Besides, even if they obtained loans from loan sharks, 20% of the money would have to be paid anyway if they took it with an interest rate of 5% with four months pa.s.sing from the date of taking the loan.

Although some were slow and some were fast, these calculations did not take long to occur to them.

As they did so, they realized that the King might even be giving the money at a loss while also risking a loss in the first place.

Now, they finally understood that this was indeed a scheme meant to benefit them as they were the subjects of such a thoughtful king.

Although Dalia was still doing the calculation slowly while adorably looking at her fingers which she was using to keep count, tears had already started to appear in the eyes of Helena who understood that this really was as perfect a solution as could be in their present situation.

She knew clearly that they would have agreed even if the rate was set at 50%, because all of them were that desperate.

Yet, clearly, the motive of the King wasn't to earn money.

It was to help those who had placed their trust in him, by trusting them back.

Wordlessly, each of them started to bow to the man who had now been thoroughly idolized in their hearts.

As he saw this sight, Daneel smiled to himself.

No matter what he accomplished, the feeling that came when he saw the needs of people being addressed was truly something else.

…

In the Throne room of the Black Raven Kingdom.

The Black Raven King sat on the throne, smiling to himself and still reminiscing about the blood boiling fight he had had in the stadium.

His great mood making his tongue loose, he glanced at the old man who had just entered with an irritated expression on his face and said, "See? No countermeasure was needed whatsoever. There is no one who can defeat me at the same level as me, let alone someone weaker."

The old man had recently been having a bad time. The wound he had sustained long ago was acting up more and more these days, and his supply of energy was dwindling due to the fact that the Energy in the ancestral grounds of the Black Raven Kingdom was close to being sucked dry.

Today, the pain was especially worse, but he had still endured it and come to the Throne Room as he had wanted to give certain orders to the king.

Now, the moment he entered, the irritating smirk of the King and his gloating words served to make him blow his fuse.

"You idiot. You think you won that fight through your own effort?"

Hearing this question, an expression of utter shock came on the Black Raven King's face.

Feeling all the happiness and pride that he had been reveling in since the moment he had won the fight receding from him like a flood, he asked in a disbelieving tone, "What are you...talking about?"

Seeing the expression of the King change from one of happiness to extreme shock and fear, the old man started feeling sick satisfaction that actually helped to ignore the pain which had been affecting him since the morning.

Satisfaction of the mind really did result in satisfaction of the body, he mused, before deciding to continue and end the fairytale of this stupid King.

"If I had allowed it to do so, the last attack would have blown you away, resulting in your loss. To think that you extended a hand in 'friends.h.i.+p' to someone who was defeated by underhanded means. Pfft. It made me laugh."

Placing two and two together, the King realised that the old man certainly wasn't bluffing.

His world shattering around him, all he could do was stare dumbly as the old man smiled wide at his plight and laughed to himself before opening his mouth and saying, "Snap out of the delusion that you are something great. If I wanted to, I could get any other warrior and put him in your place. I'm only not doing so because it would be too much of a ha.s.sle to go through all the processes that I did with you when you took the deal. All you have to do is sit on the Throne and pa.s.s your time while carrying out the orders I give. Send more scouts to look for Ker Gem mines, and also contract a few mine hunters to look for a new mine ASAP. I don't care which division you decrease budget from to make it happen. Just do it."

Laughing again seeing the King who was still staring at him dumbstruck, the old man walked away, leaving a cackle in his wake.

It took a few minutes for the King to finally return to his senses. After he did so, he couldn't help but use both of his hands to slam the Throne, which ended up hurting him as the Throne was nigh indestructible.

Not caring that his arms were bleeding, the King kept reliving the moments after the fight where he had graciously extended the hand of 'friends.h.i.+p' with the hope that he could have many more fights like that.

Why hadn't the man said anything? Why had he accepted after only giving that silly condition?

He needed to know. Taking out a communication trinket, he said, "Call Eganev to the throne room immediately."