Chapter 34 - Take This Bomb
Chapter 34 - Take This Bomb
"The figures... why are they like this?"
At that low murmur from my lips, the air in the office cooled rapidly.
The financial structure of the Noel Family, organized clearly in the Excel Format, was laying bare a bizarre distortion that no one had noticed until now.
"Excuse me, Chief Tax Accountant-nim. Could you take a look at this part?"
At my call, the seasoned 50-year-old Chief Tax Accountant adjusted his glasses and approached.
He still maintained a confident attitude.
"Edric-nim, that is an item I have checked dozens of times. Those are funds legally carried over, classified as the family's 'future investment expenditures.' There are no problems on the books."
"On the books, sure. Anyone would be fooled if you stretched it out in long paragraphs. But look at this 'sum by category'."
I pointed firmly at a specific spot on the table I had organized with the tip of my quill.
Serious problems were written there.
"Look here. Last year's merchant guild revenue was 5,210 gold, but the money that went out as 'investment expenditures' was 4,300 gold. But do you know what the funny part is? The profit redemption dates for all those investment locations are set for one year later. Do you know Imperial Law Article 42, the clause regarding 'compulsory collection of unpaid taxes and imposition of penalty taxes'?"
The Chief Tax Accountant's face began to stiffen slowly.
He started to calculate, alternating between the summary table I had handed him and the original ledger.
About 10 minutes later, thick beads of sweat dripped from his forehead.
"Th-this is impossible. I didn't know when it was written item by item, but seeing it all gathered like this, these aren't investments, but false items to delay tax payments!"
The assistant tax accountants beside him also shouted in shock.
The tax accountants began to connect and organize the problematic parts.
And they were horrified.
"This is insane... If we let next year pass like this, the arrears will exceed 30% of the family's total assets! If that happens, this won't be considered a simple mistake, but 'intentional tax evasion,' and not only will the position of Family Head be stripped, but the penalty tax will be 5 times the unpaid amount...!"
"Which means the entire family gets wiped out."
I leaned back deeply into my chair and let out a dry laugh.
It's a universal truth that no one likes paying taxes.
This place is no different, and countless nobles are doing desperate, ass-clenching acrobatics to save on taxes at this very moment.
The Empire knows this, so they overlook it to a certain extent, but everything has a line.
Evading an amount exceeding 30% of the family's total assets is, naturally, crossing the line hard, and this was serious enough that the Imperial Ministry of Finance would come to catch me personally, wielding clubs.
"Edric-gyeong... I am truly sorry. We lacked the ability to uncover such a massive problem."
"It is fine. It is not your fault, either."
I did not hold the tax accountants responsible.
Because it was not their responsibility that this bomb was created.
'Father is truly something, to have even created a bomb like this.'
The one who created such a bomb was undoubtedly my father, Albert Noel.
Since such a complex bomb could not be created overnight, he must have made it in advance.
Just in case I ever forced him to step down and snatched away the territory and the business, he made sure I would get hit by a tax bomb.
He really is a person with a very brilliant mind, in a different sense.
No wonder it was strange that he handed over the position of Family Head so easily.
If I hadn't been able to grasp these figures at a glance with the Excel Format and had just let it slide, I would have been sharing cheese with rats in a basement dungeon a year from now.
Having grasped the situation, I gave the order.
"Right now, scrape together every last bit of the merchant guild's slush fund accounts and the territory's reserve funds. Now, just before the penalty tax is applied, is our last chance."
"Yes!"
"Pay the taxes off perfectly, to the point where even if the Imperial National Tax Service combs through it, nothing will come out. I don't care if we take a loss."
"Understood!"
Taxes are like a 'chicken rib'—something that is troublesome to deal with.
There is no meat to eat, but if you try to eat it, the head of the leader gets cut off; it was something that uncomfortable.
It was better to take a little loss and pay everything now to get rid of that discomfort.
At my words, the tax accountants began the tax processing with lightning speed.
A few days later, the tax accountants and I perfectly organized that massive lump of a tax bomb and finished paying the taxes to the National Tax Service perfectly.
And I took the completed 'normalized ledger' and went to find Albert at the main house again.
"So, what is it all of a sudden? Do you finally feel the responsibilities of a Family Head?"
Albert was drinking tea, looking at the garden with a relaxed expression.
At his words, I quietly placed the newly organized Excel ledger and the stack of tax payment receipts from the National Tax Service on his table with a thud.
"What is this?"
"It is the newly organized financial statement of the Noel Family. Please take a look."
Albert began to look at the financial statement.
In that financial statement, organized for easy viewing with the Excel Format, the flow of money was organized very clearly.
And naturally, the bomb he had created was organized, and receipts proving it had been cleanly paid were attached.
He drank his tea with an expression as if he couldn't believe it.
The teacup in his hand was trembling, which spoke very well of his emotions.
"How... how did you handle this? It should have taken at least 6 months even if you knew what to look for..."
"Father said you trust the patience of an old man? I trust the efficiency of a young man. I just tried to work as efficiently as possible."
I bowed to Albert.
Until the moment I left the study, surprise and shock did not disappear from his expression.
As expected, there is nothing as refreshing as seeing the face of someone who tried to screw me over get screwed themselves.
I left Albert, who had a dumbfounded expression, behind and walked out of the office feeling lighthearted.
"Finally... it's over."
The moment I left the office, I could finally feel that all the paperwork was finished.
Wow... I feel like I saw all the paperwork I'll see in my entire life over the past 2 weeks.
Now that I've really removed all the risks, I should get some rest, I thought, and from the next day, I went to work at the Imperial Palace as usual.
In the Prince's office, Prince Leopold, who had been lost in thought while looking out the window, welcomed me.
"So, Edric. Did you finish the family business well?"
"Yes, Jeonha. Thanks to your consideration, I came back after a very clean deep cleaning."
"I'm glad it ended cleanly."
Due to the paperwork, I had delegated my duties as an aide to the Prince to other subordinates for the past 2 weeks.
Fortunately, the Prince had allowed it, so I was able to proceed without any problems.
Prince Leopold smiled satisfactorily, then slid closer to me and lowered his voice.
"But Edric... is there any chance you will meet the Saintess-nim again?"
"The Saintess-nim, you say? There is no official schedule yet, but..."
He seemed to have something he wanted to say.
But he told me while being incredibly shy.
"Um, if one ever comes up, please be sure to let me know. Oh, and don't just call the Saintess-nim... make sure to bring the Nun-nim who is by her side as well. This is not an order... yes, I'm just saying that because the Saintess-nim might be bored if she comes alone."
Pure romantic affection was truly lingering in the Prince's eyes.
I swallowed a dry laugh because he looked both cute and flustered.
"I will keep that in mind, Jeonha."
Hmm... seeing the Prince trying to have such a fresh romance instead of acting like a total scumbag from the original work, I felt like helping him.
Should I play the role of Cupid of love?
It was a moment where I could feel that this world was a Romance Fantasy.
At that time, the office of the Minister of Finance of the Empire.
The officials working there were all gathered, looking at one document.
It was Edric's document that a Ministry of Finance employee who worked under him had sent to the Minister's office, saying it was an innovative document that must be seen.
"My god... how can there be such an easy-to-read financial statement?"
The Ministry of Finance officials were huddled together, unable to hide their admiration while looking at the tax return form submitted by Edric and the materials organized in the Excel Format attached to it.
They looked at the documents he had organized one by one, marveling and marveling again.
"It's numbered by item, and the cause of expenditure is organized by category. And through this thing called a graph, you can check all monthly sales and expenditures at a glance."
"My god... to think there is such an easy-to-read document format..."
At that moment, the Minister of Finance, Count Bartolo Rix, walked in with dignity.
He frowned, seeing the officials gathered without working, twitching his white eyebrows.
"What is going on!? Why is it so noisy during work hours?"
At the appearance of Minister Bartolo, famous as a notorious workaholic, the officials all froze.
Usually, they would have had to disperse like this, but Edric's document format was innovative enough to make them forget their fear of him.
"Minister Bartolo! Please look at this! It's the tax document submitted by Edric-gyeong!"
"What about the document?"
"Look at the document and the materials. It's a truly innovative structure."
Minister Bartolo took the document as if it were a nuisance.
And the moment he turned the first page, he stopped.
His eyes widened as if they were about to pop out.
"To think such a financial statement exists..."
"We were surprised too."
"Are there other documents? Bring all the tax invoices, expenditure ledgers, and documents Edric-gyeong made!"
"Here! Here they are."
The Minister marveled at Edric's innovative document format while looking at all the documents one by one.
He was someone who had worked as the Minister of Finance for 20 years.
He had thought about a convenient work format several times, but he couldn't execute it.
Because he didn't have the confidence.
The confidence that if he did this, he would create a document format that was definitely easy to understand and easy to organize.
But the moment he saw Edric's documents just now, confidence grew within him.
Minister Bartolo hurriedly put on his outer coat and shouted.
"I must go see His Majesty the Emperor right now! We must invite the person who made this as an advisor to the Ministry of Finance!"
Edric's 'Excel Format' was now going beyond the family,
and was about to shake the administrative system of the entire Empire to its roots.