Elf Tensei Kara no Cheat Kenkoku-ki

I was packing my belongings in a shabby house in the Empire's slums. Today was the day I would leave. It had been about three weeks since I arrived in the Empire. During that time, I had focused mainly on gathering information. Although there was no interference from Ashno, I could constantly feel that I was under surveillance. I also negotiated with various villages and towns that opposed the Empire, and the results were promising. There was surprisingly strong resentment against the Empire. Curiously, I felt the surveillance over me disappear when I left the city, allowing me to negotiate with the Empire’s opposing forces. Perhaps the Empire had some secret they wanted to keep hidden. The individual who had been tailing me inside the city felt oddly similar to Jii, she was supposed to be attending to Azul in Erin, so they were probably a different person. Surely another of her kind that Jii had warned me before. If they were deployed during the war, they would pose a significant threat. One or two I could handle, but if dozens of monsters of that class were to come, they would be nearly impossible to counter by ordinary means. The fact that they did nothing more than surveillance probably meant they were part of Ashno's personal forces, but I couldn't afford to be careless. 「This war is going to be difficult.」 I was reminded once again of the severity of the upcoming battle. I'd been gathering information while being wary of their presence. Though I could escape if I needed to, it had been mentally draining. 「However, I've gained a lot.」 I began to see a way to bring down the Empire. They had started using bonds, which could be bought with five gold coins and exchanged for six gold coins the following year. Surprisingly, these bonds had started to circulate as paper money. Although the general public was suffering, the economic activity between some major merchants and the nobles who had escaped the Empire's exploitation was surprisingly thriving. Paper money was lightweight and didn't take up much space, making it more convenient. Moreover, even if temporarily, the volume of gold in circulation was increasing. The total amount of money written on the bonds was greater than the original amount in gold coins. This effect was now being recognized, and they seemed to be planning to expand the bond system to other cities as well. The system initially designed to extract gold from the population had unexpectedly generated positive side effects. 「They've discovered the benefits of paper money. I'll have to make sure they suffer the downsides of depending on it too.」 Paper money was one of humanity's greatest inventions, but it had also caused countless disasters and repeated failures. The only reason these pieces of paper could be treated as valuable as gold coins is due to the promise that they could be exchanged for gold coins next year, and the trust in the Empire that was guaranteeing the exchange. The moment that trust collapsed, the value of the paper money would collapse as well. 「At this rate, it's only a matter of time before even the lower classes start using bonds as currency.」 If you could use it just like gold coins and could even buy a bond worth six gold coins with five, it's only a matter of time before everyone started converting all their gold into bonds. By my estimation, this would happen in about two months. That would be the perfect opportunity to crush the Empire’s economy. I held up a bond I had bought for research purposes to the light. 「They seem to have made some effort against counterfeiting, at least.」 The bond had watermarks, embossing, and even a special ink unique to the Empire to deter counterfeiting. However, not many nations would be capable of producing such a thing in the first place, given the advanced paper-making and printing technology required. But… 「I can easily counterfeit these. As for the watermark and embossing, I can easily reproduce them if I use Kuiro’s abilities, and I've already analyzed the ink ingredients and formulation too.」 I grinned. Destroying the value of paper money was easy. Just circulate enough fake bonds that the Empire can’t exchange them for gold anymore. The moment people realize this, the paper money would be rendered worthless. The Empire's populace, unaware of the consequences, would likely convert all their gold into bonds. If those bonds lose their value afterward, the economic damage would be incalculable. This would likely lead to panic and riots, greatly weakening the Empire's national power. I would soon get a large amount of the raw material for the paper. The ink, which didn't take up much space, could be bought in the Empire. Along with spreading the counterfeit bonds, I would also distribute a drug that makes people forget their worries. Those seeking to escape reality would fall right in. If all went well, the Empire would be ruined before the war even started. I finished all the necessary shopping and left the Empire. As I was leaving, I felt a gaze on me and turned around. A girl with emerald-colored eyes was waving goodbye. We didn't exchange words; it was better for both of us that way. After a week of traveling, I finally arrived in Erucy. On my way, I stopped at Bell Erucy to check the growth of hemp and found it to be extremely promising, it should be ready for harvest next month. The weather had been favorable, and the fertilizer had worked well, but most of the credit probably went to everyone in Bell Erucy who had diligently taken care of the fields. 「Ah, I'm finally back」 I found myself murmuring as I looked at the state of Erucy. Though it had only been a month, it felt incredibly nostalgic.