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Chapter 429 – The End of a Great Nation
“The influx of refugees, or rather evacuees, just won’t stop.”
It was not long before peace seemed to be restored.
A message arrived from Sir Leonard, who oversees an area bordering the Holy Kingdom in the eastern part of the Merinard Kingdom, expressing his despair. It had been less than a week since the meeting with Kirilovich.
“They’re moving surprisingly fast.”
“They are desperate, you know. They will do anything to survive.”
Melty, who had herself crossed the Omit Wilderness as a refugee and taken refuge in the elven Black Forest, said nonchalantly.
“If you are fighting a foreign enemy, you can unite and resist. But when it comes to civil wars… you are fighting soldiers and knights of the same country.”
“According to the report, there have been a number of extraordinary tax collections, which were quite recklessly made about six months ago under the name of extraordinary requisitions. Well, they must have scraped together what they needed to fight us.”
“After all, the invading force was wiped out, and we took most of their supplies in pursuit… Well, I guess we’re the ones responsible for the refugees’ troubles.”
“I don’t think we have to take responsibility at all, but we can’t leave it at that either…”
Sylphy, dressed in loose-fitting clothes, ponders with a complex expression on her face. There’s no reason for us to help them at our own expense. There is no reason at all. But it is the people who should be protecting them who are threatening them right now.
Sylphy is right that we don’t have to take care of them at all, but we can’t just leave them there. We have sent a considerable number of airboards to Sir Leonard’s place, and we have also sent a squadron of riflemen, our tiger cubs. But it would be extremely difficult to keep a complete watch on the entire border with just that, and there is no way to stop the flow of refugees from all over the border. The only way to stop the flow would be to build a thick, high wall all along the border.
I might be able to do that if I took my time, but if I used the same time to save the refugees, I could generally, if not completely, work out some kind of effective, peaceful solution.
“Either way, there’s a limit to how far we can push them back, and I don’t think we can just kill them all. We have to do something.”
“Hmm, letting them die is a bad idea.”
Isla looked up from the daily reports from the eastern part of the Merinard Kingdom that had piled up over the past two weeks and nodded. The refugees are in need. In other words, they will soon find themselves in a situation where some of them can only survive by stealing and robbing. When that happens, the security situation in the border area will deteriorate rapidly.
“Then again, maybe I should just go and solve the problem myself this time.”
“No, wait a minute. First of all, it would be better to decide in which direction the problem should be solved. And also, we should not rely too much on Kosuke every time.”
Sylphy made a reluctant face.
“I don’t mind if you rely on me, and I’d rather go and solve it because I’m curious about it. Human lives are at stake, and I don’t think I should hold back.”
“I understand what Kosuke means. However, this place is dangerous. The people of the Holy Kingdom might be busy with their own internal conflicts right now, but they might not be. If something should happen to Kosuke, it would be a big problem. There are people who can take my place, but there is no one who can take Kosuke’s place.
“No, that’s――”
“Yes, yes. That’s it. We need to make a plan first, whether we send Kosuke-san or not, and we need to be prepared. Right now, there’s a shortage of food, medicine, clothes, and tents to shelter from the wind and rain, so let’s send as much as we can.”
“I agree. We will send as much as we can first. We will also collect surplus food from the suburbs of Merinesburg and send it to them. We’ll send mostly conventional food supplies.”
By conventional food, I mean baked bread, ground or pre-ground grain, dried meats, dried vegetables, pickles in jars or barrels, and the like. Canned foods and instant noodles seem to be preserved.
“It’s a good way to replace stored food. We have more than enough food.
“We can always add more if we need it.”
If I were to get my act together and start cultivating a field, it would be possible to create a farm so large that the harvest would be too great to keep up with.
Well, whatever it is, the Holy Kingdom is something that will follow us to the end. This could be just the beginning. After all, one of the continent’s two great powers is about to be shattered. It might be a good idea to take some measures for the future.
“I will ask Kosuke to participate in the discussions to decide on a policy, so please be prepared for that.”
“I understand. But first of all, we need to deliver emergency supplies. Shouldn’t we send some apothecaries, alchemists, and doctors as well?”
“That would be good. There are many women and children in the area, and it would be a disaster if a plague broke out. I’ll also ask the Nostalgic Faction for their cooperation.”
“I will ask the High Priestess Caterina to speak with them. Tell Ellen.”
“I’ll take care of it.”
“Leave it to me.”
I’ll go to Ellie and Conrad and talk to Ellen and the others about it. I’m sure they’d be happy to cooperate when it comes to helping the people of the Holy Kingdom.