Later.
A letter arrives to the Briton Kingdom.
It was suddenly notified that the Scottyard Kingdom had ceased sending them money.
Although it was heard that they would suddenly collect their debts, there was no need to listen.
This is because when they borrowed money, it was decided exactly when to return it.
It is only effective against those who have pa.s.sed their deadlines.
Even though the Briton Kingdom has a lot of debt, it wasn’t to that extent.
Thus, Scottyard didn’t say to return their gold.
Their saying that they won’t lend them any more.
To the Briton Kingdom, that alone is still a huge blow.
The annual income of the Briton Kingdom depends on about 30% debt.
This doesn’t mean that the debt will increase by that much.
Even for just one annual expenditure, about 30% is used to settle debts.
They owed about 100 million pounds.
They returned about 100 million pounds by the due date.
On the same day, they borrowed about 100 million pounds.
In other words, there were no real changes.
To be accurate, the interest portion increased however.
However, in the industry, situations like this called this:
A bicycle operation. (TLN: basically saying that they’re barely keeping it going)
The bicycle won’t collapse if you keep peddling, but as soon as you do, it falls over.
In this case, the side lending money is trying to forcefully take away the pedals.
“George Ⅲ……at last you’re using these tough measures.”
Briton King Richard Ⅱ walks back and forth across the room, irritated.
“They still haven’t given out their specific demands, but it’s probably related to Yufilia -denka’s engagement.”
Eldred conservatively states his conjecture.
Soon, a place to meet will be decided, and there they’ll discuss the conditions to resume the loans.
Even for Eldred, this was a bolt out of the blue.
He had thought that he succeeded in keeping them in a good mood the other day.
Faced with this, his dignity as the treasury secretary who manages finances has been completely ruined.
“What’s our countermeasure?”
“Somehow continue borrowing from them, raise taxes, or reduce the budget.”
They had dim hopes of borrowing from them.
As long as the Scottyard Kingdom has decided not to lend them money, other banks within the kingdom will follow their example.
Without borrowing from the greatest financing country, they can’t think of borrowing that much money.
In the first place, since the the Scottyard Kingdom pulled some strings, it’s possible that others would be reluctant to lend money.
“You could call this a shrinkage. We’ve done what we could in recent years, and the economy has recovered.”
“The expansion of our deficit has only stopped. Now, we have no choice but to cut down some more.”
Hearing Eldred’s frank advice, Richard Ⅱ frowns.
“What are saying we can cut down now?”
“Military expenses.”
“Are you seriously saying that?”
Richard Ⅱ gets surprised.
Cutting down military expenses in this world is synonymous with weakening the forces used to oppose the Maou.
Not only that, this influences the survival of mankind.
“Yes. When it comes down to it, military expenses are the ultimate waste. The money is wasted, and so are the soldiers. If those soldiers became other workers and worked, more would be produced, and everyone’s lives will be plentiful.”
Eldred’s words have pa.s.sion in them.
“It’s nothing but a waste of human resources to train your body and wait for a war without doing anything else. If the war doesn’t occur, then it becomes the ultimate waste.”
“You’ve lived in this world for decades, yet you can still say such things?”
Richard Ⅱ stares at Eldred as if he were seeing a strange creature.
Previously, he wasn’t the kind of person who had such strange ideas.
He wonders if he’s been indoctrinated by someone.
“It’s because except for my ability to calculate, I’m someone without any ability……”
“Military power is necessary. This world has a Maou, and it is born regularly. Since we don’t know when it might come, we need to always be prepared for it.”
“You can’t just go on and increase military preparations with that slogan as an excuse.”
Eldred does not nod up and down.
“Half a century ago, the country was invaded by the Maou’s army and turned into a burning field. It’s reconstruction alone costed a fortune. It wouldn’t have come to this if you’d focused on construction instead of financing the army.”
“If such a paradise like country existed, we wouldn’t be suffering this in the first place.”
Richard Ⅱ smiles bitterly.
“Once the national treasury becomes empty, won’t we be in a situation where we can’t even pay salaries?”
“That’s right but……”
Eldred said that, but it’s doubtful how much is left in there.
Last year there was a war with the Maou, and this year there was the war with Fumeless.
They also need funds to reconstruct the destroyed capital.
“We have no choice but to think of countermeasures in the meantime.”
Richard Ⅱ concluded the conversation, and called his beloved daughter over so he could tell her the story.
The moment she entered the office of her father, Richard Ⅱ, Yufilia guessed the situation.
Her father often shows an expression like this at times when her engagement is brought up.
“Again?”
While acting cheerful, Yufilia speaks.
At times like these, they would say one bad thing about Scottyard, and it’d end.
It’s not an appearance they can show the va.s.sals.
However, Yufilia didn’t hate those times.
It was because could be connected with her father, who was usually busy with political affairs.
“Yeah…….it’s about that case though.”
However, this time it didn’t turn out like that.
Yufilia couldn’t hide her surprise at what she was told.
“Th,they’re going that far……”
“Scottyard doesn’t have the military power to force our country to do what they want. That’s why they took these measures.”
“And what is our reply?”
“Of course, I want to refuse. However, their scheme won’t end there. Always a.s.sume the worst possibility.”
Yufilia nodded silently.
Since she was born into the royal family, there was always the possibility of a political marriage.
No, rather than being possible, she thought there was a high probability of being forced into a political marriage.
Something like a prince dressed in white doesn’t exist.
However, she didn’t feel like accepting everything from the start.
Luckily, she had a talent for battle, and became a hero.
She was even able to defeat a Maou.
By doing that, she felt her possibilities had increased.
She felt sorry for her father, but in the worst case scenario, she could live out on her own.
That’s why, she has to do something by herself this time.
Her father said that she could just live on as normal, but Yufilia didn’t plan on doing that.
She’d do something about it herself.
By herself, with her friends.
----That’s right, because she has friends she can rely on.