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Episode 122

Until recently, the streets where people had bustled were now empty.

Invisible pedestrians and shops with their doors locked.

It was the first time since the war that the Empire had looked so desolate.

Cough, cough.

Whenever people heard coughing from somewhere, they would glance fearfully in that direction.

A disease that could only be cured by a priest's healing!

For ordinary citizens, it was nothing short of a disaster.

The Temple tried to treat everyone equally regardless of class, but in an emergency like this, they had no choice but to prioritize nobles.

After all, most of the donations that sustained the Temple came from nobles' pockets.

To save non-nobles, the donations were also crucial—if the Temple was maintained, the priests could do their work.

Yes, rationally, she understood that.

'But then what are people like us—with no money—supposed to do?'

It was obvious she'd be far down the treatment priority list.

So for commoners, the best option was to do everything possible not to get sick.

But——

"Cough! Cough, cough!"

There was no easy way to stop its rapid spread.

"M-Mom!"

"Stay back, Emily! If you catch it too…… cough!"

Her throat felt like it was tearing from the constant coughing.

And that wasn't all.

From coughing so much, it felt like her ribs might have cracked.

Every cough sent searing pain through her ribs.

But the woman's household was poor.

She had neither the money to donate to the Temple nor the strength to go there.

The only good news was that the Temple had announced that in a few days, priests would be sent around the streets to treat people.

If she could just hold out a few more days, a priest would heal her.

So just a few days.

Just hold out a few more days, but……

"Cough! Cough, cough!"

At the worsening cough, the child's crying beyond the door grew louder.

"Hweeeh, Mommy……!"

"Mommy's fine, Emily. So eat your meals properly in the kitchen, okay?"

The woman's husband had died a few years ago.

She'd been raising Emily alone ever since.

'If I die, Emily will be all alone.'

So she absolutely couldn't die.

She had to endure and survive somehow.

'……Please, Connor.'

Her late husband's face flickered in her mind.

'Help me, Connor. I can't let Emily become an orphan. Give me strength to hold on.'

Just as she was gasping and praying—

Knock, knock.

"……?"

At the sound of tapping on the window, she looked up.

A human silhouette flickered beyond the low window.

"Who……?"

At that moment, the window latch clicked and easily unlocked.

Then, something flew in through the open gap.

Gasp!

The woman, who had been about to scream in surprise, froze.

What had flown into the room was a somewhat thick envelope.

What caught her eye was the short message written on it.

«To the family of my dear comrade, Connor.

—Ortega»

'Ortega?'

She guessed the sender was the Marchioness of Ortega.

Since he had also fought in the war where Connor died, they must have formed a connection there.

'But why send it this way……?'

Tilting her head, she tore open the envelope. Carefully checking the contents, her eyes widened.

"This is……."

Inside were the tea bags that had recently been popular in the capital.

She didn't know what kind of tea it was, but the enclosed letter explained.

«Velfia Tea Leaves

- Steep in hot water before drinking.

- One tea bag can make up to 3 cups.

- Effective in treating the current epidemic!

- Available for purchase at nearby temples and at Café 'Blossom' in the capital.»

"Velfia?"

Looking closely, it was indeed Velfia tea. The elegant packaging made it look somewhat unfamiliar.

But what mattered now was the line about being 'effective in treating the epidemic.'

Whether true or not, it was worth a try.

The fact that it could be purchased at temples added credibility.

If the Temple was selling it, that meant the Temple recognized its efficacy.

The woman quickly brewed and drank the Velfia tea.

A few days later, on the day of the priests' mobile clinic—

"You've already recovered."

"Really?"

"Yes. Congratulations. Still, just in case, I'd recommend continuing to take the Velfia tea for a while."

"Yes, I will."

"That said, I have something good."

"……Pardon?"

At the woman's question, the young priest gave a low laugh and discreetly pulled something from his robes.

A small box of tea leaves.

"If you buy now, I can supply it at a special discount. But this is a secret deal, so you must keep it confidential. Would you like to purchase?"

"……."

Is a priest allowed to do this?

It felt like a shady transaction, but on second thought, he was just offering medicine at a discount in a roundabout way.

When the woman said yes, the priest handed her the carefully packaged tea leaves.

"May Lord Dake bless you."

---

"I've handled it as requested."

At César's words, Janet smiled.

"Thank you."

What she had asked of César was to secretly supply Velfia tea leaves to the poor at a low price.

It hadn't been long since word spread that Velfia tea leaves were effective against the new epidemic.

With the Temple even confirming its efficacy, everyone was desperate to get their hands on Velfia tea.

But Velfia had originally been a tea only the poor sought, so there wasn't much of it.

Janet naturally began releasing Velfia tea leaves onto the market.

When demand is high and supply is low, prices naturally rise.

Velfia was being traded for several times its original value.

That didn't mean Janet was taking exorbitant profits.

'After all, the reason I invested in Velfia wasn't for money, but to fight the epidemic.'

She sold the tea at a price slightly higher than Velfia's original cost but didn't overcharge.

She also limited sales to her shop 'Blossom' and the temples.

This was to avoid unnecessary suspicion.

For example, rumors that she had created and spread the disease to make money.

Even without taking excessive profits, Janet still made a fortune.

By selling Velfia tea in tea bag form, the existence of 'tea bags' also became known across the Empire.

Blossom, which had been struggling since the outbreak, also began making high profits again.

Just as she was smiling at the thought of Rosina, who would be happy—

"However, my Lady."

"Yes, Cardinal."

"Would you now tell me the truth?"

"The truth? What truth?"

At Janet's question, the cardinal asked back with a serious face.

"Was all of this really coincidence? Did you really invest in Velfia tea farming by chance, and just happen to discover its efficacy against the epidemic?"

Oh, he was hitting rather close to home……?

Blinking, Janet couldn't answer easily and fell into thought.

When she didn't respond, César squeezed his eyes shut and opened them.

Then—

"It was a revelation, wasn't it?"

"……Pardon?"

"Lord Dake gave you a revelation, didn't He? To invest in Velfia early on, to resolve the danger that would later befall the Empire."

As if he'd already decided the answer, César's face grew increasingly flushed.

His eyes, fixed on Janet, were filled with anticipation and joy.

"I've been thinking—the 'fate of Veronia' that you carry must mean the fate of a 'saint'!"

At that moment, a memory from her past life flickered through Janet's mind.

Back in school, there was a kid who skipped class to go to idol concerts and fan meetings.

And the expression on that kid's face when explaining their favorite group looked exactly like that.

"That's why Lady Janet Ortega is clearly a saint! A reincarnation of the saint!"

A reincarnation of the saint, she said.

At the overly heavy and burdensome title, Janet quickly shook her head.

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