Reincarnated as the Descendant of a Fallen Noble

Chapter 15:  I Will Collect the Money You Lost. (3)

A morning full of dark clouds and a damp smell.

Inside the large conference room on the second floor of the Daphne Viscounty’s mansion.

Everyone gathered wore quite serious expressions as they conversed.

“Lord, this time, the northern wall of our castle has collapsed again. If we don’t repair it now, there might be serious problems later.”

“How much budget will be required?”

“At the very least, we would need about 10,000 gold…”

“10,000 gold… That will be difficult right now.”

The brief report and response ended, and the faces of the retainers and Cobalt Viscount darkened simultaneously.

After that, similar reports continued.

“The farming tools used in the fields around the castle are broken, causing significant delays in the work.”

“Sigh… We should also start considering supplying the knight order with new armaments.”

Everyone, with grave faces, continued their reports about the urgent matters at hand.

But then, what could be done about it?

Cobalt only had one answer he could give.

“Everyone, we shall postpone all of this for the time being.”

“Yes…”

“Understood.”

Cobalt spoke with a gloomy expression and let out a deep sigh.

‘I thought I had crossed a great mountain, but an even greater one is waiting ahead.’

Thanks to Hardin’s efforts, he had somehow managed to keep the territory from being taken over.

However, 70,000 gold had been spent by Hardin, leaving the treasury completely empty.

On top of that, as they endured this past winter, most of the food stockpiled in the granary had been exhausted.

Everyone tried tightening their belts, but there was no answer to be found.

In the first place, Daphne land had neither any special products nor natural resources to yield high income, and the territory itself was not very large.

And this was not the only problem.

“Commander Mulgybson, is there any news about Hardin?”

“No. The knights are making inquiries in the surrounding areas, but there has been no word yet…”

Mulgybson lowered his head as if he were a criminal.

At this, Cobalt Viscount pressed his temples firmly.

‘Hardin… Where in the world have you gone?’

On the day of the duel with Donfel, Hardin had vanished without a trace along with Gadolph.

It had been almost a week since he disappeared, leaving only a single note behind.

If there was any money that had been lost… it could only be that money lost to the Vinter Merchant Guild.

‘You mean to retrieve that? The very thing that all the knights of the house had searched for without success?’

Why would you do something so pointless, Hardin?

Cobalt simply could not understand the current situation.

“Huuuuu…”

Though they had somehow overcome the crisis, that didn’t mean their circumstances had improved.

They were still short on money, and Hardin was nowhere to be seen.

It felt as if he were walking down a path shrouded in thick fog.

Cobalt raised his head again and spoke.

“You may deploy more knights, and retainers… if your duties are not too pressing, I’d like you to lend a hand in searching for Hardin.”

“I don’t think that is a good idea.”

At that moment, the Third Young Master Malion raised his hand slightly with a faint smile as he interrupted.

“…Malion?”

“All the retainers already have their own work, and if we put in any more knights, it will disrupt their training. Isn’t that right, Commander?”

“That is… well, there is some truth to that.”

When Mulgybson answered awkwardly, Cobalt Viscount frowned and spoke.

“Malion. Even so, it’s Hardin we’re talking about. He is the Grand Duke of this house. If something has happened to him somewhere…”

“Well, he is the very brother who defeated Grand Duke Donfel. Would anything serious really happen to him?”

“But still…”

“He took Gadolph with him as well. I’m sure he just went off to get some fresh air. If we waste manpower for no reason, wouldn’t it only make my brother uncomfortable?”

Malion turned his head and asked.

“What does everyone else think?”

“…I… I believe the Third Young Master is right.”

“Yes, it seems there won’t be any problems…”

The retainers nodded with awkward smiles.

They looked somehow troubled.

‘Malion… you still… about Hardin…’

As Cobalt wore a bitter expression, Malion spoke with a faint smile.

“Father, it seems the opinion has been settled, hasn’t it?”

“Fine, then for now…”

Cobalt was about to heave a deep sigh and bring the meeting to a close when—

Bang!

“Come here!”

Suddenly, the conference room door burst open, and a loud voice rang out.

Everyone’s eyes widened as they confirmed the person making the noisy entrance.

“Hardin?”

“Grand Duke?”

The very Hardin they had been searching for just moments ago was standing in the doorway with his arms folded.

Wearing an odd expression that mixed arrogance and dignity.

“Hello.”

And behind him stood his attendant, Gadolph.

“Where on earth did you disappear to, Hardin! Everyone has been worried about you!”

Thud!

Cobalt rose to his feet and shouted.

“Ah, Brother. Did you have a good rest?”

Malion spoke in a doll-like, emotionless smile.

Hardin waved his hand dismissively and replied.

“Rest? Nothing like that. I was working.”

“Working?”

“Gadolph.”

“Yes!”

Clap clap!

When Hardin grinned broadly and clapped his hands, Gadolph immediately stepped forward and set a pouch hanging from his waist down onto the table with a thud.

And when he opened it—

“…Uh?”

“This is…”

Everyone in the conference room momentarily doubted their own eyes.

The pouch was stuffed full of 100-gold coins, and beside them lay two promissory notes.

Each for 100,000 gold.

“Huh?”

What was that again? The yellow things were gold coins, and that paper… a promissory note?

The number written there was… ten… hundred… thousand… hundred thousand?

Those who had been staring blankly at the table soon—

“It’s money!”

“Th-thirty thousand gold!”

“Eeeek!”

They shrieked as if they had seen a ghost.

“Huhhhh…?”

Cobalt hastily picked up a note and turned it over again and again to check.

‘It’s real. It’s a real promissory note.’

It was genuine, bearing the seal of the Fabian Empire.

Then, the retainers standing nearby asked.

“This money… where did you acquire it? Did you borrow it from a battlefield?”

“Y-you didn’t steal it, did you? That’s not acceptable, Grand Duke!”

“….”

What on earth were they talking about?

As Hardin let out a long sigh, Gadolph planted his hands on his hips and boasted.

“What are you saying! This money was very legitimately collected by the Grand Duke from Vinter!”

“Vinter?”

“Yes, that Vinter of the Vinter Merchant Guild. The scoundrel who absconded with the bonds. The Grand Duke tracked him down.”

“You found Vinter? Is that true, Hardin?”

“Yes, well. That’s right.”

When Hardin scratched his cheek and spoke indifferently, the lord’s eyes grew even wider.

‘What kind of nonsense…’

This was the scoundrel the entire house had spent months searching for without even finding a trace.

“H-how in the world did you find him?”

“If I explained everything, it would take too long. Just say it was thanks to my intuition.”

“Intuition?”

“Yes.”

No, did that even make sense?

Cobalt blinked, then asked again.

“Then, that money… is ours?”

“I told you, didn’t I?”

When the thing they had hardly dared to hope was revealed as true, the retainers opened their mouths so wide their jaws nearly fell off as they shouted.

“W-well done! Grand Duke!”

“Heavens… heavens…!”

“Three hundred thousand gold!”

They couldn’t even remember the last time the family treasury had held more than a hundred thousand gold.

And now, suddenly, three hundred thousand gold.

This could only be described as a windfall.

“H-Hardin…”

At that moment, Cobalt’s body began to tremble.

“Hardiiiin!”

Thud!

He spread his arms wide and rushed toward Hardin.

“You have done so well! Truly…!”

He threw his arms forward with all his strength—

Swoosh!

“Hmm?”

—but Hardin bent his waist and skillfully dodged.

‘Another bear hug, is it.’

He was done with back pain for good.

Hardin waved his hand dismissively as he spoke.

“No hugs. Since I finished this job, let’s start with the settlement.”

“Settlement…? What are you talking about?”

Cobalt asked again, his expression one of disappointment as he opened and closed his hand.

Flutter flutter!

Hardin picked up one of the promissory notes lying on the table and waved it.

“I’ll be taking exactly 100,000 gold out of this.”

If someone achieved a great merit, shouldn’t he get a reward? Don’t you agree?

Hardin wore an expression as if this was the most natural request in the world.

“100… thousand gold? Are you saying you want that as your reward?”

“Yes.”

When the lord asked with eyes wide as saucers, Hardin replied concisely.

Cobalt’s gaze wavered as he spoke awkwardly.

“Uh… that’s… isn’t that rather a large sum…”

At this, the retainers who had been losing their minds finally regained some composure.

“100,000 gold? A reward of that much? That’s enough to keep the house running for half a year…”

“It’s true he performed a great feat, but…”

He had defeated Donfel in a duel, then tracked down Vinter and wrung—no, retrieved—300,000 gold.

No one could deny this was an incredible and tremendous achievement.

But…

“Still, 100,000 gold…”

For the people of Daphne, it was simply too vast a sum.

Of course, Hardin’s thinking was a little—or perhaps very—different.

“What, you think even giving me 100,000 is too much? When I just earned you 300,000?”

“No, no. You absolutely deserve a reward…”

“Then I’ll take it?”

When Hardin started tucking the promissory note into his inner pocket, the lord hastily reached out and stopped him.

“H-Hardin! Alright. That’s fine, but about that money… wouldn’t it be better to leave it with me?”

“Leave it?”

“Yes, wouldn’t it be dangerous for you to carry such a large sum around? We can store it in the family vault, and you can take what you need from it when necessary…”

…Ah, I knew exactly what this was.

When I was young, the money my grandfather gave me for my birthday disappeared into Father’s or Big Brother’s pockets and never came back.

It was always the same line—I’ll give it back when you’re older.

Yeah, I don’t believe that.

That was just how the world worked—your money was my money, and my money was also my money.

So this time, I had to make sure it was considered mine.

And… there were places I needed to spend it right away.

“It’s fine. I’ll take care of it myself, so don’t worry.”

“…You really won’t leave it with me?”

“Yes. I’m the type who doesn’t like leaving my belongings in someone else’s hands.”

“No, it’s not about liking or disliking…”

As the lord stammered, Hardin let out a long sigh.

Then, with a face full of exaggerated wrinkles, he started thumping his waist.

“Aigo, my back…”

“Huh? Your back?”

“Fighting duels, chasing down debtors… I’m about to drop dead, just drop dead…”

“Hardin, that’s not what I meant…”

Raising his voice, Hardin began to wail dramatically.

“If I’d known it would be like this, I should have just pocketed all three hundred thousand gold. If I hadn’t said anything, no one would’ve ever known, aigo…”

“….”

“You used to say you’d grant me any wish, but in the end you haven’t done a single thing for me… It’s so unfair, so unfair. How can I go on playing the Grand Duke like this?”

Hardin was grumbling like an old man who had seen too much of life.

Cobalt’s face, as he watched, broke into a strained smile along with beads of cold sweat.

“No, but still, isn’t a hundred thousand gold a bit too much…? Don’t you all think so?”

“Well… perhaps you could reduce the reward a little…”

“Ahem, indeed, that’s quite reasonable.”

As Cobalt glanced around in a silent plea for rescue, the retainers one by one added their hesitant voices.

At that moment, Malion glared with an expression that looked ready to kill and spoke coldly.

“Brother… if we are going to discuss merits, shouldn’t we also weigh your faults?”

“Huh? What faults?”

“I acknowledge that defeating Grand Duke Donfel and retrieving the money from the Vinter Merchant Guild are both your accomplishments. But… wasn’t it because of you that all this trouble happened in the first place?”

“Because of me?”

When Hardin pointed at himself and asked back, Malion adjusted his glasses and continued.

“Isn’t the reason the family finances deteriorated so badly the combination of your academy tuition and the money spent on the circuit treatments? You even… emptied the treasury yourself.”

At those words, the retainers nodded their heads.

‘So… there’s no money because of me?’

Technically, that was true.

But… I wasn’t the one who did that, you bastards.

A sigh slipped from Hardin’s mouth.