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Vol 02 Chapter 49-2: Border Conflict I

Upon my return to the manor, for some reason, Tetra and the others were waiting for me, they seemed to be in a hurry.

「What’s going on? What happened?」

「A group of refugees have arrived. They came from Dibel territory.」

More trouble… It seems refugees always bring trouble at the most inconvenient times.

「How many are they? What did the Dibel Family say? Are they asking for them back?」

「They are two hundred people. We haven’t received any communication from the Dibel Family yet.」

Two hundred people missing wouldn’t go unnoticed… We’ll probably be asked to send them back soon.

「Who knows about the refugees arriving?」

「Only the members here and some of the soldiers. Ron encountered them while he was in the forest at the border hunting a bear, so the information has been kept secret.」

This means, that if we’re lucky, we might get away with pretending we don’t know anything.

A peasant running away is a serious crime against the Lord, and fleeing within the same country usually ends with the Lord of the territory the refugees run to returning them. The low rate of success and the heavy punishment that comes with it makes this situation very rare. Only extremely desperate people do this.

Regal governance must be terribly bad for his people to try this. I’ve heard the rumors, but I didn’t think it was this bad.

Well, let’s forget about that, for now, I should focus on…

「Bring me the representative of the refugees. I want to talk with him.」

◇

「Are you the representative of the refugees?」

「Yes, that’s me. Could you please take us in?」

「First, tell me about the circumstances of your flight.」

If the reasons are trivial, I intend to send them back.

◇

The summary of the taxes in Dibel territory is as follows:

30% of the wheat harvested
Land tax
Cloth tax
Special products tax
Labor service
Military service
Marriage tax
Death tax
Funeral tax
Right of the first night tax

That’s incredible. I don’t know how he came up with so many taxes. I would find it too bothersome to collect all these. Is Rigal actually a hard-working person?

He even separated the death tax and funeral tax, huh? And there’s both a marriage tax and a right of the first night tax.

Yeah, it’s all quite extreme.

I can see why they ran away.

「Also, relatives of the Dibel family continuously commit atrocities.」

It seems that rape and robbery are common. They even kill people randomly sometimes too.

You never see this level of abuse even in novels. Truly horrendous.

Given how many atrocities the refugees recount, I’m beginning to think they are exaggerating, but…

I asked the representative to wait a bit and left the room. Then, I called Tetra, Iarl, and Boros.

◇

I shared the representative’s story with the three of them and asked for their opinions.

「Sounds pretty bad, but is their story true?」

Tetra nodded.

「I’ve discreetly asked the other refugees, and it seems mostly true. There were people crying, saying they were raped because they couldn’t pay the right of the first night tax.」

Iarl nodded in agreement too.

「I’ve also inquired about the taxes… It seems true that they are being severely exploited. Some are even selling their children regularly.」

I see…

When I turned to Boros, he nodded.

「I’ve often heard about the harshness of Dibel territory as well. Refugees used to come here frequently during the rule of Ragou-sama in the past. And even during King Ferme’s reign, people continued to flee to this territory.」

So, the hell created by Rigal Dibel was more terrifying than the hell created by Ferme… There’s always something worse out there.

「But it seems like the rape and murder accusations might be slightly exaggerated. What do we do with them?」

Tetra asked.

Well… I want to give them refuge. To abandon them would be inhumane.

If we send them back to such a dreadful place, there’s no telling what the Dibel Family will do with them. But how can I deceive Rigal…

In King Rosais’ Country, peasants moving between territories require the permission of both lords. Legally, I would be at fault.

It’s commonly said that a bad law is still a law, but as things stand, I could be made a criminal… What to do, what to do…

Maybe. If we hide them far enough away, we could get away with feigning ignorance. Fortunately, King Rosais, who would preside over any trial, favors me.

But a place beyond Rigal Dibel’s scrutiny…

There is one. A perfectly suitable location.

◇

「Then let’s send them to the forest village. We haven’t begun recruiting people to populate it yet, right? Regal shouldn’t be able to find them there.」

There are only thirty people living there. Even though it has the capacity to support two hundred people. It’s a shame to let a perfectly good village waste away.

Let’s dump the two hundred refugees there. The thirty residents who are living there, were also refugees at first so they have common ground to get along. I’ll have them experience the struggle we went through when they came unannounced to our village.

The village will be a bit over capacity, but we can provide food aid for a while until they develop new fields.

That place is perfect for hiding. The old barriers are still in good condition, and for us, that forest is like our backyard. Even if a dog controlled by a magician intrudes, we can deal with it immediately.

Furthermore, very few patricians are aware of that village’s existence, and even fewer know it’s part of my territory. It should be a blind spot.

「It’s settled then. Let’s move them secretly in the middle of the night.」

「Then, let’s move them tonight, we should get this done as soon as possible.」

◇

「Well, well, Dibel-dono… please, come in. I’ll have a simple meal prepared for you.」

I welcomed Rigal Dibel courteously.

I intend to earn as much goodwill as possible.

First, I’ll serve a meal and fill Rigal’s stomach. If his belly is full, he shouldn’t be so prone to anger.

After the meal comes…

「Dibel-dono, what brings you here this time?」

Well, I know what he’s here for. The fugitives, of course

「Aris-dono, actually, some of my territory’s peasants have fled. There’s a high possibility they’ve fled to your territory. Do you happen to know anything?」

I responded to his question.

「I’m sorry, but I have no idea. I’ll have it investigated immediately.」

Upon hearing my answer, Rigal raised an eyebrow.

The refugees could only have fled to my territory or to King Domorgal’s Country and considering the distance, my Aris territory is the most probable destination.

It’s a blatant lie… but it’s not impossible they fled to King Domorgal’s, and without evidence, there’s no issue. Any potential evidence like the refugees’ scent or footprints has already been erased by our magicians. A perfect crime.

However, it seemed he was not convinced.

Well, that’s obvious.

「I see. By the way, Almus Aris-dono, you do know that in this country’s laws, the moving of peasants requires the consent of both lords… are you aware of that?」

「Yes, of course. What about it?」

As expected, he suspects me. But he has no evidence.

Throughout our conversation, Rigal kept asking similar questions, but I maintained my posture of not knowing anything.

◇

「Damn it!! Playing dumb!」

Rigal kicked a chair away and unsheathed his sword, slashing at the floor and walls to vent his frustration. After releasing his stress, he called over his aide Belmet, and his closest relative and friend, Gilbert.

「What do you think about this matter?」

Gilbert spoke first.

「It’s certain they’ve fled to Aris territory… That village was one I was in charge of. If they were to flee, it’s unthinkable they’d go anywhere but to Aris territory.」

Of course, it’s not impossible for them to have gone to King Domorgal’s Country. But reaching King Domorgal’s lands would take several days.

Escaping overnight would be impossible.

「However, without conclusive evidence, any legal action we take would only lead to our defeat. It seems Almus Aris has completely erased any evidence like scents or footprints.」

Moreover, King Rosais clearly favored Almus. In a trial, they would be at a disadvantage. A loss was certain.

「But we were able to make our point. There won’t be a next time.」

It’s unlikely Almus would repeat the same action. That was Belmet’s conclusion.

「So, we just have to swallow our pride for now… Watch your back, Almus Aris…」

◇

A week after this incident, reports swept through King Rosais’s Country that a large rock salt mine had been discovered near the eastern border of Aris territory, close to the border with Dibel territory.