Vivian was filled with anxiousness and panic from the dreadful idea of becoming bankrupt as she sat there, powerless, inside the bumpy carriage as she hoped the Bank's denial was just a minor fluke and that it would be immediately fixed by the Bank management, sadly it wasn't an apology note that met her in Milan but the old man, Benjamin Kastark, who offered to help them in their time of need.
"Ah, you must be Duke's wife... He told me much about you during our interview haha" Benjamin remembered Duke's eyes lighting up every time a question about Vivian was asked.
"May I ask... Where is sir Duke?" Benjamin asked as he did not see Duke's presence.
"Nice to meet you too sir Benjamin. Sadly Duke won't be attending our meeting... He is, well... Bandits have recently attacked Kath and he's out there... beating them... I hope" Vivian sighed in exhaustion as the urgent journey took a toll on her.
"Bandits huh... It can't be helped" Benjamin solemnly replied with a serious look.
[So it was true... I do hope that boy breaks those snob's expectations. Sadly it will be harder to defend the reconsideration case now that the man of the house won't be there] Benjamin thought as his worst assumptions came true. He had heard early on that Maine's area had been infested with Bandits. Some of the snobby Noblemen even bet whether this would truly be the end of the Pendragons as they had heard quite disturbing rumors regarding the leading Bandit group that was infesting Maine.
["Hahaha, you mean Duke? Do you guys remember that fat sod? That fat Count's area is infested with raiders? I bet 60 gold he'll be defeated and run towards his neighbors for help" Deacon, the lord of another territory said inside the Bank along with two of his friends. This was Duke's childhood bully who dumped his Latrine duties onto Duke. Apparently, like Darius, Deacon didn't gain any maturity nor sense of responsibility when he gained ownership of a fief.
"Ouch, fat stinky will surely be stripped of his rank now, hahaha" One of the two noblemen replied. Fat stinky became Duke's nickname during his semester with Deacon as he always came to class smelling like defecated feces due to Deacon and his goons dumping the cleaning duty to Duke, and since there was quite a lot of them who were assigned to different days... Duke had to clean the toilets almost every day.
"60? I bet 200 he'll be captured and ransomed! Hell, with the rumors I heard of those Bandits they might not even ransom him anymore! They'll just turn him into a tasty roasted pig instead! Hahaha, although I wonder if they could stand his sweaty stench" The third nobleman laughed then reeked as he remembered how Duke smelled when entering the class. The hardest part for Duke was they made him clean in between classes instead of after classes when students normally cleaned the latrines.
"Tsk..." Benjamin was annoyed as the three only amused themselves with court bullying and gossip instead of helping out Maine with their own forces... The only thing those guys cared for were themselves and how they'll jump in and get the accomplishments after making Duke look bad and letting him lose the first time and make themselves look better when the Bandits were finally subjugated by them during the second time. They did not care for the wellbeing of the people hurt during the first wave of Bandits like Annie or her family. Ignoring the responsibility of power that they were given. Instead, they use that power for their own benefit!
"Duke couldn't make it huh... Well, no matter, I'm sure with the plans you and Duke came up with, the Bank will surely agree to a loan" Benjamin tried to smile and be positive.
But Vivian knew what he was thinking. Without Duke or the master of the household, who asked for the loan, getting the bank to reconsider would be an uphill battle.
"Well, I have finished my weekly duties early for today and I believe we can head over to the Capital where the Bank's Main Branch is located by daybreak" Benjamin kindly told Vivian, thinking she needed a day at least to rest after her journey from Maine to here.
"Sir Benjamin. If I could ask... may we start our journey today?" Vivian pleaded.
"Hmm? Are you sure? Do you not want to have a rest from your long journey?" Benjamin worried.
"Sadly I do not have the luxury to wait... nor the money to spend for a night in the inn..." Vivian admitted the reason for not resting at Milan.
"Hmmm... I see, so it was that serious. No worries milady as a gentleman, how can I make a lady wait for me? I shall be ready to depart in an hour" Benjamin realized how grave Duke and Vivian's financial situation was as he hurried off to prepare his things.
Anna, the female bank staff bid Vivian and Benjamin farewell as the two along with Knight Dan who kept silent beside Vivian all this time left towards the capital.
Inside the carriage, Benjamin felt someone glancing at him here and there while he was closing his eyes.
"Is... there a problem milady?" Benjamin curtly asked Vivian, who was currently giving him suspicious looks. Although Vivian did try to hide her suspicion, as a veteran Bank manager who worked with people for decades, Benjamin immediately saw through Vivian's gaze.
"Do you wish to ask me why I went out of my way to help you? Is that it?" Benjamin gently chuckled as he guessed Vivian's suspicion.
"Sorry..." Vivian confirmed Benjamin's guess.
"I just couldn't believe you'll do this for us for free..." Vivian added.
"Well, in truth, I do this all the time! Hahaha" Benjamin laughed.
"You see, in my age, I can already retire and live a nice life somewhere if I so choose... Sadly, I don't want to part with my job... It's what I'm good at, plus I can even help people with my services, especially if I stick with an unfair case long enough... And a lot of them are incredibly grateful too. It fills me with great happiness. So you see, I didn't really do it for free haha" Benjamin laughed his services off.
"The Bank is my life, my passion, and my soul!... And it's all I have left" Benjamin looked down on the floor as Vivian watched the sad old man talk about the last thing left in this world that was important to him.
"The founder of the Imperial Bank, the 39th Emperor, Setaran Medici Alastor I, built the bank in order to help those in need of financial funding in the first place, as he didn't want anyone to go through what he did during Brune's financial crisis where he could turn to no one during times of financial need. And although the Bank right now has a less savory reputation than the past, we at the Southern Main Branch pride ourselves in being corruption-free since the branch's founding! My master and his master and her master before them all sacrificed and toiled against corruption and redtape to make sure the Empire's money goes to the people who are truly in need... When I saw Duke, I kind've remembered my younger self. You see, me and my wife also had financial troubles during our youth... But thanks to the Bank, and to my master...
She lived a little bit longer...
I can never repay what my master did for me back then... No other bank gave a bumbling adventurer like me a loan. Only the Southern Branch did. And this old man WILL NEVER forget a debt" Benjamin's lonely eyes shone with righteous gratitude as he recounted his tale.
And repay the Bank he did, as, during his time as manager, the Southern Branch produced the highest return rates than any other branch for almost 10 consecutive years now. Meaning the customers who loaned from them all made sure to repay their debts early and on time.
It was no joke that he was titled "The Iron Hand of the Bank" as, during his time, no corruption occurred within the Bank's walls. And no official, not even the Lord of Milan dared to.
This was the reason why this old man could leave his post from time to time and still be Regional Manager.