第６９８堀：表向きには家族問題 (Part2)
That alone isn't enough reason for us to take matters into our own hands in a foreign country. Furthermore, if we consider the implications for intercontinental relations, it’s better to keep quiet.
"……Tori, Riel, can you endure this?"
Even so, the wishes of those who were actually harmed are what matter most here. If it were for my wives, I wouldn’t hesitate to deal with a fool like this. We have enough connections built up through Weed to handle issues regarding intercontinental relations or inter-state politics. I know exactly when to wield that kind of power.
"It’s fine. Yuki-san, and everyone else, there’s no need for you to trouble yourselves over this pathetic old man. He’s just spouting nonsense; if we leave him be, he’ll self-destruct on his own."
"What did you say!!?"
"Besides, there’s no need to force a terrified Riel to be dragged around and introduced to the villagers, and there’s no reason to let this leave any more of a mark on her memory."
She’s right. I could have Riel wait at the castle, but leaving her behind while she’s this frightened is out of the question, and it’s obvious that Rurua, Aslin, and the others waiting in standby would just join in on the assault anyway. Heck, even Seraria and the others back in Weed might end up storming the place. The more calmly I think about it, the more I realize this isn't a situation we can just handle on our own.
"Alright, I understand. Today is for sightseeing, after all. Let’s just forget what just happened."
"Yes!"
Everyone seemed satisfied with Tori’s words. They surrounded Riel as if to protect her and began to move away from Tori’s father...
"Hey!! Why are you ignoring me!! I am the village chief!! Who do you think raised you...!?"
Mid-sentence, Tori’s father collapsed on the spot. Since we had already put some distance between us and him, to any bystander, it would just look like he had collapsed from getting too worked up. In reality, I had caught Taiki-kun’s eye and asked him to strike the man with a solidified burst of transparent magic. I gave Taiki-kun a thumbs-up, and he returned the gesture with one of his own.
If you don’t get caught, it’s not a crime. He isn't dead, so there’s no problem. We left the scene to the patrolling soldiers and returned to our tour of the town.
After that, there were no further issues. No one else acted like the soldier from yesterday, and the rest of the day went smoothly. Well, we didn't visit the slums or the poverty-stricken districts, so I can't say for sure how things are there, but on the surface, this country didn't seem to be causing any harm to foreigners or human-kin. We were able to shop normally, and while things were a bit pricey due to distribution issues, they sold to us without trouble. When we asked for directions, they answered normally; they were perfectly decent.
That begs the question: what was up with that soldier? Was he just overreacting to the fact that beastmen were being treated as slaves?
"Aside from the incident with Tori’s father, things ended surprisingly normally. I think I’ll leave the issues regarding that soldier and Baron Bella to King Wild. Is that alright with you?"
Back in our room, I made sure to ask Tori that first. Her father would likely be punished as well, after all.
"Yes. That’s fine. Or rather, I wouldn't mind if some 'unexpected accident' happened to him. ...In the end, nothing had changed. He’s just a fool clinging to the status of a village chief."
"..."
I couldn't bring myself to agree or disagree with Tori’s words. Or perhaps, the silence was a form of agreement.
"Alright!! Since Tori is satisfied, we’ll head back to Weed tomorrow. We don't have time to stick our noses into every single dispute in every country. We have plenty of other work to do. Let’s shift gears. The High Elf nation and the Beast God nation still have matters to discuss, I’m sure. In the meantime, we’ll continue our preparations for intercontinental exchange."
"Yes!"
And so, despite various frustrations, we had achieved our goal and would be returning to Weed.
There is a magic phrase called "non-intervention in civil matters" that stands in our way, preventing us from carelessly interfering. As of now, he was only threatening with words, there was no actual harm done, and Tori herself acknowledged he was family. Well, one could argue there was fraud regarding his claims of nobility, but that could be dismissed as a family squabble. One could also argue it was an insult to Yuki and the others who are nobles, but since we are here incognito, we can't exactly haul him off to jail.
In reality, even on Earth, it’s difficult to distinguish between abuse and discipline. It’s sickening, but we’ll leave that father be and focus on our work. You could say that interfering would be a waste of effort anyway.