On the other hand, Rockefeller seemed completely at ease treating the girl as if she were a fellow commoner.
"Why are you making such a fuss? I was just trying to be comfortable."
"If you could tell me where you feel there is a problem, I will respond in kind."
Rockefeller asked again, prompting the girl to finally react.
"That promissory note did not guarantee gold anywhere. Yet, here, I was given dalant without any issue. Don't you find that strange?"
"Yes, that's true, but as written in the promissory note, it's backed by a promissory note issued by the lord. That's why it was exchanged for dalant."
"Do people here believe the lord's credit is eternal?"
"Yes, of course. The lord is like the sky to us."
At that point, a man who was with them intervened.
"There's nothing eternal, not the lord or his domain, boy. Even now, at this hour, there are lords and domains being invaded by foreign forces or disappearing due to internal political issues within the empire."
Rockefeller knew exactly what aspects they were questioning and seeking to make an issue of.
And the fact that the problematic aspects weren't very conspicuous was exactly what Rockefeller wanted.
'I know it all too well. But exploiting such ignorance is exactly our way.'
"We have never once thought that our lord or this territory would be doomed. And with a lord like the sky itself, could there really be any problems?"
The man pointed out again.
"That's the problem. Issuing another promissory note secured by a worthless promissory note issued by a remote lord, not even the imperial court. Normally, promissory notes are secured by gold coins. Not the lord's credit."
"Excuse me for interrupting, but is there a problem with the dalants we issued?"
"Why do you ask that?"
"If the part you just mentioned is problematic, then naturally our store would be the one to suffer. I'm asking because it seems like you're worried about our store. As you said, if the lord's credit collapses, we bear the full brunt, right? We issued that promissory note on that guarantee and even provided gold coins."
The girl responded softly to his words.
"Not only you, but many people will suffer because of the lord."
"As you said, that's only a problem when the lord is ruined, right?"
The girl quietly waited to hear what Rockefeller would say next.
"But currently, our lord's credit status is very good. Our lord always pays the interest on time and has never once caused trouble due to debt issues."
Rockefeller revealed a friendly smile, as if he had been waiting for this moment.
"That's why we can use the promissory note issued by our lord as collateral. Would we give dalant against a promissory note that might turn into worthless paper if the lord had bad credit? Of course not."
Hearing that the lord's credit status was better than expected, the girl glanced at the man, who then seemed lost in thought before starting to respond as Rockefeller had hoped.
"If the lord's credit here is solid... then it seems there won't be a big problem."
"Is there no threat at all here?"
"As I mentioned before, this place is a frontier of the empire. It's a very peaceful place without any notable disputes over rights or interests.
The man was able to recall the old name of this place by chance.
"In the past, this place was called the Azrak Goldmine and was also the land of the dwarves."
"Azrak Goldmine? That sounds familiar."
"Yes, it was once known across the continent as a significant gold mining area. However, now it's become a land with its gold veins completely dried up, and after the dwarves withdrew, it was incorporated into the territory of the empire," he heard.
The girl pointed out a possibility that might have been overlooked.
"If there was such a large vein of gold in the past, couldn’t some of it still be there now?"
To that, the man denied the possibility entirely.
"Miss, dwarves, who can't resist gold, are not so feeble. If there was even a little bit of a gold vein still alive in this land, they would have had no reason to abandon this place. But they left, without any lingering attachment. That means this land is already dead."
The man emphasized his next words.
"Miss, there is a reason for everything in this world."
The girl was at a loss for words upon hearing that even the gold mine, which had a potential for dispute, had dried up.
What was clear was that there was a problem with the promissory notes issued by the bank.
However, for that problem to emerge, either the condition of the domain had to worsen, or there had to be an issue with the lord's credit.
But since there was no sign of either, she, an outsider, had no reason to meddle unnecessarily.
"Is that so?"
If no problems were arising, getting involved further would only be a nuisance.
As the girl decided not to comment further on the issue, Rockefeller wrapped up the conversation.
"Miss, we truly appreciate your concern for our store, but as long as the lord's credit remains solid, there probably won't be any major issues."
She must have exchanged the brought promissory notes for dalant.
Having resolved her doubts, and with no further business, the girl looked at the man, who quickly understood the implication and acted swiftly.
"Let's go outside."
The girl, who had been following the man without a word, suddenly turned around and threw an unexpected question at Rockefeller.
"What if there's a problem with the lord's credit here? It's unlikely, but what if?"
Just in case.
Even if there's a one in ten million chance, what would they do?
Rockefeller paused for a moment before answering the girl's question truthfully.
"Then we'll do whatever it takes to get back the money we lent."
The girl herself had asked the question casually and hadn't expected much of an answer.
But the response she received was quite surprising, causing her to look somewhat shocked, and even the man who had been leaning on the shop's threshold turned his body to look at Rockefeller.
Could these words really come from a 15-year-old boy?
In this moment, Rockefeller was no longer the young bank assistant humbling himself before nobility.
He appeared more like a demonic creditor, determined to reclaim borrowed money.
"If the lord doesn't have the money to pay us back, we'll take something equivalent in its place. If there's no money to repay, we'll take the castle and the lord's rights, or if not that, then the land. And if there's no land, then perhaps we must take the lord's soul itself."
Rockefeller showed them a kind smile as they still hadn't moved.
"We never make a losing deal."
