episode_0020

“Andrew If it goes as Warlock said, I think it would be a really good thing. Because more poor people can be given more opportunities… … .”

Father Thomas nodded and began muttering something to himself. It seemed like he was anticipating what would happen if he did as I said.

And, as if he had finished his thoughts, Father Thomas gave me a look.

“There may be side effects from giving money directly to the poor, but I think there are more positive aspects than that.”

“That’s right. Even if the poor wanted to escape a life of poverty, they had no opportunity. Couldn’t they use this as an opportunity?”

“That’s right.”

Father Thomas seemed to completely agree, nodding his head very vigorously.

“So… … . I would like to ask for some help from the branch to which Father Thomas belongs.”

“Yes? Are you talking about our branch?”

Father Thomas looked at me as if I was wondering what on earth they could help me with.

However, the most important thing in this plan right now was the religious order, including Father Thomas. Without the cooperation of the denomination, it may have been impossible to implement it at all.

“People are afraid of me because I’m a warlock, right? So, I want you to know that I have no other intentions.”

To be honest, it was no different from asking me to provide credit guarantee, but since I had no bad intentions, I showed a very confident attitude.

“Is that all?”

“No, there are a few more.”

And, there were several other reasons why the denomination’s cooperation was necessary.

“First, I would like you to gather people from the denomination. I would be more grateful if you could provide space as well. We have to collect blood from people, but we can’t do it in a dirty space.”

“That’s right. According to the knowledge spread by past warriors, diseases are easily spread in dirty spaces.”

“Yes, that’s why we need a clean space, and there can’t be a better place than a temple. And, somewhat related to that, we also need the cooperation of priests. To be precise, I would like you to be in charge of healing during the process after blood collection.”

“Um… … . If you draw blood, you will definitely get a wound, and you want us to heal that wound?”

“I can do it if I want to, but I can’t compare to the priests.”

If I did it myself, there would be some side effects, but if the priests did the healing, there would be no side effects and I could recover very quickly. The wounds caused by the blood collection were such that they could be healed in an instant.

It was clear that if a problem arose, such as a wound that was not properly recovered, there would be someone who would blame it on me. So, in order to solve that problem, the cooperation of the clergy was necessary.

“This part is beyond my authority. Our branch leader is currently at the branch, so it would be a good idea to talk to him.”

“Then, is it possible right now?”

“The bishop, who is the head of the branch, is currently disciplining the children… … . I will check it out and come back.”

Father Thomas got up from his seat and walked quickly somewhere, saying he would be away for a while. And, after about ten minutes had passed, Father Thomas returned. With an old man.

“This is Bishop Metra, the branch president of our branch.”

Father Thomas, who appeared with the old man, immediately introduced the old man. I saw him introduce myself and exchanged greetings with the old man.

We found out the other person’s name through Father Thomas, but after saying hello again in full, we sat down again and started talking.

“Yes. I heard a story from Father Thomas on the way here. I heard you said you wanted to buy blood from people. Is that correct?”

“Yes. Since I’m a warlock, I need some people’s blood. However, you cannot commit what the church defines as evil deeds. So, I am thinking of paying a fair price and purchasing blood from people who want to sell it themselves.”

A man named Bishop Metra nodded at my words. In particular, he seemed to like the idea that he could not commit acts that the church had defined as evil, and he even smiled slightly but happily.

But that smile was quickly hidden. It changed from a happy smile to a smile that just seemed like a good person.

“I understand that you are purchasing blood. However, they say they need the cooperation of the clergy… … . No matter how much our denomination does to relieve the poor, we cannot hire clergy without receiving anything in return. How are you going to do this part?”

“Of course, I plan to pay compensation to the priests who help me. In addition, the branch makes additional donations to be used for poverty relief.”

If I could increase my dark magic, there was no problem with spending a little more money. If you obtain dark magic with the money you spent, you could earn more than you spent. At least dozens of times more!

And, as if paying the remuneration was not enough, he even made a donation to the branch, and the old man seemed quite surprised.

“Could you please explain in detail about that?”

“Basically, when purchasing blood from people, I plan to purchase one glass of blood using a commonly used beer glass. I’ll buy that glass for a hundred meds. I’m going to give fifty meds to the priest who helped me buy that drink. And, donate the same amount to the branch.”

“Is it fifty meds?”

“It’s a bit small, right? However, since blood sampling can be done by several people at the same time, the actual money you will receive will be quite a bit.”

In some ways, the old man was disappointed with the small amount of money, but he seemed very satisfied when I explained a few more things. Blood collection could be done simultaneously no matter how many people there were. All you needed was someone to draw blood and a bowl or cup to collect the blood.

Anyway, the old man nodded and looked very positive when he heard that he would end up paying a considerable amount of money. It looked like they would give permission right away.

“I like that the poor are also given opportunities. If you promise me one thing, I will come forward and help you.”

“What kind of promise is this?”

I was a little nervous because I had no idea what kind of promise the old man was talking about.

No matter how much they were clergy, not all clergy were good. I was worried that he might be asking for kickbacks for no reason. If that happens, there is a possibility that it could cause problems in the future.

However, despite his nervousness and worries, the old man only made a very natural request as a priest.

“You would know this since you are a certified warlock. So, I want you to swear. We will not use blood purchased from people to harm people, and we will even guarantee the safety of those who sell blood when collecting blood.”

Perhaps because it was a warlock who committed massacre to save people’s blood, the old man seemed worried about what might happen.

They were asked to swear that they would not commit illegal acts using legally obtained items and that they would not commit illegal acts during legal processes.

I nodded because it was an unavoidable prejudice that warlocks have. It’s a prejudice that will follow me for the rest of my life, but worrying about it just makes me tired.

“I can make that kind of oath as much as I want. Instead, I will exclude situations where the other side takes actions such as attacking me. Because I also have to protect myself.”

“It’s natural to protect yourself.”

When I saw the old man nodding his head, saying that he fully understood, I immediately swore in front of him.

In any case, the only thing that could be done using the essence created from people’s blood was to use more and stronger skeletons. It wasn’t meant to be used to harm people in the first place. Additionally, there was no problem ensuring the safety of those selling blood. This included self-defense at a level where provocation could be considered an act of aggression.

Anyway, only after I had sworn that there was no problem whatsoever, I was given permission to purchase people’s blood. Of course, a document was prepared with the seal of the old man, the branch head and bishop of this place.

“Father Thomas will help Warlock Andrew, so if you need anything, please pass it on through Father Thomas.”

After finishing everything, I stood up and saw the old man leave, and immediately started preparing to purchase blood with Father Thomas.

First, I was assigned a room near the entrance to the temple, and there I was equipped with things to collect blood. They prepared a small but very sharp knife, dozens of cups of the same size to collect blood, and a huge bucket to collect the collected blood.

“It’s a pity that there is no syringe. Should I try making it later?”

The only thing that was disappointing was that I didn’t have the syringe or needle that I used to donate blood in my past life. This is because with the technology of this world, it is still close to impossible to create something of that level.

Anyway, after completing the preparations and gathering priests to help me, I began purchasing blood in earnest.

“Take my blood and give me money!”

And, as soon as purchases started, people started flocking.

The place where this temple is located was a large city of its own in the Kingdom of Barnoal. Of course, there were a lot of people living there, and there were just as many poor people. Naturally, there were a lot of people willing to sell their blood to make a few pennies.

With just a brief publicity session right before the sale, close to a hundred poor people gathered at the temple.

“Everyone! Please calm down and follow the instructions!”

Still, because there were several priests, people were following control. Thanks to the temple’s constant work to relieve the poor, the poor tended to pretend to die according to the priest’s words. Of course, there was no way I wouldn’t follow the control.

“If you would like to sell blood, please take a seat on this side and lie down! This can be done continuously, so please keep order!”

The poor who came first followed the priests’ instructions and laid down on chairs that could be called sunbeds. Priests were moving among them, exposing their forearms.

After confirming that all blood collection preparations were complete, I approached the person who came in first.

“Now, I’m going to cut my forearm with a knife and draw blood. If you don’t like pain, you can use the paralyzing curse to make yourself not feel pain. How can I curse you with paralysis?”

“Um, a curse? That’s a bit… … .”

“You don’t have to if you don’t want to. Instead, don’t forget that you must bear any pain that may occur during the blood collection process.”

“I’ll just do it!”

He was vehemently rejecting the curse, as if pain was better than the curse. It was easier if I didn’t curse myself, so I immediately picked up the knife and cut my forearm.

“Aaaagh! It fucking hurts!”

And, of course, those who were not cursed with paralysis started screaming and struggling like crazy.

“If you struggle, I won’t be able to receive your blood, and I won’t be able to give you money.”

“You can’t do that!”

As if the money was worse than the pain, the struggling stopped in an instant. Seeing that, I wondered for a moment where the power of money ended. Of course, there was no time to satisfy that curiosity.

” As soon as this person’s blood fills the cup, please heal him/her, pay the money, and then let the next person sit.”

“Yes.”

After giving instructions to the priest to take care of it, he immediately turned to the next person.

“I’m going to cut myself and receive blood, but with a paralyzing curse… … .”

“Yes! Please just curse me!”

A woman lying on a chair near a sunbed looked like she was afraid of pain. Well, I saw him struggling like that right next to me, so it must be scary to ignore him.

Understanding the woman’s feelings, I immediately used the paralyzing curse very lightly. The curse, which was used to paralyze only the nerves in the arm that would draw blood, immediately paralyzed the woman’s arm.

“Do you have any sense?”

“No. I don’t feel anything… … . Hi!”

When I asked her about using a knife to cut her arm, the woman shook her head. Even though he looked very surprised to see the blade stuck in his arm and the blood flowing down his face.

“The priests will remove the curse once the blood is drawn. It was done very mildly, so there won’t be any aftereffects, so don’t worry.”

After reassuring the woman, I immediately moved on to the next person. In this way, blood was collected by repeating curses and wounds one by one.

As a few minutes passed, people began to appear one by one, filling cups with their own blood. The people who filled the cups with blood were healed by the priests and received money before leaving, and their places were filled by other poor people.

The blood that had collected was neatly collected in a huge bucket placed in the corner. The blood that had barely filled the floor began to fill up, giving off a fishy, bloody smell.

Only an hour or two had passed, and already a dozen people’s worth of blood had been collected. Considering that the priests and I were in a hurry because we were just starting out, I thought the speed of obtaining blood would be even faster.

Moreover, those who sold blood once could sell it again after only 24 hours, so it was clear that they would be able to secure blood quickly. Unlike blood donations in previous lives, the physical condition of those who received healing from priests recovered within a day.

In fact, the 24 hours that had to pass was close to that because it was the time for the divine power to affect the blood.

“… … This is why people who kill humans are stupid. This is a virtually infinite way to save blood, right?”

It was clear that with the help of priests, blood would be provided continuously. Then I thought it was stupid to commit a massacre just to gain a momentary advantage.

Of course, that’s because no warlock has ever thought of collaborating with clerics like me.

Since the church was the first to subdue warlocks, most warlocks did not have a good relationship with the church. It was natural for certified warlocks to be reluctant to become priests.

So, it could be said that the reason the warlocks didn’t come up with this method was because they didn’t think of collaborating with clerics like I do now.

Anyway, a lot of blood began to accumulate every hour, and by the end of the day, there was enough blood to fill a bathtub that I could easily stand in. Even though only one person received a cup of blood from a beer glass, that much was collected.