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Lord of Entertainment C345 Bank Cards
🕑 Added 2025-05-31 03:28:07 +0000 UTC(3rd Person POV)
Princess Mary beamed with pride, her voice practically trembling with excitement as she spoke of her recent achievements to the young demon before her. At times, her tone bordered on overly eager—almost as if she were buttering him up.
If any nobles or elites had witnessed this scene, they would've been stunned. After all, Mary had risen to become one of the kingdom’s most influential figures, thanks to her unprecedented modernization of the Horn Kingdom Stock Exchange—now more advanced than any in neighboring nations.
“So…” Mary paused, lifting her wineglass and sipping delicately. Her rosy lips curved into a subtle smile. “What do you think? Did I do well?” Her gaze lingered on Arthur—not just fishing for a reaction, but genuinely craving his approval.
After all, everything she had accomplished in recent months—the praise from nobles, admiration from foreign investors, and even the rare recognition from her cold parents, the King and Queen—had all been made possible by one person.
Arthur.
He smiled warmly at her. “You did more than well, Princess. I couldn’t ask for more.” He let out a soft chuckle. “You’re every bit as clever as they say. To transform an entire economic institution in just a few months... that’s no small feat.”
Mary laughed lightly, the sound laced with a trace of pride. “Hehe… still, it wouldn’t have been possible without you. The blueprint, the systems, the technologia—everything came from you. I just followed the path you laid out. Without that, I doubt the HKSE would be where it is today.”
Arthur nodded slightly. While he agreed, he also understood that without Mary’s competence and ambition, none of it would have been executed so efficiently.
Then, with a shift in tone, he said, “Now that the HKSE is leading as we intended, I think it’s time to take the next step—establishing a bank that will change the world.”
“Bank?” Mary’s eyebrows lifted, curiosity flashing in her eyes. “And what about the dethronement of my parents?”
Arthur gave a small, knowing smile. “I know you want to remove them from the throne. But that has to come step by step.” He chuckled. “The royal family still has Wales backing them. We can’t rush it—not yet.”
A thoughtful expression crossed Mary’s face. Her eyes narrowed slightly as she sank into contemplation.
‘He’s right… Wales will be the biggest obstacle if we want to change the rulers of this kingdom…’
Arthur watched her reaction with quiet amusement.
‘Heh. So she’s fully accepted it now… no hesitation, no second thoughts.’
It had been his plan from the beginning—to dethrone the current King and Queen and place Mary on the throne of the Horn Kingdom.
That goal had been etched clearly into the magical contract she’d signed, the very foundation of their alliance.
‘And here I thought she’d struggle with the idea of toppling her own parents. But she’s eager—almost too eager.’
Mary finally looked up, her curiosity piqued. “Setting the royal drama aside… may I ask about this bank of yours? The one that’s supposed to ‘change the world’?”
She leaned forward slightly, her eyes glinting with teasing interest. “Those are big words, Arthur Pendragon. If it were anyone else, I’d laugh in their face. But you…?” She smiled. “You’re the man who makes the impossible look easy. Surely you're not just boasting, are you?”
Arthur raised a brow, half-amused. ‘Is she flirting with me?’ he wondered, but chose not to dwell on it.
“It’s not a boast,” he said plainly. “The bank I’m planning will rewrite the rules of the financial system.”
“Oh?” Mary’s intrigue deepened. She tossed back the rest of her wine, setting the glass down with a soft clink. “Well then—consider me all ears.”
As she refilled her own glass, Arthur reached into his coat—though in truth, he summoned the items from his system inventory. From within, he withdrew two sleek cards and placed them carefully on the table.
Mary tilted her head, curious. “And these are…?”
Arthur tapped the red one. “This will be the centerpiece of the entire operation. It’s called a debit card.”
“Debit card?” Mary repeated under her breath, lifting the card delicately into her hand as if it were some rare artifact. Her eyes scanned its design with fascination.
“As for the other one,” Arthur continued, tapping the second card, “this is called a credit card.”
The card shimmered a soft shade of blue. Its design was nearly identical to the red debit card at first glance—Arthur’s name printed in fine script, a string of numbers below, and the same [Hellfire] logo in the corner. But upon closer inspection, the differences stood out.
Mary flipped it over. Unlike the debit card’s simple back, this one had a block of fine text in small print, a magical security rune etched near the bottom, and a signature strip lined with reflective ink. The logo on the front, too, had a faint winged motif, as if hinting at something airborne or limitless.
She furrowed her brows, clearly intrigued. “So what’s the difference between the two? And how exactly are these cards the centerpiece of your entire banking system?” She raised both cards in her hands. “Are they enchanted? Magical relics? What do they do, exactly?”
Arthur chuckled. “They’re magical—yes—but not in the way you’re thinking. They don’t use mana, nor do they cast spells. Their magic lies in their function.”
“Huh?” Mary blinked. The answer only deepened her curiosity.
Arthur smiled and began his explanation, pointing to the red card first.
“This is the debit card. Think of it as a direct key to someone’s stored money in the bank. Every time they make a purchase with this card, the amount is instantly deducted from their actual funds. No need for coins or cash, no counting, no carrying bulky purses. Just a swipe, and it's done.”
Mary's eyes widened slightly.
“It’s fast, clean, and secure,” Arthur continued. “The card is linked to the user’s unique identity and a secure account within the Hellfire Bank. It can be used anywhere our system is accepted—shops, airship ports, even overseas, eventually.”
Mary was silent, taking it all in.
Then Arthur pointed to the blue card.
“This one is the credit card. Unlike the debit card, it allows the user to make purchases even without immediate funds. It works like a personal loan, with a set spending limit. The user will receive a monthly statement, and as long as they pay on time, they can keep using it.”
He leaned back with a confident grin. “It encourages spending, builds trust between the bank and the client, and opens up financial mobility. With these two cards, people no longer need to carry money physically. It will reshape how transactions are done.”
Mary was stunned. “That’s… revolutionary. It’s not just banking—it’s an entirely new way to live.”
Arthur spread his arms slightly. “Exactly. No other bank in the world has anything like this. With these two cards, the Hellfire Bank will be decades ahead of everyone else.”
Mary’s eyes widened, her lips parting slightly in disbelief. She was visibly stunned.
‘How has no one thought of this before?’ she wondered. ‘Then again… even if they did, pulling it off would take enormous resources, infrastructure, and vision. Only Arthur could execute something this bold—and this quickly.’
She turned her gaze to him, and for the first time, it wasn't just curiosity in her eyes—it was admiration.
Arthur caught the look and chuckled softly, his smile carrying a quiet confidence.
What he didn’t say aloud was that the brilliance of these cards went far beyond convenience. With debit and credit cards in circulation, the bank would hold vast amounts of deposited money—most of it untouched for weeks or months. That capital could then be invested, loaned out, or used to fuel other ventures.
And the fees, Arthur thought, small transaction charges, annual costs, late payment interest… all labeled under “convenience.”
But the real edge over every other bank?
His system integrated everything digitally. Unlike traditional banks that still relied on ledgers, coins, or in-person validation, the Hellfire Bank would allow instant account creation, real-time tracking, cross-border use, and an encrypted verification system tied to a person’s unique mana or identity.
It wasn’t just banking. It was infrastructure.
It wasn’t just currency. It was control.
Arthur leaned back slightly and said with a calm finality, “Other banks hold money. Mine will move the world.”
Comments
Tyler Karp
Thank you for the chapter
Digital Ape
Excellent! When I read that chapter where the bank tried to collect the debt earlier than the agreed upon date, I thought to myself; those bastards could have ruined Arthur’s plans.😤 But now I can’t wait to read about that smug Vice President’s reaction as well as all Ferland Bank executives reactions to what will no doubt be Arthur’s thunderous entry into the financial industry.😎 (Idea: Apart from normal debit/credit cards for regular folks, a premium card would be cool. Like instead of the centurion black card from American Express, how about the Hellfire Express Cerberus Black card; "Guarding the gate to the world of luxury and exclusivity" reserved for the wealthy and influential.) Damn, these catch phrases are just writing themselves.😏
