The Refugee Problem

After returning to the castle, I invited Linfia to my room.

I then sat down on the sofa facing Linfia.

"Let me thank you properly again, Linfia. If you hadn't been there, I would've died."

"How can you be sure? That assassin had no intention of killing you. If he had, the butler behind you would have arrived in time."

"Even so, I got away without being injured. Thank you."

"I did it for my own sake. Also, I would prefer thanks in a form other than words."

Linfia said this without changing her expression.

What a cool girl. She spoke so calmly, and nothing showed on her face. As a solo adventurer, she was perhaps a little lacking in charm. Still, she must have had the skill to get by, considering she had managed this well.

"All right. Then let me hear what you have to say."

"Thank you. The village where I was born is near the southern border of the Empire. The phrase 'refugee village' should give you a general idea, shouldn't it?"

A refugee village.

I frowned at those words. I had expected trouble, but she had brought me something even more troublesome than I had imagined.

The term meant exactly what it said: people who had drifted in from elsewhere. They were not originally citizens of the Empire. They were people driven from their homelands by war, the emergence of monsters, and other such events. Those people were refugees.

"Of course I can guess. I know this is a problem beyond my reach. Still, go on."

"Yes. As you know, there are refugee villages in many places, but most of them are not recognized by the Empire. That's only natural. They entered the country on their own and built villages on their own. I have no intention of complaining about that. My village is one of them. But... we need the Empire's help now."

"So there's a problem?"

"That's right. Our village has become a target for a kidnapping ring. Young women and children are being abducted. The reason is that our village was formed from several groups of refugees. Many of us, myself included, are of mixed blood."

Mixed blood wasn't particularly rare.

By that standard, I was mixed-blood myself.

Black hair was not uncommon in the Empire, but having black eyes as well was somewhat unusual. Still, it was only unusual enough to make me think someone might be from the east.

In other words, that alone was not enough reason to abduct someone.

"What appeared in your village as a result of that mixed heritage?"

"...Heterochromia."

The moment I heard that, I thought, Of course. Being mixed-blood and a target for kidnappers could only mean that they were children born between humans and demi-humans—or something along those lines.

I clicked my tongue and crossed my legs.

It was a disgusting story. Heterochromia was a special condition in which the colors of the two eyes differed. The problem was that children like that were traded for high prices. They were unusual, and most of them possessed high magical power.

"If this is human trafficking, I can't just leave it alone. But the southern border is about as remote as it gets. Rather than coming all the way to the Imperial Capital, wouldn't it have been faster to speak with a lord or military official in a nearby major city?"

"I did. But no one would act. They said there was no evidence, and eventually they even told me that no such village existed... So I left my village to get someone influential in the Imperial Capital to take action. Fortunately, I did not have heterochromia. When I accepted a request in the west, I came into contact with Silver. There were rumors that Silver was connected to the imperial family, so I came to the Imperial Capital to seek him out. In the end, I made contact with you before I could do that."

"What a coincidence. But they wouldn't act...?"

The worst possible situation crossed my mind. The most troublesome situation of all.

That would mean that the local lord or military officials were connected to the kidnapping organization. If that were the case, this would no longer be a mere problem involving a refugee village.

It would become a problem of corruption among the nobility and the military.

And if that was the case, I did not have enough time to solve it.

"Arnold-sama, even if this is a request from the person who saved your life, you must say no when something is impossible."

"Sebas..."

"Why?"

"Arnold-sama and your younger brother, Leonart-sama, will soon be traveling to another country as plenipotentiary ambassador and his aide. You will be gone for at least half a month, and possibly several months. Even if you want to help, you simply don't have the time."

"I see... Then, could you at least provide financial assistance? Among the adventurers I've met, I've hired those I trust to guard the village and paid them their rewards. So the village will be safe for a while. But my village can't afford to keep adventurers employed forever. I've also been giving them the money I've earned as advance payments, but it isn't enough to keep them there permanently..."

So that's why she had gone out of her way to become an adventurer.

She could earn money while determining which adventurers she could trust. The best way to do that was to take requests with them.

She had certainly thought this through.

Now, what should I do?

It would be easy to abandon her. There was no need to take on such a troublesome problem at a time when I was already so busy.

Although she was my lifesaver, that was only the story on the surface. It wasn't as if I had truly been in mortal danger. Besides, there were requests a person could grant and requests they could not.

No matter how I looked at it, this was the latter.

But if I abandoned her here, there were several people who would probably complain. Complaints would be one thing, but the truly troublesome part was that some of them might act on their own.

It couldn't be helped.

"Linfia. I understand the situation. May I propose a compromise?"

"A compromise?"

"Yes. Leo and I are going to another country. That can't be avoided. But once we return, I'll help as much as I can. I want you to wait until then. Naturally, I'll place a new request with trusted adventurers to ensure the village remains safe until that time. I'll cover the cost. How does that sound?"

"Would that... really be all right?"

"Arnold-sama... That is far too dangerous. We are in the middle of a struggle for the throne, are we not? Taking on another problem will create an opening. Something like what happened today could happen again."

"Then I will lend you my strength as well. Would that be acceptable?"

With that, Linfia placed her sword on the table.

It looked like a thin sword, but as I had seen earlier, it was a magic sword. It could change its shape into a spear or a shield. Judging from the spear's abilities, each form must have its own abilities.

Linfia showed it to me and spoke without changing her expression.

"If you protect my village, I will protect you. I will protect the things you wish to protect. Wouldn't that make it a fair trade? Not to boast, but I am good at protecting important people."

"That's a generous offer, but what about your village?"

"If you send adventurers there, there should be no problem. The kidnapping organization has no skilled fighters. When I was in the village, I was able to protect it by myself. With A-rank adventurers there, the village's safety will be assured."

She was remarkably honorable, and cautious enough to say that outright.

Taking into account the possibility that I might only offer words without taking action, Linfia was saying that she would stay by my side.

In fact, depending on the situation, I had been considering doing exactly that. That was why I had used the phrase "help as much as I can," which could be interpreted in any number of ways.

This might be quite a find.

Maybe I should test her a little more.

"Linfia. In that case, what do you intend to do if I break my promise?"

"I will take evidence that puts you at a disadvantage to another faction. I will use it as payment to have them save my village."

Sebas and I looked at each other at the same time.

She was an A-rank adventurer with the combat ability to handle many situations, and she could negotiate to some extent as well. She had been able to make a living as an adventurer on her own, so she probably possessed a wide range of knowledge too.

I couldn't leave Fiene's protection to Elna forever. Elna had duties of her own.

Thinking about it that way, Linfia was an ideal candidate to fill that gap.

Frankly, both in terms of personality and ability, she seemed far more suited to serving in the Imperial Guard than Elna.

"And if I said there would be no deal?"

"That would be fine. I would simply take the same offer to one of the other candidates for the throne. If I added that you had turned me down, they would probably accept it."

"Hmm..."

She could read the board, too.

Her ability to remain calm without so much as twitching an eyebrow in this situation was another point in her favor. As far as Linfia was concerned, she should have been in the middle of a tightrope walk.

If I turned her down here, Linfia would undoubtedly find herself in a difficult position. There was no guarantee that the other candidates for the throne would offer her the same terms. She claimed they would accept her offer, but she was only putting on a strong front. It was a bluff.

Even so, Linfia did not waver, nor did she try to ingratiate herself with me.

Because she knew she was being tested.

"Sebas. What do you think?"

"I couldn't ask for more. If she cooperates with us, she will be a powerful ally. Of course, we still need to resolve the matter involving her village."

"I suppose I'll have to weigh the options... Well, it can't be helped. It's not as if I have a choice. Linfia, I accept your offer. You will cooperate with me, and I will cooperate with you. Is that acceptable?"

"I don't mind, but... why don't you have a choice?"

"My younger brother is softhearted. So is the duke's daughter, our greatest ally. If we abandoned you, the two of them would be angry and try to help you on their own. If that's what will happen, we might as well help you from the start."

"...To be honest, that is surprising. Your reputation was by no means good. An incompetent, unmotivated prince. A debauched prince who did nothing but play. A spent prince who had every good quality taken by his younger brother. Many people described you that way. But the impression I got from speaking with you is the exact opposite. You are neither incompetent nor unmotivated. Could you actually be Prince Leonart?"

Linfia gave me a slightly suspicious look.

I responded with a wry smile.

The problem had been so troublesome that I had forgotten to act incompetent. This made it all the more impossible to let go of Linfia.

"Rest assured, I'm Arnold. In any case, the deal is settled. I look forward to working with you, Linfia."

"...I look forward to working with you."

With that, Linfia and I exchanged a firm handshake.