Infinite Reincarnation – Arthur Hurt - Chapter 151



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Infinite Reincarnation – Arthur Hurt Chapter 151

27-War Maniac

“But we can’t just sit by and watch our taxes being lost, right?”

Rep. Fried countered.

“But a complete abolition would bring about a lot of opposition. It would be difficult to achieve, but I don’t think the results would be that great. It would be better to do this.”

“How?”

“We are establishing a new support fund for commoners.”

“You call this a subsidy for the common people?”

Fried Papaka’s ears perked up.

Arthur’s explanation was as follows. First, a screening system will be introduced for the support funds for fallen nobles. Then, the support funds for fallen nobles who are not eligible for the screening will be cut off. Then, the funds will be invested in scholarships for commoner talents.

Fried’s ears perked up.

“Oh!”

“It’s good for everyone. His Majesty the King gets to have capable subjects, the nobles get to filter out those who damage their dignity, and it’s good for the commoners who can’t achieve their goals because they don’t have money.”

The fallen nobles whose support money was cut off would suffer losses, but Arthur was not concerned about the circumstances of such people.

Fried Papaca nodded in admiration at Arthur’s idea, but Ossarin Comte, who had been eating quietly, interrupted.

“Then how would you recommend using that subsidy?”

“I don’t know about that.”

“If we provide support under the name of commoners’ subsidies or scholarships, it will only benefit the bourgeoisie.”

There was concern on the face of Ossarin Conte.

But Arthur shrugged.

“So?”

Arthur knew this. In a reality where the public education system was not even properly in place, the funds for fostering commoner talent had to be directed to the bourgeoisie who could afford to learn. However, this was the best option, as the budget taken from the support of the fallen aristocracy under the pretext of screening was not enough to run a large-scale public education.

Osarin responded with a calm expression.

“Those who support the People’s Assembly will be divided.”

Between the lines of those words, Arthur realized that the People’s Assembly was not only supported by the bourgeoisie, and that there was already a rift between the bourgeoisie and the non-bourgeoisie.

So Arthur tilted his head.

“So?”

People are different from each other. Their positions and thoughts are different. Isn’t mass politics meant to coordinate that? Is there a risk that groups will be divided and in conflict? Isn’t it the role of mass politics to stitch that up?

And Arthur was a man who had absolutely no responsibility for it.

“I just said what I thought. Everything has its pros and cons. You can go ahead with the original plan, and I don’t care. It doesn’t really matter to me whether it turns out or not.”

Arthur may have been boasting like that, but in reality, he couldn’t help but be interested.

This is because politics is an environmental factor that has a great influence on one’s life regardless of one’s will.

Many people often mistakenly believe that politics has little to do with their lives, but isn’t it evidence of serious cognitive dissonance that they say such things even after being taxed countless times?

Whether it was a bill to completely cut off subsidies for the fallen nobility or a bill to strengthen screening and subsidies for the commoners, it would not have a direct impact on Arthur, but it was bound to have an indirect impact.

And in Arthur’s view, the unilateral abolition of the support for the fallen nobles was likely to be blocked by the king. That meant revealing to the world that the weight of the king’s power had shifted from the commoners to the nobles, and the conflict that would result was difficult for Arthur to predict.

On the other hand, strengthening the examination of noble support funds and commoner support funds could minimize the occurrence of variables by maintaining the current political structure as much as possible.

If we were to use a metaphor, the former would be like, “If you don’t like it, break it first and see what happens,” while the latter would be like, “If you don’t like it, try patching it up and using it.” It was obvious which one would be more confusing and cause greater change.

Arthur’s hard work of burning calories to come up with this alternative and telling it to the two people in front of him was not out of vague good intentions or to show off his abilities.

I just hope the People’s Assembly doesn’t make a big deal out of something like a financial tax.

Wasn’t the damage caused by the butterfly effect of the financial tax enormous? The work-life balance is also threatened, and the promise made to Jaran, who said he would make him a person who would watch the king’s face with the right to issue currency, has gone down the drain.

Arthur’s true intention was to encourage him to do his job quietly and not do anything big, and that he could do it well enough.

But on the outside, he said, “Whatever you choose, it’s your freedom,” and took a step back. Osarin Conte looked at Fried Papaca with a complicated expression.

Congressman Fried could easily guess what the poor lawyer was worried about, but that gaze stimulated Fried’s determination.

“Surely… … it would be better if we went up rather than dragging someone down.”

“Congressman.”

“Stop. I know you’re worried, but I think this is better than causing unnecessary trouble.”

Arthur smiled inwardly at Fried Papaka’s words. He had received unexpectedly advanced information. The bill on the examination of the fallen nobility and the support of the commoners…

Without even knowing Arthur’s thoughts, Fried bowed his head toward him.

“Thank you. Thanks to you, my eyes have opened. I think I made this place well.”

“No. It’s just an opinion. Anyone can talk about it. Putting it into practice is a completely different matter.”

“Pushing for something that is impossible will not make it happen. The more likely it is to succeed, the less effort it takes. That’s why… … .”

Congressman Fried continued, licking his lips.

“Are you really not thinking about joining the People’s Assembly? I think you would do well as a member.”

And then, what is the gaze he has upon Arthur… … Is it like the gaze of King Sejong who discovered Prime Minister Hwang Hui?

Arthur shook his head, forcing a smile despite the chill running down his spine.

“I don’t like it. I don’t love the public.”

Arthur mixed his words with sincerity. Osarin tilted his head at those words.

“Why?”

“Because the public is an ambiguous entity.”

The masses meant a large number of people. That is, there were all kinds of people there. The good, the bad, the beautiful, the ugly.

If it is human nature to love what is beautiful and good, can a human still love the public when he sees its ugly and base side?

Without a certain amount of philanthropy and philanthropy, it is impossible to love the public completely. So most people think of ‘this public’ and ‘that public’ as the ‘right or wrong’ criteria.

But Arthur was not one of those ‘most’. Nor was he armed with a thoroughgoing spirit of patriotism or philanthropy.

It’s just that the criteria for distinguishing between ‘this public’ and ‘that public’ are far removed from the standards that the public of that era and that world generally thought of.

So he was an eternal stranger, an inevitable limitation of being an infinite reincarnation? He could hardly sympathize with the group he belonged to.

“It’s an ambiguous existence… … I see.”

Fried Papaka understood Arthur’s words in his own way. As an icon of success who had grown up from a poor rural background to a semi-noble, he knew the positions of ordinary commoners, the rich bourgeoisie, and the noble aristocrats, so lumping them all together as the masses would be ambiguous.

“It’s a shame. It would have been nice if we could work together.”

“If you need advice, I’ll make time for you.”

“Thank you for your words.”

The dinner appointment with Frit Papaka was over, but it wasn’t over. There was still a lunch appointment with Count Stan.

“It’s hard to look at your face.”

“Isn’t this the first time you’ve sent an invitation?”

“Well, since Lord Hurt is so busy with his work that he doesn’t even come to say hello, I have no choice but to send him an invitation.”

“……sorry.”

Arthur thought as he matched the rhythm of Count Stan’s poke at his ribs to get a bow. Count Stan was definitely a very old-fashioned person, as he had felt when dealing with Jason Cordelli.

“I hear you’ve been meeting a lot of people lately? Royalist soldiers, church bishops, members of the National Assembly, and now even neutral nobles.”

“haha.”

Arthur laughed awkwardly.

It was a little annoying that there were people who were sensitive to his actions. Being sensitive meant that he had to be careful about his actions because of the masters of brainwashing, which meant that he processed the information in his own way.

I could tolerate it if they just did brainwashing, but I was worried about the cudgel of influence they held in their hands.

“How have you been, Count Stan?”

“I spent my time watching the world go by. Wasn’t it fun? The influence of the Minhoe was greater than you might think.”

“That’s right.”

Arthur struck a chord. Who knew that financial taxes would lead to a strengthening of royal power?

“But, by the way, I feel that His Majesty the King is being too greedy because of that.”

“Uh… … um… … .”

Arthur rolled his eyes and thought about how to react to Count Stan suddenly saying something like that, but Count Stan just laughed and said.

“Hahaha! Is it weird for me to say something like that?”

“Yes. The Count I saw was more interested in investment than politics.”

Count Stan smiled meaningfully and continued speaking at the indirect way of speaking that it was an investment, as it would be rude to say it was wealth.

“Do you know what is the most important thing when investing?”

“Well, are you a trustworthy businessman?”

“It’s a principle. A principle that is in line with the truth. If you don’t keep it, your investment will fail.”

“okay.”

“From that perspective, I don’t think His Majesty the King’s actions will be very good for my investment.”

“… … His Majesty the King’s steps?”

Arthur asked, his expression faltering. Then, Count Stan looked surprised and asked,

“Oh! You didn’t know? It’s the budget for increasing the strength of the Royal Central Army.”

“As far as I know, this year’s budget has already been drawn up.”

“But what about the new budget? Where does the money come from?”

Count Stan said.

“They say they will sell bonds to cover the cost. The interest rate is 8% per annum and the maturity period is 10 years.”

Arthur was dumbfounded.

“Who buys that?”

The current bank interest rate was 10% per annum, thanks to the growth of the kingdom’s economy.

If you deposit money in a bank, you get 10% interest per year, so what kind of idiot would risk a 2% loss and buy such a bond? In addition, the maturity was 10 years. In 10 years, the world will change, so who would tie up their money in a bond with a lower interest rate than the bank interest?

Count Stan’s expression became even more strange at Arthur’s attitude.

“I heard you bought it from the central bank?”

“… … .”

What the hell. This is like forcing war bonds on the central bank. Why didn’t Jaran tell me about this?

Arthur asked, trying to remain as calm as possible.

“When will that be implemented?”

“Maybe it will be implemented before fall?”

It was now the beginning of summer. Fall was only a few months away.

As Arthur was washing his face, Count Stan opened his mouth with a strange smile.

“What do you think? Is it true that His Majesty the King is being too greedy?”

Arthur couldn’t shake his head in denial at the question that was asked as if he was confirming something. Instead, he answered like this.

“So what do you plan to do, Count?”