Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 86

Ian, along with Romandro, visited the bank in the center of Portoga. It was near the residence where Molin and his group had stayed, and in the same neighborhood where he had met Philia in the park.

As soon as Ian stepped out of the carriage, the bank manager, who had been waiting at the entrance, bowed deeply.

“Lord Ian, it’s good to see you. How have you been?”

“It’s good to see you too. It’s been a while. Have you been well?”

“I heard about the Gula transaction with Count Mereloff, but are these all gold coins?”

The bank manager raised his monocle slightly, asking with a somewhat bewildered tone. It wasn’t like they were moving luggage; the large chests seemed rather crude.

“Well, yes. It’s 1,000 gold coins.”

“Didn’t they give you a check?”

“I know, right? For someone who handles money, his manners are terrible. Tsk, tsk,” Romandro grumbled, clicking his tongue. If they had just used three gold certificates, they wouldn’t have had to go through all this trouble.

Ian entered the bank with his servants. The ‘Hyman Bank’ sign had clear scratches on it. They were marks left by the territory residents who had taken refuge there when the battle between the Central and Derga forces broke out.

“Are you managing alright?”

“Of course. Thanks to you, Lord, there are no problems.”

*Clank.*

Behind the bank manager, guards in black armor approached. They were the symbol of Hyman Bank and responsible for security. In reality, the armor, made by hammering magic stones, was more of a weapon than the guards’ skills.

“Shall we move them?”

“Yes, please.”

“You’re too kind.”

Each of the four chests contained 250 gold coins, so it took two adult men to barely move one. However, the armored guards effortlessly lifted two at once, one on each side.

“……!?”

Berik’s reaction was the most remarkable. He froze instantly, his eyes darting back and forth. It was as if he was wondering what kind of power that was. Even the Cheonryeo tribe probably couldn’t do that.

“W-what is that?”

“Ah, is this your first time seeing them, Berik?”

Romandro explained instead of Ian.

“That’s armor made with magic stones. The main branch of Hyman Bank is in the Central region, and support arrives quickly… but it’s not the same in these remote areas.”

However, it wasn’t something just anyone could do. It was a kind of display of wealth that only those who monopolized the financial world of Bariel could afford. Just one set of that armor…

“So that’s why.”

“Why what?”

“The security in Portoga was the best in Bratz, but even the thieves wouldn’t dare to go near the bank.”

The power to crush a person’s head. Not only that, but it was also resistant to fire, physical impact, and even low-level magic.

“Berik, if anyone were to harm the bank, the Derga would kill them before these guards even moved. And if the bank were threatened by a third party during a fight between the Central Army and the Derga, they would temporarily stop fighting and work together to protect this place first.”

“What, is the bank manager the Emperor’s grandfather or something?”

“It’s treated like a sanctuary, like a temple in Bariel.”

It was a third area within Bariel. If you made a mistake and your transaction was rejected, you would have to move or manage a large amount of wealth yourself, which was equivalent to being excluded from the central economic forces.

Of course, this was only the case for nobles and merchants.

“Then, if someone had actually robbed the bank during that chaos, there would have been less fighting.”

Berik spoke bluntly, causing the guards to pause, but they soon realized that his intentions were not malicious and resumed moving the chests.

“Who would risk their life to do such a thing?”

“Besides, it was used as a shelter, so there were crowds of people right up to the entrance. The moment you tried to rob it, you would have been robbed first.”

The bank manager chuckled and brought tea to them. The sofa and table were old, but they were well-maintained. Since Bratz itself was a remote area, it was like a rural tavern compared to the banks in the Central region.

“So, a total of 1,000 gold coins, you said?”

“That’s right.”

“We need some time to count them. Please sit and wait.”

Romandro sipped his tea and looked around the bank.

“We made a profit of about 3,500 gold coins, so we’ve covered some of the tribute. Taxes will be collected more than in a normal year, but the amount will be insufficient. Hmm. Overall, there’s no immediate problem, but next year is the issue.”

The problem was that there were many places where money would be needed in the future.

First, going to the capital for the New Year’s party would cost money from the moment they left, and to socialize with the central nobles they would meet there, they would need to spend money to maintain their dignity.

“You know that you’ll only be guaranteed a minimum living allowance before you become a mage from a magic user, right?”

“Yes, I know.”

“If it’s okay with you, why don’t you live with us?”

“Hahaha. Aren’t you newlyweds?”

“It’s not like we’ll be sleeping in the same room. What do you say?”

“Thank you for the offer. But look, we’ve already secured about 40% of the tribute before even going up there. Everything will be fine, so don’t worry.”

While Ian and Romandro were talking, Berik was just munching on snacks. His attitude clearly showed that worrying about money was not his concern.

“Increasing taxes is the easiest and most convenient way, after all.”

“It might be easy and convenient for me, but it’s the hardest thing for the territory residents. We’ve already slightly increased the tax rate for next year while distributing Gula.”

“Since we’re doing it anyway, why not collect a little more? If we give them a long period, they’ll prepare accordingly. It’s not like we’re asking them to pay by tomorrow.”

Romandro, who had been giving advice, looked at Ian’s expression and laughed in dismay.

“You’re not listening, are you?”

“What do you mean? I was agreeing with you just now.”

“No, no, I mean, you have no intention of raising taxes.”

Ian just smiled.

It was certainly the easiest and most certain way. But they had only just recovered from the damage of the battle, and they had just finished preparing for winter with Gula.

And above all, if they went to the Imperial Palace, Ian’s plans were uncertain…

‘There’s no need to add to the burden.’

“You know very well, Romandro, that I’ll be away from the territory for a long time, right?”

“That’s true, but…”

“They’re too busy worrying about whether they’ll die before winter, but when spring comes, they’ll have all sorts of negative thoughts.”

That a commoner-born head of the family received a title and didn’t come down, and only raised taxes.

Humans commit sins even when God is watching. Let alone a lord who is far away… the servants of the mansion would surely have a hard time.

“I really appreciate your concern, Romandro. I know everything you’ve said makes sense, but it’s my stubbornness, so please don’t worry too much about it.”

When Ian said that, Romandro gave up and sipped his tea. While the gold coin counting continued, Ian suddenly remembered something and turned to Berik.

“Berik, Count Mereloff has a younger brother who is said to be living in seclusion in a large mansion in the territory.”

“So?”

“I mean, find out more about him.”

“Ughhh.”

Another task. Berik frowned, munching on Gula. No matter how you looked at it, it was strange. He seemed very passionate, yet he was also lazy.

*Slide.*

“Lord Ian, the counting is done, but we’re checking for counterfeit gold coins. Would you like to write the certificate first?”

At that moment, the bank manager, who had been counting gold coins inside, reappeared. He was wiping his wet hands with a towel, probably from checking for counterfeits with magic water.

“Sure. Is there any problem?”

“No, there isn’t. It’s been a long time since I’ve worked with 1,000 gold coins. The vault will be full by the time the collection team arrives.”

“The certificate?”

“Please sign here.”

The document was in a leather case. Ian sat on the sofa and lightly moved his pen, and soon the gold coins were deposited in his name.

‘…Has he ever done banking before?’

Romandro and the bank manager had the same question at the same time, but they resolved it by making eye contact. They figured they must have told each other.

“Yes. It’s done. Thank you.”

“I should be the one saying that. You’ve done a great job. Count Mereloff will be transferring an additional 2,500 gold coins within three days. It would be good to prepare the check in advance.”

“Ah, I see. Understood. Oh! Here’s a notice. During the winter, the transport routes are often blocked. Especially for the Karenna, Longin, and Zailkuf branches, they are unavailable for the time being. Karenna is so unsafe that even the bandits rob each other.”

“I don’t know if I’ll have to go there. Anyway, thank you.”

“Yes. Thank you.”

At Ian’s words, the branch manager bowed deeply. It meant that all the work had been completed successfully. Ian returned to the mansion with light steps. It was clear that 100 sacks were no small matter; everyone was still busy.

“Lord Ian, you’re back?”

“How far along are you?”

The servant wiped away sweat and glanced back at the Mereloff group.

“It was a relief that we had thirty sacks packed in advance, but they overturned everything to check the condition before taking them.”

It was taking a long time because they were being so picky about selecting each one. Ian shook his head as he saw Count Mereloff’s back, interfering with everything between his subordinates.

“You’re going to have a hard time.”

“Yes. But I think it will be over before dinner.”

“Okay. I’ll come down again after I’ve settled in.”

Ian entered the mansion and made a proposal to Romandro. It was about the roasted Gula that Hana had mentioned.

“Even if Count Mereloff plants Gula today, it will take a month, right?”

“I suppose so?”

“We should allow Mereloff to sell Gula. Initially, we should only sell roasted Gula, and then sell raw Gula when the harvest season arrives in Mereloff.”

Since Gula was not yet being produced at the Mereloff mansion, the territory residents who wanted to eat it would have no choice but to buy Gula from here. The Count would probably distribute Gula seeds as Ian had done and raise the tax rate for next year…

“The Count will be so angry he’ll die?”

But if Ian also sold raw Gula at that time, the territory residents would have no reason to receive it while paying higher taxes.

“Lady Rien will take care of it before that, so it’s okay.”

Romandro laughed awkwardly at Ian’s reply. He was confused about whether he should laugh or not.

“As soon as Count Mereloff leaves the territory, inform the territory residents that the restrictions on the sale of roasted Gula will soon be lifted.”

“Okay. I will.”

“And also…”

Ian suddenly stopped as he was about to go up to his office.

“Have you not heard anything about what to do with Sir Molin?”

It had been quite a while since he had received the news of his title appointment. If Prince Marib had something in mind, a letter should have been sent by carrier pigeon by now. But strangely, there was no news about their fate.

“I checked again the other day, but they just said to wait. It seems like they’re a bit busy.”

Wasn’t it that things had gone strangely wrong? Ian frowned and tilted his head.