"Demon summoning?"
The chairmanʼs mouth fell open at Zekeʼs completely unexpected words.
Zeke skimmed through the documents as he spoke.
"It seems like youʼve done quite a bit of business with the Siemens Family. Is that right?" Chairman Kunrad exchanged glances with the vice chairman and the other executives.
Until recently, Siemens had been Drakerʼs greatest blood ally and one of the most prominent families on the Central Continent.
So, it was only natural for the Alchemistsʼ Union to enter into transactions when Siemens made a request.
When Kunrad didnʼt respond, Zeke fixed him with a sharp gaze.
"Why arenʼt you answering?"
Kunrad flinched involuntarily at Zekeʼs menacing tone and replied.
"Y-Yes, thatʼs correct."
"Hmm."
Zeke said nothing more and simply flipped through the documents again.
Each rustle of the pages made Kunradʼs heart twist in his chest.
He had deliberately brought Zeke and Melissa to this conference room to pressure them, but the situation had completely reversed, leaving him and the others under interrogation.
Zeke folded the documents heʼd been reviewing and looked at Kunrad.
"So, what are you going to do about it?"
Zekeʼs abrupt question, cutting straight to the chase, left Kunrad flustered, sweat beading on his forehead.
'D-Damn it. He suddenly brings up demon summoning, then casually mentions the
Siemens Family... I canʼt make heads or tails of this.ʼ
He exchanged glances with the other executives, signaling with his eyes for ideas, but they were just as clueless about the situation.
Then, the vice chairman suddenly stood up and shouted at Zeke.
"Sir Zeke Draker! What is the meaning of this rude behavior? Demon summoning? Our tower has never been involved in anything like that!"
The chairman felt his heart stop at the vice chairmanʼs sudden outburst, as always.
'Damn it, what the hell did this guy eat today? Why is he always causing trouble!ʼ
He had shot the vice chairman a warning glance to stay quiet, but the man had provoked Zeke Draker again without consulting anyone.
Zeke rested his chin on his hand and scanned the vice chairman and the other executives.
"Hmm, never involved in demon summoning, you say. Do you have any evidence to prove that?"
The chairmanʼs breath caught in his throat at Zekeʼs words.
'This bastard... Heʼs trying to force us into a corner by linking us to demon summoning.ʼ Zeke wasnʼt presenting evidence of their involvement; he was demanding they prove their innocence, which was absurd.
By Zekeʼs logic, the Alchemistsʼ Union would have to somehow demonstrate they hadnʼt engaged in demon summoning, which was impossible from the start.
When no one from the Alchemistsʼ Union responded, Zeke slowly rose from his seat.
"It seems like no one here is particularly interested in this matter. Fine, then. Iʼll just report everything that happened today to the Black Stage as is."
Kunrad jumped to his feet in alarm at the mention of the Black Stage.
"W-Wait a moment! Sir Zeke!"
He quickly approached Zeke and bowed deeply.
"Youʼve come all this way—how can we just let you leave like this? Please, stay and letʼs discuss things over a meal."
The chairmanʼs attitude had shifted dramatically from when Zeke first arrived.
Zeke looked at him and quipped.
"No need. It doesnʼt seem like the tower particularly welcomes me, so why waste each otherʼs time?"
At that, the chairman gestured to the other executives.
They stood and bowed to Zeke as well.
"Weʼve always admired the Knight of Salvation and wanted to meet you!"
"Please join us for a meal. I know a great restaurant—youʼll love it, Sir Zeke!"
"I hear you enjoy tea. How about a cup after the meal? I know a special teahouse with imported Eastern tea sets and rare teas."
Once it seemed the pressure had built up enough, Zeke feigned reluctance before turning to Princess Melissa.
"Well, Princess, what do you think? Donʼt we have other schedules after this?" Princess Melissa furrowed her brow slightly and nodded.
"Yes, our time is a bit tight. But we have to eat anyway, so that much should be..." At Princess Melissaʼs words, the chairman and executives sprang into action.
'Quick, reserve a restaurant and clear it out. Hurry!ʼ
The executives understood the chairmanʼs silent glare and moved swiftly. The chairman, meanwhile, fawned over Zeke and Melissa to buy time until preparations were complete.
Soon after, Zeke and Melissa, along with the chairman and executives, arrived at the most expensive and renowned restaurant in the neutral city.
As prearranged, the place had been cleared out, making the interior utterly quiet.
The chairman guided Zeke and Melissa to the seats of honor and sat beside them.
Before the food arrived, he brought out a fine vintage and poured it into their glasses.
"We canʼt just let such esteemed guests leave empty-handed."
It was an expensive wine worth a knightʼs monthly salary per glass.
Zeke rarely drank, and Melissa valued frugality as a virtue, so they werenʼt thrilled by the lavish treatment.
Unaware of their discomfort, the chairman enthusiastically explained the wineʼs rarity, spraying spittle as he went on at length.
Zeke, tiring of the lecture before it even ended, lifted his glass and downed it in one gulp.
"Uh..."
Seeing Zeke drink the precious wine like water, the chairman was momentarily speechless.
Zeke looked at him and said.
"Iʼm not sure why we need all these people here sharing the table." The chairmanʼs face fell, as if heʼd expected this.
'The rumors donʼt do him justice.ʼ
Though he inwardly clicked his tongue, the man was still a guardian knight of Draker.
He had every right to act this way.
The chairman quickly signaled the other executives to leave.
Soon, only Zeke, Melissa, and the chairman remained in the restaurant.
As the chairman reached to refill Zekeʼs glass, Zeke snatched the bottle from his hand.
He then tilted the bottle to his lips and drained it in one go.
The chairmanʼs face drained of color at the sight.
'H-Heʼs insane...!ʼ
Watching Zeke treat a bottle worth hundreds of gold like cheap rum, the chairman realized he was dealing with far more than your average madman.
After emptying the bottle, Zeke looked at the chairman.
"Kunrad Mason, you must be quite wealthy. Frequenting expensive wines and restaurants
like this."
The chairman waved his hands in denial.
"N-No, not at all. I only come occasionally, like when esteemed guests like you visit, Sir Zeke."
Zeke regarded him with a cold stare.
"Now that itʼs just us, letʼs talk plainly. You know why Iʼm here."
Sweat poured down the chairmanʼs face as he slowly opened his mouth.
"I-Is it about Feynen Pharmaceuticalsʼ new drug?" Zeke clicked his tongue at that.
The chairmanʼs eyes widened in shock at his reaction.
'I-Is that not it?ʼ
Zeke shook his head and said to the chairman.
"You still donʼt get it. The situation is serious." Startled, Kunrad asked.
"W-What do you mean?"
"Are you deaf? You must have forgotten what I said earlier. The demon summoning issue."
Kunrad panicked at Zekeʼs words.
'Wasnʼt that just a bluff to scare us?ʼ
Zeke watched his flustered expression and tossed the documents heʼd reviewed earlier toward him.
"If you donʼt believe me, see for yourself."
Kunrad hurriedly opened the documents Zeke handed him and scanned them, his eyes bulging.
'A-Artificial Blood Tear Stone production?ʼ
Zeke had traced how the Siemens Family and Narak were manufacturing the artificial Blood Tear Stones needed for demonkind summoning.
According to Richmond, artificial Blood Tear Stones couldnʼt be made with just blood and fairy stones.
They required various materials and processing techniques, and realistically, only the Alchemistsʼ Union had the scale to produce them in such quantities.
Zeke had zeroed in on that very point.
The documents Kunrad examined detailed how the materials they had processed and sent to Siemens were used to create artificial Blood Tear Stones, which in turn were employed in demonkind summoning rituals.
Trembling, Kunrad shot to his feet.
"T-This is unjust! Weʼve never been involved in demon summoning!" Zeke glared at him coldly.
"So youʼre saying everything Iʼve investigated is false?" Kunrad couldnʼt respond to Zekeʼs words.
No matter how money-driven he was, he was still a master alchemist who had risen to chairman through years of research. The documents werenʼt baseless fabrications—they were likely true.
Thus, sending those items to Siemens without properly inquiring about their purpose was undeniably their responsibility.
Especially since demonkind summoning was one of the gravest taboos on the continent; even unintentional involvement in a summoning ritual carried severe legal penalties.
Knowing this, Kunrad found it hard to refute Zeke.
Zeke clicked his tongue at Kunrad.
"If this gets out to the Principality of Vadoka, the Pope might revoke the Alchemistsʼ
Unionʼs certification authority entirely."
Kunrad snapped to attention at those words.
'N-No, that canʼt happen.ʼ
In truth, the Alchemistsʼ Union held certification authority for potions and medicines because, long ago, the Pope had recognized potions as substitutes for holy water and permitted their widespread use, with standards to ensure quality.
But in the present day, that original intent had faded, and the Union had abused the system solely to line their pockets.
Kunrad recalled how Zeke had recently saved the Principality of Vadoka from the monster legion.
The Pope had personally bestowed upon him the title of paladin and honored him as the savior of the Principality.
In this context, if Zeke reported to the Pope that the Alchemistsʼ Union had processed materials for demonkind summoning, they could lose their certification authority.
Only then did Kunrad realize he and the Union were truly cornered.
'I have to turn Zeke Drakerʼs favor somehow.ʼ He immediately dropped to his knees before Zeke.
And he kowtowed, banging his forehead on the floor.
"Please spare us just this once, Sir Zeke!"
Zeke looked down at Kunrad, who had knelt without hesitation, with cold eyes.
Soon, the door opened, and staff brought in the food.
The well-trained employees ignored the chairman kneeling on the floor, calmly set down the plates, bowed politely, and left the room.
Zeke, in that state, offered some to Princess Melissa beside him.
He and Princess Melissa ate leisurely, paying no mind to Kunrad kneeling and prostrated before them.
This awkward situation persisted until the courses were finished.
Only when dessert arrived did Zeke finally speak.
"Damn, itʼs annoying trying to eat with this."
At Zekeʼs blunt words, Kunrad lifted his head and crawled closer.
"Sir Zeke, I was wrong. Please spare us just this once."
Zeke set down his fork, which heʼd been using for dessert, and clicked his tongue at Kunradʼs plea.
He wiped his mouth with a napkin and looked down at him. "Sigh, Kunrad Mason. Do you even know what you did wrong?" Kunrad wasnʼt foolish.
Ultimately, what Zeke wanted was for the new drug from Feynen Pharmaceuticals to pass smoothly.
Yet he was emphasizing their lack of involvement while deliberately bringing up demon summoning to pressure him.
'I should never have forgotten that heʼs a direct descendant of Draker, more demonic than demons.ʼ
He had underestimated Zeke because of his youth and the rumors of his mild temperament, leading to this disaster.
Blocking the new drug could upend the entire Union, so he decided to grovel before Zeke.
"Please show mercy!"
Even as Kunrad yielded first, Zeke gave no clear answer.
Kunrad grew even more anxious.
Then, Zeke suddenly pulled a potion from his pocket and set it down in front of Kunrad.
It was the one heʼd brought from the naga city.
Puzzled at first, Kunradʼs eyes widened upon seeing the potion Zeke offered.
It was clearly different from ordinary potions made by processing troll blood.
"W-What is this?"
"What do you think? Itʼs a new potion slated for sale next quarter through the Reinhart Trading Company. Iʼm thinking around 50 silver per unit. Oh, no need for the Unionʼs certification. Iʼll request it directly from the Pope." Kunradʼs face turned pale at those words.
'If something like this comes out, the Union is...ʼ
The issue with Feynen Pharmaceuticalsʼ new drug was no longer relevant.
Zeke said to him.
"Kunrad Mason, Iʼll give you a chance."
Kunrad looked up at Zeke with a trembling voice.
"A ch-chance? What kind...?"
Zeke replied in a voice more demonic than any demonʼs.
"Abandon the Alchemistsʼ Union. Do that, and Iʼll open a new path for you."