I Became A Black Merchant In Another World-Chapter 330: One Ghost, Labor Standards Act (8)

As soon as the meeting in the parliament ended, Count Salerno was deeply troubled.

"Never did I think a day would come where I’d have to make such a decision."

When nobles talk about making decisions, it usually means giving an order to assassinate someone, or issuing a directive to politically destroy someone by spreading outrageous propaganda and lies.

One might easily imagine such actions being those of beasts wearing human skins, not humans themselves.

That assumption is mostly correct.

In modern and contemporary world history, whenever something heinous occurred, you could usually trace it back to the land of fish and chips as the culprit, and that would mostly be right.

However, the decision Count Salerno was about to make wasn’t about immersing someone in a vat.

"My heart is heavy, but there’s no choice. I have to live, after all. Don’t you agree?"

One of his followers replied to him.

"Loyalty and honor don’t feed you, do they? Even loyalty passed down through generations can change with the situation."

In Eastern cultures, loyalty is absolute, and it's a given that a vassal cannot ask for any rewards in return.

But in the Toscana Empire, loyalty moves with the situation.

It’s like reeds swaying in the wind.

‘The era of Duke Sforza is over now.’

"You’re right, we need to live too."

Count Salerno and his group quickly met Duke Sforza in the parliament building.

As soon as the Duke saw him, he sighed but managed to smile.

"This has become difficult, Count."

"Yes, Your Grace. Things have gotten really difficult. But cheer up, surely good days will come again, won’t they?"

"I wonder if good days will come while that Fabio bastard is still alive."

Just thinking about it made the Duke's heart heavy.

Truthfully, the Duke didn’t want to care about how successful Fabio was, but he knew that if he left it alone, the Visconti faction’s influence would grow uncontrollably, and his own political standing would weaken further.

Reluctantly, he knew he had to draw his sword and use it.

‘That bastard doesn’t even flinch.’

No, if he attacks to survive, Fabio would retaliate a hundredfold.

"Your Grace, there’s something I must tell you."

"What is it?"

"Our family, the Salerno family, and all the nobles here have supported Your Grace politically for generations."

Duke Sforza felt his heart collapse.

He had already been openly criticized by the Emperor in the parliament, and his political position had become unbearably narrow. Now, even his faction’s key figures were deserting him.

But the Duke didn’t show his true feelings.

In this situation, he had to put on a façade, at least pretend to be strong, because if he didn’t, he could lose even more.

"I could never forget the Salerno family’s loyalty and dedication."

"But it seems that ends here. From today, we will follow Duke Visconti, not you."

Had it been some baron or viscount, the Duke might have shouted at them and forced them to stop.

Those were nobles, but they hadn't formed significant political power, so he could have easily crushed them if he wanted.

However, when the opponent is a count, no matter how powerful a Duke might be, it’s not easy to simply crush them.

The Duke had hundreds of barons and viscounts under him, but the count had at least ten or more of his own, making it a difficult battle of influence.

Thus, the Duke had to put on a face of generosity, at least pretending to be gracious, even though he was seething inside.

"Is this your final decision?"

"Yes, Your Grace."

"You’re not changing the country, just changing the faction you support. How could I stop you?"

"I’m sorry."

"No, no. You didn’t betray me or sell my weaknesses, so there’s nothing wrong with this. Do as you wish. I’m truly grateful for everything up until now."

Count Salerno bowed deeply, his last formal gesture before leaving.

Even though he had now become an enemy politically, this was the last expression of respect for the favors he had received from the Duke’s family for generations.

The Duke sighed deeply as he watched Count Salerno leave.

It was both frustrating and regretful that someone who had been so politically aligned with his family for generations was leaving.

But the bigger issue was this:

"Does he think that even the key figures of our faction will fall to Duke Visconti?"

The situation where even those he trusted were turning their backs on him.

It was like the image of his wife, who had been close to him until yesterday, now in the arms of a muscular black man, moaning and writhing. It was a situation he found unbearably bitter.

Tears began to well up in the Duke’s eyes.

At seventy, there had been no time to cry unless a family member had passed.

"The world really is cruel, cruel..."

Duke Sforza returned to his chambers and drank an entire liter of strong alcohol by himself.

That night, he was so drunk that he barely managed to fall asleep.

This is what a revolution looks like.

If it happens in our country, it’s disastrous, but if it happens in another country (potential enemy or enemy nation), we must stand up and cheer, offering our support.

What we need to watch out for is when "communism" is attached to it. Whether in our country or another, we should immediately suppress and eradicate it.

I don't need to repeat the absurd mistake the Americans made during World War II when they saved the Soviet Union to destroy Nazi Germany and ended up regretting it.

"You’re quite unique, my lord. Why would you want to meet someone like him?"

If you are reading this translation anywhere other than Novelight.net or SilkRoadTL, it has been stolen.

"Someone with a unique talent might be useful to have as a retainer. You never know when you might need them."

During the Warring States period, a man named Meng Xiang accepted someone who could make the sound of a rooster crowing as a retainer.

Others laughed at him for it, saying what kind of talent that was...

But later, when Meng Xiang urgently needed to pass a checkpoint and dawn had not yet arrived, the retainer who could mimic a rooster crowing did so. The guards, thinking it was dawn, opened the gate, and Meng Xiang’s life was saved.

It’s a tale of how seemingly useless skills can become useful in the right situation.

How useful do you think the skill of inciting people to protest is?

‘Goebbels didn’t get famous for nothing.’

"If you think that way, my lord, I won’t say more."

"Judge Mansini, I’m once again indebted to you."

"Considering how you’ve taken care of me, it’s nothing. My lord, you even got my fourth son into the accounting department through special means."

"I just made sure that the interviewers recognized a talented candidate. Honestly, letting someone like Matteo miss the opportunity to become an accountant would be a huge loss to the country."

Though that’s what I said, Matteo was actually not qualified to be in the accounting department.

He should have gone to the preparatory course, but I used my influence to get him into the official accounting department.

By 21st-century standards, this is outright academic fraud and would spark national outrage.

‘In the Toscana Empire, even military promotions are solved with bribes, so what’s the big deal?’

A joke, but in reality, there’s even a case where an incompetent colonel was promoted by bribing ten thousand gold coins.

In our Empire, where selling offices is illegal, no less.

"Hmm, there’s a guy named Bruno inside. He’ll be pardoned later by the Emperor’s grace, but the Duke asked me to have him half-dead while in prison. It’s a bit hard to look at right now."

"I’ve seen everything in noble life, including the unpleasant parts."

"If you say so, # Nоvеlight # my lord..."

The fact that Duke Sforza secretly ordered that Bruno be half-killed while in prison means that, once Bruno is pardoned, he will likely be abducted by a "mysterious stranger" and thrown into a swamp to become food for beasts and insects.

Without CCTV or advanced forensic technology, such things are possible.

"Let’s go in and talk slowly."

With those words, Judge Mansini left.

After walking a little further, I saw Bruno, just as Mansini had said, half-dead and shackled to a cross.

His eyes were still very much alive.

As soon as he saw me, Bruno couldn’t hide his shock.

"No, you’re Fabio, right? Why are you wearing such expensive clothes?! What are you doing here?"

"My name is indeed Fabio. But I’m not the second or third son of a peasant family like you. I am the head of the Rothschild family, Count Fabio de Rothschild."

Bruno, even after hearing that, still seemed stunned.

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"And you, thanks to the Emperor’s grace, will be pardoned in a week, but you won’t make it back to your homeland alive."

"Why would I die if I’m pardoned?"

"The assassins sent by Duke Sforza will kill you."

Bruno’s life is worth less than a single gold coin.

So from the Duke’s perspective, it doesn’t matter whether he lives or dies.

But Bruno, along with the other leaders of the labor movement, had caused a lot of trouble for the Duke...

‘This is probably just for some revenge.’

"I swear on the honor of the Rothschild family that you will likely face the most horrific torture in the world, begging for death, and only then, after all the suffering, will you die."

At these words, Bruno’s pupils began to tremble.

"If you don’t want to die, take my hand."

It’s either dying painfully without meaning or trying something, anything.

No one would choose to die in such a situation.

And I will awaken him as the Red Communist War Demon.

He seems to have some potential.