Chapter 243: The Villagers’ Plea
Rest and Celestine walked through the desolate fishing village, feeling the weight of many curious gazes from the villagers. Despite their noble status, no one approached them, perhaps having been warned in advance.
“Um, excuse me!”
“Hm?”
Amidst the silence, a figure rushed toward them—a girl, likely no older than a primary school student.
“P-please help me… noble ones, please!”
“Hmm? What’s wrong with this child…?”
“Stay away from Lady Celestine!”
A female guard, who had been trailing a short distance behind Celestine, shouted as she quickly intervened, placing herself between the girl and Celestine.
“How dare you! Step back!”
“I-I’m so sorry! Please forgive me…!”
A woman, presumably the girl’s mother, hurriedly approached, panic evident in her voice.
“W-what an affront to the nobles… please, please forgive us…!”
“Wah…”
The mother pressed her daughter’s head down, forcing her to bow deeply.
“Please, I beg you, spare our lives…!”
For commoners, nobles could often be a source of fear. Some tyrannical nobles would not hesitate to punish commoners for the slightest offense.
(If it were Rodel and his retainers, they would have likely dealt with her without mercy…)
“It’s just a child’s outburst. Elina, stand down.”
“Yes, ma’am…”
When Celestine spoke in a calm voice, the female guard reluctantly stepped back, though her vigilant gaze remained fixed on the mother and child, as well as the surrounding villagers.
“I’m not bothered by it, so please raise your heads.”
“Ah, thank you… noble lady…”
The mother, though relieved, hesitated to lift her head. No matter how graciously Celestine responded, the divide between noble and commoner remained stark.
“More importantly… what did the child mean when she said she needed help?”
“Um, well… that is…”
“My daddy got hurt… please help him…”
The girl cried, her voice trembling. The mother opened her mouth to scold her again, but Celestine stopped her.
“Let her speak. Rest, would you…?”
“I’d like to hear it too. This doesn’t seem like a trivial matter.”
As the two encouraged her, the mother furrowed her brow in distress before beginning her explanation.
“Actually… recently, monsters have started appearing in these waters. My husband, this child’s father, was attacked while fishing and got injured…”
“Injured… is it serious?”
“No, no, it’s just a minor injury that should heal in about a month.”
The woman waved her hand dismissively.
“However, during that time, he won’t be able to work, so our income will be tight… I’m so sorry! I shouldn’t have said anything unnecessary!”
“It’s alright.”
“More importantly… what kind of monsters are we dealing with?”
Rest interjected, and the mother paused for a moment before responding.
“Most likely… it’s a monster like a shark or a sea serpent. No one has seen it clearly underwater, but…”
“My daddy’s boat got overturned…”
“Don’t interrupt the adults… large monsters have been capsizing boats and dragging fishermen into the sea. Thankfully, there have been no fatalities, but… we’re unsure if we can pay this year’s tax due to the reduced catch…”
The mother gently stroked her child’s head, worry etched on her face. If fish were no longer caught, their income would dwindle. With dwindling income, they would struggle to pay their taxes. In the worst-case scenario, they could starve to death. Even without any deaths caused by the monsters, the impact was devastating.
“Have you tried asking the lord to waive your taxes?”
Rest inquired, but the woman shook her head.
“Originally, this village has been quite favored by the lord. Thanks to Lady Shoko, who used to visit frequently…”
Sanada Shoko… the Queen Dowager. It was said that she had often visited this village during her lifetime.
“The lord has already been generous, so he refuses to grant any further leniency. If only Lady Shoko were here, she would have helped us…”
“…She has already passed away, hasn’t she?”
Rest fell into thought. He had inherited the land in this area, but he was merely a large landowner; the lord was someone else entirely. If the taxes were based on legitimate rights, he had no standing to intervene.
(But… it feels wrong to abandon the people of the land that Shoko loved in their time of need…)
He had only met Shoko once, and he wouldn’t call her a friend. Yet, she was the first Japanese person he had spoken to since arriving in this world. He felt a certain kinship with her situation.
“If it’s alright with you… I could help with the monster hunting. Don’t worry, it’s my area of expertise.”
Thus, the words slipped naturally from Rest’s lips.