Han Jihyeok let out a bitter laugh.
“So that’s how they use that guy.”
I nodded.
“You’ve got to keep people close to see what they’re really like.”
Watching Gorgo skillfully guide Adelric, Han Jihyeok murmured, “Oh...”
“He’s always been slippery and sometimes a bit clueless within the Western Army, right?”
“Exactly.”
“But seeing him dressed in Manin Finance’s uniform makes him look credible.”
“Yeah... credible...”
“...Loan shark.”
“......”
We fell silent for a moment.
The Wonhwa army was full of burly men.
Being soldiers, they naturally had more pressure than ordinary people.
Among such men, I hadn’t realized, but seeing Gorgo outside the palace, he really had an impressive presence.
“If even that annoying Adelric follows him, it’s for sure.”
Just as I thought that, Gorgo and his party sat down.
Adelric shouted as soon as he sat.
“Who said I’m not paying? I just asked for some time! I’ll definitely repay! Who do you think I am! The Ishron—!”
“Yes, Young Lord. We understand perfectly.”
Gorgo smiled wryly, and Adelric cleared his throat.
“If you wait just about a week...!”
“Sir, the principal you borrowed from us is five million gold. Considering you’re the eldest son of the Ishron family, the interest rate is 45%. If you miss the repayment deadline, an additional 50% interest will be incurred.”
Adelric and I both gaped.
“Insane...”
Han Jihyeok muttered, and I nodded heavily.
“Like a madman.”
For a commoner, it was an amount impossible to repay in a lifetime.
Enough to buy a mansion in the capital.
“The principal alone is enough to make your eyes pop, let alone the interest!”
If Masa and Mari sisters heard this, they’d faint.
Adelric was greatly flustered.
“N-no way. How can the interest be so...!”
“That’s the contract. Also, there’s a 13% collection fee added, bringing it to 19.14 million gold. You asked for an extension of one month, right? Then with another collection fee added...”
The string of zeros was dizzying.
Han Jihyeok and I were stunned, turning the numbers over and over.
“Truly vicious.”
Definitely, loan sharks are the worst.
. “No matter how desperate, never use loan sharks.”
While I was etching that into my mind again, Adelric’s mouth moved like a goldfish.
“N-no way! How can five million gold turn into such a sum...!!”
“We checked the properties available for seizure in your name. To match the amount, the estate of Polblom Castle would be needed—”
“What nonsense!!”
Adelric slammed the table loudly and stood up.
His face was bright red, and he snorted.
“Do you know how much Polblom Castle is worth...!”
It was an enormous price.
It was a building adjacent to the Astra territory, the empire’s premier commercial district.
“And when the future iron railway is built, the price will skyrocket.”
Gorgo laughed heartily and raised both hands.
“Please calm down and listen.”
“What story? I know my loan sharks are scum, but who do you think you’re fooling with such nonsense?!”
“There are other ways.”
“Ways?”
Gorgo looked at Adelric with a subtle gaze.
“For other clients, we’d do whatever it takes to collect. But who are you?”
“......”
“The eldest son of the great Ishron family. The nobleman soon to become Duke.”
“......”
“So we made this decision with a heavy heart.”
Adelric coughed loudly and sat back down.
“How about settling with the land of Ailtong?”
“A-Ailtong...?”
“Yes, the land of Ailtong left by the late former Marchioness.”
“......The area’s just barren wilds. It can’t be valuable land.”
“We know. That’s why this is a losing deal for us, but we ask that you consider this as a favor to Manin Finance going forward.”
“Hmm...”
Adelric crossed his arms arrogantly.
“Not a stupid man... What’s your name?”
“Gorgo of the Manin family.”
“Alright, I’ll remember that.”
Gorgo smiled at Adelric.
“Then let’s proceed accordingly.”
“What...”
“Since you cannot return, we’ve prepared the documents in advance. Please sign here...”
Adelric quickly signed.
Not knowing how great the land left by his biological mother really was.
“When the true blessed land is revealed, he’ll regret selling it now for just about 30 million gold.”
I chuckled quietly.
After confirming Adelric signed and left, we moved.
Our destination was the red-roofed mansion in Paredo Town, the capital.
Upon entering, a man with a heavily bent back and pointed ears greeted us.
“Ah, please come in. The m-master is w-waiting for you.”
We followed his guidance into the mansion.
Han Jihyeok whispered to me.
“Is this really the Manin family’s second mansion?”
“Yes. That’s what Gorgo told me.”
“Manin’s family is quite wealthy. But this place is so...”
Han Jihyeok trailed off, looking around.
I was surprised too.
“It’s incredibly shabby.”
The house I lent to the Masa and Mari sisters looked much nicer.
The wallpaper was moss-stained and even the smallest furnishings looked extremely old.
“So the Manin family really is stingy...”
At the door, the man knocked.
“A-a guest has arrived.”
“Let them in.”
As soon as the order was given, the door opened.
Inside, Gorgo, sitting on the sofa, quickly stood.
“Wonhwa! We’ve been waiting! Please sit here!”
Gorgo hurriedly showed us seats.
Han Jihyeok leaned against the wall, and Alexis sat down.
Across from us sat Gorgo and another Manin family member.
Gorgo laughed heartily and said,
“Sister, this is one of the five Wonhwa leaders commanding the Western Army...!”
“Do you have some money?”
A woman with dark ★ ★ red hair and brown eyes looked at me with crossed arms.
I smiled gently.
“Not exactly poor.”
“S-sister...”
Gorgo looked at his sister with a startled expression.
‘Ashilie Manin, just as I’d heard.’
Known as a money-obsessed spirit, one of many nicknames she’d earn.
Ashilie Manin said with a crooked expression,
“Besides the family fortune, I mean personal assets you control.”
“I have a land that used to be a cathedral.”
“...The blessed land?”
“Yes.”
Ashilie relaxed her crossed legs and smiled.
“Welcome to the Manin family, Countess Astra’s daughter.”
Oh, she really only cared about money.
A Manin servant spoke.
“Shall I bring some tea?”
“Yes.”
‘If she didn’t have private funds, she probably wouldn’t even offer tea.’
Seeing how money-focused they are, I thought that was impressive in its own way.
Ashilie said,
“My father and brother think connecting with Astra is more important than gold, but I don’t.”
“I see.”
“No matter how many bribes they give, nobles ultimately prioritize their public image.”
Ashilie clicked her tongue and crossed her arms.
“Then why do you accept money?”
“That’s what I ask.”
“Do you know how much was sacrificed to get the land you wanted? Thirty million. Thirty million.”
“Yes.”
“You’ll give an amount equivalent to 30 million gold, right?”
Startled by her confident words, Gorgo looked uneasy.
“S-sister! If Father and older brother find out...”
“That’s their thoughts. I made the deal with Adelric.”
“B-but this person...”
“Shut up.”
“......”
Ashilie glanced at me.
“My grandfather and father are in the Central Tower.”
“Yes.”
“There is a madman who recently proposed a bill to limit loan shark interest rates.”
“I heard.”
“The Interest Rate Limitation Act. Don’t let it pass.”
Just then a servant brought tea.
Ashilie raised her cup and continued.
“It would be better if they never dare propose it again. That madman’s name is Legoshi Ez─”
“That can’t happen.”
“......What?”
Ashilie’s hand froze midair.
She looked at me with a stunned expression.
“Thirty million gold, my lady. Can you grasp how big that is?”
“I don’t get involved in Central Tower affairs. And that 30 million gold is actually hard to collect.”
“Yeah?”
I answered, moving my teacup.
“Adelric’s stupid, but collection fees aren’t added every time the repayment deadline is missed.”
“......”
“They’re added once, at the time of collection. Moreover...”
“......”
“When the collection notice goes to the Duke’s mansion, the Ishron’s outstanding administrators will scrutinize the bill.”
“......”
“In the end, Duke Ishron will seize all the family assets.”
“......”
“I checked the documents. It wasn’t a family transaction but a private one.”
Even if Adelric was dumb, he wouldn’t forge the family seal to make the deal.
“......”
“Family-owned assets can’t be seized.”
“......”
“In the end, all Adelric has left is the late former Marchioness’s property.”
“......”
“Roughly, the amount that can be seized is about four million gold.”
As we rattled it off, Gorgo’s eyes widened.
Ashilie clenched her teeth.
She shot me a sharp look with narrowed eyes and muttered while tossing her hair.
“That’s why I hate smart people.”
I smiled gently.
“Miss Manin, you’re smart yourself.”
“Flattering words are useless. What good is empty praise....”
“So I thought about why the smart Miss Manin would make a losing deal.”
Adelric borrowed five million gold.
Only four million gold in assets can be seized.
He’s not the kind of person who’d lose money on a deal.
“Originally, your brother Clorog was supposed to handle the deal with Adelric?”
“How would I know...”
“Probably Clorog planned to lend much more.”
Clorog, eldest son of the Manin family, was crazy about networking.
“Rather than losing a big amount, he probably wanted Miss Ashilie to oversee the deal so it’d only lose one million gold.”
“I really hate smart people. They’re good at reading others’ intentions.”
She meant I was right.
“So, since the money can’t really be collected, I’m not the one in debt.”
“Four million gold can be collected!”
“I’ll buy Adelric’s building with five million principal and one million interest.”
“The market value of that building is only six hundred thousand. Why take such a loss?”
I sipped the tea.
“Ugh, bitter.”
It wasn’t because I had developed a taste from drinking only premium tea in Astra.
It was clearly tea leaves sold cheap to commoners.
I groaned and put down the cup.
“Think of it as a bribe for Miss Ashilie Manin.”
“You’d better build ties with the main family. The heir is your brother.”
“No, the one I want to build connections with is the real leader of Manin.”
Currently, Ashilie Manin leads the Manin family.
Her father and brother are throwing money around to build connections.
The only one who manages and grows the assets is Ashilie Manin.
“In the future, the eldest daughter’s rebellion will happen.”
Right after the father collapsed, the eldest son Clorog, mad with honor, did something crazy.
He donated most of the family assets to the palace, and in return got a wild territory to become a viscount.
Ashilie Manin drew her sword and stormed the main family house.
That was “Ashilie Manin’s first step to becoming the ruler of the underworld finance.”
Ashilie asked me suspiciously.
“Why do you want me?”
“I’m planning a business. I want you to take charge.”
“......Business?”
“A business using the roots of the true blessed land.”
“T-true blessed land?”
I rested my chin on my hand and smiled gently.
“It will be a huge business targeting nobles.”
“Nonsense... There’s no such thing as the true blessed land─”
She muttered, then sharply inhaled.
Then she looked at Adelric’s land documents held by Gorgo.
“Could that land be...”
“Yes.”
Ashilie chuckled bitterly.
“Are you stupid? Knowing that, I’d never give you that land.”
“You can’t open the roots with just the land.”
And blessed land that can’t open roots is meaningless.
“There are real and fake blessed lands, and the reason people didn’t know is probably because opening the roots requires a special method.”
I have a rough idea how to open the roots.
Ashilie’s expression turned strange.
“What’s the proof this is the true blessed land?”
“If you hand it over, I’ll open the roots right away. You’ll know for sure when you see the degree of blessing enhancement.”
“......”
Ashilie fell silent.
After a long silence, alternately looking between me and the documents, she leaned deep into the sofa back.
“Aevins.”
She called, and the bent-back servant rushed over.
“Yes, yes, m-master.”
“What are you doing? Not bringing fresh tea?”
She smiled gently at me.
“Bring the finest Assam tea. It looks like the conversation will be long.”
“Yes, yes.”
“Let me introduce you again. Ashilie Manin. ...The boss.”
Before I got the Wild Mage, I got the capital’s biggest money spirit as an ally.