第１５２２堀：捨てられたその後 (Part1)
Chapter 1522: The Aftermath of Abandonment
Side: Prol
I have been gathering various pieces of information, and whether one should call it fortunate or unfortunate, it seems that no situation capable of shaking Litea has occurred just yet.
Well, the state of affairs is certainly not one that allows for complacency, but even if rumors were to circulate, Litea is not the sort of organization that would crumble overnight.
That said, there is no doubt that the upper echelons of Litea are incensed over the matter of face.
If Weed were to fall into a situation like this, it would be at a level where they would summon the person in charge and mete out appropriate punishment.
As I was contemplating this, Hovis and Yayui handed documents to all of us.
"Alright, everyone has the documents now, right? Now, regarding the investigation report from Kirika, Steve, and the others, it seems there are no particular issues concerning Hinsua. It’s just a normal country. Though, that is only regarding the royal capital. There isn't enough time to investigate the entirety of Hinsua."
That is only to be expected.
Indeed, Lady Kirika and the subordinates led by General Steve are excellent, but they are not capable of doing everything.
Especially when it comes to manpower, they cannot simply split themselves into copies.
...No, I feel like they might be able to do it technically, but the fact that they haven't suggests it isn't practical.
"However, that doesn't mean there are no problems. Well, I think everyone here already knows, but it concerns the former territory of the Kingdom of Vinosia. About half of it has effectively defected—or rather, the lords who sought help were left as they were—but for the remaining half, and the royal capital itself, the populace rose up in rebellion. The lords have gone missing, the royalty as well, and it seems to be in a state of being abandoned without anyone to govern it."
"Abandoned? What about the security forces?"
"They have deployed some, but it seems they couldn't cover everything. Well, that’s only natural. There is monster damage everywhere, and the number of soldiers doesn't just suddenly increase. Of course, they seem to have sent a few small units here and there, but it appears that the 'earnest' villagers—if that’s the right way to put it—the decent populace had mostly fled during the Vinosia civil war. You remember the talk about how the Adventurer Guild and the Litea Church were supporting the evacuation, right?"
Ah, I remember that.
That incredibly idiotic story about the populace and the lords clashing violently during the civil war.
Under those circumstances, there would be no tax revenue to speak of.
Moreover, the fact that they were trying to squeeze the people to pay off debts—it was sheer madness.
If they try to exploit the populace like that, it is only natural for them to resist with a desperate, death-defying intensity.
As I, along with everyone else, recalled those events, he continued.
"Well, so what remains are only the few people with the guts to live there no matter what, and those with shady backgrounds. Of course, for places like the royal capital, soldiers have entered because it would be troublesome if the castle were used by bandits, but can they maintain villages and towns where there are barely any people...?"
"It’s impossible. Moreover, it’s not as if they were gifted the Vinosia military forces as they were; Hinsua has to supplement it with their own. Including reconstruction and the like. If we think about it in terms of Weed, it would be equivalent to gaining double the territory. And yet, there is no talent, and very few people living there. Everyone here should understand how much of a burden that is."
I stated this clearly.
In reality, whether it is exactly double the towns and villages is debatable, but if you include the management of forests and the like—places where there are no people and thus many monsters—it would be far more than double.
After all, it is the operation and management of unfamiliar land.
Everything is a process of trial and error; it cannot possibly be simple.
And with almost no people, one cannot even expect tax revenue.
If it were Weed, well... money could be managed somehow, but a small country could never produce such funds.
"It’s impossible. At best, they can only rotate soldiers to patrol to ensure the land doesn't become a hotbed for bandits and monsters."
Lady Fiora answered my words while shaking her head.
Lady Fiora is a princess of the Dafaio Kingdom.
Having led armies herself, she must have known about the operation of towns and villages since long ago.
She seems to understand just how difficult the situation Master Yuki described truly is.
Well, it is not just Lady Fiora; everyone present seems to understand that being given double the territory of Weed—especially with almost no people and no reinforcements—would be an impossible situation to manage, and everyone’s faces have turned pale.
That is only to be expected.
Even though Master Yuki’s Orelia and the others work as subordinates, they understand how many people are required to run a country and how difficult it is just to have the land increase.
It is natural for their faces to turn pale.
"That’s right. The fact that they are properly sending out patrol soldiers shows that Hinsua is being earnest. Thanks to that, it seems Litea couldn't protest too strongly either."
"Protest, you say~?"
Hovis tilted his head at Master Yuki’s words.
Indeed, it is somewhat strange for Litea to protest against Hinsua.
After all, Hinsua took care of Vinosia, which was burdened with such massive debt; one would like to think there is no reason to receive criticism or protests for that...
"In this case, regarding the fact that the Vinosia royalty was sold off, there is the issue of Hinsua’s lack of investigation."
"Eh? Is there such an unreasonable thing?"
Yayui raised her voice in surprise at Master Yuki’s words.
Hinsua only intervened after Vinosia had become completely hopeless.
It was after the royalty had fled and the other lords had disappeared.
One would think, how could they be expected to track them down...?
"Unfortunately, they annexed Vinosia. They have an obligation to manage it properly. It’s what you call administrative responsibility. If a child plays a prank and causes trouble or damage to others, the parent takes responsibility in their stead. Well, it’s the same as that. Because the situation is one of being forced into it, Litea can't complain too much, though."
As Master Yuki said, Hinsua ended up governing the former Vinosia territory in a way that left them holding the short end of the stick, but the risks include things like this.
If they cannot manage it, it would be no surprise if they were blamed by those around them.
However, the surrounding countries were almost entirely indifferent to the Vinosia civil war.
Among them, only Hinsua raised a hand.
Because of that, including Litea, no one has much to say, but when it comes to the location of responsibility, it is land managed by Hinsua, so it becomes Hinsua's problem.
Above all...
"Considering the possibility of it becoming a base for enemies, Litea cannot help but have complaints."
Indeed. It was Litea, after all, that permitted Hinsua to annex Vinosia.