying to take the lead for once.
“Are you hoping to see Elena?”
“Not at all. I was simply asking because she wasn't here.”
“Elena won’t be able to come here for a while. Her face is completely ruined. If you saw her, you’d probably want to run away.”
Already in a foul mood, she crossed the line with her remark.
The baron’s daughter tried to warn her, but the difference in their ranks was too stark for that to stop her.
“What does it matter? It’s the truth.”
“That’s terrible. She was so proud of her fair skin.”
“I know, right? When I saw her this morning, she’d scratched herself so much she looked like a zombie.”
Wang-sik paused for a moment and lifted his wine glass. The baron’s daughter, who had been quiet, whispered.
“I heard Luna was the same way this morning.”
“I heard that too. Is there some kind of epidemic going around?”
The two women shivered theatrically as they spoke.
Wang-sik acted as if he shared their concern, but his mind was on something else entirely.
‘Looks like they’re doing a proper job this time.’
This was all part of Dusk's plan.
* * *
When bad people conspire to do bad things, courage is added to the mix. What happens when a life-or-death resolve is added to that courage?
—Let’s target the ducal family. We should try to make the nobility and the Alchemist Guild fight each other.
Their minds certainly worked well when it came to wickedness, and they were just as bold.
The cosmetic known as Goddess’s Tear was a top-tier product from the Southern Alchemist Guild, with only 50 bottles produced each month.
It was supplied exclusively to the royal palace and renowned ducal families, but Dusk had added a foreign substance to it.
It was a back-alley remedy for an upset stomach. When crushed into a juice, it was clear and odorless, but when applied to the skin, it caused severe itching and rashes.
Even in the back alleys, it was common to add only a few drops to a cup of water. But they had poured it, undiluted, into a small cosmetic bottle, leading to the current disaster.
‘All hell is about to break loose.’
Believing that Dusk wouldn't stop at this, Wang-sik decided to stay out of it and watch for a little longer.
* * *
Demian couldn't understand the current situation.
He had never bowed his head to anyone except the Emperor. Yet today was already the third time.
He found himself in a continuous state of lowering his gaze and apologizing.
First, it was Duke Kirkin, the head of Neresa's representative family, then Viscount Epher, and now, the mayor of Neresa.
“I am truly sorry. We will take full responsibility for the treatment.”
“I’ve already entrusted the treatment to the temple! I will have this matter thoroughly investigated and hold you accountable, so be aware of that!”
The mayor turned and left in a fiery rage.
He had no choice, as he was the one who had connected Demian with the Duke and the Viscount.
“Guild Leader…”
The Vice Guild Leader supported the dizzy Guild Leader.
“What in the world is…”
But his misfortune didn't end there.
“Guild Leader, people who took Erecal are reporting side effects!”
“What?”
Erecal was the oldest medicine they sold.
It was the equivalent of a fever reducer on Earth, and as their most widely used and long-standing product, it was symbolic of their brand.
“What kind of side effects?”
“They’re complaining of continuous stomach pain and diarrhea.”
It was an inexpensive medicine distributed nationwide.
“The trading companies that received the shipments are saying they’re returning everything…”
As a product that went to cities all over, it was distributed through trading companies. Since it was considered a household staple, the distribution volume was naturally massive. For now, only one or two places were talking about returns, but if this spread nationwide, it would be a disaster.
“We need to find out what’s going on. Investigate immediately!”
In the end, he couldn't help but raise his voice.
* * *
Upon hearing the rumors, Wang-sik found himself nodding unconsciously.
‘The most expensive medicine and the most sold medicine. They chose their targets well.’
These two incidents would shatter all trust in the manufacturer.
‘The truth will come out with an investigation, but by then, it will be too late.’
Wang-sik watched the Alchemist Guild building, erected next to Neresa’s city hall, from a distance. The place, usually so relaxed, now looked frantic even from the outside.
‘The real trouble is just beginning.’
Leaving the bustling scene behind, Wang-sik returned to his inn.