NOVEL NEXT Chapter 28
The HR Head Louis de Pador was grinning from ear to ear for the first time in a while. Chuckle
He had successfully bribed the city council members who belonged to the faction of Mayor Guillaume, who was a bit luckier than him. Snicker
He had a firm belief that he could easily fleece the Medici Young Lord from the Toscan Empire. Guffaw
“If we all feast together and share the spoils, what’s the problem?”
“HR Head, the weather is really nice today. How about a drink after the city council meeting? I’ll treat you at a great place.”
However, the HR Head declined Louis’s kind offer. Sigh
“I’m not in the mood for drinks today. Maybe next time.”
“I was going to pull out my secret drink just for you.”
“Sorry, but if I drink today, I’ll suffer from a hangover.”
Louis felt something was off; normally, the HR Head would always join him for drinks. Hmm
As much as he wanted to ask if something was wrong, the Mayor, who was serving as the council chair, had arrived, and he couldn’t pry anymore. Shrug
“If you’re really sick, I should send some good medicine.”
It was a pity to spend money on medicine, but treating his allies well meant he could keep his position for a long time. Grin
“Then let’s start the meeting.”
With the words of meeting starting, a smile spread across Louis’s face. Smile
The money hadn’t yet entered his pocket, but he was sure that by fleecing that Young Lord Fabio, he could make a fortune. Cha-ching
Even if he skimmed money through customs and funneled some into the city’s treasury, it was more than enough for his and his comrades’ living expenses. Yawn
So, he couldn’t focus properly on the various issues discussed today. Zzz
“Now then, let’s discuss how we’ll deal with the merchant Fabio de Medici from the Toscan Empire, Treasurer. Please tell me about his transgressions and crimes.”
“Yes, Mayor.”
Louis began to unfold the documents he had brought and started reading. Flutter
“Fabio de Medici has committed tax evasion, unlicensed trading, and has disregarded the legitimate orders of the administrative officers by trading freely.”
According to the script, the HR Head and the council members from his faction should criticize the wicked Fabio with a lot of noise. Bang
But why were they not moving as agreed? Blink
Treasurer Louis felt uneasy seeing that events were not flowing as he desired. Gulp
‘Am I going to be the one getting backstabbed?’
However, once the sword is drawn, there was no choice but to wield it unconditionally. Swish
If he killed the enemy, he could survive, but if he put the sword down halfway through, he would be at the mercy of the opponent. Thud
He straightened his shoulders and spoke as if he were on the side of justice. Heroic pose
“The amount he evaded taxes is as much as 2,000 gold coins, 20,000 pounds. This is just an estimate; investigations might reveal even larger amounts of tax evasion.”
2,000 gold coins—that amount is roughly equal to the annual total income of a town with over 1,000 residents, if one exaggerates a bit. Gasp
Even though Guillaume City, being a port city, is much richer compared to cities of similar size, this is definitely not a small sum. Cha-ching
The Treasurer thought that if he could pocket around 50 gold coins from this, it would be just fine. Smirk
‘For now, I’m just getting a small cut, but later I could get regular payments from this, right?’
“As the Treasurer of this city, I believe it is my duty to recover the entirety of the evaded taxes.”
When extorting bribes, negotiations are always necessary. Negotiation sounds
To put it precisely, if he wanted to extort 100 gold coins, he would have to say this:
“I originally should’ve received 300 gold coins, but I’m generously reducing it to just 100.”
If he makes such a concession that even Deus would be impressed, he would be happy to receive his 100 gold coins. Cha-ching
And the one being extorted could feel good about saving 200 gold coins, because anyone grumbling about losing 100 gold coins would be considered a Pagan. Sigh
That’s not a common sense in the Lion Kingdom; the Treasurer thought so. Nod
“The seaweed handled by Fabio de Medici is a luxury item, yet it’s also essential for the nobles of the kingdom. So, how about we show some mercy and reduce it to about 1,500 gold coins?”
Treasurer Louis thought that this was quite a decent move. Thumbs up
He had reduced it from 2,500 gold coins, so he was clearly being generous, and Fabio would not feel wronged either. Smile
In fact, he would likely come to him with about 500 gold coins saying he saved a fortune thanks to him. Cha-ching
‘From the gift I gave, I can pick up 100 gold coins.’
And by extorting like this once, he could continue receiving sustainable gifts in the future, creating an economy where everyone was happy. Happy sounds
All the members of the council, including the mayor, had stiffened expressions. Eyes wide
It was at that moment Louis instinctively realized he had done something wrong. Uh-oh
‘Those guys aren’t exactly free from greed themselves, are they?’
Mayor Guillaume looked at the councilman beside him. Glance
“Head of Legal Affairs, is this true?”
“If laws are misapplied, it can result in such things. However, seaweed is indeed a medicine, and medicines are taxed at around 5%. It seems the Treasurer is absurdly classifying it as a luxury item and claiming nearly 50% tax evasion.”
Laws are always like a ring to hang on the ear or a hanger to hang on the nose. Shrug
In this era, the nobles could brush off their wrongdoings by saying “it was mutual consent,” even if they forced themselves to keep a commoner as a lover for a lifetime. Gasp
In the opposite case, the whole family would be gruesomely executed. Shudder
Since everything returns like that, the Treasurer didn’t necessarily commit a grave error, but… Thinking
“Moreover, Fabio de Medici is also a close aide to the Duke Visconti of the Toscan Empire. If we neglect such a figure, it could create diplomatic issues.”
In fact, just because the Duke Visconti cared for Fabio, he wouldn’t cause a diplomatic issue just because they imposed heavy taxes. Sigh
As long as he wasn’t killed or imprisoned, everyone in the room knew it could end by coaxing him a bit and shifting the blame to a suitable scapegoat. Nod
However, since the ‘diplomatic issue’ card had been thrown down, someone would definitely bleed. Droplet
As for the remaining problems, they could be figured out somehow within the city. Hmm
But if the diplomatic issues escalated, even Duke Guillaume, the owner of the city, would be caught in the backlash. Shake head
“Thus, I hereby accuse Treasurer Louis of abuse of power and bribery due to diplomatic issues. Moreover, I wish to request the Head of Legal Affairs to seek capital punishment for him right here.”
Louis felt darkness swallow him whole. Dark cloud
He had given so many gifts to the Head of Legal Affairs so far. Surprised
To stab him in the back after eating all that! Betrayal!
“Do all of you agree with this opinion? Those in favor, please stand.”
At the Mayor’s words, everyone present stood up. Stand up
“The fellow who nearly caused a diplomatic issue must be severely punished.”
“After the sale of seaweed began, the city has been flourishing…”
“The one blinded by personal greed deserves to die. The scoundrel!”
Though they belonged to the mayor’s faction, the humans that had originally supported the Treasurer’s faction were behaving as if they had no pangs of conscience. No regret
Just like always in politics, they put into their heads the high lie that currently betraying someone was realizing justice, making them even more brazen. Conceit
“We can’t leave such a scoundrel alive.”
The Mayor, upon seeing everyone present suggesting a well-rehearsed opinion, declared a verdict. Gavel sound
“I’ll have Brio de Prevaux pass judgment on behalf of Lord Jacques de Guillaume, the lord of the Guillaume Domain. Treasurer Louis’s positions will be annulled, and he is ordered to leave this city with his family by noon tomorrow.”
Exile, in other words, socially killing him. Silence
However, when executing a ‘social death’ for political reasons, generally a bit of time is given to gather his belongings. Tick-tock
“Before the exile, all properties, money, and any forms of assets will be confiscated. However, since we can’t send him off naked, we will exempt him from one outfit he’s wearing.”
It turns out, Fabio only asked for the Treasurer to be exiled in a casual manner. Casual
He didn’t intend for the Treasurer to get out of the city and be unexpectedly ambushed by bandits. Uh-oh
What happened here was actually the excessive loyalty of Mayor Guillaume and others. Overachievers
‘If I wag my tail really well, they might give me more money.’ Wagging
As the verdict was announced, the former Treasurer cried out. Scream
“Do you have any idea how much money you all have eaten from me? How can this happen! You filthy scoundrels! You should rip open your bellies and die!”
Hearing that curse, the expressions of those who were part of the Treasurer’s faction became distorted. Wince
Although it was only around 0.2% for guilt, more than that, they were bothered by their shame being exposed. Embarrassed
“What are the Guards doing? Beat the sinner and chase him out!”
And Louis was mercilessly beaten and thrown out. Thud
Naturally, the actual power of Guillaume City had effectively transferred into Fabio’s hands at that moment. Evil laugh
“Sebastian, the world is truly scary. Isn’t it?”
At those words, Sebastian smiled. Glint
“But still, Young Lord, didn’t you manage it well?”
He did manage it well. Smile
However, it seemed that not everything would go smoothly from here on out. Hmm
The higher he climbed, the stronger the enemies he would have to face would become. Gulp
“I want to convey only good news to you, but we have bad news.”
Another mountain appeared after crossing one. Sigh
“The Medici Baron wishes to ask for your assistance.”
Oh, that damned older brother. Facepalm
Why on earth is he bothering his younger brother? Frustration