Chapter 220: Count Rondon (5)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 220: Count Rondon (5)
Roman Dmitry.
He was the absolute last person they expected to see.
As the executor stared at him in sheer bewilderment, Roman naturally took a seat and looked up.
"Please, take a seat."
"...What brings you here?"
"Count Rondon met with an accident. I am acting as his representative today, so if you have something to say, say it to me."
The executor’s gaze shifted to the financial officer.
In response to the questioning look, the financial officer merely wore a baffled expression, silently signaling that he knew absolutely nothing.
Regardless, the stage for negotiations was set. Since a representative had at least shown up, the executor sat down opposite Roman Dmitry, though his displeasure was evident.
The executor spoke.
"As his representative, I assume you are well aware of how things stand. Skipping the explanations of prior events, the amount the Redford Kingdom owes the Golden Bank—principal and interest combined—is exactly 100,000 gold. The catch is, that was the case until five minutes ago. Had Count Rondon appeared on time and paid the 100,000 gold, the Golden Bank would have overlooked past issues and sought to restore amicable relations."
Creak.
He leaned back.
Adopting a distinctly arrogant posture, he stared down Roman Dmitry.
"For us, time is money. We deal in interest, calculated from the exact moment the gold leaves our vaults to the moment it returns. That being said, it is now five minutes past nine. Do you really think we will just accept the 100,000 gold and call it a day? I think not. The deadline to repay the debt was exactly nine o'clock. The moment a single second ticked past that mark, we gained the right to classify the Redford Kingdom as a delinquent debtor and hold them fully accountable."
"Stop beating around the bush and get to the point," Roman said.
"Very well."
The executor smirked.
From the moment the deadline was missed—no, to be precise, from the very moment the money was borrowed until this transaction was concluded—the Golden Bank held all the cards.
"We must collect a late penalty. Ten percent of the outstanding debt. If you repay 110,000 gold right now, we will forget our unpleasant history with the Redford Kingdom. From then on, you are free to borrow money again. As long as you are not a delinquent debtor, the Golden Bank's doors are always open for business."
"...110,000 gold?!" the financial officer cried out in dismay.
110,000 gold.
It was an astronomical sum.
Securing even 100,000 gold had been an impossible feat given Redford's current state; there was absolutely no way they could scrape together an additional 10,000 gold on top of that. Furthermore, the news of Count Rondon's accident sat uneasily with him. Combined with the recent attacks on the Count's estate, the fact that this accident had occurred precisely while he was transporting the chests containing the repayment felt far too convenient to be a coincidence.
Roman Dmitry spoke.
"Count Rondon met with an accident on his way here. Citizens targeting the gold coins ambushed him, and he no longer has the means to pay the 100,000 gold. Let me ask you once more. Is paying 110,000 gold, instead of 100,000, the absolute only way to resolve this issue between Redford and the Golden Bank?"
"We are under no obligation to consider the debtor's circumstances. Only the agreed-upon date of repayment matters. Even if you somehow scrape together another 100,000 gold from your empty pockets, what we demand from this moment on is 110,000 gold."
It was a resolute answer.
The Golden Bank.
The iron-blooded bank.
People thought of them as a mere lending institution, but there was no faction on the continent more aggressive than them. If a debt went unpaid, only ruin awaited. In fact, more people had met their downfall at the hands of the Golden Bank than through the continent's overt evils, such as the Kronos Empire.
Roman Dmitry paused for a moment.
Meeting the executor's gaze, he casually threw out a question.
"Let me ask you one last thing. Is it money you want, or are you using this debt as a pretext for ruin?"
* * *
Tracing back the history of the continent, one could always find the name of the Golden Bank written in its margins.
They had always been consistent.
Speaking strictly in terms of debtor-creditor relationships, they had dragged countless people into the abyss, both in the past and the present.
"The Golden Bank is the demon of gold. If you intend to deal with them, repay your debt even if you must sell your soul. Otherwise, the demon of gold will drag you and everything around you to ruin."
This was the advice of a sage.
Given the Golden Bank's track record, which had been demonstrated through countless historical precedents, Roman Dmitry's question was incredibly provocative.
And so...
"What did you just say?"
The executor's expression froze ice-cold.
Roman's words had struck a sensitive nerve. While people never hesitated to criticize the Golden Bank's actions behind closed doors, no one had ever dared to utter such words to their faces. It was a truth everyone knew but none dared speak. Despite the executor's hostile glare, which looked ready to devour him whole, Roman Dmitry stared straight back.
"To be honest, I do not understand the Golden Bank's intentions. You claim to demand a rightful debt repayment, but no moneylender in the world goes so far as to risk war just to collect a debt. Even if you crush your opponent and seize all their assets, the cost of war guarantees no financial gain. It is truly foolish. For a faction that generates profit through interest, there is no need to escalate matters to the point of forcibly destroying someone who is willing to pay."
"The Golden Bank is different from ordinary moneylenders. This is a matter of keeping promises. The reason people do whatever it takes to repay their debts to the Golden Bank is because we have clearly demonstrated how we respond when a promise is broken."
"I, too, wish the Golden Bank were a simple moneylender. However, there are aspects of this that I cannot comprehend."
Tension filled the room to the brim.
Though neither had drawn a sword, they glared at each other as if ready to strike, refusing to yield even an inch.
"When the Golden Bank lent money to the Redford Kingdom, Redford's debt situation was already highly complicated due to the King's reckless behavior. Yet, the Golden Bank lent them money anyway. You, who claim to value a debtor's credibility and financial relations above all else, readily lent tens of thousands of gold despite knowing it would be difficult to recover. The mere fact that the borrower was a king is not enough to explain this. Haven't your past precedents proven that the Golden Bank evaluates circumstances with ruthless thoroughness?"
A page of history.
If one traced it back, the Golden Bank was a mysterious faction that had appeared like a mirage without any warning.
Who its master was, and where its funds originated, no one knew.
They had suddenly appeared with wealth that transcended national scales, instantly transforming into a force of immense influence on the continent. By now, no one questioned it. Because the passage of time had validated their existence, people simply accepted the Golden Bank for what it was.
But Roman Dmitry was different.
Although even the Hao Sect could not uncover the roots of the Golden Bank, he had confirmed that they occasionally engaged in incomprehensible actions, much like this incident with the Redford Kingdom. This led him to a single hypothesis: that the Golden Bank's movements closely resembled those of the Kronos Empire, a faction that actively desired the ruin of other nations.
It was a provocative accusation.
The executor's face contorted.
Looking ready to explode at any second, he spat out his fury.
"Are you implying we lent money hoping for Redford's ruin? This is an insult I cannot tolerate. The negotiations are over. We will consider the Redford Kingdom as having no intention of repaying its debt, and we will formally raise an issue regarding the Dmitry family's remarks in the international community."
He stood up abruptly.
Just as he was about to leave—
"Hear me out to the end."
The executor froze in his tracks.
Roman Dmitry smirked.
"Redford's debt. I will pay it."
* * *
The situation was settled.
Furious as he was, the executor could not refuse Roman Dmitry's offer to pay the 110,000 gold on their behalf.
Ultimately, the goal of moneylending was money. If he refused Roman Dmitry's funds, he would be trapped by the accusation that he desired ruin rather than repayment. For that reason, the matter was concluded. The executor signed the documents certifying that the Redford Kingdom had fully discharged its debt, took the chests containing the 110,000 gold, and left with an enraged scowl.
Before stepping out of the room, he turned his back to Roman Dmitry and said, "The Dmitry family made a grave mistake today. I look forward to the day we meet again."
Despite the executor's warning, Roman calmly sipped his tea.
The financial officer, who had been holding his breath throughout the entire exchange, finally spoke up in a cautious voice.
"...Thank you so much. Thanks to you, the Redford Kingdom has survived a massive crisis."
110,000 gold.
It was an astronomical sum. The Dmitry family had already lent a whopping 100,000 gold, yet they now demonstrated the sheer financial power to pay an additional 110,000 gold on top of that. The rumors of the Dmitry Duchy's immense wealth were indeed true. With a tight grip on an entire industry—to the point where it was said that all steel on the Salamander Continent originated from Dmitry—they casually produced an amount that would have crippled most kingdoms.
Furthermore, due to their recent technological cooperation with the Dwarves, Dmitry was sweeping in even greater wealth than before.
"I have no intention of accepting your gratitude. Dmitry did not help you for nothing," Roman replied coldly.
He did not rise from his seat.
As if waiting for someone, he remained seated even after finishing his tea, creating a suffocating tension in the room.
How much time had passed?
Finally, the sound of someone running outside the door echoed.
* * *
Count Rondon.
By the time he regained consciousness, the appointed hour had already long passed.
"My Lord! We have a disaster! The group that attacked us reportedly distributed all the gold coins to the common citizens!"
"...Oh, no."
It was devastating news.
The 100,000 gold they had secured with such difficulty had literally vanished into thin air, and there was no way to recover the money scattered among the populace. Of course, they could reclaim some of it if they resorted to force, but bloodshed would be inevitable in the process of wresting gold coins from the hands of starving citizens. Ultimately, it was his own fault. Even though Roman Dmitry had offered to guarantee his safety, he had proceeded with the task while dismissing extreme scenarios, only for disaster to strike.
How foolish.
For someone brilliant enough to rise to the rank of a tycoon, he was incredibly unwise when it came to matters of the state.
No. If he had been truly wise, he would have abandoned his patriotism in the first place.
After tending to the casualties and sorting out the situation, Count Rondon headed straight to the meeting place. Although he lacked the ability to settle the debt, he had to explain the situation and somehow buy time to secure the funds.
However, Roman Dmitry was waiting at the meeting place.
And upon hearing from the financial officer that Roman had already settled the debt, Count Rondon fell to his knees on the spot.
Thud.
"Redford owes you an immeasurable debt, Lord Roman Dmitry. Because I was robbed of the 100,000 gold by the citizens, Redford would have collapsed under the weight of the Golden Bank's debt had you not intervened. Please, command me. Redford will endure anything to repay our debt to you, and we will spend the rest of our lives returning Dmitry's grace. Thank you... thank you so much."
He bowed his head.
The blood trickling down his forehead did not matter. With a choking voice, he expressed his gratitude to the heavens that Redford was not yet finished.
However, Roman Dmitry's expression remained ice-cold.
Even the financial officer watching from the side could tell that this was not a touching moment for expressing gratitude.
"Count Rondon. I believe you are under a grave misunderstanding."
A cold voice.
Startled, Count Rondon raised his face, only then confronting reality.
"When you borrowed 100,000 gold from me, you promised not to shift the burden of responsibility onto me. Invoking the safety of the Kingdom Alliance, you made a proposal that Dmitry accepted, even though we knew we stood to gain no financial benefit. Yet, what is the meaning of this situation? You were robbed of the 100,000 gold, losing your ability to repay, and I had to spend an additional 110,000 gold to resolve Redford's crisis."
When the carriage loaded with gold coins departed, and when it was attacked by the citizens, Roman Dmitry had been kept informed of the entire situation.
Had he willed it, there had certainly been opportunities to intervene and help. But Roman Dmitry had reached a far more important conclusion.
And so...
"Redford's incompetence has brought about the worst possible outcome. Count, now is not the time for you to be offering gratitude."
From this moment on, the situation would be resolved Dmitry's way.