Building A Human Empire By Creating A Clan [EN]: Chapter 104

In the southeastern part of Wallachia lies a small nation called Fritland.

It’s a small country characterized by a few large ports and the small cities that have sprung up around them.

To give you an idea of its size, several of Wallachia’s great nobles controlled territories larger than the entirety of Fritland.

But if size were the only factor, how could this tiny country have survived?

Thump.

A man pressed a seal into the molten candle wax.

He sat in his office, dressed in old-fashioned attire.

Thump.

He placed the sealed document aside and pressed the seal onto the next.

He pressed down with such force that the desk shook, but he paid it no mind as he thumped the seal onto the next document, saying,

“I regret to say that we cannot provide any further loans.”

The representative of a certain great noble, who was sitting before the man, widened his eyes.

“W-Why is that?”

“The advisory council has determined that the likelihood of repayment is very low.”

“That can’t be…”

The representative covered his face with both hands and trembled.

He represented a local noble in Wallachia who had raised an army against the noble council.

The civil war, which had seemed destined for a quick end, had dragged on. They were now in a situation where they could neither reduce the size of their army nor afford to pay their wages, so they had come to Fritland to borrow money.

This was their fourth request, having already borrowed three times.

“That’s different from what you said last time! You clearly offered to increase the loan last time!”

“That was then, and this is now. The situation has changed.”

Thump.

The man stamped the seal without looking at the representative.

Unlike the loud representative, the man showed no emotion.

“When I offered the additional loan, your alliance had reached the gates of Wallachia’s capital. But what has happened since then?”

A crushing defeat by a suddenly appearing army.

They were stripped of all the territory they had managed to occupy and forced to flee back to their own lands.

“How many troops do you have left?”

“W-Well, still—”

“Baron, isn’t your lord, Duke Tetovo, planning to fortify himself in a stronghold, abandoning the central cities? All while hoping to secure a loan and gather more troops?”

How did he know that?

It was a conversation he had only shared with his master.

“It is a futile effort. The allies have all surrendered, and the noble council is also considering surrender. It must be said that there is no possibility of the Duke repaying the loan, and we have no loans to give to someone with no prospects.”

Thump.

“We hereby inform you in advance that, in accordance with the contract, if the repayment due next spring is not made, we will proceed with forced execution [seizure of assets].”

“······.”

The representative was now breathless.

The moment he first came to this place flashed through his mind.

At that time, even though he was in the position of borrowing money, he had been confident.

‘The war will end soon, and Wallachia will be in my lord’s hands.’

The resistance of the noble council was stronger than expected, but it was only a temporary setback.

Because of that, he had to turn to a small country for help, but it wouldn’t be a problem. In fact, shouldn’t the merchant who lent the small amount of money be grateful for receiving a large return?

The representative had been confident as he thought this.

However, as the second, third, and fourth requests came, his confidence disappeared entirely. He became polite, and now he was even at a loss for words.

“I’ll see you next time.”

The man did not raise his head and only offered the representative a perfunctory farewell as he listlessly got up from his seat and left the office.

Thump.

He stamped the seal symbolizing the duchy on the last document.

The man, Duke Willem, put the documents in one place and raised his head.

“The losses are enormous.”

He frowned.

The representative might be cursing Willem,

Saying that he had been aiming for this outcome from the beginning.

However, Willem had not expected things to turn out this way either.

Why would he lend money to someone who couldn’t repay it in the first place?

“I warned that I would proceed with forced execution. But I don’t know if that man will even maintain his title by next spring. Even if he does, there will be almost nothing left. I’d be fortunate to recover even a tenth of the money I lent.”

He clicked his tongue and shook his head.

There was a limit to what could be obtained even if he executed the contract.

Fritland was not a vassal of Wallachia but a foreign country.

He couldn’t claim core interests such as territory or rights.

At best, he would be able to seize the tableware or artwork in the mansion.

“Damn it.”

A curse word escaped him involuntarily.

It was an investment that he thought would naturally yield a profit.

He was the one who had proposed providing a loan to that noble.

He never thought it would result in such a huge loss.

“It’s fortunate that the fish catch has increased.”

He thought of the recent increase in herring catches.

A valuable resource that supported the finances of the small country of Fritland.

This country, with only a small copper mine, had inflated its finances based on massive catches, to the point where it was said that it had built the country with copper-plated herring bones.

With the money earned in that way, they developed the shipping industry and provided loans to Wallachia, which was suffering from frequent civil wars, making money through lending.

“I can’t do this anymore.”

But now that was over.

As a commercial nation, they were sensitive to information.

They quickly grasped the changes in Germania and Wallachia.

“An empire. I never thought I would see such a crazy bastard in my lifetime.”

He let out an absurd sound and shook his head.

The reason why the noble who received the loan had fallen was due to this.

Edar Lundringgen, the lord of the Oroko Plains and northern Wallachia, had usurped the throne of Germania, proclaimed himself emperor, and sent Governor Gerhard to conquer even Wallachia.

The local nobles, who were facing the capital Sodomora, were annihilated by Gerhard’s forces, and he was rapidly occupying their territories.

It would soon be the case that all of Wallachia would be in Edar’s hands.

“At this rate, we won’t be safe either.”

He was a man who had relentlessly conquered two nations representing humanity.

Would it be a big deal to occupy a small country like theirs?

“Hmm.”

He took out a cigarette from his pocket and put it in his mouth.

Edar, who usurped the thrones of Germania and Wallachia.

Whether to go to him in advance and submit, or to maintain the status quo.

This was a lively debate in Fritland and its surrounding countries.

“What benefits would there be if we submitted?”

The disadvantages would be greater than the advantages.

They would have to give up the benefits of paying tribute to and trading with other races.

“But if we refuse, we will be conquered…”

A true dilemma.

His face was filled with worry when,

Ding, the bell of the watchtower rang.

“What?”

He jumped up and looked out the window.

The office was on a hill, so he could see the city center clearly.

Citizens all over the city were startled by the bell and looked around.

“The sea! Look at the sea!”

Someone’s cry reached his ears.

The sea? He blinked and looked at the horizon.

Black shapes were rising beyond the horizon.

“Ships?”

It only looked black because it was backlit, but it was definitely a ship.

However, the number was so large that it filled the horizon.

Even he, who had seen countless ships in the port city, was surprised by the scale.

“Where did such a fleet come from…”

Did the Empire send it? No, the Empire couldn’t afford to do that.

Then did the Republic send it? For what reason would the Republic do that?

As he pondered the identity of the fleet, he widened his eyes as the shapes of the ships became clearer and clearer.

“Elves, why?”

When he visited the land of other races to pay tribute, the elves’ ships he saw then had the same shape as those, so what it indicated was only one thing.

The Elven fleet had arrived directly in human lands.