I Became A Hidden Powerhouse Of The British Empire [EN]: Chapter 440

< A Big Liar and Swindler (2) >

It’s a bit much to say myself, but I don’t usually lie if I can help it.

This has been a firm principle I’ve adhered to since long ago, and it’s also the last vestige of my conscience… but of course, it’s not.

Not lying was entirely a choice for my own benefit.

Deceiving and being deceived is ultimately a matter of credibility.

If I were just going to end things with a single event and launder my identity, it wouldn’t matter, but I was in a position where I had to live as Killian for the rest of my life.

Before I came of age, I had James act as my agent, but now the scale of the work I have to handle has become too large for that.

In fact, since becoming a minister, my words and actions in official settings have all been recorded and verified as a constant.

How much more so now that I am a royal consort and the King of Canada?

In private settings, off-the-record is strictly maintained, but I must always keep in mind that even that may not be perfect.

And what about the words I utter in public?

With 100% certainty, every sentence, every word will be recorded, and people will chew on it, tear it apart, savor it, and analyze it.

So, I must never tell lies that will obviously be revealed later.

Some might call it covering the eyes and trying to deceive, but covering the eyes and having them wide open are as different as heaven and earth. [This is a metaphor for being willfully ignorant versus being aware of the truth.]

At least, if I can roughly show that I had no such intention, my ardent supporters will shield me.

The same goes for the current situation.

“Then, shall we look into the actual investment conditions a bit? Or should we leave these trivial matters to the working-level staff and just focus on amicable fellowship?”

“…Detailed conditions should be left to the working-level staff, but I personally have a question. You said you’re not aiming for a particularly large profit, but do you have any thoughts on where you’ll be investing?”

He’s persistent. He wants the majority of the profits to go into his own pocket, so he’s worried to death that I might be aiming for something big.

Of course, to someone who doesn’t know the full story, it just sounds like he’s genuinely curious, which is amusing.

“I have a rough idea.”

“Ah, in that case, could you let me know? I’m curious to know what Killian陛下 [His Majesty] is keeping an eye on, of all people.”

“It’s not that big of a deal. You might laugh when you hear it, but my daughter has been very interested in rubber toys lately.”

“Rubber? Are you talking about the rubber I know?”

“Yes, that’s right. So, I was thinking it would be good to secure that rubber and hand it over to a place that makes toys.”

Upon hearing the word ‘rubber,’ Leopold II’s expression changed very subtly.

In just a few years, its value would skyrocket, but right now, rubber’s value was literally a hidden pearl known only to those in the know.

That’s because most people in Europe still knew rubber only for its ability to erase pencil marks and for making waterproof tarpaulins.

Moreover, it had only been a few decades since it was discovered that rubber could be mixed with a small amount of sulfur to make it easier to handle (a process called vulcanization).

Even with that, it was only used to make things like rubber boots or raincoats, and of course, to people like royalty, it had no value compared to ivory or gold.

But this perception would soon change 180 degrees.

The new products that James Group would be announcing soon would be game-changers.

Bicycles made with air-filled rubber tires would be unveiled, and in time, automobiles would also appear.

With the rapid development of the electrical industry, the demand for rubber, which has insulating properties, would skyrocket, and rubber was destined to suffer from a huge supply shortage.

Of course, Leopold II, who had no way of knowing this, could only look at me with strange eyes when I said I wanted to invest in rubber, which was currently in no supply problem.

“The amount you said you’d invest isn’t small… you just want to have ownership of the rubber trees with that?”

“Yes. As I said, I don’t intend to make a huge amount of money with it. If Your Majesty needs that money, you can take it out and use it appropriately.”

“Hmm… rubber, rubber.”

Even though I was making it obvious that rubber was just an excuse to invest in the Congo and was practically a donation, the suspicion didn’t disappear.

This guy, this guy is really suspicious.

If he keeps doing that, I’m going to have a lot of fun, too?

“Is there anything you’re worried about?”

“Ah, no. Not really. I’m just a little taken aback because I’m very unfamiliar with rubber and haven’t thought about it.”

To be honest, he probably wants to ask if I’m predicting that rubber will suddenly become expensive later and trying to preemptively secure it, right?

But he already said that becoming the King of the Congo is absolutely not for his own benefit, so how can he ask that outright?

Leopold II, who was desperately racking his brains, asked cautiously.

“In my opinion, rubber doesn’t seem to be very profitable. According to my research, there are too many rubber trees in the Congo. If we start producing rubber there in earnest and sell it, it’s obvious that there will be an oversupply, so it will be difficult to even cover the transportation costs, wouldn’t it? I mean, it will be at a level where we can’t even do low-margin sales. Your Majesty seems to have made such a plan because you don’t know how many rubber trees there are in the Congo… do you perhaps have any predictions that rubber demand will rise even more than it is now?”

He’s going to a lot of trouble to pretend to be worried and probe me.

If the demand for rubber increases more than it is now, making rubber from the remaining rubber trees in the Congo could be a reliable source of income.

But would I be crazy enough to tell him that?

“Of course, I don’t know well. As I said earlier, it’s just an impromptu idea, so I didn’t consider such detailed information. And if it’s something that doesn’t make that much money, that’s even better. People will know that the British Empire is not investing in the Congo for profit.”

“Ah, yes. Your Majesty’s heart is truly… Anyway, I understand. But the number of rubber trees is so large, and if this doesn’t make a profit for Your Majesty and even causes too much loss, I’ll be embarrassed, so I think it would be good to check a little more.”

“Ah, there’s no need to do that. I’m just securing the rights anyway, and I don’t really intend to do business. Didn’t I tell you? It’s an investment, but it’s almost a sponsorship. But even if it’s my personal property, donating such a large amount of money directly to charity could cause some backlash, so I’m just doing it in the form of an investment.”

“Of course, I know that. But this is… the world, especially the economy, is like a maze where it’s hard to see even an inch ahead, isn’t it? But if the value of rubber suddenly rises later, or something like that…”

After saying that, Leopold II subtly looked at me.

I asked back innocently, pretending not to know anything.

“If it happens? Would there be any problems?”

“Your Majesty’s investment may be suspected of being impure. I’m just worried about that. Why? There are so many nasty people these days who want to slander and defame successful people, aren’t there?”

“Ah, right. Thank you for telling me. I hadn’t thought about that. The demand for rubber could definitely rise. Suddenly, it might rain 365 days a year, so we might have to have 20 raincoats in every house. If you’re worried about such a case, let’s add a clause.”

“A clause? Are you saying you’ll add an exception clause?”

“That’s right. If the supply of rubber can’t keep up, and we have to expand the rubber business in the Congo, I’ll sell my ownership of the rubber to Your Majesty. Of course, since it’s a nominal investment, I’ll have to receive money that matches it, but will such a thing happen in the world?”

If it doesn’t make money, I’ll keep it, and if a world comes where rubber makes money, I’ll sell the ownership back at a reasonable price.

Anyone could see that this was a benevolent condition that would move even a generous person to tears.

It’s not very likely that rubber will become a profitable commodity, but it’s true that the demand for rubber is increasing little by little now.

Even if he takes over the ownership, that clause will be a very strong insurance, so what’s the problem?

Of course, it may be a loss to have to buy it back with a lot of money, but the merit of being able to freely take out and use the deposit I put in to expand the business in the Congo was much greater.

Right now, extracting and selling elephant ivory, or mining copper or gold, all require initial capital to start a business, and where would that come from?

Strictly speaking, the Congo is not a colony of Belgium, but is scheduled to become Leopold II’s private property, so it’s difficult to draw money from the country.

He may have a lot of money himself, but the more greedy people are in the world, the more they hate the money that goes out of their own pockets.

Here, I’m saying that I’ll allow him to freely use a huge amount of investment money for free, so how can he not be moved?

This is a situation where even a suspicious person can’t help but feel proud that they’ve caught a sucker instead of being suspicious.

“Are you really okay with putting that condition in? It seems like too good of a condition for me, so I’m worried.”

“It’s not just good for Your Majesty. Strictly speaking, isn’t it only good for the people of the Congo? I don’t think we need to get upset about who benefits more or less when we’re doing good work for the sake of a noble cause.”

“That’s right. I learned another thing in this place. That’s right. What does it matter who loses more or gains more when we’re working for the sake of a noble cause?”

Leopold II made a firm decision on the spot, and on that very day, he made a simple agreement, signed it, and took one copy each.

In all of this process, of course, I didn’t tell a single lie.

It’s 99.99% certain that the demand for rubber will skyrocket, but there may be unexpected variables that I didn’t anticipate, so saying I don’t know isn’t that wrong, is it?

Moreover, I even said that I would sell the ownership if rubber caused a huge craze to the point of being called black gold, so no one will be able to criticize me for being blinded by money.

Rather, they’ll regret that I missed a chance to make a lot of money.

But it doesn’t make sense to hand over a business that could make so much money at a low price, does it?

When I take this back, I’ll have to come to the negotiation with money that matches it.

If he shows a clear sincerity, I’ll sell it according to the contract, but this 19th-century rubber production doesn’t flow so humanely.

In particular, in the Congo under the insane Leopold II, it is said that it was full of inhumane acts that even racists in Europe were horrified by.

There are so many records that if they didn’t meet the quota, they would cut off the wrists of men, women, and children, and if they failed again, they would cut off their arms, and if they failed again, they would cut off their heads.

What good would it do for me to keep doing this insane business?

Rather, the good image I’ve built up so far is likely to be linked with Leopold II and fall into the gutter.

So, I’ll sell it to you.

Go ahead and do your best to repay the debt you owe me.

Of course, in a way that does not betray my trust in Leopold II, who believes in his good intentions and invests a huge amount of money.

If anything happens today that betrays the favor I showed in this place, I don’t know what I’ll do.

Maybe I’ll express this intense sense of betrayal to the whole nation and the whole world and be indignant?

I didn’t take away my friendly smile until the end and gave a round of applause to Leopold II, who was moved and bowed his head.