CH 28

“In general, the Rubrum refugees are mostly women and children. Occasionally there are men, but mostly they are dissidents who have fled for their lives.”

Machina told us so, as I looked at the Rubrum people sitting cramped together on the floor of an old church. It was heartbreaking to see that everyone was dressed in rags and some seemed to be wounded.

The next day, I visited the border city of Edessa with Mika and Machina.

Edessa, located about two hours by carriage from the territorial capital Parthenios, is a border town, and it is surrounded by strong walls as far as the eye can see.

It was my first time visiting the border.

In my first life, I always went only to the outskirts of the royal capital. After relations with the Rubrum Empire became strained, naturally, the royal family could not go anywhere near the border.

I still couldn’t look at Mika’s face properly from this morning, so I looked around me to observe the refugees. Machina then continued.

“And then, the beastmen slaves. Have you ever seen them, Your Highness?”

“N-no… I haven’t. I know there is an ocean beyond Rubrum, but I don’t know about the continent beyond that.”

“Recently, there are more and more beastmen slaves in Rubrum. There is no slavery in Pluvia, but it seems that in Rubrum they are bringing many slaves from the New Continent. The condition of the escaped slaves is so terrible that it cannot be compared to that of the refugees from Rubrum.”

“……That’s the worst.”

I bit my back teeth as I looked at Machina’s face.

Even though I had heard that the condition of the refugees from Rubrum was terrible, the thought of something even worse made my stomach churn.

Both Pluvia and Malacia are countries without slavery. Probably because everyone lives peacefully without having to rely on slaves.

But in the Rubrum Empire, except for the wealthy and royalty, most of daily life is met with the harsh heat and desert environment.

The weather in this world is supposedly determined by the God of origin, and no one really knows how it works. If compared to prosperous Pluvia and Malacia, Rubrum is too different in terms of preconditions.

“People who live under the toughest conditions find their means of life in the presence of those below them.”

“…..They think in such a way?”

How sad, I think, to only be able to live through hard times by looking at someone in a worse condition than them. My eyebrows creased even deeper as I wondered if in addition to the Rubrum refugees, I would also have to deal with the beastmen.

How do ‘refugees’ end up in Pluvia in the first place?

People with the transit pass can enter the gates of Edessa boldly and enter the Kingdom of Pluvia.

But the refugees have no transit passes. In other words, the Rubrum Empire has no intention of letting them out. And yet, there are people who cross that endless, vast desert and arrive in this country.

“Even though it was supposed to be an emperor whom we only heard good rumors from…”

“Well, that’s how it is. As my brother said, something is strange. Those who have escaped still seem to be frightened of something.”

“Don’t they tell the reason why?”

“No. That makes it all the more frightening.”

Hearing that, I thought, “I see….”

The Rubrum refugees are still under oppression, even after fleeing to Pluvia. That’s all there is to it. Then again, perhaps they are still running from reality.

“Many of those people have magic scars on their backs. Does Your Highness know what that means? Rubrum people who do not have a proper pass are traitors in the eyes of the Empire.”

“…even if we’re under a peace agreement?”

“Yes. That’s what ‘peace’ means to the Rubrum Empire, Your Highness.”

I had heard that even with the peace agreement, there are very strict exit visas in the Rubrum Empire.

It is being controlled so that no one will end up settling in Pluvia even by mistake. If Machina, born and raised in this territory, thinks that this is ‘peace’, then surely it is only a false peace.

(So as expected… Rubrum is-)

At the time I was burned at the stake, the Rubrum Empire had not taken any direct action. But I’m sure that after my death, Pluvia would have been in a lot of trouble.

Now that I had heard Machina’s story and felt the threat of the new emperor, the thought of that kind of future made me shiver.

“Nagi, are you okay?”

“Ah, yeah. I just had a bad feeling.”

“…Yeah. I also have a bad feeling about this. But for now, we have to do something about these people.”

Mika’s hand quickly moved around my waist, and my heart skipped a beat. I shudder, remembering the look in his eyes last night, even though I know I shouldn’t remember it.

(N-no. This is not the time to be thinking such a thing…!)

I shook my head to the side to drive out my mischievous feelings. When Mika said that to me with a worried look on his face, I thought that I also feel the same.

What is to come is to be seen.

What is expected of me on this inspection is to do something about the people who are in need right now, right in front of us. Thinking of my brother, I clenched my fists tightly and asked Machina.

“What then happens to the people who managed to escape?”

“Many of them work for merchants. Many of the nobles are hard-headed, but the merchants are not that particular about their race because they are involved with other countries. We have facilities here, and some people settle in farming villages. But farming villages are rather closed off, so it’s also difficult in a lot of ways.”

“……I see.”

When I heard Machina say that, I put my hand to my chin. If there are people in need, I would like to have a system in place to welcome them with open arms. That’s why Machina is also going to take the Livelihood Magic Study, and the circumstances are probably not so good here.

However, the meaning of the “peace agreement” for the upper echelons of the Rubrum Empire as explained by Machina, and the possible existence of espionage, would not be welcomed with open arms.

But, when I see mothers with their children huddled together in the church, I think about it.

(It’s always the weak who get sacrificed…)

That said, it was also risky to create a settlement that gathered only those people together.

It could be a hotbed for espionage, and if the Rubrum Empire were to attack, it could become a target. Considering the safety of each person, it seemed best for each of them to find a job. But—.

(If war really started, the discrimination would surely be worse. Even if they know that those people are not to blame, I’m sure it’ll still happen.)

I wonder what I can do.

What can I do as a prince?

We haven’t reached a consensus yet, but Mika and Machina are the only ones here. They’re both my knights…… No, Machina is not. But he’s someone I can trust.

Let’s ask for their opinion. It’s not something that I can figure out alone.

“It means that… the country should give assistance, doesn’t it? Maybe.”

“That’s sounds good. And so, what do you think about it, Nagi?”

“Maybe… partial tax relief to merchants and lords who employ refugees. Then, the opening of a department where refugees can consult… and one more thing.”

I’m relieved to see that Mika is listening to me intently.

Actually, I have brought another sample of magic plants that I think will grow in this environment.

I wonder if I might be able to employ some of the beastmen and refugees to assist in this experiment. The place is far from the royal capital. I may have to ask Marquis Lambert to manage it.

But I was thinking that if we could improve the breed to a desert-tolerant variety and such, perhaps this could be one way to avoid war with the Rubrum in a peaceful way.

I know it was a naive idea. But it had to be better to do it than not to do it.

“So you brought some grass with you. Yeah, that’s a nice idea. Because employment is the problem.”

“Hmm. So Your Highness Nagi is interested in magical botany. I didn’t know that.”

“N-no! I still, umm, don’t know if it will work yet. I’ve never been in the desert before.”

“Well, that’s what the experiment is for, right?”

It’s only a concept.

I’m sure that it will take years to tell, because I’m going to have to get some fertile magical plants planted somewhere for now, and see how they do. But considering the long, repeated peace and war cycle with Rubrum, I’m sure that the years in that situation are short.

A wish slipped out of my mouth.

“It would be nice if there are people, no matter if they’re Rubrum people or even beastmen, whom I could ask to manage this…”

“Nagi, what about those people over there?”

—Huh?