Chapter 14
Chapter 14
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 14
Chapter Title: Shakedown (2)
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Federback continued in his characteristic indifferent tone.
"From now on, I'm going to collect the debt from those pathetic thieves. With compound interest, no less."
Compound interest is terrifying.
Especially at a staggering 33.3% interest rate.
It was believable enough to think they'd made a pact with the Demon King.
Moreover, judging by the Emperor's seal and the Mage Tower's certification forms, this contract was at least a century old, if not older.
The current amount was beyond imagination.
Yuda gasped in bewilderment.
"No, you're not saying you're going to collect the debt instead of paying it off? Are you serious, Young Master?"
"That's right. They stopped the tribute secretly a hundred years ago. It's time they paid up. It's repayment for the grace our ancestors bestowed upon them a thousand years past."
In the age when myths and legends breathed life into the world.
The humans of the Northern Region suffered under harsh climates, barren lands, and terrifying monsters.
It was then that a supernova appeared: Camus Meursault, progenitor of the Meursault House.
Centered around the Northern Terror—the slayer of the ancient Demon King, the Dragon Slayer—the Northern tribes united as one.
The founder of the Levarb House had been one of those devoted followers.
One of the five knights once called "Meursault's Fingers."
The first Levarb had been a loyal hound, fighting bloody battles in his master's stead.
Now, he had devolved into a fat, old mongrel baring its teeth at its own owner.
Yuda stammered.
"T-That's true, the Levarb House was once a vassal family of the Meursault House. But that relationship faded over a hundred years ago. Bringing it up now out of nowhere can only be seen as utter nonsense..."
"The real nonsense is the Levarb mongrels who borrow 30,000 gold and try to pay back 100,000. And demanding our ancestral grave to boot. Isn't that pure dogshit?"
"But isn't that a legitimate contract? It's completely different from dredging up a relationship from over a century ago..."
"Legitimate contract? Nonsense? Can't you see the seal here, Administrator? The Emperor's seal is nonsense, but a mere vassal house's moneylending games are legitimate? Don't you know traitors can be summarily executed?"
"......"
Federback's icy words pierced Yuda's vitals like a needle.
The knights, and even the administrators, swallowed dryly.
Everyone there knew the history between the Meursault and Levarb Houses, so they understood exactly how this was unfolding.
For reference, in the borderlands, the authority to execute traitors lay with the border count.
That is, Count Soleil Meursault.
Stealthily...
A few administrators standing behind Yuda began edging backward, slipping to the left and right.
As if to say they had nothing to do with this mess.
Soon, Patriarch Soleil closed his eyes and spoke.
"A thousand years ago, our Meursault ancestors selected loyal retainers and granted them lands. And the retainers pledged tribute out of gratitude and loyalty."
"......"
"Yes, exactly. Right up until a hundred years ago."
"......"
"But to stab their lord in the back the moment crisis strikes? Where are these curs even worse than dogs? Hm? Administrator Yuda."
At Patriarch Soleil's words, Yuda began blurting out anything that came to mind.
"But, Patriarch! The situation back then and now is completely different. I understand your resentment, but Levarb is already a far more powerful house than ours! In this world, money is power, isn't it?"
"Money isn't power, my friend. If money were power, we could drive off the Northern monsters with coin."
"It's just semantics in the end! Those mere monsters—if we hire mercenaries with money..."
"No matter how good money is, there are no men willing to sell their lives for it. Like you said, who would hire mercenaries to fight monsters that yield not even a single grain of spoils?"
"......"
"It's the knights and soldiers of the Meursault House who fight the monsters. They sharpen their blades not with gold, but with a sense of duty."
At Patriarch Soleil's words, the surrounding knights and soldiers glared fiercely.
Blue veins bulged on the back of Cardina's hand gripping her sword hilt.
Patriarch Soleil said,
"Demanding the ancestral mountain where our forebears lie is no different from a declaration of war—an utter insult! We cannot stand idly by."
Roars erupted from among the knights.
"That's right!"
The knights who had endured the administrators' abuses in silence until now.
They vented their pent-up rage all at once.
"Exactly!"
"We're the ones who hunt demons!"
"The Levarbs are worse than demons!"
"A dog that doesn't recognize its master should be boiled alive!"
The knights had shed blood without recompense on the harsh Northern plains.
Yet they had been cowed by the pampered administrators handling paperwork from the warm safety of the castle.
Their accumulated grievances and fury erupted like a volcano.
Patriarch Soleil turned to Federback.
"Son."
"Yes, Patriarch."
"What should we do with this old, greedy dog trying to climb atop its master's head?"
Federback bowed his head and replied.
"Pull its teeth and lop off its head."
"I agree with my brother's thinking!"
Cardina shouted from the side.
Patriarch Soleil nodded.
"However, the Levarbs' power is not to be underestimated. They have many private soldiers raised with money."
"......"
Federback empathized with Soleil's concern.
But his own worries lay elsewhere.
'Sending core troops against small fry like the Levarb House is a waste.'
The Meursault forces needed to be conserved.
They would be needed soon to stop the resurrecting Demon King and his minions.
There wasn't time to chase down moneylenders clicking abacuses when they were short on time to train knights and raise elite soldiers.
'But we can't leave the Levarb House in our rear either.'
They could be subdued now, but they'd strike from behind eventually.
It was only natural—they'd grown fat and complacent under Meursault protection before immediately betraying them.
Entrusting rear administration and logistics to such scum during war against the Demon King's army was absurd.
In wartime, faithless allies were more dangerous than enemies.
Federback recalled a few houses that could replace the Levarbs.
Fortunately, they still existed.
A handful of faithful houses he could trust at his back.
Though dimmed now, a little nurturing and they'd shine brightly.
'To make that happen, I need to clear away the obstacles blocking their light first.'
Federback planned to eradicate the Levarb House entirely.
Soon, he said to Soleil,
"Father. Before dispatching troops, why not send a messenger first?"
"A messenger? One to declare war?"
"No. One to demand repayment of the debt and collect the funds."
"As if they'd pay."
Soleil echoed Yuda's sentiment.
Then Federback got to the point.
"Shall I go myself?"
"......!"
Everyone was stunned by his words.
To walk into the lair of those demanding debt and instead demand they pay up.
It was impossible without a spare life.
Yet Federback volunteered without a flicker of expression.
"I'll go to the Levarb House and collect the debt. If they refuse, I'll at least declare war on the way back."
"That's walking into the jaws of death."
"Just attach one errand boy to me, and there won't be any issues."
"One errand boy? Who?"
Patriarch Soleil asked, puzzled.
"I'll go!"
Cardina stepped forward, volunteering to accompany him, but Federback brushed it off lightly.
Then, he turned to one person.
"I'll take him."
"......!"
The man Federback's finger pointed to was unmistakable.
The goateed old man, now alone with everyone else having backed away.
"No, Young Master! Why me...!?"
Administrator Yuda stood there, his face drained of color.