Volume 4 Chapter 3: Economic War

In the academy, it’s forbidden to make calls without permission.

Even if you were only receiving a report from your territory, you were made to use a room specifically designed for the calls.

Therefore, right now I was talking to Amagi in the communication room but–

“…the debt collectors are pushing us to pay up?”

“Yes. Because our financial situation has deteriorated, they want to quickly collect what they can.”

“I’m struggling financially? Me of all people?”

I didn’t understand.

Did something happen back home?

“Did a problem occur in the territory?”

“No, it’s developing at a steady pace. It might not be as fast as it used to be, but there haven’t been any complications. Even the pioneer planet’s development has stabilised.”

“Why then?”

Amagi paused for a moment before answering, “It still hasn’t been confirmed but it seems like the Berkley family has been moving behind the scenes. Apparently, they have a lot of connections with companies in the financial industry.”

“Derrick’s family?”

There was a man who picked a fight with me back during my time at the elementary school.

Derrick tried to kill me during the mobile knight tournament, but I ended up killing him instead.

However, that seems to have pissed off his family.

“The Berkley family has many relatives and is very troublesome. The majority of them might only be Barons, but Serena says that we should still stay vigilant.”

“So you’re telling me a family of Barons are picking a fight with a Count like myself? Even if they’re an annoyance, no matter how many small fish gather together, they’re still only small fish in the end.”

It was impossible to know all the connections each noble house had.

After killing Derrick, it was only natural for the rest of his relatives in the Berkley family to become hostile towards me.

However, for things to have gotten this far was unexpected.

“Let’s just repay the entire debt in bulk. Can we sell the rare metals we have stored to Thomas?”

It was annoying having to convert everything into cash, but if they wanted me to pay it all off at once, then I’ll comply.

However, I wouldn’t forgive their insolence in treating me this way.

“I’ve talked to him about it, but there’s too much for him. Therefore, we still haven’t prepared the funds. The debt collectors have expressed that they’d be willing to take the rare metals instead for less than half the market price, but I’d like to know your opinion on this, Master.”

“The collectors said they’ll buy my resources cheaply?”

There are many things that I hate.

On that list, debt collectors were among the worst of them.

In my previous life, I was thoroughly tormented by them.

Although it wasn’t even my own debt, I absolutely abhorred the debt collectors who tortured me so.

Even in this universe, it was my parents and grandparents who made the huge debts.

I was going to pay it all back in due time, but I wasn’t going to forgive them if they tried to force it.

“It feels like I’d lose if I sold it to them. If they’re going to be bought cheaply anyway, then I want to sell rare metals to the Empire.”

“Even though the Empire would buy them at an even worse price? Are you sure about this?”

“It’s better than helping the debt collectors make money.”

Also, I could prepare as many rare metals as I wanted.

In the first place, all of my financial problems were technically artificial.

This is all because of the amazing device called the ‘Alchemy Box’ that the guide provided for me, an amazing tool that could create rare metals even from garbage.

“They’re the ones who started this fight. Let’s start pressuring the Berkley family.”

“You mean to start an economic war?”

“It’s fine, my victory is assured.”

It was impossible for them to compete with me while I had the alchemy box.

Poor them.

“We’ll start applying pressure with a reasonable range. Now then, how’s your life at the military academy? Have you been injured or gotten sick? Are you staying healthy?”

“Compared to Master’s One-Flash training, the things the instructors put me through here are nothing– though it can’t be said that I’m not troubled, or rather, my biggest problem being that there’s nothing for me to learn here.”

“There’s nothing for you to learn?”

“Actually one of the upperclassmen picked a fight with me, but I beat him down in a simulation battle. I wish you were there to see it Amagi.”

Despite telling her about my brilliant victory against Dolph, Amagi didn’t seem very happy with me.

“What’s wrong?”

“…Master, didn’t all of that happen because you were acting conceited?”

“It’s only natural for evil lords to be conceited. However, it’s also true that I wanted to beat down the fool who was brandishing his sense of justice. It makes me want to laugh thinking about how someone of that level was the valedictorian.”

It wasn’t such a big deal in the academy.

As I broke into a grin, Amagi began to chastise me,

“I don’t want to see you constantly getting into fights with the other cadets. Master, you should focus more on your studies in the academy instead.”

…today’s Amagi sure was harsh.

“You know, you’re the only one who I’d allow to take that attitude towards me, right? If it was anyone else, I would’ve already had their head by now.”

“I’m just telling you what you need to hear, Master. You can always take my head whenever you wish.”

Take Amagi’s head? That’s something that should never be said, not even as a joke.

I raised my hands in surrender.

“I’ll try to follow your advice. Please don’t be mad at me.”

“I’m not angry.”

“–by the way, umm… how’s Rosetta doing?”

She was a troublesome girl who said she’d even follow me to the military academy. Has she been behaving herself in the mansion?

She happily calls me “Darling!” when we’re together, and I didn’t really know how to treat her.

As a candidate for my future harem, I thought she was beautiful enough… but something felt wrong when I thought about that.

“Lady Rosetta is currently going through strict training with the head maid. There have been talks to have her begin studies at another house, but we’re having difficulty finding one considering our current situation with the Berkley family.”

“So it’s the Berkley family again?”

I always heard their name wherever I went.

In the Empire, that seemed to be a surname as common as ‘Tanaka’.

“Well… I’ll leave the details to you.”

“Just leave it to me.”

After the call ended, I stood up from my chair and stretched.

“Now then, just like what Amagi told me, should I try taking classes a little more seriously?”

◇ ◇ ◇

The next day’s class taught the basics of fleet warfare.

I had learned about this already in the education capsule, but after hearing the instructor’s lesson– I could feel myself break out into a cold sweat.

Standing on the platform, the instructor indifferently spoke about modern warfare.

“As the sizes of fleet battles increase, the time battles last tend to increase as well. This is because aggressive tactics are dangerous. Since the side who’s more patient tends to have the advantage, assault tactics should be avoided.”

The holographic image reproduced a fleet battle and explained the truth to us in an easy-to-understand manner.

“While the quality of the ships and the skill of the crews are other factors to consider, it would be risky to charge at an opponent of the same level indiscriminately. Careful preparations are necessary.”

The instructor added on,

“Current assault tactics are usually used when pursuing a fleet that had already lost. I pray that there is no one among you hoping to rush into enemy lines like a hero.”

The candidates were laughing.

But I wasn’t.

After all, assault tactics could be considered the Banfield house’s signature winning move.

Even if it’s worked so far, that was only because our opponents were pirates…

I asked the instructor a question,

“Instructor, how much of a strength difference would you need for assault tactics to become viable?”

“Oh, cadet Liam? How surprising, I didn’t think there was anything left for me to teach you. Let’s see… I think you’d need at least four times the enemy force in that scenario.”

Quadruple the amount.

If that was the truth, then the Banfield house would be screwed if the enemy was even ten-thousand strong.

Our ships were built for aggressive maneuvers, and our soldiers had gone through assault-oriented training.

I’ve completely messed up in how I organised them.

“Four times… four times?”

While I was in deep thought, Wallace called out to me,

“What’s wrong?”

“…it’s nothing. I’ve just been thinking about bolistering my army.”

“Why’s that?”

It was necessary to immediately change our military policies and increase our numbers.

Even an evil lord would feel anxiety when their army wasn’t up to par.

I wanted to trample over others from a safe position, not a risky one.

“Armaments… If I’m talking about those then–”

I guess I’ll have to get in contact with the weapon factories soon.

I also need to call Amagi again.

Even if I change the policies now, it would take several years at the earliest for them to show any effect.

But considering how I’ll have to change everything we’ve built up so far, there’s no doubt it’d take even longer.

Damn it! –I messed up.

Looking back at all of our aggressive battles so far, I’ve been careless.

Now that I think about it, I was losing against Dolph at the beginning of our battle because of assault tactics.

But luckily, I was a man who could respond to changes immediately.

Let’s spin this in a positive light and say I was lucky to notice it this early, before anything had actually happened.

“For the time being, I’ll aim to double my forces to sixty thousand ships. No, shouldn’t I triple them to a total of ninety thousand?”

Listening to my mutterings, Wallace went, “Eh? You really need that many?” in surprise.

Of course I did.

My army should never be one to retreat.

That’s because one’s military power was the symbol of what it meant to be an evil lord.

Anyone would grow silent as long as you had a powerful army.

No, I’d force them into silence.

A strong military was the ultimate form of the power of violence.

That’s why I’ll never retreat.

Wait, I totally forgot!

As Amagi was right, I shouldn’t grow conceited with just this!

Right now I didn’t have the military power to guarantee my safety, but I could still change this.

“I’m suddenly feeling really motivated.”

Watching my serious expression, Wallace looked like he didn’t know what to say,

“I-is that so? Well… I guess I’m happy for you? D-do your best!”

Yes, as my underling, I’ll do my best for you as well!

◇ ◇ ◇

After hearing the report in his office, Cashmiro dropped his cigar.

“W-what did you say?”

The son who gave the report through call didn’t even try to hide how upset he was.

“The Banfield house sold all of the rare metals they had stored. After auctioning them all off to the Empire, they paid off their debts in full with cash.”

Their plan to cut the power of the Banfield house ended up with their front company just losing credibility.

“In any case just keep pressuring them! If we leave that brat alone, the Berkley family will be looked down on!”

“U-understood.”

When the call ended, Cashmiro held his head.

“You’ve got to be kidding me. Weren’t they just a poor noble house?”

He didn’t think they had that much room to move economically.

(To choose to stay in debt despite having the capital to pay it off… did they change where they allocated their funds? I thought they were just some upstarts developing on the frontier, but they’re surprisingly troublesome.)

Now that things had gotten this far, there was no choice but to match them until they gave up.

If they backed off first, others would begin to question the Berkley family’s power.

There was no point in any of this unless they won.

Yes– there were quite a few troubles that came once you started a fight with a high-noble.

“We have elixirs though. With those, we can earn a large sum of money in an instant. Even if they had a lot of rare metals, it’s the Banfield house that’ll fall first.”

Although there was the demerit of how they had to destroy planets in order to make them, there was still quite the demand for elixirs.

Cashmiro thought that Liam would definitely surrender given time.

“Nevertheless, this economic war could still be considered a failure. We’ve sustained quite a lot of damage on this side too.”

Their front company lost credibility and trust.

It’s connection to their Berkley family was exposed.

If he knew this was going to happen, he would’ve started the fight in a different way.

“…we can’t afford to lose to that brat anymore.”

Their fight would only grow in intensity from here on– or it was supposed to.