Chapter 90 - Chapter 90: Patriotism
Once back at his own home, Steve reported the contents of the summons from Aurora to Christina.
"The summons from Lord Sowell was that Imperial merchants had entered Sowell Land and were hiking up the price of Cedar Futures, and they wanted him to do something about it."
"Was that an urgent case?"
"Yeah. Valier and Emmanuel tried to sell off and failed. Now they're in a state of holding a huge loss. It was a consultation on how to turn things around from here. There isn't much time until the final trading day, so it's quite tough, you know."
"Didn't stopping the urgent case cause a problem?"
"Even if I knew, it was wartime, so I couldn't do anything. Chris's judgment was correct."
Even if I heard about this while dismantling the Eastern Military District of the Empire, there wasn't anything Steve could do. Since I didn't have to worry unnecessarily, Christina's judgment was correct.
Hearing that, Christina let out a sigh of relief.
"So, is there any way to handle it?"
"Hmm, I don't know. It's not a problem I can solve by myself, you know."
"You need someone's help?"
"Yeah. If I do it, I have to gather physical cedar, but even with just my territory, it won't be enough no matter what."
"Then, shall we ask my father at my home?"
"Yeah. I'd like to ask, but the required number won't gather immediately—"
Just then, something connected in Steve's head.
"Chris, can you persuade Marquess Mackintosh?"
"If it can be of use to Steve-sama, I will persuade him even if I have to drive a knife into my own throat before my father."
"No, you don't have to go that far."
"Is that so. But it's needed immediately, right?"
"The final trading day and the delivery day are separate, you know. Strictly speaking, having the goods by the delivery day is fine. So, I'm thinking of borrowing cedar from the East where physical goods are gathered the most in the country. Then, use that cedar for physical delivery, and return cedar from Marquess Mackintosh's territory. I think that would work. This is essentially short selling."
What Steve thought of was borrowing cedar gathered in the East and using it as physical goods for futures physical delivery. If the opponent cannot physically withdraw all the cedar, they will pay the penalty. Some futures traders might be able to physically withdraw, but if they don't force the main one to withdraw, it becomes Steve's victory. And if they can purchase cedar at a price lower than when borrowed from Marquess Mackintosh instead of the partially withdrawn cedar, that becomes Steve's profit.
However, there was a problem with that too.
"The problem is whether Evelyn will lend the cedar."
Currently, Evelyn held the actual power in the Margrave Cleiman household.
Regarding Evelyn who returned to her home after repelling the allied army, Margrave Cleiman criticized her for borrowing Steve's power.
And he tried to disown Evelyn and kick her out of the house, but not a single person followed that order.
The vassals who barricaded themselves in Cleiman Land and accepted defeat sided with Evelyn who had bowed to Steve and borrowed his power to save that desperate situation, and ended up imprisoning Margrave Cleiman and his eldest son Albert in a room.
At first Evelyn was confused by that, but seeing her father who still viewed Steve as an enemy and showed no remorse even at this stage, and her older brother who couldn't even advise him, she thought the Margrave Cleiman household would truly end if things continued like this, and decided to take actual power of the Margrave Cleiman household herself and command the reconstruction of the Eastern region.
The vassals also knew that Evelyn was moving and other nobles' territories were heading towards reconstruction, so there was no one who opposed it.
Thus, the Margrave Cleiman household was conducting reconstruction projects under Evelyn's command.
"Why are you worrying about such a thing? Since the East overcame the crisis thanks to Steve-sama, they won't do something ungrateful like lending something they know they'll return."
"That's actually because after capturing the King of the Kingdom of Cryptomeria, I rejected Evelyn's confession."
"Well, something like that."
The Yellow Empire's problem remained, but when the problem in the East area was resolved, Evelyn confessed to Steve that she wanted to marry him.
However, Steve rejected that.
There was Christina, there was Nancy, and originally Steve didn't view Evelyn as such a target, so even if proposed marriage, his heart didn't move.
I thought if I told Christina she would worry or get jealous, so I stayed silent, but now the situation became one where I had to say it, so I finally told her.
Even though the longer time passes, the impression gets worse.
Steve was worried about what Christina would say, but Christina was calm.
"Refusing is very much like Steve-sama. If you had accepted that offer, you would have gained the number one territory in the East."
"I don't need any more women or territories."
"Is it okay to believe those words?"
"Yes."
"Then, I will go together to the Margrave Cleiman household too."
"Yes."
Steve replied being pushed by Christina's momentum.
After that, he received materials about the opponent's capital amount and positions from Aurora, looked through them, and decided to go to Cleiman Land.
Steve visited Evelyn together with Christina.
As Steve, the savior of the Eastern region, was visiting, meeting with Evelyn was achieved immediately.
Evelyn sat in the chair where Margrave Cleiman had been sitting until now, and Scarlett stood beside her.
It was said Steve came, but Evelyn was in the middle of work.
However, when Steve of higher rank entered the room, she stood up from the chair and bowed her head.
"Welcome. What is your business today? Is it related to the young lady next door?"
Christina felt thorns in Evelyn's greeting and greeted back.
"Nice to meet you, Margrave Cleiman's daughter. I am Steve-sama's fiancée, Christina Gis Mackintosh."
"Thank you for the polite greeting despite the trouble. If I may correct one thing, I am Margrave Cleiman's acting representative,proxying all authority within the territory. So, today I am also accepted as a fiancée, so will you introduce me to the other fiancée?"
Christina and Evelyn clashed suddenly, so Steve's stomach hurt.
I wanted to return as is, but since the original purpose cannot be achieved, I told Evelyn the purpose of the visit.
"Actually, as part of the Empire's strategy, Cedar Futures in the Western region are at an abnormal high price. The aim is to hike the price of cedar in the country and increase the budget for reconstruction. To make that fail, I want to temporarily borrow the cedar gathered in the East."
"I cannot stay silent hearing it's the Empire's strategy. The reason the East ended up in this situation is due to my father's incompetence, but one cause lies with the Empire. I want to cooperate without reservation, but I must obtain permission from other lords, so can you come with me?"
Support materials sent from other regions were once gathered in Margrave Cleiman's territory, and there Evelyn decided the distribution.
However, Evelyn had no authority to stop that distribution on her own, and it was necessary to obtain permission from the lords waiting for materials.
Steve couldn't force it there either.
"Of course."
"And your fiancée too, right?"
"Yes, that's the intention."
There was no reason to leave Christina behind at this point, so we decided to move to persuade the Eastern nobles with four people including Scarlett.
Saying there wasn't much time, Evelyn cancelled all schedules and agreed to accompany the persuasion.
The first place the four visited was Viscount Griffiths' castle.
Viscount Griffiths welcomed us cheerfully as Steve, his benefactor, was visiting.
And when we spoke of the purpose, he pleaded to be allowed to cooperate.
"If we can blow a bubble at the Empire, everyone will accept even if reconstruction is delayed by several years. My territory, down to the commoners, is angry at the Empire's vicious methods this time. Furthermore, if it becomes a new strategy, even if we have to eat dirt, we will happily cooperate. Please allow us to cooperate. I will also hand over cedar that is still untouched."
"No, since we are in the position of asking, not to that extent."
Viscount Griffiths' enthusiasm made Steve feel embarrassed.
Due to this, the East's reconstruction will be delayed to some extent, but even knowing that, he cooperates without showing a single bad face.
On the contrary, he even said it was okay to take back cedar once distributed.
Viscount Griffiths said to Steve who was hesitating.
"People of the East are not ungrateful people who forget favors received. If Your Excellency is in a desperate situation due to the Empire's strategy, no one will show a bad face to rescue that. Furthermore, even if there is rivalry between regions, we are citizens of the Kingdom of Cascade. There is no one who thinks it's okay to be at the Empire's mercy."
Steve was moved by Viscount Griffiths' patriotism and gratefully accepted that offer.
Other nobles also shared Viscount Griffiths' thoughts, and permitted lending cedar, saying reconstruction could be postponed if it benefited the Empire.
Returning to Cleiman Land after obtaining permission from all lords, Evelyn smiled at Steve.
"I'm relieved there are no ungrateful people in the East. However, wouldn't it have been enough for Your Excellency to just order to lend cedar?"
"Seeing the dire state of the East, I can't do that. The temporary houses were made with earth magic, so it's no different from sleeping on the ground. I can't tell those people to live like that a bit more."
"If my father had a heart like Your Excellency's that cares for the people, the result might have been a bit different."
"I don't know if my way is correct though. If everyone opposed me this time, it would have been exactly what the Empire wanted. If it comes to that, forcibly requisitioning cedar would be the correct answer."
Hearing that, the smile disappeared from Evelyn.
"In that case, what judgment would You have made?"
"I would search for another method. In this case, I might cancel the futures contract. But if I did that, there would be loud criticism. Whoever it is, canceling orders contracted according to rules would ruin the trust of the futures market built up so far. But it's better than forcibly delaying the East's reconstruction."
"Your Excellency would bear the criticism alone."
"That's unavoidable too. It's my responsibility for sticking my neck in because Lord Sowell told me to."
"Doesn't that kindness sometimes become a weakness?"
"I can't refute that."
Evelyn re-recognized Steve's kindness through the questions. However, that is also where she fell for him, but now that she has become the acting head, it appeared as a flaw.
Christina, who sensed that atmosphere, followed up on Steve.
"The fact that it doesn't become that is Steve-sama's wonderful point. Getting permission from everyone today is due to the accumulation of past actions. The free assistance towards the East is connected to this situation."
"Indeed, that is true. Does it mean the fish that escaped was big?"
Hearing Christina's words, Evelyn laughed with a somewhat relieved look.
"Then, Your Excellency, please take the cedar. I will have the loan receipt delivered later."
"Thank you."
"Please surely win against the Empire."
"Of course."
Thus, Steve succeeded in borrowing the East's cedar.
Evelyn and Scarlett saw off Steve who stored the cedar with Storage Magic and teleported.
In the room where they were alone, Scarlett asked Evelyn.
"Lady Evelyn, was it really okay to give up? If you put marriage in the conditions of this borrowing, Archibalt-sama wouldn't have been able to refuse."
"Scarlett, even if you do that, that person won't turn around. This is the second heartbreak."
"Excuse me, but he doesn't look sad."
"That's true. I don't have time to be sad. I think I won't find a man better than that person. So I decided to marry the Margrave Cleiman territory. I will spend my life with this territory."
Scarlett widened her eyes at Evelyn's determination.
Evelyn who was crying every day after the engagement was broken said she would marry the territory if rejected by Steve. The weakness disappeared, and she seemed more ambitious than Margrave Cleiman.
"First, as a start, send people to the West and sell into the Cedar Futures."
"Is that Archibalt-sama's support?"
"No. Reconstruction of the East will cost money, right. So I want to make money through futures trading. The fact that Archibalt-sama obtained physical cedar means there's a prospect of the seller winning. But, since I lent the physical goods on hand, sell for the future date. If the near-term collapses, the long-term price will also collapse. Even if the price doesn't collapse, the physical goods will be returned next month, right. There's no problem."
Scarlett thinking she was ambitious was correct.
Evelyn immediately switched her feelings from heartbreak and thought of a plan to make funds for territory reconstruction.
Since it was necessary to place orders before the price collapse, those ordered to be dispatched were put on the Steam Locomotive without time to prepare for the journey.
She was told clothes and others would be sent later.
Thus, Evelyn who wanted to become someone became, well, a go-getter like Aurora, or badly, a monster.
Thank you always for typo reports.