The Lada siblings
The Lada boy was glaring at Shinnosuke from a short distance away.
"Is there something you need?"
Shinosuke stopped the guide soldier from shooing the boy away and approached him.
"Take back the machine you brought with you! Otherwise, my father and the others will..."
When the Lardan boy was about to confront Shinosuke, a young girl suddenly dashed out from among the onlookers watching from a distance.
"Taek, stop! I'm sorry!"
The girl, another Lardan like the boy, ran toward him and lifted him up, trying to pull him away from the scene.
"Big sister. But it was that machine they brought that caused Father and the others..."
Perhaps the boy's older sister, the girl pressed her hand over his mouth as he continued to try to speak, bowing her head deeply.
"I'm so sorry, truly, I'm so sorry."
The girl desperately bowing her head.
Shinnosuke, who had just been carrying luggage for work when suddenly stopped by the boy, had been scolded without understanding the reason, and now found himself being apologized to by the girl.
From the outside looking on, Shinnosuke looked like the villain.
The residents’ already unfriendly glances grew even colder.
"No, it's not a problem, but... is there some reason behind this...?"
"Sorry, sorry so much!"
Shinnosuke tried to call out, but the girl with the boy in her arms simply backed away, fleeing without a word.
"...What's going on here?"
Shinnosuke stood stunned.
Even Milena, standing beside Shinnosuke, tilted her head in confusion.
"The people of the Duchy of Poluks are likely of a similar ethnicity to those of the Rimlia Galactic Empire. There are other races, of course, but in a feudal society like this, the Lada people are quite rare."
Just as she was speaking, the guide soldier approached them.
"Immigrant laborers, they are. Though these two are still children, so they're probably part of an immigrant laborer's family."
"Immigrant laborers?"
"Yes, this country is a small one, you see. Because it's a small nation, there are various challenges... "
The soldier, wearing a concerned expression, said no more and led Shinosuke and the others forward.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade Administration Office was right ahead.
Upon arriving at the office, Shinosuke quickly completed the necessary procedures at the counter.
Eight heavy mining machines, the Kellin Heavy BK-882, from the Acneria Galactic Federation's Salius Stellar Province. Delivery destination: the Resource Bureau of the Polux Kingdom, directly requested by Your Highness. Thank you for the long journey.
Since the order came directly from Your Highness, the staff processing the paperwork are exceptionally courteous.
"When will the delivery take place?"
The staff member, checking the terminal while responding to Shinnosuke's inquiry, says,
"Yes, the Resource Bureau would like to receive it promptly, but unfortunately, the transport vehicles haven't been arranged in time today. So it will have to wait until tomorrow morning's first delivery."
Indeed, sunset is approaching soon.
After all, unloading eight heavy machines, each weighing fifty tons, will naturally take some time—there's nothing we can do about it.
"But we will prioritize the work. Due to the war between Rymria and Damra, supply of Rymrian-made heavy machinery parts has been disrupted, leaving several machines inoperable. Our country is a small nation whose main industry is mineral exports, and without mining operations, the nation itself would collapse. The Duke is deeply concerned about this, which is why he entrusted us with this task. Now that work can resume, the on-site workers can finally breathe a sigh of relief."
Seeing the staff member laughing while saying such things, Shinnosuke felt a sense of unease.
Though Shinnosuke couldn’t possibly read minds, he couldn’t help but sense something hidden in the staff member’s words and actions.
The staff member truly seemed to believe that the immigrant workers could now rest easy.
Indeed, Milena, who had felt the same unease as Shinnosuke, opened her forehead eye and nodded in agreement as she looked at him.
"Are the workers at the site immigrants? I saw some Lada people before coming here."
Shinnosuke asked tentatively, and the staff member nodded.
"Yes, the Lada people are among them, but the Polruks have also accepted many immigrant workers through the mediation of the Rimuria Empire. That said, our country is small, but originally we weren't short on labor force..."
Originally, Poluks had barely maintained its independence with the aid of the Rimuria Galactic Empire, but its people primarily lived across three planets, earning their livelihood through agriculture, animal husbandry, and other industries, while also sustaining the nation's economy through the export of mineral resources, even if not rare metals.
However, over the past few decades, the country's situation drastically changed after it began accepting immigrant workers under the pretext of support from the Rimuria Galactic Empire.
Accepting immigrants means an increase in population, and with more people, there is a greater need for food and jobs for these workers.
Thus, the role assigned to these laborers was mining mineral resources.
By purchasing imperial-made mining heavy machinery and employing numerous immigrant laborers in mining, they secured an economy sufficient to sustain them, but this gradually eroded the economy of the Duchy of Polouks.
Just as the Duchy had fallen into a vicious cycle—expanding mineral extraction to support the continuous influx of immigrant laborers brought in through the empire’s mediation, and purchasing imperial heavy machinery to sustain it—the outbreak of war between the Rimulia Galactic Empire and the Damura Star Cluster Commonwealth seemed to push it toward collapse.
It appeared there was a disconnect in understanding between the nation and the immigrant laborers, but that was not something Shinnosuke needed to concern himself with.
After completing the procedures, they decided to leave early in preparation for the handover tomorrow morning.
Along the way to the port, the locals continued to glare at Shinnosuke and his group from a distance, though they were likely immigrants or family members of immigrant laborers.
The soldier who had accompanied them to the office seemed to have only been a guide, as he was nowhere to be seen when they were heading back.
"Um... I-I think we're definitely not welcome here. Are immigrants being persecuted in this country?"
Seyla, uneasy and visibly shaken, glancing around at the hostile stares from so many people.
Her hand clutching Shinosuke's sleeve trembled uncontrollably, as if she were terrified out of her mind.
"......I don't know. I guess it's true we're not being welcomed."
"It's alright, Sera. They don't seem to intend to harm us... It's hard to describe, but it's less anger or hatred, more like confusion? Perhaps that's what they're feeling?"
As Milina said, the people glaring at Shinosuke and the others didn't appear to mean them any harm.
Normally, we'd head out into town for dinner to refresh our spirits, but to avoid unnecessary trouble, it's probably best to stay put.
As Shinnosuke and the others hurried toward the harbor, the girl from earlier appeared before them.
"Earlier, my younger brother apologized for his rudeness."
The girl bowed deeply to Shinnosuke, possibly around the same age as Seira, or perhaps just slightly younger.
Upon observing her attire, it was plain and old-fashioned, yet impeccably clean.
Her long hair, loosely tied, and her skin appeared to be maintained at a bare minimum, yet they didn't look dirty at all.
"Is there something you need?"
Shinnosuke tried to sound as gentle as possible, but the girl, with her distinctive cat-like ears typical of the Lada people, flattened them and took a step back.
It seemed he had frightened her, yet she looked up at Shinnosuke with a determined expression.
"I'm CocoNa, the older sister of Tack, who just now made a rude comment to everyone. I know this is an extremely impolite request, but I really need to ask you to listen to what I have to say..."
The girl, introducing herself as CocoNa, seemed to be about to say something, and though the onlookers could guess her intent, none stepped in to stop her, nor did they offer support.
Still, there was no way they could hear CocoNa's request right here, right now.
If you have something to talk about, come aboard my ship—I'll treat you to tea.
Shinnosuke decided to invite Cocona to Hifumi.