I Bought the Villains With Money - Chapter 65

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Chapter 65.
Clatter, clatter, clatter—
“Miss, reading letters in a swaying carriage will ruin your eyes.”
Jennis said this.
“I’ve finished.”
I tucked the letter from Cassion, which I’d received just before boarding the carriage, carefully into the inside pocket of my jacket.
I was now traveling to Helsinkin as Acting Head of House to build my credentials.
I’d tried to solve the Nobel problem first, but it required far more time than expected—largely because the monster issue was tangled up in it.
‘I won’t be able to visit Nobel until next spring.’
Already autumn was creeping in. Spring would arrive soon enough, so I decided not to rush.
I’d largely completed what could be done in the Capital.
‘I’d sent all the overdue Territory Support Funds, and I’d even written introductory letters to my vassals announcing I would become Acting Head of House.’
I’d had Lebert forged credentials so he could attend the dissection research society hosted by the Art Association.
‘Lebert was to be taken along by Rumdracks.’
And I’d dissolved the Savings Guild.
I returned the principal and promised interest, then guided them toward the Phoenix Bank.
Managing the Savings Guild had been convenient for cash flow, but now that I’d become Acting Head of House, I needed to avoid giving anyone leverage. So, reluctantly, I’d wound it down.
It would have been even more regrettable if the Guild’s members had scattered entirely, but fortunately Rumdracks raised the savings rate at the Phoenix Bank and persuaded the members so well.
In the end, the Savings Guild’s members were absorbed directly into the Phoenix Bank.
‘No loss there.’
And the Phoenix Bank boldly invested in Chorni’s enterprise.
Chorni had taken the money Rumdracks handed him with a look of utter indifference and made one declaration.
“I’ll pay this back within five years!”
Five years? Chorni would repay the principal within three years and become a massive information broker systematically funneling money to the Phoenix Bank.
Rumdracks had merely snorted at this.
“What sort of place is Helsinkin?” Jennis asked.
I set aside thoughts of the Capital and turned my mind to Helsinkin.
“It was once beautiful—a place of forests.”
“Was? That sounds like it’s no longer beautiful.”
“Right. It’s not anymore.”
Until five years ago, Helsinkin had been a city of beautiful forests and a vast lake.
Then five years ago, the lord who ruled Helsinkin began expanding his logging business.
‘Five years ago, a sudden harsh winter made the weather bitterly cold, and demand for firewood soared.’
Until then, the Helsinkin lord had shown no interest in making money from logging, but when the price of firewood shot through the ceiling, his thinking changed.
Moreover, Helsinkin’s wood produced less ash when burned than other timber and had a pleasant scent, making it highly sought after. The nobility with money considered Helsinkin firewood the finest available.
The Helsinkin lord had discovered the taste of making money from firewood. From that point on, indiscriminate logging began.
The residents of Helsinkin, who had once lived a pastoral existence, transformed as well.
In just five years—that was how long it took for a lush forest to become a barren, denuded mountain.
Now there was nothing left to harvest in Helsinkin. People had lost their means of earning.
They could not return to their former lives. Helsinkin’s past industries—all of them—depended on the existence of dense forests.
Gathering medicinal herbs, cultivating mushrooms, and so forth.
If left as it was, more than half of Helsinkin’s population would become paupers.
As Acting Head of the Irenber House, I couldn’t simply ignore this.
And Helsinkin held a treasure.
A treasure only I knew of. A Hidden Key that could solve Helsinkin’s problems all at once.
‘Normally it wouldn’t be discovered for another three years, but there’s no harm in pulling it forward a bit.’
I felt a thrill of anticipation wondering what would unfold in the territory below.
***
Oskin, a vassal of the Irenber House, currently served as the lord of Helsinkin.
The true lord was Irenber, the Duke, and Oskin held the position of steward in all but name.
Though his title was only Baron, he had lived without disrespect, entrusted with the considerable responsibility of administering Helsinkin territory.
For this reason, Oskin was always grateful to Irenber.
Irenber had taken in this unremarkable man, educated him, and had even entrusted him with the management of Helsinkin—a small, humble, yet beautiful land.
If asked to prove his loyalty, Oskin could not offer his life, but he could offer a finger.
For a nobleman who treasured his own body, offering a single finger was a remarkable thing.
For this reason, when the previous Irenber Duke died and months passed with the position of Head of House still vacant, Oskin grew deeply anxious.
Fortunately, a few days ago news arrived that Diana had become Acting Head of the Irenber House. When he heard this, his joy was boundless.
Oskin immediately sent a letter to Shanal, with whom he had connections, asking about matters for the Servants Council Meeting.
Upon receiving the letter, Oskin was reassured.
The future of the Irenber House was bright.
On the day of the Servants Council Meeting, the young lady spoke her mind without so much as a flinch before Count Junas himself! And she even won over King Karman, who has a reputation for being meticulous.
‘The blood of Irenber runs true. Even as a child, she was adorable and sharp-minded.’
When the new year arrived, the servants would call at the Irenber Mansion to pay their respects. Each time, a small, lovely child stood perfectly at the side of the previous Duke of Irenber as he received them.
Oskin recalled Diana. A smile spread unbidden across his face.
People worried whether a mere thirteen-year-old child could lead Irenber, but Oskin harbored no such doubts.
The Diana he knew would surely guide the House splendidly. That was what the previous Duke of Irenber had told him.
“Diana will become a finer Head of House than I ever was. She is young, but her heart is extraordinary. When Diana sets her mind to something, you must give her your full support.”
Oskin had not forgotten the late Duke’s request. So when Diana came to him and said she would dig in the earth to earn money, he’d resolved to believe her—but then…
“Pardon? You want me to dig the land?”
He never expected Diana would actually propose digging up the earth to make money.
Never, truly.
***
Whiiiiing.
I stood alone in the middle of a desolate field. With no trees to break the wind, the mountain gales struck my face relentlessly.
“You want me to dig here?”
Oskin, the Acting Head of Helsinkin, shouted while gripping his hat firmly to keep it from flying away.
The wind was so fierce that speech was nearly drowned out unless one yelled.
In truth, the abundance of trees in Helsinkin had reflected the region’s characteristic windiness.
The wisdom of our ancestors, one might say.
And yet, ignoring all that, someone had felled them all—tsk, foolish indeed.
‘Though I suppose they had to be cut eventually anyway.’
After my regression, what had been Oskin’s blunder became foresight.
“Yes, we dig. As fast as possible, and as deep as we can.”
“How deep?”
“Four hundred meters or so?”
“What? Is that even possible? Can people do that?”
I produced the blueprint I’d been sketching throughout the carriage ride.
“We’ll make the impossible possible.”
Oskin’s brow furrowed as he studied the blueprint—the principles of excavation machinery, the structural engineering to support underground caverns, all drawn from my Mathematical Knowledge.
“I haven’t the faintest idea what any of this means!”
Oh, I’d forgotten. Not all nobles learn mathematics, much less excel at it. In fact, they tend to scorn practical disciplines like mathematics.
“There must be someone who understands it! Have them brought here!”
Oskin fell silent, lost in thought. Then he laughed foolishly.
“There is no such person, young lady.”
Ah! I’d forgotten again.
Helsinkin had no proper educational institutions, and all the clever children were sent abroad to study.
And those children never returned to settle in Helsinkin.
‘I’ll have to bring someone in from elsewhere. But who? How?’
I’d assumed everything would resolve itself once I arrived in Helsinkin.
I knew of Oskin’s goodwill toward our House.
When I’d anticipated the greatest difficulty in launching this venture, I’d imagined opposition from servants who lacked faith in me—but Oskin posed no such problem.
‘Instead, the conditions for actual work simply don’t exist!’
Now I understood why the indiscriminate logging had seemed so strange to me—Oskin had no brain to check his impulses.
I sighed softly, where it wouldn’t be noticed, and suggested we return to the castle.
“Goodness, your hair’s become quite windswept.”
The moment we boarded the carriage, Oskin removed his hat and smoothed my hair. I untied the ribbon of my bonnet, which had been knotted tightly beneath my chin.
“I was quite startled when you asked to visit the mountains so soon after arriving. The people of Helsinkin have been preparing quite the welcome for you.”
Truth be told, I’d visited the mountains first precisely because I found Oskin’s grand reception ceremony daunting.
‘When was it? Six years old, perhaps. The one time I came to Helsinkin with Father was absolute bedlam. From the castle gate to the manor doors, red carpets were laid out. Flower petals scattered with my every step, and fanfares blared in time with my footfalls.’
And people lined both sides, stretching far into the distance.
“I’d prefer to forgo excessive ceremony.”
“Of course. Would I not know of the frugality of the Irenber House? I prepared everything to match the House’s proper standard.”
The trouble was that “proper standard” exceeded my imagination.
“But about the drawings you provided. You’re asking to dig caves into the earth, yes? What is digging for?”
“What else? We dig the earth and earn money. Helsinkin is struggling now. I understand the Territory Support Funds from Irenber alone aren’t enough to get by.”
“Ha ha ha. You’ve read my report?”
Oskin laughed breezily, though his business failure had pushed the territory into the depths of poverty.
He was a man of good nature but no competence, Oskin was.
‘He can afford to be so carefree because the House of Irenber stands solid behind him. He trusted that Father would help no matter what. But I… I am not Father.’
If I failed to handle this matter properly, I would have no choice but to replace Helsinkin’s Acting Head.
Personally, I had no desire to cast out Oskin, who had served our house with unwavering loyalty, so I spoke to him with even greater severity.
“Oskin, Helsinkin’s finances are in shambles. Even if we doubled Irenber’s Territory Support Funds, the poverty rate in Helsinkin would skyrocket. Do you understand what I’m saying? Two out of every three will starve to death. In the territories under Irenber’s administration.”
At the mention of soaring poverty rates, Oskin showed no reaction, but when I said two out of three would die, his mouth fell open.
“No… surely not.”
And he asked again, bewildered.
The way he asked told me he did care for the region of Helsinkin.
“We must act quickly. Find someone capable of implementing the blueprint I’ve designed. That is what you must do, Oskin.”
“I confess I don’t understand this at all… digging up land to earn money? I simply cannot grasp it……”
Oskin scratched his forehead.
I Bought the Villains with Money (Serialized)
Author │ Lee In-hye
Publisher │ Kim Ju-hyung
Published by │ J Plus Media Co., Ltd. — Tiramisu
Marketing │ Han Jae-hyuk
Address │ 1101, 11 Digital-ro 33-gil, Guro-gu, Seoul (Guro-dong, Ace Techno Tower 8th, 11th Floor)
Email │ [email protected]
Homepage │ http://blog.naver.com/jayplemedia1
ⓒ Lee In-hye 2021
※This work is published by J Plus Media Co., Ltd. in accordance with a contract with the copyright holder,
and the content may not be used in any form or by any means without permission from the company and author.
Violation of this may result in criminal and civil legal liability.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————