*
The Guild Master who caused a commotion at the construction site holding a Urine Bottle was immediately arrested.
"Lord! I am truly falsely accused! Please, give me just one more Opportunity...!"
"Shut up."
The man holding onto the Iron Bars of the Detention Center shouted at the top of his lungs.
However, his desperate cries were immediately suppressed by the Guards.
Thwack! Thwack!
After a beating that seemed somewhat excessive, the main culprit of the commotion shut his mouth.
The Count didn't even give the man a glance and asked me.
"It's not that I know it. It's just that I have a habit of checking things out first whenever I make a new Discovery."
Since that was how I discovered Quinine, it wasn't exactly an absurd excuse.
"I see. But please be careful. That liquid is very dangerous."
"Judging from everyone's reactions, it seems to be a highly dangerous substance. Could you explain it to me in detail?"
"It is an item that once received attention as a Substitute for Mana Stone Bombs. Its explosive power was decent, and it was easy to control its force."
"Then why isn't it being used?"
"Because it was more expensive than a Mana Stone Bomb."
Mana Stone Bombs are made by carving a Runic formula into a Mana Stone.
And those Mana Stones come from Demonic Beasts.
The very Mana Stones that are so common they can be kicked around here in the Southern Region.
"Of course, the cost difference between that yellow liquid—which we call Explosive Liquid for convenience—and a Mana Stone Bomb isn't that immense. But the real problem is its stability. It tends to explode from just a slight touch."
The Count pointed with his chin at the Guild Master beyond the Iron Bars.
"That Guild Master claimed he could handle this liquid stably by freezing it. At first glance, it even seemed to be true."
"So it wasn't."
"As the Supervisor mentioned earlier, there was an explosion Accident at that man's Factory. They did freeze the liquid, but the frozen liquid quickly melted and triggered an explosion."
The number of The Deceased at the time was 14.
Among them were two knights sent via Dispatch by the Lord.
"I know it was an Accident, but that Guild Master pushed forward with the production of the liquid despite others trying to dissuade him due to the danger. Since such a Tragedy occurred as a Result, it is only fitting that he takes responsibility."
Upon hearing those words, I found myself thoroughly convinced.
It would be a problem even if he hadn't known it was dangerous, but causing such an Accident while knowing the risks meant he had absolutely no room for excuses.
"However, since I was the one who personally authorized the production of that Explosive Liquid, I substituted his responsibility for the Accident with Penal Labor."
"It seems you had high expectations for the Explosive Liquid."
"Yes."
Count Zarhan nodded.
"Because it might have been a substance we could use instead when Mana Stones are not supplied..."
"I see."
Meanwhile, I finished preparing to Experiment on the yellow liquid trapped inside the Barrier.
The method was simple.
I just needed to take out a tiny bit of the liquid and Experiment with an amount that wouldn't cause any problems even if it exploded.
And even calling it an Experiment, there was only one thing to do.
Slurp.
"Lord Saint?!"
When I dabbed my finger into the liquid and tasted it, the Count freaked out and tried to stop me.
"It's dangerous!"
"It is fine."
Historically, the History of Biochemistry begins with the sense of taste.
The Tongue was the most accurate analyzer bestowed upon humans by the gods.
In fact, the greatest Internal Medicine drugs in History were all typically discovered in this manner.
Furthermore, if my Prediction was correct, using my Tongue like this was the most certain way to check this liquid.
'...What the heck is this. It's sweet?'
And the Result was exactly as I predicted.
This sweet taste.
It was the taste of Glycerin.
However, since it wasn't pure Glycerin, a slightly dry and bitter aftertaste followed.
'This is actually better.'
It wasn't like I checked it because I wanted to make sugar anyway, so you could say it was the taste I was hoping for.
As soon as I finished verifying it, I called out to the Count.
"It seems I will need that Guild Master. Would a Negotiation regarding his sentence be possible?"
"By chance, was there some sort of Effect?"
"Yes..."
I replied, barely managing to steady my dizzy, stumbling body.
"I would like to hear the Circumstances of how he came to create this liquid."
*
Sulfuric Acid, and Nitric Acid.
Those were the substances that Guild Master used to create this yellow liquid.
As soon as I heard the Recipe, I could be certain about the true identity of this liquid.
'It really was Nitroglycerin.'
Nitroglycerin.
An emergency Heart Medicine.
Placing this under the Tongue of a patient with Angina can temporarily buy some Time.
'This is a medicine I gave up on making in this world.'
There was only one reason why I hadn't been able to make this medicine.
It was because I couldn't obtain Nitric Acid, the core Ingredient.
Nitric Acid is the most representative Explosive Substance, also used in Gunpowder.
Naturally, it is a substance that The Military, the Imperial Court, and Lords maintain a Monopoly over.
Even in Wuxia novels that preach Non-aggression between Government and Murim, Government Troops are sent via Dispatch during a Flare-up the moment a Thunderbolt Bomb appears; so how much more so in this world.
I hadn't even thought of obtaining it secretly.
In a World Setting with a level of perception-altering abilities, would it even be possible to 'secretly' obtain an Ingredient for Gunpowder?
That was why I had postponed the development of Nitroglycerin until now, but...
"Excellent, Guild Master. I look forward to working with you."
This time on the Southern Front, I was able to just freeload.
Damn it. Southern Region, it's you again.
Following Quinine, now Nitroglycerin.
'Should I establish a Foundation here or something?'
I was just sharing a Handshake with the Guild Master while having those thoughts.
The grubby-looking Guild Master looked at me, pouting his lips as he spoke bluntly.
"Just who the hell are you to be telling me you look forward to working with me... Gah!"
"How dare you! Do you know who this person is?! Watch your mouth!"
Thwack!
The Guard's fist smashed into the Guild Master's Abdomen.
The Guild Master's back bent like a shrimp.
"This person is The Black Saint!"
"Gasp! I'm sorry!"
It was only after a brief session of Disciplinary Training that I was able to have a proper conversation with the Guild Master.
"You said your name was Lord Harid, right?"
"P-Please just call me Harid, Lord Saint."
"Harid, I will make you a Proposal."
Harid was given two choices.
One was to continue serving his Penal Labor until a Railway was laid across the entire Southern Region.
He would have no money or Honor, but he could at least earn the title of being the Worker who laid the Empire's first Railway Track later on.
The other was to make Nitroglycerin by my side for five years.
He might not feel a sense of fulfillment, but he could gain the Honor of being the one who created a Heart Medicine.
Additionally, he would receive a Monthly salary on the level of a Researcher while working, and upon completing his five-year sentence, he could formally receive a Proposal for employment at my trading company.
"Think carefully and..."
"I have provided my Signature."
"That was fast."
It was a crossroads in Life, so I didn't expect him to decide this quickly.
However, it seemed I was the only one thinking that way.
From behind, Simeon and Gregor shrugged their Shoulders and spoke.
"Wouldn't anyone who hesitates here be a fool?"
"Lord Gregor. Saying that makes me, who strayed for a while, look like a fool, doesn't it? Of course, I will not offer any denial to the fact that I am a fool."
Anyway, Harid joined us like this.
Harid was a dark-skinned, curly-haired middle-aged man with a large mole on his Forehead.
If this were my Previous life, he gave off the Impression of someone who would be doing business right in the middle of a Central Asian Spice market.
"Mr. Harid. Do you happen to follow a Religion?"
"Yes! Whenever the weather gets hot, I observe Fasting and offer prayers to The gods. I can tell you that I have not an ounce of Shame regarding my Faith."
"..."
Is it really okay to entrust explosives to this person?
It's not that I want to judge a person based on Prejudice, but since Harid even has a criminal record, I was filled with Anxiety.
Recalling the sight of him holding that yellow liquid above his head at the construction site gave me goosebumps all over my body.
However, I didn't let it show.
"Harid. I have high expectations for you."
"What should I do?"
"We are going to make medicine with this."
Still, since he had a track record, I planned to assign at least some Manpower to monitor him.
*
I put Harid on an Airship and sent him to the Capital.
Since Nitroglycerin as a substance was already at Completion, turning it into medicine wasn't that difficult.
"To think it could be stabilized by absorbing it into Diatomaceous Earth like this... I hadn't come up with such an Idea."
While I was at it, I also taught him the fact that it becomes safe when mixed with Diatomaceous Earth.
He was thrilled, thinking he would bring innovation to the construction Scene with this, but my thoughts were a bit different.
'Even to me, it looks like a downgraded version of a Mana Stone Bomb.'
Economics were one thing, but the biggest reason was the shape of the explosion.
Nitroglycerin mixed with Diatomaceous Earth, also known as Dynamite, is undoubtedly a convenient substance.
However, with a Mana Stone Bomb, you can even control the shape of the explosion as long as you carve the Runic formula well.
Meaning it is entirely possible to configure whether the explosion will shoot up in a cylindrical shape or concentrate in a conical shape.
Well, it might be useful as a Catalyst, but my Conclusion was that it wouldn't be able to break through the stronghold of Mana Stone Bombs in the end.
"Haha! With this, I will be able to revive my trading company!"
Since he was rejoicing to that extent, I didn't bother explaining this to him.
Anyway, I left making the medicine and its release to the trading company and returned to the Academy.
And what awaited me at the Academy I returned to after a long Time was...
"...Ayla. Did a war break out or something while I was gone?"
"No?"
"Then was there an Attack by a Black Sorcerer?"
"No, there wasn't?"
"Then why are there so many injured Students?"
It was a massive number of Patients, reminiscent of a Code Black.
And Students of the Hero Department, at that.
When I asked for an explanation of the situation, Ayla scratched her cheek and said.
"Ah, well, you see... After Penicillin was created, the Divine Power consumption caused by Trauma greatly decreased, right?"
"Right."
"So I heard the Hero Department changed their Education Guideline to focus on sparring starting this year."
"..."
"Ah! Lady Erika is here too!"
Ayla pointed at Eri, who was brightly waving her hand in the corner with a broken leg, and said.
"Thanks to that, I heard Actual combat-oriented Education has become possible for Hero Aspirants too. This is all thanks to you, Lord Saint."
Looking at the brightly smiling Ayla, I thought.
Whether it was truly right to be proud of this.