33 – Presidential runner-up – 1
The first thing he bought with the 10,000 ducats he received from the prince was a large continental map. I assessed the current situation of the Empire soberly. According to the original history, Grand Duke Cronor should have won a great victory over the crown prince and took away the territory.
However, because of my performance, the crown prince defended the territory, and when he was unable to defend it, he conversely took away the opponent’s territory.
Crown Prince Leonhard. Currently, it is evaluated as having the most powerful force in the world, but the problem is that it is unfortunately destined to retire someday because it has poor capabilities strategically, tactically, and even politically and diplomatically. Because the chaos belongs to the talented.
However, the problem was when the prince’s forces would perish. If it had perished early according to the original history, Princess Leonia and other forces would have shared the crown prince’s territory little by little.
The problem when that happens is that history progresses so fast that I have less room to play an active role. Until I graduate from Arcadia Academy, there will be no competition. And by helping the crown prince win this time, I slowed down the progress of history.
As the prince’s faction was still alive, the various forces were staring at each other, so they wouldn’t move hastily. And the more the match is not won, the more my ransom will increase as I was active as a bookkeeper and military commander. The more each faction desperately needs a small victory, the higher the price will be paid to talented people. Yes. that was my plan However…
“Charles.”
Glacia, who was guarding the door, knocked on the door. I wanted to hear what was going on, and he said this.
“I received a letter from Charles.”
“Who is the sender?”
“It’s hard to explain, so take it for yourself.”
Why is it so difficult to tell the sender? Thinking so, I went out and received the letter, and it was really difficult. It was because it wasn’t just one or two letters.
There were probably dozens of letters in a basket in Glacia’s hand.
“Come in.”
Glacia came into the room and put down the letter basket. I checked the sender of the letter. The lord of the north, the lord of the south, and the lord of the south were all nobles. Somehow, when I opened the letter, I saw that a good position was vacant in my power, and I was comforted because I would give you a lot of money.
Yes. The plan to slowly raise the ransom went a little wrong. That would be the case, because my ransom price was hitting the upper limit with tremendous momentum due to the two battles, the Battle of Imor and the retreat of Seizu Castle.
—–
The next day, the first thing I did was hire a suitable stylist to write a polite refusal to every letter. There were so many people who sent me scouting offers that I couldn’t write a reply myself. I was afraid of the future if I ignored them because they were all just a bunch of people to ignore. That’s why I hired a decent writer to write a rejection letter.
While the writer wrote the rejection letter, I went to the academy cafe and drank coffee. It was the place where he and the princess had played chess the other day.
The cafe was still beautiful. Since it is a place where all the nobles of the empire gather, of course the interior, cups and drinks are of the highest quality. In the first place, coffee itself was a drink that only came from Eastern countries, so it was extremely expensive, and the fact that you could drink coffee in this worldview itself meant you were rich or powerful.
As I entered the cafe and was drinking coffee with Glacia, I felt the people around me whispering at me. I asked Glacia.
“Are you being self-conscious if you think you’re getting attention?”
“no. I actually feel a lot of stares.”
“Aha.”
Read at noblemtl
Now, it will be difficult to drink a cup of coffee comfortably. I hope this attention is a bubble. It will make my life easier if it turns off quickly.
Thinking so, while I was chatting with Glacia and drinking coffee, someone approached me from far away. It was a woman wearing extremely expensive accessories and outerwear, and it seemed as if she was advertising that I had a lot of money.
The woman came over to the table and suddenly said to me:
“Can I sit across from you?”
At that, I slightly frowned.
“Suddenly? Who are you?”
“Lucrecia du Flos.”
“… ”
It’s an unexpected name. Lucrezia du Flos is the daughter and successor of the Principality of Flos, a city-state in the south. For reference, the Principality of Flos has a small territory and a small population, but it is the world’s economic center with a lot of money.
“That, the daughter of the Principality of Flos, what happened to me… ”
“It is strange. Didn’t we already talk?”
“Yes? I’m new to Lucrezia-sama.”
I’ve seen it a lot in the game. I also played as Lucrezia.
“I am not the first to meet Charles.”
“What do you mean by that… ”
“I sent you a letter. I got a reply too.”
ah! sh*t! I forgot. You’ve ghostwritten replies to countless letters to a writer! It seems that this woman was also one of the senders.
“sorry. I was distracted for a while, so I forgot about it for a while.”
“You forgot for a while? Really?”
“Yes? Sure. Why would I lie… ”
“Did you ghostwrite it? reply.”
“… ”
I was in a state of bewilderment, unable to do this or that. Then Lucrezia burst into laughter.
“I thought he was a war hero, so I thought he was a very serious person, but he is more cute than I thought. What do you mean by ghostwriting the letter? I do that sometimes when I’m busy.”
“Thank you for your understanding.”
“Actually, I was kind of expecting it. There must be dozens of factions that sent letters. Both the well-to-do and the mediocre forces promised you the best treatment. Sometimes people read all the scout letters just to enjoy the attention that comes to them, but you don’t seem to be one of them.”
That was right. It’s not enough to stay up all night reading all of them.
“So I came here myself. I thought the letter would be of no avail.”
Indeed, it means that he predicted in advance that he would be ignored and came to find him himself. It’s smart in its own way, but it’s also stupid at the same time.
“If you’ve thought that far, you know very well that I have no intention of being a police officer.”
That’s because I have no intention of belonging to any faction yet.
“That would be to increase your ransom by being more active in the future, right?”
Half right and half wrong. It is also true to increase the ransom, but other reasons were greater. It was his intention to enter after watching which force would win in the future.
“So, I brought huge conditions that others couldn’t even imagine.”
Well… Originally, it is correct to send it back, but considering the sincerity that has come this far, should I listen to it a little? The woman in front of me is prettier than I thought.
“What conditions?”
When asked, Lucrezia said.
“Should I move my seat before I say the first condition?”
We left the crowded cafe and moved to the outside terrace where there were few people. We had tea there and started talking.
“I would like to explain what kind of country the Principality of Flos is.”
To be honest, I know. You should know better than Lucrezia. He even knew what would happen to the Principality of Flos in the future. But will you listen to a little bit of what you’re supposed to hear?
I nodded quietly, and she continued.
“The Principality of Flos has a small territory and a low population. If you look at it from here, it will look like an ordinary small country. But it’s different. The Principality of Flos is a strong country. Because you have a lot of money. Perhaps, if national status were determined only by money, the Principality of Flos would never be defeated by His Highness the Crown Prince.”
I know that too. The money the Principality of Flos has is beyond imagination. The secret is banking. He has accumulated great wealth by lending and depositing money to various great nations and aristocrats. The Flos family was a representative banking family of the Arcadia Empire.
“But even the wealthy Principality of Flos has one weakness.”
i know this Is it military power?
“That is military power. As you know, the Principality of Flos has a small population and a small territory. Besides, the people of the Principality of Flos are talented at making money, but lack the skills to fight with weapons. Even if it was a little disadvantageous, he turned his back and ran away, so the enemies looked down on the Principality of Flos and attacked it several times.”
I knew that too. The reason why the Principality of Flos, which has enormous capital power, cannot expand its territory forever and remains a small powerhouse. It was because the people of the Principality of Flos were the worst as soldiers.
“That’s why we mainly use foreign mercenaries. Commanders always brought in and hired commanders who retired abroad or were pushed out of power struggles, and soldiers also hired various mercenaries to take them off. There, Charles Jean Rochepole, I need you.”
“Why me? According to Lucrezia, we can hire outsiders from abroad as we have done so far.”
“As a result of learning through the thieves guild I run, you have excellent tactical and strategic insights.”
That’s right. Having accumulated tactical abilities by clearing ‘The Age of Gunpowder and Magic’ 1000 times, I possess tactical and strategic abilities that are not inferior to Yuriana or the Princess.
“Besides, he got high marks in politics and diplomacy.”
how did you know that There is information power.
“Certainly, I am young. There will be no retirement or sudden death due to health problems.”
That’s something I don’t know yet, though.
“Charles Jean Rochepole, listen.”
“Yes?”
“Listen. hurry.”
She waved her hand and made a gesture that seemed to invite her to come closer, and I put my ear to her mouth.
And the next moment, I couldn’t help but be surprised.
“In fact, I will conquer the world based on overwhelming financial power. I can earn as much money as I want, but I need a partner who can form a proper military force based on that. That is you.”
I didn’t know this woman had such ambitions. There was one more presidential candidate I didn’t know about.
That’s a very interesting proposal tbh…