Chapter 42
“Look here.”
Sullivan couldn’t help but smile as he read the spot Gosset had pointed out with his finger.
“No collateral is required. Now you can use a credit loan. We even pay interest on just one copper?”
Sullivan finally burst into laughter.
Paying interest on a single copper coin meant this was aimed at ordinary citizens. Offering loans without collateral was already astonishing, but including commoners too?
Even wealthy merchants or nobles would require collateral for a loan. After all, they weren’t digging up land to do business. At the very least, some safeguards were necessary for unexpected situations.
Yet, here they were, offering loans to people who barely earn enough to get by, without any security at all.
Sullivan was both moved by the kindness of such a person and felt endless pity for them.
This was something only a madman—or someone extraordinarily generous—would attempt.
“I should find out who this is.”
“I’ve already given the orders.”
Sullivan’s smile faded as he glanced at the advertisement again, this time caught by the unfamiliar word lottery. His eyes quickly skimmed the explanation printed on the paper.
“Ah.”
It was extremely interesting.
Clearly, it was a deliberate strategy to attract citizens unfamiliar with banks, and that made it all the more appealing. He usually admired such ingenious ideas.
Whoever owned Callista Bank was probably not a fool.
What kind of results would they achieve?
If it went well, even a small-to-medium bank could rise.
But that was its limit.
How much money could they gather from ordinary citizens anyway?
While the strategy to differentiate from existing banks deserved praise, having ordinary citizens as the main clientele would only hinder future growth.
A day would soon come when they realized that dealing properly with a single noble was more profitable than serving a hundred commoners.
Callista Bank, huh…
At any rate, it was a place worth keeping an eye on for now.
“Exactly how did you do it?”
Rian looked up from the report, startled by the sudden question in the middle of their discussion about the knights.
“How did you do it?”
When Rian didn’t answer and just stared, Lakia repeated the question. Sighing, Rian set the report aside.
“You need to ask properly if you want an answer.”
“The training grounds. Don’t you get it?”
“Ah, that?”
Hearing the words training grounds, he immediately understood. He had thought she might not know, but deceiving Lakia seemed impossible.
“Well, tell me. Is it easy to make that happen with magic?”
“If it were easy, would I have waited until now?”
Rian’s answer implied a lot.
“So, there’s been progress recently, huh? No wonder…”
Lakia’s gaze swept over Rian suspiciously. The turquoise of her eyes, glimpsed through her long bangs, seemed sharper than usual today.
From experience, it was best to change the topic quickly in moments like this. Lakia remained endlessly curious about Rian’s magic.
“Alright. Do you think it helps the members?”
Lakia chuckled at the obvious question.
“Wasn’t that the whole point? Nobody noticed the mana concentration in the training grounds changed, but everyone’s training time has more than doubled. They may not realize it mentally, but their bodies know. The grounds now provide optimal conditions for training.”
“And you, Lakia?”
“Me?”
“Yeah, does it help you too?”
Rian had boldly used one of the rare mana stones for the knights.
The official name of the knight order Rian founded last year was the Dragon Knights.
Lakia had openly opposed the name, calling it childish, but Rian named it in honor of Saefrid. He had even wanted to add “Gold” at the front but refrained.
Thanks to Rian’s full support, the Dragon Knights were growing well, though their skill wasn’t particularly remarkable.
For only a year old, individual members were reasonably skilled, but the empire had far more formidable knight orders.
After much thought, Rian decided to use mana stones to increase the mana concentration in the training grounds.
According to Lakia, knights store mana in their bodies while training. Physical training was important, but skill varied greatly depending on how much mana one possessed.
That was why knights sought secluded mountain areas to train. A higher mana concentration allowed them to absorb more.
As a magician, Rian immediately had a great idea upon hearing this. With a mana stone on hand, there was no reason to hesitate.
He placed a top-tier mana stone at the center of the training grounds and surrounded it with a magic circle over three days.
The moment the final formula was written, the mana in the air began circulating around the training grounds. A superior training space had been created, surpassing any dense forest on the continent.
Ah, the exhilaration of that moment!
Rian, intoxicated by the success of his first magic using the mana stone, couldn’t leave the spot for a while.
“Are you counting me as one of the members?”
Rian asked, hoping it would help Lakia too, but she frowned as if offended.
That proud pride of hers knew no bounds. How could she take it that way?
Still, Rian knew the truth.
Though a bit prickly, Lakia cared well for the members and guards.
Sometimes resorting to violence, yes, but generally she led with steady authority.
She said things sideways but acted responsibly—a typical Lakia.
“Lord, someone has arrived from the capital.”
As Rian and Lakia returned to their discussion about the knights, Arman opened the door, followed by a familiar friend.
“Claude!”
Rian’s cheerful greeting surprised Claude, who quickly bowed with a slightly flustered expression.
Rian was curious about many things: the situation at Callista Bank in the capital, how people reacted, and more.
“I didn’t expect you to come yourself. So, how’s it there? It’s a huge success here.”
“I came by first out of curiosity before entering the castle. The atmosphere is good. Though compared to the capital, it’s relatively quiet.”
“Quiet?”
“Yes. As rumors spread, more and more customers are visiting the bank. The response exceeded my expectations—it’s quite surprising. After the lottery announcement, I believe even more people will come.”
Claude’s expression, reporting news from the capital, was confident and proud. Though his face seemed slimmer from a busy schedule, he looked healthier than before.
“Also, since many leave after coming, we decided with Branch Manager Powatier to extend business hours by an hour for now.”
“Just an hour?”
Rian and Lakia were quietly surprised. They hadn’t seen it firsthand, but extending hours was significant.
“People didn’t believe it at first since loans were offered without collateral. But as more customers took loans, they gradually began to trust us.”
“Of course, but credit loans carry risks. You must have investigated, right?”
“Exactly. That’s why I came to discuss something with you. Investigating alone would be difficult, so we used the Information Guild. Surprisingly, it worked well—they completed customer investigations quickly, making our work much easier.”
“That’s what the Information Guild does, isn’t it?”
Lakia remarked, as if unimpressed, but Claude hurried to continue.
“The point is, requesting the guild’s service for every loan applicant is cumbersome. So, I thought—why not form a partnership?”
“A partnership?”
“Yes. If we had a direct contract with the Information Guild, things would be much simpler. No need to pay information fees each time.”
Not a bad idea. Rian had considered the guild when planning credit loans.
Employees already had plenty to do with accounting and serving customers; background checks would be time-consuming and lack expertise.
But Rian wasn’t thinking of a partnership.
He started the bank to earn money—but ultimately, it was for power.
To be a good lord and create a better world for non-nobles, he needed power, and to gain power, he needed capital—money.
Many things were required to increase power, one of which was information.
Information could be incredibly powerful. Knowing about someone or something in advance could produce unimaginable results.
Thus, after the bank, Rian planned to acquire the Information Guild.
Not a partnership—but complete control under him.
“If that’s the case, I already have something in mind. One reason I need to go to the capital directly.”
“…The capital?”
“Are you going to the capital?”
Lakia was the most surprised. To her, the capital meant the emperor’s palace.
A mixture of tension, longing, and anticipation flickered across her eyes.
Claude’s eyes widened in confusion.
They weren’t the only ones surprised.
“Meow~”
Asa, dozing by the window, suddenly raised her tail and walked toward Rian. The amber glow in her eyes clearly showed she wanted to go to the capital too.
Claude, fascinated by Asa, asked again,
“When will you go? Are you going with me?”
“No, I’m not ready yet, so it would be impossible with you. You’re leaving tomorrow, right?”
“Yes. I have to return quickly because of work.”
“Then tell them I’ll arrive soon. I’ll probably stay a while, so find a suitable place. My mother might come too, so somewhere decent.”
“Understood. If there’s nothing more, I’ll leave then. We need to finish everything today since we leave tomorrow.”
“Alright, see you in the capital.”
Rian greeted Claude like an old friend, while Claude respectfully bowed and left the office.
Just as Claude opened the door, Madeline, knocking with one hand, let out a small scream in surprise.
“Claude! Weren’t you in the capital?”
She was just as startled. Claude’s eyes widened at seeing Madeline.
“I came to report briefly. I’ll return tomorrow. By the way, Madeline, what brings you here?”
It had been nearly three years since Madeline quit as a maid, and this was their first real reunion. She had always been pretty, but in those years, she had become even more beautiful.
“I heard you became a healer. Have you been well?”
“Yes. But I came to see the lord. How about meeting in front of the main gate later?”
“Oh.”
Only then did Claude realize he was still inside the lord’s office and quickly stepped aside.
