Chapter 59 - Volume 4 (1/2)

“They’re faster than I expected. Is it because of that damsel?”

Although there was no limit to how far up the social ladder one could climb, this world’s society was still stratified in a rigid caste system centered around n.o.bles. If a quarrel were to break out between two evenly matched n.o.ble families, the record of having performed a task for the Emperor could tip the scale in their favour.

The Emperor rarely gave out missions to his subjects, which meant that having fulfilled such a role granted both great honour and influence; each mission was an opportunity to overwhelm their political rivals.

The mayor held responsibility for this mission and with it, the greatest of honours if the mission were to succeed. It was obvious that there would be a great struggle within the political world as each faction would try to place their own candidate in the position while rejecting their enemies’ candidates.

It was originally expected that a new mayor would be selected no sooner than a year later, considering all of the time that would be spent on negotiations, formations, the dissolution of alliances, investigations on the candidates, and conferences.

“If you think about it, it was the ideal move. There was bound to be an opposition party no matter who filled the role of the mayor, but if it is Lady Rivelia, no one would dare oppose the decision.”

“You have a point there.”

If the heiress of the Pendleton family was to be selected as the mayor, there was no reason for all of the factions to compete with one another; they would instead focus on divvying up what was left evenly amongst each other. The Pendleton family had intimate relations with the royal family, having produced many Empresses and concubines throughout history. The Pendleton faction was perhaps the only faction Central saw as a fearsome threat, thanks to their power.

“I guess that is that. How did it go with the Seven Grand Merchant Guilds?”

With Mazelan still missing, Isaac’s only source of information in the capital were the Seven Grand Merchant Guilds. He had asked them to investigate the baggage that Rivelia’s troublesome group was bringing with her.

“According to the information given to us by the merchant guilds, there was a huge change in personnel when Lady Rivelia was confirmed to be the mayor, and most of the original police force has been replaced.”

“Replaced? Why?”

“Because of Lady Rivelia.”

“Why would having that damsel… Ah!”

Isaac quickly realised the reason and nodded in agreement.

The political battle wasn’t over just because the mayor had been decided. Factions hostile to the mayor’s party would try their best to place as many of their own candidates in the police force as possible. By managing to place one of their men into a captain position, they could at the very least delay the mission. By doing so, they could still accomplish the mission even as the mayor would be judged ‘incompetent.’ That would be the only way their faction would survive.

In order to pressure and compete against the mayor, the candidate must also have the necessary skills and experience. This political brawl created the most abominable masterpiece the Empire had ever seen; even the youngest members of the police force were at least barons. But when Rivelia was chosen to be the mayor, the situation changed dramatically.

Rivelia el Pendleton, heiress to the Duke Pendleton. Many artists and sculptors dreamed of a chance to engrave her beauty into their works. Her skill in swordsmans.h.i.+p had earned her the t.i.tle of “Queen of the Sword.” She was one of the few Sword Masters, and most importantly, she was unmarried.

“I can understand it when I look at it that way. She always had a group of men following her around back in College too. Just marrying that damsel would change anyone’s life.”

But would that be all? The world was never what it seemed to be at first glance. One must doubt everything, investigate the reason, and then doubt the reason behind it. That is why Isaac’s greatest suspicion was why Rivelia was selected to be the mayor.

“I wonder why she even took on the role of the mayor.”

One would think that selecting Rivelia as the mayor was a decision of divine wisdom, settling the political infighting in a single move. But from Rivelia’s point of view, this task had little to no value to her.

There may be many dukes in the Empire who moved up the ladder through accomplishments, but the Pendleton family was the only family whose t.i.tle was inherited from one generation to the next.

“Eh? Would it be for revenge?”

‘Impossible.’

n.o.bles decided their children’s residence, occupation, and even their relations.h.i.+ps in regards to how it would benefit the family. Isaac believed that the Pendleton family was no different. Pursuing Isaac in order to have her revenge for what he had done back in the Campus would have no benefit for the family. In fact, petty revenge could very possibly ruin their reputation, and at worst, rumours would tie Isaac and the Pendleton family together permanently, if not for a long period of time.

‘Now that I think about it, that’s really serious.’

Isaac frowned when his thoughts reached that conclusion. By simply being at the top, enemies would rise from all over the place. There would be many already envious of the Pendletons’ might and honour, and they could just as easily spread gossip and slander to tarnish the Pendletons’ reputation. Then the devilish act Isaac had performed was all for naught. Burning the city down as a warning was pointless. Isaac sighed when he pictured the enemies of the Pendleton family rampaging through the city, which was already a haven for crime.

“Maybe I shouldn’t have teased her so much.”

Isaac originally teased her because he thought he’d never see her again after graduation; plus, he found her pouting face similar to that of an adorably angry kitten. And it had resulted into this.

“Well, the good thing is that the cunning snakes have all been replaced with brats who are more focused on winning that damsel’s favour.”

Isaac flicked through papers with the list of the police force’s candidates that Cordnell had handed to him. There was a limit as to how far one could go up through bribery and bootlicking. One must demonstrate their capabilities to rise even further.

The captain of the police force in a large city was equal to a baron in rank, but the previous police force was full of experienced, cunning candidates who were more capable than their t.i.tle let on. The only option Isaac would have had against them would be to shatter their unity by fanning the flames of factional infighting, but this task is even easier now that the police force was filled with candidates more interested in building a relations.h.i.+p with Rivelia than their duty.

“But how did Reisha and Kunette graduate already, and why are they coming with her? And what’s this, even Krent is mixed in?”

Isaac’s greatest problems were the troublemakers Reisha and Kunette. Kunette was fine as long as she had her honey, but Reisha – that wrecking ball of an elf – was an accident waiting to happen. Causing incidents wasn’t Isaac’s greatest worry. The real concern was Rivelia using the opportunity to nag him every time it happened.

“Both College and Campus students can apply for a leave from school for up to 5 years to be employed outside as part of a ‘social studies’ activity.”

“What? I didn’t see anyone do that back when I was there?”

Isaac had seen everyone who pa.s.sed through the port back when he was in the Campus, but not once did he see such a student.

“That’s obvious. Only students who are lacking in grades apply for that, and that isn’t a common sight in Campus. And don’t even suggest that it may be a possibility for those in the College.”

Just getting into the Campus was proof they were somewhat of a genius, but those from the College were protagonists in the making; they would change the world once they graduated. There was no way such people would waste their time learning about the outside world for ‘social studies.’

How the ‘social studies’ practice even came to be was to save students who were lacking the grades to graduate due to special circ.u.mstances.

“But why is Krent mixed in with that lot?”

Reisha and Kunette weren’t the type to even bother about grades, so they could be set aside. But Krent had already proven his capabilities by simply entering the College. His greatest priority would be to graduate as fast as possible and take over his father’s place as the guild master of the Rivolden Merchant Guild. He shouldn’t be wasting time here.

Cordnell looked around to check if anyone was eavesdropping. After confirming that only Rizzly was with Isaac, he carefully whispered into Isaac’s ears.

“There was an offer from Central.”

“Why are they involved now?”

Isaac’s face crumbled when he heard Cordnell’s words. As someone who was confident that the provincial war broke out because of Central, it was a name all too worrying for Isaac.

“The businesses that were transferred along with the rights of the waterways are quite sensitive, as you know. They chose a candidate who is both capable and trustworthy enough to manage the businesses quietly.”

Isaac was convinced by the explanation. The Seven Grand Merchant Guilds were deeply involved in the smuggling scene, so Krent, the successor to one of the seven guilds, wasn’t going to expose the secret any day. Plus, his skills were already proven by the fact that he attended the College, so he was perhaps the perfect candidate.

“I guess Krent is an ideal candidate to take over the businesses there. But do you think Krent will be able to do his job while avoiding the eyes of that damsel?”

Cordnell scratched his head and made an irresponsible comment.

“Well… Central urges that you’ll give your full support.”

“Hah! What a sick joke.”

It basically meant that Isaac was to pull Krent out of the police force and have him administer the smuggling business while keeping him out of Rivelia’s watchful eyes. It was obvious she was going to be looking for any excuse to start an argument, yet Central irresponsibly pushed the task onto Isaac.

“And…”

“And what?”

“They are demanding a share of the profits from smuggling. They are asking profits to be split 3:3:4 between the Seven Merchant Guilds, Central, and Sir Isaac, respectively.”

“Do they take me for a fool?”

Smuggling was an important source of income. The government departments had given up on its shares in order to own the rights over the waterways in the future, so only the Seven Grand Merchant Guilds and Isaac solely possessed the rights to the profits from smuggling. Having committed the grievous crime of betrayal, the Seven Grand Merchant Guilds had no choice but to split the profits 7:3 in Isaac’s favour. But now, Central decided to intervene and cut Isaac’s share of the profit in half. It was understandable that Isaac wasn’t so pleased to hear it.

“Well, Central is saying that they will overlook your crime of stealing from their secret funds.”

“What? When did I steal money from them?”

“Half of the money that was stored in Port City’s casino was apparently theirs.”

“…”

“I think it’s great that it ended this way. You know what can happen if you get on the bad side of Central.”

“s.h.i.+t.”

Although the situation was frustrating, Isaac had no choice. In fact, it was very strange that Central stayed put even while their money was taken from them.

‘No. Maybe the reason why the provincial war happened was because I took Central’s secret funds. And if it’s them, they might have critical evidence that proves I did steal the money.’

The extremely one-sided decisions made by the capital’s departments could be explained by the a.s.sumption that Central was manipulating the strings with the pretense of having a score to settle with Isaac.

If that was the case, then Central’s offer to split Isaac’s initial profit ratio between the two of them was actually a very good thing considering his crimes against them. If Central was taking a share of the smuggling profit, Isaac would also gain an impenetrable s.h.i.+eld for the business. At the end of the day, it was going to be a net profit for Isaac.

“I guess there’s no choice. I think there’s a misunderstanding, but tell Central that I’m happy to work with them if they wish to.”

Cordnell let out a sigh of relief. He was quite sick and tired of Isaac’s shameless insistence on his innocence. But it was a relief to see that Isaac didn’t prioritise his pride when considering the conflict with Central. Cordnell almost fainted when he received the message that half of the stolen money belonged to them.

“On a side note, some of the families of those within the police force have sent you a present and a message to look after their children through the Seven Grand Merchant Guilds.”

“Heeh… Really? For me?”

Isaac looked with surprise and asked again. When a n.o.ble was deployed to another province, it was customary to send a present to the designated post as somewhat of a bribe. But to think that even Isaac, who is ridiculed in the n.o.ble society, would receive such a thing.

“I don’t know which families they are from, but it is nice to see that they’ve got manners. How shall I repay them?”

“What are you going to do?”

“I must give them the appropriate reception for their presents. Which lodgings will that damsel be staying in?”

“She will be staying in the best room in the hotel that is owned by Rivolden Merchant Guild.”

“Give them rooms in the same hotel, and provide them with a gold card while you’re at it.”

“What? But that would be too…”

“Make sure you discriminate them from the rest. What’s the problem anyway? I’m just repaying them for the presents they gave me.”

“Of course it’s a problem!”

“Tell them it’s all paid in advance by their families, so they can use it all for free. A proper human returns the favours they have received.”

Cordnell gave up and just shook his head. He wasn’t one to listen in the first place. Even if some members of the police force were to complain, there was nothing they could say if Cordnell gave the same answer as Isaac.

“Then what will you do with the knights who haven’t followed through with the customary presents?”

“They are getting regular employee cards, of course. They can use the facilities by paying with their money. If they don’t want to spend money, tell them to stay in the city’s barracks.

“What? Since when did we have a barracks for the police here?”

“Just find a decently-sized plot of land in Meta District and put up a tent or something.”

“They’ll rise up against you if you do that.”

“Then tell them to find a room in the city. You think there’s anything free in this world? Money doesn’t grow on trees, you know.”

“But they are the police force…”

It wasn’t any ordinary police force but a police force made up of Rank 1 knights. In any other city or province, the mayors and lords would greet them with the grandest reception they could muster.

“Tell the citizens who work in Ceta District to charge for everything, from their food to lodgings. Anyone who provides them with anything for free just because they are the police will be considered to have not been educated enough and thrown into the mines. They are our source of income for the next 2 years. We’ll take everything we can from them.”

“…”

The citizens of New Port City were apparently enraptured by Isaac’s speech back during the court session. Their techniques in customer service were evolving by the day in the never-ending quest to earn as many tips as possible.

What would happen if innocent, young n.o.bles who had just gotten out of school were to face them? It was obvious that the citizens would flock to them, since they were trapped here with their mission. Cordnell could clearly see the fate of the police force. The citizens squirming beneath them, providing them with services they’d never experienced before. Their pride and arrogance would be inflated with every treatment, and they’d happily sign whatever receipt they are given without even looking, falling deeper and deeper into the abyss.

Plus, Isaac recently created a new system of payments in order to hinder Rivelia and her police force. Since they could make their payments at the end of their trip, it implicitly encouraged the wealthier guests to use more of their money.

Many wealthier guests found it more convenient to pay for everything at once instead of having to pay each time they purchased something. The system worked by simply stamping a palm-sized card, which automatically charged the user’s account. It trivialized the expense, and guests often lost track of how much they had spent, which encouraged them to spend more. There have been many complaints after these guests received the bill at the end of the day, claiming they’ve never spent such ludicrous amounts of money. But when the city showed evidence of the exact time, place, and how much they’d used on paper, the guests had no choice but to pay.

There was no point in resisting by claiming they don’t have the money for it. When they first signed the contract, it also meant that they agreed to have their wealth confiscated in order to complete their payment.

This was the notorious card that the wealthy guests were speaking of – the card that could sweep you off your feet if you’re not careful.

Cordnell was also impressed by the card’s convenience at first. Cordnell limited his use of the card after realising Isaac’s scheme to encourage spending, but the convenience factor was still significant.

There were three types of cards: a gold card which allowed all services free of charge, a regular card for the guests, and a card for the employees. Isaac shoved these employee cards into the hands of everyone who worked under him and made it so their pay would be deducted for each and every purchase they made.

Therefore, the members of the police force, who count as employees of the city, will receive the same card. The wise and experienced would stay on guard, but the brats who haven’t had much life experience would use it without a thought, only to land themselves in a mountain of debt.

“And how is the preparation for the report going? That damsel has one difficult personality, so she won’t leave a single stone unturned. Make sure you find and get rid of anything that may become a problem.”

Cordnell looked to Isaac, baffled.

“Wouldn’t it be faster to report things that won’t be a problem? Although I doubt we’d find one.”