After leaving the Krater Labyrinth, we reported to Krater’s Hunter’s Guild and decided to stop by Deseo to check on Hilde.
I heard that the Solemne nobles had stopped their rebellious acts after the suppression of the rebel army, but I was still curious about how things were going, and there might be some idiots trying to get close to Hilde in my absence, so I had to go and see.
“The suppression of the recent rebel army is also being talked about in Deseo, so the residents have become more obedient. Guild registration still doesn’t allow Guild Magic, but more people are registering,” Hilde explained.
“Is that… good?”
In the Emperor’s Castle, I heard from Hilde about the situation in Deseo. It felt less like they had become obedient and more like they had succumbed to fear.
“That’s fine for now. More importantly, we are focused on the children. If they receive proper education, they will likely be able to use Inn Magic.”
Prioritizing the children’s education.
The adults seemed to worship the Emperor rather than gods, and their treatment of outcasts was the same. While some might change their minds, older people tend to be less flexible in their thinking. Therefore, they had apparently been planning policies to ensure long-term stability by providing more support to children and young people.
“We also have about 50 young people between the ages of 16 and 20 who have registered with the Soldier’s Guild. Normally, the training period is one year, but we need immediate results right now. So, led by the Soldier’s Master, we are focusing on theoretical training.”
So, some registered with the Soldier’s Guild from Deseo as well. Not long after the Soldier’s Guild was dispatched to Deseo, nearly half of the Solemne soldiers captured as prisoners of war in the Battle of Kragen registered with the Soldier’s Guild. However, the discipline and morale of the Solemne Army varied by region, and their faith was the Emperor worship, just like the residents of Deseo. Therefore, fundamental ideological reform was necessary. That’s why the Soldier’s Master was at the forefront, thoroughly instilling these lessons. They were allowed to patrol with the soldiers, but they weren’t taught any other duties, and it seemed they had no intention of letting them get involved. For Order, those ranked T and I could not be called Order for a period, and this applied to the Soldier’s Guild and other guilds as well. Former soldiers and the youth of Deseo were now becoming T-rank soldiers, so the Soldier’s Guild had seen an increase in numbers, but the soldiers’ jobs remained unchanged. In fact, due to the increase in teaching duties, they were even more short-handed.
“It’s tough, but it can’t be helped.”
“Yes. Moreover, the nobles who observed the suppression of the rebel army are obedient to our instructions. Although we’ve dispatched soldiers several times to check on them, discriminatory treatment of outcasts has decreased, and we’re even getting registrants from the slums in your city.”
Putting aside the nobles’ obedience, slums in that city too? The slums in the cities near Deseo were connected, and they used magical tools prepared through Aquila’s connections, so the sanitation was better than in the city itself. Furthermore, they could use Inn Magic, which made them clean. They also procured food from the labyrinth, so starvation was rare. Occasionally, outcasts who entered the Deseo Labyrinth were attacked by monsters on their way back and lost their lives, but they also had stockpiled food. The remaining problem was housing. Given that they were slums, most buildings were severely damaged, with holes in the walls and ceilings being common. Repairs were made, but they were mostly temporary first aid. Some people even pitched tents outside the city to live in. Since there was no guild, they couldn’t use Guild Magic, and repairs had to be done manually, so they often couldn’t keep up. Monsters attacked freely outside the city where the barrier didn’t reach, and many people were attacked and lost their lives. Moreover, interfering with the slums of Deseo resulted in severe retaliation. However, in other cities, there were places that truly looked like slums, where being randomly beaten or killed was not uncommon. For those who were made outcasts, the country of Solemne was not a comfortable place to live. It was only natural that Amister and Torencia, who overthrew Solemne, were welcomed in the slums. It seemed that many people who heard about it even traveled all the way to Deseo.
“They say life in the slums is terrible in other countries, but it’s the opposite in Solemne.”
“It seems only the slums in Deseo and its neighboring cities have had proper environmental improvements, so it’s not entirely the opposite.”
Is that so? Ah, I remember seeing streets like that during our march. There was a tent city outside the city, and outcasts were living there, so that must be what they call a slum.
“I don’t know if I can call it ‘smoothly,’ but for now, there are no major problems.”
“Yes. However, in cities far from Deseo, it hasn’t even been properly communicated, so we plan to inspect them soon.”
That’s unavoidable. Solemne has a territory second only to Amister, so it takes more than two weeks by beast carriage to reach cities far from Deseo. Furthermore, since we don’t have permanent residents in every city, the lords do as they please where we can’t see them. Even if we inspect, there will likely be some idiotic nobles who cause trouble. Hilde is an Ancient Vampire, and Delfina, an Ancient Ogre, will accompany her as a guard, so no noble can do anything to Hilde, but I’m still worried.
“In that case, I’ll go with you.”
“Ah, if that’s the case, I’ll go too,” Prim and Mana said, raising their hands.
“No, I appreciate the sentiment, but as decided at the last International Conference, Mana and Yuri, and even Lord Yamato, shouldn’t have the time to concern themselves with Solemne.”
However, Hilde gave an unexpected reply. Well, Mana and Yuri are Emperor Reinhardt’s sisters, so it’s understandable they’ll be busy. I’ll be busy because of that too, but I don’t think I’ll have no time to concern myself with Solemne.
“You should ask Brother Rai directly rather than me. It might even interfere with your activities as a hunter.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’m curious.”
I’m really curious. But if I should ask Emperor Reinhardt directly… Ah, could it be Retisencia that made a move?
“Did Retisencia make a move?”
“That, and other things, I cannot speak of.”
Hilde’s stubborn refusal made me genuinely anxious about what had happened.
“It doesn’t seem like Retisencia has started advancing.”
“There’s no reason to hide it. Besides, it seems to involve me and my sister, isn’t it related to the Federation Heavenly Empire?”
“Perhaps, but that doesn’t explain why I would become busy too.”
As Mana said, Yuri is first in Succession Rights, so he will inherit that position even after Emperor Reinhardt ascends as the Celestial Emperor. If Prince Lessheit turns 10, he will be second, but he is still one of the candidates for the next Celestial Emperor, so it’s understandable that Yuri would be busy. If Yuri were to become Celestial Emperor, I would be the Imperial Consort, not the Royal Consort. Considering any unforeseen circumstances, it’s understandable that I would be busy. However, Mana has already renounced her Succession Rights. Actually, it’s more of a significant demotion in succession order rather than renunciation, but with over 20 people ahead of her, it’s essentially the same as renunciation. If I were to have a child with her, that child would have high Succession Rights. But there are no signs of pregnancy yet, and if she were pregnant, it wouldn’t make me busier.
“Don’t you think you have to ask directly?”
“Is that the only way? Hilde, could I borrow a communication tool?”
“Understood. Then let’s go to the bedroom.”
The prototype communication tool I entrusted to Hilde is usually stored in Hilde’s storage. While there is a prepared bedroom for Hilde in the Emperor’s Castle, she conducts her duties in her study, and the prepared bedroom is actually not used. Since a Gate Stone is installed in Hilde’s bedroom, she comes to Alka every night and sleeps there. Of course, the guarding soldiers know this and are glad they don’t have to worry about stealth attacks or assassinations on Hilde at night. Of course, they can’t be completely unguarded, and they still have to catch any intruders, so they are on guard in shifts. To prevent leakage of confidential information, Hilde has decided that the communication tool can only be used in the bedroom. Furthermore, as Hilde’s fiancé, I have no problem entering her bedroom.
“You! How dare a commoner like you enter the Emperor’s… *cough*!”
A nobleman-like idiot was about to cause trouble, but the guarding soldiers quickly subdued him. Good work.
“Given that he doesn’t know Yamato’s face, he must have come to Deseo recently.”
“Most likely. Over twenty nobles have visited me in the last few days, so he’s probably one of them.”
Hilde said, sighing. Nobles with territories not only around Deseo but also in the central and southern parts of Solemne have apparently met with Hilde in the past few days and pledged their loyalty to Emperor Reinhardt. This was apparently due to the information spread by the nobles who witnessed the suppression of the rebel army. At the same time, it has also spread that Hilde is an Ancient Vampire. Therefore, all the nobles she met tried to introduce themselves or their sons to her, which she found tiresome.
“He probably wants to take control of Solemne by demanding the annulment of the engagement on the grounds that Lord Yamato is not of noble birth and by becoming my groom himself. Such actions cannot be, and will not be, permitted. Moreover, he treated Lord Yamato so insultingly, which is more than enough reason for me to be angered.”
Those nobles apparently suffered greatly, with some fainting and others losing control of themselves from the direct exposure to the Ancient Vampire’s magic. Serves them right.
“If we were there, things might have gotten even worse.”
“There’s no need to be considerate of those who insulted Yamato.”
It’s wonderful to be loved.
“Does that mean the northern nobles are not complying?”
“That would be the case. However, the nobles are not the only problem.”
It has become the national character of Solemne for nobles to oppress commoners and for commoners to treat outcasts like objects. It seems that ideological reform alone will take a considerable amount of time.
“There is that, but another major problem is illegal slaves.”
Ah, there was that problem too. On the Philia Continent, slaves are generally divided into redeemed slaves and criminal slaves. Redeemed slaves are those who have lost their fortune due to debt or sold themselves for their families, while criminal slaves are punishment for criminals. Redeemed slaves and criminal slaves who committed minor offenses are often set free, but criminal slaves who committed serious crimes are not, and they are sometimes placed in harsh conditions where they could die at any moment. Although both are a form of contract, they are therefore legal, and both the Trader’s Guild, which handles redeemed slaves, and the Ritter’s Guild, which monitors criminal slaves, are strictly regulated.
However, there is another category of slaves: illegal slaves. The use of subservient magical tools to force subjugation regardless of the other party’s will is well-known, but I’ve heard rumors of other methods. As the name suggests, it is illegal, and if discovered, it is at best a serious criminal offense, and at worst, a capital crime. However, this is the situation in Amister and Torencia. The definition of slavery varies by country. In Solemne and Retisencia, they are treated normally, and even in Valentia and Libertà, they are tolerated.
“We have already begun liberating illegal slaves, but we do not know how many there are, and this, combined with the widespread distribution of rewards, means the work is progressing slowly.”
“Well, if they are discovered, they become criminal slaves, so people aren’t exactly stepping forward.”
“Right.”
Despite this, they have captured and punished several major slave traders, and Hilde mentioned that nearly a hundred illegal slaves have been freed. There were people kidnapped from Valentia and Libertà, as well as people from Alegria and Amister. It is estimated that a considerable number of people died from mistreatment. The treatment of illegal slaves was apparently worse than that of outcasts, with many not given proper clothing or food. Diseases caused by poor sanitation led to many dying from weakness. They also replenished their supply of slaves by kidnapping people from other countries. Major slave traders apparently kidnapped over a dozen people at a time and made them illegal slaves. Buyers were often nobles or wealthy merchants, but even well-off common households could afford them at the given prices. Therefore, the Soldier’s Guild quickly moved to liberate the slaves. However, the number of common households who purchased illegal slaves appears to be larger than expected, and the Soldier’s Guild continues to investigate the slave traders’ ledgers daily. They mentioned that those who willingly release illegal slaves will only be fined, but resistance could lead to them becoming criminal slaves. It’s understandable that the Soldier’s Guild is overwhelmed not only with the problem of outcasts in the slums but also with the issue of illegal slaves.
While listening to their story, we activated the communication tool in Hilde’s bedroom.
