My Lord Who Is Being Prudent! [EN]: Chapter 286

286. The Madman of the Imperial Palace

Valuaga truly had no choice but to utter those words.

They were curses an Emperor shouldn’t say, but he didn’t care.

The Emperor’s dignity, his majesty, whatever.

He didn’t care about any of that.

Because right now, before his eyes, was Cyan.

Cyan, choosing his words carefully with his head slightly bowed.

From past experiences, he knew that dignity and majesty were useless against that son of a bitch.

Of course, as an Emperor, he had to show generosity and tolerance.

But not to that son of a bitch.

Otherwise, the entire Empire would be ruined!

And this time, there were three things at stake!

That meant the ruin would be threefold!

So, generosity, tolerance, majesty, dignity… He wouldn’t consider any of that.

That was… well, just a load of crap.

But even so, he had to maintain his composure as an Emperor.

Valuaga tried his best to remain calm and opened his mouth.

“Speak.”

*Let’s just hear him out first.*

“As Your Majesty knows, Ruben fought a great war with Elandur.”

At Cyan’s words, Valuaga nodded.

He knew about that war that shocked the entire continent, not just the Empire.

He didn’t just know about it; he knew it in detail.

More detailed than what was known to the public.

“I crossed swords with Marquis Durac… and ultimately came to be in this position.”

Of course, he also knew that Cyan had won against Durac.

He knew it so well that he had memorized the sequence of events.

“And in that battle, I saw Marquis Durac using the power of a demon.”

“What?”

But he didn’t know about this.

“The power of a demon?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Valuaga was momentarily speechless.

Conrad also looked quite surprised.

A moment of silence passed, and Valuaga spoke.

“Does that mean Elandur is in league with a demon?”

“Based on the current circumstances, I believe so.”

At Cyan’s firm answer, Valuaga was once again speechless.

Honestly, it was hard to believe, but not entirely.

First of all, Cyan was the one who directly crossed swords with Durac.

Moreover, Valuaga already knew that a demon had reappeared on the continent.

“Evidence?”

But that didn’t prove that Cyan’s words were true.

Even so, Elandur being in league with a demon was another matter.

And it was only Cyan’s testimony.

As the Emperor of the Empire, he shouldn’t judge narrowly based on one person’s words.

As if Cyan knew that fact.

“At the end of this war, Ruben captured and interrogated Elandur’s vassals. And they all testified that Elandur was in league with a demon.”

“What, what?”

This was a very different story.

They were none other than Elandur’s vassals.

This had the same credibility as an internal accusation.

No, it was no different from an internal accusation.

“They have all been escorted to the Imperial Palace, so if you interrogate them, you will be able to confirm that my words are true.”

And then Cyan continued.

“Also, Aria… no, the Saintess of the Holy Empire has come to the Imperial Palace with me to guarantee that.”

“Hmm…”

Valuaga couldn’t help but sigh.

The testimony of Elandur’s vassals.

The testimony of the Saintess of the Holy Empire.

This was enough evidence.

It wasn’t enough to make a hasty decision, but it was enough justification for the Imperial Family to step in.

“Therefore, I request a full investigation of Elandur.”

It was enough justification for the Imperial Family to directly and extensively investigate Elandur.

“If your words are true, then of course we cannot stand idly by. However, that is only when the evidence is confirmed.”

Valuaga cast his gaze behind Cyan and shouted.

“Is anyone outside?”

“You called, Your Majesty?”

Then, the door to the audience chamber opened, and a knight of the Royal Knights entered.

He didn’t raise his eyes, so he didn’t know who it was, but judging from the aura, he was a commander-level figure.

“Immediately interrogate those escorted by Count Cyan. Also, do not neglect the treatment of the Saintess of the Holy Empire.”

“I shall obey Your Majesty’s command.”

Soon, the Royal Knight left the audience chamber.

Valuaga spoke to Cyan as soon as the door to the audience chamber closed.

“We will continue with the rest of the matter after the interrogation is over.”

There was a report related to Elandur’s atrocities, but…

That was to persuade people from other continents, not the Emperor.

Now that the Emperor had moved, there was no need to bring it up.

Cyan bowed deeply, as if to accept the order.

At Cyan’s appearance, Valuaga’s question was heard.

“The first matter is settled… what is the second?”

“That is…”

Cyan hesitated for a moment, blurring his words.

He didn’t open his mouth easily, showing a hesitant appearance.

At the same time, he was glancing at Valuaga.

He was watching for the right moment to open his mouth.

That clumsy act of pretending to be embarrassed.

*This was the real deal. The real deal had come.*

Valuaga could feel it instinctively.

As if he was pricked by conscience and couldn’t bring himself to open his mouth.

But if he were to ask first, he would speak.

“This is really…”

That flustered yet sly acting of embarrassment!

Valuaga absolutely didn’t want to ask.

So, he didn’t want to hear the contents contained within.

Because incidents that would make his mind spin would pop out.

So Valuaga wanted to say, ‘You don’t seem to have anything to say, so you can go now.’

But really… my real…

“Speak…”

It was just too frustrating that he couldn’t do that right now.

Valuaga finally opened his mouth as if chewing on his words.

Then, Cyan started talking as if he had been waiting.

“That… isn’t there a shortage of gold currency circulating in the Empire right now?”

For a moment, Valuaga’s eyebrows twitched.

He never thought that those words would come out of that bastard’s mouth first.

*Aren’t you the culprit and the cause of the Empire’s economic collapse?*

It’s not like you’re confessing, so what are you…

No, let’s put that aside for now.

“Therefore, I would like to ask for your opinion on whether to mint gold currency…”

*What is this bastard saying right now?*

Valuaga made an absurd expression.

*Whose fault is it that this happened…*

Valuaga’s anger surged up again, but he suppressed it.

He really suppressed it.

He still hated giving anything to that son of a bitch.

But what could he do since Elena liked him so much?

She was a child who was trapped by her sense of duty as a princess and only thought about political marriages.

In a way, she seemed like a doll made by the Imperial Family.

He was the first man that such a daughter liked.

No, beyond liking, he was a man she genuinely wanted to marry.

And he hated to admit it…

Honestly, there was no more suitable son-in-law than Cyan.

Except for the times when he wanted to kill him when he was out of his mind.

“I heard that there is a shortage of currency in circulation… and that the Empire’s economy has been ruined because of it…”

Just like right now.

Valuaga gnashed his teeth inwardly.

*Is that what you’re saying right now?*

He suppressed the words he wanted to shout.

And as if knowing Valuaga’s feelings.

No, to be exact, Conrad noticed Valuaga’s flushed face.

“Cyan, as you said, minting currency is absolutely necessary right now.”

Conrad stepped forward and answered instead of Valuaga.

“However, putting aside the various complicated circumstances, there is one big problem. The mint lacks the gold to mint gold in the first place.”

They had to print gold currency right away, but they didn’t have the gold, which was the raw material.

Since there was no raw material to print currency, they naturally couldn’t make currency.

And if they made it with iron instead of gold, the value of the currency would plummet.

Then, the economy itself would become irreparable due to fatal inflation.

They couldn’t bring in a dragon to chase away an ogre [solve one problem by creating a bigger one].

In short, they couldn’t do anything.

“I will supply that gold.”

“Cyan, you mean?”

Cyan nodded lightly.

However, Conrad shook his head slightly.

“The Empire is currently short of an enormous amount of currency. We need at least hundreds of millions of gold. The gold that goes with it is not small, but even you…”

There was a limit to the amount of treasure an individual could collect.

Especially if it was limited to gold.

But why?

“It would be better to check this directly.”

Cyan didn’t seem to care much.

#

Amelia, the head of the Ruben Brahe Merchant Guild.

Amelia was sitting in a carriage in a quiet place in Darkan [the capital city], organizing her ledger.

Cyan had left to have an audience with the Emperor, but Amelia was guarding this place.

She didn’t even dream of having an audience with the Emperor.

No matter how much Amelia was the head of Ruben Brahe, a giant merchant guild in the Empire.

Even if she had risen to the ranks of a great merchant who controlled the Empire’s economy.

In front of the Emperor, she was just a peddler.

Of course, she wouldn’t really be treated like a peddler.

But the Emperor was literally the number one person in the Empire.

Having an audience with such an Emperor was not something that could be done with just being a great merchant.

In other words, mere wealth could not reach the Emperor’s feet.

The Emperor was the owner of power and authority that transcended such wealth.

“In that sense, the Lord is really…”

Amelia shook her head.

And right then.

Creak, crack.

She heard the sound of the ground collapsing outside the carriage.

She opened the window and looked out, and sure enough, the ground was cracking.

It was caused by the weight of a small pouch.

And it seemed like it would soon cause the ground itself to collapse completely.

She wanted to move the location, but she couldn’t.

That was… a weight that humans couldn’t touch.

There was only one being who could touch that.

“The Lord needs to come quickly… when will he come?”

Amelia waited for Cyan like that.

And the place where Amelia was was a damp place where people didn’t come and go easily.

Although it was the capital, Darkan, not all areas were developed.

Ruben was the only territory on the entire continent without underdeveloped areas.

Well, anyway, that pouch that was collapsing the ground.

She couldn’t go anywhere because of that pouch.

The only place she could be was a place like this where people didn’t come and go.

The atmosphere was quite gloomy, but she wasn’t worried.

Because Lucas and the Black Lion Knights were guarding it tightly.

Amelia spent her time organizing her ledger.

And how much time had passed?

“Come this way.”

She heard Cyan’s voice from outside the carriage.

It seemed that he had finally finished his audience and returned.

Amelia hurriedly finished the ledger she was organizing.

And at the same time as opening the carriage door and going outside, she tilted her head.

Amelia’s head tilted to the left.

The first person she saw when she opened the carriage door was Cyan.

But Cyan was not alone.

Amelia’s gaze naturally turned to the back of Cyan.

And the two figures she faced.

An aura of dignity and grace emanated from them, palpable simply by their presence.

A presence that made you feel unconsciously intimidated, even without any overt display of power.

“H-His, His Majesty the Emperor?!”

Amelia’s eyes widened in shock.

And next to him, filling her widened vision,

“H-His Highness the Crown Prince?!?!!”

Amelia’s eyes widened as if they would tear from their sockets.

Why was the Emperor here?

And why was the Crown Prince here too?

Why in this damp, desolate place where no one ever came?

Of course, it was located near the Imperial Palace, so they *could* come… but what the hell!

Who expects to just *meet* the Emperor here!

Even with the Crown Prince!

Amelia couldn’t understand what was happening at all.

Confusion overwhelmed Amelia’s mind.

The Emperor and the Crown Prince were getting closer and closer.

And when Amelia finally stood face-to-face with the two most important people in the Empire.

“Ah? Ah, ah…?”

Amelia nearly short-circuited.

And perhaps because of Amelia’s bewildered appearance.

“This woman is?”

Conrad asked, tilting his head slightly.

“She is Amelia, the head of the Ruben Brahe Merchant Guild, which operates within my territory. I believe you have already met her, Your Highness…”

“With me? …Ah, are you referring to the young lady of the Brahe family I saw in the West last time?”

“That’s right. You must have encountered her when you came to Ruben as well.”

Cyan nodded, while discreetly checking Amelia’s condition.

Her eyes were unfocused, and she was swaying slightly.

“It seems Amelia is malfunctioning… no, extremely flustered.”

Cyan subtly poked Amelia in the side.

“Ah!”

Amelia snapped back to attention.

Then, startled, she hastily paid her respects.

“Y-Your, Your Most Exalted Majesty, and Your Highness the Crown Prince… I, I greet you…!!”

Amelia’s body trembled as she bowed her head deeply.

Her slender shoulders shook with nerves.

“She hasn’t changed a bit from then.”

Conrad chuckled and said to Amelia.

“Don’t be afraid, I won’t bite. Am I really that intimidating?”

“You *are* the Crown Prince, after all. And His Majesty the Emperor is also present. Anyone would react this way in front of you two, not just Amelia.”

“Hmm…”

Conrad nodded once.

He was well aware of his position and the weight it carried.

“But why aren’t *you* nervous at all?”

“You are mistaken. I am plenty nervous right now.”

Conrad made an incredulous expression at this, but only for a moment.

“You certainly don’t *seem* nervous.”
The answer came from Valuaga.

“So, where is the gold you mentioned?”

Valuaga looked around, but saw nothing.

Only one thing was visible.

“It’s in that subspace pouch [a magical container that can hold items in a pocket dimension] over there…”

Only a small pouch.

To be precise, a pouch that was emitting a sound of cracking and creaking!

A bizarre sight of the ground collapsing beneath it.

It seemed to be due to the weight of the pouch…

Was this even possible?

Was what he was seeing truly reality?

Just how much weight did it have to possess to cause the ground to sink like that… just then.

“Amelia. How much gold did you bring this time?”

“W-Well, since we only brought gold, excluding various jewels, it’s n-not that much. The value when minted into gold currency would be…”

Amelia stammered, her eyes wide and her voice trembling.

“About 3 billion…”

W-What, what did she say?

What did she just say?

“That’s what she says.”

So, what *is* ‘that’ then?

Valuaga’s expression froze.

Conrad’s face also lost its composure.

Whether she knew their feelings or not.

“Therefore, I was thinking of selling the gold needed to mint 1 gold coin for 1.5 gold coins…”

A completely absurd proposition came out of Cyan’s mouth.

The gold currency used in the Empire was, of course, made of gold.

Therefore, the cost of the gold used to make 1 gold coin.

It was naturally lower than the face value of 1 gold coin.

Only then would it have utility as legal tender.

The fundamental principle of legal tender was that the face value had to exceed the intrinsic cost.

It might seem like nonsense, but it was simple economics.

Let’s say the amount of gold needed to make 1 gold coin was worth more than 1 gold coin.

So, the price of the gold in 1 gold coin was 1.5 gold coins.

Then wouldn’t it be more profitable to melt that 1 gold coin and sell it as raw gold?

If you melt 1 gold coin back into gold, you can sell it for 1.5 gold coins.

In fact, there was a related incident in the Empire in the past.

An incident where individuals melted down 10 million gold coins to obtain and sell 12 million gold coins worth of gold, making a tidy profit.

Of course, those involved were all caught and punished, but it was a loophole that could potentially be exploited again at any time.

After that incident, the amount of gold in the currency was carefully adjusted.

Not only gold, but also other metals were mixed in small amounts into the currency.

In this way, the intrinsic value of 1 gold coin was lowered to less than its face value.

The ratio varied depending on the annual inflation rate, but it was generally maintained at around 0.5 to 0.6 gold worth of gold per coin.

This was the core principle: the utility of legal tender was that the face value had to exceed the cost.

In other words, currency should not function as a physical commodity, but should function as a medium of exchange.

In any case, 1 gold coin itself must be worth less than 1 gold coin in raw materials.

But what Cyan was saying now…

“If that’s too much, how about 1.3 gold coins…?”

It was truly a novel and innovative brand of nonsense.

“A-Are, are, are you crazy?!”

Accordingly, Amelia shouted urgently.

Amelia knew better than anyone what kind of insane proposition that was.

It was no different from saying she would sell gold *for* gold, at a loss.

To the Imperial Family, of all people!

Even in front of the Emperor and the Crown Prince!

Amelia was at a complete loss, and looked desperately at Valuaga and Conrad.

And, as expected.

“······”

“······”

The two people’s sense of reason had seemingly ascended to the heavens, leaving their bodies behind.

This… this was a madman obsessed with money.

This was a guy who had sold his soul, not just gone crazy.

What? Elan Dure was in league with the devil?

Ha! What a joke.

Cyan, *this* guy was in league with the devil and had sold his soul for profit.

Was it right to send Elena to such a man?

Well, Elena certainly wouldn’t starve to death.

There would never be a time when she would struggle with hunger.

Valuaga could only think that, with such a dazed mind.

“Haa, but we can’t do that. We wouldn’t have anything left over if we did that.”

Conrad opened his mouth first.

As he said, selling 1 gold coin’s worth of gold for 1.5 gold coins was absurd.

In other words, it was no different from buying 1 gold coin for 1.5 gold coins.

This was like creating a debt of 0.5 gold coins at the same time as minting 1 gold coin.

Far from increasing the amount of currency in circulation, it was just adding a massive amount of debt.

And Cyan was not unaware of that fact.

No, to be precise, he was waiting for those words to be spoken.

“…But, it seems I am also at fault in this matter.”

Of course, Cyan had not committed any wrongdoing.

So, the current phenomenon of a shortage of gold circulating in the Empire.

The fact that the Empire’s economy had collapsed because of it.

It was not Cyan’s fault.

It was just something he did with the profits he earned from selling goods fairly.

There was no illegal process involved.

So, it couldn’t be said to be Cyan’s fault.

But words carried different weight depending on how they were said.

Negotiation was originally about making an exaggerated demand first, to set the stage.

“I will sell it for 0.8 gold coins per 1 gold coin.”

Cyan made a new offer.

Conrad was silent for a moment.

In this case, the Imperial Family would make a profit of 0.2 gold coins for every coin minted.

If you mint 1 gold coin, you will make a net profit of 0.2 gold coins.

It was a whopping 20% net profit, and in this case, the Imperial Family would have gold left over.

If you project this to 3 billion, it would be 20%, or 600 million gold coins.

It was essentially free money to be made while sitting down, a huge profit.

However, this was not a business for the Imperial Family to maximize profit.

It was to revive the collapsed economy of the Empire.

In other words, 600 million gold coins worth of currency could be recirculated into the Empire’s economy.

Even so, the currency shortage could not be completely resolved.

Still, it was enough circulation to breathe some much-needed life into the system.

The collapsed economy could be stabilized to some extent.

However, this could only happen if there was a loss on the other side.

To be precise, Cyan would have to take a 20% loss.

But a madman obsessed with money would *ever* agree to a business that loses money?

There was no way that would happen.

There was no way that guy who had sold his soul to the devil would ever do that.

Valuaga and Conrad’s gazes were fixed intently on Cyan.

And, as expected.

“However, there is a condition.”

There was a condition.

And that was the last of the three things Cyan had mentioned to Valuaga earlier.

“I would like to borrow His Majesty’s Zodiac Sword for a while.”

The Zodiac Sword, the key to entering the Arnaise Hall [a sacred place or treasury].

“In return, I will hand over 1 gold coin’s worth of gold for 0.8 gold coins.”

In other words, it was no different from saying he would pay a rental fee for the Zodiac Sword.

“······”

Valuaga was speechless.

Really, there was nothing to say.

The Zodiac Sword was the sword used by Arnaise Charlotte [the founder of the Empire or a legendary figure].

It was the symbol of the Emperor that had been passed down since Emperor Charlotte.

The symbol representing the Emperor could of course only be wielded by the Emperor.

Only the legitimate Emperor could use the sword.

To ask to borrow such a Zodiac Sword.

This was truly the first time he had ever seen such a crazy guy.

No, this was the first time in the Empire’s history of thousands of years.

That’s why Valuaga hadn’t even considered it for a moment.

It wasn’t even conceivable to bring up the concept of lending it.

Even the Crown Prince Conrad could not use it without the Emperor’s explicit permission.

But what?

Some mere aristocrat was asking to borrow the Zodiac Sword?

Of course, it was impossible. It was impossible in any case.

But what was this guy…

“That… 0.75 gold coins. I’ll even do 0.75 gold coins per 1 gold coin.”

He was haggling, like a merchant in a marketplace.

Valuaga’s expression crumpled.

No matter how he framed it, it was impossible.

This was not a matter of money.

This was a matter of the Imperial Family’s pride, and a matter of the Emperor’s dignity and majesty.

Was the Emperor, who ruled the Empire, to be swayed by mere money?

This was something that could never be allowed, and should not be allowed.

No matter how serious the economic crisis facing the Empire was.

Even if it was a serious crisis that could potentially collapse the Empire.

Even if that money could immediately overcome the crisis.

Even if it was not for private use, but for the sake of the Empire and its people.

This was something that should never be allowed.

Valuaga opened his mouth without hesitation.

Whirrrrrrrrr.

“0.7 gold coins per 1 gold coin. Then I will lend you the Zodiac Sword.”

After all, it was too much money to refuse.