The next early morning, right outside the bank…

The streets remain empty, sans some lone laborers heading to work, or those working the graveyard shift returning home.

Smugly grinning and with his hands in his pockets, Straf arrives at the front of the bank at the same time as one of the bank clerks.

「Ah. Good morning sir. You're here before even Mr. Niklaus.」

The woman says, the same that Straf yesterday explained the difference between the fake and the real drakes to.

「Yeah, I've got a busy week, I can't waste a moment. When does that deadbeat usually come in?」

Straf asks, as they both walk up to the bank's door. The woman's keys jingle as she looks for the one to the front door.

「Mr. Niklaus? Why, Mr. Niklaus is no deadbeat. He comes in quite early as well. He should be here in half an hour or so…」

She replies, fiddling with the key at the door, before the lock makes a loud clack, and the door swings open. She glances at Straf over her shoulder, and enters.

「So, how many fake drakes did we get yesterday?」

Straf asks, walking up to the clerks' long counter.

「Just three, counting in that one from before. All low denominations.」

The woman answers, and takes her spot at the counter.

「Huh…」

Straf hums, rubbing his chin intensely as he leans on the counter with his elbow, thinking heavily with his brows furrowed.

「…Is something bothering you, sir?」

The woman chimes in, tilting her head, and knocking Straf out of his own mind.

「Nah. But that's pretty weird. Fake money would make more sense if it was the big notes…」

Straf remarks, and sucks the air through his teeth as he continues mulling over the fake drakes some more, idly waddling past the counter into the bank's employee area.

「…It's almost like they're afraid. Afraid of getting caught counterfeiting? Makes sense. Too late for that though, heh.」

Straf lets out an amused scoff, and turns around on his heel to face the woman.

Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!

[Portable Storage] opens, Straf drops multiple crates full of paper bundles on the ground. The woman stares at him, somewhat amazed by the floating rip in space following him, and bewildered by the amount of money within the crates.

「This is… This is more drakes than we ever had in the bank!」

The bank teller remarks with her eyes wide open, looking at the piles of banknotes in the crates.

「Yup.」

With his hands in his pockets, Straf concurs, with grin and a light nod of his head.

「Now… Take one of these. Any one of them.」

He commands the woman with a nod of his head at the crates. She quickly plucks out the first available banknote from one of the random bundles, and looks at Straf.

「Now look through it at a light… Tsk. It's a little too early to demonstrate this…」

Straf instructs her, but then realizes the available light sources are scarce, and dim. The iron-barred windows, and the open door barely lets any morning light in.

Regardless, the woman holds the banknote up to the doorway's light.

「Wha-!? This is… There's something inside of it!?」

Amazed, her eyes are immediately drawn to the little strip that is just slightly more opaque than the thin paper. A faintly visible number repeats along the strip, the same as the drake's denomination.

「Yup. A security strip. If the new drakes don't have them, that means they're fake. The circles also make new shapes on these, otherwise it's the same deal.」

Straf shrugs his shoulders and explains, as the woman lifts and lowers the new drake out of the light, apparently stunned that the security strip is invisible under normal examination.

「Now listen closely… When people come to exchange their drakes, you're going to give them double the amount in these instead.」

He says, and gently kicks one of the full boxes, violently sliding it along the floor some way.

「These drakes?…」

She asks, tilting her head.

「Yup. If a guy comes in to exchange one, you give him two of these. If he comes with a fifty, you give him a hundred. If a guy comes with a hundred, you give him two hundreds. So on, so on…」

Straf explains, waving his hand in circles as he nods his head a few times.

「…Under no circumstances you are to hand out any gold or silver. Got it? You exchange golden drakes for these new drakes only. I don't care how much people moan, bitch and cry about it. No exceptions.」

Straf adds with a very serious tone, sticking out his index finger as he explains further, staring the clerk dead in her eyes.

「Uh. Understood, but… But why? It sounds like everyone is just getting free money…」

The bank woman replies, nodding her head as she acknowledges Straf's instructions. He walks out of the employee area chuckling heavily, placing his hands back in his pockets.

「Heheh… Yeah, you could think of it like that…」

He shrugs, grinning at the woman over his shoulder.

「…There will be an official announcement later today regarding this, so expect a lot of work today. But, uh…」

Straf takes a few steps towards the exit, and looks at her over his shoulder again with his brows raised.

「…Close up early today. Go home and stay there as soon as you're done. Tell everyone else.」

He says, and turns to the door.

「Wait! How early, sir?」

The bank teller calls out, and Straf stops in his tracks, rubbing his chin for a few moments.

「…Before the evening bell, I guess? Get home before it's dark.」

With his mouth aslant, he shrugs with his hands, and walks out of the bank, leaving the woman somewhat confused, and still clutching onto the new drake…

…

In the afternoon, in the Rankor Kingdom, in the royal bed chambers…

A young king slams the door behind his back as he enters, and rushes to his desk with an envelope in hand. He sits down, and immediately reaches for the letter opener off to the side amongst the clutter.

He then cautiously, but markedly hastily cuts the envelope open, and pulls the letter within out.

「This is?… Scented!」

He draws two quick whiffs with his nose. His brows rise, a little surprised by the sudden, but pleasant flowery smell.

The young man then shoves his face in the paper, and the paper in his face.

Sssssniiiifffffffffffffffffffffff!…

He breathes in deeply. With his eyes closed, if someone now told him that he is in a colorful flower garden at the very end of springtime, it's likely that he would see the flowers before his eyes.

「Ahhhh…」

King Nide lets out a large, satisfied sigh, then shoves the letter in his face again, before taking even a single glance at its contents. He breathes in the flowery scent again, and sighs out once more.

「…This must be her smell.」

He remarks, and from beneath his shirt, he pulls out a small key hanging off of his neck on a string. He brings it to a small lock box on the desk, and unlocks it with the key.

The young king takes the golden drake out of the lock box, and places it down next to the letter, staring intently at Cycelia's fictional portrait on the banknote. His eyes turn to the letter's contents.

「Dear King Mide… Ah.」

The young man lets out a pleased gasp at the very first sentence.

「Her handwriting is pretty poor, that's cute. And she used dear. She's so bold…」

King Nide continues reading with a greatly delighted, toothy smile on his face…

…

In the meantime, in the Redwing Kingdom, in the palace halls…

Straf is angrily stomping around, looking left and right and navigating through the maze-like hallways of the palace.

He spots two maids in the distance, on the other end of the hall, but they quickly skitter away when they notice he's looking their way. He clicks his tongue, shakes his head, and proceeds onward.

A door opens, and Sir Vinis leisurely exits the room into the hallway.

「There you fuckin' are, you sneaky prick.」

Straf stomps up, and two maids exit as well, taking the confused man's sides.

「Prick?-」

「Where the fuck were you!? Do you have any idea how much time I've wasted looking for your ass?」

Straf shouts in his face, nearly headbutting him while glaring into his eyes. The frightened maids glance at each other, then warily look at Straf with an indescribable mix of emotions.

「Minister Vindict- I don't understand. I was just having dinner, as I usually have. You should have joined me. I'm not much for soups, but today was an excellent one.」

Sir Vinis explains himself, pointing to the now closet door with his hand, and then the maids beside him. They appear to loathe the fact they are being pulled into this exchange.

「…You were having dinner?」

Straf straightens out, pulling his face away from the confused magnate's.

「…Yes. As I usually have.」

Sir Vinis nods, growing ever more confused by Straf's bizarre question.

「In fact, I don't think I have ever seen you eat at the palace. Is there a place you dine at, minister? I'd like to try it.」

The man remarks, tilting his long-haired head at Straf, with his brows gently furrowed.

「…You mean this whole time, I could have just eaten stuff here?」

Straf asks with his fists on his hips, looking at Sir Vinis with a tight-lipped, troubled grimace.

「…Yes? The dinner service is extended to everyone residing at the palace. The lovely maids are more than willing to serve you-」

Sir Vinis smiles, and looks over his shoulder at the maids. They covertly shake their heads at him, with their lips tightly pressed together, and their mouth corners heavily scrunched to the sides.

「…To serve you, if they find the free time to… Off their busy schedule…」

He narrows his eyes and furrows his brows in deep confusion, looking at both of the maids. He gracefully continues his previous statement, albeit knowingly altered, much to the maids' relief.

「…So I was eating fucking rations and hot dogs this whole time for no real reason?」

「Pardon?」

Sir Vinis tilts his head at the bizarre statement, but Straf only sighs in response.

「Fuck. What do I do with 300 hot dogs?…」

《It makes perfect sense, so why didn't it come to my fucking mind? Of course you can get a three-course five-star meal at a fucking royal palace. Is it because I wasn't born with a silver spoon in my mouth?》

Straf grumbles, looking aside with a sour expression on his face as he thinks.

「…Minister?」

Befuddled, Sir Vinis shakes his head and looks to the maids for any clues, but they have none for him.

《Now if I try and eat something here, they'll spit in my food, or poison it. Great. I'm locked into eating fucking hot dogs despite my innocence.》

Straf thinks with his fists on his hips, staring at Sir Vinis with a tight-lipped grimace. Sir Vinis grows increasingly discomforted by Straf's silent, disappointed stare.

「…Why were you looking for me, minister?」

Sir Vinis asks, and Straf's brows snap higher.

「Ah. Yeah. You playing hide and seek with me pissed me off, so I almost forgot. It's a national security issue, can these two leave?」

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Straf asks, glancing at the two maids standing at Sir Vinis's sides.

「Please wait for me.」

Sir Vinis nods his head as he requests of the two maids. They take a step back, politely bow, then leave in silence down the hallway, disappearing behind a corner.

「Well, minister? I assume it's a serious matter-」

「It's already solved. You need to do something for me, though.」

Straf shoots back without allowing Sir Vinis to finish, crossing his arms, looking at him with a slanted mouth.

「Already solved? You work quick, minister. What is it, then?」

Sir Vinis remarks, lightly amused and smirking a little at Straf.

「We had a little counterfeiting incident. Due to this unfortunate and misguided effort to fake the queen's currency, I've had to make some changes as a Minister of Finances…」

Straf explains, still looking at Sir Vinis with the same disapproving eyes.

「I see, I see. And the changes?…」

Sir Vinis asks, tilting his head gently. His long hair slides off his shoulder.

「…The Royal Reserve Bank issued new drakes. They are different, and are harder to counterfeit. I want you to announce that everyone who swaps the old drakes out at the bank…」

Straf continues his explanation, and sticks his index finger out.

「…Gets twice the money back. For free. But their drakes have to be legitimate.」

He adds, and shrugs with his hands, grinning. Sir Vinis shakes his head, completely befuddled.

「Minister, I have heard plenty of bizarre things from you, and I was willing to ignore them, but this is going too far. We are not going to hand out free money, that's going to drown us in debt-」

Sir Vinis drops the facade of neutrality, and his mouth corners get scrunched to the sides as well as he explains.

「Uhuhuh-uh-uh!」

Straf abruptly cuts his explanation off, wagging his finger side to side, still grinning. Sir Vinis furrows his brows, looking mildly frustrated now.

「…Don't worry about debt, I've handled that too.」

He adds, and hands Sir Vinis one of the new golden drakes from the bundle in his pocket. Sir Vinis warily looks it over, glancing every few moments at Straf.

The magnate's cautious eyes scan the new drake. Aside from its color, not much else seems to have changed. However, the shrewd man's eyes note a distinct missing element.

「…Minister, I believe you have made a mistake here.」

Sir Vinis scoffs, and lowers the drake, smugly smirking at Straf.

「Yeah? And what would that be?」

Straf asks, quietly chuckling at him through his teeth, with his fists on his hips.

「I'm not even sure how you missed this. These drakes don't have the statement saying they're backed by gold-」

Sir Vinis smugly explains to Straf, tapping his fingers on the front side of the new drake in his other hand.

「That's intentional.」

「Pft- Pardon?」

Sir Vinis sputters at Straf's blunt, nonchalant response.

「I said that's intentional. They're not meant to be redeemed for gold.」

Straf shrugs as he says what seems to be the most obvious thing in the world.

「Heh… Minister Vindict, I don't understand. They're just worthless pieces of paper in that case. Heh.」

Sir Vinis scoffs, unable to hold his amused snorts in as he verges on chuckling.

「Yeah.」

Straf bluntly replies again, causing Sir Vinis to cover his face and turn away as he chuckles from the surprisingly candid statement.

《The queen gave power to a madman. Good grief…》

「Haha… Very well then, minister. But are you aware nothing will make people want to turn in the valuable drakes into worthless ones?」

Sir Vinis asks, barely suppressing his laughter.

「Taxes.」

「Hm?」

「They need to pay taxes. They can't do it with gold. What good is a gold drake to them, if they can't use the gold?」

Straf asks the ever-increasingly confused man a question, and it gives Sir Vinis a large pause.

「…Very well, you have one reason for them to do it. But what of our trade partners? How do we convince them-」

「We don't. We trick them.」

Straf bluntly replies, cutting Sir Vinis off once again, causing him to sputter once more.

「Minister, you want to sabotage our relations with our neighbors? This could lead to a war-」

「Would you really want to go to a war with someone that owes you money?」

Once more, Straf cuts in.

「Besides, it's not like we actually rip them off. Yet. The drakes still have value, but the value is tied to the kingdom itself, and not its coins.」

He adds, shrugging with his hands.

「…So if the plan works, and they don't notice for a prolonged amount of time, they will be unwilling to declare war out of fear of making the drakes truly worthless?」

Sir Vinis says, rubbing his chin as he thinks heavily, blankly looking at the ground.

「Are you getting it yet? Basically, we cross our fingers they don't notice. If they do, fuck 'em. They can still trade with us, there's no reason for them not to, even if the trick is revealed.」

Straf explains further, spreading his arms before placing his hands in his pockets.

「That's… Hahahaha…」

Sir Vinis starts cackling to himself, shaking his head as he covers his eyes with his palm, grinning ear to ear.

「…Ahh… This plan is demonic, minister. It just might work. You have outdone yourself again.」

He lets out an amused sigh, grinning at Straf. He shrugs, spreading his arms as well as he praises Straf.

「Yeah, alright. You can kiss my ass later, but for now, announce the drake swaps to the unwashed masses, and listen closely…」

Straf says, and sticks his index finger out, leaning in towards Sir Vinis.

「…Buy up all the fucking steel, iron and coal you can. Trade for other kingdoms' gold, or preferably, their own banknotes. Redeem them immediately.」

He adds with a hushed voice, then straightens out, and snaps his fingers, pointing at Sir Vinis.

「Send your best negotiators to drive a hard bargain, but tell them to ultimately accept any deal, as long as it's settled in drakes.」

Straf concludes, and places his hand back in his pocket, grinning at Sir Vinis.

「…Very well, but why those three things? It's not like we're short on any of those-」

「Just fucking do it, alright? Stop asking questions.」

Straf throws his hands up in frustration, looking at Sir Vinis with a slanted mouth as his fists fly back to rest on his hips.

「…Very well, minister. But what about the debt? Even if they're not tied to our gold, they're still-」

「I am the Minister of Finances, not you. Debt is my kingdom.」

Straf barks out, pointing his finger at the magnate's face, causing him to lean away from Straf's hand. Ultimately, it retracts back into Straf's pocket.

「…As you wish, minister. Though, mind you, the work day will be shorter today for safety reasons.」

With his hand on his shoulder, Sir Vinis bows politely, ever-so-slightly. His brows rise as he cautions Straf.

「I fuckin' know, alright? The work day ends early for everyone except me.」

He replies, spreading his arms and heavily frustrated. He stomps past Sir Vinis, shaking his head.

「Thanks to Lia and her stupid child labor laws, I'll be swapping out paper rolls and crates of drakes all by myself…」

Straf grumbles, then sighs as he's angrily walking down the palace hallway with his hands in his pockets…