Chapter 82
"How do you feel about being in the capital?"
"It's dizzying. I didn't know teleportation would be this headache-inducing."
"People experiencing spatial movement for the first time often feel that way. You'll get used to it with practice."
At the top floor of the Magic Tower Temple in the capital.
The view of the capital spread out beyond the reception room where Karma Company's headquarters was located was enough to take the laborists' breath away.
Jonathan Karma smiled at the laborists who were absentmindedly staring at the outside scenery while barely sipping their tea.
"The scenery is impressive. Most people are surprised."
"It is surprising. That there's technology to build such tall buildings."
Karl Renaro nodded frankly.
Jonathan smiled at those words.
"I'm confident I can surprise you even more. Would you like to see?"
"I'd like to. What is it?"
"Follow me. I should give you a tour of the slums."
Jonathan and his wife Oliviera left the Magic Tower Temple with the laborists.
And they began to go around the various districts of the slums together.
And as the tour progressed, the laborists' mouths gradually fell open as a bonus.
"Is this really the slums?"
Well-laid brick floors.
Neatly and cleanly built housing complexes.
Murals that seemed to have been created by inviting artists were painted on the walls.
"It was the slums. Until the Saint appeared, this was the poorest place in the capital."
"This place? Really?"
"Yes. That's right. Come this way. I'll show you the capital's workers at work."
Jonathan Karma took the laborists around businesses in the slums and showed them the workers working there.
And that sight was making the laborists even more surprised.
"They arrive at work at 9 AM and leave at 6 PM. Lunch time is 1 hour from 12 to 1. And there's a separate night shift team that starts work after dinner. Night shift workers receive a bit more in allowances."
"How much... do they receive in salary?"
"30 saled per month. Night shift workers receive 45 saled. Because of that, there are a bit more people volunteering for night shifts."
"...I never thought I'd say this. But can you make a profit paying salaries like that?"
"I provide elixir, which is most essential for factory operation, at half price to companies entering the slums. Because of that, they don't suffer such big losses even if they raise labor costs."
"My goodness. I never knew such companies existed..."
"Let's see another place. Ah! That's a newly built tire factory. Would you like to see?"
It was a tour of the slums that was more than shocking for the laborists.
There were no unhappy-looking people among the workers in the factories.
Everyone was smiling.
Although they looked tired and exhausted, seeing hope in the workers' faces was surprising the laborists more than anything.
"...Would it be alright if we went around and observed for ourselves today? Mr. Karma?"
Because it was such an unbelievable sight, the laborists ultimately became suspicious.
They separated from Jonathan Karma and went around the entire capital themselves to see what the workers' conditions were like.
And the conclusion they reached was that Jonathan Karma was not lying.
"Not just here, but most workers in the outskirts of the capital are in similar situations."
"8-hour workday. 1 hour lunch break provided. High salaries. Employee education. We even saw cases where women were made managers over men because they did good work."
"They put women over men??"
"They said they wouldn't look at whether someone was a woman or man. They said it was a decision made only looking at ability. In all my life... This is the first time I've seen a capitalist do such a thing."
"Karma Company was helping workers receive a lot of help from banks. They were pushing policies where workers could get loans to acquire housing based on Karma Company's guarantee. Also, Karma Company was paying the loan interest on their behalf."
"Workers were building their own houses to live in while receiving wages."
"With wages increasing and being able to get loans to acquire housing in advance, workers' living standards are unimaginably high."
"There's no child labor here. Instead, children were receiving education at schools directly built by Karma Company and the imperial family. Well-trained teachers were teaching children letters, math, science, and the basics of magic. There were no education fees. They're providing education for free."
"They were even feeding children for free with something called school lunches."
The laborists couldn't come to their senses.
Karl Renaro had to let out a hollow laugh after hearing all those stories.
"...It seems we don't need to do anything in the capital?"
"Most of what we demanded is already being done. We could just make labor laws using Karma Company's company management policies as basic rules without any problems."
Karl Renaro was silent while listening to the pouring testimonies.
"You said capitalists should do capitalists' work, and we should do our work."
Only now did the Saint's words truly resonate with Karl Renaro.
"You said we would become beings who massacre more workers than anyone for the sake of workers, forgetting compassion for the weak."
"I wonder if we could have raised workers' living standards to this level even if the revolution had succeeded."
"It probably would have been difficult. We would have been too busy fighting capitalists to improve living standards."
Self-deprecating words were exchanged, but the laborists' expressions were rather bright.
"Let's do as our comrades say. We can enact labor laws based on how Karma Company operates companies."
"Let's let capitalists do things that bring benefits to workers."
"We just need to bite those who deviate from that principle. Doing what we do best."
It was a moment when what they needed to do became even clearer.
They were hunting dogs.
They were beings happiest when biting capitalists who deviated from proper conduct.
So they planned to continue doing that work in the future.
The very next day.
"Isn't this enough?"
"There's not much to fix. We can just do it exactly as Karma Company operates."
Jonathan Karma and the laborists decided on the labor law clauses at an incredible speed without much difficulty.
After that, there were no obstacles.
The agreed upon labor law clauses were submitted to the Senate, and the Senate quickly reviewed the clauses, confirmed there were no problems, and passed them as is.
Of course, not everything the laborists requested was passed exactly as requested.
"The new department name... Ministry of Employment and Labor. Doesn't it seem too plain?"
"It lacks authority. Authority."
"We'll need to change the name ourselves."
The name of the imperial administrative department where the laborists would work in the future was newly created by the nobles.
The Imperial Labor Office.
Department Operarium, that was.
And as soon as the passage of labor laws and establishment of a new department was approved by the Senate, the Emperor immediately summoned Karl Renaro.
"Karl Renaro."
"I await your command, Your Majesty!"
"Punish the illegal acts of Scrap Yard's capitalists based on the labor laws. In principle, punishing past cases with revised laws is prohibited, but I apply an exception just this once by my authority. To ensure such a thing never happens again among other workers. Make it a clear example."
At the Emperor's words, Karl Renaro clenched his fist tightly.
With his fist clenched so tightly it turned white, he looked up at the Emperor with eyes full of anger and ecstasy.
"I will carry out your orders."
It was the moment of revenge the laborists had longed for so much.
The only difference was that it had become a legal act.
***
The workers' demonstration gathered on the Iron Road and square showed no signs of dying down even though Karl Renaro and the laborist executives had disappeared.
"Punish Mayor Byers!!"
"Guarantee us human treatment!!"
"Show that law and justice are alive in the empire!! Punish the factory owners!! Punish them!!"
They chanted united slogans and also gathered to sing songs together.
"Arise, oppressed masses!"
"Arise, slaves of hunger!!"
"There is no great savior anywhere!!"
"No god, no emperor, no orator, so workers save yourselves..."
"Comrade. Is it okay to sing these lyrics as is? With the Saint and His Majesty the Emperor here..."
"Skip that part and sing!!"
Although they had to revise some of the lyrics in the middle, anyway.
Hundreds of thousands of Scrap Yard workers gathered on the streets, singing songs and chanting slogans, working to win their rights.
Karma Company fed and housed them well, and the Order of Grace treated and comforted those among them who were sick.
The forces of the Black Fortress and Pantheon led by Iomene were coordinating well to prevent violent incidents.
And after continuing the demonstration like that for a little over a week.
Finally.
The laborists who went to the capital returned.
"Comrade Karl Renaro has returned!!"
All the workers gathered on the streets moved to see Karl Renaro.
And the moment they saw Karl Renaro and the laborists under him.
All the workers had to stop speaking.
Neat and dignified uniforms.
And the emblem of a pickaxe and hammer clearly engraved on them along with the symbol of the Arcal Empire.
It meant they had become a legal administrative department of the empire officially recognized by the Emperor.
The laborists wearing uniforms that would overwhelm anyone who saw them headed to the central square.
Amidst camera flashes from reporters bursting from buildings everywhere.
"In the name of Department Operarium, could you gather the factory owners here? His Majesty the Emperor has ordered punishment."
And Princess Iomene, who had set up an investigation headquarters in the central square, immediately handed over the factory owners she had been interrogating to them without protest at Karl Renaro's words.
Before long, Scrap Yard's factory owners were dragged out to the central square in handcuffs, surrounded by Black Fortress inquisitors, Ketratus, and holy knights from other orders.
"Those! Those bastards!!"
"My daughter!! Bring back my dead daughter, you sons of bitches!!"
"Punishment!! Show that justice is still alive!!"
Amidst the workers' shouts, Karl Renaro climbed onto a forklift for mineral transport set up in the square.
One of the laborists carefully handed him a declaration, and Karl Renaro unfolded that declaration.
After confirming that Erpha, who had come along for the laborists' teleportation, was secretly casting amplification magic in the back, Karl Renaro began to read the declaration.
"You have all violated the labor laws passed by the great Emperor Theophilo von Arcal and the nobles of the Senate!! The charges are as follows!"
The huge shouts were being amplified and transmitted to be heard throughout all of Scrap Yard by mages deployed in advance in each district of the city.
Because of that, the workers who came out to demonstrate could hear Karl Renaro's declaration in full without missing anything.
"Child labor!! Lack of responsibility for industrial accidents!! Excessively low wages!! Violation of duty to provide protective equipment to mine and steel mill workers!!"
One by one.
Dozens of charges began to be recited in detail.
As they heard those charges, some workers began to sob.
"Illegal interrogation!! Instigating and abetting torture and assault without proper court permission!! Forcible suppression of legal demonstrations!! Threatening workers with dismissal!! Charges of non-payment of wages and collective cremation to destroy evidence without handing over bodies from industrial accidents to bereaved families!! As a result of the investigation, you are guilty of a total of 54 charges!! We know!! This city knows, and all the workers who shed blood and sweat in this city know!!"
Karl Renaro looked at the factory owners and Mayor Byers standing at their forefront.
He was still smiling as if this whole situation still felt like a joke to him.
He was smiling as if dumbfounded.
Karl Renaro smiled back at him too.
"This will be the last moment you see the sun on earth. Based on labor laws, you are all sentenced to life imprisonment with labor in camps!!"
The workers' cheers erupted.
It was an enormous cheer that seemed like it would lift all of Scrap Yard.
Al Madai approached Iomene, who was watching this whole scene standing on the rooftop of a nearby building.
"The workers' reaction is too intense. Should I send the Ketratus to control them?"
At those words, Iomene shook her head.
"No."
She smiled.
"Don't you know why Father had Operarium punish them among the many organizations? He wants to give imperial citizens faith that the imperial family hasn't abandoned them yet. We can't ruin this moment, can we?"