Chapter 87 – Proposal

She responded calmly, pretending not to show it.

“At least I know how to protect it.”

She mentioned what she had done so far during the chaotic times.

“I changed all of the family’s liquid assets, excluding real assets or real estate, into gold. Because my response was fast, I am still enjoying the benefit even now. They say the gold price broke the record high, don’t they?”

She wore a smile, as if to show off.

“If valued in imperial currency, my wealth is breaking new highs day by day. In terms of face value, it has already risen tenfold. It is all thanks to my swift response.”

Rashid reacted casually.

“You do the basics. I thought you had no interest in such things.”

Her smile became even more blatant.

“Thank you if that is praise.”

A woman who loved it to the skies when praised, and terribly hated criticism or disregard.

Rashid thought that she was not as difficult a woman as he thought.

“But would it carry meaning simply by protecting it?”

Rashid’s words continued.

“Strictly speaking, your wealth is in a standstill. It only looks relatively risen because the currency value has plummeted; practically, nothing has increased.”

“I learned that in times like this, protecting it is the best.”

“There is also a way to earn.”

She expressed doubt.

“Is there such a thing too?”

“There is. The magic where wastepaper becomes treasure.”

“If there is such a thing, please tell me too.”

Rashid showed a cruel smile.

“What if it is a secret I want to know alone?”

“You are too much. Will you know it only by yourself?”

What he possessed was merely simple information.

Things that would disappear as they were if known and left to rot.

Rashid originally had no intention of earning money.

Because there was power given by his title, there was nothing lacking right now, and he thought he could earn sufficiently according to need even if it was not this period.

However, this was reality, not a game, and he thought it wouldn’t be bad to earn for the future.

Furthermore, if he missed this good opportunity, he wouldn’t be able to earn that big a money.

“Would you like to go outside and get some fresh air?”

“Is there a need to do that? It is so chaotic out there. Karl.”

Before her sharp gaze could even reach, Karl reacted on his own.

“I will wait outside.”

As Karl left, her gaze became even more blatant.

“Speak comfortably. Now, the only person listening is me.”

Rashid laughed silently.

To think she would be sincere about money like this.

“I did not know there was another field you show such interest in besides lawful killing.”

“Blood cannot be deceived. My brother was like that, I was like that, and the people of our family cannot help themselves in front of money.”

Her expression became quite serious.

“And there is not a single coin spent wastefully. Even if I donate, there is a reason for it. The thing I hate most is giving without meaning. During the Academy days, there wouldn’t be a single person who got a meal from me. My being wealthy and giving to others without meaning are separate, you see.”

Rashid narrowed his brows slightly.

Surely, whenever they went to a restaurant for a meal, the one paying was always her.

He thought she just spent lavishly because she had a lot of money, but to think she was such a stingy person.

“Was that so? I did not know. But if a family of believers is so stingy, does that work?”

The corners of her eyes became slightly fierce.

Ignoring this, Rashid continued speaking.

“You should also donate and give moderately.”

“Of course, because we are a family of believers, we donate regularly and sometimes give largely too.”

She did not forget to say these words.

“If there is meaning, that is.”

Because the character was clear, Rashid did not bother to pick a fight.

She showed a slightly sincere smile that broke form.

“More than that, how long are you going to make me wait?”

After a brief silence, Rashid broached the subject.

“What I possess is merely simple information. On the other hand, you lack that information, and instead hold the lump sum to sweep up the wastepaper.”

That meaning.

She could not be ignorant of.

“Naturally, I intended to share the profit. Did you really think I would eat it alone and pretend not to know?”

“How much did you think of?”

Organizing her thoughts, she said as if showing generosity.

“It is nine to one.”

Rashid laughed absurdly.

“Nine to one? The nine is naturally you, right?”

“Yes, do I not bear all the risk? Even if it fails, I have no intention of blaming you, Chief Inquisitor.”

“Is that really so?”

“In fact…… I don’t know. But I think nine to one is reasonable in its own way.”

“You shouldn’t discuss reason with me.”

Rashid’s smile was still cruel.

“It’s half. Hand over half of the profit to me. Then I will tell you the way. The way to never worry about money in your life.”

She narrowed her eyes subtly.

Half.

“I do not worry about money even now. But I think half is a bit too much, though?”

Where is your conscience?

“If you don’t like it, forget it. I have nothing to lose, so why should I be regretful?”

Rashid played a bluff he didn’t mean in his heart.

“Actually, I have no particular complaint living like this, and although I will need money occasionally, I wonder how much I will need. Since support comes in on its own anyway.”

She spared her words, and Rashid kept scratching her.

“And there are many people other than you to talk about money with. If I poke around here and there, one or two will take the bait.”

She clearly did not look pleased.

“I don’t know what kind of information it is, but there is probably no one other than me who will bet largely simply by hearing those words.”

“Why is that?”

“Because I know well who you are, Chief Inquisitor.”

She showed a smile, as if to show off.

It was a smile that contained quite a lot of meaning.

“You know me?”

“Yes, are we not this close?”

Although there was no hostility, Rashid showed a bitter smile.

Even so, his attitude was unchanged.

“It’s half. Otherwise, let’s make it a story that never happened.”

“Let’s do seven to three.”

“Half. There is no concession.”

“Half……”

Trailing off her words, she thought of various things, and soon responded with a smile.

“Yes, let’s do so. I will give you half.”

Rashid thought it was strange.

Because she was not a woman to give up so easily, and she gave up faster than expected, which caused a doubt.

“Your giving up is fast.”

“Since you do not bend, there is no choice.”

First, he laid the bait.

“Although I am sure, there is also a possibility of failure. You must start knowing this. That will be good for both of us.”

“Naturally, there will be risk. I intend to endure it.”

“How much do you plan to bet?”

“I don’t mind betting all of my liquidated assets.”

Her words continued.

“Because even if I lose that, it doesn’t seem like there will be much hindrance in living.”

Within the Holy Order, the assets of the Sanctum family vied for the top rank.

Although it was not all, to bet all liquidated assets.

A woman of extraordinary scale.

“Your boldness is great. Even men wouldn’t be able to bet like that.”

Her smile was the same as before.

“Because I have trust, you see.”

“I don’t know at all what kind of trust that is.”

“Now speak. What should I do?”

Rashid, who organized his thoughts for a moment, opened his mouth.

“Did you say you changed all possible assets into gold?”

“Yes, because there was no need to change real assets and real estate, I left them as they were, and except for the cash to be used right away, I hold the rest entirely in gold.”

“Change all of it into mana stones.”

“Mana stones?”

She was puzzled.

“Why mana stones?”

Since it was fine to consider her as on the same side now.

Rashid let her know the fact he knew.

“Do you think only the imperial currency will become worthless?”

She tilted her head.

His words continued.

“Soon, gold will also become worthless. I mean change it before then.”

“What does that mean? Why gold……”

“Although it wasn’t announced. It succeeded. Transmuting gold.”

She had a quite surprised expression.

“Is that really true?”

“I must have told you about the opponent I am targeting next, right?”

“Is it not the Magic Tower professor?”

“Right. Professor Kane. The fellow playing tricks with Origin Transmutation. He succeeded. Transmuting gold with cheap materials.”

“But why has such a great thing not been announced until now?”

Rashid asked back instead.

“If it were you, would you announce it?”

She spared her words, and Rashid continued speaking in a tone filled with certainty.

“Your response to the crash of the imperial currency was not bad, but you wouldn’t have known that fact. Since gold will also become worthless soon, change all of it into mana stones. At least mana stones will take over the status of gold from before.”

Her expression, as she thought of various things, became quite serious.

“If I hadn’t heard that story, it would have been a really big trouble. Because I recently enjoyed some benefit and was thinking of changing everything into gold.”

“Don’t blindly trust gold too much. Because it is not always the answer.”

She expressed doubt.

“But are mana stones alright?”

The transmuting of gold, which was considered absolutely impossible, succeeded.

In that case, was any law that it was impossible just because it was mana stones?

“If gold is transmuted, is it not that mana stones can also be sufficiently transmuted?”

“That is true. Transmuting mana stones has also already succeeded.”

Practically, Kane was in a state of having succeeded in transmuting mana stones following gold.

Because his alchemy was literally rivaling sacrilege.

She expressed concern.

“Then aren’t mana stones also dangerous?”

“That is not it. Unlike gold, the cost doesn’t match.”

“The cost? Do you mean it costs more to transmute mana stones?”

“Right. So you don’t need to care about mana stones. Because to transmute it, the cost outweighs the gain.”

She stared blankly at Rashid.

It was a gaze in which various complex emotions were entangled.

It was a strange gaze, but the end was accompanied by a light smile.

“So what is next? I do not think that is the end.”

In fact, the next information was the core.

Rashid pointed out the possibility that she would just take the information and pretend not to know.

‘Although there is no sign of that either. At least if it were me, I would absolutely not do that.’

He was a goldmine possessing high-quality information.

If satisfied this time, it was blind trust next.

Betraying such a person?

A thing that only fools who cannot calculate would do.

‘I believe in the desire that a person has. Because there is no end to that greed.’

Currently, the Empire was a candle in the wind.

A country where it wouldn’t be strange if it went bankrupt at any moment.

“Although you might not have much interest. Do you know how much this country’s national bonds are?”

“National bonds?”

National bond investment was not her concern.

Because clutching the family’s assets was also a recent matter.

“No, I do not know well. Still, it wouldn’t be good. Since the situation is like this.”

Right now, right outside the window was in chaos.

Could the price of national bonds of such a country be normal?

“I will ask. Do you think this country will go bankrupt?”

As he said, she forecast the fate of the Empire.

Externally, the Allied States were targeting it, and internally, the confrontation between the imperial family and a political party was reaching the extreme.

“Well. At least I do not look upon it favorably.”

“In the future, everyone will throw it away without exception, so this country’s national bonds will become almost like scrap paper. It’s almost at the level of wastepaper.”

She understood his words.

“You mean buy that, correct?”

Rashid continued speaking, looking at the street full of chaos outside the window.

“At least I do not think this country will go bankrupt so easily. If so, the wastepaper will regain its original price.”

The subsequent gaze reached her, and she did not avoid that gaze.

“First, I should change all the gold I hold into mana stones.”

“It will be better to change it as quickly as possible. In times like this, the price of gold not rising as fast as expected means there is a reason for it.”

“Thank you for the good information. What are you doing in the evening? I will buy you dinner.”

Although it was natural goodwill.

Unfortunately, he had work to do.

“Let’s postpone it to next time. Because I have a place to go in the evening.”