Chapter 394: The Evenus County [1]
"So you entered the mine while everyone was busy pushing back the Raimsal soldiers. You delayed the entire operation, risking the lives of the soldiers, and ended up threatening Captain Thalric, is that correct?"
"........"
When he put it that way, it really did sound bad.
"Yes."
I nodded while looking around at the familiar office space. I was currently in the Family Head's office as he sat opposite me, filling several papers with a stoic expression.
Shortly after detonating the explosives within the mine, we headed back to the Family Estate. Our mission was over.
It took a while to get back to the Estate, and by the time we arrived, the place was extremely quiet.
News of what had happened had yet to spread.
I was inclined to believe it was all due to the Family Head who appeared to be at peace with the situation.
Scribble Scribble~
He was acting as though we didn't just deal a devastating blow to the Viscount.
As if sensing my thoughts, the Family Head opened his mouth.
"It's not over until it's over. We have yet to deal with the other Baronies that are attacking our land. However, news of the mine's collapse should've reached the Viscount by now. He will most likely try to reach out to us soon."
Bttzz-
Not a second after he said those words, something buzzed.
"That was faster than I thought."
The Family Head finally put down the pen and leaned back. As he did, he pressed his finger on the table and a face appeared in front of him.
'What kind of hair...'
"....Aldric."
A haggard voice echoed quietly within the room.
The Family Head didn't so much as nod in acknowledgment. Looking at him, I could see it in his eyes.
He... wasn't treating the person that had just appeared with much regard.
"Viscount."
His tone was light, but it carried an air of indifference that made it seem as though he was speaking to his own subordinate.
If I could notice it, so could the Viscount whose face looked defeated.
"...You're very ruthless, aren't you?"
"I am?"
The Family Head tilted his head.
"...As far as I'm concerned, I destroyed my own mine. The cost of maintaining it had become unsustainable, especially since most of the gold had already been extracted. My plan was to level the mountain and convert the area into agricultural land for the farmers."
Whatever he said was total bullshit.
However, it didn't really matter if it was bullshit or not. It was his land so whatever he did with it was his concern.
"For your soldiers to have died in such an accident, I can only grant you my condolences. However, that begs the question. What were your soldiers doing in my land?"
The Family Head's eyes squinted, a small frown appearing on his face as the room grew tense.
On the opposite side, the Viscount remained silent.
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He just stared at the Baron wordlessly. He was eventually able to get his words out, but his voice came out in a soft whisper.
"Y... You already know."
"I do...?"
The Family Head continued to pretend to be oblivious to the entire situation.
I sat in silence while watching the entire interaction. By now, it had been clear to me that he hadn't just called me here to talk about what had happened.
No...
He called me here to show me something.
This.
"Cut the crap, Aldric. I'm here to discuss compensation. How much do you want? I don't want to waste any more time talking to you.""
"Compensation?"
"I give..."
The Viscount clenched his teeth, clearly struggling to get his next words out. It took several breaths for him to calm down, and when he did, he eventually managed to mumble a few
words,
"You've won, Il-lost. Just tell me how much you want."
|| ||
The Family Head suddenly frowned upon hearing his words.
'What...? Did he expect the Viscount to put up a bigger fight?'
His main force had been completely wiped out, and while he still did have a lot of soldiers,
they weren't comparable to our force.
....His options were limited.
Perhaps monetary compensation was his easiest way out.
But apparently, I completely misunderstood the reason for the Family Head's frown.
"I think you misunderstood something, Viscount."
Aldric suddenly leaned forward, his expression adding to the tension that lingered in the
room.
"You may think I answered your call because I was willing to negotiate with you, but that's
where you're wrong."
"....Uh?"
The Viscount's face changed.
Aldric continued, his tone lowering.
"I didn't answer your call because I am willing to negotiate compensation with you. I... simply answered because I wanted to explain to you the situation."
"W-what-"
The Viscount grew flustered, but before he could get any word out of his mouth, the Family
Head spoke. And...
"I will be coming for you land."
Each...
"I will be coming for your title."
Word that...
"...I will be coming for your vassals."
Came out of his mouth...
"I will be coming for everything that you have."
Felt like a dagger that pierced deeper and deeper into the Viscount's heart.
By the time he was done, the Viscount's face had grown extremely pale. He wanted to say something, but the Family Head quickly ended the conversation, plunging the room into an
uncomfortable silence.
Click.
Unknowingly, my lips grew dry as I replayed the words in my mind.
'I will be coming for your land.'
'I will be coming for your title.'
'...I will be coming for your vassals.'
'I will be coming for everything that you have...'
To say I didn't expect this was wrong. He had made his intention quite clear long before. It
was just that I didn't expect him to be so... suffocating.
"Do you have a problem with how I've handled things, Julien?"
Hearing the Family Head's voice, I raised my head.
Meeting his line of sight, I shook my head.
"No."
I had no qualms with the way he handled things. In fact, it made me respect him. This was
how I liked to handle things.
...He was true to his greed.
"That's good because things are just getting started."
Bang-
The door flew open shortly after.
A figure rushed in.
"Baron!"
It was one of the vassals. He didn't even spare me a glance before rushing to the Baron.
"We've got several guests trying to force their way in. I am trying my best to stop them. What should I do?! They seem quite adamant in wanting to meet you and I can't push them back!" As if expecting such a situation, the Family Head beckoned forward with his hand.
"Let them in."
"In...? But-"
"It's alright. Let them in. I'm giving you permission."
"Understood!"
The vassal quickly left. Then, shortly after, he came back with several figures. In particular, a
chubby man with squinted eyes stood out from the rest.
He wore lavish clothing, a clear display of his wealth. His expression was friendly, almost
sycophantic, as he gazed at the Family Head.
"Haha, Baron Evenus."
His face froze at the sight of me but he soon recovered, pausing by the end of the door.
Fixing his hair, he spoke in a respectful tone.
"...First of all, I'd like to congratulate you on your recent victory. You fooled all of us,
including myself. I didn't expect all of this to be a ruse from you. I'm quite frankly surprised by your wit and ingenuity. If-"
"Shut down your bank for the next three days and I will consider working with you once more
then."
"....!"
The chubby man's face grew stiff.
Shortly after, he rapidly raised his head.
"That's impossible!"
Before he had any words to say, the Family Head continued.
"I know the Viscount has left quite a large sum of money in your bank. For three days, shut
down your bank so that he doesn't gain access to his money. If you don't do that then I'm
afraid we'll have to stop any further collaboration between the two of us."
"T-that..."
The chubby man stuttered.
His entire body was trembling as he tried his best to meet the Family Head's gaze.
"Baron... you understand that what you're asking is suicide, right? If we shut down for three
days then we'll lose all of our amassed reputation. People will start flocking away from us, thinking that we're unreliable and-"
"I'm not arguing with you. I'm giving you a choice. Whether you take it or not is not up to
me."
"But-"
"Like I said, I'm not arguing. Think about your losses carefully. Will maintaining a
relationship with me be more beneficial to you now than the loss of reputation you will
sustain?"
Suddenly pausing, I felt the Family Head's gaze pause on me. Following his eyes, the chubby man also looked at me.
His entire body trembled at the sight and his face stiffened.
A sudden realization occurred to me as I looked at the calm Family Head.
'I'm being used, aren't I?' Beside berating me, and showing me his actions, he had a third goal in all of this.
He... wanted to use me as a bargaining chip. While I wasn't fully aware of what was going on,
it was clear to me that the Family Head was using my reputation to convince the man in front
of me to agree to his ridiculous request of shutting down the bank for three days. The intent behind his actions was quite clear to me.
...The Family Head wanted to completely cut off the Viscount's funds. This was so that he
could prevent him from hiring any mercenary in the short term.
It would make his invasion a lot more smooth and quick.
'How scary...'
The more I learned about the Family Head, the more I came to fear him and respect him.
It made me question.
How in the world did someone like him birth someone like Julien?
'No, perhaps... only a man like him can birth someone like Julien.'
I closed my eyes and leaned back on my chair. For the next few minutes, the chubby man
discussed details with the Family Head. In the end, an agreement was made between the two
of them which was then swiftly signed.
Clank-
By the time I opened my eyes, it was just me and the Family Head again.
I turned my eyes to face him.
He met my gaze.
"Do you know who that was?"
"....I don't."
"Emirates Bank Vice Manager Kaelan Murray. He oversees one of the largest banks in the area,
with their influence extending across several counties."
"Oh."
He sounded like an important person.
"Not too long ago, after they learned of our 'situation', they came to collect the outstanding
debt we had with them that was due in ten years time. Their real goal was Leon."
"Uh...?"
I frowned while learning of the situation.
In short, he was saying that the bank came to threaten them with the debt while we were
being besieged by the three baronies and the Viscount. That...
"That debt better be worth more than 40 million. Otherwise, it'd be a loss..'
Leon was worth at least that much.
"I paid back everything."
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I raised my brow.
.....I slowly started to get where he was getting at.
"Now that the debt has been repaid, they hold no leverage with us. We're equals, and so they
can't hold anything against us. Especially when we start taking over the lands of the Barons
and Viscount, which we will and they know it. That's also when they'll lose four massive
customers."
"Ah."
I started to understand.
"Is that why they came here?"
"Yes, they wanted to fix our relationship with us. They had no choice but to if they wanted to
remain in business. The banking industry is rather harsh. You never know when you get
swallowed up." "...Right."
I knew this much from my past world.
Still, I once again found myself shuddering at the Family Head's actions. It was as if he was in
total control of everything, holding everything at the palm of his hands.
For just how long had he been planning this...?
And was the reason for why he wanted to show weakness in the Household because of this? To
purposely lure the Emirates Bank into collecting their debt?
I secretly swallowed.
'At least, he's not that much different from me in the regard that he's willing to work with those that
they previously were against. Just like Owl-Mighty, and Peb-'
"For the next three days, we'll wage a full-out war against the Viscount and the Baronies.
Once we're done with that, it'll be the Emirates Bank next."
"Uh?"
I blinked my eyes while looking at the Baron.
Did he...?
"They'll be the next thing we'll swallow after the territories."
That's when I understood.
The two of us weren't the same at all.
He...
Wasn't someone that was willing to compromise.
He was someone that took everything that he could take.
A man who embodied greed itself.
