Their faces had grown so pale that I began to worry something had gone terribly wrong.

At last, one of the priests stammered out, “The Elixir... the Elixir has actually been made!!”

The once-serene apothecary transformed into the scene of a wild celebration.

Cheers erupted. Some flung expensive herbs into the air like confetti, while others wiped away tears. A few broke into song, and someone even dashed off to fetch champagne.

…It was utter chaos.

I stepped back and observed the scene before whispering to Delsy, “...Wasn’t everyone under a forced calm state because of the skill?”

[The excitement broke through the skill’s effects, squawk! After all, it’s been 200 years since the lost method for making Elixirs was rediscovered. It’s only natural they’re overwhelmed, squawk-squawk!]

Just then, the overjoyed priests turned toward me, tears streaking their faces.

“Your Holiness! This... this is an extraordinary event! If we monopolize the sale of Elixirs, the wealth we’ll acquire will be beyond anything we’ve ever dreamed!”

“Exactly, Your Holiness! The Church will surpass even the most powerful noble houses—no, we’ll eclipse the Imperial family itself with the power and resources this will bring us!”

“With this, with just this, we could dominate not only the Empire but the entire continent...!”

Their talk was startlingly secular for religious folk.

Then again, I couldn’t blame them. The Church’s finances had been in dire straits for a while.

They must have been mass-producing and selling potions like machines without rest.

Come to think of it, despite the abundance of ingredients, the Church itself had always seemed short on potions. No doubt it was a financial issue—they had been selling every batch just to stay afloat, leaving the priests to suffer from potion shortages themselves.

But now, that struggle was over. It was only natural that they’d be this elated.

“Go ahead, celebrate to your hearts’ content. We will monopolize the sale.” I paused for effect and continued when their cheers settled.

“But only for one year.”

“...What? Your Holiness, just one year? What do you mean by that?”

Roni stammered; his confusion palpable. I made my stance crystal clear.

“It means we’ll earn as much as we can for a year, and then we’ll publicly distribute the Elixir’s formula for anyone to use—free of charge.”

“F-free...? But why...?”

Monopolizing the formula, making just a few Elixirs, and selling them at exorbitant prices to desperate nobles on death’s door—it was undoubtedly a lucrative plan.

If we did that, as the priests suggested, we could amass unimaginable wealth.

It would be like having a golden well that never ran dry.

But there was a good reason I was limiting our monopoly to just one year.

“Think about it. Why do you think the Elixir’s formula disappeared 200 years ago?”

“...!”

“Exactly. If we hoard the knowledge, we’ll be no different from the fools of the past who made the same mistake.”

In ancient times, a handful of greedy nobles had monopolized the Elixir’s formula. When the last noble who knew the method died in a war with a foreign nation, the formula was lost forever.

Given how valuable this technique was, sharing it widely was the only way to prevent it from vanishing again.

I didn’t elaborate further, but they seemed to grasp the point.

“Your Holiness...”

The priests, who had been listening intently, now called out to me in voices brimming with emotion.

Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

Their eyes sparkled, and their tones grew reverent. I knew this reaction all too well.

It was the same as when people saw the so-called “scoundrel Pope” display unexpected wisdom or compassion.

Sure enough, the priests began showering me with embarrassingly flowery praise.

“Your boundless and profound heart extends beyond the Church to all of humanity... I can’t even begin to comprehend it, let alone emulate it.”

“Your Holiness, you’re absolutely right. To use this knowledge for selfish gain alone would make us no better than the greedy nobles of the past.”

“I’m stunned by the depth of your insight. Thank you for this profound lesson.”

I scratched my nose, a bit overwhelmed by the effusive compliments.

‘They’re overdoing it... All I wanted was a year to milk the profits before sharing it.’

If I were truly noble-hearted, I’d have distributed the formula immediately. But here they were, treating me like some saint.

Maybe it was because the original Nikellus was such a notorious scoundrel that even a minor act of decency seemed miraculous by comparison.

Whatever the reason, they were clearly more moved than I’d anticipated.

[The favorability of Delsy and many others has greatly increased!]

[A surprise event has been triggered due to the favorability boost!]

Just like when I gained favor from Luciana and Argel, another notification popped up. This time, it seemed a special event had been triggered because I had raised the favorability of so many people at once.

‘...A surprise event?’

In Judgment Requiem, completing unusual achievements often triggered surprise events.

Slaying 100 of a specific monster, being the first to enter a dungeon, or, as in this case, boosting the favorability of a large group could all trigger such events.

Sometimes these events rewarded rare dungeon keys or valuable items.

I checked the event details with a flicker of anticipation.

▶ Event Title: “Maybe We Misjudged You” ◀

―You’ve earned the favor of those who once disliked you.

Their perception of you has changed.

People will now see you as “someone who seemed bad but is actually profound.”

Reward List:

* 150 Karma Points

* Untarnishable Holy White Boots (part of a 3-piece set)

While I’d always worn black boots to avoid stains, I could now pair these pristine white ones with the rest of my attire.

Not that the color mattered much. The real prize was the Karma Points.

‘150 points! Things are looking up!’

With this unexpected windfall, my negative Karma Points might soon shift to the positive.

That, in turn, would unlock the skills that were currently sealed.

Buoyed by this stroke of luck, I addressed the priests with renewed enthusiasm.

“Alright, let’s get to work. Start producing as much as you can. We’ve got one year to make the most of this. And while you’re at it, whip me up another Elixir.”

“Uh, well...”

“Hm?”

“The thing is... while the ingredients are more common than we initially thought, they’re not exactly easy to come by at all times. We ran out of one of them while making the first batch.”

“...Ah. I see.”

“Yes, Your Holiness. We’ll need to gather more before we can ramp up production, so large-scale brewing will have to wait until next week.”

Their response was less than thrilling, and they looked sheepish.

I sighed but let it go. “Fine. In that case, just give me two high-grade potions for now.”

“Yes, Your Holiness!”

The priests eagerly complied, producing five high-grade potions for me on the spot.

High-grade potions were prohibitively expensive, but they handed them over without hesitation.

After all, the Elixir sales would soon fill the Church’s coffers to the brim.

With everything settled, I left the apothecary and thanked Delsy for her help.

“Thanks for coming with me. It made things a lot easier. Now, I’ll—”

[You’re heading to see the captured demons, aren’t you? Squawk?]

“...?! How did you know?”

Did she have foresight powers?

Surprised, I asked, and Delsy smiled gently.

Then, for the first time, she spoke in her true voice—not through an item, but her own.

“Because, Your Holiness, you’ve always looked back. Whenever you saw someone in need, you couldn’t just walk away.”

“Me?”

“Yes, like when you first found me.”

She was referring to the day she met the original Nikellus. I tried to recall the memory, though it was faint.

‘A narrow, shadowed alley... a frail child huddled there... Delsy...’

The memory grew clearer as she described it.

“In the dark alley, I had been alone for five days. No one noticed me—no one but you. You were the only one who looked back.”

She recounted it vividly, as if it had happened yesterday.

Her words stirred my memory further.

That day, the original Nikellus had visited a slum with Luciana to investigate reports of an S-class Awakened one with dangerous mental abilities.

They searched every home but found no trace of the individual. Ready to leave, Nikellus boarded his carriage—

Only to halt at the last moment.

- “Your Holiness? Where are you going?”

He ignored Luciana’s question and retraced his steps to a small alley he had passed earlier.

There, he found not a stray animal but a fragile girl—Delsy.

She had been a withered shadow of the poised high priestess standing before me now.

Delsy smiled at me, then pointed at the potions I was holding.

[Those might not be enough to help the demons recover fully. Their injuries seemed severe. But I’m certain your kindness will reach them, squawk.]

“Kindness... If you say so, I’ll trust you. You’ve always been spot on.”

Delsy didn’t respond, just smiled warmly.

I smiled back, and we parted ways—she to inform the other priests, and I to visit the old prophets who had been captured.

‘I heard they’ve been raging uncontrollably since their capture and were locked in the underground prison...’

That was the last I’d heard about them.

The Church’s underground prison was nearly inescapable, even for S-class Awakened ones. It was also discreet, minimizing the chance of discovery.

But as I descended into the dark depths of the prison, a twinge of regret surfaced.

‘I shouldn’t have left them here...’

The prison was suffocatingly dark, cold, and damp. Injuries left untreated in such a place would only fester.

I turned to the warden escorting me.

“Can’t we move them to a better floor? The prophets, I mean. They won’t recover in these conditions.”

“This is no place for recovery, that’s true. But once you see their condition, Your Holiness, you’ll understand why moving them isn’t an option.”