I Became A Black Merchant In Another World-Chapter 232: Auditing and Absolute Power (6)

The finance minister, sweating profusely, retorted in an agitated voice.

“Yes, I did embezzle funds. But my family, the Cotina and Junnamak families, have served the Visconti Duke’s family for 250 years. So why would I betray His Grace? Please stop with these unfounded accusations.”

It’s not like I’m a thief with guilt creeping up on me, sweating while denying it. At moments like this, if you calmly say "I didn’t do it," without flinching, it’s much more convincing than if you act anxious.

While I appreciate his frankness, I can’t help but think, ‘Isn’t this a bit too sloppy?’

“Embezzlement isn’t exactly honorable. But embezzling or breaching trust, isn’t that something everyone does by convention?”

No one in our family does that.

Even if you embezzle a single gold coin, you could end up being thrown into the sea near the village of Vio immediately.

Oh, just to clarify, I don’t directly order such things.

Our family staff would voluntarily deal with those who betray the Baron’s grace by stuffing them into a barrel and tossing them out.

But, of course, this is a matter exclusive to the Rothschild family.

I can accept that much.

“So please, don’t accuse me falsely.”

If this were a false accusation, how could I have imprisoned Cotina Junnamak and chained him up?

If, by some slim chance, he were found innocent, the Visconti Duke and the lesser dukes could be charged for insulting the Duke’s vassals.

‘A vassal is part of the family, which could be seen as a declaration of war.’

It’s thanks to such a barbaric and simple system that medieval nobles could enjoy human rights at a level that’s practically on par with modern-day people.

“False accusations? Do you think I’m crazy enough to accuse you of that, Junnamak? Do you see me as some naïve, young fool like those early 20-somethings around you?”

In the Tuscany Empire, people in their early 20s are considered adults.

If they’re soldiers, they’ve recently made lieutenant or captain; if they’re bureaucrats, they’ve just been appointed as junior administrators; if they’ve entered a company, they’re beginning to manage subordinates under my command.

It’s like a chick just starting to shed its down feathers.

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‘Well, according to general common sense, at least.’

“The amount of embezzled money is estimated at 8,000 gold coins. Yet, the assets of the Cotina Junnamak family increased by 13,000 gold coins.”

Not all barons are the same, and the amount of power and wealth available to a Junnamak changes drastically depending on which family they belong to.

Junnamaks working under the Emperor’s command tend to live poorer than most barons, whereas those like the finance minister, working directly under the Duke who can’t afford to appoint a proper baron-level vassal, tend to have far more wealth and influence than a regular baron.

It’s like how executives in large corporations earn more than small business owners.

“Doesn’t that seem odd? You embezzled 8,000 gold coins, yet your wealth increased by 13,000 gold coins. Money doesn’t multiply like pigs giving birth, does it?”

Every embezzler in the world doesn’t keep the embezzled money exactly as it was.

They launder the stolen money to make it untraceable, turning it into ‘unidentified funds.’

They spend it on women, alcohol, and entertainment.

That’s why it’s practically impossible to recover the full principal.

But not only have you kept the assets in a form that’s easy to recover, you’ve actually gained more than the amount you embezzled?

‘That’s ridiculous.’

I’d rather believe that Chloe or Erica has a flat chest.

“I don’t trust people, you foolish man.”

Sex crimes, fraud, and various murders—all serious crimes.

Most of these crimes occur at the hands of someone very close to the victim.

Statistics prove that the probability of being stabbed in the back by a close person is quite high.

It doesn’t matter to me how many decades you’ve served the Visconti Duke, or how many generations your family has pledged loyalty. What does that have to do with anything?

“Money doesn’t lie. That’s why Deus said, ‘Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.’”

There are many people in this world who say they love you, that they think of you as family.

But excluding your parents, most of those who say that are liars...

However, if they buy you a drink while treating you to pork or beef, their words gain some credibility.

Why? Because they’re spending precious money to comfort you.

If they know you’re struggling and even give you a 50,000 gold note, even if they’re not family, they’ll become a friend you can trust for life.

“If you won’t admit it, fine. You’re free to say nothing or speak up, and you’re free to regret it later.”

I’m a good person who acknowledges the right to remain silent.

I have no intention of torturing someone who doesn’t want to speak.

‘It’s true that torture was abolished not because of human rights, but for efficiency, wasn’t it?’

So, I don’t use terrifying tools when interrogating someone.

Even though it’s not exactly pleasant, just a few words will do to make them speak.

“Oh, I had accountants conduct an audit of your family’s finances. I heard that your family’s daughters are very beautiful.”

“What did you just say?”

The finance minister, Cotina Junnamak, who is currently chained up, trembled with his hands.

No, I just said they were beautiful.

You might wonder why he reacted so strongly...

In the Tuscany Empire, it’s very natural for daughters to be sold into sexual slavery if their parents can’t pay their debts.

Of course, if they’ve committed treason or betrayed their lord, it’s common for their family to be sold as well.

Given this, it’s clear what this man is thinking.

“No, I just said that your daughters are beautiful. Three of them in particular, the rest were just... okay.”

Even if those three are beautiful, they can’t possibly compare to our wives.

“It’s a fascinating point as a merchant. I shouldn’t be the one saying this.”

I tapped Junnamak on the shoulder with a troubled expression.

“Daughters from noble families can be sold for quite a high price. It’s a buyer’s market. If you include identification papers and sell them overseas, you could make a fortune.”

In fantasy novels or movies, we often see scenes where bandits rob the carriages of noble daughters.

Why do they do it, even though the guards are elite, special forces-level warriors who would suffer major losses if they get caught?

Because kidnapping a noblewoman and selling her to another family can make a fortune.

“Oh, I’m just saying. I’m not really suggesting I’d sell them, so you can relax. Do I look like the kind of person who would do something evil? Don’t worry.”

Who am I?

I’m the humanitarian who refused to sell slaves to pay for a musket.

Of course, I refused because the slave trade was inefficient.

Anyway, like Lincoln, who abolished slavery for political reasons and became an almost saint-like president, I’ll remain in history as a good man who banned the slave trade in Ifrikiya.

‘Slavery is a bad civilization.’

If Europeans back in the day had had the same sense of human rights as I do, instead of using slaves to grow sugar in South America, they would have employed workers to do it and made far more profit.

That’s the mistake made by the British Empire, no, by the American cotton plantation owners.

‘Well, sexual slavery, purely from an economic standpoint, is a separate issue...’

Anyway, I am absolutely against the slave trade.

“But I’m not so sure. If the Visconti Duke doesn’t do it, who’s to say no one else will kidnap a fallen noble’s daughter when ‘security is not functioning properly’ and sell her?”

Such things frequently happen in the Tuscany Empire.

A smuggler, having paid a huge bribe, arrives at the port, and suddenly, the harbor master and all his staff go out for a pork banquet.

At that time, all the problematic goods are removed from the area.

Or, according to a high-ranking official’s will, a murder investigation of someone who met their ‘eternal rest’ is completely ignored.

“Honestly, if you don’t speak, this horrible thing can be prevented. And you might save your own life. If you want to escape with the stolen money I haven’t yet found, you’ll need to hand over those who sold out the Duke’s family. Let’s be honest, why do we betray? To survive.”

There is no cop who keeps their promise with a criminal.

I certainly don’t plan to.

“I’ll confess! I’ll confess everything! Just spare me and my family’s lives!”

“That’s up to you.”

And so, I received many confessions from this man.

Ah, of course, I don’t intend to keep any promises.

If I spare his life, how would I deal with the aftermath?

And so, I hurried back to Florence with the results of the audit and all the corruption I had uncovered during the process.

Chloe is about to hit her ninth month of pregnancy.