Infinite Reincarnation – Arthur Hurt - Chapter 142



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Infinite Reincarnation – Arthur Hurt Chapter 142

26-Noble

Arthur looked at them and answered.

“Yes, that’s right.”

“There is someone looking for you.”

“Who is he?”

“If you follow me, you will understand.”

Arthur felt a sense of foreboding. Wasn’t this what the late Count Jason Cordelli, who was busy cracking down on illegal copy music boxes, had done?

But at that time, they were just a bunch of punks, and the men in front of me had a restrained demeanor that made them look like punks in no way.

So Arthur said with a calm expression.

“You take the lead.”

As Arthur took a step toward them, the men looked away from him for a moment without much suspicion.

Just then Arthur spun around and ran furiously towards the bank, screaming loudly.

“Save the person! It’s kidnapping!”

Because a lot of money was being transacted at the bank, there was a security guard station right in front of it.

The men who had been startled by Arthur’s sudden actions quickly came to their senses and had no choice but to leave the place as Arthur grabbed the guard and pointed a finger at them.

That day, Arthur returned home under the guard of the guards and stayed out of the house for several days. First, he pointed out the problems with the bank’s customer service to Samuel and Jaran through letters, checked the status of the production of the perforated music box through Holden, and helped raise Viana.

“Are your diapers changing well?”

“You’ll know when you see it.”

Arthur imitated the chic parenting genius husband and pleased his wife.

Then an uninvited guest visited.

“Are you Arthur Hurt, Baron?”

His polite greeting and the atmosphere he gave off made him seem like an employee of a noble family.

“Who are you?”

“Yes, my name is Cordell, the butler of the Hanbaya family.”

Wasn’t that the nobleman who tried to stick a straw in Arthur at the banquet to celebrate his elevation to a semi-noble title?

Of course he was not happy, but the art of living was a kind of mental training that allowed him to praise others on the outside while cursing them on the inside, so Arthur took a deep breath through his nose and spoke to Cordell, the butler of the Hanbaya family.

“What’s going on?”

“The Count wishes to speak secretly with Lord Hurt.”

“Oh, I see. Then I’ll check my schedule and make time.”

It would be about ten years later, right? The butler of a noble family could not have been unaware that it meant a polite refusal in aristocratic speech.

“You have to go now.”

Arthur knew that if he said no outright, it wouldn’t work, so he made up an excuse. It wasn’t that he didn’t have a reason for staying home.

“I was almost kidnapped a while ago. Since the culprit hasn’t been identified, I can’t go out easily. Because of that, my schedule has been disrupted and I’m having a hard time.”

Cordell said, “There’s no time to go out. I might get kidnapped again at any moment.”

“Actually, I think there was a bit of a misunderstanding.”

“Are you mistaken?”

“Those people were sent by Count Hanbaya… … .”

“So Count Hanbaya tried to kidnap me?”

“No, no, no!”

Butler Cordell waved his hands urgently and insisted that it was a misunderstanding.

“No, I just wanted to talk to you in secret.”

“Well. So, we send a bunch of big, strong men over for a secret conversation, without telling anyone who sent them or where they’re going… We agreed to call it kidnapping.”

At those words, Butler Cordell blushed and was unable to refute, and Arthur sighed.

Yeah, what crime did that guy commit? It’s all because of that thug-like count.

Arthur proposed a compromise.

“I’ll decide the place and time. Otherwise, I’ll be too scared to go.”

“… … I will convey this to the Count.”

Butler Cordell reluctantly accepted Arthur’s offer. It was better than returning empty-handed.

So Arthur met Count Hanbaya at an expensive restaurant.

“It is an honor to meet you again.”

“There was no reason for us to meet in a place like this.”

Count Hanbaya received Arthur’s greeting with an unpleasant attitude.

Even though Arthur treated them well and they settled into a fancy restaurant, it seemed that he didn’t like the fact that it couldn’t be kept a secret.

Arthur’s eyes narrowed. What kind of nonsense were you trying to say that you wanted to keep their meeting a secret?

Luckily, Arthur was capable of talking to even a fucking punk while raising the corners of his mouth.

“How many opportunities do you have to serve someone as high-ranking as Count Hanbaya? Fortunately, I heard that the chef of this restaurant cooks steaks amazingly.”

Count Hanbayah’s expression softened somewhat at such flattery. The fact that they had reserved a separate room for a more intimate conversation also helped to relieve his discomfort.

While the food he ordered was being served, Arthur asked Count Hanbaya politely about his well-being, but Count Hanbaya responded indifferently and then brought up his business before the food was served.

“Are you close with the park where you grew up?”

“Yes. He has been a great help to me since I was in Tsururaz.”

“I’m issuing Scalon with that guy.”

“I just made it because you said you needed a plate to print Scalon.”

“Well, you are a craftsman.”

Count Hanbaya’s eyes narrowed.

“What kind of person do you think Park, who is an executive of Mato Trading Company and the president of the Skara Central Bank, is?”

With the establishment of the private banks, the St. Scala Bank and the Maron Bank, the Scala Money Supply Agency also changed its name to the Scala Central Bank and reorganized its organization. And the first president of the central bank was none other than Jaran Park.

Arthur had many thoughts as he watched Count Hanbaya’s gaze examine him as if he was searching him. What on earth was the intention behind his questions?

Not knowing what he meant, I didn’t know how to respond safely.

But lying was even more dangerous. A lie is like a debt whose repayment date is unknown.

Arthur answered.

“He is a great merchant and a person worthy of respect.”

It was not a lie. Not only was Jaran excellent as a merchant, but he also had principles in life.

I can’t say that his personality is like that of a saint, but if everyone in the world had grown up to be half as much as he is now, the world wouldn’t be in this state.

That’s why Arthur held on to his relationship with Jaran for a long time. Isn’t meeting good people a blessing in life?

Count Hanbaya responded to Arthur’s assessment.

“You don’t have any weaknesses?”

“… …What is the purpose?”

“Hmm. Where should I start… … It’s the Scalon that he took the lead in introducing. Oh, put it here.”

The whole thing came out, but Arthur didn’t even pick up his fork and waited for Count Hanbayah to speak. Asking about weaknesses? Do you want to get something out of it by threatening Jaran?

However, Count Hanbaya smiled and tasted the soup with a spoon, seemingly satisfied with Arthur’s waiting attitude.

“It’s delicious.”

“Because it’s an expensive place.”

At Arthur’s reply, Count Hanbaya chuckled and put down his spoon as he spoke.

“Banking. It was fun.”

“Is that funny?”

“Yes. Isn’t it too obvious that they intend to suppress our nobles with the power of money?”

The establishment of the bank solely with the capital of the common bourgeoisie and the capital of the church might well have seemed so to the aristocracy.

Ah, so that was the situation. Arthur tilted his head, feeling a little relieved. He was going to try to shake things off from now on.

“That’s strange.”

“what?”

“I understand that nobles can also invest in banks by contributing as much as they want?”

“Ha! That’s funny. Would His Majesty the King welcome that?”

“Did His Majesty the King say so?”

“Do I really have to hear it myself to know?”

Arthur let out a small sigh at Count Hanbaya’s response. What should I say, really… … It was so absurd that it made the tension seem insignificant, and it really felt tiring to live life imagining things the way they wanted.

“Just go and ask.”

“Well? Will His Majesty the King grant his permission?”

I’ll give permission, but the question is what the price will be.

Arthur guessed what Count Hanbaya was worried about, so he decided to give him a little courage.

“As far as I know, there has never been an order or instruction to that effect from His Majesty the King to prevent nobles from establishing banks.”

That was only natural.

Since the right to issue currency was granted by the king, from the king’s perspective, if the nobles also started using scalons, it could be seen as a kind of expansion of influence.

And in the report to the queen, it was written that it would be advantageous for the nobles to monitor and exert influence over the flow of their assets by converting their assets into scalons, so the direction of thought was guided in that direction, so it will not prevent the nobles from establishing a bank.

It was not a lie. The fact that the nobles converted their assets into scalons was itself an act that increased the influence of the currency issuing authority. However, the subject of that influence was not clearly defined.

In response to Arthur’s answer, Count Hanbaya responded with a slightly softened attitude.

“Really?”

“Yes. Go and ask.”

“Well then, that’s good. I have to visit Mato Trading Company tomorrow.”

“Mr. Jaran Park has been going to the Central Bank of Skara more often than the Mato Trading Company recently, so why don’t you go there?”

Only then did Count Hanbaya have a private conversation with Arthur, with a relieved expression on his face, as if some complicated knot had been untied. Around that time, the main dish was brought out, and they had a formal meal, even cutting meat.

Count Hanbaya asked after seeing Arthur’s swordsmanship.

“Where did you learn your manners?”

“I learned it little by little.”

Most of them learned from Madame Zeltny that if you become a semi-noble, you have to have the right kind of dignity so that you won’t be looked down on.

Count Hanbaya nodded, wondering if he had learned well.

“Wonderful. To be honest, I can’t believe he’s just a craftsman.”

“If he had been a simple craftsman, he would not have even been given a semi-noble title.”

“Yes, the music box. It’s a great thing. But in the end, wasn’t it all thanks to the Mato Company that it became so successful?”

Arthur nodded in response, thinking that it was half wrong and half right.

“That’s true. But I’m also an executive of the Tsuuraz Craft Guild.”

“what?”

“The music box business was successful thanks to the productivity of the Tsuraz Craft Guild.”

If music boxes were such expensive items, would the business have been so successful?

Thanks to the productivity of the Tsuraz Craft Guild, they were able to lower their costs and secure sufficient marketability. In addition, they were able to gain an advantage in terms of market competitiveness. The productivity of the guild that dominated the industrialized city was usually a thorn in the side of competitors.

At Arthur’s words, Count Hanbaya looked at him with a surprised expression and continued speaking.

“His Majesty the King didn’t give him a title just because he saw the music box.”

An item was just an item.

If Arthur had no background, it would have been a reasonable option for the king to take the music box design and entrust it to a merchant noble who supported him.

But now that I’ve heard the story, I think I know why it wasn’t like that. If that were the case, would the Tsuraz Craft Guild just sit still?

Rather than shoulder the burden of suppressing their opposition, it would have been a much wiser decision to embrace Arthur and even utilize the productivity of the Tsuraz Craft Guild.

This was an aspect that Arthur had also guessed, and it was the reason why he did not regret paying the huge fee to the guild at all.

After going through a sensitive political engineering story, Count Hanbaya’s interest extended to Arthur’s private life.