I Got Reincarnated Into a Game I Was a Top-Ranker in and I Became the Leader of a Villain Group That Will Destroy This Shitty Country - 45

Chapter 45: True Holy Water

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After walking through the streets for about 10 minutes, we finally reached our destination. Upon seeing the sign of the shop, Chloe widened her eyes and turned around to look at me. 

“A blacksmith…? And this place looks pretty old too. Are you sure there’s really an artifact in a place like this?”

“Well, the older the better, right? After all, artifacts are relics from ancient times.”

This blacksmith certainly didn’t look like a treasure trove. The place looked tattered and it was clear to see the top-notch adventurers didn’t frequent this place. However, I knew. I knew there was a treasure hidden in here. 

I knocked on the door before entering the blacksmith. I sat Nia down on a chair and called out to the blacksmith who was working in the corner. 

“Excuse me, can I ask you something?”

“Hmm…? Oh… A customer.”

After confirming his appearance, I cheered in my heart. Just as I expected. This blacksmith didn’t look like the typical blacksmith. He didn’t look burly or tough. On the contrary, he looked really pale and frail, like he could collapse at any moment now. His hair and beard were all white. He definitely didn’t look like someone who would be hiding ancient relics inside his shop. 

Indeed. Upon seeing the old man, Chloe also tilted her head to the side, looking clearly confused. Smirking, I approached the old man.

“Yes. I’m here because there’s something I want to buy.”

“Oh, oh, I wonder what makes you come to this run-down place. So? What do you want to buy?”

“The Superior Cube.”

“….Huh?”

“I want to buy the Superior Cube.”

The moment I said it, the eyes of the closed-off old man opened wide. The sharpness was so intense that I could feel shivers running down my spine. His glare was palpable.

“How did you know about that…? You… Just who are you exactly?!”

“I’m just a normal adventurer passing by. But anyway, where’s Yenichka-san? Is she at home?”

“Wha-?! Ho-How did you know my daughter’s name…?!”

“There are rumors circulating around here. Rumors that the holy water distributed by the church might be fake.. You know, the holy water that the people are being forced to buy. That rumor has been spreading like a wildfire recently.”

“…..!!”

“In fact, despite buying those holy water for 10 years, your daughter’s illness still hasn’t been cured, right?”

The old man’s expression shifted from caution to pure shock. Seeing that reaction, the corner of my lips curled up ever so slightly. I remembered the story from the side quest of this game. The old man in front of me was Zinnerman. He used to be a popular blacksmith in the capital. His wife had passed away a long time ago, but he still had his beloved daughter. The two of them managed this shop together, living in peace until… An incident occurred. 

“Father… I… Somehow… I feel dizzy for some reason…”

After uttering those words, his beloved daughter suddenly collapsed. Zinnerman exhausted everything in his possession to cure his daughter. He sought help from the best doctor in the empire, spent his entire fortune to buy herbs and even purchased holy water from the church, all for a sliver of chance to cure his daughter. He really exhausted everything for his daughter. However, her condition only worsened. Eventually, Zinnerman fell neck deep in debt. He was eventually driven out to this remote part of the town.

“I…I …. I….”

“…”

“I trusted them! I thought there’s no way those clergymen would deceive other people! I knew, I knew those holy water didn’t have any effect, but they told me it was because I lacked faith! Or maybe she hasn’t drunk enough holy water yet…! I’ve been buying those holy water for 10 years! 10 whole years!!”

“…Zinnerman-san.”

“What?! What do you want from me?! The hell with holy water!! The hell with faith!! They dare scurrying into the minds of vulnerable people who have nowhere to turn… Brainwash them and force them to buy their useless water…!! The hell with the church! That organization is nothing but filthy blood sucking parasites stealing the money out of the people!!”

“….”

“I told them that I wouldn’t buy anymore because I started to doubt the holy water but then… They suddenly threatened me! They said the crusaders would pay me a visit and put me on a trial..!! Just what sin did I make?! I never did anything wrong to them!! Just what… Just what is my sin?!?!”

Seemingly to understand the situation, Chloe clenched her fist in frustration while frowning deeply. Nia, who was sitting beside her, pursued her lips as she listened to the old man’s fury. 

…The situation is worse than I thought. 

I thought to myself as I moisten my dry lips. In the game, this side quest didn’t leave that much of an impact. Just the church selling holy water to desperate people like Zinnerman-san, sucking their money dry.

This was how the church did their business. Anyone that dared to voice any sort of objections to the church would be threatened to be put on trial. The church was practically forcing people to submit through brute force. And… If the people continued to resist, the church would brand them as heretics. Hunted them down and sentenced them to burning at the stake.

“Aaah… Yenichka…. Aaaaah….”

Although the church was being extremely ludicrous, there were still few people who dared to raise their banners against the church and the empire. Of course, if they continued to resist, they would be branded as heretics and sentenced to burning at the stake.

However, there was another ridiculous twist to this tale. The reason why Zinnerman-san’s daughter collapsed was because she was being experimented on in secret. Yes. She was part of the black magic experiments conducted by the royal family.

The main goal of the royal family and the church was to turn the citizens of this country into mindless puppets and use them as energy sources. Because of this experiment, Yenichka-san was now in a coma.

The game didn’t give too much details about how Yenichka-san became experimented on. Most probably, she drank the holy water from the crusaders by mistake, thinking it was holy water. Of course she wouldn’t have known that ‘holy water’ was actually a sinister liquid infused with black magic.

“…Are you okay, Zinnerman-san?”

“Ah… Hahaha… Ahh… Sorry about that. I showed you an ugly side of me, huh? Hahaha… You see, I have a lot of pent-up frustration. Haha…”

“….”

“Anyway, where were we? Right. The Superior Cube. I’m sorry but that item is not for sale. That pendant is a precious relic that has been passed down through the generations in my family. I won’t sell it, no matter how deep in debt I am.”

“Of course. I’m not that brazen to think I can buy such precious items with money alone.”

“….What do you mean by that?”

“What if I tell you that I can cure your daughter?”

Almost immediately, the old man’s weary eyes suddenly lit up, brimming with vitality again. I observed the change in his expression carefully as I delivered the words I had prepared beforehand.

“Of course, I won’t ask you to hand me the artifact right away. I will only purchase it from your hand after your daughter is healed. You see, I know about a medicine that hasn’t been distributed in the empire yet.”

“….Medicine, you say? Then what’s the name of this medicine?”

“Power Elixir.”

Power Elixir was a potion that only appeared in the second half of the game. The raids and bosses were so difficult to defeat that regular elixirs wouldn’t cut it and so, players clamored for a better potion. From that, we got Power Elixir. This potion restored HP and MP to 100% and cured all status ailments. It was a pretty rare item, even within the game and fortunately, I knew how to make it. I was a reincarnator after all.

“Power Elixir…?”

“Yes. I’m pretty sure we can cure your daughter with that.”

“I-I’ve never heard of that potion before, but… Can it really save Yeni?!”

“Like I said, I’m not 100% certain, but it’s definitely worth a try. Oh, and as for how much I’m willing to pay for the Superior Cube…”

Smirking, I stared at Zinnerman-san.

“How does 5 million gold sound to you?”

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“….So, you asked me to lend you 5 million gold for that man named Zinnerman? All to help him out?”

“No, no. Helping people isn’t really my thing. Besides, didn’t I already tell you that I will use 10% of the 5 million gold to buy herbs?”

Upon returning to Rielle’s mansion, I unloaded a sack full of herbs that I had bought onto the floor as I told Rielle what had happened today. For some reason, Rielle had a tender smile on her face after she heard my story.

“….But you’re really going to use that Power Elixir to save Yenichka-san, right?”

“….It’s more like an afterthought. It’s not my main objective. Besides, Yenichka-san is like a mascot character of the market. If someone like her suddenly recovers from her illness, the public will surely be on our side. Having the support of the public doesn’t sound bad. That’s all.”

“Fufufu… You’re not demon-like at all.”

“Wait, were you even listening to what I said? Everything I do is for my own benefits, you know?! I’m only thinking of my own self-interest, you know?!”

Of course, hearing Zinnerman-san’s scream did move my heart a little. However, it was also true that I genuinely wanted to help Yenichka-san while I was at it, but… I didn’t know how to describe it, but I felt conflicted. I deliberately acted in a way to show I did all of this solely to obtain that artifact, so when someone said my action was not ‘demoni-like’, I didn’t know what to feel really…

As I awkwardly scratched the back of my head, Chloe nudged me with her elbow.

“Fufu~ She said you’re not demon-like.”

“Kai may be a cheater, but he’s not a scum.”

“Aaaaaah~ Enough already! Let’s drop this topic now! Anyway~ Rielle, I want you to start preparing to distribute this product in about a week.”

“Huh? In a week?”

“Yeah. I think everything should be ready in a week from now.”

I pointed at the sack full of herbs with my thumb before I shrugged and smirked. 

“Unfortunately, I won’t be able to see that bastard of a Pope fuming from rage with my own eyes.”

You call that holy water? You guys are selling nothing but tears of blood from exploiting your people. I will show you what true holy water really is.

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T/N: Zinnerman-san snapped back then. Poor guy (´•︵•`)