Chapter 183: |
Chapter 183
Yes, that’s right.
It was a huge mistake to fail to manage a single magic stone mine and cause this disaster, and then fail to properly clean up the mess, causing the entire kingdom of Houston to boil over and ruin business.
You will be fired unconditionally.
Shameron gulped through his crystal ball.
Only then did he realize Raymond’s true intentions.
‘He’s threatening me. He’s saying that if I don’t pay proper compensation, he’ll get me fired.’
But it wasn’t an easy choice.
Paying a huge amount of damages would be a huge stain on his career.
But what if he gets fired?
Leaving the stain aside, that’s the end of it.
‘Ha, there’s no way.’
Shameron raised the white flag.
-Okay, I will accept responsibility and pay compensation. How much would that be? According to Imperial law, 1.5 million penas?
“No. Please pay me 3.27 million penas.”
-……yes?
Shameron’s eyes trembled.
-How much is it now?
“I said it was 3.27 million penas.”
-That’s ridiculous! How can such a huge sum of money be spent!
1.5 million penas were admitted.
Because the Imperial Law of the Crusader Alliance had provisions regarding compensation for trade losses.
In case of simple negligence, 1x, in case of additional damage, 1.3x, in case of significant damage, 1.5x, in case of injury to a person, 2x.
And in cases of mass casualties, it was three times higher.
For reference, the total cost of installing the Magic Stone Mine was 500,000 penas. Of that, Count Trenby paid 200,000 penas as a down payment, so there is a remaining debt of 300,000 penas.
-But why 3.27 million penas?
1.77 million penas was already overcharged.
“It is compensation for the dead.”
Raymond said heavily.
“A total of 177 people died in this disaster.”
-… … .
“10,000 penas for each life.”
10,000 penas per life lost.
Shameron remained silent.
-Ha, but… If I give you that kind of compensation, I’ll be fired.
Shameron frowned.
3.27 million penas was a condition he could never accept.
But Raymond said something unexpected.
‘Now it’s time to give them the carrot instead of the whip.’
It was not wise to just push forward unconditionally.
Now it was Shameron’s turn to get offered a dangling carrot.
“I am making this suggestion with the branch manager in mind.”
-yes?
Raymond thought to himself.
‘I have to persuade them well here.’
If you just ask them to pay additional compensation, they won’t listen.
When you’re picking on someone, you need the right carrot.
Raymond held out the carrot.
“It would be much better for the branch manager to give me a generous reward.”
He explained to Shameron, who had a puzzled look on his face.
“When you pay consolation money to the victims, I will do it in the name of the branch manager and magic tower.”
-…!
“Also, we will spread the ‘good deed’ of the Tower of Magic throughout the Kingdom of Houston, along with the name of the Branch Manager. The name of the Branch Manager will be highly regarded throughout the Rafald region and the Kingdom of Houston, and the image of the Tower of Magic will be greatly improved.”
Improve the image of the Magic Tower!
It was something that the high-ranking officials of the Tower of Eden were always concerned about.
It’s because the image of the Magic Tower being a money bug is too strong.
“Many people in the Kingdom of Houston will praise the great good deed of the Magic Tower, and the branch manager will become the first person to improve Magic Tower’s image in the midst of a crisis.”
Beyond the crystal ball, Shameron gulped.
He understood what Raymond said.
‘It’s an exquisite plan. If it’s as he says, he will end up doing something great even though he us doing it wrong!’
‘What if I just paid 1.5 million penas and finished it? I would have paid the money and got nothing. It would only leave a stain on my career.’
‘But if I am going to pay, why not pay generously? Then I can raise the reputation of the Magic Tower.’
Branch Manager Shameron will be recognized for his crisis management skills.
‘This is truly a win-win situation for everyone, and a way for everyone to survive! Amazing. Who could come up with such a solution? Truly the greatest genius in the Kingdom of Houston.’
Shameron looked at Raymond with great admiration.
-Okay, I will try my best to accept the Count’s proposal.
At those words, Raymond clenched his fist.
‘Okay! It’s a success!’
‘I managed to extort money from those guys at the Tower!’
‘I have accomplished a feat that no one has ever accomplished before!’
‘There were already many places where money could have gone, so I was able to take a breather.’
Then, Shameron said something unexpected.
-But do you really not intend to become the disciple of the Magic Tower?
“……why?”
Raymond looked puzzled.
‘Why are you suddenly talking about disciples?’
-No, I just had an idea after making the deal today.
Shameron said with a strange expression on his face.
-I must do whatever it takes to bring the Count to Magic Tower’s side.
Raymond tilted his head at the unexpected words.
But Shameron was sincere.
Today, Shameron admired Raymond on two counts.
First is his wisdom.
Raymond was not only gifted in magic, but also possessed a fearsome wit.
What was even more admirable was that his wisdom came solely from his concern for others.
‘Threatening the Magic Tower for the sake of the people who have fallen victim to the plague. How terrifyingly wise and wonderfully kind.’
Shameron believed that Raymond’s demand for compensation today was solely for the benefit of the people of the territory.
-Anyway, I ask for your continued support, Count…No, Your Excellency.
A title for a feudal lord, Your Excellency.
The title of respect flowed from the mouth of Shameron, the branch manager of Magic Tower.
The tower meant that from now on, Raymond would be considered the de facto lord of the Rafald region.
‘No, he is not just the vassals. We need to keep an eye on how the political situation will develop in the future.’
Shameron closed his eyes.
There was now no doubt that Raymond would become the prince.
But is this the end for the feudal lord?
Absolutely not.
Indeed, by becoming a prince, Raymond could now be said to have entered the perfect storm.
Right in the midst of the storm surrounding the throne.
‘I wonder what will happen in that storm. There’s no way the two princes can stay still.’
Of course, there was no doubt about Raymond’s abilities.
But the forces that followed the legitimate princes were no match for the rising star Raymond.
‘That doesn’t mean that the illegitimate prince will easily fall.’
Shameron covered his mouth with a fan.
Originally, the Magic Tower was temporarily supporting the Second Prince, Kairn.
Because he was most likely to become the next heir to the throne.
But after today’s deal, Shameron began to consider another candidate.
It was Raymond.
Shameron thought that Raymond might be the changer who could shake up the storm surrounding the throne.
* * *
Raymond further added that there was a mastermind behind this.
‘It would be a good idea to get help from the Magic Tower.’
Realistically, it was difficult to find the mastermind behind his power.
The continent-wide organization, Magic Tower, would be the best suited to find them.
They were also a party involved in this incident.
-Is that so? We can’t just leave it alone. Can you leave this matter to us?
Shameron covered his mouth with his fan.
It was a look in his eyes that was brimming with life.
-I don’t know who they are, but they will pay the price for the damage they caused to the Magic Tower.
After that, they had some more conversations.
Shameron said that the compensation was so large that he could not make the decision on his own and that he would seek final approval from his superiors.
After the call ended, Raymond let out a long sigh.
‘Ugh. I feel relieved now that the conversation is over.’
Although he held a high position, his nature was still timid.
After a breathtaking conversation with the infamous Shameron of the Tower of Eden, all the tension was relieved.
‘I took a breather. I was wondering how to recover from the damage caused by the epidemic.’
As the waters of play grew, the money spent also grew astronomically.
The debt he incurred also grew astronomically.
‘…Now that I think about it, when on earth am I going to repay my debt?’
Rather than stopping, it continued to grow.
‘… The debt I owe to the devil’s loan was 890,000 penas, or 900,000 penas… ‘
Raymond lest out a deep sigh.
The debt was growing without end.
‘When I actually tried to become a lord, I found that there were so many things that required money.’
The outbreak of the plague was fatal as the war damage recovery was not yet complete.
[Additional loan completed. Dear VVIPcustomers~☆★♥!]
Raymond’s heart would sink every time he received a letter like that from Rose Young-ae.
‘Dear customer. Ugh. I really hate it.’
It was as if the devil was looking at the slave who sold his soul and thinking, ‘Our customer, who is as lovely as beef. When will I be able to eat this bastard?’
‘Anyway, I’m relieved thanks to the magic tower. If it weren’t for the magic tower, I would have had to take out additional loans.’
Raymond sighed again.
‘I guess I can’t recycle the magic stone mine I just obtained?’
Raymond had a sneaking thought.
But it was impossible.
How can I use it when it contains such impure mana?
‘I wonder if it would be possible to get rid of all the impure mana.’
For a moment, Raymond flinched.
A way to recycle the magic stone mines has emerged.
‘Wait a minute. If we remove all the impure mana, wouldn’t the white crystals be usable as tools for the medical industry?’
He planned to establish a medical industry in the Rafald region when he became a prince.
White crystals are non-irritating and are perfect for use as tools in the medical industry.
‘The artificial lens of the Mevinson sphere was also made of white crystal.’
But Raymond shook his head again.
It was impossible.
‘How can I get rid of that impure mana? It’s a shame, but the only solution is to permanently close the magic stone mine.’
Raymond thought with regret.
But then, suddenly, the door opened urgently.
“My lord, my lord! This is serious!”
It was Mevinson!
“What is it?”
Raymond looked puzzled.
“The magic stone mines in the Borison Estate are going out of control!”
“What?”
“It is said that the mana inside the white crystal is out of control! According to the urgent report from the mining engineer.”
Mevinson shouted with a pale face.
“They say that if we don’t find a way to remove the mana from the magic stones in the mine immediately, a great disaster will occur!”
* * *
Meanwhile, far to the east, in the region of Rafald.
Beyond the Kingdom of Houston, beyond the other four weak nations, and closer to the Free City Union.
There was a country located on a long peninsula.
Kingdom of Rishtein.
It was a place that some called the Peninsula Kingdom.
The wealthiest nation in the Crusader Empire.
Where the richest people in the world live.
It was also a ‘terrible paradise’ on earth with aspects of both heaven and hell, where the poorest people lived.
Among them, a splendid port city located on the sea.
In the ‘City of Water, Lapentel’, there was a palace as splendid as the ‘Imperial Palace’ of the zodiac.
Emerald Palace.
As the name suggests, it was the home of the Peninsula royalty with the holy eye.
The palace was as beautiful as the Jinrok River flowing by its side, but its contents were not like that at all.
Manmajeon (temple of ten thousand demons), Pandemonium.
That was the nickname of the Emerald Palace.
Because that’s where such terrible desires collide.
In that Manmajeon, unexpectedly, someone called out Raymond’s name.
“Count Penin, what was that feeling you got from him back then?”
It was Rashid, the royal family of Lystein that Raymond had met during the war!