Regressor of the Fallen Family - Chapter 254
Episode 254
“The King took the initiative to overcome the plague. Rumors are spreading among the people…”
Jacques Juan’s complexion also hardened as Mike Teroda’s voice clearly revealed his discomfort.
Even Ivan Claude added ominous predictions.
“Our position, which called for the massacre of Raftan Territory, is in trouble. If word gets out like this…”
Zach responded, showing his emotions clearly for the first time in a long time.
“What if it leaks?! What’s the big deal? Does this mean that the village scum will revolt against the nobles?”
Just one hundred knights can slaughter tens of thousands of people.
Although these words were uttered with that thought in mind, Mike and Ivan also did not hide their displeasure as Zach’s voice rose to its highest pitch.
“Count Jacques! Aren’t we talking about your plan to pressure the king under the pretext of public opinion? But what is your attitude now? Do you even think of us as your subordinates?!”
Zach, who had missed Mike Teroda’s sharp remark, finally managed his facial expression.
“Hmm. Hmm. This was rude. I lost my composure in an unexpected situation. I apologize again.”
Despite those words, Mike and Ivan’s expressions did not completely straighten.
‘Such a mistake…’
Zach took another deep breath, blaming himself for not being able to control his emotions.
Then he smiled and opened his mouth again.
“Hmm. And what I said earlier was that even if the King tried to change the hearts of the people, what really mattered was the will of our nobles.”
Facial expressions that still haven’t changed.
But he had an idea to quickly patch up this minor rift.
“And I have a plan that will definitely strengthen our power. This will require the cooperation of you two and other nobles.”
Only then did the two people’s expressions change.
“…What are you planning?”
“Don’t hesitate and speak quickly, Count.”
“It’s simple. You both know that now is the time when the people will starve.”
“Hmm. But what?”
“It’s normal for people to be hungry at this time. But what does that have to do with us?”
Jacques smiled as he looked at the two people, whose attitude clearly showed that they did not care whether the people were starving or not.
“Last year, under the king’s pressure, our nobles ‘inevitably’ collected excessive taxes compared to a normal year. So this year, the people will not end up simply hungry.”
Again.
Zach let out a small sigh as he filled his glass with wine worth over 1,000 gold per bottle. Of course, I didn’t even think about the fact that just one bottle of wine could support Young Ji-min’s family for a year.
This is the right that nobles should enjoy.
but.
“Some people will starve to death around the busy farming season. If the labor force to do the farming dies, our income will also decrease, so shouldn’t we do something about it? For example, by providing food.”
Wiggle.
“Why is that an idea to strengthen our power?”
Looking at Mike Teroda’s blunt reaction as if it had been something he had never thought of, Zach laughed at him inwardly.
But on the outside, he still maintained a smile, gently raised his glass, and made eye contact with the two foolish nobles.
“We provide food to the landworms and receive interest during the harvest season. About 50% would be appropriate.”
“ah…!”
The two nobles were momentarily impressed by the plan to further expand their warehouse.
but.
Soon, as if to prove that he was not an idiot, Ivan came up with something else.
“Isn’t it okay to just collect taxes? Why even charge interest?”
Of course, Ivan Claude did not say that for the people.
His intention was truly simple.
What I meant was why go through an intermediate process when something can be done all at once.
Of course, what Jacques had prepared was now the main point.
“We are talking about distributing food to the residents of the royal territory and Esperanza McLane’s territory, not just our territory. With interest. In particular, the royal territory is quite close to our three territories, isn’t it?”
The two nobles gasped at those words.
“Not even the king can stop us from absorbing the people and lands of other fiefdoms for ‘just’ reasons.”
“oh…!”
“Indeed…”
Amid the exclamations of the two idiots, Zach smiled as he felt his uncomfortable mind becoming more at ease.
‘By now, all the tax money would have been used up. Now the royal family can no longer afford it. Even if public opinion changes slightly due to the plague, fate does not change. Soon this kingdom will be as I wish…’
Jacques Juan’s hopes soared again.
* * *
“I’m so sorry, Lete… If you have any food left at home, please lend me a little. Be sure to repay me next time!”
Farmer Geron had come to the house next door after a long period of hesitation. However, the reaction of Lethe, an old friend and neighbor, was not so positive.
“Uh huh! This person! How can I afford it!?”
“But doesn’t your family have fewer people than ours? We don’t even have food for tomorrow!”
“I don’t know how many weeks we can last. There are still several months left until the harvest season… I’m sorry!”
bang.
Lethe, with a haggard complexion similar to Geron, closed the door with a stern attitude.
Geron had no choice but to flop down on the spot.
It was a fact without the slightest exaggeration that there would be no food to eat tomorrow.
Even so, I had been eating rice once a day for the past few weeks, so much so that the sky looked yellow.
‘Do we really have no choice but to go to the lord?’
A notice that came down not long ago contained information about food loans.
Hungry time. At first, some residents cheered without thinking, but they quickly realized the weight of the 50% interest rate. That this is the price of escaping immediate hunger and confirming future hell.
but.
‘If you don’t, my family will starve to death right away.’
Let’s stand up. Let’s go to Yeongju.
I need to at least stuff my mouth right now.
Is it because I know that even though I think like that, I am walking into a deeper swamp of despair?
Once I sat down, my legs barely had any strength.
It was then.
“Ge Geron!! News! Did you hear the news!?”
Geron’s eyes widened as he saw another neighbor, Soren, running screaming from afar.
This was because my neighbor, who I knew had been starving since yesterday, suddenly appeared very lively.
‘Where do you get the energy?’
Naturally, that question arises.
“A person from the royal family will distribute food!! On the condition that the same amount be returned during the harvest season!!”
“what!?”
Geron didn’t understand what was being said for a moment and had a blank expression on his face.
bang!
The door that had been closed coldly behind him burst open and Lethe came running out.
“Hello, what do you mean!? Are you really saying that we are lending food for free!?”
Only then did Geron understand, so he jumped up in surprise.
“Where is that!?”
“what?”
“Where is the person from the royal family!!”
“Inside the castle…”
Before Soren could finish his words, Geron started running towards the castle like a gale, as if he had been sitting there for some time.
– The royal family lends food free of charge. There are no conditions, just return the same amount at harvest time.
The royal proclamation, issued as soon as the busy farming season began, swept across the kingdom in an instant. Many farmers, who were worried about food to eat right now, regardless of their crops, cheered throughout the kingdom.
“I lived! I lived!”
“Long live His Majesty the King!”
“Thank you. I really appreciate it!”
Of course, not everyone was happy.
“If it’s going to be like this, why did you raise taxes in the first place?”
“Hey man. It was the nobles who raised taxes, not the royal family.”
“What are you talking about? The royal family raised taxes, so the nobles raised them.”
“Well, they are both the same people. Still, there is a difference between those who give out food for free and those who say they will charge half the interest.”
“…Yes. At least the royal family is better than the nobles.”
Although there were some who criticized, everyone could feel that public opinion toward the king and royal family had significantly improved compared to before.
And the nobles who felt that public opinion gathered in one place again.
bang!
“The royal family has no more power! Didn’t you, Count Jacques, say so?”
When Mike Teroda, who had agreed that it was a good idea to talk about a plan, shouted loudly, Zach’s expression hardened.
There.
“The power of the royal family is completely different from what we expected!”
“Then that army! What about that army? Isn’t it really aimed at us?”
“Eh. No way. Did we do something wrong to His Majesty? If so, then why don’t we…”
All the nobles gathered were looking at themselves with distrust.
‘The thoughtless fools are coming now.’
I bit my lip, but couldn’t come up with an answer.
Even for Zach, it was a very embarrassing situation. Where on earth did the royal family have this kind of power?
No, if we had this kind of capacity in the first place….
‘It would be okay to slowly grow the army over several years. There was absolutely no reason to take such unreasonable measures.’
It was a natural inference without knowing the thoughts of Logan and his associates regarding the invasion of the Empire.
In the end, Jacques’ thoughts led to his own conclusion within his common sense.
“You suddenly got that much money? Where? It must not have been a normal route, right?”
The request has already been entrusted to several information guilds.
But I couldn’t figure it out, so it was a muttering that didn’t leave my mouth for weeks.
But as if he had heard the murmur, one of his subordinates ran in noisily.
“Your Excellency Count Bae! The request results have arrived!”
The paper he received had something written on it that would bring a smile to Zach’s face again.
The same information was even retrieved from three of the most famous information guilds in the kingdom.
Why did the Empire suddenly help the Kingdom?
If you think about it deeply, it was absolutely nonsense, but people naturally see only what they want to see even in the same scene.
‘okay. Star of Grandia. It is famous that the Emperor praised King Logan highly.’
Zach, whose thoughts went that far, jumped up and raised his arms.
“Now, nobles, don’t get excited and listen to me. It is clear that the royal family has no more power. They have stretched it to the limit and have resorted to trickery. Now, when the harvest season comes, the royal family will pay a much higher price for this reckless food distribution. It will happen.”
A confident smile suddenly appeared on Zach’s face as he said those words.
If food was borrowed from the empire, it would not end with the royal family being shaken. A handshake that could lead to the collapse of the McLane and Esperanza estates, or rather, it would definitely do so.
‘Thank you, your foolish Majesty.’
Naturally, I couldn’t help but laugh.
‘Everything will be decided during this year’s harvest season.’
In his mind, he could already clearly see his future as a powerful figure in the kingdom.
* * * [Damian, that guy is really doing his job properly now. Well, it is true that there is help from the imperial family. Although it is the opposite of the direction they intended. Puhahaha.]
Pisik.
“okay. Good job Philip.”
Logan once again felt fortunate to have scouted Philip first.
This time, Philip not only solved the problem of purchasing food, but also showed a clear presence in the policy of solving it for the people.
Free rental, not free payment.
Philip’s opinion was that unilateral support would raise the cost several times since even those who did not need it would receive it.
And that was proven to be true as food was distributed more efficiently than expected, and public opinion was becoming more favorable than expected. But
Philip, who had accomplished such a great feat, stopped laughing and immediately hardened his countenance.
[I know for sure from this incident that the invasion of the empire that you, my lord, your majesty, spoke of was not just a matter of anger.] A
serious look appeared in the gray eyes of the young vassal. Logan also nodded with a firm expression,
“…So your role will be important in the future, Philip. But won’t this cause problems in the future activities of the empire?”
[Looking at the trick we’ve made this time, it could happen at any time. However, seeing as no one is openly interfering, I plan to pretend not to notice and continue our business. Food for the kingdom. The ones sent are all under different names.]
“Yes. It’s a lot of work.”
[But is it really necessary to go to this length? After all, they are the nobles of our country whom His Majesty must take care of.]
“It has to be done. “Because we will change the very constitution of the country.”
Philip simply nodded at Logan’s firm reply.
Now, everyone in his inner circle was agreeing with Logan’s idea of preparing for war in preparation for an invasion by the Empire, but the process was still far from reached. . Especially when it came to matters related to nobles, Logan did not share his thoughts with anyone,
so those close to him just assumed that he was trying to punish some disobedient nobles as an example.
Of course, Logan His inner thoughts were a little different:
‘Changing one’s constitution cannot be accomplished by punishing just one or two people.’
He knew that he wasn’t that smart, but what he wanted to do now was something that had already been done successfully in a neighboring country hundreds of years ago.
That’s why he didn’t even discuss it. Moreover, if it leaked out, there would be a backlash from his ‘noble’ close associates. The possibility was high.
So,
“We will organize everything in the kingdom within this year.”
[I’m looking forward to it.]
With so many people’s thoughts mixed.
Autumn has already arrived.
A large amount of food has been confirmed to have arrived from the empire under different names. . The hand of the emperor who looked kindly at King Logan. This support from the imperial family will only last until just before the harvest season, and after the harvest season, the royal family will directly return it with interest. The royal family’s finances are estimated to be at their lowest. Food rations for the troops being trained are also provided. It’s decreasing.