The Founder of the Great Financial Family

Chapter 42 (1)

Monopolizing Goods #2(3)

The two sat facing each other across a shabby desk.

The bishop smiled as he mentioned that he had a good proposal.

"Speaking of your grandfather, he was indeed a great man."

The conversation began with praise for his late grandfather.

He, too, was of considerable age and had not forgotten David Rothsmedici, who had made many donations to the church in the past.

"Although he did not possess sacred healing magic like the holy priests who could wield magic, he saved countless lives with emergency treatments and folk remedies learned on various battlefields. At the time, I was a young and inexperienced priest, but I always had the impression that your grandfather had a great talent when I saw him from afar. I thought that people could be saved even without magic."

The priest's smile remained.

"Since you had such a great grandfather, there is no need to mention the descendants. So, you said you have a good proposal?"

As the priest began to approach the main point after talking about his grandfather, Rockefeller reciprocated with a smile that was no less than the priest's.

"Yes, I heard that my younger brother, who wanted to become a priest, was rejected here, so I briefly listened to the reason for the rejection and heard that the financial situation of this diocese is not good. That's why I took the liberty of coming here to see if there was anything I could do to help, even if it's small."

"Ah, was the child recommended by Priest Lucian your brother?"

"Yes, that child is Leo Rothsmedici, the fourth in our Rothsmedici family. I am the eldest."

"I see."

The priest showed a gentle smile with his hands naturally resting on the desk, wearing his ring.

The large gold ring on one of his fingers caught Rockefeller's eye, with the ruby embedded in it unknowingly attracting his gaze.

'Even though the diocese's finances are difficult, the ring on his finger is made of gold and even has a ruby?'

Of course, his gaze on the ring was only for a brief moment.

As Rockefeller's gaze quickly returned, the priest showed a slightly more serious expression than before.

"As you know, the situation in the territory is not very good these days. Was it the Redskin? The orcs with red skin and the dwarves from the Thunder Mountains are said to be fighting outside the territory. For that reason, the neighboring territories have become very chaotic. If we're not careful, we could get caught up in the conflict between the two forces."

"Yes, I am well aware that the situation outside the territory is chaotic. The lord has borrowed a lot of gold coins for that matter."

"Since you work at the bank, you must know how the territory is managed. The first place to hear about any issues in the territory is the Carter Bank, where you work, right? Inevitably, money problems are involved in every event."

Rockefeller answered by nodding his head lightly.

Although he was young, his atmosphere was heavy, and the priest did not complain about Rockefeller's attitude.

Instead, he continued the conversation.

"Anyway, we can live without problems if the life in the territory is stable."

"I heard that the finances here are not very good, is there no other source of income besides the donations?"

"Unfortunately, that's the case. Unlike other dioceses, this place operates solely on donations."

The priest's expression remained dark.

"So, when the situation in the territory becomes difficult, our situation naturally becomes difficult as well."

The priest let out a short sigh.

"Um... That's why we couldn't accept your brother. Even the priests in this diocese are already overwhelmed, and we don't have the capacity to accept new members at this point."

Then, looking at Rockefeller with a heavy gaze, the priest continued.

"No matter how much they are the lambs of God, they have to eat and live, right? You can't live on prayers alone."

Rockefeller felt somewhat pathetic after hearing the story about the financial situation of this diocese, which only operated on donations.

What on earth has this diocese been doing with the title of a church, when there are so many things they can do?

"Isn't there any support or anything?"

"Do you think there would be any support? It's amazing that there is even a church in such a small territory located on the border."

The priest continued.

"The higher-ups don't pay attention to such insignificant border areas. If there was a holy place in this area, it might be different. Or if there was something to attract the interest of the higher-ups, that would be nice. But since there is nothing like that, we have no choice but to be neglected."

"I see. But I heard that a small vineyard is being operated in a monastery located in the neighboring territory. I heard that their wine is quite good."

As if to tell him to listen, the priest let out a deep sigh.

"Sigh... If you're talking about the winery business in the monastery you mentioned, we have something to say about that, too. It also requires money."

"Can't you just borrow the money for a while?"

At that, the priest showed a stern expression.

"Who would we borrow the money from? A bank dealer?"

"Yes, if you have a good relationship with Mr. Carter, you could have gotten a loan on good terms."

The priest shook his head as if to disagree.

"No way. We utterly detest interest. Interest is, needless to say, a blasphemy against the sacred. It's something that should only happen in hell."

That's why they had been running the diocese on donations alone until now.

From Rockefeller's point of view, it was almost nauseating to see their duality, loving money but trying to distance themselves from it.

'Listening to this, it's really an amazing place. They don't want to borrow money to do business, but they want to make a lot of money.'

The priest finished speaking and looked at Rockefeller with sparkling eyes.

After the priest finished speaking, his eyes sparkled as he asked Rockefeller, "So what's this great proposal you have? If it's a good idea, I'm certainly open to it."

Would it really be right to extend a helping hand to these stubborn people?

'Even if they don't like it, they have no choice but to get on board.'

The church's hypocrisy regarding money was nauseating, but there was no doubt that the church was a unique place that could completely avoid the scrutiny of lord and tax issues.

'And for our Leo's sake as well.'

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