I Became The Leader Of A Revolution In A Romance Fantasy

< Chapter 23 >

Even when considering 21st-century South Korea, economics for the general public falls more in the realm of emotion rather than reason.

In other words, people make decisions based on vague impressions formed from things they’ve heard somewhere, rather than from clear understanding and judgment.

Let’s think about it simply.

Among all those people who claim to invest in stocks, what percentage actually verifies financial statements or performance reports with their own eyes?

So, what do you think it would be like in this romance fantasy world, where the average level of education is low and there’s not even a Namu Wiki?

#

To explain the insane figure of 400 quadrillion in tribute, we have to go back to the days when the Republic was still a Kingdom.

“This country experienced unprecedented hyperinflation not too long ago.”

“Ugh. But it’s different now, right? Now it’s more like deflation?”

“Haha, anyway, isn’t the economy still hellish for the citizens? Just listen. Back then, the currency turned into scraps of paper and the lives of common people were crushed.”

Hyperinflation, where the nation’s credit plummets and the currency’s value undergoes infinite depreciation.

To put it simply, it’s like a situation where a tall-sized iced Americano costs about 1.2 trillion won.

‘There’s no way she doesn’t know that.’

If my greatest achievement in life was the abolition of the monarchy,

Visenya Andrastra’s achievement was leading the Monetary Committee and putting an end to that very hyperinflation.

“Congressman Andrastra, you must know what angered the common people the most during the hyperinflation period.”

“……Real estate. It was worse because, by law, only royalty and nobles could own real estate at that time.”

I nodded.

That was always the problem.

“Initially, the reason the Republic… no, it was a Kingdom back then. Anyway, the reason the Kingdom went through such an unprecedented situation was because of the king and the nobles. While the whole country was falling apart, how much did real estate prices go up?”

I roughly scribbled a number on the paper.

“A staggering 2 billion times.”

“W-wait a minute!”

Visenya frowned.

“That’s just ‘nominal value’. Since the currency value fell so absurdly, like all other goods, the price tags only rose that much!”

She was right.

In a situation where a tall-sized iced Americano costs 1.2 trillion won, a 2 billion-fold increase in real estate prices is actually on the low side.

No, to be precise, if you calculate the real value reflecting the inflation, you can’t even say it ‘increased.’

—Thinking like that means you’re someone who has only learned economics from books.

I buried my back in the chair.

“Congressman. Such words are meaningless to the common people.”

“……What?”

“Physical assets that escaped the damage of inflation? There were none. These are people who live hand to mouth.”

No one could preserve their wealth.

Everything that commoners poured their lives into became worthless scraps of paper, and they suffered irreparable damage.

“To them, saying ‘the real value of real estate actually fell’ is nothing but vile deception. The truth is that only the privileged survived and reaped enormous profits.”

And because the ordinary citizens had not yet recovered from the blows of that time, the idea of owning a home was a distant dream.

‘Everything is rented.’

Even renting was not easy, so most workers ended up boarding in houses rented by others.

Our reliable accountant in the Stormtroopers, Corporal Frank Smith, lived just like that.

“Bu-but… well, it’s true… but saying real estate values increased by 2 billion times is not factual…”

Visenya trembled with an expression like ‘and yet the Earth moves.’ Her intellect, which was akin to a high-performance computer, could not comprehend the nature of the public being swayed more by outrage than facts.

No, she might understand it in her head, but accepting it was probably painful for her.

“Hahaha.”

But in truth, this was more about the difference between ‘book learning’ and ‘real-world politics.’

Even if real estate prices did not rise that much when adjusted for inflation, for the vast majority who did not own means of production, it was nonsense.

Prices rose, real estate prices rose, but only my wallet was drained.

Everything went up except my salary and bank balance.

“So, let’s talk with the premise that the pain of those times is still vividly alive in the hearts of our Republic’s citizens.”

I continued with a smile that might have looked a bit villainous.

“In that situation, the Great Depression hit us this time. Wouldn’t that be terrifying?”

“What? B-but the current crisis is entirely different in cause and effect from hyperinflation…”

“Anyway, my life is falling apart, and the country has no answers, right? And if the current economic crisis leads to a national credit collapse, hyperinflation could coincide with it. That is an undeniable fact, isn’t it?”

“……Ugh.”

The specialist, failing to counter, looked dejected.

“……It’s not wrong, but the current situation does not necessarily lead to hyperinflation. And if it does…”

If the two overlapped, it would indeed be a disaster.

It would be an economic apocalypse.

There might be situations where policy responses are entirely impossible.

To explain it simply…

Right now, I was trying to copy state-led economic stimulus policies to overcome the Great Depression.

But if hyperinflation overlaps, any money forcibly circulated would see its value plummet in real time.

There would be no solution.

‘It would really be screwed.’

Of course, in the second part of the original story, that did not happen.

So, unless I recklessly mess things up far more than in the original, it wouldn’t happen in my world either.

But just because it doesn’t happen doesn’t mean it’s useless.

I knew how to use a disaster that wouldn’t happen in a useful way.

“Now, Congressman Andrastra. Let’s look at the face value of this bond again.”

I pulled out a sample bond attached to the documents.

Then I spread it out in front of Visenya.

Visenya could no longer tilt her head curiously like before.

Like a martial artist of the orthodox sect witnessing the Heavenly Demon Divine Art, she gasped, “Hik!”

“Th-then the reason the face value is marked so bizarrely is…”

Yes.

What she had merely found ‘peculiar.’

And had wondered why it was ‘necessary.’

The face value of the sample gacha bond I brought was boldly written as:

「1 Square Meter of Real Estate」

*This bond guarantees the value of 1 square meter of land based on the national average real estate price at maturity.

“Ugh…!”

Visenya looked horrified, as if she were seeing an economic abomination.

What? Why? What’s the problem?

Isn’t it the freedom of the contracting parties to decide the basis for the bond’s face value?

I laughed.

“So, the economy was wrecked and hyperinflation was horrific. What would happen if the media hyped up the possibility of another hyperinflation for about three months?”

“Th-that’s… that’s… but it’s an infinitely unlikely falsehood…”

Oh dear. Politics is originally done with agitation and fabrication.

I interrupted Visenya’s naive statement and shouted.

“That’s when this bond comes into play!”

Ordinary bonds and gold bonds.

And finally, the ultimate prize for completing the set of gold bonds.

The SSR bond.

Its contents were simple.

「5th Floor, 19 3rd Avenue, Capital」

It realized the dream of home ownership in a single room.

“Uuuuuuuu!”

Visenya witnessed the madness of another world.

“This… this is not just any bond. It’s an extreme risk hedge product presented after instigating false fear!”

“Exactly. Calling it a risk hedge sounds too elitist; let’s call it a lifeline for the common people.”

I smiled.

“A 10-year maturity bond. Ten years is more than twice the period of hyperinflation this country experienced. The average nominal value increase of real estate back then was 2 billion times…”

“Squared, that’s 400 quadrillion… Eek!”

Yes. If the country collapses, it’s truly possible to hedge risks up to a return of 400 quadrillion.

The ‘asset preservation’ that only nobles could achieve will now be available to commoners too.

Do you think they won’t be drawn to this?

I’m not lying, you know?

‘Arm yourself with bonds and conquer the world with 400 quadrillion times return!’ or

‘Mess up the economy chaotically, and the result is 400 quadrillion times return!’

I won’t do that!

Of course, I plan to create extreme fear through agitation and fabrication,

Then sell bonds that feed off that fear.

And although I know the fearful event will never actually occur…

Isn’t that the perk of being possessed by an otherworldly hero?

“But, but if you inflate the economy with bonds like this, won’t there be side effects…”

Ah, that’s certainly a real risk.

First of all, inflation.

Generally, it’s believed that increasing the issuance of government bonds reduces inflationary pressure, but that’s not always the case.

This bond issuance presupposes government expenditure.

If the money earned from bonds is used to significantly increase government spending, it can indeed cause inflation.

Moreover, in a situation where trust in government stability is already low, selling national bonds and incurring debt can surprisingly also be a factor for inflation.

I designed it so that the risk is somewhat distributed by copying ‘external bonds,’ where paper companies (owned by me) issue bonds, and the government only guarantees them.

(It’s definitely not a copy of the Nazi’s ‘Mefo Bonds.’)

…However, the real issue lies elsewhere.

This kind of economic stimulus inevitably creates a bubble economy.

And the card I’ve played is extremely, immensely, exceptionally extreme.

‘Compared to the Japanese bubble economy, this bubble economy is a child’s play. When it bursts, it won’t just be a moderate failure but an explosive disaster that could blast us to space.’

…Honestly, there’s no way around it.

To save someone on the brink of death, extreme measures are sometimes necessary.

Honestly, I felt guilty because the attitude of “screw it if it fails” couldn’t be helped…

Is this really the time to be picky?

“We need Congressman Andrastra’s help with that.”

“Me, me?”

Visenya still hadn’t escaped her cosmic fear.

Considering the dark 20th century and the madness of the 21st century had cast a forbidden hyperfusion, it might be tough for the delicate sensibilities of a resident of a romance fantasy world.

“(Unlike some lunatics in Earth’s history), I believe the money made from these bonds should be used for infrastructure expansion, industrial development, and social welfare.”

The light returned to Visenya’s eyes.

“So, you’re saying we should take on future risks to draw massive amounts of cash now and fundamentally save the nation’s economy before the bond matures in 10 years.”

“That’s correct. We need to increase our capacity. The burden that the Republic cannot handle now can be easily lifted by the Republic 10 years from now.”

Why on earth are they obsessed with the idea of ‘borrow and pay back’?

Instead of ‘borrow and repay,’

Isn’t it standard to grow and then repay?

Besides, if I’m told to conduct a conquest war with these idiots and morons, I’ll seriously quit and just find some isekai truck or something.

‘The only solution is to absorb all the money in the market, bulk up, and break through the Great Depression.’

I continued speaking.

“We need a control tower to oversee the growth policy. I want Congressman Andrastra to take on that role.”

“Me?”

Although she questioned it, her eyes sparkled like stars.

Her golden eyes were so clear they seemed ready to captivate anyone.

Who else would I entrust with this task if not you?

Unlike the original, where it was just ‘there’s roughly such a setting,’ being free from the writer’s competence issue, she was actually capable of superhuman feats.

Just that alone makes Visenya Andrastra the perfect candidate.

‘…Moreover, if things go wrong, I can blame the Royalists, which is a plus.’

Well, you never know, just maybe.

And Visenya was still clutching halfway through the report.

If the first half was about how to sell these bonds, the latter half contained ‘the really important story.’

“Now. It seems we have a consensus on why these bonds will sell like hotcakes and why they are necessary.”

I straightened my clothes.

It’s common sense to prepare your equipment before heading into battle.

“Shall we talk politics now?”

###

Three months later.

A ghost wandered across the country.

A ghost called ‘fear.’

With no sign of improvement for the country, the media had been predicting an apocalyptic future for three months.

– Does anyone not know how much real estate has risen at the end of the kingdom? It’s 2 billion times, 2 billion times! If the same crisis happens over the next 10 years, it will be 40 quadrillion times!

– Real estate… Phew, I want to buy it. How reassuring would it be to have even just one square meter of land of my own? Especially in these uncertain times… But it’s just a dream…

– “If the national economy collapses, a second hyperinflation is inevitable.” Foreign scholar Altria Pendragon (female, 29) pointed out that various economic indicators had reached dangerous levels.

‘Is it really coming?’

‘Damn it, we’re already struggling to survive, and now this madness again?’

As the ominous winter wind began to freeze people’s hearts, large boxes started to appear at the relief center run by the princess and Congressman Hastings.

“The power to protect the future, Patriotic Bonds!”

“For the country! For yourself!”

“Daddy, why don’t we have a house?” “Because daddy didn’t buy Patriotic Bonds…”

Flyers plastered with sensational slogans that made the back of the head tingle were scattered everywhere.

“Patriotic Bonds…?”

Faces of those who picked them up slowly turned to shock.

Starting with Congressman Andrastra, who was still more familiar to ordinary citizens as the ‘Princess,’ newspapers and radios reported two to three times daily that prominent figures in society were purchasing Patriotic Bonds.

– “All I did was buy one bond!”

A citizen at the scene weeping after drawing a golden bond. The actual photos of SSR bonds still waiting for their owners.

But what truly ignited the madness were the interior photos of 20 houses offered as prizes for the SSR bonds.

They employed the latest technology used experimentally—’color photographs.’

People couldn’t take their eyes off the colorful paper they had never seen before.

The picturesque house with a fireplace captivated the hearts of commoners, who had to share rooms with their families.

Around that time, news began to spread that companies selected to implement the New Deal policy were hiring people.

“Jobs!”

“Wages, food!”

“Patriotic Bonds!”

Slowly, blood began to flow in the coldly freezing heart of the Republic.

It was blood injected with a lethal dose of illegally mixed steroids, which would kill instantly when it burst.

The only solution now was to strengthen the constitution itself to a level where they wouldn’t die even if side effects erupted.