Chapter 70 – Chapter 3: Autumn Banquet – 4
“… Hmm?”
Embarrassment appeared in the nobles’ eyes.
When I saw the sword in my hand, my expression became full of doubt.
“‘This’… ? Are you talking about ‘sword’?”
“Mo, Mrs. Modales! So what does it mean to start a steel business? .”
“For a moment! Refrain from speaking!”
People covered each other’s mouths.
It suddenly became chaotic, and the banquet hall became crowded.
Everyone seemed to have something in mind.
I didn’t seem to have the courage to say it out loud.
“Everyone.”
He lifted the rose saber straight up and assumed the posture of a knight when taking an oath.
“How do you think Deseo was able to become the greatest city?”
My voice rang loudly in the banquet hall.
“It is because our ancestors sacrificed their blood and sweat to protect this country. Deseo is what it is today because it fought against the foreign invaders who constantly barged their teeth with swords and shields. “Isn’t this the duty and honor we bear as nobles?”
The glory of the past was reflected in people’s eyes.
The reason they have been treated as ‘nobles’ is not because they have noble blood or a lot of money.
When the lord and country are in danger. This was because he was ahead of everyone else, holding a spear, sword, and shield.
It is called a precious body because it has performed such a sacred duty.
“But what happened to Deseo now? The poor people who have not made any sacrifices for the city are devouring Deseo, promoting ‘gold’ as the truth. What if foreign invasion begins again? Do you think they would be willing to take up arms for their monarch, their country, and their poor people?”
As I said that, an old memory came to mind.
Pharmacies without medicine.
Vagrants wandering the streets.
Workers who spend the night in cramped communal accommodation.
A city that has everything but cannot have anything.
Deseo.
I spoke as if I was just spewing out what I felt here.
The older men responded loudly.
“No way!”
“Damn you guys!”
“That’s right. We must not be the same monsters as them.”
Like turning on the candles one by one in a dark hallway.
I walked proudly in front of the nobles.
“As recently as last year, there was an honorable knight who attended this event. “He was the bravest and most righteous person I’ve ever met.”
I have read the entire list of this banquet.
In the end, I couldn’t find his name.
“The name of the great one is…” “This is Sir Von Lobrt.”
“Robrert… !”
The murmur grew louder.
“If Sir Robert had been here, what would he have said?”
“…”
It was said that the nobles were afraid of Lobrt.
No one will know his true feelings.
But I thought I knew.
Definitely if it’s Robrt.
To these confused people…
Like a noble. He would have told me to live ‘honorably.’
“Everyone. What are you going to do?”
Perhaps after this banquet, the nobles will quietly have a glass of wine in their study and worry deeply.
And then I’ll go into the warehouse late at night and grab that dusty longsword.
When your face is reflected on the armor with the family seal engraved on it.
I will sigh and think.
There is only one thing left to do now.
The subtle air between kings and nobles spreads everywhere like an invisible fog.
Yes.
I am inciting the nobles to revolt against King Deseo.
“By the way, Mrs. Modales. “Isn’t this too radical?”
One person came forward and asked.
“Lord Robert had the mining rights to Rottenbahn, but… Wasn’t it just an unfortunate accident? “I understand that the matter is currently being resolved.”
“Yes. That’s right. “We lost someone precious, and that’s why we should be angry.”
I held the rose saber tightly.
I may have been a little excited without realizing it.
He spoke with boiling emotions.
“Sir Robart was killed by your majesty, not by bandits.”
“… “What?”
“What is that now…”
“It is said that it was His Majesty’s will that led to the annihilation of the public service unit.”
People’s faces turned pale.
I know that miserable feeling.
Because I had the same face just a few days ago.
When I heard the truth hidden behind Robert’s death from Mr. Aban, I really couldn’t say anything.
The Lobrt family was a noble family that managed hardware.
Weapons, armor, and other crafted items.
It was so huge that it was said that there was no iron in Deseo that did not pass through the hands of this family.
However, for the newly rich who needed ‘money’, the Lobrt family, which dominated the hardware market, was nothing short of an obstacle.
They secretly told the king that the Lobrt family was plotting a rebellion, and Lobrt received the king’s order and went on an unexpected expedition to pay tribute.
While the owner of the family was away.
The emerging power bought all the hardware and sold it to foreign countries, promising to repay in a month.
And he disguised the royal palace’s elite soldiers as bandits and instigated the assassination of Lobrt.
When the news of Lobrt’s death reached the city.
As the family’s prestige declined, the price of iron plummeted.
The rich even bought mining rights at low prices and completely swallowed up this huge market.
The nobles who heard the whole explanation began to mutter.
It was a voice mixed with confusion and anger.
“… Oh my god. “Something like that happened?”
“Somehow the recession came strangely quickly. After listening to it, everything seems to fit together.”
“Then… “Aren’t you saying that Your Majesty can listen to the words of rich people and throw us out at any time?”
“You can never stay still!”
In a noisy banquet hall.
Now there is only one thing left for me to do.
“Everyone! Are you going to obediently hand over the iron that the Lobrt family has protected to those wicked people? The repayment deadline is just one week away. “They will reap huge profits by repaying the hardware they sold at high prices at a low price.”
The eyes of all nobles are turned towards me.
“If their plan goes as planned, guilds that have been in existence for hundreds of years will collapse one after another, and it will also deal a heavy blow to the miners and common people. But they probably don’t care about the people who are moaning at them. “Money is more important than human life.”
“That’s right!”
“Heinous bastards!”
“… So, I dare to ask you.”
Squeak-.
Uncle Posao opened the trunk next to me.
Inside were a lot of documents with the signatures of the Modales Company.
Boom!
Hitting the ground with the tip of the short sword.
I finished my last words.
“Are you ready to join us?”
The banquet hall suddenly became quiet.
People looked at each other in silence, then one by one approached me.
“Mrs. Modales.”
The first person to visit me was Rudi Piolo.
“That business. The Piolo family will participate.”
“We will be together. “Let’s show them what happened.”
“Here too.”
“For glory!”
From that day on, a new nickname was shamefully given to ‘Mrs. Modales.’
The Iron Lady.
Maybe… I think she was called that.
* * *
As soon as the morning came on the third day, I left the banquet hall.
Because she had no reason to stay any longer.
Mr. Aban, who brought a carriage, welcomed us.
“Did you do well? Mrs. Modales.”
Instead of answering, I lifted another trunk with satisfaction.
It was filled with investment contracts from nobles who wanted to work with ‘Modales Chamber of Commerce’.
As he returned to the carriage, Mr. Aban checked his contract.
As I turned over the enormous amount of documents one by one, I continued to be amazed.
“This… It looks like Tia has done something terrible… The recoil will be quite large.”
“Mr. Aban, are you okay? If there really is a rebellion in this city…”
“Well, strictly speaking, I belong to the ‘newly rich’ category.”
Mr. Aban patted his coat.
“But I completely let go. From now on, I plan to focus on giving rather than making money. To that end, I don’t think it’s a bad thing if Deseo turns upside down at least once.”
“As expected, your thoughts are extraordinary…”
“Actually, it wasn’t that I didn’t like the previous king’s policies. In contrast, His Majesty now… “Too closed and greedy.”
“What kind of person was the previous king?”
“He is the last king of the Like Ne Dynasty. He was a benevolent king who is still missed by many. He also had red hair like Tia.”
Mr. Aban described that time as the ‘age of romance.’
It is said that although there were frequent invasions by foreign enemies, everyone lived happily.
However, the brilliant golden age did not last long.
One day, the previous king suddenly collapsed and passed away in vain the next day.
The problem was that there was no successor to take over the king’s position.
The previous king had a young son, and he had a big fight with the king due to a difference of opinion, and he left the palace, leaving the position of crown prince empty.
It is said that he searched the country for a year to find the crown prince again, but he was nowhere to be found.
In the end, he had no choice but to bring in a distant relative of the previous king and honor him.
That person was the current wise king.
The wise king, who was weak, began to antagonize the nobles in order to quickly gain power.
He received money and gave titles to commoners.
He used the money to pursue peace by negotiating with hostile countries.
As the war ended, the power of the nobles fell drastically.
As rich commoners appeared, even differences in wealth became meaningless.
To put it in a good way, it has become an equal city with no social status.
To put it worse, it has become a city where everyone knows nothing but ‘money’.
This rapid trend of the times aroused the nostalgia of the nobility.
As can be seen in these numerous investment contracts, we appropriately stimulated their dissatisfaction with being behind the times.
The iron purchased by Modales Company will soon become a weapon.
And the tip of the sword will point towards the royal palace.
“I made a big deal out of it, but will it be resolved well?” …”
Mr. Aban smiled and waved his hand.
“Don’t worry too much. That’s a matter for us, the landowners of Deseo, to take care of. “There are more important things to do with Tia than that, right?”
“… Yes.”
I held the ruby necklace tightly.
When I returned to my accommodation, I immediately put together the investment contract.
I organized all the names and investment amounts, and calculated the total amount and the amount received every month.
It took a full half day.
The results finally achieved were amazing.
“Mister!”
I showed the paper to the man who returned to the dorm.
“See it?! It’s a whopping 5,300 gold! “I received this much!”
“I really… ?!”
I did it.
It really goes beyond earning 1,000 gold, and more. It made 5 times more.
I was so happy that I hugged him tightly.
“We… We did it!”
“That’s right… Yes, it’s true! We did it… !”
Tears came out.
I think it was the first time I cried so hard while being held in my uncle’s arms.
… Ritz.
Please wait a moment.
I’m going now.
