Chapter 74
"Nice to meet you, Village Chief. I am the Eighth Prince, Leonart Lakes Adler."
Saying that, Leo bowed to the white-haired old woman who lived in the largest house in the village.
The old woman called the village chief trembled as she bowed in return.
"I am Mao, the village chief of Hina Village. Thank you for coming all the way to a village like this, Your Highness."
"Not at all. No matter what kind of village it is, it is still an Imperial village. The Imperial family is responsible for all its people."
Leo answered with a gentle smile.
Hearing Leo's words, the other person in the house whistled.
"I'm impressed. Are all twins really that different?"
"What did my brother look like to you?"
"Arrogant."
The man leaning against the wall had red hair.
He was Abel, who had accepted Al's request to lead a group of adventurers in guarding the village.
Seeing Abel speak so bluntly, as befitted an adventurer, Leo was favorably impressed.
"I see. Then you might be surprised when you see what my brother is usually like."
"I hope so. That prince hired us to guard a remote village for a ridiculously high reward, and all of us were terrified, wondering what kind of monsters we'd encounter on the way here."
"And what did you find?"
"No monsters. It's a peaceful village. But just as we were told, there are people who seem to be kidnappers. They don't try to harm the villagers after seeing us fortify the village, but we see them from time to time. Still, it's not worth a reward that absurd. It's an easy Quest."
That should have been good news for an adventurer, but Abel seemed dissatisfied.
Leo gave a wry smile, sensing the man's professionalism.
Adventurers were troublesome people. They got angry if the reward was too low and dissatisfied if it was too high. Even so, Leo liked people like them, who lived freely.
"Things will get difficult from here. I'm going to pursue the kidnapping organization. The lord who should be governing this village is probably involved as well."
"Oh? What makes you say that?"
"I deliberately avoided stopping in the lord's city, though I made it look as if I would. The lord apparently panicked and made some suspicious moves. If he had merely failed to recognize this remote village and ignored its requests for help, he would have had no choice but to welcome me. Instead, he tried to contact someone. That was enough to deepen my suspicions."
"Maybe he was just being overly cautious."
"That is possible. However, by the time I arrived, the nobles of the South should have known about my purpose. If he had simply failed to notice me and let the matter pass, he would at least have tried to make the minimum response. In fact, the other lords near the border have taken action regarding the refugee villages. That lord, however, still has not moved."
"I thought you were just taking a detour, but you've actually been up to quite a lot. You're as capable as the rumors say."
"I'm not sure I deserve that assessment. I haven't accomplished anything yet."
Leo said that and lowered his gaze.
It was Leo's honest opinion.
During the Hunting Festival, he had led the knights but failed to deliver the decisive blow. And it had been Al, disguised as Leo, who had won the trust of two countries as plenipotentiary ambassador, not Leo himself.
Since joining the struggle for the throne, Leo had accomplished nothing.
That was why Leo had such unusually strong feelings about this matter.
He could not rely on someone else to make him Emperor. Anyone who could not show the will to become Emperor himself and put that will into action was unfit to be Emperor.
If he could not even resolve the problem in the southern frontier, becoming Emperor was a distant dream.
Those were the thoughts behind his words.
"Well, if that's how you feel, then I suppose that's how it is. It's good that you don't grow complacent. But don't lose sight of what's truly important in your haste to solve the case."
"Of course. First and foremost, I must think of the village and the people who were kidnapped."
"...Lin is a kind child. Even though she was suffering the most, she never let it show and worked for the sake of the village."
"...I haven't heard anything from Linphia. But since she deliberately left the village, I imagined that something major must have happened."
"Yes... The first kidnapping took place eleven years ago. It was Lin's sister, who was three years older than her. Lin was only five at the time. And the last person kidnapped was Lin's sister, who was six years younger. It happened on the day Lin was bedridden with an illness..."
"Her sisters were kidnapped...?"
"She was the only one among the sisters who wasn't an Odd-Eyes. That must have been a source of guilt for her. The children who were kidnapped were always Odd-Eyes. Eleven years ago, many dwarf refugees entered the Empire, and kidnappers targeting demi-humans and children with special powers were active. After His Majesty declared all refugees to be Imperial citizens, the kidnappings became less frequent, but our village continued to be targeted. No one came to help us. It was because we were refugees."
The village chief let out a long, deep sigh.
The refugees had not become refugees by choice.
Many of the refugees who entered the Empire had been driven from their homes during the Warring States period in the South, while others had been caught up in the Socal Empire's policy of excluding demi-humans.
The Empire was tolerant of refugees. However, it wanted to incorporate talented demi-humans, and it could not exactly crack down on humans alone. Demi-humans with valuable skills could make their way in the world, but those without such skills had no choice but to live quietly in remote regions.
Until eleven years ago, they had been treated as though they did not exist. The Emperor's declaration changed that situation.
The refugees were delighted, but that did not change everything.
At the time, the Emperor recognized the refugees living in the Empire as Imperial citizens and exempted them from taxes for five years after recognizing them. It was a policy that placed nothing but a burden on the lords, but in truth, none of the refugee villages had the means to pay taxes. That was why the lords had been instructed to integrate them into their domains over those five years, have them engage in trade and cultivation, and give them the means to pay taxes. Some lords deliberately ignored those instructions.
Because it did not benefit them.
Leo had some understanding of that. If that had been the reason, he had thought, there might be room for leniency. The lords had their own circumstances, after all.
This case, however, was different.
This was a special village. It had many Odd-Eyes, talented people like Linphia, and many excellent hunters. Incorporating it into his domain should have offered the lord numerous benefits. Yet the lord had treated the village as though it did not exist, despite the fact that a simple investigation would have revealed it.
Because otherwise, the existence of the village would have become known to the central Imperial government. There was something the lord wanted to keep hidden.
"That's why Linphia came to us. It was the central government's fault for failing to look after even the farthest reaches of the Empire. Please forgive us."
"N-no! Please, Your Highness, you have nothing to apologize for! That wasn't what I meant! Please raise your head!"
"No matter how much I apologize, your wounds will not heal... I can't promise that I'll bring them all back, but I will search for the kidnapped villagers with all my strength. I also intend to expose the lord's crimes. When that happens, His Majesty the Emperor will surely deliver a just verdict."
"Thank you...! Thank you...!"
The village chief bowed her head again and again.
The discussion ended that way, and Leo went outside with Abel.
"I said all that, but I think this will be a tough one."
"I figured."
"The people watching the village are professionals, judging by their demeanor and equipment. I thought kidnappers were the sort of thing bandits and thugs did, but I've never seen kidnappers take it as seriously as they do. It's a full-fledged business."
"That's right. There must be a large organization behind this. The lord who governs this village isn't particularly powerful. He's probably being used as well."
"The nobles throughout the South could be involved. At worst, you could even trigger a rebellion in the South."
"That would be a terrible blunder."
Leo said that with a laugh.
The problem in the southern frontier was an excellent opportunity to win the Emperor's favor. However, if he allowed a rebellion among the southern nobles, the blame might fall on Leo.
It was an extremely dangerous mission.
Investigating only the surface and wrapping things up without delving too deeply could be considered an effective strategy.
However.
"But after hearing their story, I wanted to help them. Can someone who cannot help the people he wants to help become Emperor?"
"I don't know. But if you ask me which kind of Emperor I'd rather have, I'd choose one who helps the people he wants to help."
"Exactly. That's why I came here to have my way. I'm paying you handsomely, so I'm sorry, but I'll be putting you to work."
"Yeah, yeah. As you command..."
The adventurer's instincts told him that Leo was a troublesome client.
However, he had already been paid. Once an adventurer accepted a Quest, he could not turn it down.
Abel had no choice but to shrug and go along with Leo's words.
The adventurer's instincts told him that Leo was a troublesome client.