23 – 23. Reward
Turning the nobles of the Anais family into dogs and doing it again for a few days.
Siena headed to the military office that oversees military affairs.
Until now, Siena hadn’t shown much interest in the military. After all, military connections were tightly held by Victoria and her extended family.
Victoria’s maternal grandfather, two active-duty generals who were her maternal uncles, and cousins who were steadily climbing the elite course in the army and navy.
“Perhaps they’re refraining because they have to watch their father’s reactions. If they set their minds to it, it might not be impossible for them to invade the army.”
Whether it was their influence or not, the group that rejected Siena the most was the military.
Of course, she was disliked in other departments as well.
But the military was particularly harsh. Among the officers of the Guards Division, there was talk that the moment they were assigned to the Thames Palace where Siena resided, their careers would end.
There were actually cases where it ended, but from Siena’s perspective, it was an unjust matter. They had done it just because there was a reason to humiliate.
However, thanks to Morphin, the situation changed.
“The military is our biggest customer. It’s still the only customer.”
Tomorrow is the first official delivery date.
Alan was still haggling at this moment to adjust the quantity to be delivered to the military.
Alan was in charge of extracting op*ium from the warehouse and manufacturing additional morphine. He was also overseeing the production of morphine tablets for convenient consumption. Was it just to keep the Bonneau brothers and the palace servants busy with odd jobs?
The woman who had caused the massacre came to meet Siena.
From Noble mtl dot com
Victoria Calla.
A lieutenant in the Imperial Military Staff Office and the First Princess of the Empire. And now, the closest existence to the position of Crown Princess.
“Lieutenant Calla is currently in her office.”
The colonel who had guided Siena to her sister’s office spoke smoothly.
Although a serving colonel had taken on the role of a lieutenant’s secretary, no one would dare to point it out. There was no soldier in the Empire who could treat the princess as a mere lieutenant.
“It’s quite impressive to come to work diligently every day. I don’t understand, but…”
It was Siena’s first visit to her sister’s office.
If she had had an opportunity to torment her before, she might have been interested, but she didn’t show any weaknesses, so she just let it go. But now that they were entangled in a relationship involving morphine, she wanted to have a serious conversation at least once.
“Sister?”
“It’s been a while, Siena.”
Victoria, who had been buried in documents, greeted her calmly.
“She really works hard.”
Glancing around, there were inspection reports spread out.
Although their motivations were different, Siena could feel that Victoria worked as hard as she did. Siena herself would spend her days working hard if there was nothing special going on.
“Isn’t it boring to work at the desk?”
“… hahahaha. It’s a lie if I say I don’t have the desire to go out to the field. No matter what anyone says, a soldier’s glory lies in the battlefield. But if I get ambitious, it puts the soldiers at risk. They’ll go to great lengths to give me a plausible excuse, you see.”
“So, you… live like this.”
“I thought it would be more efficient to help the soldiers serve in a slightly better environment.”
“……”
It’s really not a good fit. Sienna looked at her sister with disappointment.
It was Victoria’s characteristic to always talk like that, as if she meant it (or maybe she really did).
She had been like that since childhood. Whenever there was talk of the aristocracy’s official duties or something, she would habitually say, “We must wash away the blood shed during Ava Mama’s coronation process.”
“I still feel itchy all over, honestly.”
But she had to say something.
She didn’t just come to tease her for helping her make money. Just like when she kneeled before the nobles, she had a clear purpose.
And that purpose was obviously related to Morphine.
“Sister, I know, but I’m an investor in Medo Pharmaceuticals.”
“You came because of Morphine. I’m already prepared to receive it. According to the agreement reached with Alan, we will directly manage it in the military supply department and release the necessary quantities as needed…”
“We need to pay special attention to security.”
“Hmm?”
Victoria tilted her head, looking puzzled.
Sienna sighed briefly, thinking to herself that she really didn’t know anything. She pretended to genuinely worry about her sister’s innocence.
“I thought about just letting it go whether there’s an accident or not… sigh. It’s not going to work after all, huh? Does sister really only see Morphine as medicine?”
“I don’t understand what you’re talking about.”
“I thought it looked more like money than medicine.”
“……”
“Think about it. Even if we say it’s the salary of military officers, it’s only a meager 40,000 to 50,000 Talers. Nurses probably make even less. But 200 grams of Morphine is a huge sum of money that can change their lives. Do you really think there won’t be anyone tempted?”
“I know we have to manage it thoroughly. Don’t worry.”
“I’m relieved that you know. …But Unni, how can I not worry? It’s a product manufactured by the company where I own half the shares.”
Sienna sighed deeply, seemingly greatly concerned. Victoria tried to comfort her and suddenly recalled a gentle smile.
‘Is she considering me as someone mature?’
Rather than being happy about earning money, her younger sister worried about potential side effects first. Victoria couldn’t help but find her commendable.
Of course, Sienna’s goal wasn’t to seek praise from her sister.
‘An accident is bound to happen anyway.’
Didn’t they say patients almost caused a riot because of morphine?
Managing a dru*g with such efficacy perfectly was impossible.
Perhaps some issue would inevitably arise. Sienna was working solely to entrust the handling of the aftermath to Victoria.
It seemed Victoria couldn’t fathom these inner thoughts. On the contrary.
“Sienna, strive not to disappoint you and Alan Kyung.”
“Why would I be disappointed? I invested for the sake of making money anyway.”
“It’s okay. I know it’s not just about money. …Come to think of it, Alan Maydoff could manufacture morphine thanks to your support. You two seem to have a positive influence on each other.”
Victoria looked at Sienna as if praising her. Due to her sister’s serious reaction, Sienna didn’t have much to say.
“You’ve got good allies, Sienna.”
Of course, this was a fact.
“…You’re suddenly talking weird.”
“How about a cup of tea?”
“Fine. Let’s go.”
Suddenly feigning nonchalance, Sienna hastily stood up. Of course, as she left the office, she was recalling a faint smile.
Finally, it was the day of delivery.
“Commander Allen, the convoy is about to arrive.”
The quantity to be handed over to the military base today was 25 kilograms.
22 kilograms took the form of decisive powder, and 3 kilograms were in pill form, namely morphine tablets.
The plan was to increase the proportion of morphine tablets from now on, making it easier even for non-professionals to handle.
In fact, even at this moment, under Bono’s surveillance, the production of pills was underway. Several pharmacists from the military hospital were brought in for this purpose.
It wasn’t a difficult task. Capsule pills might be impossible, but since there was technology here for making pills using starch, it was feasible.
You could find ammonium chloride pills just by going to an herbal medicine store.
Considering its effectiveness for symptoms like coughing, it could be justified. However, it felt a bit awkward when I saw pills made with Wyvern bone powder. It’s not a healthy practice to consume bone powder directly.
Of course, I wasn’t in a position to criticize.
I was on the verge of a massive morphine deal.
With 25 kilograms, it was roughly 1.6 million doses.
It seemed like an enormous quantity, but in reality, it was only enough for one year in the intensive care unit of the military hospital. And frankly, it might not even last a year. There would undoubtedly be patients developing tolerance and demanding more.
I made this deal while also entering into a contract.
And, there were others who foresaw the same future as me.
“How long do you think that will last, Allen?”
It was Siena, who suddenly appeared and asked me that question.
“At your command.”
We hadn’t had a chance to see each other’s faces in the past few days due to being busy. Unlike me, who was somewhat tired due to manufacturing, Siena was cheerful.
“Ah, sorry. Of course, they must manage it thoroughly in the military, right? I met Victoria yesterday, and she seemed to have prepared diligently.”
“Are you saying that you met Princess Victoria at this point?”
“Don’t worry, I didn’t do anything foolish. And I also stopped by Eomamama and brought Silosibin as a gift. It seems like it’s about time for the medicine to run out.”
“I believe Her Majesty the Empress would have been very pleased.”
“It’s not just a matter of being pleased. This time, I even taught her ‘lemon.'”
Yes, of course, it must have been like that.
The Empress, who received the lemon tea, was delighted and took it immediately, they said.
And as soon as the medicine started to take effect, they exclaimed, “Thank you, my daughter!” and embraced Siena, taking care of her. Siena pretended to be embarrassed and snuggled up appropriately. Even when they were holding each other like that, the Emperor suddenly appeared and watched them with a touched expression.
“It was quite amusing.”
“You’ve become quite close.”
“It’s not just a matter of being close. Oh, by the way, we’ve planned to have a chat through telepathy magic tonight as well.”
She has truly become a virtuous lady.
Not only did they treat the Empress, but now they also fostered friendship.
Whether it was thanks to Siena or not, the relationship between the Emperor and Empress became even better than during their honeymoon. They went for walks together every day and even shared a bed.
It’s hard to believe that this is the same degenerate who once tried to seduce the Empress with op*ium wine.
It didn’t seem like she suddenly longed for family affection.
“Did you lay the groundwork before morphine was released into the world? Am I correct in my speculation?”
“That’s right. I made use of your resourcefulness while you were making the medicine. After all, it’s not a bad thing for you either, right? In case an accident happens, you can effectively prepare for it.”
Prepare for what? It’s the world that should be prepared for us.
I had a rough idea of why Siena suddenly wanted to increase her power. She probably wants to control me more thoroughly. After all, I am the only technician who can produce a dru*g more valuable than gold, at least for now.”
“Let’s do well from now on, Alan.”
As he looked into Pi-cha’s inner thoughts, he just smiled and said nothing. It felt a bit more comfortable now that there was no need to be verbose.
…
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A few hours later, humans coming out of the military fortress took away 25 kilograms of morphine.
The payment received was two billion dollars.
Now, it was just the beginning.