Chapter 188: Three Divine Instruments (5)

The taking out of his anger in the Research Lab was short-lived.

A few days later, the General Shareholders' Meeting of the Lohengrin Trading Company was held.

It was an Emergency Meeting convened in the aftermath of the patent lawsuit defeat and the plummeting stock price.

The Grand Assembly Hall of the Lohengrin Trading Company was magnificent.

Spacious enough to comfortably accommodate the Major shareholders and investors numbering in the three digits.

Although they were currently second place, the prestige of a century-old renowned family had not gone anywhere.

However, the air flowing through that splendid space was incredibly cold.

"Chairman."

An experienced noble opened his mouth, looking at Chairman Beidel, who sat in the Seat of Honor.

It was the representative of the shareholders, Count Harbeck.

"Just how much longer must we wait? What has our Lohengrin been doing while Merkur pours out New Medicines?"

"During that time, our quarterly sales have been steadily maintained. Through cost reduction and process efficiency, our operating profit has steadily increased."

The Chairman hurriedly showed the graphs he had prepared.

But the opponent before his eyes was a seasoned aristocratic capitalist.

He easily pierced through the Chairman's smokescreen intended to blind them.

"Chairman. You're pretending not to understand the question. I haven't rolled around in this field for a short enough time to be deluded by such pictures."

The seasoned capitalist glanced at the chart and soon withdrew his gaze as if he had lost interest.

"Of course sales will rise. Thanks to the Black Saint, the population has increased, and with the opening of the railway in the Southern Region, logistics have also expanded. The numbers in the ledger are bound to grow even if you just sit still and breathe."

He took off his glasses and wiped them with a handkerchief.

"That is why I didn't ask like that. I asked, 'What has Lohengrin done'......"

"......"

Beidel could not answer.

Before he knew it, the initiative in the meeting room had long passed over to that seasoned capitalist.

He unfolded two fingers.

"It has been twenty years since Lohengrin last released a new potion worth mentioning. Everything that came out since then was merely at the level of slightly improving existing products."

"......"

"Do you know why the shareholders haven't jumped ship yet? It's because, at the very least, this is a place among the Pharmaceutical Merchant Guilds where the shareholders' voice is strong."

The Lohengrin Trading Company was a trading company where the shareholders' authority was stronger than that of the Board of Directors.

This was due to drawing in massive external capital when the current Board of Directors drove out the former Board of Directors made up of alchemists.

In return, the stakes were scattered, and the masters of the trading company became capitalists rather than researchers.

The problem was that as a Result, the current Board of Directors also became unable to be free from the shareholders.

"Because of the Guild Master and Director Schun, the voice of the shareholders in Merkur is infinitely weaker compared to their Board of Directors."

This operational structure was the exact opposite of Merkur.

The Merkur Trading Company was a place where the voice of the Guild Master and Director Schun was overwhelmingly strong.

This was due to the two of them steadily securing stakes since the company was listed.

Some nobles want to command a trading company like their Private Soldiers.

Therefore, Merkur was not a very attractive investment destination for such nobles.

Because unlike Lohengrin, they couldn't sway it to their own tastes.

"That is why we are also sincerely worried about Lohengrin. We would only be worried. We do not doubt that this trading company will be able to regain its Past glory. But......"

Count Harbeck stroked his chin.

"A large ship sinks slowly. That is plenty of time to replace the captain and the crew."

At the old capitalist's declaration, Chairman Beidel felt a chill run down his spine.

There was only one meaning behind those words.

"We will give you a deadline of one year. This is the consensus of the shareholders."

One year.

They had to produce results within that time.

Upon hearing that declaration, the Chairman instinctively spat out an excuse.

"One year? Isn't that an absurdly short amount of time. Just the Design of a medicine alone would easily take a year......"

"Then are you saying you haven't even designed anything for 20 years?"

"T-That's......"

"No matter what you say, we have no intention of changing our decision."

"Then at least the Clinical trial period......"

"Clinical trial?"

The shareholders, including the capitalists, tilted their heads.

As if they had heard something strange.

"Why is such a thing necessary? Didn't we originally not do such things?"

"But recent New Medicines all have to utilize Life Magic, and those have Research Ethics, so......"

"You can just fabricate such things."

"Yes?"

The Count snorted.

The Inquisitor?

Of course, they are scary.

But it's fine as long as you don't get caught.

To begin with, the numerous slave industries in H-Sector were also against doctrine and law.

Yet, this business was being maintained.

There was only one reason.

"Such things are only feared by the incompetent."

If you have overwhelming Accomplishments, you can cover up a minor deviation.

Whether it's making a Plea Bargain or making an illicit request.

The means were widespread.

"So you should just devise a way to somehow produce a Result within one year."

"But......"

"Enough with the excuses!"

Slam!

The Count struck the desk.

"Why do you and the Board of Directors always only think of reasons why it won't work? Use that time to do some devising!"

"......"

The Chairman chewed on his lip.

Soon, he nodded calmly.

"Understood."

*

Right after the General Shareholders' Meeting ended.

Chairman Beidel immediately headed to the meeting room where the executives were gathered.

Whether the consensus of the shareholders had already reached them, the complexions of the executives were also dyed ashen.

One year.

That was the period they could sit at this round table.

"......Are you saying that among the Black Sorcerers recruited through legal means, there isn't a single one with skill?"

Chairman Beidel's low voice broke the silence of the Board of Directors.

The HR Director answered while wetting his burning lips.

"Ahem, that's...... The Black Sorcerers who are legally unproblematic and also possess outstanding skill have already all gone over to the Merkur Trading Company."

"Can't we just offer them an Annual salary two, three times higher than Merkur? The matter is urgent right now, so we are willing to offer that much."

"It's not a matter of money. They are choosing to research alongside the Black Saint Yulian over money."

From the Stance of the capitalists, it was impossible to understand.

Even if they researched alongside the Black Saint, they couldn't leave their names in the History Book.

At most, only the record of being a 'researcher who researched alongside Yulian' would remain.

The public would never remember the name of that researcher.

At least, the executives in this place considered it so.

"Then you're saying it doesn't work with money?"

"That is correct."

"If so......"

Chairman Beidel's eyes distorted coldly.

"If so...... wouldn't there be a skilled Black Sorcerer among those the Merkur Trading Company 'could not' hire?"

The air in the meeting room froze in an instant.

There was no executive here stupid enough not to know the meaning behind those words.

The wanted Black Sorcerers of the Underworld.

They were dangerous beings outside the boundaries of the law.

"C-Chairman! Are you saying we should use wanted Underworld Black Sorcerers? That is too dangerous!"

"If the Cult or the Imperial Inspector even catches wind of it, the entire trading company will be blown away!"

When a few executives objected in surprise, the Chairman snorted as if mocking them.

"You all know well anyway, don't you? That even if everyone pretends to be clean on the outside, it is absolutely not like that behind the scenes."

To begin with, The Underworld was maintained only when there was demand from The Legitimate World.

In this place, there would be no one who hadn't used the power of The Underworld.

"Haven't you all used a Curse Caster at least once?"

"Ahem......hem."

Just how much of the Underworld had they utilized to get here.

To handle Whistleblowers, to silence Journalists, to steal the secrets of other trading companies.

They had utilized the Underworld for numerous reasons.

The Chairman was pointing this out.

"Yulian, that fellow also pretends to be a man of Integrity on the outside, but isn't it a public secret that he maintains close relations with the local figures of the Limbus Pit."

Yulian had a transactional relationship with the boss of the Limbus Pit, Tao Chen.

This was a fact well-known to anyone in this industry.

The executives here also had one or two such relationships.

A gang that would handle dirty deeds behind the scenes.

"And it seems it still hasn't hit you, but next year, we are all going to be kicked out onto the streets. Why are you suddenly caring about such things?"

If they were kicked out anyway, it would no longer be their trading company.

Whether the trading company collapsed due to a problem, or they got kicked out themselves.

From the Stance of the Board of Directors, it was all the same.

Before long, the Chairman's instigation ignited the desperate desires of the executives.

Faced with a one-year terminal sentence, the shackles of Conscience were broken all too easily.

Madness began to dwell in the eyes of the executives who rationalized themselves.

Once one got mud on their hands, the rest followed without hesitation.

As if exhaling the breath they had held in for a long time all at once.

"I...... know a line to contact Underworld Black Sorcerers with definite skill."

"I will take charge of whitewashing their identities. I'll turn them into perfect Imperial Mages on paper."

"Then I will look into whether we can set up a Secret Laboratory in a secluded Territory out of the Cult's surveillance."

Beidel looked down at that sight with satisfaction.

Like that, the Lohengrin Trading Company shattered the Taboo themselves and stepped into the darkness.

***

It had been several months since I publicly disclosed Statin to the world.

It was no exaggeration to call the Pharmaceutical Industry the era of great Mold.

Countless pharmaceutical merchant guilds hired Black Sorcerers who knew how to handle Mold.

And they were pouring out numerous drugs like bamboo shoots after a rain.

For me, it was a very positive change.

'Right. This is how medicine is made.'

Originally, the drugs I had been making previously couldn't induce this kind of meta shift.

Because my techniques were all massive technological leaps.

For example, Insulin.

The development of this New Medicine originally starts with uncovering the function of the Pancreas.

In my Previous life, that period was usually around 30 years.

But I compressed that Process into just one year.

What about Viagra.

Viagra was literally a drug I made by forcibly leaping the technology because I wanted to make it.

This technique of completely synthesizing a substance that doesn't exist in nature was still treated as a technological peculiarity in the Pharmaceutical Industry.

According to what I heard from the Guild Master, the industrial spies who infiltrated the Viagra factory had managed to steal the recipe,

But they still hadn't been able to interpret the Principle of why it worked, so no one had managed to copy it yet.

Like this, the drugs I had made so far hadn't been able to provide any special stimulus to the Pharmaceutical Industry as a whole.

Because they felt too isolated for anyone to copy.

But the Mold extraction meta was different.

'This has its Principles built up step by step, and even if you don't know the Principle, you can try aiming for pure luck.'

The theoretical foundation to understand Mold was already sufficiently established.

Because the understanding of Microorganisms had emerged through the Research of germs and parasites.

Furthermore, the greatest advantage of the Mold meta was that you could just try it even if you didn't know the Principle.

You just cultivate any Mold and use it as a drug, and sometimes it works.

Then you just use it first while going, 'Why does this work?'.

'In my Previous life, the Pharmaceutical Industry leaped greatly in this way too.'

My Previous life was the same.

Do you know when humanity's medicine advanced the fastest?

It was the 20th Century.

This was thanks to the infinite Potential of Mold.

Mold creates all sorts of substances in the process of metabolizing Fat.

That meant the substances it produced were also infinite.

Even if you just pick out the useful ones among those countless coincidences, a New Medicine pops out in a flash.

It wasn't for nothing that even in the 21st Century, they started by screening Mold first when making New Medicines.

'You never know. A drug I don't know might pop out.'

Coincidences cannot be controlled.

That was why it wouldn't be strange if a New Medicine I didn't know suddenly popped out.

As a Doctor, it was quite a thrilling Era.

Because it meant a drug I hadn't thought of could suddenly be made tomorrow morning.

Thanks to that, I got a new hobby...... well, not quite, but a new task.

It was checking out the drugs the pharmaceutical merchant guilds were pouring out one after another.

"This drug has a decent antibacterial effect, but it falls far behind Penicillin. Unfortunately, I think it will be difficult to utilize in clinical practice."

"The attempt to modify Statin was good, but its medicinal effect is somewhat lacking."

Unfortunately, most of the New Medicines were inferior versions of the drugs I had made.

But I wasn't disappointed.

To begin with, it hadn't even been a few months since it became the Mold meta.

If I wait, decent drugs would come out too.

'We can't just milk Penicillin forever for Antibiotics.'

Someone had to make Antibiotics like Cephalosporin or Ciprofloxacin.

Of course, if I had to make them, I could.

But if I did that, I might end up making nothing but Antibiotics for the rest of my Life.

As someone who wanted to make other drugs, it was a situation I wanted to avoid.

'I created the concept of Antibiotics, so the rest is up to the people of this world.'

In fact, there were slowly more people taking on the challenge of making analogues of the drugs I had introduced.

It meant the world was slowly catching up with the technology.

'Sure enough, thanks to the Mold meta, they seem to have the courage to take on the challenge.'

It was a positive change in many ways.

The interesting thing was that most of those numerous New Medicines went through the Meyer Infirmary.

The reason was that the ones using the drugs were the Healers.

Healers basically have a conservative tendency.

Meaning they don't carelessly use unproven drugs.

So the New Medicines are sent to the Meyer Infirmary to be tested by me and the other Healers.

Because most Healers won't use drugs we haven't tested.

"Then, we will begin the 3rd Cure Clinical Deliberation Council."

And today as well, the Healer standing at the front of the meeting room opened a file folder and spoke.

Seated in the meeting room were the Healers of the Meyer Infirmary and the executives dispatched from each pharmaceutical merchant guild.

The Seat of Honor in the meeting was designated for me and the Heresy Inquisitor.

It was to put the brakes on immediately if there were any parts violating Life Magic Research Ethics.

"The medications to be deliberated today are seven types in total. Medications whose Efficacy is confirmed will enter Clinical trials at the Meyer Infirmary, and medications where problems are found will be immediately canceled."

The moderator, who was turning the pages for a moment, added.

"I will explain before the meeting. The Fame of the developing company or the scale of investment will not be considered in the Judgment."

It was a Declaration not to even dream of things like lobbying.

In fact, there was a trading company that got caught trying that last month.

"Additionally, special procedures will be added for Clinical trials on pregnant women and Pediatric patients. Accordingly, even if the relevant New Medicines pass this Agenda item, there will be one more Judgment when utilized on pregnant women and children."

This was a safety measure I added.

Children and pregnant women.

They were an area that always required a cautious approach, even in New Medicine development.

"Lastly, drugs suspected of violating Life Magic Ethics will immediately have their Clinical trials halted and be excluded."

There was no need to speak of the last one.

Drugs that fabricated experiment results or violated Research Ethics would be immediately excluded from deliberation without even being worth reconsidering.

Like that, with the moderator's Declaration, the Judgment on the seven drugs took place.

"CKA-8704. It is an Antibiotic candidate material that can be utilized locally for bronchial infections. Currently, no significant Toxicity has been confirmed in Animal testing, so we are seeking permission for a Phase 1 Clinical Trial."

"PPX-4715. An Antibiotic meant to be utilized for deep-seated infections. A slight Toxicity was confirmed in Animal testing, but it showed an Effect on germs that lack Sensitivity to Penicillin, so we request a limited Clinical trial."

Most of them were Antibiotics.

Because Mold extracts were easy targets in that area.

It was a bit disappointing.

Because the drugs I had anticipated still seemed far off.

'They are all just Antibiotics or Statin branches. Then do I have to make the immunosuppressant side myself?'

While I was chewing on my disappointment.

Before I knew it, the Discussion on the 6 New Medicines had ended.

Only 2 passed.

4 were rejected due to the Discovery of disqualifying reasons.

Those 2 seemed like they would be eliminated around Phase 2 Clinical Trial as well.

Like this, there were many New Medicines knocking on the doors of the Meyer Infirmary, but those that passed could be counted on one hand.

The problem was the last 7th New Medicine.

"......Migraine Medicine?"

"Are you speaking of LWGN-0004?"

"Yes."

A New Medicine Lohengrin had recently made.

This New Medicine was particularly bothersome to the eye.

It wasn't simply because Lohengrin had made it.

"This New Medicine, its Data is too strange."

"In what aspect do you mean?"

"I'm talking about the Mold used in this New Medicine."

I read the instruction manual for LWGN-0004 again.

Sure enough, I hadn't seen it wrong.

"It's a substance extracted from Claviceps purpurea."

"Does that pose any problem?"

"Isn't that Ergot Fungus."

Ergot.

It's a toxic Mold that parasitizes things like rye and causes Ergotism in people.

A drug extracted from there?

At this, the Lab Director dispatched from Lohengrin immediately explained to me.

"Our trading company developed the relevant New Medicine based on the Lord Saint's Teachings that what determines a drug's Effect is the amount. Of course we recognize the danger of Ergot Fungus, but we considered that if its Toxicity is appropriately used, it might have an Effect on headaches."

"And so it had an Effect on migraines?"

"Yes, that is correct."

It was a fairly Rational Design.

Ergot Fungus possesses neurotoxicity.

The poison that causes hallucinations, flare-ups, and headaches.

At this time, just as I said in the past, what determines a medicine and a poison is the Dosage.

Therefore, Lohengrin's Idea that a Neurotoxin could solve problems in the head was not that strange.

No, rather, it was worthy of praise as a brilliant shift in thinking.

"Through Animal testing and the Phase 1 Clinical Trial experiment results, we confirmed there is no fatal neurotoxicity. Also, paying attention to the danger of Ergot Fungus, we are pouring our heart and soul to ensure Toxicity does not occur during the drug's production Process."

"I confirmed that."

But the part I intended to point out wasn't that.

"But I have a Doubt. Were there really no Side Effects?"

"Yes?"

"Substances extracted from Ergot Fungus are bound to have unavoidable Side Effects when used long-term."

In my Previous life as well, there were many New Medicines extracted from Ergot Fungus.

But most of them were expelled from the medical field.

There was one reason.

Because substances extracted from Ergot Fungus always carried one fatal Side Effect.

"In Animal testing, were there really no Side Effects that occurred during long-term use?"

"Yes?"

"I am asking if the experiment results were really like that."

That Side Effect was so severe that it wasn't on the level of being able to hide it or not.

And that Side Effect was none other than......

"In Animal testing, or Clinical trials, did Heart and Retroperitoneal Fibrosis really not occur?"

"!!!!!"

The eyes of Lohengrin's Lab Director grew wide.

As soon as I saw that reaction, I could be certain.

"......You intentionally covered up the experiment results."

"N-No, how did you......?"

"That's because......"

Because it was famous in my Previous life too.

Ergot Fungus extracts always had those fibrosis Side Effects.

Of course, there was another reason too.

"It is a germ I have already researched."

Did you think I wouldn't have tried using it.

I also poked around Ergot Fungus to make a headache medicine.

But no matter how I thought about it, the fibrosis Side Effect was too severe.

"You can't risk the heart just to catch a migraine."

Medicine is the act of weighing risk and Utility.

In that sense, Ergot Fungus extract was not a very good drug.

It's true that a migraine is agonizing.

But bearing a heart Side Effect because of it makes no sense, does it.

"You had already...... tried it?"

Hearing those words, the Lab Director muttered dejectedly.

Soon, a hollow chuckle escaped his lips.

"Haha......"

"Inquisitor."

Whether he did or not.

I sent a signal to the Heresy Inquisitor.

That was an intentional cover-up.

It wasn't a matter that could be brushed off lightly.

If I hadn't clarified it, there might have been hundreds of the Deceased because of that drug.

'Seeing how dangerous Life Magic is, people who keep breaking the Research Guidelines are popping up.'

There were still many people who couldn't throw away their old habits.

People who thought they could somehow smooth things over with money or power, and occasionally fabricated things like this.

I understand.

The larger the company, the more it would cost to change their methods.

But there was no reason for me to be considerate of all that one by one.

"Understood. I will conduct an Investigation into this cover-up act by the Lohengrin Trading Company."

The Inquisitor's Stance was also firm.

Of course it would be.

Since he wouldn't want to create The Second 13th Magic Tower in his generation.

Like that, Lohengrin's ambition of creating the world's first Migraine Medicine was stopped in vain.

*

And at that time.

"Uwaaaaah!!!!"

"Wow......"

Words without feet traveled faster than anything else.

Even more so when money was involved.

Even before the News of Lohengrin's Clinical trial fabrication spread to the world.

The stock graph was already reflecting it.

"Jenny. Didn't you say it would rebound when the Migraine Medicine was made last time?"

"Sob."

"But why are you acting like this?"

After School.

Jenny, who had gone to check the stock Results like a routine, crawled into the corner of the room sobbing.

Charlotte could easily guess that the cause was Lohengrin stock without much difficulty.

"Didn't you say there was nowhere to go but up?"

"......I didn't know there was an even lower bottom beneath the bottom."

Charlotte looked at the stock graph placed on Jenny's desk.

The Downtrend was unusual.

At this rate, it wouldn't be strange if it faced Delisting in an instant.

"See, why did you invest in Pharmaceutical Stock."

"I'm a Healer so...... I thought I would know it well......"

"You must know it very well indeed."

"Cheryl...... I need to release my stockpile......"

And that month.

Two volumes of the Great Detective Cheryl Series were published at once.

The Avid readers of the Cheryl Series didn't know why, but they just considered it a good thing.

It was autumn.