Civil Servant in a Romance Fantasy

962 – Become the Heart of the Continent – 3

An unscheduled inspection was conducted due to an urgent quest from the Minister of Finance.

It was a really random quest. If the central government is leading the development, and even if the reason is to establish the headquarters of the treaty organization, just saying ‘give me the land’ is enough. There is no need to go to the trouble of pressuring the nobles to give up their land.

‘Are you that broke these days?’

However, it is understandable if the Treasury is short on money, as the Minister of Finance laments.

Donating land as requested by the central government? On the surface, it seems like a free transaction, but in reality, the central government is indebted to the noble who made the free donation. The central government should also pay a corresponding price for the donation. Otherwise, which noble would open his wallet whenever the central government wants?

However, if the finances are in a state of ruin where it is difficult to even pay the price, then such a cumbersome method must be used. If the transaction price cannot be paid, trust will fall, but if there is no transaction itself, trust will not fall.

‘The timing wasn’t good, though.’

If you think about it carefully, it’s natural to not have money.

A huge budget was spent on the creation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Pan-Continental Treaty Organization, an unprecedented concentration of relics was discovered in the Wiridia area, and there was even an unprecedented visit from ‘cardinals’. There are three emergency budget allocations that come to mind right now.

Even now, it is the end of the year, when most of the budget has been used in all departments. If it had happened at the beginning or middle of the year, there would have been some leeway, but since everything has been spent, it has reached a point where no matter how much you squeeze, there is no money to be made. In order to secure money here, you have to touch fixed expenses.

‘Let’s do it in moderation.’

So I thought about it for a moment and then grabbed the communication port.

Normally, this would have been a transaction that would have been carried out in the form of donations and rewards without the need for pressure from the authorities. The nobles who owned land near Danis were simply unlucky and ended up getting hit with the sparks.

So let’s just tickle him a little bit and make him vomit. The Treasury Secretary told us to press him a little.

‘I guess he finds it embarrassing even when he thinks about it.’

Soon, the corners of my mouth went up without me knowing it.

Judging by the fact that he added the word “moderately,” it seems that even the Minister of Finance would find it embarrassing to conduct an inspection for this reason. Because of the finance ministry’s circumstances, the nobles who were quietly breathing and the inspection office that was working as usual were moved.

‘…hmm.’

Anyway, just before I could contact the minister’s secretary, my hand suddenly stopped.

‘Is this right?’

Because at the very end of the last, the last ounce of reason applied the brakes.

Turn the inspection around and make them spit out the land? Put a little pressure on them and make them surrender on their own? To be honest, it’s easier than turning over your hand. Just give the minister’s secretary an order and in less than two hours, the land document will change hands.

However, there must be clear standards for inspection. There must be standards that anyone can see as ‘that deserves to be punished’, so that all nobles will recognize and fear the authority of inspection.

The inspection of the robbery comes after that. First, the criteria for occurrence must be clear so that the nobles can feel at ease. If a sword is run wild without any criteria, is that execution? It’s just a foolish sword dance.

‘The plan to move the Inspectorate is abandoned.’

If the nobles who owned the land around Danis were the ones who deserved to be inspected in the first place, the minister’s secretary would have taken care of it without me having to intervene. However, the fact that those nobles still hold onto the land means that they have not crossed the line set by the minister’s secretary.

In that case, I cannot encourage an inspection either. If the minister is on vacation and leaves everything to the secretary, it is right to respect the standards set by the secretary.

‘What other way is there?’

I’m worried. If not for inspection, shouldn’t the land be acquired through a fair transaction?

Of course, I have no intention of using my own money to secure land instead of the Treasury. It doesn’t matter to me whether a treaty organization headquarters is established or not. Why should I spend my money on someone else’s business?

…

‘ah.’

A good idea occurred to me.

There is a way to obtain land from nobles for free and still receive gratitude in return.

The lands that were acquired somehow were handed over to the Ministry of Finance.

– How did you get this? I didn’t hear that the Inspector General was moved.

Even I think it was a surprisingly quick acquisition. Thanks to that, the Minister of Finance tapped the land document and expressed his doubts. What kind of trick was used?

“Nothing much. I just contacted each of them one by one and asked for some land. I also said I would pray for them when we met at the New Year’s greetings ceremony.”

– what?

“Everyone made their donations with joy. What could be better than being able to start the new year with the prayers of an adult?”

At those words, the expression on the Minister of Finance’s face became mysterious. It was like the expression on the face of a police officer looking at a conman.

It is unfair. Isn’t the prayer of an adult a more certain reward than anything else? A spiritual reward that is more noble than vague material rewards?

‘Is that what a person who tries to eat with his mouth does?’

Besides, the Treasury Secretary wanted to swallow up the land for free without any compensation. If I had to choose a swindler between me and the Treasury Secretary, it would be the Treasury Secretary─

– Is that all?

‘No.’

It was a mistake. Instead of blaming me for eating it raw, he looked at me as if to say, “Did you get the land for that?”

“Just that. It’s a prayer of an adult.”

– If they were faithful enough to give up their land for the prayers of adults, they would have already donated to the church.

That made logical sense, so I kept my mouth shut for a moment.

That’s true. For nobles who have only cultivated their faith to the extent of education, prayers and everything else are more important than land. The prayers of saints are glorious, but nobles who own land can receive the prayers of priests of the bishop level. They can also obtain a certain amount of health and good fortune through the prayers of bishops.

“…Actually, I did say something else.”

– What is it?

“I told you the truth. I was buying it because the central government needed it.”

Then, the minister’s fingers, which had been tapping the land document, suddenly stopped.

“If they have any sense, they will figure out how to line their pockets. They probably won’t blatantly buy land close to Danis, so they’ll probably put their spoon in the path leading from the island to Danis.”

– Huh.

The minister sighed and touched his forehead.

– You sold it in exchange for information.

“Since the land was given away for free, it is right to provide that much information. If development takes place anyway, someone will benefit, so wouldn’t it be right to include the donor in that someone?

– What kind of guy is this?

The finance minister burst into laughter at the confident answer.

– You crazy b*stard. I was planning to submit a group petition as soon as the land was secured. At the latest, I plan to announce the development of Danis around the time of the New Year’s greetings. If I want to make a profit, I have to do it before the year ends. Do you think that’s possible?

“If you really want it, you can buy it. That’s not something I’ll consider.”

The minister’s laughter grew louder, but he looked up at the sky without any sense of shame.

A short period of time? What does that mean? Other nobles will be late to the development fever because they don’t even have that short period of time. If it’s done properly, the development that will be the emperor’s representative achievement, the development that will become the new order of the continent, will burn the nobles with passion.

The nobles who donate their land to us can seize the opportunity before others. That alone is a sufficient price. The advantage of information, the time advantage of being able to move before others, cannot be bought even with a billion gold coins.

‘If I miss this, I’ll have to take off my noble status.’

I trust the nobles of the empire.

Trust in your greed to move faster than anyone else when it comes to profit.

***

The Minister of the Imperial Household brought a rather thick rolled scroll.

“What is that?”

“This is a collective petition from the ministers. It is our sincere wish to further enhance His Majesty the Emperor’s majesty and solidify the Empire’s mandate, so please accept it.”

“Group petition?”

It’s a word I miss quite a bit. After the Great War, I was crowned crown prince thanks to that group’s petition.

Of course, even if it wasn’t a group petition, my coronation was virtually certain the moment I defeated the traitor, but the support and request of the ministers were more powerful than anything else. At the same time, I was able to exert a great deal of influence over the government with the justification of being a ‘crown prince recognized by the government.’

“Let’s look somewhere.”

So, I gladly opened the scroll that the Minister of the Imperial Household had brought,

[ The Heavenly Man is smiling upon the noble Livnoman. The new wind that will sweep across the continent is a beautiful and gentle wind that only His Majesty the Emperor can touch. We, the lowly lords, are simply thrilled to be able to share in that historic moment. ]

[ The wind that will roam the continent of Haona and lead all people is so great and so great. This system, filled with narrow-minded and jealous people, is not enough to fill the great wind. ]

[ I bow down to Your Majesty and beg you to revive Danis and make it the place where the winds of the continent begin. Please plant a new destiny where the destiny first sprouted. ]

There was quite an interesting content written there.

‘Go ahead.’

I also had many concerns. If you establish a treaty organization, you naturally need to build a headquarters. And how could you build a headquarters for a treaty organization that spans the continent, which is not just an ordinary building, so sloppily?

However, it was difficult to build a building worthy of the status of a treaty organization in Ausen. So, while we were pondering over a suitable place, the ministers recommended Danis.

‘Not bad.’

As the rumor goes, Danis is the place where the Mandate of Heaven first sprouted. It has great symbolism and can instill the perception that the Empire reigns as the prime minister and the presidency, but instead has its headquarters in a somewhat neutral place.

Although Danis is part of the Empire’s territory, wouldn’t Danis, which has been reduced to a relic site rather than Ausen, be more neutral? If they are dissatisfied, they can create their own treaty organization. It’s questionable who will join, though.

“These loyal ministers speak with one voice. I am truly a blessed emperor.”

He nodded with satisfaction and folded the scroll back up.

“I want to discuss this matter openly. Call the ministers together in three days.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

At my command, the Minister of the Imperial Household bowed.

If the ministers have submitted a group petition, you can respond by convening a meeting of ministers. It won’t take long, so it would be better to deal with it quickly.

‘Convening the ministers.’

I looked at the Minister of the Imperial Household bowing and the corners of my mouth raised without me realizing it.

Among the names of the ministers written in this group petition, the name of the count was also written.

‘This is true.’

I had no intention of using the Count, but since I have put my name on the group petition, I have no choice but to summon him. It is truly a pity.