CH 334

“Heh-heh-heh!”

“Little ladies, if you leave your valuables behind, we’ll spare your lives.”

“Haa…”

Did I say there wouldn’t be any incidents and we’d just enjoy sightseeing? That was a lie.

We were dragged into a back alley and surrounded by criminals, we looked at each other and shrugged our shoulders. I look back on how this happened.

We take care of Alexandra after she faltered, and wait a while until she recovers.

“I’ll buy you a drink, okay?” Louisa said.

“Ooh, no, I’ll do it instead!” Claudia said.

After seeing Claudia off, we returned to taking care of Alexandra.

“Are you okay, Miss Alexandra?” Katharina said as she touched and fanned Alexandra.

“Yes, I’m fine,” Alexandra replied.

If she rests in the shade while drinking something, I think she’ll recover soon. It’s not like she’s sick or suffering from heatstroke, she’s just tired because she doesn’t have the physical strength.

When I think about it, there’s something that would be cool at times like this! It would be nice if there was some kind of magic that would restore her… I’ve never heard of that kind of magic before. Magic isn’t omnipotent, and it’s not possible to generate anything without limit, drawing from nothing to make something.

Even if it was possible to knit cut wounds back together, it would be impossible to make up for the blood that had leaked out in the meanwhile.

But… can it be done depending on how you think about it? Something like using magic to activate the blood-producing function of the body itself? Even if you can’t replenish your blood instantly, you might be able to assist in that process.

Well, even if it’s okay to treat blood and injuries, it’s impossible to get rid of fatigue, after all. Using magic to give magical power to the target, so that the magical power will be the energy and nourishment for them… Hmmm…

“Yo, the little ladies over there.”

“Would you like to hang out with us for a while?”

While I was taking care of Alexandra and thinking about it, some really bad-looking guys surrounded us and said things like that. They are deliberately whipping knives out from their bosoms.

Apparently, since Claudia played the role of escort, no, for these guys, it seems that the escort Claudio was gone and set his wards up for danger. We sent a signal to the escorts who were blending into the surroundings, telling them not to touch them yet, and then answered the thugs.

“Please don’t touch Lady Alexandra…” I said.

“Ouh, ouh. How nice… that’s what this uncle likes to see.”

“If you follow us quietly, we won’t do anything rough. Come without making a fuss.”

When I sent a glance to the other wives and nodded, they all nodded back. Once again, Katharina and I lend Alexandra our shoulders and follow the thugs.

We were led to the back of a dark alley. It’s dark and damp, with people here and there sitting directly on the ground. It’s a so-called slum-like place. I didn’t know that the atmosphere would change so much just by entering the back alleys from the main street.

On the surface, this town seems to be prospering, but on the other side, it seems that there is still something like this.

The thugs are quite familiar with it. There is no doubt that they are people who do this kind of thing on a daily basis. Even so, they don’t know who Alexandra and we are, and they act like this with short-sightedness.

This incident wasn’t something planned, but when they were looking for prey in the city, they saw Alexandra, a young lady who seemed to be a defenseless little girl, so I guess it was an action with poor foresight.

It’s been a long time since this has happened it, and there’s no doubt that I’m used to it. But it’s very short-sighted to attack suddenly without preparation. On top of that, they aren’t that big of a deal because they don’t notice our strength or the hidden guards. I wanted to catch some bigger criminals or an underworld organization, but there was no other way…

Even though these weak maidens are being led by thugs, no one even tries to help them. After all, this is the limit in such a town in such an era…

“Now then, it’s fine around here,” the leading man said as he turned around.

The area is completely like a slum, and there are people who are looking around here, but no one is trying to help us. On the contrary, I guess they’re waiting to get some leftovers from these thugs. I mean, this kind of thing is a regular occurrence here.

“Heh-heh-heh!”

“Little ladies, if you leave your valuables behind, we’ll spare your lives.”

“Haa…”

Although he says that aloud, he can’t hide his lustful expression at all. It means that even if you obediently hand over something of value, you won’t be able to return silently. Well, in the first place, we have no intention of giving money to these guys…

“Um… are you guys members of some organization? Is this someone’s order…?”

“Ah?”

“Puh! Wahahaha!”

Hearing my words, the hoodlums looked at each other and started laughing.

“Did you think we were hired to target that young lady?”

“Unfortunately for you, we’re just rogues in this town.”

“The young ladies looked like tasty ducks, so I thought I’d try them, so I brought them here.”

“As I thought……” I said.

I wanted to round up some kind of behind-the-scenes organization or something like that, but… the fact that we were entwined with these guys must have already become known around here. Even if we didn’t divulge the information that we managed to do something about the thugs, there should already be rumors that we killed them.

In that case, should I just catch these guys and put an end to them…? It would be impossible to catch any more big fish. If we return to town safely after this, the rest of the underworld will be wary of that alone…

I quickly raise my right hand.

“Oh? What is that?”

“Enough of this. Move,” I said.

I swing down my raised right hand to give the order. That’s all.

“Ha!”

“Wha? What the hell?”

“Get out! It’s a trap!”

“Hii!”

The thugs were quickly subdued by the escorts who jumped out after the command. It’s like they can’t handle it. It seems that they really were just street thugs.

“Geeze! You’re awful for leaving me behind!”

“Sorry.”

Claudia came with a drink after passing by the captured thugs. The escorts have guided her so far that even Claudia wouldn’t get lost. After a few drinks, Alexandra calms down and starts walking on her own.

“The atmosphere is terrible, so let’s move quickly,” Alexandra said.

“Got it,” I said.

Well, it’s not just that the air is bad… but if possible, we want to round up the group of guys who are getting involved with us before the rumors about us spread, so…

There won’t be any more big shots, but there will still be some thugs who try to kidnap and extort us. If the rumor spreads, no one will get involved, but if you act quickly, you should still be able to catch a few more thugs.

This time, in addition to the investigation, we also aimed to destroy any criminal organizations using ourselves as bait. Unfortunately, I don’t feel that such a big shot has been caught so far. For the time being, I’m making them vomit about their affiliation and the underworld, but there doesn’t seem to be any convincing information to catch a big shot.

When we returned to the above-ground world, we parade through the town again with innocent faces. I’ve caught a few small-time criminals like this in the towns I’ve been through so far, but I don’t think it’s useful for fundamental solutions or improving public order…

We continue walking around the town while chilling at the stalls. Just as I was getting hungry, I smelled something nice, and it piqued my interest.

“It smells good, doesn’t it?” I said.

“I will buy it for you,” Katharina said.

“Oh no, I’ll go myself,” I said, stopping Katharina.

Then, I head to a stall selling something like soup

“Hello. Can I have six servings?” I asked.

“Coming right up!”

The old lady who was the shopkeeper stirred the pot and ladled the soup out. Of course, the vessel is to be returned, so don’t run away with it. The money for the vessel is included in the fee first, and when you return the vessel, they will return part of the money. It’s like the old system for glass Coke bottles.

In the old days, if you returned a glass Coke bottle, they would buy it back from you. Well, in the end, the cost of the bottle is included in the initial payment, and when the bottle is returned, you’re just being given back the price of the bottle… but it’s a similar system.

While buying soup from the stall of the old woman, I asked about various things while casually chatting about the local specialties.

“How’s it going around here lately?”

“Hmm? Even if you say ‘lately’… Nothing to say about it, really.”

Huh? There is nothing? That can’t be right, can it? There was a war not long ago, and the rulers just changed. I’ve accepted the position of ruler, but… Putting that aside, the change and shifts of local lords and ruling systems in a war must be a terrible thing.

“Some time ago there was a war, and as a result of the war, the country we belonged to and the ruler should have changed…” I said.

“Ah~, I didn’t know about that, you know? But, for commoners like us, it doesn’t matter. There was almost no damage to the town even if it was a war, and we’ll see who the Lord has changed to. For us, it doesn’t matter who the Lord is as long as the town is peaceful and there are no unreasonable tax collections.”

“Huh… is that what it is?” I said.

“That is what it is!”

Is that okay? I can’t help but think. But… is that so… It seems I was a little confused as well.

The concept of nationalism and identity has only recently emerged. Even on Earth, only a hundred years ago, two hundred years ago, there was no such idea. Even though I recently said that you shouldn’t think about anything with a modern way of thinking, we seem to have fallen into that frame.

In the old days, there were no clear national borders, and wars often changed those borders, such as one country winning this time, belonging to this country, and the next one winning, belonging to that country instead.

So, in the past, there must have been times and regions where the idea of how many people there were, what country it was, or whose territory it was, were all sparse. Of course, there are regions and eras that have been particular about such things for a long time.

But this place was originally developed by Ploiss, and Polsky took over it and ruled over it. This time it just returned to Ploiss, and the residents may not think of themselves as Plossians or Polskis.

They just lived in this land, and the first ruler was the Kingdom of Ploiss. It was stolen by Polsky and then returned to Ploiss. If the tax collection and the control system are not strict, that’s fine. And even if they were strict, it can’t be helped because the current ruler is like that. That kind of atmosphere is flowing.

Very carefree or big-hearted… Probably because there is not much concept of country or race.

In that case, it might be better for me to think of the people who live here as citizens of the Caan Knights Nation instead of thinking of them as Ploissians or Polskis. If you think about how many people there are or what country they are from, I really could start dividing the citizenry.

It’s good to create nationalism and identity as members of House Caan and the Caan Knights Nation from now on, but it would be better not to make them conscious of being Plossian or Polski in the past. The residents aren’t aware of that, so it’s better to assimilate them well now.

“Thank you, Auntie,” I said.

“If you bring back the bowls, you’ll get back the money for them,” she said.

Katharina and I carry the prepared soup. We sat down in the town square where the stalls were lined up and drank it.

“Eh~… how should I put it… it’s a simple taste,” I said.

“It doesn’t taste particularly good,” Mikoto said.

Mikoto…that’s too forward… That being said, maybe because we have good taste, it’s certainly a little unsatisfactory. Is the seasoning light and just cooking the ingredients with just water? That’s what it tastes like. It is seasoned for the time being, but it is very thin.

“Since seasonings are expensive, ordinary people eat like this everywhere,” Louisa said.

“I see……”

It’s persuasive coming from her. Even if you actually buy and eat at a stall, this kind of thing often happens. I miss the taste of modern earth and reproduce it, so I use a strong seasoning and dashi soup. But I guess the common people have such tastes for weak flavors.

After all, food is very important to make people’s lives rich and prosperous. To unite as a nation of the Caan Knights Nation, regardless of how many people there are, we have to improve the diet. I could clearly see that this was a problem that I had to deal with.

“After all, it is important to go directly to the town and see the lives of the common people,” I said.

I’m glad I hid my identity and went out into town this time. I learned a lot of things that I couldn’t understand just by looking at the documents in the office, and I feel like I could see a little bit of what I should do and the direction I should go.

“But please don’t do this too much,” Katharina said. “You shouldn’t be doing this, Miss Flora.”

The escorts blending in nearby nodded reluctantly at that. It seems that my selfishness is causing my people a lot of trouble. After a little reflection, I decided to think of a way to save the guards from suffering.