NOVEL NEXT Chapter 20
Military Supply.
It would be a lie to say Victoria’s proposal wasn’t tempting—it was what I wanted in the first place.
After all, in this country, there was no more attractive client than the military.
Though we may not be in an age of constant warfare, military operations continue without pause. The small skirmishes between the Britannia Empire and the Turu Republic, our only rival of comparable strength, were frequent, and the conflicts with the Elves were particularly intense. The number of casualties was also significant.
Victoria wasn’t even trying to lowball the price.
Her offer was 1,000 talers per gram.
“Sir Alan. I’ve heard you say this isn’t about money. …But considering the effort you put into manufacturing morphine, it’s only right to offer this kind of compensation. You’ll also need investments to make it into pills.”
It did, in fact, require quite a lot of effort.
Just looking at the raw materials alone—it wasn’t easy getting ammonium chloride, which they use here as a cough suppressant.
But Victoria’s offer overshadowed even the cost of production. The profit margin was so high that it felt almost embarrassing to even calculate.
‘It’s also far less risky.’
Drug dealers can charge 400,000 won for a gram of ketamine because they take on significant risk.
But I didn’t need to dodge investigations like a younger sibling from my past life or employ a complex distribution process. I didn’t need to hire seven droppers to work anonymously. I only had to deliver it.
“And also, I’d appreciate it if you considered accepting the award again. Once morphine is fully implemented, there will be no one to question your qualifications.”
And to top it off, she was complimenting me.
Although, there was just one thing that was bothering me after giving it some thought.
“Your Highness, may I ask how you plan to secure the funding?”
“Funding?”
“Yes. Based on my rough estimate, the Imperial Military Hospital alone will require at least 20 kilograms of morphine annually. If we distribute it as an emergency medication to the front lines as well, the burden will certainly not be small.”
“No. Funding is not an issue.”
Had she, as an imperial princess, become so accustomed to wealth that she was no longer sensitive to its value?
Fortunately, Victoria wasn’t baselessly confident.
“I intend to cover the cost with my personal fortune.”
“Your personal fortune, you say?”
“Yes. And not only me, but I also plan to have my maternal relatives contribute. If my uncles contribute, the nobles who follow me will certainly show their support.”
“…”
“There will be no question of forcing a budget reallocation on the Ministry of Military Affairs. You can rest assured.”
…She really meant it.
If everyone pooled their resources, the burden wouldn’t be too great. Yet, the idea of dipping into one’s own pocket, regardless of the cost, was bizarre. Coming from someone who rarely encountered good people in life, this situation was quite perplexing.
“Sir Alan, would it be possible to recommend the introduction of morphine to the Military Affairs Ministry?”
“Your Highness, how could I possibly do that here?”
“Ah, I was pushing you for an answer. It was rude of me to come at this hour. If you need time to think, I’ll give it to you. …However.”
“Speak, Your Highness.”
Victoria hesitated for a moment.
But soon enough, she revealed that the military hospital urgently needed a batch of supplies. She mentioned the patients who had gone “somewhat” agitated without their morphine. Judging by the situation, the agitation was far from “somewhat” but rather quite intense.
“Would it be alright if you personally delivered the morphine to the military hospital?”
“…”
“The patients’ conditions will help you understand how much the military needs morphine. I believe it will expedite your decision.”
The decision was already half-made.
But seeing the end-users once wouldn’t hurt, I figured. Collecting a small amount of morphine that I had stored in a secure condition, I headed to the Imperial Military Hospital.
Wandering out to sell drugs at dawn felt strangely surreal.
—
I should have realized Victoria wasn’t joking about using her personal wealth.
“Patients, please calm down!”
Upon arrival at the military hospital, I discovered that an occupation protest was in play.
Dozens of more mobile patients (those capable of movement) had occupied the hospital director’s audience chamber.
The military policemen were caught in a standoff, unable to handle the situation either way.
Had these been homeless individuals doing the same thing, they would’ve been beaten and driven out by now. However, since their opponents were injured soldiers, it was difficult to resort to physical force. How could anyone hit the wounded?
The patients’ demand was, of course, one and the same.
“MOR-PHINE! MOR-PHINE!! MOR-PHINE!!!”
At the forefront was a patient waving his arms while shouting loudly for morphine. Others around him rallied, echoing the cry for morphine.
“I’m a sergeant at the artillery regiment… come on, just give me morphine already. If you give it to me, I’ll crush both your ears and the Republic!”
There was a patient who pleaded with the military police, emphasizing his elite unit membership. The MPs, looking quite awkward, slowly retreated.
“…Regardless, we will surely welcome back morphine. We will meet it again. All the cruel deaths in the world—whether by starvation, suffocation, drowning, thirst, falling, or accidents—are far less painful in comparison to the suffering of morphine withdrawal.”
“That’s right!”
An enthusiastic literary youth with tear-filled eyes joined the chorus. Judging by the looks of it, this individual seemed to be the ringleader of the occupation.
It seemed excessive, but it wasn’t.
After all, these were the first patients to taste the true meaning of pain relief.
Honestly, the hospital conditions, especially for critically ill patients, were pretty deplorable. A single ward had anywhere from fifty to sixty patients.
However, their relative financial abundance was evident in the clean beds and the lack of unpleasant odors. Yet, it was still insufficient for critically ill patients to live stress-free.
Morphine had become their deliverer from all that suffering.
If the administration of morphine were delayed any further, chaos was bound to erupt. Imagine hundreds of patients rushing out of the hospital yelling for morphine—it would quickly become uncontrollable.
I didn’t want to witness such a riot.
After revealing my identity to the commanding officer of the military police, I stepped forward to face the patients.
“Hand over the morphine!!”
The patients remained focused solely on morphine, showing no interest in me.
I decided to show them what they wanted first, pulling out a small bottle containing 60 grams of morphine and silently shaking it.
“Here’s the morphine you’ve been asking for.”
“Aah…!”
Dozens of pairs of eyes immediately turned toward me.
I wasn’t burdened by their stares—they weren’t looking at me but at the morphine. Even the literary youth and the artillery sergeant who threatened to ‘destroy everything’ were fixated; their gazes followed the bottle as I moved it.
“I’m the one who manufactured morphine. I’ve heard that the supply we provided for free has run out, causing you much distress.”
“Hur, hurry!”
“Of course, I’ll provide it. But you must follow my instructions. End the occupation immediately, return to your wards, and wait together with the other patients. If you fail to comply, the time it takes for you to receive morphine will be delayed accordingly.”
“…”
“Otherwise, I might just dispose of it altogether.”
“No way!!”
“Then move.”
Upon my announcement, the patients suddenly sprang into action.
“We’ve finally done it…!”
“Kid, you’re moving too slow. Let me help you.”
“Thank you.”
Though they were patients, their movements weren’t swift. They helped each other up, struggling to move their bodies. It was a wonder how they even managed to succeed in occupying the building in the first place.
In any case, the protest was over.
The medical staff, who had been waiting all night, rushed forward to collect the medication. Judging by their exhausted appearances, they had been through quite a lot.
Satisfied with my work, I slumped into a chair in the director’s office when—.
“Knight, is it true that you’re the one who manufactured morphine?”
A patient with a broken bone approached me and grabbed my arm.
“Do I know you?”
“You don’t remember me, do you? Last year, I was stationed in the Temseugung’s outer perimeter when I got hit on the back of the head by you. It wasn’t the reason I was admitted, though… Anyway, if it’s true that you really manufactured morphine, I cannot applaud your achievement enough.”
“So please keep providing it.
Please make sure this never happens again.”
“I beg of you.”
Finally clutching his crutches, the patient disappeared with a pleading look.
Watching his back with a complicated feeling, I wasn’t bothered by the commotion I nearly caused at the military hospital due to morphine.
I was just slightly worried about someone.
“Princess Siena will have something to say about this.”
I wondered what the shareholder, who owned 49% of my business, would think.
Logically speaking, Siena should be pleased. We managed to penetrate military supply channels in a short period. We could even start eating into the funds of Victoria and her faction, and half the profits were set to go to Siena.
But there was no guarantee Siena would welcome it. Maybe she would envy her half-sister for doing something noble.
‘What can be done?’
Regardless of her feelings, I had no intention of giving up on military supply contracts. This was the safest way to distribute morphine.
“Exactly. Sir Alan, it’s your accomplishment. You should take pride in it.”
Victoria appeared in the director’s office, saying this.
She seemed to have misinterpreted my contemplative look.
If she wanted to think well of me, there was no need to undo the misunderstanding. Gaining the trust of the Empire’s First Princess, the heir apparent closest to the crown, would make managing Siena and ensuring my own safety much easier.
“Thank you, Your Highness.”
“Have you made up your mind to accept my proposal? If you agree, we will proceed immediately.”
My decision had been set for a long time, but I deliberately stalled to show that it wasn’t an easy choice.
“Yes, Your Highness. I will accept.”
At this answer, she sighed, seemingly relieved. Victoria promised she would ‘persuade’ the Minister of Military Affairs to adopt morphine as soon as dawn broke, and then she left. Before leaving, she didn’t forget to give me a friendly glance.
“Thank you for making such a big decision, Alan Medoff.”
I am the one who should be thankful. Thanks to you, I now have the Empire’s military as a morphine customer.
Once the door had been opened, there was no going back.