TPES 52

Chapter 52

“Wow, what brings the daughter of our debtor here? Have you come to pay the interest today?”
Eglun looked at Korin with a very affectionate gaze.
She was a premium customer—she had borrowed 5,000 litas and repaid 10,000 litas. Moreover, since she still owed 10,000 litas, she was a very promising client who could bring in even more profit.

“No.”
Korin hesitated, as if it was difficult to speak.
There was only one case where this would happen.

“Why, have you come to borrow more money?”
Korin nodded.

“How much?”
“10,000 litas.”
“10,000 litas? Do you even know how much money that is?”
“Yes.”

Seeing Korin’s unchanged demeanor, Eglun began to estimate her situation.
Her household had already sold everything of value. They had no assets left, but there was a young son and daughter in the family. Moreover, since they were both decent-looking, selling them to a foreign country could fetch at least 20,000 litas per person, maybe even 30,000.

“I’ll repay it within a week. I really just need it for a short time.”
“You know what happens if you can’t repay in a week, right? I’ll sell you abroad.”
“Yes.”
“Good.”

There was nothing bad about this. He had devised a one-on-one surveillance system.
Instead of taking collateral from borrowers, Eglun chose to monitor them directly. Under one-on-one surveillance, the debtor couldn’t even think about running away.
The only time he hadn’t been able to collect was with a certain Sebastian—or Sebaski—who borrowed money from the pawnshop Eglun had acquired. He had been caught by the royal knights and imprisoned, so Eglun couldn’t recover the debt. Still, once he got out, Eglun could sell him abroad to cover the loss, so it wasn’t a big problem.

“Will you lend it?”
“Yes.”

When Eglun held out his hand, one of the staff placed 10,000 litas in it.

“Alright, but you need to sign this contract first. I’ll add a special clause.”
“Yes.”

Korin was clearly in a hurry, signing without even checking the contract. After taking the money, she left the office without a word.
Eglun gestured to the staff member by the door to follow her.

“Contact that person. Ask about the young man and woman—how much we can get.”
“Yes.”

“Now, let’s see how much we’ve collected today.”
Eglun, who had been enjoying good income lately, happily opened the ledger.

Then, someone entered.

“I… came to borrow some more money.”
It was the owner of the fabric shop. Next came the butcher in the market, then the fruit vendor, each borrowing money in turn.

“What kind of day is this? Did we distribute flyers or something?”
Normally, no one would come because his business was infamous for being ruthless, so these customers were a welcome sight.

“Maybe it’s because tomorrow is the day the market rent is due?”
“Could be. How much cash do we have left?”
“Only 10,000 litas.”

Earlier that morning, there had been 80,000 litas. Already, people had borrowed 70,000. And, given the urgency, he had raised the daily interest from 10% to 15%, yet everyone agreed without complaint.

“We need more money.”
This was the time for a bold investment. Even tomorrow, he could collect at least 10% of that amount.

“I’ll go see the elder.”
“How much will you borrow?”
“About 70,000 litas.”

Watching people continue to enter the office, Eglun’s eyes burned with desire.

“Sir, you’re back? We’ve run out of cash, so we can’t lend any money.”
Returning from seeing the elder, Eglun came back to the office looking displeased. He had only 20,000 litas in hand.

“Give them this for now.”
The staff accepted the money and looked at Eglun.

“That’s all we have?”
“Yes.”
“It’s such a shame. If we had just a little more cash, think of the money coming in each day…”

Eglun knew this. With just 50,000 more litas, tomorrow he would receive over 7,000 litas. In five days, it would be 30,000. It was a huge waste.

But Eglun had no choice. The elder who had suggested and backed this business had only given him 20,000 litas, which meant the elder didn’t have high expectations for him.
Moreover, after being humiliated by the nobles who were with the elder, Eglun was in a foul mood. He wanted to succeed in the business to prove himself to them.
For that, he couldn’t miss this opportunity. He needed money.

“Ha… I’ll try to get the money. Lend it well, and don’t forget to assign monitors.”
“Yes. I’ve already called all the kids at home. We need to make sure we profit from this.”

Yes, now was the time to make sure. This business would never fail as long as there were borrowers.
The thought that this could be a chance to take the business to the next level never left his mind.

“I’ll go.”

Although he said it loudly, Eglun had nowhere to borrow money.

“Ha… if I can gather the money quickly…”
He could gain recognition from the elder.
If he got the elder’s approval, he could earn at least a minor noble title. The elder had once said that if Eglun showed his ability, he could be granted a baron’s title.

Just 50,000 litas. Considering how much this sum could grow in the current times, he couldn’t let it slip.

“Yes. If I miss this opportunity, I can’t guarantee when I’ll become a noble.”

This was a perfect chance to show his worth. Just as he was about to head home to sell anything of value, a piece of paper caught his foot.

[Newly Opened Business
Hello. In these hard times, we bring you the “Back-Up Loan” that’s ready to support your back.
We are running a new opening event, so feel free to visit anytime, 24 hours a day.

• Loans without collateral available.

• Annual interest 20%.

• For the opening event, if repaid within 24 hours, interest is completely waived.]

Yes, this was it.
He didn’t care which fools were trying to open a loan business in his area—he could just use them.
The opening event often waived interest for 24 hours, so he could borrow money and repay it tomorrow with the interest he’d collect.

Why hadn’t he thought of this sooner?
Eglun patted himself on the shoulder for coming up with such a clever idea.

“Becoming a noble is only a matter of time now.”

Determined to stand equal to the nobles who had looked down on him, Eglun hurried to the address written on the paper.

It was an office not far from his own. The newly opened office was noticeably fresh, and unlike his office, there wasn’t a single customer—it was quiet. This was why business wasn’t for everyone.

“Welcome!”
A bright, refreshing female voice echoed—unfitting for a loan office.

At the main desk in this small office, a very innocent-looking woman sat. Her clueless smile showed she knew nothing about the world.
This was the perfect place to take advantage of.