第１５１８堀：ギルドからの国の情報 (Part2)
Well, setting that aside, there was the time we used Rurua to take in the refugees from Litea...
"So, does that mean there are people living in Weed who migrated from Vinosia?"
"Probably. I mean, the second wave was mostly from the slums of Litea, right? Hinsa seized the old Vinosian territories, but since the Adventurer Guild had to abandon its posts while escorting people out during the chaos, it’s impossible that no one fled all the way to Litea, where the headquarters are."
Kina answers Fiora’s question with a troubled expression.
But something about that explanation feels off to me.
"That’s true, I suppose. Plenty of people sought salvation in Litea. But Vinosia’s collapse and its annexation by Hinsa happened right in the middle of the Demon Lord subjugation, didn't it? Isn't there a discrepancy with the timing of when we accepted the immigrants from Litea?"
That time was truly grueling.
Between the business with Taiki’s other heroes and the timing of Ria’s arrival, it all overlapped. Looking back, it’s a miracle we managed to pull through it all.
"The timing isn't actually strange. It’s just that, officially and publicly, the collapse and the authorization for annexation happened during the Demon Lord subjugation. But the signs—the civil unrest and such—had been brewing long before that."
"People don't just decide to pack up and migrate the moment a country collapses. Things were unstable for a long time; it wouldn't be strange for them to have fled well before the end."
"Right, I remember hearing that taxes were being squeezed so hard that the local nobles and the commoners were at each other's throats."
"Exactly. Because of that, the Adventurer Guild saw a spike in requests for escort jobs to other countries. Eventually, it reached a point where the guild had to abandon the region entirely, and some people just tagged along for the ride. People with no money to their names."
...I get angry just saying it out loud.
In the end, it’s always the commoners who get the short end of the stick.
Nobles can go to hell, as far as I’m concerned.
Well, Seraria and Yuki-san would never do such things, and we’re here specifically to make sure things don't turn out that way.
But elsewhere, there are still countless people suffering because of idiotic nobles and royals.
...Perhaps the world really would be better off if Yuki-san just took the reins.
"Um, Milly?"
"Hm? Ah, sorry. I was just thinking about the old days. You know, with the wars and our towns being destroyed, we’ve been through a lot."
"...Ah. My apologies."
Fiora is royalty from Dafaio, so she might have been able to read the look in my eyes.
Mustn't do that. Mustn't.
She’s a wonderful wife to Yuki-san now, and she’s been a huge help to us.
Besides, even if I were to suggest such a thing, Yuki-san and everyone else would never accept it, and I know myself that it’s impossible.
The sheer volume of work would kill me.
"Anyway, if we check the second wave of immigration records for Weed, we might be able to uncover the internal situation of Vinosia at the time."
"Are you keeping records of their countries of origin?"
"We create family registers in Weed, you know. We ask about their home countries during that process. We anticipated cultural friction, so we wanted to be able to group people by origin to make it easier to explain things or mediate if trouble broke out."
"I see. That kind of categorization is certainly necessary."
Accepting immigrants for the first time was truly a nightmare.
The Fairy tribe did it first, then we took in the slaves from my home country of Gartz, and then the immigrants from Litea. I had to be incredibly careful to avoid friction between the different races.
Even then, trouble happened as a matter of course, so I had to rely on Tori, Riel, and Kaya’s police force to mediate.
"So, could you pass the request for questioning the Vinosian natives on to Yuki-san?"
"Yes, I understand. And since we went through the trouble of buying these, please, help yourself."
"Oh, that’s right."
I’d been so caught up in the conversation that I hadn't had a chance to reach for the manju we’d ordered.
"Time to refuel with some sweets."
"Indeed. Mmm, delicious."
Rock-san and Kina reach for the manju and start eating.
I follow suit and take a bite.
"Mmm, so good. Ah, the sweetness really hits the spot."
"Haha, sweets are the best thing for difficult conversations."
Fiora eats her manju and takes a breather, too.
Now then, as for the situation in Litea—that, too, will likely be a complicated affair.
We’ve been talking about the old days, but I wonder if they remember?
The time we took in the residents from the Litea slums.
The civil unrest in Vinosia was deeply involved in that, too.