Wow, this one took a good minute to finally update, but we are here at last!
That being said, I am a little afraid that this chapter might be a little slow and boring, but it due to being that critical middle point of the summit. But hopefully, it will make the overall pay off that much better as it gave me the ability for have a clear focus on the next chapter, so we should not have a long of a delay for the next update here.
I got to do a lot of world building and characterization development for the side characters and build more of the new lore I made for this series. While Alex is the star of the show, I don't want him to be a one man fixes everything type. Hence the need to expand on some of the new—read borrowed—characters from the other series. Regardless, while I did struggle with this chapter, I loved working on it, so I hope that effort shows.
In Another World With My Smartphone: The Lost Hero
Chapter Twenty: The Summit Continues
"Many kingdoms rose and fell on this tract of earth; mine was by no means the first.
Anything that has a beginning also has an end. No flame, however brilliant, does not one day splutter and fade.
But then, from the ashes, the flame reignites, and a new kingdom is born, sporting a new face.
It is all a curse!"
—Straid of Olaphis,
Dark Souls II Scholar of the First Sin
'Aw...shit, here we go again.'
"Welcome back, coward."
Alexander Spring found himself in front of a large, bright bonfire surrounded by darkness, and a familiar-looking Shadowy figure with glowing blue eyes stood a fair distance away. The boy blinked a few times to collect his barrings. Unlike the last time he was here, he didn't feel that same sense of dread. He was stronger, just like the flames in front of him, which protected him from the dark waves that swirled around him.
"Finally stopped taking that drug to stop yourself from dreaming? To stop you from seeing me?"
"You're one to talk," Alex retorted with a smirk as he could tell the Shadow couldn't get any closer. "What's the matter; can't handle the heat?"
"Oh, you'll come around in due time," the Shadow answered with a dismissive wave of his misty hand. "They always do when the time comes."
"You're talking about the others who came before me, aren't you?" Alex responded as he kept the smirk on his face.
"I see you've managed to learn some new things," the Shadow mocked as he began pacing around the edge of the bonfire's light.
"You cursed all of them, didn't you?" Alex questioned as he followed the Shadow's movement, refusing to lose sight of the creature. "You tricked them into taking your offer."
"Is that what you think?" The Shadow laughed as he stopped for a movement to look at Alex. While his face was blank save for the glowing blue eyes, Alex swore he could see the Shadow looking amused. "Not a bad guess, but one, my offer is a gift, not a curse! After all, I'm simply here to unlock your truest potential! And secondly, no, when the time came, they BEGGED for my gift. They BEGGED because they learned the truth and refused to take it lying down."
"Learned what?" Alex asked, his smirk finally fading. As much as he wanted not to believe the Shadow's words, he couldn't detect a lie in that gleeful voice. A voice of someone who was very proud of his accomplishments.
"Wouldn't you like to know?" Said the Shadow as he began pacing around the bonfire again; this time, it seemed like he was somehow able to get closer.
'Damn it, he's trying to get to me, don't panic,' Alex noted as he noticed that the bonfire began to dim after being hit with a wave of anxiety, the same kind one gets after receiving bad news.
"Like I said, in due time. You, too, will beg for the power I can grant you," The Shadow continued, laughing again. "The power of a God."
"I don't want to be a God," Alex roared as he bared his teeth. "I just want to live my life on my terms!"
"You lost that right the moment you chose to become an interloper," The Shadow quickly retorted."After all, has anything really gone your way since you came here?"
'A couple things, but otherwise...no...nothing really has gone my way,' Alex mentally admitted with gritted teeth. 'No matter how hard I try to keep out of trouble...I keep getting roped into deeper shit.'
"You're nothing more than a puppet," said the Shadow in a high-pitched voice, mocking the lad as he was just a toddler. "Who thinks he doesn't have strings but always dances to the tune of others."
"I am helping to keep the peace of my new home!" Alex quickly argued as he managed to find his voice. "The Duke needs me to help keep Belfast safe!"
"By offering you up like a prized breeding bull?" The Shadowed laughed, his grin now visible as he drew ever closer. The bonfire continued to burn weaker, and the shrouds of the darkness began to whip around violently. "You'll become little better than a guard dog to keep the rule of King's family unchallenged if you marry into them. Peasants in revolt? They'll send you to break them. Nobles won't pay their taxes? They'll send you to burn their castles and family trees up to the very roots and stems. The King starts a war to conquer more land? They'll send you to lead the armies with your powers and armed with the new weapons you provided. Your seed will make mighty heirs that could end up ruling the world. Who will be strong enough to stop them?"
'No...no...the Duke isn't like that...' Alex tried to reason with himself, but this Shadow knew his fears and his doubts. "I...I...wouldn't let that happen...I would..."
"Take the crown for yourself by force? Then be forced to watch the shadows for assassins for the rest of your life?" The Shadow suggested with a glee that rattled at Alex's conviction. "Run away? Only to be hunted and pursued by every country in the world? You don't really think that the King would just let you go, right? Being declared an enemy of the world because of what you are capable of, I highly doubt you want to live your life as a hermit in the middle of nowhere. And what of the girls you befriended or your business associates? Would you damn them into isolation? Or leave them to their fate?"
Alex could feel his willpower falter as he scrambled to guard the bonfire, which had become tiny as the whipping shrouds of shadows drew closer. He couldn't find any way to answer back as he tried to regain his inner strength, hoping to ignite the flames of his soul again and draw power from them. Yet, the Shadow's mocking laugh grew louder, making his ears ring violently...until there was a sudden silence.
"What? It...it can't be..."
The bonfire suddenly sprang back to life, pushing Alex off with a mighty force. Yet Alex didn't feel any different. Instead, it was as if he could feel the presence of another person. It took the young man a moment, but his instincts were quickly proven right, as a new figure shining with a golden light stood between Alex and the Shadow.
"You!"
With a simple wave of his arm, the Shadow was blasted away much further than before; the shrouds of darkness instantly retreated and stood still. Even the bonfire had a slightly golden tinge, roaring brighter than ever.
"This shouldn't be possible! How? When did...no..." The Shadow yelled out, voice echoing due to the new distance.
The golden figure raised his right arm again, seeming to aim for the Shadow.
"You win for now, but even you can't protect him from himself!" The Shadow roared before turning his attention back to the American.
"Why worry about this world?! When you should be worrying about what is happening in your old world!"
"What...what does he mean by that?" Alex inadvertently asked as his mind quickly wandered; it had been a while since he last checked on what was happening back in his old world. The golden figure, however, didn't answer; instead, a golden orb appeared in the palm of his hand, charging up some kind of energy blast.
"You don't have to believe me!" The Shadow continued to roar as it disappeared further into the darkness. "After all, you have the means to check for yourself!"
And just like that, the Shadow was gone. The golden figure lowered his arm, energy dissipating before turning around to face Alexander. The mysterious stranger didn't have any kind of features that could identify whoever this was. It was as if he were nothing but a shadow made from a golden light. Despite Alex's better judgment, he couldn't feel anything really threatening about the new person. Hell, for a moment, the American thought it was God. Still, upon closer inspection, while the figure felt familiar, it wasn't the same feeling he had during his time with God.
"Thanks...but who are you?" Alex asked his shining helper. The figure stood there for a moment as if pondering how to respond. Finally, despite having no visible mouth, it spoke in the softest tone Alex had ever heard.
"Trust….the...Duke..."
It was barely above a whisper, but Alex was sure that's what the golden figure said. It wasn't an answer to his question, but there was something reassuring about being told that he could trust his employer. That being said, before Alex could ask anything else, the golden figure suddenly began to glow and shrink down into the size of a small orb. The orb flew at Alex, making the American flinch and try to dodge it, only for the orb to slow down and gently settle into Alex's hands.
In that instant, Alex felt a brief flash of understanding within his mind as he realized that this was the Soul of Touya Mochizuki. It was difficult for Alex to put into words how he now understood this fact. Still, it was as if he could almost see an invisible label above the orb that informed him of this fact. He could also feel several different emotions coming from the Soul, with occasional flashes of Touya's face in his mind's eye.
'Why...did you attack me? Could it have something to do with the Shadow?' Alex pondered as he looked at the glowing Soul, no longer having a trace of the Darkness it used to have when it attacked him and his party a short while ago. 'Well...I guess I have another question I need an answer for.'
Alexander...
'Huh?'
Wake up...
'Well...I guess that's my cue to leave...'
/
Alexander Springfield woke up feeling surprisingly calm, despite how he normally woke up after having an episode with these kinds of dreams. What did spook him, however, was when he found the Duke sitting on a stool near his bed, still wearing what the American suspected was what he usually wore to bed. Using his best judgment, Alex assumed that it must have been early in the morning, given the lack of sound in the palace.
"Sorry to wake you at this hour, but I thought it urgent to finally...explain myself," said Alfred as he humbly bowed his head to Alex.
Feeling a little awkward, Alex slowly sat up and shook his head.
'Jesus...I guess Touya was right...' Alex pondered before looking at the Duke. "Yeah, about trying to set me up with the Princess. Your Grace...I am flattered, but..."
"We don't have much time, but I swear, my boy," Alfred interrupted, raising his head and, surprisingly, looking both guilty and sad. "I know how it must look to you...but please believe me when I say...I did it for not just the future of the kingdom but for your sake as well."
"My sake?" Alex blinked, confused about what he meant because he couldn't detect any hint of a lie. "What do you mean?"
"I have some possible answers," Alfred admitted with a nod. "Something I managed to discover after your impromptu expedition to the ruins of the Old Capital with those picture things you provided me."
"You found something?" Alex followed up, eyes wide as he finally had a lead. 'Son of bitch...Fortunata was right...'
"I did...but..."
Alex could see the sadness in the man's eyes; whatever it was, it wouldn't be good news.
"I truly believe that you are a good man," Alfred continued with a nod. "And I do not want another good man to end up how most good men do in this cruel, unforgiving world."
Something about how Alfred spoke those words made a shiver run down Alex's spine.
'The others...what happened to all of them?' Alex remembered the graves in his dream with the talking cat, the murals, and what Shera said regarding the one known as the Demon Lord. "So...what do you know?"
"I have a faint idea," said Alfred, looking at the young man again, still looking sad.
"Throughout history, there have been...strange occurrences...it's happened... maybe ten times or a thousand times. We have records of kingdoms that otherwise have never existed...maps of lands that do not have much of ours...yet their history and their influence remain...even in the last great age...of the Parthenos Empire...there are so many scattered records...and yet when we look at Belfast. There was another country that predated us...Friedonia. We know that our history is tied to that kingdom...but the maps...the records...they just do not add up!"
'Just what is going on in this world?' Alex could under why the Duke would be more than a little unnerved about their world's history not adding up and judging from the sounds of it. It is not just because of the lack of missing records but because of an outright contradiction with what they know is reality. "But where do I come into the picture?"
"Each era...shares another feature...one way or another...strangers with special talents appear," said Alfred after taking a moment to collect himself. "The language used to describe these strangers vary wildly from era to era; source to source...some translations say strangers; others say heroes; while some sources even say that they are avatars of the Gods, even Demons!."
"I promise you...that last one is definitely not me," Alex answered quickly with a slightly nervous laugh. "But yeah...I guess a Stranger in a Strange Land would be pretty accurate..."
The Duke chuckled at the moment before he began looking glum again.
"Regardless of whatever or whoever these Strangers were. They always appeared when the world was in some kind of peril or Calamity... bringing their powers or skills to weather the storm. Yet...despite their victories or failures...these Strangers all shared the same fate...A cruel fate..."
Alex instantly felt the anxiety crash over him like a tidal wave.
"Shortly afterward...the world shifts...it seems like a whole new world is born..."
'God...what...the...fuck...' Alex mentally cursed as he gripped his blanket. "So..."
"I hoped that...by possibly arranging you with Princess Yumina...You may somehow avoid that fate...like the legendary King Solomo."
"Solomo?" Alex wondered, feeling like he had seen or heard that name before. 'Like King Solomon? I mean...Alexander the Great was here too...so King Solomon can't be too much of a stretch, I guess...'
"I guess...I can believe you're actually looking out for me," Alex admitted; what the Duke said made sense from his point of view and experiences. If Touya's message and Fortunata's portents are accurate, this might be his best chance to get answers. "But I don't want to end up being...and I'm sorry to frame like this, but I refuse to become your family's lapdog."
"I can understand your reservations on that front," said Alfred with a nod, without a hint of being offended by Alex's response. "You're not familiar with King Solomo, are you?"
"Sorry, I'm not," Alex admitted with a slight shrug. "Why?"
"So you don't know why he was referred to as King despite marrying into the Royal Family?" Alfred posed the question with a slight smirk. "Instead of, say, the Queen's Consort?"
Alex blinked for a moment in confusion.
"It is because of a preference for male rulers?"
"No," Alfred followed up with a shake of his head. "I will skip the lesson since I am running out of time. But it is possible that should you marry Yumina. You may have the right to take the mantle of regency, making you the fuller ruler and not just a Queen's consort."
"But...I don't want that..." Alex retorted, cringing at the idea of becoming a King, which starkly contrasted with his personal values.
"I know, but...look, my boy," Alfred continued with pleading eyes. "Please, if you truly do not wish to proceed with this, I will accept your decision. But before you do, all I ask is that you at least speak with the rest of my family; the King, the Queen, and the Princess before you do. We will have a better chance at privacy to discuss things better and in more comfortable settings."
"Fine," Alex agreed, suppressing a sigh. 'Maybe I can end up becoming a figurehead King and start the beginnings of Democracy in this world?'
"Excellent," said Alfred with his trademarked smile, looking far more lively. "Just follow Arne's lead when he wakes up later. We will speak later...good day, my young friend."
"Yeah, good day to you too, sir," said Alex awkwardly with a slow wave as the Duke made his exit. "Fuck...that was one hell of a way to wake up...no way I'm going back to sleep."
Alex shook his head as he pulled out his smartphone from his pocket, not taking any chances at leaving it on the table or back in his room. He barely trusted anyone here, and while he did trust the girls, the American knew that Linze had taken a genuine interest in the phone and was likely clever enough to figure out how it worked if given enough time alone with it.
Regardless, Alex was not ready for the conversation, not yet at least.
The young man's thoughts quickly returned to his dream again. As he recalled everything that he could, some words remained that Alex couldn't help but dwell on.
"Why worry about this world?! When you should be worrying about what is happening in your old world! You don't have to believe me! After all, you have the means to check for yourself!"
It had been a while since Alex had last checked on his world, especially with everything that had been happening here keeping him busy. Considering that looking into anything back in his old world tended to add to his stress levels. It seemed pretty apparent that the Shadow wanted to make him feel as bad as possible to try and make his offer more and more tempting.
'But how would he know how things are doing back home? Or is he making an educated guess?' Alex wondered as he looked at the unlit screen of the phone, thumb wandering above the glass as he considered giving in to his curiosity. 'Am I just playing into his lap if I do? Goddamn it...'
Alex suddenly stopped himself and violently shook his head to collect himself.
'When the job is done...I'll...I'll see what is going on...when the job is done,' Alex promised himself. He knew no matter what, he would check in sooner or later; his curiosity was just that strong. But he was strong enough to reason with himself to delay just for now. 'Please...God...You might have screwed me here...but please...take care of everyone back home...please.'
King Tristwin Ernes Belfast didn't think of himself as a good monarch.
He had done his best to pull his kingdom from the brink of ruin after his father's passing, doing his best to fix the man's blunders. Namely, ending the war with the Regulus Empire proved to be a pyrrhic victory at best, with a withdrawal of military forces and a non-aggression treaty. There was much that needed to be done, and yet it was unlikely that everything would be fixed before his reign ended; the most he could hope for was to steer the country in the right direction for the next generation. At least, that was until the news he received last night from his younger brother, Alfred. To learn that the Calamity seen throughout the scattered history of the world might be occurring again soon. Well, Tristwin was certain now that the Gods that had placed him on the throne to suffer an ill reputation no matter what he did. Thankfully, it seemed like the Gods weren't completely cruel, as they might have possibly placed the next Heralded Hero right into his lap...during what would arguably be the most crucial Summit of the Grand Court in recent memory.
'What must I have done in my past life to make the Gods hate me so?' Tristwin wondered as he waited for the rest of his family to arrive.
"My Love, at this rate, your face will hold that expression to the end of time," said Yuel, Tristwin's wife, with a playful giggle alongside their daughter, Yumina.
"Ah, please forgive me," Tristwin responded with an awkward smile. "I was just lost in thought for a moment."
"Have a lot on your mind, father?" Yumina asked with a curious glance. "About the Summit?"
"Nothing beyond what we have already discussed," Tristwin answered as he relaxed. Belfastian courtesy maintains that a noble host would typically dine with his guests for almost all meals. The only exception to that expected courtesy was breakfast, which, by tradition, was considered a more intimate affair reserved only for family. It was a tradition every noble household took advantage of to prepare for the day with their figurative hair down. "What about you, dear? Have you found any of the possible candidates interesting so far? I did not have the chance to ask you last night before you went to bed."
"Oh...umm..." While Yumina was often seen as quite headstrong and confident. It was still a little embarrassing to discuss such a topic with her father, as opposed to, say, her mother or even her cousin Sushie. "Well, so far, everyone seemed to have their own charms."
"That is not what you said last night, young lady," Yuel teased with a smile.
"Mother!"
"Oh?" Tristwin raised an eyebrow as he looked at his daughter with a curious eye. "Well, let's hear it, then. If one candidate suits your eye more than others."
"Well, I mean..." Yumina stammered momentarily, only for the door to open, allowing her uncle's family to enter and join them at the table. This allowed the young Princess to delay and greet the rest of her family. "Good morning, Uncle Alfred, Aunt Ellen, Cousin Sue."
"Good Morning, Yumina," Alfred and Ellen managed to say in unison as they took their seats.
"Morning, Yumi!" Sushie chirped with a broad smile as the servants began serving breakfast now that everyone was here.
"You have excellent timing, brother," Tristwin immediately began the conversation while giving his daughter a smirk. "We were just discussing about Yumina's candidates."
"Ah, yes," Alfred quickly retorted with a nod and maybe a subtle wink between the two brothers that no one else noticed. "While there is still plenty of time to choose. It does make it easier to start narrowing down your choices."
"There is no pressure, sweetie," Yuel interjected, Ellen nodding along. But we are here if you have any questions to help make a more informed decision."
Yumina nodded, feeling a little more relieved. This was a difficult decision: to choose between her heart and what might be the best benefit to the kingdom, the best decision that could lead to a better tomorrow.
"Why is it even a question?" Sushie suddenly spoke up between bites of her food with a confused expression. "Alex is the best choice! He's super strong, super nice, and really smart! But if you don't take him, cousin, I'll marry him instead!"
"That's quite the declaration," Yumina followed up, surprised by her cousin's words. 'He's the only candidate that I didn't have a chance to speak with, but also the only one who caught my eye in more ways than one.'
"Is that why you brought him, uncle?" Yumina asked with a more curious expression as she slowly began regaining her confidence.
"It was one of the reasons," Alfred admitted, trying to keep his cards close to his chest. He couldn't go into exact detail with the servants listening. He knew allowing the rumors to spread that Alex was simply a candidate for Divine Exceptionalism worked with his plans just fine, even better than fine. But letting it slip that he may be the next Heralded Hero before they could confirm that the Calamity of Worlds really has returned could cause a full-blown panic. "But he is proven to be very reliable and diligent, and I do not believe anything will go wrong with the Summit. Having someone with his skill set on hand as a precaution is simply for peace of mind, regardless of whether you choose him or not."
"My, now that is quite the endorsement, Alfred," Yuel responded with a soft laugh.
"I have to agree with my husband," Ellen interjected with her own smile. "It is thanks to Alex that I can see again."
"So it really was him," Yumina suddenly spoke up, looking fascinated.
"Ah, so you did tell her," said Alfred with a knowing glance at her father.
"The letter was too interesting not to share with the family," Tristwin admitted with a shrug. "But since the letter lacked detail, there was no word on how it actually happened. So how did he manage to heal, you Ellen?"
"I can't share all of his secrets," Ellen teased with another smirk that mirrored her husband's. "It's best to see and hear those secrets from the man himself."
"It would be...nice to speak with him," Yumina followed up. "I have already spoken to the other candidates...save for him."
"You will have the chance if you wish it," Alfred assured her with a warmer smile. "We could even arrange it today, after the meeting."
"I suppose that could work," said Yumina before looking at her plate to begin eating.
"Let us discuss this further after breakfast," Ellen suggested with a smile. "At this rate, our food will turn stone-cold."
"A fair point, sister," Tristwin admitted before everyone began to dig into their meal. "We can continue this conversation later."
Yumina knew that meetings like this may become a common feature of her life on the day she became Queen. As Crown Princess, she had always taken the lessons from her governesses to heart, from history and politics, economics and trade, magic, and even some combat training. All of this was done for as long as she could remember to prepare herself, but that didn't stop her from being bored out of her skull as she listened to everyone drone on and on tariffs and trade deficits. That being said, she was trying her best to keep up and pay attention.
"We could reduce tariffs on imports for a brief time to try and reduce the sudden prices of food before the next harvest," Zanac suggested politely as he laid down some rather impressive figures thanks to some shrewd administration; his father looked proud as he allowed his son to speak on his behalf. All of the possible heirs of the Great Nobles were using this moment to speak instead of their noble parents as a chance to display their abilities to govern...except for Count Balsa. "The reeves amongst the main farming towns have reported that we should be getting a bumper crop later this year, which can ensure those low prices once we get those tariffs back up."
'I remember father mentioning something about the sudden rising cost of food,' Yumina pondered as she tried to recall what had been spoken about. Zanac's family ruled the Western region of Belfast, which most of their farmland. As the kingdom's breadbasket, it was vital for any suggestions made by the Western Lords to be heeded when it came to this. 'But reducing tariffs would cost the treasury dearly...and our budget is already very narrow from what I can remember...'
"That would be a lifesaver," said Wein in agreement as he rubbed his forehead. Natra, the northern region of Belfast, was mostly mountainous, making it unsuitable for most kinds of farms. Its only saving grace was access to the sea and the riches that the mining industry was able to unearth to pay for their food imports that the sea couldn't provide. "I was fearing having to go back to the Imperium or even Linhea to get enough food for next winter."
"But reducing those tariffs will cause the treasury of my County to plummet," Zenovia Marden countered with a deep frown. "Unlike your peaceful counties that border seas or friendly lands, my friends. My county's army is constantly on alert, guarding the border from Regulus, who, even to this day, sends mercenary skirmishers to poke and prod at our defenses. Almost every coin that enters our coffers is used to maintain that mighty force, from weapons to repairs to paying every administrator and footman in its payroll."
"The same goes for the South," Count Balsa interjected while looking concerned about the plan proposed, while his son wasn't trying to hide how bored he was. "Our alliance with those...Beastmen has yet to be completed; it will be a few months before it is finalized. Until then, our armies stand at the border..."
'Fucking kill me,' Alex mentally groaned as he stood guard next to the Duke. While economics wasn't his strong suit, he could get the general gist of everyone's concerns, a tale as old as time. Even back in his world, things like inflation, trade deficits, defense spending (which nowadays mainly focused on pro-heroes in most countries), and other things were common talking points in every election cycle as far as he could remember. 'This might be a whole lot easier if this wasn't a feudal society. It's stupid to have five mid-sized armies loyal to their lords rather than one army that, in theory, should be loyal to the people and the nation's protection.'
"I could speak with some of our industrial foremen about temporarily reducing material prices to everyone in the country to help compensate the difference," Wein suggested, not happy with the suggestion, but it was a sacrifice he was willing to make.
'Thankfully, it seems like these guys actually give a damn,' Alex admitted with a budding respect for some of the nobles in this room despite their outward appearances. Everyone in the meeting began muttering amongst themselves with some begrudging approval. 'Everyone shares a bit of the burden now to make things easier later.'
"If the issue is money, then why don't we just make more of it?" Barbro suddenly interjected, speaking out of turn from his father. "We can always just make more coins, right? So why not do that?"
"With what bullion?" Zanac quickly interjected with a frown. "Given the recent trade deficits we are experiencing, I doubt the central treasury would have enough gold or silver to make enough coinage to do what you are suggesting."
"Then just use less gold and silver and use more fillers; Natra's mines produce more than enough," Barbro retorted with a face smug enough to believe that he was a world-class genius for coming up with such a solution. "It's not like commoners can tell the difference. All they care about is that it's shiny."
"Son!" The Count was quick to chide his heir, who looked surprised at being spoken to so harshly.
'So either no one taught him about the basics of inflation by devaluing a commodity currency, or he's just a fucking idiot,' Alex quickly figured out as he resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Even without being the best at economics, the American knew that answer was just going to make things worse in the long run.
"The previous king did exactly what you are suggesting right now," Wein spoke up again, looking annoyed at the large blonde buffoon. "That and the unnecessary war with Regulus is why we are here more than a decade later, trying to fix his mess before we make one of the most important alliances in recent memory."
"My father had debased coinage so low that it ended up causing riots in the capital for weeks once the price of a loaf of bread started costing more than a silver piece," Tristwin admitted with shame as he remembered those dark days. "By the time I took the throne, a gold coin had less than a tenth of actual gold, while silver had less than a third. The commoners might not notice right away, but the merchants can and will act to avoid being swindled."
"It was only five years ago when we finally managed to recover most of those nearly worthless coins and remake them with a higher purity," Alfred spoke up in his brother's defense. "While it means less money to go around, it helped stabilize prices afterward, but that has not solved all of our ills."
"At last estimate, most of the money now should be an eighth of the gold and silver in each coin," Tristwin continued as he looked at reports from the royal mint he had gotten from the Prime Minister.
'Hold on...that's not...' Alex quickly raised an eyebrow.
Considering how much of his own money he had to destroy in order to make the fancy game boards that these aristocrats enjoyed yesterday, he knew that those values were not accurate. Instantly, Alex gave the Duke a silent signal to tell that something was off and they needed to speak urgently. Thankfully, it had been a few hours, so a sudden break shouldn't appear odd to everyone else.
"My Lords, perhaps we should take a moment?" Alfred instantly suggested as the discussion continued. "A moment to rest and speak amongst our advisors with some of the new knowledge and considerations we needed to look over."
"But...we have yet to discuss the possibility of getting reparations from Mismede," Count Balasa quickly countered with an air of frustration. "It would help pay for our ills and be a sign of good faith that they truly want this alliance."
"We can continue with that conversation once we return from a much-needed respite," said Tristwin, trying to reassure the old man. "Let us all reconvene in an hour and a half. I will have the servants bring refreshments in for us all shortly."
/
"Is something the matter, Alexander?" Alfred questioned once they managed to find a private room to speak in. "I was given quite the fright when I saw the signal."
"Sorry, sir, but it was the only thing I could think of without talking and possibly giving away something important," Alex retorted as he took some money out of his pocket that the Duke had given him for basic expenses. "But something about what the King said earlier confuses me more than a little."
"What do you mean?" The Duke looked more concerned than confused, but he watched Alex chant silently, and the coins in his hands began to glow. "What are you doing to those coins?!"
"I didn't notice this before," Alex began explaining as he seemed to disassemble the coins before the Duke's eyes. 'Mostly because I was so used to fiat-based currency.'
"My Modeling spell doesn't just help me shape things, but I can also break them down to their most basic parts," Alex explained as the material of now disassembled coins remained in his hands. "According to the King, these coins should be about eighty percent of the metal they represent."
"So, why is the amount of real gold in my hands is this small compared to what seems to be brass?" Alex questioned as he separated the pieces of the coin. "Same with the silver, but it's at least more than half, while the rest seems to be made of nickel."
"Gods above!" Alfred exclaimed in complete shock as he tried to find the words to explain what he was looking at. "But...that should not be..."
"Prices for things back in Reflet have always been weird," Alex explained, looking unsure if he was saying the right thing. "And I thought the recent price hikes were just because of the Summit. But if there was a sudden influx, more coins would be distributed, with debased values reentering the capital because of the Summit."
"That would explain the recent sudden spike in inflation in the city!" Alfred realized as his mind was working overtime. "But what would mean..."
"The royal mint must have been compromised in one way or another," said Alex with a deep frown as he realized just how hard the shit just hit the fan. The economy affected everyone, royals and commoners, adventurers and merchants, farmers and artisans. But most of all, it could affect how other countries might view Belfast. "Unless you authorize coins to be made anywhere else?"
"No, all of the money from Belfast is made at the royal mint, which is a short distance from the palace," Alfred quickly mumbled, clearly nervous about the situation.
'Well shit,' Alex questioned as his mind was trying to work at a mile a minute. 'This could either be just a cast of greed or sabotage; hell, it could be both. But what gets me is just how...expertly it was done. Sabotaging the economy just before the Summit...and that wasn't the only thing...'
"Sir, I have a few questions," Alex said softly as he started to put the pieces together in his mind.
"Yes?"
"Who could alter the mint without you or the King knowing?"
"Either the Treasury Minister...or the Prime Minister. "
"Who else besides your family knew about Sushie going to Belltown?"
"My servants, my houseguards...and the King's Court..."
"Does that include the Prime Minister?"
"Yes..."
"Why does the King have to know?"
"Sushie is currently fourth in line the succession for the royal throne," said Alfred, his face looking strained as he tried to answer as quickly as he remembered his conversation with his elder brother last night. "Anyone in the line of the succession within the 5th degree must inform the Royal Court for permission to travel. This includes details such as length and destination. Alexander...are you saying..."
"Last question," Alex interrupted, getting increasingly excited as he could finally not get some much-needed payback but possibly get a lead on the bastards who tried to pull this shit from Amanesque that managed to escape him. "Who has enough power to have someone silenced in prison in the capital without you or the King knowing?"
"Plenty, but the only one who would have known about the kidnapping plot and where the culprit would have been stored...that would be the Prime Minister," Alfred's face instantly grew dark. "Unfortunately, even if you are correct. Bring it up without hard evidence will not be enough, especially with the minor delay."
"I think I have an idea," said Alex with a mischievous smile. "If we move quick enough, we will not just catch the man red-handed, but with witnesses, too."
"I'm listening," said Alfred with a wide grin, eager to finally see the young man in action once again.
"Okay, first, I need to know a few quick details to make this work..." Alex began mentally prepping himself. 'Time to see if I could have been an actor in another life.'
'Damn it!' Staffan Heivish mentally cursed as he rushed to get to his private office. 'Why now would the King request an audit of the coinage so close before the meeting begins again?! I've been so careful about letting out the bad coins in small towns far away from the county capitals! Hell, I even used those bad coins to pay those bandits to kidnap the Duke's brat!'
'It's okay, it's okay, I can just lay the blame on that fool Denish and some of the other workers,' Staffan sported a devilish grin as he slowed down as not to appear nervous in front of the servants. His office was only a short distance left, and he needed a moment to start planning on the best way to salvage the situation. 'Regardless, even if I get caught, as long as I keep quiet. I'll still get to have my ultimate prize...Ah...Queen Yuel...Just wait for me, love. Once that chicken-hearted King is finally out of the picture and Barbro marries the Princess, you will be all mine!'
Staffan chuckled as he pictured himself finally being able to bed the woman he had been lusting for years; he quickly made his way inside his office and locked the door behind him. Given his years of long service, he was confident that he could convince the King to give him the time needed to frame the Treasury Minister and a few workers he had been meaning to get rid of anyway but couldn't without raising suspicion; maybe this audit was actually a blessing in disguise. Then, he needed to ensure that his deal with Count Balsa would remain undiscovered. Thankfully, he had played smart there and kept most of the evidence hidden in a special compartment in his private office.
"It's about time you got here; I was starting to get bored," an amused voice suddenly said, almost scaring the Prime Minister to an early grave. The fat blond man turned around to find a young man he had never seen before sitting on his favorite chair, feet firmly propped up on his magnificently made wooden desk. He seemed slightly above average height, with pale skin, shoulder-length snow-white hair, and yellow eyes.
"WHAT—I, Ah, who are you!?" Staffan demanded as he unlocked the door and kept his hand on the knob. "How did you get in here?"
"My dear Prime Minister, you should know by now that Paro has eyes and ears everywhere," the man answered casually with a wide toothy grin and a playful wink. "As for me? You can call me Blink. I'm one of Paro's best men, and how I got here unnoticed should be proof enough."
'PARO!? Why would Paro send one of his agents now of all times?!' Staffan gritted his teeth in frustration. "This isn't a good time for me to talk. Especially about our previous business together."
"Oh, it's exactly the perfect time to talk business," Blink countered, his smile growing wider than should seem possible. "I see that the King finally found out about your little scam, and you need a way out."
"But...how?"
"As I said, Paro has eyes and ears everywhere," Blink repeated as he hopped to his feet. "He even knows the one who ratted you out to the King. But play your cards right, and you'll not only be able to get rid of him, but we can also ensure that proof can be planted to incriminate him."
'Ah...I see...ever clever man, always looking for an opportunity...' Staffan took a deep breath. "For a price, of course?"
"Of course," said Blink with a nod and another wink.
"Of course," Staffan repeated breathlessly while shaking his head, hoping he could sway some leverage his way. "But what's to stop me from calling the guards and having you placed under arrest for threatening the Prime Minister who refused to take your bribe and threats? "
Blink laughed hard enough that he needed to lean on the Prime Minister's desk.
"You're welcome to try," said Blink with a simple gesture toward the door. "But then I can start singing about our previous business with the Duke's daughter to everyone at court."
"YOU WOULDN'T DARE!"
"Tsk, tsk, tsk, Paro would make sure that the King and the Duke would get all of the juicy details," Blink followed with a waggle of his finger and quick clicks of his tongue. Then he went into his pocket and pulled out a yellowed piece of paper...that had his personal seal. "Paro gave this to me as collateral, considering how quickly you silenced Corvus in jail. My boss wants to make sure not to have a repeat of the incident."
"I didn't have a choice!" Staffan puffed up with a growl. 'Damn that paranoid bastard! He wouldn't do business with me unless I signed the contract with my seal!'
"I didn't know much that mage knew about the plan!" Staffan continued, trying to defend his actions. "It was better to just make sure he didn't even have a chance to talk!"
"And Paro can respect that," Blink agreed with a nod. "But he won't tolerate repeated attempts on assets like myself. For your sake, I won't tell him that you threatened me. But I will be raising the price for my information to have a nice slice of the cut go my way. Oh, and we want real money, none of the fake shit you've been handling."
"Fine..."Staffan huffed in defeat. 'In the long run, it will be a short price to pay.'
"Also," Blink followed up. "In addition to the information we're selling. Paro wanted to know if you still wanted to arrange to try and take the Duke's girl again; even the Crown Princess or the other noble daughters are also possible...if you're willing to pay the fee since I'm already here."
"No," Staffan shook his head. "There's no need anymore...we needed her before the Summit. Besides, considering how much I paid Paro last time. I can only imagine how much he would want now, with those two being guarded almost everywhere they go."
"Very well," said Blink with a casual wave, looking a little disappointed. "One last question. Is there anything you need to arrange? Escape route, information about the other nobles, assassination?"
"Assassinating the King is a possible request," Staffan spoke up in a bored, off-handed tone, clearly wanting to be done with this conversation. "But not right now...it's too risky, but maybe you can get back to me in a few days."
"I see...what a shame," said Blink as he shook his head and was now looking annoyed.
"You'll still get your cut bloodsucker," Staffan barked, clearly irking that he must pay the cheeky boy. "Just name your price, tell me what you know, and leave."
"Oh, that's not what I meant," said the young man, with a darker expression and a suddenly different voice. "It's a shame that someone like you can reach such a high position. But then again...I'm going to enjoy what happens next."
"Wh..what?" Staffan's blood suddenly ran cold as "Blink" suddenly disappeared, and the Duke's new pet stood in his place. "You...you're..."
"Oh, and it gets better," said Alexander with a grin as he snapped his fingers. In an empty spot in the left corner of the elegant room appeared King Tristwin and Duke Alfred, both men looking beyond livid. 'I seriously need to thank Linze for that guide on light magic! That invisibly spell was useful!'
"What is the meaning of this outrage, Staffan!?" Tristwin roared like a mighty lion.
"Your Majesty! I-I-I-Swear, this isn't what it looks like! I was just...I was just!" Staffan croaked as he quickly fell to his knees, trying and failing to maintain his composure.
"There are no words to describe my anger," said Alfred in a cold voice. "But I only need one to describe all of your crimes: treason."
"Your Grace! It was a trick! I swear! I swear! It was a trick!" The Prime Minister bawled as begged to be believed. "Everything I said was to try and lull those thugs into a false sense of—"
"You dare continue insulting us by trying to play the fool!" Tristwin continued, doing everything he could to control his anger. "We were here from the very beginning!"
"But how? You were still upstairs! Both of you!" Staffan cried as he still couldn't believe what was going on.
"That's a trade secret," Alex interjected with a smile. However, before anyone else could follow up on what he said, the door suddenly opened as a worried-looking Queen Yuel entered the room. 'Oh...shit...'
"My Love, what is goi—Ah!"
Perhaps it was knowing that he was undoubtedly going to be sentenced to death and seeing that this might be his only chance. The Prime Minister somehow managed to find the strength and speed to spring to his feet, grab hold of the Queen with one hand, and pull an ornate dagger with the other from his belt that hung from his massive belly, holding it up to Yuel's neck.
"Gua—"
"Ah, ah, ah, not so fast, Your Majesty," Staffan said with a hard wheeze as he kept the Queen close and the knife even closer to the woman's slender neck. "Call the guards or make one wrong move, and you can say farewell to your wife!"
"Just when I think you couldn't sink any lower," said Alfred with clenched hands.
"All that matters is that you listen and listen good," said Staffan with a crazed smile as he used his stubby foot to shut the door, while turning to face Alex. Yuel seemed utterly frozen. "You may have been able to trick me! But it looks like the Gods are—"
"Aports!"
In an instant, the fancy knife suddenly disappeared from Staffan's hand. The Prime Minister had less than a second to process this and the fact that Alex had somehow closed the distance between them in the same heartbeat. The last thing that Staffan Heivish, the Prime Minister of Belfast for the previous seven years, would ever feel was a sudden sharp pain at the front of his face and then nothing more.
"Phew, hey, you alright?"
The Queen blinked as she regained her senses after being held hostage in the Prime Minister's large, sweaty arms, to now being carried gently in Alexander's left arm. Everything had happened so fast that she was still trying to process it, including the fact that Alex had punched the Prime Minister so hard that he crashed into the door behind him and tore it off its hinges.
"I—a," Yuel tried to speak. Still, the two were quickly surrounded by the royal brothers, who just managed to recover after seeing that incredible display.
"My love!" Tristwin cried as he stood by her side in an instant, relief clear on his face. Alex quickly left her and went to check on Staffan's limp body, which was a few feet away. "Oh, light of my life, are you unharmed?!"
"I...I believe so," Yuel answered as she regained her composure. "What happened, Tristwin? Why did...?"
"A long story that will be explained soon," Tristwin answered as he steadied his breathing as Alfred walked past to speak with Alex. "But a better question is, why are you here?"
"Some of the nobles began to complain about your extended absence," Yuel explained as she looked around the Prime Minister's office. "Yumina was scarce on details save that you needed to speak with Staffan...so I came to find you...I'm sorry..."
"I see..." Tristwin sighed, cursing himself for being vague when he sent out the order. He couldn't risk anyone else getting wind of their plan if it spooked any other possible traitors in their midst. The King kissed his wife's hand, thanking the gods for their mercy. "No, My Love. I should be the one begging for your forgiveness."
"Love..."
"Damn it," the two heard Alex curse, making them turn their heads. A small crowd of servants and guards who had heard the commotion had gathered; Alfred was quickly doing damage control while it seemed like Alex was trying to heal the treasonous Prime Minister. Tristwin quickly helped his wife get up and joined Alfred in dealing with the crowd.
"All of you are to remain silent," Tristwin quickly ordered, knowing it was a moot point as nothing can stop gossip. Still, it was essential to maintain an air of control over the situation. "Yuel, collect the servants and their names. Alfred does the same with the guards. Alexander, how is the Prime Minister doing?"
"Understood," Yuel and Alfred replied in unison before doing as bid and began dispersing the crowd.
"He's dead; I'm sorry, sir," Alex shook his head as he wiped his sweaty brow, tired after trying every healing spell in his arsenal, including Recovery. "I was so focused on saving the Queen...I must have hit him too hard."
"Do not apologize, Alexander," said Tristwin with a bittersweet smile as he touched the young man's shoulder. He was amazed that everything Alfred had said about this young man was true. 'The bluff tricking of the Prime Minister with the fake contract was a stroke of brilliance. His ability not just with magic, but with planning and words...'
At this point, although Tristwin still wasn't convinced that the boy might be the next Heralded Hero, at the very least, he was confident he could be an excellent son-in-law and a boon to the country.
"While disappointing that we lost our lead, we still found evidence of a large-scale conspiracy against the crown. We know to be more alert and vigilant for the rest of the Summit; can I continue to rely on you as my brother has?"
"Yes, sir," Alex answered quietly with a slight nod as he rose up to his feet to face the King. "I'll do whatever I can to help."
"Thank you for your continued support," said Tristwin, bowing his head and whispering. "And for saving my wife."
Alex looked at the kind man with an awkward smile and simply nodded.
"Now, we need to act fast," Tristwin's instantly became firm. "Alexander, please return to the meeting and inform everyone that the meeting will continue shortly after another. We just need to secure things here. "
"I understand," said Alex, quickly fixing himself up before returning to the meeting.
"Oh, and Alexander?" Tristwin called out just before the young man turned the corner.
"Yes?" Alex stopped and turned around.
"I would not mind if you became my son-in-law," said Tristwin with a smile. "Provided that Yumina selects you. That being said, feel free to take the Prime Minister's seat for the rest of the meeting."
"Ah...umm...y-yeah, I mean..." Alex stammered. He had no idea how to follow up on that statement and decided to move on. Tristwin, however, was able to chuckle despite the circumstances. "O-okay..."
"I am just glad I finally understand why Alfred holds you in high regard," Tristwin said to himself as he watched Alex quickly make his way back before looking down at the dead man. "Now...what to do with you?"
"What is the meaning of this delay?" Lord Barbro complained as all of the Great nobles had been left waiting for the royal brothers to return for over another hour at this point. "Is the King mocking us?!"
"Your Highness, do you know exactly what is delaying His Majesty and His Grace?" Count Ramposa asked surprisingly politely while his son Zanac was still reviewing some notes. "Even the Prime Minister has yet to return, despite his seat being taken over."
"I am afraid not, My Lord," Yumina quickly answered with a polite shake of her head. "Sir Springfield informed me that my father and uncle would return after another hour. The Prime Minister, however, would not return to ensure that whatever issue had arrived would be attended to despite the meeting."
"Sir Springfield?" Barbro barked with a taunting laugh as he gave Alex a dismissive glance. "Last I remember, this boy is a 'Man-of-honor,' not a Knight! Why are you even here again, boy? Especially in the Prime Minister's seat? Have you no respect?"
"Barbro!" Count Balasa was quick to reprimand his son again.
"No, Father! It is an insult to the rest of us to have some no-name commoner amongst us!" Barbro retorted with a sneer. "Especially one who thinks he can so blatantly court the Princess in front of us!"
Yumina did her best to keep her face from turning red, but she was a little happy to have Alex sitting next to her rather than the Prime Minister, who often repulsed her.
'Blatantly? I didn't even fucking know what that stupid armband meant!' Alex kept his face neutral, but he was starting to lose his patience with the talking gorilla. Thankfully, and to his surprise, someone among the nobles came to his defense before he could say anything.
"The Duke probably has a good reason for him being here," Wein suddenly interjected with a wry smile. "And if the Prime Minister is to be absent for the rest of the meeting. I see no harm for someone else so trusted by the royal family to be seated in his stead...Oh, and for the record, Barbro, Sir, is a polite courtesy that could be extended to a man of honor. Even if he has not yet been made a Knight. As for courting the Princess, while unorthodox, a commoner and royal marriage is not unheard of for those who study history if the latter proves invaluable to the Kingdom."
"Heh, as if I would listen to someone who associates with those disgusting Flahns!" Barbro countered with a laugh as he looked at Wein's female bodyguard, who, like Alex and the other nobles' bodyguards, had remained close to their lieges but had primarily remained silent throughout the meeting save for the occasional whisper. "But I suppose if you keep her around just for a little bedroom fun, I think I can understand why even you would stoop so low. At least the Princess knows from the beginning to accept a mistress if she chooses you as her husband."
"Lord Barbro!" Yumina looked scandalized.
'What are Flahns...,' Alex had been wondering as his eye darted from Wein to his bodyguard with the white hair as Barbro continued his rant. 'Are they a separate ethnic group or...Ooooh shit...'
It wasn't hard to see that Barbro's comment must have struck a nerve as the typically jovial-looking brunette suddenly looked quite murderous.
"Looks like I finally managed to wipe that smirk off your face," Barbro continued with a mocking drawl, clearly enjoying his ability to get under the young lord's skin.
"Barbro!" Count Balasa yelled again, this time grabbing his son's shoulder.
"You seem to have difficulty trying to reign in your son, Barbus," Fyshtarre commented with a bored voice but looked amused nonetheless. His daughter Zenovia, however, was also in shock at Barbro's comment."I suppose that should be expected, given recent rumors..."
'Shit, shit, shit, shit!' Alex grew increasingly nervous, and he could see things only getting worse as the tension grew. Hell, some of the bodyguards were even starting to have hands inching towards their weapons. 'SHIT, SHIT, SHIT!'
"My deepest apologies, my Lords," King Tristwin's voice suddenly spoke up as the two royal brothers returned to the chamber and back into their seats. "We had an unexpected development occur and must be dealt with immediately. Thankfully, the Prime Minister is more than up to the task."
"It must be important if you keep you from continuing this meeting," Ramposa said calmly, helping to break the tension as all the nobles who were talking settled back into their seats as if nothing was amiss.
"It is," said Tristwin as he gave Alfred a look. "Brother, if you please."
"Of course," said Alfred as he revealed a handful of different coins and began to separate them. "These are completely new coins recently made and stored within the royal treasury. These coins have never left the palace. While the rest are samples collected from various servants who received from them from common exchanges from within the city proper."
Most of the nobles looked confused about why the Duke was showing off these coins; however, Lord Zanac suddenly looked far more alert and attentive to what was going on.
"Alexander, if you don't mind," Alfred said suddenly as he handed his young friend the first set of new coins.
"Oh...right..." Alex suddenly spoke up, looking surprised as all eyes suddenly turned on him. 'I wish he had given me a heads-up, but I suppose a live demo is more convincing!'
"Modeling," Alex chanted as the coins began to glow and split apart. 'Ah! These coins have more gold!'
Once Alex was done, he placed the raw materials on the table for everyone to see. There was a sizable nugget of gold with a few fillers, the complete opposite of the coin Alex had broken down earlier.
"A fine display of magic, Your Grace," Fyshtarre commented with a sarcastic clap. "Your servant truly can destroy perfectly good money."
"Father," Zenovia whispered nervously, but Fyshtarre ignored her, clearly annoyed by the delay.
"Sarcasm should be beneath you, My Lord," Wein interjected with a raised eyebrow. "But in all seriousness, Your Grace. What was the point of this little demonstration?"
"All will be made clear in one moment," Alfred reassured the nobles as he handed Alex the remaining coins. "Just like before."
"Right," said Alex before repeating the process, and instantly the difference was made clear.
"I knew it!" Zanac exclaimed suddenly as he looked at the results. "I knew something was off about some of the recent coinage based on the reports I had from the reeves, but I had no hard evidence—until now!"
"Good lord, Your Grace, are you sure those coins are not just leftovers missed during the last reformation of monies?" Ramposa spoke up with a slightly shaken voice.
"I am afraid not, My Lord," said Alfred as he shook his head. We noted the dates on these coins before I had Alex disassemble them in front of all of you. They are all dated after the last currency reform, and I can assure you that we did not authorize this change, as you can see from the fresh coins that came straight from the mint."
"And how did you come across this?" Wein interjected with a deep frown, likely understanding how bad the situation would get with negotiations going forward if the majority of the country's money was not just heavily debased again but downright counterfeit.
"It was me," Alex suddenly said, raising his right hand slightly. "I had destroyed some of my coins to make all the broad games you enjoyed playing yesterday."
"Ah, you are the creator of those games?" Ramposa questioned, looking impressed.
"No, I just made the boards; those are just games I encountered from my travels and remade them for the Duke," Alex quickly retorted with a rapid shake of his head. "But to get back on track. I didn't know how much gold and silver should be in those coins. But when the King brought up the actual value."
"You instantly noticed and informed the Duke during our time apart," said Zanac with an understanding nod.
"Yes," said Alex with a nod.
"And we can confirm that the source is coming from the royal mint," Zanac continued with a growing frown. "Hence why the Prime Minister is not here. He's like trying to discover the source, like the Minister of the Treasury or one of his assistants."
"Indeed," Tristwin casually lied with a nod; the longer they could keep the secret about the Prime Minister's death. The better chance they had to uncover evidence of who among the nobles could have collaborated with him. "Hence the reason for the delay, but unfortunately, it does place us in a precarious situation."
"Damn it, this means we need to completely redo all of the terms that involve money up to this point," Wein sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose.
"But why?" Barbro spoke up, completely irked at the idea of having to redo several hours of tedious work.
"Good grief," was all Wein said as he shook his head.
"We negotiated all of the terms thinking that all our money had that actual value as planned by the mint," Yumina finally said, sounding firm and clearly tired of Barbro. "Now that we know that is not the case, we need to find out how much we actually have and go from there."
"Actually, I may have a solution to solve most of our problems with a simple shortcut," Zanac suddenly spoke up, looking more than a little determined. "And even better, it should effectively curve the price hikes and hopefully assist in."
"What do you purpose?" King Tristwin asked, looking more than a little interested.
"Introducing new coinage," Zanac suggested as he began to produce a few notes. "The system we used now served us well in simpler times. But as the economy and kingdom grow, he needs something new to expand our coffers while also making prices more exact to the actual value of a commodity."
"In simpler terms," Zanac continued. "I propose the introduction of not just a new coin as stop gaps, but a new material type, bronze."
"Why bronze?" Wein questioned with a puzzled face as everyone else looked with curiosity. "It's a little better than copper but nowhere near as valuable as silver."
"That's exactly why we should introduce it," Zanac said with a smile.
'OH! I get it!' Alex finally figured out what the young lord was saying, as he could remember struggling to price some of the foods back in the Silver Moon Inn. The gap between copper and silver was actually pretty massive when it came down to it.
"Sir Alexander," Zanac suddenly said, addressing the American with a smile. "What do you think?"
"Why are you asking him?!" Barbro roared with indignation.
"Because he understands what Zanac is trying to do," Zenovia suddenly interjected with a smirk. "Or did you not notice the look in his eyes when he realized what this all means for commoners like him?"
'Holy shit, these guys are actually smart,' Alex realized, impressed by how sharp the rest of the younger nobles actually were, especially when compared to Barbro.
"Yeah—I mean, yes. Some of the prices for certain things never made sense regarding the actual exchange. And because there weren't any coins whose value was between copper and silver to help curb the cost difference, in most cases, someone was almost always either overpaying or underpaying for goods. Which eventually causes prices to fluctuate in strange ways. If it affects me, it definitely affects the lives of the commoners you rule."
"Ah, I see quite the clever proposal," Tristwin admitted as he and Yumina looked very impressed by Zanac's idea. "But that would not solve our concerns regarding the current debasement."
"Actually, it can," Zanac continued, feeling more confident. "It will not solve all of our problems, but it can help as long as we can start collecting the debased coins and release new ones with redesigned features to help differentiate them apart while increasing their purity even further. We can inform the population about the situation and provide methods to have the people exchange the debased coins with new ones and eventually stop accepting what will become known as fake coins. Meanwhile, we keep the value completely dependent on the value of the platinum coins rather than gold."
"They can't debase Platinum given just how rare of a coin it is; some shops won't even accept it because of its extreme value," Alex spoke up. "So if the basis for the value of Belfast money is tied to Platinum instead of which hasn't changed in value since it was first minted, right?"
"Correct," said Alfred with a nod and a smile; they had already found evidence that the now deceased Prime Minister had not altered the Platinum coins, as that would have instantly raised eyebrows sooner. "Even my father knew not to alter the value of that platinum coinage since it was almost pointless to spend except for the greatest of purchases."
'I should do some research online about this,' Alex pondered as he remembered something from one of his ancient history classes about how some ancient civilizations dealt with economics.
"So if we restart negotiations but use platinum as our base but not use it for trade," Wein realized with wide eyes.
"Then all we need to do is agree to the new values and exchanges for the new money we are going to establish," said Yumina with a glimmer in her eyes.
"But making new molds for the coins will take a time," Fyshtarre interjected, liking the proposal but concerned about the execution, especially with their limited time.
"That was one of the issues I could not figure out," Zanac admitted with a smirk before glancing at Alex. "At least until I discovered what the Duke's friend can do."
"Ah! Alexander, do you think you could make new coin molds for us?" Tristwin asked as everyone turned to look at the young man.
"It should be possible," Alex admitted, ignoring that all eyes were on him again. He had already made some molds, which made certain gun parts easier to make than using the modeling spell alone. "I can likely use the old ones to save time; I just need to know the new designs for the new coin faces."
"Excellent," Tristwin exclaimed with a sigh of relief. "Then we will assess the values of the new coinage for the rest of the meeting before we continue where we left off from the negotiations."
"But sire," Count Balasa tried to interject weakly, but considering how many faces he had lost and the clear minority in the discussion. "It is crucial that we get this proposal..."
"We will discuss the idea of possibly getting reparations from Mismede," Tristwin answered patiently but clearly was getting a little annoyed.
"Only the possibly..."
"We need to determine what the new value of those reparations could actually be, My Lord," Zanac followed up, seemingly trying to assuage the Southern Count. "With the revaluing, we could get more than you originally requested."
"Very well," Count Balasa sighed in defeat.
"Excellent, now, Lord Zanac...your proposal?"
Author's Commentary
Normally, I don't do quotes in multiparters. (Because I feel like multiparters serve as one massive singular chapter)
Ultimately, while we are still dealing with the summit, the chapters have become different enough for them to no longer be treated as a multiparters.
So I renamed the previous chapter and dropped the "Part 1" aspect.
I started the opening with a return to the Dark Souls inspired elements with the idea that Alex has possession of Touya's Soul as well as the quote from Dark Souls 2 that I felt really resonated with what I trying to explain when it comes to this world's strange past. Those who are better versed in Dark Souls Lore should appreciate what I'm trying to imply overall with the previous worlds. Now let's talk turkey about a subject that is near and dear to my heart...money...I'm just kidding, but world building.
Economics in fiction is always an interesting subject. (At least to me...I may or may not have binged watched several youtube videos of the economics of various fiction settings.) Typically in most series, there is a basic idea of how economics work, but it doesn't really do much for the overall story. (i.e. Harry Potter.) This also applies to most fantasy/isekai anime, however, some series like Overlord, How the Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom and How the Genius Prince Got the Kingdom of Debt, actually delve into the inner workings of the world which includes the economies. (Seriously, I can't stress how much I love How the Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom and pray for a sequel.)
Anyway, Smartphone had a real basic economic system that would break under normal circumstances, so I wanted to play around with the idea as part of the greater scheme behind the scenes of Count Balsa's attempts to take power and the bad past that Belfast is still recovering from. Fun fact, I based some of the ideas of Zanac's economic reforms on real world history, name one of Augustus Caesar's large-scale economic reforms after the formal establishment of what we call the Roman Empire. (This isn't a cure for everything in this world's economy, but it's way more than what the original creator ever did.)
Alex still finds his way to win hearts and minds before the real shit hits the fan and let's just say that while will return to more canonical events in the next chapter. It doesn't mean will be getting the exact same results...and boy I'm going have a lot of fun in the coming chapters.
That cover it for now.
Until next time!
-ZX