Chapter 223: Debt, You Say!?

"Just how much debt is there?"

At my question that was almost a mutter Rudolf held out a single document.

"This is the list of the debts created by the previous ambassador."

Looking at the document that was held out, names and amounts are recorded in order of the largest amounts. Achim Kirchhoff 550 gold coins, next Klaus Meine 400 gold coins, and after that they continue in a long line, the total being 3,100 gold coins!? In places the writing is blurred.

"Th-this Achim Kirchhoff is who?"

"A count, my lord."

"A count... and this Klaus Meine?"

"The next head of a baronial house, my lord."

"Then all the names written in this register are...?"

"Just as Robin-sama surmises, they are all the heads of noble houses or next heads, and members of their families."

"Are there no money-lenders?"

"There are none. In this country there exist no money-lenders who deal with nobles. It is ordinary for nobles to borrow and lend money among themselves. However, because the act of borrowing money is an act that damages one’s honor, lending and borrowing of money among nobles rarely appears on the surface. That said, regarding the previous ambassador, all the nobles of the Mainz Kingdom are aware."

Haa—, is that so... What should I do? Or rather, I only need to repay the money, right? That means,

"You mean repay that debt with the money sent from the country?"

There is nothing else, is there.

"Yes, exactly so. After the previous ambassador took his own life, the people written on that document came to this residence, presented promissory notes bearing the previous ambassador’s handwritten signature, and pressed for repayment. Thus, in difficulty, I wrote out the amounts and consulted Chancellor Richelieu. It took time, yet it could not be helped. The lenders said that as long as the money was returned they would wait.

Thus it was decided to repay with the money sent from the home country, and the noble personages who had lent the money gave their consent. In order to repay, I dismissed most of the people who had been working at this residence and left only those who were the absolute minimum necessary. Previously there had been carriages, coachmen, horses, gardeners and so on, yet I dismissed them all. The money that floated from that was allocated to the repayment of the debt."

Rudolf spoke without emotion, in a flat tone. When one hears it one thinks "I see," yet Rudolf must have handled this alone. Did he visit each noble house one by one and negotiate? I believe the previous ambassador was a prince, was he not? I have a memory of hearing that, though I do not know the name.

"Was the previous ambassador not a prince?"

"Yes, that is correct."

Rudolf bows his head.

"I am sorry. It must have been hard to do this much. As a fellow fragment of a prince I both thank you and apologize."

At my words Rudolf’s eyes widen, yet he looks down and drops tears pota pota.

"Those are grateful words. However, as one who manages the finances of this residence I did not know of the previous ambassador’s debts until the lenders came to demand..."

He must feel supervisory responsibility; Rudolf’s words stick.

"That cannot be helped. Probably the previous ambassador went out saying it was socializing among nobles or something?"

While thinking that I had often seen such stories on television I said it, and

"Yes... From about a year before he passed away his going out at night suddenly increased, and thinking it was womanizing I cautioned him, yet he said ’Do not worry,’ and before he passed away he often became dark and withdrawn, and I was worried..."

Rudolf’s words trailed off.

"What kind of gambling was the previous ambassador doing?"

Horse racing seems likely? A gambling house sponsored by the country?

"I have heard it was cards and such. It is popular among the nobles. Baccarat, blackjack, poker and so on?"

"Could that perhaps have been transmitted by fellows who came from another world?"

"Robin-sama, you know it well. It is said that long ago a person who transferred transmitted it. That person is called the progenitor of those card games and is said to have built an immense fortune. It became a great fashion among the royalty and nobility, and because nobles who carried large debts appeared one after another a prohibition order on card games was also issued, yet before one knew it it had become a dead letter."

A story that seems likely...

"At first they let him win, and when he got carried away and got hooked he was made a mark, I wonder?"

My head began to hurt. Rudolf continued.

"At present we are allocating about 150 gold coins each month to repayment. When one hears that one might think it can be repaid in fewer than twenty months, yet there is interest, and the calculation becomes forty months."

I have come to not really understand what kind of calculation it is. Debt and interest and methods of repayment will differ if the world differs, and common sense from Japan will probably not apply at all. There is probably no upper limit on interest rates. If one can finish by repaying twice the borrowed money, that may be better than nothing in this world.

"That repayment amount will not increase any further, correct?"

"Yes, there is no mistake. Actually within this kingdom problems of lending and borrowing of money among nobles frequently occur, and there is a department that deals with them. I filed a petition there and had the repayment amount decided."

"What, there is such a specialized department?"

"Yes, it is in the Ministry of the Interior. As expected it seems there are also many cases in which lending and borrowing of money through gambling becomes a problem, and it is not made public; I was taught by the person I consulted."

"That person you consulted is who?"

"The younger sister of Her Majesty the Queen of the Marie Kingdom is married into the Vélez ducal house. When I was driven to extremity and went to consult I was taught."

"What..."

I believe I had received a letter of introduction from Her Majesty the Queen to that younger sister. With what face am I supposed to go?

"Then the debt will not increase any further from now on?"

"At the bottom of the document you are looking at there is the signature of the Minister of the Interior, is there not? Because that document is an official document, any debt not listed on it becomes invalid."

"Even town moneylenders or underground moneylenders?"

Apparently he has never heard of them; Rudolf tilts his head.

"What is that?"

"Ah, no, not debts from nobles but private, or rather, moneylenders that commoners run in secret."

"Those can be rejected. In the first place it is impossible for a noble to borrow money from a commoner!"

Rudolf asserts it firmly, yet people driven into a corner will try to borrow money from anywhere. I once heard a story of a housewife who lost at pachinko selling her body to earn food money. Was that true? It was a colleague’s experience story.

Anyway, if one piles thrift upon thrift for forty months it will somehow work out! The same as a poor daimyo of the Edo period; we will simply cut living expenses to the bone and carry on! That is it.

"However, Robin-sama also has social obligations. It would be good if it stays within twenty gold coins, yet if the amount becomes more than that I would like you to refuse even if it means enduring shame."

Rudolf said.

"Social obligations cost money?"

"Most certainly! For example, if there is a dinner party at some noble house and one is invited and goes, one needs to borrow a carriage, a coachman, and attendants. In addition a gift is also necessary. For that I think a minimum of ten gold coins is required. As for clothing as well, one cannot always wear the same things, so one must prepare a corresponding number."

Ten gold coins! I have the mana-bag savings that are not exactly the chest savings I accumulated from the part-time work at the Accounting Bureau, yet ten gold coins is far from enough. They will disappear in an instant!?

"As for clothing, can I not wear the previous ambassador’s?"

"The previous ambassador was a tall person, so they will not fit Robin-sama. I think complete remaking will be necessary. Truly a headache..."

That is truly so...

"Then I will have to do some part-time work..."

Rudolf picked up my mutter and asked,

"What is part-time work?"

"Yeah, I was thinking of working at something and earning money."

"Earning money? Forgive me, but what does a prince say he will do?"

Oh, you are underestimating the human being called me, Rudolf-san!

"When I was in the Royal Palace I was doing calculation work at the Accounting Bureau of the knight order. I received one silver coin for half a day."

At my words Rudolf shows surprise. It was one silver coin for half a day, yet that was a special favor of remuneration. It was different from the other staff members.

"Is that true!? That Robin-sama was doing calculation work! I cannot believe it! No, yet for an ambassador of a country to be a calculation clerk at a government office is far too damaging to reputation."

Yet the previous ambassador is carrying a scandal of borrowing money and dying, so I do not think there is anything more damaging to reputation than that. The figure of the newly arrived child ambassador desperately doing part-time work in order to repay the previous ambassador’s debt would invite sympathy, would it not? An innocent child working with all his might normally strikes people’s hearts, does it not!? And if the amount of the debt decreases even a little it is cause for absolute celebration, is it not?

"Is that so? Certainly even at the Royal Palace there were people who frowned when they heard I was a calculation clerk. Yet there were also many who found it amusing. Chancellor Richelieu and Her Majesty the Queen laughed for me."

"Eh, Chancellor Richelieu and Her Majesty the Queen? Uuun, then how about consulting when you meet the Minister of the Interior? I do not think they will take it up, though."

Rudolf, whose face is sour even at ordinary times, is making an even sourer face. Is it impossible after all? Yet I will try just asking.

There is no point in talking about the debt forever, so I change the topic.

"So what should I do with the documents I received from Chancellor Richelieu? There is one to present to His Majesty the King, and there is also a letter entrusted by the younger sister of Her Majesty the Queen of the Marie Kingdom that we spoke of earlier?"

"I will deliver those. I believe there will be guidance for an audience with His Majesty the King, yet because I hear his schedule is packed solid it will take time. The younger sister of Her Majesty the Queen also does not think well of this residence, so you may not be able to meet her easily."

"That is probably so."

My mood grows heavy with a zuuun. The words "the road ahead is difficult" float in my head. Loading a child like me with a burden like this — what are they doing! I was famous as an idiot in the country!!