When I regressed, it was the year 2019 C.E

I spent a few months getting adjusted to my new life, and after half a year, I finally entered the Academy in the year 2020 C.E.

I graduated from the Academy five years later on February 14th, 2025 C.E.

I began my Mercenary journey at the end of March.

Now, over a year later, on August 2nd, 2026 C.E., I feel a bit of pressure tightening on me.

After all, the Civil War that consumes the Randalorion Kingdom begins this year, on November 1st, 2026 C.E., when the Royal Faction pre-emptively attacks the Noble Faction, accusing them of treasonous actions.

This will spark a harsh conflict that ends up lasting two whole years.

Not even three months are left before such a catastrophe befalls the Kingdom, which is why I've gotten a lot nervous during this period.

Why didn't I do anything to stop it during the past six years, one might ask?

Well…

The truth is that I don't know the details regarding the Randalorion Civil War, including the main catalyst behind it. I only know that an irreparable conflict occurred between the Royal and Noble Factions, and the balance was broken, which led to the war.

The Nobles accused the Royal Family of tyranny and a host of other crimes. At the same time, the Royal Faction declared the Noble Faction as treasonous, condemning those allied with them to face the wrath of the Royal Family.

The Randalorion Kingdom was split in two, and only chaos followed.

Those two years were brutal, and even though the Royal Family eventually won, our resources were depleted to rock bottom, allowing the nearby Sarvosia Kingdom to take the opportunity to invade, landing the killing blow on our Kingdom.

Our Kingdom fell into ruin and would have continued degenerating until it died a natural death after the passage of a few generations.

If that didn't happen, we would have been swallowed up by one of the surrounding Mid-sized Kingdoms, or perhaps the Great Shamahk Kingdom—a Large-sized Kingdom that was on the rise in my later years.

Needless to say, this Kingdom is doomed if the Civil War is allowed to occur again.

But how do I stop it?

With my strength alone, anything I do will be insufficient. Even with my past life's knowledge, I don't know nearly enough to effect a qualitative change.

But, I do know a few things.

One of them involves the Merchant City of Fargos.

Right at this juncture, there's a money laundering scheme that is bound to surface, which will put the entire Randalorion Kingdom in a huge financial bubble. It will eventually be revealed to be a scheme cooked up by the Noble Faction as a way to siphon money, which will ultimately come in handy when they have to face the might of the Royal Faction.

I don't know the details of this scheme, but I've been learning about finance, and with my past life's memories, I believe I understand the situation better now than I did in my past life.

It's also why I'm here, in this City.

Right now, stopping that money laundering scheme is my best bet in stopping the Civil War, or at least delaying it to a large extent. Without the funds that will be obtained from this scheme, the Noble Faction won't have any reason to go to war with the Royal Family.

It'll be like fighting a losing war.

Also, this money laundering scheme reduced the influence and wealth of the Royal Family considerably, and it especially affected the faith of the masses in the Royal Family. Because of this, many believed the Noble Faction and accused the Royal Family of tyranny, thus turning to the side of their opposition.

Hence, it is imperative that I put an end to it before it gets too big.

Doing it will drastically reduce the Noble Faction's power, maintain the Royal Family's standing and authority, and also cause the economic state of the Kingdom to be largely stable.

In a stable economy, people don't want to go to war.

They simply have too much to lose.

My hope for this plan is that it will succeed and drastically change the trajectory of events.

I recognize that doing this will change a lot of things and will practically disrupt the remaining advantage of my past life's memories.

But it has to be done.

Too many will suffer if I let the future history of this Kingdom repeat itself.

*************

After spending a week in the Merchant City of Fargos, I have grown accustomed to life here.

I have also learned a lot.

To be clear, I already have a great understanding of economics and several commercial principles thanks to my education in the Royal Academy. In fact, I probably know more about these things than the Merchants themselves.

However, what I lacked before coming here was the proper experience.

But that gap has reduced considerably.

During my short stay here, I have managed to grasp the fundamental market structure of this place. I know the identity of all the big players and how commerce operates here.

It wasn't too difficult.

It would have probably been faster if I were with my team, but I would rather not involve them in this situation, especially since I don't have any proof about what will happen if I fail. Plus, they wouldn't be a lot of help in this instance either.

Only Dahlia has a formal education background remotely similar to mine, but she is far from my equal—especially in terms of commerce and economics.

I can't rely on them here.

I'm on my own.

But that isn't necessarily a bad thing, since they're also completing a major assignment for the Earl who controls this City. Our collective success should mean that High Noble will owe me a favor, which I can cash in later.

The team is using Gray, my Turtleback Camel, on this mission, which means I get a cut.

But… that aside.

Even though it took me a while to get accustomed to this City, I've made incredible progress, and I've even made an interesting discovery.

It seems I was a little late—the Money Laundering Scheme has already begun.

Well, to be precise, it isn't as simple as money laundering.

This scheme actually has three layers.

One involved an outright scam, a Ponzi scheme that robs hard-working traders, merchants, and even commoners of their hard-earned money under the guise of investment and purchase of promised goods.

Then, there's the 'financial bubble' aspect. Those who have these 'promised' goods trade based on the 'promises' and 'goods' that are yet to come.

This creates a rapidly growing economy, all facilitated by the massive organization that started it.

All the big players are also involved in this scheme, though I doubt all of them really know the truth. Regardless, this gives the venture a lot of legitimacy in the eyes of the public, allowing it to thrive for a long period.

There's a lot of economics involved in these commercial transactions, and explaining it can be a little tedious, not to mention boring, but let's just say that a lot of money is being pumped into this business.

But… where is it all going?

That's where the final part comes in—the actual money laundering.

All of these payments and goods are being translated into real value for the masterminds behind this scheme, and while they roll over their profits and grant the people a portion of their 'promised goods', there is no loss because it only encourages people to invest more, so they get a lot more rewards.

This reward can come in the form of dividends, promissory notes, or monetary levies.

But never actual goods or substantive benefits.

However, this scheme is structured so well that it's difficult to tell that something is fishy. There are also logical explanations backing it up, so even dissenters and market skeptics are unable to find issues with them.

Finally, since all the major ventures in the Merchant City are involved, this so-called business holds a monopoly on the market… hence it has no competitors.

It's a perfect scheme!

So perfect that even the Royal Family will invest heavily in it and suffer dearly as a result of their mistake. They will lose the support of everyone and will be considerably weakened, enough to be warred against by the Noble Faction.

How frightening!

Whoever set up such a well-crafted scheme is definitely one with great intellect.

I doubt I would be able to create something so seamless with such flawless efficacy, and at such a large scale, too. Currently, the bubble has enveloped the Merchant City, but in the coming weeks, this will completely take over the entire Randalorion Kingdom.

At that point, it will be too late.

The Randalorion Kingdom will be ruined, and everything will fall into shambles quite easily.

So… how do I solve this?

It actually isn't as hard as one would expect.

Well, for others, this will surely be a monumental task—one that would probably be impossible to crack. But, I have three major advantages working to my benefit.

First, and most important, is my future knowledge.

Since I know how everything is going to turn out, I can predict a lot of things, and I also have a unique perspective on the matter, which gives me quite a lot of insight. All the cracks are more obvious to me, and I can find clues just by looking very carefully.

Coming in second is my status.

I am a First Rate Scholar of the Royal Academy, with three Royal Seals of Excellence.

This makes me competent to inspect almost anywhere, and also be accepted wherever I go if I offer my services. I have also gained quite a lot of acclaim thanks to my work as a Mercenary, as well as the business that I run.

This leads me to my third advantage—my Connections!

Because of my education at the Royal Academy, I have made connections with quite a lot of influential people. This includes the Second Prince, a member of the Royal Knights, two Counts, their families, and other members of the High Nobility.

Of course, I'm not very close to most of these people, and the benefit they can render to me varies.

Still… they are useful.

Also, thanks to my business, I have a lot of commercial ties.

This influence is largely in the Academy City and the surrounding towns, but I recently had my uncle make a move to the Merchant City as a part of my plan.

So, what exactly is the plan?

Well…

I will use my business's expansion as an excuse to expose the bubble by pointing out the inconsistencies I have noticed as a result of my past experiences. Due to my business's success and the connections I have made, this will give my concerns some legitimacy and cause distrust to stir within the hearts of people.

But just doing this isn't nearly enough to achieve any qualitative change.

In fact, if I'm not careful… it might backfire on me.

My opponent could counterattack and even accuse me of slander. Since they're much bigger than I am, I could end up losing everything.

But… would it be that easy to get rid of me? No way!

Thanks to my status, I have become something of a local celebrity. Plus, using the right connections, like my relationship with Serena, Korrin, and even Jonathan, I can avoid a lot of scrutiny—especially if I bring them on board.

Now that's the trickiest part… bringing them into the fold with my plan.

But, since I already have a portfolio with how I handled the J-Tutorial Club and also exposed Brutus, I am sure they would at least listen to me if I show them enough proof.

So how do I get the proof?

Well, since I am a First Rate Scholar, I can apply for an official inspection and also exploration of most places, and this includes areas of business. In the name of the Kingdom, I will sort through the commercial activities and ledgers of the most suspicious places I have managed to narrow down and gather all the inconsistencies as evidence.

Tracing all of the transactions and following where they lead will reveal the dead end of this venture and how the commercial transfers are false.

And so on….

Ultimately, by submitting these to the authorities and using Prince Korrin's order as my justification, I'll be able to employ Jonathan's status as a Royal Knight to initiate a forceful inspection of the main headquarters of the business.

This will be the final nail in the coffin, and it will expose the entire scheme for what it is.

Guess what? It works!

Everything actually goes according to plan.

The business is exposed for what it is, and all its assets are confiscated by the Royal Family.

Naturally, the people become distraught after realizing what happened, but this is a chance that the Royal Family has to improve their reputation and even strengthen their bond with the people, and Korrin doesn't miss it.

He announces that he will liquidate all the seized assets and return as much as he can to those who suffered losses.

Of course, this refund will be subject to a lot of factors, so as not to profit all knowing collaborators or those who used illegal means to invest in the business. Also, priority will be given to those who have lost the most, and those who wouldn't particularly lose too much will be largely ignored.

This even opens up an opportunity for the Royal Faction to suppress the Noble Faction even further, since a lot of them were involved in the business.

Naturally, some members of the Royal Faction were also involved in the business, but Korrin can always find just excuses to profit his people. As long as the masses are happy, and his reputation improves as a result of this venture, who will care about the politics involved?

Truly, the weak hold the right of indifference.

Everything honestly worked out perfectly—just as I envisioned.

Well, except for one.

When the Royal Knights, led by Jonathan, attempted to capture the owner of the business, they were unable to catch him alive. By the time they stormed his residence and tried to initiate the arrest, they found his poisoned corpse in his room.

Cause of death—Suicide.

He feared capture, so he locked himself up and took his own life.

What a strange and anticlimactic end to such a major event. Although the profits were staggering, and I have achieved what I wanted, something about the way it ended keeps rubbing me the wrong way.

Something is wrong somewhere… I just don't know it yet.

Was that man truly the mastermind?

What about the money that had already been lost? Where was all of it funneled into? It wasn't in the man's residence, and even after investigating the Noble Faction, we didn't find traces of the funds in their possession.

Money and Goods of such an absurd amount don't just disappear into thin air.

Where did they go?

If the Noble Faction didn't end up profiting from this Money Laundering Scheme, how exactly were they able to get the funds to compete with the Royal Family in the war? Could it be that they had support from the actual mastermind, rather than handling the money themselves?

But the mastermind is already dead, and we didn't see the money.

That means the one who died isn't the true mastermind, right? The brain behind the operation is still at large somehow.

They simply had a decoy die in their place.

If that's true, then they must have single-handedly aided the Noble Faction in the war.

How scary!

How frightening!

How unbelievably absurd!

Thinking about it causes me to shiver down to my bones.

This…

… Runs far deeper than I expected.

[A/N: If you've made it this far, that's great! We'll now slowly be marching towards the climax. The first volume ends at Chapter 100, so just hang on tight.]

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