Chapter 56: Holy Blood (10)

The bodyguards from both sides faced each other sharply, their vigilance palpable.

A suffocating tension hung in the air.

“…….”

“………”

Although the opposing side had only two bodyguards, their presence was truly formidable.

They were at a level that wouldn’t be easily pushed back even by the dozen or so former elite mercenaries surrounding them.

In that touch-and-go atmosphere, I looked at the man before me.

An executive of a large corporation who had come seeking exclusive supply rights for ‘Sanctus Sanguis,’ the wine we had been smuggling into the city.

Benjamin Hayes faced me with the same leisurely posture as before.

His composed demeanor made my thoughts complex.

‘Where on earth did the information that our Church is the source of Sanctus Sanguis leak from? Was it the Black Tiger Gang?’

That thought was immediately negated in my mind.

No.

The premise was wrong.

If they wanted to know something, they could simply know it.

Without needing any particular maneuvering, all information within and outside the city would be in the palm of their hands.

In this city, corporations wielded that much absolute influence.

It was just that they didn’t concern themselves with unimportant matters.

They wouldn’t gain any profit or interest there.

The reason our Church had been able to operate without attracting their attention until now was the same.

It wasn’t because we were good at hiding.

From the corporation’s perspective, it was simply because we were worthless, so they didn’t bother.

The power struggles of minor organizations squabbling in the suburban slums were of no consequence to them.

They probably just hadn’t bothered to look under the trash heap.

But with just a fleeting glance of interest, they had perfectly identified my whereabouts as the head of the Church and come to find me.

A chilling sensation ran down my spine at that fact.

I thought I had made considerable preparations for various threats until now.

However, this was the first time I had been directly involved with a ‘corporation.’

Perhaps that’s why I hadn’t truly grasped exactly what kind of beings they were, or how far their influence reached.

Just then, the man burst into a hearty laugh and gestured.

“Hey now, why are you all suddenly creating such a grim atmosphere? We didn’t come here to pick a fight.”

At that single remark, his two bodyguards, who had been in a deadly standoff just moments before, immediately took a step back.

And they even bowed respectfully.

“Our apologies.”

As the confrontation suddenly eased, the Church bodyguards surrounding me also showed a moment of hesitation.

At that sight, Benjamin stroked his neatly trimmed beard and laughed heartily.

“Calm down a bit, everyone. It seems there’s been some kind of misunderstanding. I told you, I came because I want to make a deal. If I intended to threaten you, a drone squadron would have arrived and bombed you before I did. Isn’t that right? Hahaha!”

He laughed again as if he had told a very funny joke, but I couldn’t bring myself to laugh along.

I had realized that all the strength our Church had painstakingly gathered, including dozens of elite mercenaries… was no real threat whatsoever before the name of a ‘corporation.’

“……”

However, his statement that he had no immediate intention of antagonizing us seemed to be true, so I was able to calm down a bit.

I nodded to the surrounding bodyguards, and they, while not letting down their guard, composed themselves.

Let’s think calmly here for a moment.

They had come knowing the existence of the Church, and even the Saintess’s true identity.

But strictly speaking, that much was fine.

Wasn’t the Church precisely the shield created for such situations?

To protect the true secret of ‘miracles’ hidden behind the facade of a cult.

As long as that goal was achieved, there was no need to be unduly frightened just because the superficial identity of the Saintess was exposed.

Of course, some might think:

‘If corporations have such absolute influence in this city, wouldn’t they be able to easily find out about the miracles witnessed by so many people?’

But surprisingly, the secrecy of the believers who had directly witnessed the miracles was maintained much more thoroughly than expected.

Even in the previous world, there were martyrs who sacrificed their lives solely for their faith.

However, those who had directly experienced miracles before their very eyes and been saved by that mercy couldn’t even imagine betraying a truly existing God.

Thanks to this, for them, following God’s will and protecting the Saintess became a mission that preceded everything else in the world.

Unless serious external pressure was applied, there were absolutely no cases of them accidentally leaking the Church’s confidential information to the outside, at least for now.

Therefore, I could judge that the secrecy regarding the most important ‘miracles’ was still successful.

If the other party had come knowing everything, they wouldn’t be haggling over mere exclusive supply rights for wine in this place.

I let out a short sigh inwardly and said.

“If it was about such business matters, it would have been better if you had contacted us beforehand instead of visiting so directly.”

“Hoho, my apologies if my sudden visit surprised you, Miss Eve.”

The man replied leisurely.

“But you see, Miss Eve’s Church doesn’t seem to have a channel for communicating with working-level staff. Of course, we could have worked our way up from ordinary believers to somehow get connected, but business is all about speed, you know. The faster, the better, isn’t it?”

“……”

Honestly, I had no answer to his point.

I had never imagined a future where we would be involved in business relationships with corporations within the city.

Naturally, there was no means for an external corporation to contact the Church, nor had I ever thought it necessary.

Benjamin spoke again.

“Still, I, as an executive, came here in person to show some courtesy, but it seems that caused some misunderstanding instead. Hoho, my apologies for that.”

Come to think of it, the other party’s attitude had been quite polite so far.

For a big shot like a director of a large corporation to come all the way to these outskirts to meet someone in person.

Should I call it impeccable business etiquette? Or was it proof that he was that serious about this business?

It was actually quite puzzling why he was treating me so politely.

‘Was he really just… serious about the wine?’

Whatever his true intentions were, I decided to hear more of his story for now.

“Alright. You said it’s a deal? You want exclusive supply rights for the wine?”

“That’s right. As I said, we want our company to exclusively distribute all quantities of ‘Sanctus Sanguis’ entering the city.”

As far as I remembered, the Lumina Group owned various businesses, including distribution, food service, and hotels.

So, there would naturally be a demand for high-quality wine.

Benjamin added an explanation.

“I won’t ask how that item was originally obtained. As a result of verification by our research institute and experts, the quality is undoubtedly top-notch. The only condition we propose is this: consistently supply goods of the same quality as now. If you can do that, we can take care of any other minor issues ourselves.”

He paused for a moment, then stated the key point.

“Yes, in any case, the most important thing will be the contract terms. I’ll propose this. The unit price for the Sanctus Sanguis you supply… we’ll pay fifteen times the current market price. How about that? This should be a pretty groundbreaking offer.”

“….!”

At those words, I initially thought I had misheard.

“…Did you say fifteen times?”

“Yes, based on today’s auction selling price, it was exactly…. this much?”

He picked up a napkin near the table and scribbled a number on it with a ballpoint pen.

An unimaginable number was written there.

It was enough to leave me dumbfounded.

No matter how much I wanted to suspect some ulterior motive… that… that number…

I couldn’t even hear his voice explaining anything anymore.

“Miss Eve, listen carefully. According to the opinions of experts who verified the quality, this ‘Sanctus Sanguis’ is no ordinary item. It’s a wine that could write a different history depending on how we value it and build its image in the future. For that, we need a completely different strategy than now. First, the supply of the delivered wine will be strictly controlled by us from now on. And through our distribution network, we will supply it to high-end restaurants and brand it as a top-tier luxury item-“

It was that much of a gain, enough to make my head spin.

Even if they took all the sales revenue of Sanctus Sanguis sold in the city, if they raised the supply unit price that much… the immediate income alone would increase more than tenfold.

Moreover, the fact that the conglomerate would launder the origin issue was also important, as it left no room for trouble.

I had even muttered unconsciously.

“Why on earth… are you offering such generous terms?”

This was a conglomerate from Omega Detroit, no less.

Even in a mutually beneficial situation, they were the type to not only tear away as much of their profit margin as possible but also to frequently devour the supplier itself and monopolize everything.

I couldn’t understand at all why they would guarantee such conditions.

It felt like the image of ‘corporations’ I knew in this world was crumbling.

However, it seemed the other party felt the same way.

“That’s something I’d rather ask you.”

“Pardon?”

“Miss Eve, do you perhaps have a personal acquaintance with our President?”

I reflexively shook my head.

The president of a large corporation? How could I possibly know such a person?

Then Benjamin added.

“This deal is entirely at the direction of our President. According to the group’s original policy, such a contract could never be proposed. Yes, to be frank, it’s at a level so absurd that the security audit team would be dispatched immediately.”

The man stroked his neatly trimmed beard and muttered.

“Actually, it’s not like I don’t have a hunch. I happened to obtain a bottle of your wine last time and presented it as a gift to the President. Perhaps he was incredibly pleased with that gift? Well, considering the overall financial scale of our group, frankly, the wine business, no matter how it’s handled, is like child’s play…. You could say this matter is something he’s dabbling in as a personal hobby or a whim.”

‘Is this really true?’

I fell into thought for a moment.

If Benjamin’s reason for seeking me out was truly, as he said, due to the personal and whimsical taste of a chaebol head, then the reason for not asking about the source and for offering such a generous unit price made some sense.

And it also meant that if I just accepted the slight risk of getting involved with a large corporation, it was an groundbreaking offer from which I could simply reap enormous profits.

However, it was still hard to readily believe.

‘Just because the president liked my wine? For that reason alone?’

The more I thought about it, the less I understood.

Even the man who brought this proposal himself didn’t seem to know the deep circumstances.

Perhaps that was why he had maintained such a polite attitude towards me, the weaker party, until now.

‘Considering the average character of corporate people in this city…’

Yes, Benjamin Hayes before me had been a gentleman himself so far.

However, if I refused this offer, there was no telling what kind of attitude he would adopt from then on.

It occurred to me that it might be wiser to accept the hand extended in goodwill rather than unnecessarily provoking them.

Perhaps I only had one choice from the beginning.

After a short deliberation, I finally said.

“The contract, I’ll gratefully accept it.”

“Good, it was worth coming in person. Now that you’ve decided, we’ll contact you again later regarding the details of the business.”

The man smiled, satisfied.

Then, as if he were about to leave at any moment, he adjusted his clothes and said.

“Then, your contact information…. Hmm?”

However, the man seemed to look at me with a slightly puzzled expression.

Noticing his expression, I quickly replied.

“Ah, not a communication implant, please register it here.”

As I took out the old-fashioned terminal I had been using from my pocket, his eyes glinted meaningfully for a moment.

“Hoh….”

But the man soon nodded with an nonchalant expression.

“Alright, it’s registered. We’ll contact you again later to discuss the practical details. I have a schedule after this, so I must be excused. Despite appearances, I’m quite busy with company work. It was a pleasure meeting you, Miss Eve.”

He stood up from his seat and offered his hand for a handshake one last time.

As he turned to leave, something seemed to occur to him, and he looked back at me.

“Ah, and there’s one more thing I should tell you, Miss Eve.”

He added with a mischievous smile.

“About the scouting offer our agency staff made earlier. Please know that it’s still valid, completely separate from this deal.”

“Pardon?”

As I looked puzzled, he continued his explanation.

“It was truly a sheer coincidence. One of our company employees happened to be nearby, so we contacted him immediately. That offer had no connection to this deal; it was made purely based on your talent. And now that I’ve met you in person and spoken with you, I share the same thought as my colleague.”

I was momentarily stunned, not knowing what he was talking about.

Benjamin looked at my face and smiled calmly.

“It means that if you ever change your mind and contact us, we will fully support your idol debut. As the Vice President of Starlit Entertainment, I can assure you, Miss Eve, you have truly immense talent! Well, in an era like this, there’s no law saying a Saintess can’t be an idol, is there? Wahahaha!”

“…….”

The man left the café leisurely with his bodyguards, leaving behind a hearty laugh.

After the AV parked on the road in front flew high into the sky and disappeared from sight.

Only his digital business card remained on the table.

I just stared down at it, still with a dumbfounded expression.

“….”