Miss Witch, It's Time to Clean Up the Entries - Chapter 5

Leon looked at the map of Green Shade Territory hanging on the wall, thinking calmly for a quarter of an hour.

“Anna, bring me my most luxurious formal wear. I will wear it to meet the Imperial Emissary.”

“Annie, please invite Miss Witch Sophie over. She will accompany me to see the envoys.”

Anna took out the formal wear Leon wore last night. In reality, since he had just returned to the Lord’s Mansion, he only had this one set of formal wear in total.

Annie silently exited the room to find Miss Witch Sophie.

The three ministers looked at each other, wondering what method this young, country-born illegitimate son could come up with to resolve a situation that even the old lord couldn’t handle.

“The three of you, please also accompany me to meet the Imperial Emissary and the Bank Emissary.”

The Imperial Emissary was responsible for conveying the King’s words, mainly to ask Green Shade Territory for troops.

The Bank Emissary was actually a debt collector from the Imperial Bank, responsible for recovering the huge debt owed by Green Shade Territory.

The two groups arriving at the same time probably packed the train from the Imperial Capital to Green Shade Territory.

Looking at their dispirited appearance, one could tell that standing tickets were not comfortable.

In contrast, on the Green Shade side, the young new Lord was in a sharp suit and looked energetic. The three ministers were also dressed in their finest, looking like proper gentlemen, and the Lord’s personal maids were actually twin beauties, like two dazzling pearls.

Except for the Miss Witch, who was wearing a collar, bracelets, and foot chains and looked like she was on the verge of losing control, Green Shade Territory, the Imperial Bank’s biggest non-payer, looked even more at ease than other debtors.

The 49-year-old Bank Emissary, with 20 years of debt collection experience, had seen countless nobles and wealthy people tremble under the threats of the debt collection army, but this was the first time he saw such a calm debtor.

“This is our new Lord, Lord Leon.”

Minister of External Affairs Alex Poole introduced.

“This is Lord Oba, the Imperial Emissary. This is Mr. Emran, the Bank Emissary.”

Oba looked at the young Leon, narrowed his eyes, and asked with a slightly contemptuous tone,

“His Majesty the King asks Green Shade Territory, are you or are you not going to answer the summons and send troops to assist the Empire in attacking the Azure Dragon Court?”

“Lord Oba, please do not be impatient. You must be tired from your journey. Please follow us to the castle to rest. Green Shade Territory has arranged a dinner for everyone to welcome you.”

Alex Poole said with a smile.

“Dinner is not necessary. We don’t want to waste everyone’s valuable time. I presume the Lord knows my main purpose for coming this time. If you do not repay the Imperial Bank’s loan soon, we will have to take compulsory measures.”

Bank Emissary Emran had strong guards from the debt collection army behind him, which gave him ample confidence when speaking, just as much as the arrogant Lord Oba.

“Yes, I am also in a hurry to return and report back to His Majesty the King.”

Oba said, lifting his chin.

Minister Alex Poole looked towards Lord Leon with a difficult expression.

Leon said with a sorrowful expression,

“Alright, since Lord Oba is in a hurry to return, I will be direct.

“As you can see, our Green Shade Territory is heavily in debt, owing a huge debt of 300 million gold to the Imperial Bank. We are truly willing but unable. Even if we wanted to send troops to help His Majesty the King, we do not have the capability.

“The weapons, equipment, and supplies needed for sending troops all require money. Before we can repay the Imperial Bank’s debt, we certainly cannot spare this sum.

“Therefore, please go back and tell His Majesty that once we have repaid the Imperial Bank’s debt, we will certainly respond to His Majesty the King’s call.”

If the King insisted on Green Shade Territory sending troops, he would need to cancel Green Shade Territory’s debt. But canceling Green Shade Territory’s debt would not only cause the Imperial Bank a huge loss but also encourage other Lords to follow suit, creating a vicious cycle!

The King would absolutely not be willing, and even if the King was willing, the great noble shareholders of the Imperial Bank would not be.

Oba frowned. This was equivalent to indirectly refusing the King’s summons for troops.

300 million gold, this is equivalent to the tax revenue of a prosperous territory for 3 years. Green Shade Territory is now riddled with holes, and the old Lord has ran off with the money. When Green Shade Territory will be able to repay is a question.

He felt it was necessary to warn Leon, this new Lord.

“The King can wait, but can Green Shade Territory wait? Your Guardian Witch seems to be on the verge of losing control, doesn’t she?”

“Lord Oba, are you referring to this?”

Leon took out a key and personally unlocked the collar around Sophie’s neck and the heavy shackles on her hands and feet, frightening both the Imperial Emissary and the Bank Emissary, as well as the debt collection army, causing them to retreat in unison.

“These are all disguises. In reality, Miss Sophie has not obtained the entry of being on the verge of losing control at all.

“You should know that my father, Lord Moria, has many sons. To select an heir, he came up with this method,

“Deceiving everyone, making everyone mistakenly believe that Green Shade Territory’s Guardian Witch was about to lose control. My older brothers and sisters were all scared away, leaving only me.

“Therefore, he passed the position of Lord to me and told me that this was just a test of courage he was conducting. Someone without courage cannot lead Green Shade Territory to glory, nor can they serve His Majesty the King in his great cause.

“Otherwise, how could I, an illegitimate son from the countryside, be nominated to become the Lord?

“I apologize to everyone for my father’s lie.”

Leon spoke nonsense with a straight face.

“Are you telling the truth?”

“Of course, I guarantee it on my father’s character.”

“Then why has Green Shade Territory been urging the Guardian Bureau to send you a new witch?”

Oba questioned.

“Although our Miss Witch is not losing control, a witch should be replaced every 5 years. This is tradition. Miss Sophie has served Green Shade Territory for 6 years. Is there a problem with us applying for a new witch?”

Leon asked in return.

Oba was speechless for a moment.

Leon had figured it out earlier.

Owing a huge debt, a witch on the verge of losing control, and being forced by the King to send troops on a distant expedition, seemingly unrelated, but in fact, there was an essential connection.

The core of all problems lay in resolving the hidden danger of the witch losing control.

The Empire’s witches are the Empire’s sharp weapons, mostly controlled by the King and allocated by the Imperial Guardian Bureau. The replacement appointments of witches in the Empire’s 22 territories are all decided by the Guardian Bureau.

If Leon’s guess was correct, the Guardian Bureau had not only withheld the new witch that should have been sent to Green Shade Territory but also withheld the witches from other territories summoned by the King for the expedition.

Losing a Guardian Witch, or having a Guardian Witch lose control, would cause irreparable damage to the territory.

Lords constrained by this would inevitably send troops to help the King.

It’s just that perhaps the King didn’t expect Green Shade Territory to not only delay sending troops but also accumulate a huge debt of 300 million gold to the Imperial Bank, becoming the Empire’s biggest tumor.

Moria, furthermore, just walked away, running off with his wives, concubines, and jewels, leaving behind a young scapegoat.

Even if the King immediately sent a capable minister to serve as the new Lord, it would be impossible to clean up Moria’s mess.

Presumably, the King, far away in the capital, would also be furious at Moria’s shamelessness. If he couldn’t properly solve this problem, the King’s towering rage would inevitably engulf him, and the guillotine would definitely await him!

But if he solved the witch problem first and saved Green Shade Territory, he could buy time to solve the debt crisis step by step. At that point, His Majesty the King would not be able to find an excuse to cause trouble for Green Shade Territory.