Chapter 637
I Need a Lot of Money Right Now. (1)
“The Forest of Beasts, you say?”
Zwalter’s expression showed slight surprise.
The Forest of Beasts wasn’t something that could be easily eradicated. Aside from the dangerous monsters dwelling within, the sheer size of the forest itself was extraordinary.
It stretched across the vast northern lands, its size comparable to that of an entire kingdom.
Ghislain nodded.
“Yes, it will take a long time, but I will ensure it is completely cleared.”
It could very well turn into a decades-long endeavor. That was how massive the Forest of Beasts was.
However, Ghislain wasn’t planning to begin the full-scale operation immediately. His first objective was to carve a path straight into the heart of the forest.
‘There’s definitely something there.’
In his past life, the Duke of Delfine had pursued the same course of action. Though it had been called a reclamation project, in reality, they had focused more on forging a path into the center of the forest rather than developing the areas connected to the kingdom.
‘That black marking… Is that the core of the Demonic Abyss? The rumored resting place of the Demon God’s corpse…’
Ghislain harbored such suspicions.
The map created by the Duke of Delfine had a vast section at its center filled in with black.
No explanations were given, just a crude marking. But whatever lay there was what the Salvation Church had been searching for.
Hiding his true thoughts, Ghislain continued speaking as if it were no big deal.
“The war is over, but we can’t just disband the army right away. A sudden influx of unemployed soldiers will be a problem. If we involve them in various construction and reclamation projects, things should work out fine.”
“Hm, I see. That sounds like a good idea.”
Although the kingdom was rapidly stabilizing, it wasn’t yet back to its pre-war state.
Job creation was crucial. A sudden surge of discharged soldiers wouldn’t benefit anyone.
Zwalter nodded in agreement. Further developing the Forest of Beasts would yield valuable resources.
And since food production was still abundant, maintaining the army for a while longer wouldn’t be an issue.
Zwalter let out a hearty laugh.
“Our territory has already expanded immensely, and once we reclaim the Forest of Beasts, it’ll grow even larger.”
This was good news for the kingdom’s citizens. A larger territory meant more resources and increased production.
Although the Forest of Beasts bordered other kingdoms, most of its periphery was blocked by mountain ranges and rough terrain.
Apart from Ritania, only a handful of small kingdoms had direct access through flatlands.
Those kingdoms, however, didn’t even dare to approach the Forest of Beasts.
In essence, the entire region would effectively belong to Ritania.
‘Heh, I never imagined such a thing would happen in my lifetime.’
Zwalter was lost in deep reflection.
He had never expected to become king, yet now that he had ascended the throne, the kingdom’s territory and national power were expanding at an unprecedented rate.
It was an achievement worthy of being recorded in history though it was all thanks to his son.
While the two of them discussed their future plans, the rest of the guests were fully enjoying the banquet.
“No, seriously, you know Marquis Roderick, right? That bastard is a total nobody, but he kept acting up, so I gave him the worst kind of mental beatdown…”
Ascon boasted about his exploits while cursing incessantly.
The nobles, who had never heard such vulgar and crude language in their lives, were utterly shocked.
And yet, the sheer roughness of his speech only made it all the more fascinating. They found themselves unable to leave, drawn in by his words. More and more people gathered around Ascon, eager to listen.
Meanwhile, Elena was surrounded by countless young noblemen, with Rachel by her side.
Lately, Elena had become quite popular.
She was, after all, the kingdom’s only princess. Marrying her would mean an instant rise to the top of the aristocracy.
Because of that, noble sons from prestigious families continuously approached her.
‘W-Well, this is what I wanted, but…’
This was the life Elena had dreamed of since childhood, an elegant life where handsome young lords from renowned families would court her.
But now that her dream had become reality, she found herself utterly bored.
‘Why is this so dull?’
She felt no excitement. Even when these well-dressed, handsome noblemen approached her, she felt nothing.
No matter what they said, it never seemed sincere.
On the contrary, the soldiers she had fought alongside on the battlefield seemed far more admirable.
They had risked their lives alongside her, giving everything they had.
After experiencing such intense battlefields, a mere banquet could never satisfy Elena.
‘Ugh, this is bad.’
She had never imagined a banquet could be so dull. Her body itched with restlessness.
For the first time, she felt like she understood why her brother had little interest in such affairs.
She had been spoiled in the wrong way. She never should have been involved in war in the first place.
‘Ugh… and now I’ve ended up with a weird nickname too.’
True to her title as the Princess of Destruction, she was already growing tired of palace life.
Still absentmindedly entertaining the noblemen, Elena slowly made her way over to Ghislain and asked in a low voice,
“When are we leaving?”
“For what?”
“Don’t you have anything else to do? Like another war…? Or maybe I should join the pursuit unit?”
“Pffft!”
Ghislain barely held back a laugh at Elena’s question.
Not long ago, she had been so reluctant to fight yet now, she was itching for battle.
He understood all too well. He had been the same in the beginning.
It would take some time before she could find a balance between daily life and combat.
It was Zwalter who stopped her.
“No, where do you think you’re going again, Princess? It’s time for you to stay in the palace. You’ve been away for too long, you need to study, don’t you?”
Elena clenched her fists and spoke firmly.
“Father, I have learned many things from participating in this war.”
“W-What exactly have you learned?”
“With great power comes great responsibility! As a member of the royal family, it is my duty to take the lead!”
“Your brother is already doing that. You just want to fight, don’t you?”
“T-That’s not true!”
“You just don’t want to study, do you?”
“N-No! That’s not it either!”
Zwalter rubbed his forehead. His son and daughter both seemed obsessed with fighting. Neither of them knew how to sit still.
‘Dear, I think I spent too much time away from home…’
He was now paying the price for his years of absence, having always been away in the North, defending the borders.
Ghislain grinned and said,
“Don’t worry, just wait a little longer. I need to take care of a few urgent matters, then we’ll be heading out.”
“Where are we going?”
“The Forest of Beasts. This time, we’re going straight for the center.”
“Great. There’s been so much talk about it that I’m curious to see it for myself. I’ll take the lead.”
“Well, of course, Princess of Destruction, you should be right at the front.”
“Hmph.”
With that, Elena turned on her heels and strode out of the banquet hall.
Conversations with those well-mannered but dull noble sons had lost all appeal to her.
She would much rather join the soldiers’ gatherings and take part in an arm-wrestling competition.
Once the banquet was over, Ghislain and his close aides immediately began preparing for their next move.
The Kingdom of Ritania was developing at an astonishing pace, now practically the center of the continent.
While other kingdoms were still struggling with post-war recovery, Ritania had launched numerous projects, leveraging its abundant production capacity.
Many people had lost their homes due to the past calamities. In response, the royal family initiated large-scale construction projects under the banner of national development.
Jobless individuals flocked to these sites, where they received ample food and wages.
The road-building projects, in particular, extended into neighboring countries, boosting trade and economic activity between nations.
Every corner of Ritania was brimming with energy. It was something other kingdoms could only dream of.
And at the heart of this economic boom was a rapidly growing trade city, the trade city of Rimhal.
Although Ghislain had incorporated most of the western lands into the royal domain, he had left a few northern territories under the Duchy of Fenris.
Among them, the westernmost city, Rimhal, had become a bustling hub for trade, attracting merchants from all over the continent.
With Ritania being the only kingdom capable of properly purchasing rare specialties and resources from across the land, countless merchant guilds flocked to Rimhal.
“This is an exquisite artwork from the former Kingdom of Byron!”
“If I may speak about this silk….”
“This spice is simply divine… I can’t even find the words to describe it.”
Rimhal was always bustling with people from all over the land. Naturally, an enormous amount of money circulated around Rimhal.
Fenris offered good prices for trade goods from other kingdoms. In return, it provided food and herbs at relatively low costs.
As a result, more and more merchant guilds flocked to Rimhal. It felt as if all the wealth of the continent was pouring into this place.
Ghislain tightly controlled Rimhal as his personal domain, if nothing else. The sheer amount of taxes collected here was staggering.
This city continuously replenished the funds that Ghislain could use for his personal ventures, independent of the royal treasury.
Lowell, who managed Fenris as the acting Chief Overseer, was also in Rimhal for an inspection.
“Hm, this is truly wonderful.”
Lowell savored his tea as he sat in the lavish government office. Although he hadn’t directly participated in the war, he had been extremely busy.
The Kingdom of Ritania had fallen into chaos due to Berhem’s tyranny. Naturally, the royal treasury had been completely drained.
Fenris had to take full responsibility for supplying the Ritanian army during its large-scale expedition and the one overseeing Fenris was none other than Lowell.
Now that the kingdom had stabilized somewhat and the war had ended, he was finally able to catch his breath. He even had the luxury of visiting Rimhal, which was currently undergoing rapid development.
“The best part, of course, is not having to see the Chief Overseer.”
It was nice that his workload had decreased after the war, but soon, Claude would return to Fenris. When that happened, Lowell would inevitably be dragged into more work and suffering.
That was why he had taken the chance to leave the territory under the pretense of inspecting the important city of Rimhal.
“Ahem, I suppose I should take a look around today as well.”
With so many merchant guilds gathering here, he had to ensure that criminal organizations and fraudulent merchants weren’t running rampant.
He also needed to check whether the government officials were doing their jobs properly and ensure that tax collection and expenditure were being managed correctly.
Leading a group of knights and soldiers, Lowell stepped outside.
The streets were packed with people. Various policies and promotions were actively being implemented to attract even more visitors.
[Support for the construction of merchant-exclusive accommodations!]
[Free mercenary escorts in the commercial special zone!]
[Tax benefits! No taxes for the first month! Half-price for the first year!]
[Our lord guarantees cheap prices and friendly service!]
…There were occasional errors in the promotional slogans, but given how busy everyone was, they were things that could be overlooked.
For several days, Lowell patrolled the city, correcting minor administrative mistakes and checking for any major issues.
Since Rimhal was the kingdom’s most tax-rich city, it demanded meticulous oversight.
As he was diligently conducting his inspection, a military force suddenly barged into the city without warning.
“W-What the hell? What’s going on?”
Lowell was utterly stunned. No army was allowed to march into this place so recklessly. Even if they tried, they would have been stopped by Fenris’ elite troops guarding the perimeter.
But as soon as he saw the figure leading the troops, he understood why the elite soldiers hadn’t stopped them.
At the forefront of the army was none other than Claude.
He looked absolutely miserable, like a beggar who had suffered countless hardships. The moment Claude saw Lowell, he shouted.
“Lowell! What the hell?! Why are you here?”
“T-The Chief Overseer?! Shouldn’t I be asking why you are here?!”
Why was someone who had set out to inspect newly acquired territory suddenly here?
Claude clung to Lowell, his eyes welling up with tears.
"Hey, d-do you have any money?"
"Where would I get money?"
"Right? You don't have any either? Yeah, of course you don’t."
"Uh, so why exactly are you here?"
"To get some money."
"...What???"
"This place has the most cash in the entire kingdom. I just need to borrow a tiny bit, just a little. I really need some money right now."
Claude had ultimately failed to fully secure the missing military funds.
Most of the wealth had already been plundered by the nobles and soldiers who had ruled the land before fleeing. Even the bandits were starving because there was nothing left to steal.
Although the subjugation had improved security in the area, Claude himself was still struggling to find enough to eat.
After racking his brain, he came up with a highly innovative and groundbreaking idea.
"I’ll just juggle the funds!"
He would take money from one public fund to pay off an urgent debt. Then, before anyone noticed the missing funds, he would take money from another source to refill the gap.
This was nothing short of magic, the art of creating something from nothing.
And he had yet another revolutionary plan in mind.
"I'll just take a little from here. This place makes so much money that no one will notice if a bit goes missing. I can always put it back later."
Lowell stammered in horror.
“Y-you... y-you... y-you... y-you're insane! You’re touching public funds?!”
“You’ll pretend not to see anything, right? Come on, it’s us! I’ll pay it back in no time.”
“Us?! What the hell do you mean, us?!”
"Ugh, why you of all people have to be here! Just go back! Get lost, before I have you arrested!"
Claude growled in frustration. Even he couldn't just outright steal money in front of Lowell. The guy was sharp with numbers and had a big mouth.
"I can’t leave! I’m here for an inspection! Don’t touch me!"
As Lowell held his ground, Claude switched to persuasion.
"Listen to me. I’ve figured out a way. I’ve thought about this a lot, and there’s a way to do it without any issues. Because... I’m going to create a new currency."
“W-what...?”
"I'll issue portable certificates that can be exchanged for gold. Once people trust them and they become widely used, I'll just print more of them. Then, I can use that to fill in the missing funds!"
Lowell, being intelligent, immediately spotted the problem. He was so dumbfounded that he dropped all formalities.
“Y-you crazy bastard. If you print more to cover your debts, there won’t be enough gold to exchange them for! What are you gonna do about that?!”
Claude, as if the answer were obvious, replied,
"Just don’t exchange them."
"...What?"
"If gold runs low, we can just give them food instead. Eventually, people won’t even expect to exchange them. Since the Kingdom of Ritania guarantees their value, everyone will just naturally use them."
“B-but... if we can’t even exchange them for food later, the value of the currency will drop… and prices will keep rising…”
"Then we just print more money and circulate it! What’s the problem?!"
Lowell stared at him blankly.
This lunatic... was about to create an entirely new economic system just to pay off his gambling debts.