My Villains Chapter 520
67. Lord of Eisbobalt (13)
Lords often appoint their relatives as military commanders or officials in order to govern the city, manor, castle, and fortress given to them.
The lord’s cousins and their children do not have a great influence on the succession structure and at the same time are trustworthy, so they will be good retainers. This is also the reason why leading aristocratic families recommend fertility to their members. In this turbulent age, few people can be trusted as much as blood.
In this respect, the lord’s family of Prince Defelken has a big weakness.
Whatever the reality, Prince Phoenix is known as a mercenary with no blood. Since there is only one member of the Defelken family, there is no blood relative to use as a talented person.
Fortunately, it was the fact that even before the count received the title, he had led a private army of well over 100 people.
This group of soldiers, including nine knights of the Count, became the core of the ‘Battle Brigade’, the count’s personal escort unit, the ‘Red Guard’, the city guard of Eisbowald, the count’s ‘Battle Brigade’. A strong bond was established between the comrades who had risen together by blood, and Phoenix, who was at the center of this bond, was able to obtain a firm command.
On the other hand, it was difficult to solve affairs related to the management and administration of the territory in a way dominated by the military.
This is because it is as if none of Phoenix’s enlisted men have received proper education, and the task of governing the original territory is a difficult task to handle unless you are familiar with the territory.
In that sense, it was very fortunate that Heila, who had received a high level of education as the daughter of a prestigious ducal family with a long history, was by the prince’s side. Both Phoenix and his estate.
Immediately after Phoenix sat on the throne, Heila, who became the hostess of the Defelken family as an ‘official fiancée’, first actively seduced the judges, the main governing body of Eisbowald.
Shortly after a small bureaucracy centered on the judges and their competent assistants was formed, she abolished all the manors belonging to the Bangbaekryeong by surprise.
Some nobles, including the landlord Romon, rebelled against this, but were crushed under the hooves of bicorns and suppressed in just six days. 80% of the pacified manor was transferred to the domain under the direct control of the Defelken family, and the nine knights of the count occupied the rest.
Heila appointed some of the newly acquired officials as vicars and circuit judges and dispatched them to every corner of Bangbaekling. It was to secure control over the territory.
Meanwhile, through Theodora, she also interacted with the clergy of the council and made artisans and merchants cooperate with the government.
Nearly two years later, the strongholds of the nobility that stood tall in each big town became ministers of government, and a church was established in Humijin Village, replacing the role of government offices. Constables even reached out to small settlements.
The system Heila created quickly stabilized.
She summoned various officials to the Yeongju Hall to discuss the affairs of the city and the territory, and at some point the meeting was even given the plausible name of ‘Leaders’ Meeting’.
The citizens of Eisbowald regarded those who attended this meeting as representing the city as a whole. After all, Heila was the de facto ruler of Bangbaekryeong. It was only natural that the responsibility was so great because he could meet her face-to-face and inform him of the city’s situation or express his opinions.
It was a heavy responsibility and at the same time a great honor. At some point, too, thought Heila, it seemed to be regarded as a power in itself. She was well aware that many ambitious people were fighting behind the scenes over the leadership meeting.
“……miss?”
“hmm. Go on.”
Heila nodded slightly, and the man who was watching her with a suspicious expression continued.
“In a word, it can be said that the fundamental cause of this incident is the transaction itself using the bill of exchange, to be precise.”
The man ‘Walder’, who looked back at the people gathered in the hall of the Yeongju Hall and spoke, was a low-class aristocrat with roots in the region for generations. Although he was a nobleman, he did not have a lot of land, and he served as a cashier for a living during the reign of Mayor Passhorse, the deputy of the Duke of Avillambus, in Eisbobalt.
“When I looked at the contracts presented by the merchants on my side, there was no problem with the contract itself. The payment they made to the pottery vendors in Oros was clearly one of the bills stipulated in the contract.”
In the chaos of the city’s change of owner, he seized the opportunity and took the position of city treasurer. In Eisbowald, as in any city or palace, the treasurer was a fairly high-ranking official, and he was able to attend the leaders’ meeting. Among the officials gathered here, most of those who were not judges would have attended in a similar way to Walder.
“Then what was the problem?”
The question was asked by old man ‘Willem’ wearing a stylish chaperone hat. He was the head of the carpentry guild and attended the meeting as an advisor, along with several other guild leaders.
As Bangbaekryeong’s main exports were high-quality lumber and furniture made from it, he could be said to have played a significant role in the city. He was also considered a representative of the handicraft union.
It was for this reason that Walder politely continued his explanation.
“That was a bill of exchange issued by the foundry in Topal.”
“Topal?”
“yes. As the head of the Guild knows, after Royard the Black Bear sat on the throne of Strom instead of his father, Topal’s foundry started pouring out bad money. It was last summer that the major merchants of the Empire and the Kingdom declared that they would not accept Topal’s silver coins and bills of exchange after open rumors continued.”
“Yeah it was.”
The old head of the woodworking union clicked his tongue and laughed at the young Elector Count.
“Like a foolish bastard. No matter how much money you need, you cut the belly of the goose that lays the golden eggs.”
It was not the treasurer who answered, but another union head.
“You lost a lot of territory, and you also vomited up a lot of reparations. It must have been a way to make up for the blow.”
“No matter what, why are you so greedy? I don’t know if I can’t afford to run a foundry because I lost silver ore.”
Although Heyla, the second most powerful man in the city and fearsome ‘blood mage’, was in place, the atmosphere was not so heavy.
Leadership meetings were convened at least once every two weeks, and this cycle made attendees familiar with the lady of honor.
Moreover, the first fiancée of the prince had a fairly gentle personality, unlike her cold impression or chilly atmosphere. He is not a lowly writer who catches the pod and punishes him for making one mistake like the mayor of Passy Horse. Even as the story leaked, Haila was still listening to the voices of others. Seeing the laid-back attitude, Treasurer Walder waited patiently before finishing the conversation with the presidents.
“It is understandable that the pottery merchants of Oros were dissatisfied when they gradually returned to this work. The bill of exchange in Topal they got is worth less than half of its face value.”
“But didn’t it say it was stated in the contract that you could pay by the bill of exchange? You shouldn’t have made such a stupid contract in the first place.”
“It is true that the pottery merchants made a mistake. We were continuing the transaction based on the contract we renewed two years ago, when the value of Topal’s silver coins and bills of exchange was normal.”
“Ttsuttsu- then that’s right.”
When the head of the carpentry association shook his head, those sitting nearby also added a word to each other.
“Anyway, they’re like ignorant, muddy people.”
“If you run a business in a fist-pumping way, you’re bound to go bankrupt.”
“What can I do? If you did things like that,
you should take responsibility for yourself.”
While the representatives of artisans and artisans added a word, the merchants kept their silence with slightly awkward faces. Officials, including the judge on the other side, were looking kindly at the merchants.
Treasurer Walder swallowed a bitter laugh and opened his mouth.
“However, it is true that there were things that could be considered immoral in the course of the transaction. It is for that reason that you called this meeting.”
The eyes of those attending the meeting turned to the representative of the merchant, who was involved in the incident. The merchant representatives kept their mouths shut and focused their attention on a middle-aged man. He was the head of the Spice Merchant’s Guild and at the same time the representative of the city’s Great Guild, ‘Herrent’.
He hesitated while watching Heila’s notice, and opened his mouth with an unwilling expression.
“…immoral. Please refrain from the treasurer’s words. Merchants have clearly complied with the terms of the contract.”
“That is an obvious fact.”
Walder shrugged his shoulders regretfully.
“As soon as you realized the problem with the contract, you bought Topal’s bills of exchange worth 4,500, didn’t you? It wasn’t enough to tear off the goods you brought, so placing an order for as much as possible, and then taking out a penalty for not accepting it…
“It was a bit harsh. Of course, you didn’t mean to do that, but there are many people who think that you made up your mind and tried to peel it off.”
“Grunt. Even so, I don’t know if that’s something that’s going to come up here, but-”
Dylan, the commander of the Red Guards, who was sitting quietly to the side, distorted his face.
“Dozens of pottery merchants flocked to the Yeongju Hall and caused a commotion. I will risk death without a sword. But what about that?”
“that.”
It is Dylan with a vicious face because he has a very tough impression and even his nose was cut off. As he growled, the head of the city merchants’ union shook his shoulders, but continued his protest, trusting that Heila would intercede.
“Yeah, but Lord Dylan, isn’t that what the guards are supposed to do…
“It’s our job to beat up the merchants and put them in jail? Do you think so?”
“No that.”
daughter.
At the sound of the teacup being set down, both Dylan and Herrant fell silent. The grim captain of the guard quickly became expressionless, and the middle-aged merchant turned into rabbit eyes and glanced sideways in the direction of the chief.
“I didn’t call you to rebuke anyone.”
The merchant representatives let out a sigh of relief at Heila’s toneless voice. I had gotten used to her through years of experience, so I could tell that her voice was as gentle as usual.
“I just wanted to convey my thoughts that I hope you will not be foolish like Loyard. It means don’t make mistakes by focusing on immediate profit.”
There was something strangely magical about the voice resounding low from the table of honor, and those who attended the leaders’ meeting listened with a relaxed attitude without even realizing it.
“As some people say, the pottery merchants in Ouros are poorly educated and run their businesses in a rut. However, they are sincere and know the truth, and the quality of the products they handle is not bad. Thirty percent of the pottery supplied to the city is theirs, so Eisbobalt needs it.”
Those who attended the meeting responded in their own ways, such as nodding their heads, and Heila made eye contact with Herrent and other merchant representatives among them.
“Is it necessary to make enemies of such people? You’ll make a big profit right now, but you’ll lose a stable supply source and you’ll lose your reputation.”
Herrent and the merchants wanted to protest, but in the midst of the situation, they couldn’t go against Heila’s planting. It’s enough to get a new supply of pottery, and I can take a moderately low reputation, but going against her wishes was a very expensive thing to do.
“…I’m sorry, ma’am.” Eventually, Herrent lowered his head.
“It seems that some high-spirited merchants made a mistake by blinding themselves to immediate profits. I am very sorry for the inconvenience caused to the city.”
“I understand. I hope you mediate well as a senior with experience.”
“of course. I will make sure that my mind is not disturbed by related matters in the future.”
“Good. I am always grateful.”
Those gathered at the meeting could easily guess why Heyla had summoned them. It was a simple warning that their business should not harm the city.
As such, the meeting, which had been held in a week, was concluded in vain. Feeling that Heila seemed to be in a hurry, the attendees left the hall resolutely.
