Ch.102102. Revival

# Loan, You Will Definitely Get It.

Right after concluding the contract with “The Hero” Erick Wellesley in front of the Emperor, John Burko muttered like a chant as he left the imperial palace.

He was a fairly competent magician, but he had never been as desperate as now when casting any spell.

It couldn’t be helped.

He had entered the biggest gamble of his life.

The Hero had wagered a 2 billion loan, while he had bet his title and territory.

Though it was nothing compared to the imperial capital, he was a count who ruled over a territory that was considered quite substantial in the southern part of the Empire. At one point, he had earned considerable income selling scrolls and magical tools.

Just 2 billion… it was too large a stake to wager just to borrow money, not even to get it for free.

‘But it doesn’t matter.’

The loan conditions demanded by the Hero were easy anyway.

Simply find three guarantors.

Erick’s sweet proposal was that if he could secure three high-ranking officials at the minister level as guarantors, he would lend him 2 billion at virtually no interest.

The deadline was until tomorrow morning.

If he couldn’t find three guarantors by then, Erick said he would petition the Emperor to strip him of his title.

‘A day is plenty of time. They’re all Academy seniors and juniors anyway.’

Of course, being a guarantor itself was risky.

But considering the amount was 2 billion, it didn’t seem particularly difficult. While 2 billion was a lifeline for him with his depleted assets, it was a different story for the wealthy.

‘They’ll know I’ll lose my title if they don’t guarantee the loan, so they’ll reluctantly agree. We’re all acquaintances separated by just one degree anyway.’

Count Burko first visited Lufus Waynelight, a wealthy man who reportedly didn’t even know how much money was in his territory’s vault.

When he arrived at the Royal Order barracks, several ill-mannered knights tried to stop him.

“Count Burko, the commander is preparing for deployment. Several earth dragons have appeared in the quarry of his direct territory.”

“He just returned from the Papal State, and he’s deploying again? They’re just worms…!”

“Well, the commander enjoys deployments.”

“What?”

John Burko persisted stubbornly to the end.

Perhaps his efforts weren’t in vain. He managed to encounter Waynelight, who was leading two knights. John Burko called out desperately.

“Commander. I have an urgent request—”

“Denied.”

“…But you haven’t even heard what it is.”

“Not worth hearing.”

Leaving no room for discussion, Lufus Waynelight departed abruptly.

‘What’s with that guy?’

John Burko stared blankly at his retreating figure.

Did he think I was going to ask to borrow 10 billion or something? While 10 billion wouldn’t be enough to solve the financial crisis of the Burko family, all he was going to request was a guarantee for a mere 2 billion debt.

‘That stubborn old man who only knows swordplay. Making assumptions on his own.’

Though he felt wronged, there was no time to waste.

He immediately set out to find his next target.

However, he didn’t forget to wash himself and change clothes first. He had noticed an unpleasant smell coming from his body right after being rejected by Waynelight.

‘Come to think of it, it has been a while since I bathed.’

After grooming himself, John Burko met another big shot in the imperial capital. His target was the Commander of the Imperial Guard, who had been in the same group during their Academy internship days.

But this time too, the response was unsatisfactory.

“No. I’m struggling too.”

“Don’t be like that, just be my guarantor… it’s not even a large amount. I’ll pay it back quickly anyway, so there won’t be any burden on you.”

“Regardless of the amount, I can’t help. We’re in difficult times too.”

“Difficult? I know very well that you made a fortune during the time you were distributing relief supplies with money confiscated from Matthias! I heard your sister-in-law’s workshop made a good profit then…!”

“My in-laws were struggling, so I helped them.”

A cold rejection from someone he considered a friend. He felt a momentary surge of anger, but he couldn’t afford to waste time, so he let it go and retreated.

Meanwhile, the deadline set by the Hero was approaching.

Only twelve hours remained.

He was growing anxious.

He had thought he could secure three guarantors in no time, but why was it so difficult? And why did people look at him like garbage? He couldn’t understand. At this rate, it seemed they wouldn’t even guarantee a debt of 100 million, let alone 2 billion.

‘No. Someone will accept.’

Someone.

At least one person. No, at least three.

……

But that hope gradually withered.

Court Minister, Veterans Affairs Minister, Finance Minister. Education Minister, Court Magician Commander.

Towards the end, he even offered to pay them separately if they would just be his guarantors. He said he would give them 100 million as a bribe.

Yet still, no one would accept Burko’s request. They only said they would get their heads smashed by the Hero if they were caught taking bribes.

“…Cowardly bastards.”

After running around frantically, it was already past midnight.

Cornered, he finally visited Lord Necker, the Minister of Justice.

They had an awkward relationship due to a dispute right after the failure of the special operation in foreign countries. But he couldn’t skip him because there was no one else to go to.

John Burko headed to Lord Necker’s modest mansion, or rather house, in District 5.

It was too modest for a Minister of Justice to live in. It felt slightly uncomfortable to ask someone living in such a place for a debt guarantee, but he had no choice.

“Lord Necker! Lord Necker!”

Bang bang bang!

After frantically pounding on the door, Lord Necker appeared in his sleepwear. For some reason, he wore an extremely cynical expression.

“Sigh, I know what you’ve been doing all day.”

“Everyone seems to have strange preconceptions about me.”

“How can we not see it strangely? …Don’t you remember the disgraceful behavior you and your followers showed a few days ago? Banging your head on the floor, rushing at the Saintess, begging His Majesty with tears of blood—we all saw it. …Who would guarantee for you after seeing that madness?”

Madness? Did I do that? John Burko tilted his head.

Anyway, that was in the past, so there was no need to mention it now. He couldn’t understand why this minister kept derailing the point.

“Lord Necker, I understand. I understand, but let’s talk about that later. At this rate, I’m going to lose everything, title and all.”

“You can’t afford to keep your title anyway. Just let it go and live without it.”

He clearly had no intention of helping. Outraged, John Burko finally stomped his foot.

“…Fuck! If you were going to be like this, you should have rejected me from the start.”

“You’re insane.”

John Burko quickly turned and headed elsewhere.

By this point, he was genuinely wondering, “Can I really find guarantors?”

‘No, this can’t be the end.’

Losing his territory and title because he couldn’t find three guarantors?

It was too strange. This was land his ancestors had ruled since before being incorporated into the Empire—it couldn’t be taken away like this.

Surely someone would extend a helping hand to him.

But that final hope was shattered not long after. Far from securing guarantees, he couldn’t even get to see the faces of the bigwigs. Meanwhile, the deadline set by the Hero was approaching.

“No, this is… No.”

As he was muttering blankly, the Emperor’s attendant and guards suddenly appeared and delivered an imperial decree, asking, “Did you fail to find guarantors?”

The decree stated that his title would be revoked, along with his taxation rights, military authority, and judicial powers that he had exercised throughout the count’s territory.

John Burko tried to stammer something but eventually let his arms drop limply.

It was an unusually clear morning.

***

“John Burko’s title has been revoked. And we’ve sent several officials and one unit of the Imperial Guard to his territory, Hero.”

This was the report submitted by a high-ranking official.

I nodded while sitting at the head of the conference hall where regular state council meetings were held.

It was awkward to receive reports like this at my age, but as the Hero, I had no choice. It would be better to get used to it.

“So it ended like this. How is John Burko’s condition?”

“He collapsed, losing his mind. …He’s temporarily under protection at the government office.”

Not a single high-ranking official had stepped forward as John Burko’s guarantor. That was to be expected, as everyone would know that any money given to him would evaporate instantly.

With this, John Burko was no longer a count, a lord, or even a nobleman.

If there was anything left for him and his family, it was just one thing.

Debt. Debt that couldn’t be resolved just by disposing of the remaining magical tool inventory and collections in his territory.

Hereditary nobles typically lose their ability to repay when their territory is taken away, but the Burko family was a bit different. They had several competent magicians.

If managed well, they could be made to gradually pay off their debts. This would also reduce the losses for creditors who were about to have their money written off.

‘The question is how to manage them.’

After pondering alone, I decided to seek advice from “Saintess” Gang Hannah in the Papal State.

I didn’t have high expectations. But since her father had also been ruined by gambling addiction and massive debt, I thought she might know something.

A moment later, the Saintess, connected through communication magic, stammered “What?” for a while before providing some useful information.

“…There is something called personal rehabilitation. My dad looked into it but gave up. He cursed a lot, saying gambling debts have a low reduction rate.”

Personal rehabilitation.

I had no intention of rehabilitating John Burko, but hearing the Saintess’s explanation, it seemed like a system worth referencing.

“I think it’s about setting aside just enough for minimum living expenses and using the rest for repayment.”

Unlike labor camps where people work without pay until death or until they serve their sentence, this system allowed them to keep a small amount of money.

It seemed applicable to the Burko family with some modifications. Since they were magicians, they could be made to produce scrolls in a separate workshop. This would be while providing some living expenses to John Burko’s family, who had been demoted to commoners because of the head of the family.

“Oh, and if they repay faithfully for several years, the remaining debt is eliminated.”

This could also be incorporated. I could propose that if they worked hard, part of their debt could be adjusted to boost their motivation.

I thought they could be made to repay about 90 or 95 percent, with the rest being forgiven.

“I understand, Saintess. So it’s like a labor camp that takes care not to make debtors give up and ask to be killed.”

“What? No… is it?”

Personal rehabilitation. It was a good system.

The Saintess mentioned that “many people give up on personal rehabilitation midway,” but that was an unnecessary concern. In the ‘rehabilitation’ I was planning to implement, debtors wouldn’t be allowed to quit midway anyway.

Of course, in her world, it was likely a system that genuinely existed for the rehabilitation and recovery of debtors.

It’s truly remarkable to care even for the future of indebted people… but we didn’t have that luxury.

‘This would be better for John Burko and his family too.’

If left alone, they would either be harmed by creditors seeking revenge, or they might cause trouble trying to find something like Ancient Trent to quickly resolve their debts.

A life of quietly producing magic scrolls under surveillance and control was better than dying. This was also better for the interests of the Empire as a whole.

“This has been quite helpful, Saintess.”

Yes. This was a lenient measure.