143fury
143Either choice (two-person choice)) (1)
power in the north.
The Earl of Douglas has been very unwell lately..
Kwaang!
“You still haven't found those rats?!”
“……sorry. All the bandits operating nearby were eliminated, but the whereabouts of the slush fund could not be found..”
The problem started with the Barco family..
Douglas and Barco.
The powerful people in the northern and northeastern regions formed a friendly relationship, starting with a meeting at a noble party..
It was a relationship where there was nothing bad between us..
Although the Earl of Douglas had no connections in the central government, he exerted definite influence in the North, while Viscount Barco had connections that the Douglas family did not have..
mutual aid).
Although we are not close enough to sacrifice for each other, we are close enough to help each other when necessary..
I didn't know at the time.
I never thought such a relationship would lead to problems..
“Earl Douglas. Could you please lend me some money??”
one call.
Ahead of the war with Lawrence, Viscount Barco used his connections in addition to the Golden Bank to raise as much money as possible..
It was a fight in which defeat was not allowed..
It was necessary to prepare for any unexpected variables, and by adding money borrowed from friendly forces such as the Earl of Douglas, a river was prepared to bring Homer..
Earl Douglas was confident of Barco's victory..
I never thought I would be defeated by someone like Lawrence, so I borrowed a large amount of money thinking I would use this opportunity to solidify our relationship..
It's money you'll get back soon anyway..
Tearing Lawrence to shreds would make a lot of money, so there was no way Barko wouldn't pay up..
however.
Barco is defeated.
As he died while running away at night, the person who could retrieve the money disappeared from the world..
The Douglas family was shaken up..
It was an unreasonable loan, so their circumstances were not favorable, and they had to get the money back somehow..
The problem was the existence of the Golden Bank.
They had already stormed into the Barco family and taken away everything that could be worth money, and they did not dare to say that they would exercise their rights first, but they did not have the courage to say that they would be the first..
kept silent.
I didn't give up the money.
Fortunately, Earl Douglas knew the only way to get his money back..
‘The Barco family holds slush funds that are not revealed to the outside world. Golden Bank was unable to accurately identify the existence of the slush fund, but I got a clue about the slush fund during a drinking session with Viscount Barco. As long as you secure slush funds. You can earn more than just the money you lend..’
Hired the Information Guild.
We investigated the clues mentioned by Viscount Barco and were eventually able to find the slush fund..
A considerable amount of gold bars.
He loaded gold bars hidden in the northeastern area onto a wagon and tried to move them to the north without anyone knowing..
It was the perfect plan.
If only we hadn't encountered a group of thieves on the way and lost all the gold bars..
Earl Douglas said.
“There is no way a group of thieves could have disposed of that much gold without leaving a trace. Be sure to find the whereabouts of the gold bars, even if it means searching the northeastern region, or even the entire Cairo Kingdom. That's not Barco's. It's the fair price we deserve, and it can't be taken away from us by anyone else..”
My eyes were bloodshot..
Now I have solved my financial problems.
But when I think about how difficult it was for a while, I still felt like my blood was rushing..
Surrounding area.
I dried up the seeds of a band of thieves..
Many people died, but Earl Douglas had no intention of stopping until he saw the gold in person..
Then.
I received a call from the information guild Black Moon..
“My lord! I finally found the whereabouts of the gold bar.!”
* * *
Leader of the Black Moon.
Donovan came to visit Earl Douglas..
“At first it was thought that the slush fund had fallen into the hands of a band of thieves. The troops who were transporting the slush funds were dead, and along with them were the bodies of a band of bandits who had become infamous nearby. However, no matter how much we looked at the black market, there was no sign of any movement to sell gold bars. Since converting gold bars into gold coins requires special skills, they decided that they had no choice but to use the black market to secure money they could actually use. So, as a result of continuing to hide, I found a clue to the gold bars..”
“Okay, what kind of bastards stole my gold bars??”
“The identity of the thieves was not a group of thieves. Northeast Association. They are the culprits who stole the gold bars..”
“what?!”
widely.
I got up from my seat.
Northeast Association.
What does that mean?.
“It is true that at first, a group of bandits attacked the troops who were transporting slush funds. However, just in time, the forces of the Northeast Association caught sight of the situation, and after defeating all the bandits, they seem to have discovered a wagon containing gold bars. Perhaps they were in trouble. Even though they clearly knew it was Earl Douglas' carriage, they chose to bury the truth and take the gold bars. As proof, gold bars were put up for sale on the black market a month ago. It was the same number and type as Barco's slush fund, and the person who exported it to the black market was a servant of Viscount Konrad, a member of the Northeast Association..”
“These damn bastards.”
anger exploded.
Meantime.
How distressed was the loss of the gold bar?.
Emotions piled up, and now that the financial issues have been resolved, only anger remains..
Looking at the Earl of Douglas's anger, Donovan lowered his head and suppressed a laugh..
‘There is not an ounce of falsehood in the information I gave. In fact, the Northeast Association discovered a wagon loaded with gold bars and chose to steal the gold bars, even though they knew they belonged to the Earl of Douglas. If I hadn't told you this. The Northeast Association could have committed the perfect crime, but you brought a crisis upon yourself by turning the master into an enemy..’
black moon.
An information guild with a high reputation in the northeastern region..
People don't know what changes they have faced.
Black Moon was absorbed into Hao Moon, led by Lucas, and outwardly still acted as a moderate force..
blast furnace.
Information was leaked under Roman's orders..
Count Douglas, unaware that he had become a puppet, spouted out his anger with a red face..
“Contact the Northeast Association right now! This time, I will tear the bastards who stole other people's money to pieces.!”
It was as expected.
Earl Douglas, with his warlike tendencies, chose to move immediately..
* * *
one call.
The Northeast Association's feet are on fire..
Even though the atmosphere was not good due to Roman's incident, the problem that occurred this time was even more serious than that..
“What should I do with this?!”
“The Earl of Douglas is a powerful figure in the North. If his relationship goes sour, he doesn't know what will happen to him.”
Earl Douglas said he would wait three hours..
inside.
All of the Northeastern Association should gather together and explain this incident..
The people of the Northeast Association who heard the whole incident spoke with thoughtful faces..
“……After all, one must not touch anything belonging to the Earl of Douglas. Unlike gold coins, gold bars are not items that can be easily handled. If this was an issue that would last forever, it might have been better to contact the Earl of Douglas directly and propose a deal..”
“you're right. Don’t we all know the personality of Earl Douglas? He's not going to let this go..”
earl douglas.
He is called the beast of the north..
It was famous for once it got hot, it would attack without even thinking about getting hurt..
So, regardless of how powerful he was, he did not try to pretend to be with Douglas..
Viscount Conrad said.
“What on earth are you all talking about? The Barco family's slush fund does not belong to Earl Douglas. We also owe money to the Barco family and have the right to take our share of the slush fund. But wasn't the Earl of Douglas the first one to embezzle slush funds without others knowing? If he had been in an honorable position, would he have tried to steal slush funds like a rat? So, first of all, you should not go in with your head down. The moment the words sorry come out of our mouths, this problem will end..”
like he said.
The Northeast Association had lent money to the Barco family..
Barco borrowed money not only from the Earl of Douglas but also from families in the northeast, and those who had originally followed the Barco family line had no choice but to empty their pockets..
That may be why my antipathy toward Dmitry was even stronger. Because of that, Barco collapsed and lost a huge amount of money..
Stealing slush funds.
There was a reason.
At least they didn't take money they had no right to; they thought they were entitled to it too..
“……Would that make sense to the Earl of Douglas??”
“It's not an important issue other than whether it works or not. Can you spit out the money you made from gold bars? We have already spent all that money, and the moment we admit our fault to the Earl of Douglas, we may have to cough up more money than the gold we stole. Earl Douglas is a worthy human being. So from now on, we must speak with one voice. We need to obfuscate the point by persistently insisting that Earl Douglas struck first..”
“That makes sense..”
“Let us follow the words of Viscount Konrad. Isn’t the water already spilled anyway??”
opinions were gathered.
They may have been weak as individuals, but they showed courage under the one name of the Northeast Association..
timely.
A technician came to the conference room and said.
“The Douglas family has applied for magical communication..”
Moment.
The nobles of the Northeast Association, including Viscount Conrad, swallowed their dry saliva without even realizing it..
* * *
It was as expected.
As soon as communication was established, Earl Douglas did not hide his emotions..
[What the heck is going on! You're stealing my money. Please explain now!]
Anger boiled over..
A voice like a lion.
Facing the angry face of Earl Douglas, Viscount Conrad spoke in as calm a voice as possible..
“First of all, calm down. And ‘my money’. I completely understand why Count Douglas is angry, but the Barco family's slush fund does not belong to anyone. We, like Count Douglas, also lent money to the Barco family. If Count Douglas had clearly revealed the existence of the slush fund and claimed greater rights, we might have accepted a small loss and been satisfied with only adequate compensation. But wasn't it Count Douglas who stole the money first??”
bitten its tail.
He tried to distract from the argument by pointing out the mistakes of Earl Douglas..
It was a valid statement..
It is within the scope of common sense, but the problem is the emotions that have been building up for so long..
[These bastards are stealing my money and what the hell? It's all my money. From the moment I discovered Barco's slush fund, the rights to the slush fund belonged to the Douglas family.!]
“Count. calm down for now…….”
[shut up!]
I stopped talking.
Was it three months ago?.
Earl Douglas once hosted a party by inviting nobles from the northeastern region..
At the time, I didn't say it was a slush fund, but I did say that I was upset because I lost a large amount of money while moving it..
There were people from the Northeast Association, including Viscount Conrad..
They obviously knew what they were talking about, but they seemed to console themselves with fake faces..
It was funny.
I accepted their comfort positively for a moment, but now that I think about it, it has come back as a huge anger..
[At a party three months ago, you said this to me with a fake smile. Count Douglas, I don't know what's going on, but I'm sure it will be resolved. Do you guys find me funny? Since we're laughing at each other, it seems like I'm an ordinary nobleman on the same level as you.?]
I couldn't stop it.
Viscount Konrad kept saying something, but he covered his ears and let out his anger..
beast of the north.
He was triggered..
It felt like he wouldn't be able to breathe if he didn't let out his boiling anger..
[Listen carefully now. As soon as I am ready, I will contact the central government and request a territory war with you. Let the bastards in the northeast work together to stop it. I will clearly show you how shabby the Northeast Association is without the protection of the Barco family..]
widely-
Communication has been cut off.
Viscount Conrad established communication again..
However, upon hearing the unanswered call, he turned to the nobles of the Northeast Association with a pale face..
“……I think I'm in big trouble..”
In those words.
The nobles felt dizzy..
Comments