Give Me the Money
Right after I transmigrated, I spent several days in a complete daze. Placating the debt collectors, managing the territory—every single day felt like hell. But the moment I realized this was the world of the romance fantasy novel I had read. And that it was right before the highlight of the first episode. All the stress melted away like snow. The debt collectors’ grumbling and the hopeless territory work suddenly looked almost cute.
Once I had grown somewhat accustomed to this life, I met with a lawyer and drew up the documents. It was a loan contract using the land and mansion—practically my only assets—as collateral. If it were up to me, I’d stake the entire territory, but the territory is an imperial fief so it can’t be traded. Still, as a noble, I did have some private land. It was tiny compared to the whole estate, but it was better than nothing.
I can’t forget the lawyer’s expression when I handed him the contract. He looked at me like I was some fish-head curry chef. Well, it was a natural reaction. Was it the shock of a noble handing over his real estate? No. It’s because I asked to pay the retainer fee in twenty-four-month installments.
Everyone in the territory knew I was flat broke. For a guy like that to take out a loan using all his assets as collateral and even put the legal fees on installments… even I had to admit it sounded insane. But don’t worry. Just wait a little longer, and I’ll throw in a bonus on top of the fee.
I nodded in satisfaction as I scanned the contract one last time, then slipped it into a paper envelope and stood up. I was heading to the bank. It was a rural backwater, but as the seat of a baron, it had everything except the things it didn’t. The plan was simple. Submit the collateral loan contract at the bank, cash out a check, then take that check straight to the stock exchange and buy up every last share of Rachel Mining. Game over. My life as a sudden tycoon was about to begin.
I’ve looked into all of this.
Whoosh! I boldly threw on my coat and pulled my hat down low. Flapping the contract envelope in my hand, I lifted the corners of my mouth.
“All right. Let’s do this.”
I crossed the hallway to leave the mansion. That was when I ran into Mariel sweeping the floor. She brushed back her flowing platinum-blonde hair and asked,
“Are you going out, Master?”
“Yeah. Got some business in town.”
Mariel’s gaze immediately locked onto the paper envelope in my arms.
“Is that… the loan contract, by any chance?”
I was caught off guard by the unexpected question.
“Huh? How did you—”
“I caught a glimpse of it on the desk while cleaning the study before.”
Oops. I must have left it lying out. The owner was putting up the family estate as collateral; she must have been worried sick.
“Are you planning to sell the territory and mansion to clear the debts? If so, wouldn’t it be better to sell outright rather than take out a loan?”
An unexpectedly reasonable observation. Are you a T-type or something? But my plan wasn’t simply to pay off the debt and call it a day.
“I’m not taking the loan to pay off the debt. Well, ultimately I will pay it off, but I have no intention of selling my house and land to someone else.”
Selling would make it hard to get them back. With a loan, I only had to repay the principal.
Mariel tilted her head.
“Then what do you plan to use the loan money for?”
I smiled brightly and answered without hesitation.
“I’m going to play the stock market.”
“......”
Instead of answering, Mariel simply stared at me. Then she gave a small nod.
“In that case, I’ll pack your bags in advance, Master.”
“…Bags? What bags?”
“Because if things go wrong, you’ll have to flee in the middle of the night. A small travel bag would be best for sneaking away. I’ll prepare some emergency rations as well.”
“......”
I let out a dumbfounded chuckle. Well, it was an extremely normal reaction. The hand of negative equity was about to bet real estate on stocks.
But to immediately jump to planning a midnight escape…
Despite her calm and neat appearance, she was utterly unpredictable.
“There won’t be any running away, so don’t worry about it.”
Leaving Mariel behind, I strode boldly out the front door of the mansion. Then, with a smooth backstep, I returned to stand in front of her.
“Ah, but go ahead and pack the bag anyway. Make it generous—about a week’s worth.”
“Yes. I’ll pack it well for escape purposes.”
“I said I’m not running!”
This time I really left.
Hmm, hmm-hmm~♪
Altaina Empire Bank, Goldfield Branch. In a quiet corner of the deserted counter, the female teller Glen was filing her nails.
This place is nice and peaceful. Just how I like it.
The name Goldfield sounded impressive, and the town had once boomed thanks to a gold rush, but those days were long gone. Now it was nothing more than a backwater without a single decent factory, let alone automobiles.
“Well, that’s exactly why I get to slack off every day.”
Most of the residents were country bumpkins who rarely visited the bank. So there was no work, but the paycheck arrived right on time. The beautiful life of a salaried slacker! She planned to save up a nice nest egg here and then head to the big city for a big score.
After all, this is the era of capital and chaos.
Far away in the capital, new technologies were pouring out and massive sums of money moved by the second. Dozens of companies were founded and went bankrupt every day. A chimney sweep could become a millionaire overnight, while a great magnate might lose everything and throw himself into the river. It was an age of pure chaos.
She hadn’t decided exactly how she would strike it rich, but she had a baseless confidence that simply riding the wave would lead to a jackpot no matter what she did. Even those vague daydreams were enjoyable.
Today I’ll just kill time until quitting—
Bang!
The front door, which almost never opened, swung wide. A man wearing a hat pulled low walked in.
“Eek?!”
An unusual customer. Glen jumped in surprise, quickly set down her nail file, and greeted him.
“W-welcome! This is the Altaina Empire Bank!”
The man didn’t approach the counter. He looked around as if searching for something.
…?
Glen tilted her head in confusion.
“Oh, right. No number tickets here.”
After muttering that strange line to himself, he finally walked up to the counter.
“How may I help you today, sir?”
When Glen flashed her customer-service smile and asked, the man answered shortly.
“Call the branch manager.”
“…Pardon?”
She doubted her ears. Demanding the branch manager right off the bat?
What the— Is this one of those nightmare customers I’ve only heard about?
It was the first time anyone had ever asked for the manager immediately. Hiding her panic, she responded according to the manual.
“Sir, if you could first tell me what business brings you here…”
He smoothly pulled a document envelope from his coat, took out the contents, and placed them on the counter.
Documents…?
Glen read the title at the top of the page and her brain simply stopped working.
Baron Goldman Residence and Territorial Land Collateral Loan Agreement
“B-baron…?”
Her trembling gaze slowly rose from the document to the man. He removed his hat.
“I am Baron Allen Goldman. Does that answer your question?”
Whoosh!
Glen shot up from her seat in terror.
“P-please wait just a moment! I-I’ll bring the branch manager right away!”
One minute after she disappeared, rapid footsteps thundered from the inner hallway. A middle-aged man came sprinting out.
“W-welcome, my lord! I am Smith, branch manager of the Altaina Empire Bank Goldfield Branch! Please, allow me to escort you!”
The man looked old enough to be his father, yet he was bowing so deeply his back nearly folded in half.
So this is what a class system looks like.
It felt a little awkward, but I followed him to the manager’s office anyway.
I sank into the luxurious leather sofa and sipped the coffee the manager had personally brewed for me.
…Wow. This is way better than what I drink at home.
To think that even the coffee at the bank was better than what a baron drank. The depressing reality hit me right in the chest.
The manager sitting across from me finally got to the point.
“Lord Goldman, may I ask what brings such an esteemed person as yourself to our humble branch?”
I set down my cup, pulled out the contract, and handed it to him.
“This.”
“This is…”
The manager took the contract and began reading it slowly. His face visibly withered in real time.
“L-Lord Goldman…”
He struggled to maintain a smile.
“I understand your intention, my lord. However… wouldn’t this be far too great a burden for your family? Using your entire real estate holdings as collateral is…”
He sounded concerned, but his true feelings were obvious.
He doesn’t want to do it.
Of course he didn’t. I had just shoved a worthless rural property in his face and demanded the maximum possible loan against it.
A credit risk like me!
What sane branch manager would approve that? But Allen Goldman says yes! Legally and semi-forcibly.
The same sentence flashed through both our minds.
Because I’m a noble.
I smiled. Manager Smith broke into a cold sweat.
A titled noble was a being whose status, honor, and ability were guaranteed by the imperial family for generations. The empire had even codified into law the assumption that such a noble would never run off with loan money. Thanks to Noble Privilege, even a deadbeat like me could receive a top-tier loan.
In other words, whether I took the money and crossed the border today or not, the bank had to hand over the maximum loan amount with tears in their eyes. And in this region, Allen Goldman’s credit rating was rock bottom. The manager was certain I would take the money and run.
A maximum-limit real-estate-backed loan. This wasn’t pocket change. If I walked out with it, the branch would take a catastrophic hit.
No, this can’t happen!
He couldn’t retire until he had saved enough for his newborn granddaughter’s college tuition and dowry!
He had to persuade me to leave somehow.
“A-ahaha… I see. If I may be so bold, may I ask what you intend to use the loan for?”
I answered with perfect confidence.
“I’m going to invest in stocks.”
Ah, fuck.
It would have been better if I were just going to run. At least the imperial police might recover some of the money. But this incompetent fool was going to invest?
I’m never getting that money back…!
Smith swallowed hard.
“This is… as someone who works in finance, I must say that using loan money for stocks is somewhat risky… As far as I know, market volatility has increased recently, and the uncertainty…”
The manager rattled off every economic term he could think of. I, who had been listening quietly, leaned forward and spoke in a low voice.
“Manager.”
“Y-yes?”
“Just give me the loan.”