47 – 47. Up and Down
Why isn’t this person paying me?
Leon Loaderdale, a sophomore in the Swordsmanship Department, stared at the money in front of him, feeling impatient.
Until just now, he had thought of the person who sent the money as a divine being who sympathized with his syrup shortage… but the real-time supply was running out.
“I don’t have much time left as it is.”
…If you really thought about it, there was plenty of time.
After all, Leon had spent the whole day rolling around in op*ium smoke. If it weren’t for the 50,000 talers, he would still be suffering. He resented the miserable reality of being forced to be satisfied with op*ium.
But unlike Leon, there was no time for the syrup.
Since Chancellor Grandma’s death, production had been discontinued.
Moreover, it was publicly announced to stop taking the syrup due to its harmful effects.
Although it seemed like something the Emperor said out of hatred for his daughter, Anais, it was true that it had become difficult to carry around the syrup bottle openly. The corrupt sellers in the Magic Department used it as an excuse to raise prices.
“I have to buy it now. Otherwise, the price will go up even more…!”
The last time he bought it was for 550 talers.
The current market price must have skyrocketed again. He had to stock up before the price went up even more.
And he needed a lot of it.
So that he wouldn’t have to worry about running out even if he ate it every day. He didn’t plan to give it to anyone else and intended to consume it all by himself.
But for that, he needed 50,000 talers.
“Is this person really trying to avoid paying me right now?”
If that’s the case, it would be unforgivable.
Considering the unintentional breach of etiquette, I could make a slight concession, but it wouldn’t make sense to leave without giving a single penny. It’s not like I asked for payment in advance; they suddenly showed up and offered to pay.
“Money…!”
Leon opened his mouth to urge, but the money disappeared.
“I will give it to you. However, there are conditions.”
“No, again…!”
“It’s not difficult. It’s just that I hesitate to hand over a sum of 50,000 talers to a student who can’t even remember the name of their sponsor. It’s somewhat unpleasant to see someone struggling in such a pitiful state. That’s why I want to verify you.”
“Huh.”
Verification when there’s no time?
Due to the sudden shock, Leon’s heart pounded even harder.
Unable to contain his anger, Leon growled, but the money remained unmoved. Instead, the person looked down on him with a displeased smile. If it weren’t for the money, Leon wouldn’t have even bothered with such a despicable person.
“Tell me, what is this verification?”
“It’s simple. I will give you a dru*g soon.”
“……?”
“Morphine.”
“What?”
“I will give you two morphine injections. And as a test, I will also give you Ephedrine, which I made to show to the First Princess. It’s a stronger dru*g than syrup. …From what I can see, you seem to enjoy combining uppers and downers.”
Morphine! Leon had heard about it from a friend.
A dru*g made from op*ium, they said that even people who were struggling with broken limbs would become angelic-faced when they took it.
He knew it was a dru*g for severely injured individuals, but it felt different to Leon, who had come out of an op*ium addiction.
” ‘What would it feel like if I took that medicine with the syrup?’
No, they also mentioned giving me Ephera. So, should I take it together with that?
Until a little while ago, I was feeling anxious because of the 50,000 Talers…
But now, my anticipation for Morphine and Ephera was replacing that anxiety. I was curious about who would give me medicine and why, but I decided to manage my expression first. I thought it would be better to show it later.
Then, the person who sponsored me spoke.
‘I will give you the medicine today, but don’t take it. Keep it until the day after tomorrow. And bring it to the Thames Palace, where the Second Princess Siena resides. That’s where I work. If you hand over the medicine to me intact, I will pay you 50,000 Talers on the spot.’
‘Who should I say I work for at the palace?’
‘Just tell the guards at the surveillance post that your name is Alan… Let me say it again for confirmation. Don’t take it, you have to give it back to me. If you come back empty-handed, consider the sponsorship null and void. I don’t think it’s a difficult task.’
The conditions were really simple, just as they said.
They will give me the medicine.
Don’t take it, just endure.
Then, they will give me the money.
‘What? It’s nothing!’
Leon nodded vigorously, saying, ‘That’s great!’
It’s just two days. If I endure with the op*ium and syrup I usually enjoy, it will be over. Morphine could be locked away in the wardrobe and forgotten.
‘Yes! Sponsor!’
Leon shouted confidently and showed a bright smile.
To show a good impression to the sponsor who made a tempting offer. The sponsor stared at Alan for a while without saying anything and then left.
It was only after some time had passed that Leon wiped away the smile.
…”
A few hours later, a delivery person arrived at Leon’s place.
It was a delivery person named Bono, who looked very rough.
From Noble mtl dot com
“This is morphine and ephedrine. Take it.”
Speaking informally in a delivery context?
Though slightly uncomfortable, Leon decided to just forgive and looked at the handed-over medicine. It was a few pills in a small bottle.
Just by looking at the color, it wasn’t as appealing as syrup that stimulates the appetite.
‘Nothing to complain about!’
Leon chuckled and put the medicine bottle into his pocket.
Then, he returned to the dormitory room.
As soon as he opened the door, a subtly piercing smell tickled his nose, and on the carpet, four students were sprawled in the smoke of op*ium. There were freshmen and female students from other departments. They were kids whose names he didn’t even know.
Leon couldn’t tell when they had multiplied like this.
‘Who were these guys again…?’
Leon shook his head and checked the medicine bottle in his pocket again.
The thought of enduring remained unchanged.
If he could endure for just two days, 50,000 dollars would come into his account. Where could you find an idiot who couldn’t endure that? It would be fine to just pretend he didn’t receive it and forget about it.
“I can endure. I can endure.”
Muttering, Leon entered the smoke. Even though he accidentally stepped on the foot of an op*ium friend whose name he didn’t know, he didn’t mind.
**
I knew how pathetic it was to give medicine to a dru*g addict and tell them to endure.
Even if parents kneel down and beg while wiping their hands, and even if their child is starving next to them, since they’re addicts, they only think about dru*gs.
It was not at all because it was a dru*g he had never experienced before that he had less desire for it.
Rather, it was probably because of the anticipation of unknown pleasure, to the point of madness.
How good would this dru*g be? Just with op*ium and syrup, a theater opens up in my head, but if I mix it with better dru*gs than that, it would really kill me. Maybe I could deceive myself with something similar after taking it… It was clear that Leon was wrestling with these thoughts.
There was one reason why I gave him options knowing that.
‘Because there is a possibility that he can endure it.’
If Leon showed remarkable patience and gave me the dru*g back?
It meant that there was some hope. When you have dru*gs in your hands and you endure something better than what you originally took, it means something.
On the other hand, there was nothing wrong with taking it. Then I would have to solve the elf problem, but I was already prepared for that.
‘If that happens, I’ll proceed as planned.’
Of course, I couldn’t just sit around until then.
I also made preparations to prepare for the near future.
I ordered a large amount of materials to make a solvent, and to reduce my workload, I delegated some of the menial tasks to trustworthy employees. I also didn’t forget to have the nobles of the Siena faction watch the movements of the sect.
It wouldn’t hurt to make a prototype while I was at it.
But I didn’t have time for that.
“Um, Sir Allen? There’s someone… looking for Sir Allen.”
Report from the captain of the guard.
Just by calling it “someone,” it was unusual.
It could mean that it wasn’t a human or that it wasn’t behaving like a human. It could be both. Just hearing this much, I could tell who had come.
The only surprising thing was that they came so quickly.
‘Isn’t it still morning?’
Having Bonos deliver the medicine was just yesterday evening.
Thinking about the 50,000 dollars, I thought I could endure for about a day, but it seems things have gotten worse in the meantime. Or maybe he gulped it down as soon as he received it and spent the night contemplating excuses.
Perhaps I might see something more sinister than I can imagine.
I mentally prepared myself and headed to the surveillance post.
“Sir Alan. Over here.”
However, when I actually came face to face with Leon Rotherdale, he seemed more composed than I had anticipated.
He didn’t tremble, his mouth was shut, and it seemed like he had shaved his head. Of course, everything wasn’t perfect. He was dressed in a uniform but wearing slippers.
Above all, what bothered me was the peculiar gaze typical of an addict.
Eyes with a unique look, impossible to know whom or what he’s staring at, a characteristic gaze.
Even though I appeared, Leon just stood there blankly, staring at ‘somewhere.’ Unable to tolerate it, I snapped my fingers in front of his face.
“Leon. Look over here.”
In response, Leon, who gazed at me absentmindedly without any surprise, began to speak in a toneless voice after pursing his lips a few times.
“Sir Alan. I apologize for showing such a sight yesterday. I heard from a friend that you’re an incredibly remarkable person. But about that promise. My friend secretly took all the medicine. It’s not that he didn’t keep the promise on purpose, but my friend ate it without telling me.”
“….”
“He really did. So, I hope you won’t cancel the sponsorship.”
After saying these words, Leon, who avoided my gaze, was not averted or lowered his eyes like an ordinary person would. Instead, he turned his eyes upward, showing off how clear his whites were. What should I call this… There was no word other than bizarre.
‘He ate it all in one night, after all.’
It seemed like there was no suitable state for a conversation, so I just informed him.
“Leon. If that’s true, I can give you 50,000 dollars.”
“Wow.”
“In return, I will block you from accessing morphine, ephedrine, or any other ‘real’ dru*gs until you die. Those are the dru*gs that you can’t get without my permission. If you’re okay with that, I can give you the money right now.”
Upon hearing this, Leon fixed his gaze on me.
And he hurriedly said,
“I’m sorry. It wasn’t my friend, it was me who took them. I took both Mongrong and Beolleong. I really messed up. You don’t have to give me the money.”
After that, the apologies continued endlessly.
I’m sorry, I messed up, please don’t cut off the dru*gs.
A surrender faster than expected. And a more serious situation than expected.
The officer who guided me couldn’t bear to watch and rushed out, but I couldn’t do the same.
I had to think about how to deal with Leon, who had become an addict. I needed to figure out how to make use of his remaining swordsmanship talent in some way.