Chapter 5
“I can’t wait any longer.”
Early in the morning, Moneypan, employed by the Empire Financial Association—commonly called the “Imperial Treasury Association” (ITA)—adjusted his monocle and delivered the news.
He was the financial agent for the Altard Duke family.
However, the Altard Duke family had not paid any fees to the ITA for several years.
Including accumulated interest on the overdue fees, the debt to the ITA alone had reached a staggering 100 million Rad.
“…….”
Cough, cough.
The elderly man before him coughed painfully and let out a long sigh.
His face was pale and ashen.
His lips were thin and weak.
His hair was streaked with white.
The sickly old man looked worn out and exhausted.
This elderly man, Wood Lefre, was entrusted as the Duke’s financial representative.
He was responsible for the family’s affairs on behalf of the young Duke, Eve Altard.
“Why would a person from the Lefre Duke family make life so difficult for themselves…”
Moneypan clicked his tongue inwardly.
He had even heard rumors that the family had stretched their hands out so many times that they had been cut off from high society.
A pitiful, unfortunate story.
But business is business, charity is charity.
Moneypan was doing this job to earn money, not to run a charity.
“If you do not pay the overdue fees, further financial management will be impossible.”
Management was a stretch — the Duke family’s finances were nothing but debt, debt, and more debt.
At best, managing finances only meant keeping track of how much worse the debt had grown.
‘They borrow money from here and there, and the debt grows by at least 500 to 600 million Rad every month. I thought they’d go bankrupt soon…’
Today, Moneypan confirmed that in just two weeks the debt had increased by 500 million Rad.
And he reached a conclusion.
This Duke family was finished.
Without a divine savior to descend and oversee, they would never recover.
That was why, today, he came to collect the overdue fees and summoned the almost bedridden Duke’s financial agent.
“……I’ll try to raise the fees. Isn’t there any way?”
The Duke’s agent bowed his head to a mere commoner financial agent.
Moneypan’s lips twitched.
A man who had lived his entire life as a noble was bowing to a commoner.
That bitter feeling of being constantly belittled as a commoner stirred inside Moneypan.
“Ahem.”
He shook off the thought.
In truth, Wood Lefre likely had no other choice.
He was currently suffering from an incurable disease and his health was fragile. He no longer had the strength to oversee the family’s finances or even sit at his desk.
It was hard to believe that this was the same “Wood of Judgment” who had once fought alongside the hero Julius Altard, who had stopped the monster rush on the battlefield.
Moneypan himself grew up hearing stories of this hero. So he felt sorrow for such a downfall, but reality was merciless.
“It seems difficult. Everyone in the empire knows there’s nowhere left for Mr. Wood to ask for help. The banks and the family have all turned their backs. Without notarized documents or collateral, it’s impossible.”
The words were somewhat insulting, but Wood Lefre could say nothing. The statements were not far from the truth.
“…….”
Watching the silence of Wood Lefre, Moneypan thought,
‘How unfortunate.’
This family was finished.
“What is the deadline for the fees…”
Moneypan stood up to announce the deadline.
Bang!
Suddenly, the door burst open with a loud noise.
“I’ll pay it now.”
With a young voice came a strange light flooding the room.
“……I’ll try to raise the fees. Isn’t there any way?”
“It seems difficult. Everyone in the empire knows there’s nowhere left for Mr. Wood to ask for help. The banks and the family have all turned their backs. Without notarized documents or collateral, it’s impossible.”
Voices leaked from the reception room.
A voice rougher and weaker than in memory.
But the moment I heard it, I knew.
‘Uncle.’
How much effort it had taken to melt the cold, stern uncle of my childhood.
What would he look like now?
I quietly peeked through the door gap.
Through the gap, I saw my uncle looking far older and more exhausted than I remembered.
“…….”
His sickly, somewhat defeated appearance chilled my heart.
The uncle I remembered was not like this.
He was a taciturn, multi-talented man who did everything like a genius and was rather cynical, disliking children.
He was a perfect noble who would never bow to anyone.
My breath caught, and I blinked.
My memory of him was of a mountain-like man, unshakable.
But now…
The once unbreakable mountain was barely holding on under a crushing life.
‘Why is he like this…?’
Why was the man who had once strode the battlefield looking so weak and ill?
Thunk!
It felt like my heart had fallen.
“……Your Grace?”
I snapped back to reality.
Right, this is not the time.
Focus.
“The deadline for the fees is…”
I flung open the reception room door.
“I’ll pay it now.”
At my words, both men’s gazes fixed on me.
My uncle sighed upon seeing me, and the ITA agent sneered.
I felt a surge of emotion, but held it back.
Because I was not Evelyn Altard — I was Eve Altard.
‘I must not act too much like an adult.’
I could not suddenly act like a completely different person, especially with outsiders present.
“What’s going on here?”
My uncle said stiffly.
The uncle I had softened like a marshmallow in a past life was gone.
“Unc-Uncle!”
I hurriedly ran over and clung to his leg.
If once is hard, is twice impossible?
My uncle secretly enjoyed it when I clung to him, even if he pretended not to.
The only problem was I started “attacking” my uncle when I was five years old.
‘He’s so scrawny he still looks five, so maybe it’s okay.’
Sure enough, my uncle looked surprised.
Of course, Eve Altard was terrified of people because of mistreatment and scheming by servants.
Naturally, his relationship with my uncle was not good.
“I brought something incredible!!”
Remembering how I used to melt my uncle in childhood, I waved my arms like a child while clinging to his leg.
“Albus!”
I called, and Albus limped in, setting a diamond gemstone down on the table with a thud.
“Is this… could it be a diamond gemstone?”
The financial agent was the first to recognize the stone’s value.
He took out a portable magnifying glass and began examining the gem.
‘Monocle… orange hair? And ITA affiliated…?’
That appearance looked very familiar.
As I mulled over the story, a name suddenly flashed through my mind.
“……Moneypan?”
At my call, the man looked at me, surprised.
“Your Grace, you know my name?”
He said as if it was unexpected.
Wow, it must be true.
Moneypan.
The man who became the right hand of the protagonist Calix in Part 2 of Alfedis.
‘Come to think of it, was this man part of the ITA northern branch?’
The novel described Moneypan in several ways:
A miser obsessed with money.
One who considers the weight of gold coins as the weight of loyalty.
An ambitious man obsessed with advancement.
Though he later becomes loyal to the protagonist…
‘That can only happen with the protagonist.’
For me, that was impossible.
But if paid handsomely, he would work like a dog.
A man whose loyalty equaled the amount of money paid.
‘Perfect for using.’
I hugged my uncle’s leg and grinned.
