I Became A Black Merchant In Another World-Chapter 396: Ponzi scheme (10)

Fabio de Rothschild had long since transcended mere respect in Hell and had become an object of deep admiration.

Especially Fabio's many feats, which could be described as "touching," "based on real events," and "approximately the entire demon realm wept," had become legendary among demons.

The demons, with reverence in their hearts, held up fans, placards, and various cheering sticks adorned with Fabio's face, eagerly awaiting the announcement of his next dark deed.

"Hey, Markus. Have you heard anything?"

"If I knew, I'd already have passed the Satan exam and become a full-fledged demon."

"Yeah, I was a fool to expect anything from you. What could a dumbass with a GPA barely over 2 points understand? Why not take this chance to enroll in Angel Academy and become an angel instead?"

"You son of a bitch, speaking nicely now. You better follow me to the rooftop after this presentation."

"Look at you, like a soft little punching bag, just like your parents. Do you think I’d feel anything if you hit me?"

While these two were muttering to each other, Dantalion, the dean of Satan University, appeared.

The dean, a grand demon, personally stepping forward to announce the misdeeds of a mere human?

In other words, this meant that the demons had achieved a feat so great it could make them grab the back of their necks in awe.

"My God. Hey, brace yourself."

"It seems like the 73rd Great Demon has achieved an incredible feat."

Dantalion began his speech, addressing the tens of thousands of students of Satan University present.

"Right now, you are all learning what it truly means to be evil in a time that will shine brightly in the history of demons. I am genuinely envious of you. Back in my day, the most 'evil' thing we could do was prank in the bathroom and drop a weary human into a latrine to die, and we thought that was a 'revolutionary evil act.' But these days, that’s seen as kids' play."

Dantalion genuinely envied those who could study in an age where evil deeds were evolving daily.

However, for the students, this was both a joyous and sorrowful moment.

The joy was living through a moment in history, and the sorrow was that now, they had to memorize all of this newly emerging history.

In the past, there were seven subjects for demon exams, but now with courses like "Fabio's Philosophy" and "Rothschild Demonology," the amount of study had skyrocketed.

Other subjects had already been defined, so memorization was easy, but the newly created subjects hadn't been defined yet, so memorizing the textbooks was impossible.

Even those who were planning to graduate with a bachelor’s degree to become demons had to acquire knowledge equivalent to a master’s level.

Of course, among demons, the Master's and Doctoral programs of Demonology had become so intense that some demons had gone mad from the overwhelming amount of study.

For those demons, hearing that Dantalion was envious made Markus feel sick.

"Why did Fabio start his great feats just before I could take the Satan exam?"

"Fabio, for the sake of avenging a mere 20,000 gold coins, pulled the entire continent, even the Sultanate, into the Crusades again. The Holy Empire has turned into a living hell."

Markus, along with the other demons, had their hearts stirred.

How could a mere human come up with such vast and terrible deeds?

Although it was frustrating that the amount of study had increased, it was impossible not to be moved by such a great act of evil.

"And this time, he invented a new scam called the Ponzi Scheme. At first, he paid huge amounts to those who invested, making countless people entrust him with their money. Then, when the time was right, he ran off with the money. He pulled off this scam on a national scale, and now the economy of the Lyon Kingdom is in ruins."

The demon, who was at the lowest level among the Great Demons but still held the rare title of Great Demon, began to cry, shedding tears.

"The Lyon Kingdom has experienced no famine, but the whole nation is suffering from a food shortage, as if there were a famine. Opportunists have seized this moment, and the nobles, trying to maintain their wealth and power, have exploited the people more than ever, turning the kingdom into the worst possible state. And the Lyon Kingdom probably won’t even realize that Fabio, a human, is the mastermind behind all this... Ah, I should feel ashamed as a demon for losing to a human like him. But strangely enough, I don’t feel ashamed at all."

Humans were supposed to be the ones to be corrupted by demons, seen as nothing more than fuel or livestock for Hell.

But Fabio had surpassed those limits and had been recognized by demons as a Great Demon.

And with those words, Satan, the King of Hell, also sympathized.

"It’s shameful for demons to lose to humans. But Fabio Rothschild, the Baron of Rothschild, has proven his worth long ago. I consider him my dear friend, even though he’s taken the form of a human."

"Satan..."

Satan then casually grabbed a cheering stick from a demon next to him, which had Fabio’s face on it.

The demons, astonished by how naturally Satan did this, admired his act.

"All of you, strive harder and become great demons like Fabio. Corrupt the earth, corrupt the world. Become stronger demons tomorrow than today, and stronger the day after tomorrow than tomorrow. That’s all."

As Satan’s words of encouragement came to an end, the demons present were moved to tears.

A mere human, without using any direct force, had pushed a whole nation to the brink of ruin through pure cunning.

This was no longer a mere feat but a miracle.

And for those with faith (in the mindset of demons), it was only natural to show reverence for this miracle.

Satan didn’t stop them.

In fact, rather than stopping them, he quietly entered a secluded room, locking the door behind him.

There, he placed his mouth in his fist and wept.

"He’s not a human. I am so fortunate to have been born in a world where I can see such a person..."

At this moment, Fabio was coming up with an idea that would amaze the demons and make Heaven despise it.

Although others might find this strange to hear...

I have no intention of letting the Sforza Duke family and its faction go unpunished.

Someone might respond to this thought of mine by saying, "But you’re the one who summoned the Black Hell Dragon of Hell and cursed them to bring about the downfall of the Sforza family."

I won’t deny it, but I sincerely do not want the Sforza bastards to fall.

"The Sforza Duke and his faction must live on."

It's not because I like them; there's a reason behind it.

First, imagine if half of the Empire, or rather, now a little over 40% of the nobility, suddenly collapses.

Even if figures like our Emperor, who was brainwashed by the "Virtuous Monarch" training and ended up becoming a true virtuous ruler, or Visconti, who became a champion of enlightenment while preparing for mandatory education, step up...

It would still take quite some time to stabilize the national chaos.

Sudden shifts in power always bring chaos.

If it were another time, I might have just let them collapse and satisfied myself by picking up the scraps.

But logically, if given the choice between 10 billion won and 300 million won, which one would you choose?

Of course, you'd pick the 10 billion.

Taking advantage of the Sforza faction’s downfall to acquire more territory or power, that’s the same as giving up the 10 billion to settle for 300 million.

"How often does one chase two rabbits and end up catching neither? You have to focus on just one."

Does this mean I’m going to let the Sforza Duke live without any cost?

Absolutely not.

It’s as unthinkable as Chloe’s chest shrinking from an A-cup overnight.

I’ll let them live, but they will pay the price.

"There was once a beautiful institution in world history called a 'puppet state.' Oh, wait, calling it a 'puppet state' sounds bad... How about calling it a 'protectorate'?"

A protectorate, meaning the Sforza Duke and his faction will become a faction under my protection.

Of course, while a protectorate has some autonomy, they must entrust important rights like diplomacy and defense to the 'protecting state'...

All the political power the Sforza Duke faction holds will become mine.

If they refuse my protection, I’ll solve it with a gentle method, like cracking ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ open their heads.

"This way, the balance of the Empire will be maintained, and I’ll gain a duke and a faction who understand me well... it’s a win-win."

Alright, I’ll do it right away.