'Damn it... Should I contact the Sinclair family about this? No, that would be foolish. Of course, the Sinclair family would tell me not to listen to such nonsense.'
Doing nothing was also a ridiculous option.
The First Prince was said to be visiting soon, so the situation was urgent.
'I didn't expect this from the First Prince... It's like they're telling me to choose between the two.'
The First and Third Princes were mentioned as strong candidates to participate in the upcoming Crown War.
'I don't know if the Second Prince will join or not, as his support is weak. The chances of the First Prince winning the Crown War are slightly higher than fifty percent... Should I switch to the Tepez family line at this opportunity?'
As Benjamin was deeply pondering which side to take, Sebastian, who was looking after the store on Benjamin's behalf, approached him.
"Lord Benjamin, who was the visitor earlier? They mentioned being an imperial officer."
"They're from the First Prince's side. They warned me not to support the Third Prince in the upcoming Crown War."
"Isn't that a problem? We are under the protection of the Sinclair family."
"Of course... We can't follow their wishes. As you said, we have a deep connection with the Sinclair family."
Sebastian expressed his concern.
"But I heard that His Highness the First Prince is very aggressive. If we continue to support the Third Prince, won't the First Prince cause a scene?"
"It's obvious, isn't it? The Empress is from the Tepez family, so where else would her blood go?"
"What will happen to our guild's original plan to support the Third Prince?"
After much thought, Benjamin spoke.
"We'll have to bring this up as a guild issue. It's too big of a problem for me to decide on my own. Since there's a guild meeting coming up anyway, we should discuss the permanent withdrawal of deposit interest and the upcoming Crown War with the guild members."
It seemed like a good idea to share the difficult problem with the guild members.
Sebastian nodded unknowingly.
"It is indeed a difficult problem. I don't think I could come up with an easy answer either. It's best to decide through a guild meeting."
"However, we can't have the First Prince visit here before the guild meeting."
At that, Sebastian immediately raised a question.
"Did you say His Highness the First Prince is coming here?"
"They said they're coming here regarding the magic stone tanks. There's a magic stone tank factory here in Lyon, isn't there?"
"Oh, it seems that His Highness the First Prince is very interested in the magic stone tanks."
The industrial development in Lyon allowed for the establishment of factories like the magic stone tank factory due to the large amount of funding available.
"Magic stone tanks are great, but..."
Magic stone tanks.
In the battlefield dominated by giant monster weapons like orcs, lizardmen, and the undead, the empire developed powerful firepower weapons like magic stone tanks to counter them.
"Recently, there have been many issues with the magic stone tanks. There are many problems with them since they're in the early stages of development."
"I am well aware of the many problems with the magic stone tanks."
"Recently, Count Frank asked to borrow money again. I wonder how much money goes into that scrap heap."
The person who developed the magic stone tanks and built a factory in Lyon was Count Frank, a renowned magician from the Valen family.
The Valen family was originally a lowly baron family, but they rose to prominence as a count family due to their contributions to the development of the magic stone tanks.
"Did they ask to borrow money again?"
"The magic stone tank itself is a complete money pit. They always ask for research funds for improvements. It's hard to tell if the money is being used properly."
"That's a problem too. It's still incomplete."
"I'm worried that we're just wasting money on something useless. Right now, the military is buying magic stone tanks out of urgency, but if it becomes known that they're just a faulty waste of resources, they could go bankrupt in an instant."
"Then it would be a problem for us, who lent money to Count Frank."
"It would all become bad debt."
Benjamin's expression was not good as the magic stone tank was also a headache.
"It seems like we could make a fortune if things go well..."
If matters related to the magic stone tanks were resolved, making a fortune would be no problem.
In a battlefield ruled by giant monster weapons, the only power that the empire had against such monster weapons was the magic stone tanks, which moved using magic stones and unleashed powerful firepower.
"But it's not easy to make a decision. I'm not a developer. I'm just a banker who lends money."
"Still, if His Highness the First Prince is visiting personally, doesn't that mean the magic stone tanks have some value?"
At that, Benjamin spoke with a bitter expression.
"What would the First Prince know? He's just an ignorant brute who only knows how to wield a sword. He's probably visiting to encourage us, as it would be a waste not to use the tanks now. He wants us to make them usable somehow."
"It seems like there really are a lot of problems."
"I heard it's a miracle that they even move."
Anyway.
"I'll have to think about this too. I can't predict the future. If I could know the future like a god, I could decide whether to invest more or cut my losses. But it's not easy."
Sebastian agreed wholeheartedly with Benjamin's words.
"That's true. If only we knew the future of the magic stone tanks, as you said, Lord Benjamin, we could really make a fortune. Count Frank's situation is not good, so if we help him well, we might even be able to get a share of the factory."
"Exactly. The important thing is the shares. If things really go well, then how much of the factory shares one owns will be more important than the money lent right away."
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MC : And this looks like job for me :3
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