Chapter 436 Factory Tour ③
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
Loire-Rose, the “Holy Figure,” was continuing her factory tour. She seemed genuinely interested in boosting our bottom line, so I pitched an expansion into the Wielope Empire¹.
”Hmm. Bleeding our enemies dry sounds great in theory, but…” Rose trailed off.
”You’re wondering if we can actually pull it off,” I said.
”Exactly. The Church has been trying to wedge itself into Wielope for years. We’ve tried everything, but they’re airtight. I’m not sure we can just waltz in like we did with Coalmine,” Rose replied.
My proposal was essentially a refined version of the psychological warfare we used against the Coalmine Kingdom to the north. If we could get the “Wriggly Buddy” into the hands of the enemy elite, we’d eventually have them over a barrel. “You want the next shipment? Then you know what we need,” that kind of thing.
Of course, back then we had the “Hot-Shot” magic heaters to lead the charge, and the shop was still a mystery. This time, we didn’t have a revolutionary hook, and Wielope had likely spent the last few months studying our playbook.
The odds were stacked against us, but I still had a gut feeling the “Wriggly Buddy” could go the distance. Besides, leaving a neighboring market that huge untapped just felt like leaving money on the table. In a perfect world, breaking into Wielope would be far more lucrative than trying to forge a trade route to the Sylvaol Kingdom or shipping goods overseas.
”Ah, right. There’s another catch,” Rose said. “For the Church, Wielope is the heart of ‘Purist’ territory.”
”The Purists?” I asked.
I’d always viewed the Church of Demon-Subjugation as a glorified erotica cult, but the name suggested something else. I wondered if they actually had a wing that practiced genuine, old-world abstinence.
”The Purists² aren’t just ‘pure’ – they’re fundamentalists,” Rose explained with a bitter edge. “They want to return to the ‘clean and simple’ roots of the faith from before everything got complicated. They call themselves the ‘Oldest Theological Faction.’”
Rose’s description made them sound like a nightmare for anyone currently in power. They were the ultimate “back in my day” crowd, dismissing modern hierarchies and rituals as corrupt. To them, the current Church was a bloated mess that had lost its way.
”No ranks, no money-making, no elaborate ceremonies,” Rose continued. “Just God, the faithful, and a desperate prayer to drive back the demons. That’s the Church they want to bring back.”
Hearing that gave me a serious case of metaphorical heartburn. Fundamentalists were the worst possible demographic for my business. They didn’t value “asceticism” through our specific tools, and they certainly wouldn’t approve of selling ddos for profit. We wouldn’t get a shred of the local cooperation we’d enjoyed in Coalmine.
”Anyway, I’ve talked enough. I have someone here who can give you the real dirt,” Rose said.
”Who?” I asked.
”Nina. You’ve been wearing that ‘don’t involve me’ face for ten minutes. Get over here,” Rose commanded.
She was looking at Mailse Nina, who was currently neck-deep in quality control for the latest batch of Buddies. My “apprentice” was an oddball – purple hair, round glasses, and a cynical, indie-girl vibe that screamed “disenchanted student.”
”Calling me out right after a speech like that? That’s cold, Lady Rose,” Nina muttered.
”Oh, stop it. If you make yourself useful now, the higher-ups might actually stop breathing down your neck,” Rose laughed.
I was surprised they even knew each other, but then it clicked – Nina was one of the “Wards” sent to the Holy City, a Sacred Artificer³ I’d essentially inherited.
”Nina’s a Ward,” Rose explained. “And she just happens to come from an incredibly high-ranking, hardcore Purist family in the Wielope Empire.”
”Is that true?” I asked.
”Apparently it was an order from the Emperor-ssu,” Nina replied, her usual manic energy replaced by a sullen pout.
She looked genuinely uncomfortable, which was a first. I glanced at Sister Amelia and the other nuns, but they just offered sympathetic, weary smiles. I was clearly the last one to know the details of her “hostage” status.
”It doesn’t matter where I’m from,” Nina said. “The Wards are all the same. Sure, I have family in Wielope, but they aren’t exactly braggin’ about their daughter being a ‘Sacred Artificer’ for a shop like this.”
”Why would a family like that send you to the Holy City in the first place?” I asked. “Sounds like a social suicide mission for everyone involved.”
”Imperial decree,” Nina sighed. “The Emperor wanted to play at ‘diplomacy.’ He figured sending a kid from a powerful family as a Ward would act as a bridge between the Empire and the Holy City. Total PR move.”
”And it backfired?” I asked.
”Spectacularly,” Nina replied.
The pieces fell into place. The Emperor wanted a spy; the Church saw a Trojan horse. Nina was caught in the middle, ignored by her family and mistrusted by her new home. So, she rebelled. She ditched her political duties, joined the seminary, and obsessed over magic circuits. By becoming a “delinquent” who embraced everything the Purists hated, she’d actually found a weird kind of acceptance in the Holy City. Back in the Empire, however, she was essentially a ghost.
”Since nobody else wants her, I figured I’d put her to work,” Rose said. “She knows more about the inner workings of Wielope than anyone else in my circle. So, consider this her official debut. She’s your apprentice now. You can **use her how ever you like**.”
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Summary:
During a factory tour, Rose and the protagonist discuss expanding their adult goods business into the hostile Wielope Empire. They encounter Nina-Mailse, who is revealed to be a political ‘Ward’ from a fundamentalist Purist family in that Empire. Rose officially assigns Nina to the protagonist as an apprentice to leverage her insider knowledge of Wielope’s politics.
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Trivia:
- The ‘Purists’ are fundamentalists who oppose the Church’s current rank and money-making structures.
- Wielope has likely studied the shop’s previous tactics in the Coalmine Kingdom.
- Nina’s presence in the Holy City was originally an Imperial order for diplomacy/espionage.
- Nina chose the path of a ‘Sacred Artificer’ specifically as an act of rebellion against her upbringing
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Character Insight:
Nina shows a rare vulnerable and sullen side, revealing the trauma of being a political pawn. Rose demonstrates her shrewdness by ‘gifting’ Nina to the protagonist, serving both as a mentor-like responsibility and a strategic business move.
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Behind the Scenes:
The author notes a correction regarding Rose already being aware of the ‘Wriggly Buddy’ product from a previous scene.
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TL Notes:
Notes:
• Loire-Rose – Current Saintess and top of the Great Cathedral food chain. White hair, pale skin, blue eyes—the full divine aesthetic. Can literally manifest light and blessings, but don’t let the holy glow fool you. She’s pragmatic, money‑minded, and way too playful for church politics. Runs a workshop (yeah, even sells adult goods on the side) and keeps her “holy” mask on… most of the time. Originally born to a Salvation Faction family, later adopted by the previous Holy Figure. Total mix of divinity and chaos, and somehow it works.
• Amelia – A light blue-haired Sister of the Church of Demon-Subjugating and Kento’s shy harem member. A newly awakened “Saint” from Holy Sleep, modest and easily embarrassed with red ears and neck. Wears her habit and treasures Kento’s ring on a necklace.
• Nina-Mailse – Sacred Artificer from the Holy City with short violet hair and those thick, bottle‑bottom glasses that somehow still look good. A Ward from a big Purist family in the Wielope Empire, but she ditched the whole fundamentalist thing. Sticks close to the Saint and might end up as Kento’s apprentice in the Church of Demon‑Subjugation. Smart, loyal, and quietly rebellious.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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