Infinite Reincarnation – Arthur Hurt - Chapter 179



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Infinite Reincarnation – Arthur Hurt Chapter 179

32-Post-war revival

Arthur, who had shut the mouths of the three-year-old nobles who were nagging at him like that, led the meeting by offering them the carrot of a bond instead of a posthumous collateral agreement, and the whip of a treasonous note if they didn’t like that either.

Ja-ran watched him like that with a sense of comfort on the one hand, and concern on the other. It seemed like this was a position that would be too hated by the nobles, but it was something that had been discussed in advance.

I guess it seems that if you want to return to the position of central bank governor, you have to be too close to the nobles?

He had the grave responsibility of reviving the post-war economy, but how could he do it if he was disliked by those with money and power? Arthur willingly took on the role of a villain who would draw the aggro of the nobles, for the sake of those who already had a lot of work to do.

No matter how I thought about it, it was better than Zarani directly drawing aggro. At least, didn’t Arthur have a personal channel through which he could convey his apologies and sincerity to both the noble and neutral factions?

Arthur continued as if he remembered.

“Oh, of course you can provide collateral as stated in the agreement.”

Which would you rather have between shit-flavored shit and shit-flavored curry? After Arthur said that you have no other choice, the nobles of the council thought for a moment. The first to speak was Count Stan.

“What is the bond interest rate?”

“It won’t be much different from commercial banks.”

“Just a robbery tool.”

“Are you going to take away all the money I have?”

Count Stan snickered at Arthur’s bold response and replied.

“I agree.”

“me too.”

Other neutral nobles agreed with Count Stan’s words. This agreement soon spread throughout the entire council of nobles, and a compromise was reached.

When the meeting was over, the queen left Arthur and Zara behind.

“Instead of the effect of a consent document, you are replacing it with a bond… Will His Majesty the King accept it?”

The Queen’s question was quite threatening, depending on one’s perspective. However, Arthur had often had private conversations with the Queen, and he knew that her clarity and sense of reality were superior to the King’s.

To be honest, I had a suspicion that the reason the current king didn’t get called a tyrant due to his temper was because of his wise queen.

So Arthur could speak honestly.

“In any case, it was impossible to give effect to the consent His Majesty the King wanted.”

“Why?”

“Because we lost the war.”

Did they just lose? Half of the eastern granary, which was the foundation of the royal power, was blown away.

Roughly speaking, it would mean that 20% of the royal authority had been removed. In such a situation, it was impossible for the nobles to simply follow the king’s will.

“How are you going to handle His Majesty’s wrath?”

The queen looked at Arthur and Zarran with worried eyes.

“I have a plan, but I need to tell His Majesty the King about it in private.”

“Can’t you tell me too?”

“The fewer people who know, the less likely it is that your secret will get out.”

“You can’t trust me?”

The queen’s eyes narrowed.

Arthur quickly bowed and continued speaking.

“I would like to leave it to His Majesty the King’s judgment.”

So, what he was saying was, if you want to know, ask the king.

The queen looked at Arthur’s crown for a moment and then said.

“I hope His Majesty the King is satisfied.”

Arthur bowed, indicating that he would not protect the king even if he was angry.

When even the queen left, Jarani said:

“Are you okay?”

“Yes. It will be fine.”

Arthur sighed at his assurance. He had expressed his concerns several times about this plan, but Arthur had always responded in the same way.

The committee was over, but Arthur had somewhere to go. It was a salon with a room suitable for private conversation.

When we arrived, Count Stan and Count Karl Frant were waiting for us.

“You came.”

“Sorry for keeping you waiting.”

When Count Stan greeted Arthur with a blank expression, Arthur bowed politely and apologized.

Count Stan continued.

“Have you completely switched over to the King’s side?”

“That’s not it. I just did my best to keep the kingdom from collapsing.”

“So it’s a bond?”

“Someone has to carry the burden.”

And isn’t it better for those who have a lot to shoulder the burden rather than for the poor who have nothing to shoulder it?

“I guess I’ll just ignore that part. But why have you gathered us here in secret?”

“One is personal business, and the other is public business to cover up the personal business.”

What does this mean? Arthur said to the two bewildered people.

“Please do not convert the consent form into a bond, but just use it as collateral. This is my personal business.”

At those words, even the expression on the face of Count Karl Franz, who had been calm, hardened.

“Just because we’re friends doesn’t mean you should make unreasonable demands.”

“I’m not trying to ask too much, I’m just doing this for the sake of you two.”

Count Stan asked with a stern expression.

“Does that mean I’ll lose money if I convert it to bonds?”

“I can’t tell you any more details. And you two should keep this to yourself. If my favor were to leak out, it would completely change the plan. Our favor to you two would also be tarnished with suspicion.”

“Is this a threat?”

Arthur shook his head as Count Stan narrowed his eyes and said.

“I’m telling you the truth. If something like that were to happen, it would be a lie to say that I would still trust you two.”

At those words, Count Karl Franz defended Arthur.

“You’re talking nonsense, but doesn’t that make you more believable?”

“Hmm… … .”

Arthur continued as Count Stan nodded.

“This is my private business. And the official business that I am disguising this meeting for is about Ignaqua.”

“Hmm… … I know a lot about the new substance that burns phlegm and reduces the chances of getting sick. I heard that all the medical professionals are waiting with bated breath to see when they’ll apply for a patent.”

“I plan to keep the manufacturing method secret for the time being and not apply for a patent.”

“hmm?”

“And we plan to temporarily nationalize Ignaqua’s production plant and Ignaqua itself.”

“why?”

“Compensation. It must be paid quickly.”

The scalon currency is a gold standard. The kingdom of Jatra demanded gold and silver as compensation, not scalons, so the value of the scalar currency, which was based on precious metals such as gold and silver, could not help but fall quickly.

In such a situation, in order to secure sufficient credit for scalarization, the value of the country’s assets must be increased, and I thought that a new substance called Ignaqua would be of some help.

“… … .”

“… … .”

The two men were silent at Arthur’s words. Arthur’s words meant that he would soon donate his assets to the country, which was a noblesse oblige that no noble could do.

Ignaqua’s vested interests must be enormous… … .

Count Stan said, blinking.

“It turns out he was a loyal subject.”

“We need someone to transparently manage and supervise this national asset.”

Count Stan felt embarrassed at Arthur’s voice pretending not to hear him. For Arthur to say such things to two nobles, one neutral and one noble, meant that he did not trust the king, and Count Stan’s praise for his loyalty became meaningless.

Count Karl Franz went even further.

“So, aren’t you asking us to stop it because you think they’ll just stick to their back pocket if you leave it to the royal family?”

“Wouldn’t that be mutually beneficial?”

That is true. Count Karl Frant nodded. If Arthur were to nationalize Ignaqua’s profits and use them to militarize the palace guard, the nobles’ voice would inevitably weaken.

Arthur continued.

“I intend to use this nationalization and distribution of management and supervision powers as an excuse to appease the discontent of the nobles. It is also a disguise to cover up the personal business of meeting the two of you separately.”

“But would His Majesty the King really believe that? To be honest, it wouldn’t be very beneficial to the nobles, would it?”

“But wouldn’t it be better than Ignaqua’s profits all going into Your Highness’s pocket?”

At those words, Count Stan nodded, and Viscount Karl Frant spoke.

“If His Majesty the King finds out about this, he will hate the nobles even more.”

If the king thought that the reason the nobles exchanged the posthumous collateral agreement for bonds with moderate interest rates without protest was because of the nationalized Ignacua supervision, his mood would become even worse.

Arthur replied.

“You probably hated it from the start when you opposed the continuation of the war.”

How could it be that the nobles suffered so little while he suffered so much? From the king’s perspective, he could not help but feel sick and suspicious.

Count Stan said.

“If there is a rift between the royal family and the nobles, the bourgeoisie will like it. Aren’t you a bourgeoisie too?”

Arthur responded to the question with some skepticism:

“The reason for the current conflict is obvious. The kingdom has lost, and someone must take responsibility and bear the damage. Isn’t it because His Majesty the King and the nobles are snarling at each other right now because they don’t want to be singled out?”

“So the bourgeoisie will fall?”

“It’s not that they’re missing out, it’s just impossible anyway. All they can do is pay money. Only the royal family and the nobles can take political responsibility. Or will you use this opportunity to greatly expand the Minhoe?”

The bourgeoisie was a class with extremely limited political freedom. The only political actions they could take were lobbying with money, forming friendships with the aristocracy, or becoming a community of interest. The vested interests of the aristocracy were so solid that they could not exert influence on the presentation of major national agendas, the direction of national operation, public security, and other public powers.

In this situation, all the bourgeoisie can do is to contribute to the national treasury.

“Anyway, what you want is to maintain the status quo, right? To do that, securing additional finances to pay the compensation is a priority.”

What the nobles and the king wanted was a speedy restoration of the national economy. If they could reduce the financial damage, it would be the icing on the cake. Therefore, the change of the collateral agreement into a bond was a loss that could be tolerated to some extent.

Arthur continued.

“If that happens, the nobles will once again be divided into neutral and noble factions, and His Majesty the King will feel at ease.”

In any case, wasn’t this the class that would become the king’s hands and feet?

At Arthur’s words, Count Stan exchanged glances with Viscount Karl Frant. Viscount Karl Frant shrugged his shoulders with a strange smile. What did he mean by that? Count Stan looked at Arthur and answered.

“Very well. I will mention to my faction members the temporary nationalization and supervision of Ignaqua’s rights.”

“I’m telling you this out of concern, but you must not say anything about what I asked you both individually.”

“Okay.”

“You really have a lot to worry about.”

Count Stan nodded, and Count Karl Frant responded with some concern.

So the secret meeting ended, and Arthur saw the two guests off.

Arthur sighed deeply as he watched the two people loading onto the carriage.

I told them that the status quo would remain the same, but I didn’t really believe that would happen.

The war broke out, and the shock and changes it brought were irreversible.

It was either going to get better or worse, and since he had lost, it was more likely to get worse. The reason Arthur was going through all this trouble was simply to try to reduce the extent of the worsening.

He had no such obligation, but he had. As a citizen of the Kingdom of Skara, Arthur Hurt, even if he had no such obligation, as a husband and father, he had a responsibility to maintain the peace of the social environment in which his family lived.

Arthur willingly decided not to turn away from that duty.