Chapter 130
I Became the Finance Director of a Kingdom on the Verge of Civil War – Part 6
『 Translator – Divinity 』
“It seems like we’ll be departing soon.”
“Ah, I’ll finish this up.”
“Yes. I’ll head out first.”
It was a shame. The amount I earned in the past two days was quite substantial.
I pushed the pile of gold coins and stimulants on one side of the desk and estimated their value along with the remaining salt.
‘It’s not a huge amount compared to the academy’s overall finances… but it’s still considerable.’
Especially the stimulants I received in exchange for half the price were quite profitable.
With the Delphia Kingdom in the midst of a civil war, there would naturally be disruptions in the cultivation and supply of stimulants.
‘The merchants who used to sell tobacco also said it would be difficult for a while.’
Compared to what I usually bought, the quality and purity were lower, but these were still military stimulants. I should be able to use them without any side effects with the Headmistress’s help.
Normally, at a time like this, I would have to pay a premium to buy them, and even then, it would be difficult to find them. With this much, I wouldn’t need to buy any more stimulants for the next few months.
After happily collecting the precious stimulants, I gave the sack to Suzanne.
“Please.”
“…Yes.”
She had a rather unpleasant expression, probably because she was already carrying several sacks, including the salt sack and the gold coin sack, but what could she do? Stop complaining when you’re a Rank 5.
Suzanne, carrying the numerous sacks, left the tent first.
I was alone in the tent, but only for a short time before I had to leave as well.
I turned my head towards the corner of the tent.
“It’s been a while, Archbishop.”
“…Indeed.”
A tall man emerged from the darkness with an ominous aura. It was strange that Beatrice and Suzanne didn’t notice him, even though he was just in the corner of the tent.
But it was understandable. Unlike Malton from before, he was a complete Rank 7, and the Archbishop of the Wish Cult, no less.
I greeted him with a smile, remembering our encounter during the academy terrorist attack.
“I didn’t expect you, Archbishop, to come all the way to the Delphia Kingdom.”
“I also didn’t expect the Finance Director to be here. You’re Karl Marx now?”
“I’m accompanying Her Highness Beatrice. What a fortunate coincidence that we met here in this camp!”
“Fortunate, you say.”
“Well, it would be more convenient for you to travel with me than to keep disguising yourself as a conscripted soldier.”
“………”
Two days ago, I had treated the soldiers’ military stimulant supplies and became acquainted with many soldiers and even officers.
And in the process, I discovered the Archbishop of the Wish Cult disguised as a conscripted soldier.
“The Wish Cult’s objective is simple, isn’t it? To expand their influence by taking advantage of the civil war.”
“…And your objective is to accompany Amatriuss Delphia Beatrice? To intervene in the civil war?”
“How could a mere Finance Director of an academy intervene in a civil war? I’m just here for personal business. You saw the gold coins and stimulants earlier, didn’t you?”
“Or it could be the Headmistress’s will.”
Ah, that’s true.
From the Archbishop’s perspective, I was not only the Finance Director but also the Headmistress’s closest confidant, so he seemed to think I came here to intervene in the civil war on behalf of the Headmistress.
Actually, it wasn’t impossible for me to intervene using the Headmistress’s name, though I couldn’t do it alone.
Of course, it was a rather amusing misunderstanding, considering the kind of opposition the Headmistress had shown.
“Actually, it doesn’t matter either way. Whether the Headmistress wants to intervene in the civil war or I have other motives, it doesn’t conflict with your objective, Archbishop.”
“………”
“I trust the Wish Cult, Bishop Milia, and you, Archbishop. We were partners who cooperated during the academy terrorist attack, weren’t we?”
“Partners?”
“Of course. I intend to continue cooperating until the Wish Cult retrieves its sacred treasure.”
Now that I knew Dark Sword was in Ruth’s possession, I understood why the Wish Cult was so obsessed with the sacred treasure.
…It was ironic that the scabbard, the sacred treasure, was in my heart.
‘If he had noticed, he would have attacked me already.’
That’s why, when I first discovered the Archbishop, I prepared to use my trump card in case he noticed the scabbard and attacked. However, it seemed like the Archbishop didn’t notice the scabbard at all, despite being Rank 7.
Of course, it could be an act to make me lower my guard, or he might not be certain yet, but…
‘Ruth and the Headmistress said that the scabbard’s aura weakened after absorbing the fragment of the sacred relic.’
Even the Headmistress only noticed it after closely examining my body with her aura, and Ruth didn’t know until my heart was pierced in the rock salt mine.
It wasn’t entirely absurd to think that the power of the sacred relic and the power of the Scabbard of Dark Sword were neutralizing each other.
Moreover, I was a Rank 1 with no mana, so I couldn’t use the scabbard’s power, and the sacred relic’s power was on cooldown.
In other words,
“I believe you’ve had enough time to think it over for the past two days. Please accompany me.”
“…What about that princess and the maid?”
“It’s fine. You can hide in the shadows like earlier, or you can say you’re reinforcements sent by the Headmistress. Neither of them has any animosity towards the Wish Cult, so there’s no need to worry too much.”
“………”
“Ah, before that, may I ask one question? I’m curious, as a collaborator.”
“…Go ahead.”
“Why did you infiltrate this military camp? And alone, at that?”
A skilled individual like the Archbishop could have hidden his identity and gone to a city or another territory in turmoil.
And if proselytizing was his goal, it would be more efficient to have others with him to gather people and preach, rather than being alone. It would also be easier to gather information that way.
The Archbishop pondered for a moment at my question, then said,
“…General Cartea of this camp is currently colluding with the Duke of Wei. He’s planning to betray and attack Crown Prince Zeke’s forces during the King’s execution in a few days.”
“Oh? Is that so?”
“Our cult noticed that and is trying to stop General Cartea.”
“Because the civil war might end too quickly if he succeeds?”
“Yes.”
If General Cartea’s betrayal succeeded, and the Duke of Wei, after executing the king, crushed Crown Prince Zeke’s army from the front,
The civil war would practically be over. And the Wish Cult didn’t want that, as they wanted to take advantage of the chaos to proselytize.
If possible, they wanted to prevent General Cartea’s betrayal and prolong the civil war as much as possible.
He understood that, but…
“Then wouldn’t it be better to have more people, not just you alone?”
“…We don’t have the manpower.”
“Excuse me?”
“Most of the cult’s forces are currently… working on various tasks to secure funds. Only a few bishops, including myself, can handle this kind of task.”
“Ah.”
Well, it would be difficult to maintain the cult without Dark Sword. And they didn’t have the sacred treasure either; they even lost their Paladin Captain during the academy attack.
But it was a bit surprising that the cult, infamous as fanatics and terrorists, was doing manual labor and such because they were short on money.
They should have managed their finances better.
“But that will be resolved soon.”
“Do you have another method?”
“There was a mine that our cult invested in and failed. But I heard they recently started reconstruction. And at a very fast pace, so we’re planning to quickly gather funds and invest.”
Oh.
A mine? Recently rebuilt?
Don’t tell me?
“…Is that mine perhaps the rock salt mine? The one that the Beryl family bought and is rebuilding?”
“…!! How did you know!?”
“Let me tell you this first, don’t invest.”
“What?”
“I warned you.”
The profitability of the rock salt mine was obvious since I had unintentionally taken the fragment of the sacred relic, the source of the salt.
But you also invested in the rock salt mine? Just how many places did that damn salt ruin?
Come to think of it, it seemed like Ruth was about to say something about the rock salt mine.
I should ask her when we get back.
“Then let’s go.”
“…Alright.”
Well, anyway.
Milia had something to say about the Archbishop.
──He’s someone who only cares about the cult. Even more than himself. I don’t understand it, but… It’s like how the Head of Academic Affairs treats the Headmistress.
Then he was a true fanatic, and there was no reason for someone like that to kill him, who was beneficial to the cult.
But just in case, I had prepared a trump card. It wasn’t something I would activate anyway.
It had been a while, so I had to leave before Beatrice and Suzanne became suspicious…
“Finance Director! It’s an emergency!”
“Y-your Highness Beatrice? What happened?”
“We have to move now! I don’t know how, but the Duke of Wei’s army is approaching from the side!”
“What? Isn’t this the south?”
“Let’s move first! If I step in, it might be different, but there’s no way we can stop them with the current forces of this camp! We have to run away…!!”
“Is that so?”
“Finance… Director? By the way, who is that person next to you…?”
Good, this was perfect.
Beatrice was around Rank 7, but she was incomplete, so she couldn’t stop the army alone.
But we had a complete Rank 7 right here.
“Hello, Rank 7?”
“…I have a bad feeling about this.”
“Please block the army without killing the soldiers as much as possible. Is that possible?”
“That’s an easy task.”
“Good. Go! I choose you!”
“………”
***
Click.
A commemorative coin issued on a special day, with the face of the King of the Delphia Kingdom.
Someone, clicking two of them together, slowly opened his eyes.
A rough-looking man with many scars on his face.
Several people were kneeling before him on one knee.
“So…”
“Yes!”
“You failed?”
“Yes! I sincerely apologize!”
“Forget the apologies, why did you fail? You were supposed to have an unstoppable force.”
“A warrior presumed to be Rank 7 suddenly appeared from their camp! He plowed through the surrounding terrain, preventing our army from advancing, and they escaped during the chaos.”
“General Ivan, who led the army, was also Rank 7.”
“He did confront him personally, but… he was ambushed and defeated by magic presumed to be from Princess Beatrice.”
“…Cartea’s report mentioned the princess, but I don’t recall anything about that Rank 7.”
“That’s correct!”
“We could pressure him with that, but he’s the type who might even abandon his betrayal. Just appease him appropriately.”
“Yes!”
The messenger, after finishing his report, bowed respectfully and left.
The scarred man, the Duke of Wei, gestured to the remaining people.
“Bring him in.”
“Yes!”
“Y-you lowly wretches…!!”
The people brought in a blonde-haired man with his limbs tightly bound at the Duke of Wei’s command.
Blonde hair itself was common, but hair that shimmered like gold like this was rare. It was a symbol of the Delphia royal family and, according to them, proof that they inherited the blood of gods, but…
The Duke of Wei grabbed the struggling Delphia royal by the hair.
“Gah!! Duke of Wei, how dare you! After we treated a lowly mercenary like you with such respect!”
“Amatriuss Delphia Lubeheim. A Rank 4 mage and the fifth prince of the Delphia Kingdom.”
“Yes! I am Lubeheim! Release me now, you damn traitor!”
“And you also killed over a hundred innocent people and defiled their corpses under the pretense of experiments. Because of your filthy sexual preferences.”
“W-what…!!”
“And you privately deployed soldiers to obtain the pearls that occasionally appeared on the western coast, and while they were gone, you bought time by sacrificing captured civilians to monsters. You even went overboard and caused a breach in the barrier, turning an entire territory into ruins.”
“How dare you speak to me like that because a few insignificant people died!!”
“You deserve to die.”
“W-wait. Kill? Me? L-let go of me. Let go! How dare you filthy mercenaries touch this noble blood—”
Snap.
The Duke of Wei, with his grip strength alone, separated the fifth prince’s head from his body.
And with his blood-soaked hands, he tossed the corpse into a corner.
“Burn it. And everyone, leave.”
“””Yes!!”””
The Duke of Wei, Calvin.
A commoner without even a surname. A mercenary who participated in various civil wars and wars and reached the realm of Rank 8 as a martial artist.
His cold eyes turned towards the south, outside the tent.
“Do you need help again?”
“…No, it’s unnecessary. Once I kill Crown Prince Zeke and scatter his army, Princess Beatrice will fall into my hands anyway.”
“Then fine. I didn’t want to see your disgusting face anymore anyway.”
“………”
“The greediest bastard in the world talking about the people and their crimes. How amusing.”
“Not as amusing as you, Sculptor.”
“Anyway, the Archmage statue I used this time is difficult to recreate, so I wouldn’t have been able to help you even if you needed it. I’ll be returning to my sculpting now.”
“Do as you please. But make sure to return before the execution in a few days, as promised.”
“Don’t worry, don’t worry. I will, unless I encounter someone who gives me insanely crazy inspiration.”
“…Tsk.”