Chapter 131: Treating the People of Ignat Territory
Leaving the village affairs to Gramps, Yuri and I took off towards the Ignat Territory. When we flew over the mountain, quite a lot of people had gathered on the other side.
It was in front of the tunnel exit, so there was no mistaking it.
It seems they’ve already arrived.
Kai and the soldiers were guiding them into the tunnel leading to the village.
“That was fast. They’re here already?”
“Most likely, there were forces at play trying to get them away from the town as quickly as possible, I imagine.”
Now that she mentioned it, looking closely, the people entering the tunnel all had faces as if they’d given up on everything.
“Ah, right. From the town administrators’ perspective, they’d want to get rid of them as soon as possible.”
As I said that, we landed nearby, and Kai came running over.
“Y-Your Highness, you came?! Aren’t you incredibly busy right now?!”
“Yeah, I’m busy, but I made a promise about this too. I thought I’d at least check on the situation.”
He then explained the current situation.
Just as Yuri had said, once the decision was made, there were many requests to take them away as soon as possible, so the plans proceeded smoothly.
“Haven’t the soldiers been treated yet?”
“No. For now, we’ve brought them here under the pretext of researching treatment methods after quarantine, not execution. We’ve also explained to them that they won’t be able to return.”
There was some resistance from the commoners, but they were apparently silenced by having spears pointed at them.
Kai looked pained by it too, and I wanted to hurry up with the treatment and get them to the other side.
“About that, with just my and Shuperu’s Magical Power, it looks like it’ll take quite a number of days.”
“Ah, that makes sense. You have to apply it carefully from various angles, after all.”
That said, at a glance, it doesn’t look like it has progressed that much.
I could hardly see anyone whose tentacles had broken through their skin.
“Yes. Besides, to treat them properly, they’ll probably need to get completely naked…”
When I made a wry face, thinking, “Ah, dealing with the opposite sex will be tough…” an unexpected answer came back: “Yes. If we left the women to Shuperu, it would take a lifetime. That said, even if I did it, it would take a lot of time…”
However, it was easy to imagine that it would turn out exactly like that.
He’d probably try to get close to them, and the treatment wouldn’t progress.
“…We’ll be quarantining them and observing for a while anyway, so maybe we should prepare Magic Tools and have them do it themselves.”
“A-Are you sure about that?!”
“Once they’re inside the tunnel, it should be fine, right? They’re going to become our residents, after all.”
I feel bad for them, but once they become our people, we won’t let them leave the village.
In that case, there’s no need to forcibly hide things anymore.
I won’t needlessly teach them classified information, but right now, I want them to go to the other side and settle down as quickly as possible, so it can’t be helped.
So, I proceeded deeper into the tunnel with Kai, called out to Ignat, and told him about making the Magic Tools.
“In that case, let’s create a space here and gather everyone. First, we’ll need to seal the entrance and exit and explain things to the people.”
He looked at me and asked, “If we’re going that far, may I explain everything?”
“Of course, it’s fine. They look pretty anxious too.”
As I said that, I expanded the inside of the tunnel, creating a circular plaza.
I hollowed out spaces in the back to make small rooms and created Light Magic tools.
I made about four such rooms and hung cloth over the entrances.
“Alright, with this, they should be able to do it themselves. Either way, they’ll be quarantined at first, and we’ll know if they’ve made a full recovery over time.”
“Yes, with this, we should be able to get everyone to the other side by tomorrow.”
That’s good.
After about a week of treatment, they should have calmed down a bit mentally.
No, they don’t have housing, so it might not be that simple…
“The people from Tokyo will be arriving soon too, you know.”
Yuri showed a troubled face, and we exchanged wry smiles, acknowledging the mountain of problems.
After that, residents were brought in one after another, and finally, the stream of people stopped. When I looked to see if everyone had gathered, Ignat stood before them, removed his helmet, and showed his face.
“I believe most of you know me, but I am Schpelten Berg Ignat. The former head of the Marquis Ignat Family.”
At his words, almost everyone who had been looking down raised their heads.
Why is Schpelten-sama here, they wondered.
Information that he had died had probably reached them.
They looked bewildered.
“I, staking the name of the Marquis Ignat Family, declare this: We will not execute you.”
Huh… Hadn’t that already been conveyed? I thought, but the people still looked confused.
“I-Is that true?!” a woman with a child asked, falling to her knees and looking up at him as if in prayer.
It seemed they had thought that after being brought here, they would end up being killed after all.
“Yes, it is true. We brought you here to keep you alive. However, there is something you must swear to before that.”
Saying that, he presented three conditions.
First, that they would not return to the Empire and would live their entire lives in the village prepared for them.
Second, that they would not leave the quarantined space until their full recovery was confirmed.
Third, that they would not attempt to leak information to the outside.
“This village is not large enough to accommodate all of you. It will be difficult at first. However, we promise to support you until your lives stabilize to some extent.”
At Ignat’s words, a middle-aged man in the front row spoke up.
“Um, even if we make a full recovery, will we still not be able to return to our families…?”
It seemed he was someone who had left his family behind.
He stared at Ignat with a face on the verge of tears.
“That is correct. We cannot let you return. Your treatment involves secrets that could shake the nation. Anyone who breaks this oath will, without exception, be put to death. Depending on the circumstances, we may also have to kill those whom anyone who escapes has contacted. The same applies to methods of contact such as letters. These are things that, originally, were not even permitted to be taken out, even for treatment. This is the mercy of a certain individual. The one who chose to let you live, even knowing it could shake the nation.”
Eh? No, there’s no chance of shaking the nation anymore, right?
Because I’ve even put safeguards on the Magic Tools we lent out…
There isn’t, right? I asked Yuri.
“Um, if the Empire learns there’s a cure, they will undoubtedly try to obtain it by any means necessary, you know?”
“No, that’s why, though I feel bad for them, we’re restricting their movement.”
“That’s true, but as long as they’re alive, the possibility of a leak is not zero.”
Even as Yuri said that, her expression softened as she added, “Though, it’s practically impossible since they can’t cross the mountains, of course.”
Hmm, hearing that makes me feel like I’ve done something really bad.
No, did I actually do it? From Belfast’s perspective…
No wonder even Pops, who’s usually lenient with me, would get genuinely angry.
I was thinking, ‘It’s Ignat’s territory, and there’s a cure, so we can’t just leave them,’ but maybe I need to be more cold-hearted about choosing who lives and who dies.
“Rui? It’s alright. You’ll be fine. If they try to harm us, you can just blow up the Empire itself. For Rui, who can do that, this act is not evil.”
Ah, I see?
If I can blow it up, the threat level does decrease, huh.
But isn’t that a bit extreme?
Although I thought so, I could tell she was trying to cheer me up, so I just replied, “Thank you.”
After that, Ignat’s speech continued.
What the Emperor had done to the Marquis Ignat Family.
How those actions led him to seek asylum in Belfast.
About me.
That they would be staying in Belfast.
And finally, he asked them a question to which the answer was already decided.
To put it bluntly, it was either obey or die.
He chose his words carefully, but in the end, it was those two choices.
Naturally, they accepted all the conditions.
After that, the treatment method was explained to them.
In line with that, I returned to the village once to bring the Magic Tool of Regeneration.
By the time I returned, the treatment had already begun, and I could see people coming out of the rooms with cloth curtains.
“W-Will this hand really heal? I don’t feel any pain or sensation at all…”
The young man asked Kai with teary eyes.
“It should. The disease demon has already been eradicated. I’ve heard that after that, it’s healed with Healing Magic.”
Even after hearing Kai’s voice, he still looked anxious, so I went over to him and took out the large Magic Tool of Regeneration from my storage.
“If you’re worried, you can try it out yourself. This is a Healing Magic tool. It’s something made with the latest technology that enables super-regeneration.”
“Y-Your Highness?! I-Isn’t that also a national secret…?”
Depending on its effectiveness, it might be, but one or two secrets don’t make much difference now.
There’s no point in hiding it when it’s necessary.
“Besides, they were the reason this thing was made in the first place, you know?”
And so, while saying it was the catalyst that brought the third parties into the conversation, I had the young man try it.
With his own Magical Power, of course.
When I explained, “If you send Magical Power here, light will come out from here, so apply that to the affected area,” he immediately sent his Magical Power into it.
The light that came out from it wasn’t faint, but a strong light.
However, it wasn’t ordinary light; it spread out slightly like air and enveloped his hand.
His Magical Power ran out in about five minutes, but the injury had regenerated to a somewhat visible degree.
And, as his muscles and nerves had somehow reconnected, he showed immense relief at being able to move his hand.
The Imperial citizens watching this also seemed relieved, and they lined up in front of the small room where Light Magic could be used, eagerly awaiting their turn.
“I’ll let you all use this Magic Tool until everyone is healed, so don’t try to rush things unnecessarily, alright?”
When I said that, they knelt on the spot and bowed their heads deeply, as if offering a prayer.
“Ah, as long as you follow the conditions I mentioned earlier, you don’t need to worry about your livelihood. Though, it’ll take time to prepare houses, but I won’t abandon you or anything.”
Having conveyed that, I told Ignat and Kai that my role here was done and returned to the village. I also informed Duke Fastall that the Imperial citizens would arrive here tomorrow.
My conversation with Duke Fastall ended, and just as I was taking a breather, thinking my work for the day was finally over, I was called over by those third guys.
They asked how the healing Magic Tool was.
I gave them a verbal explanation, but they pressed for more details.
“Well, if you want to know the specifics, go see for yourselves. They’re using it right now.”
Mizuki and Ichirou averted their gazes, perhaps fearing infection.
“It’s not contagious unless you touch them, and Light Magic can cure it, right?”
“Yeah. I’ve already confirmed that with my own eyes,” I replied.
At my response, the guy with the staff said, “Alright, then I have to measure the recovery speed!” and ran off with his luggage.
Mizuki and Ichirou chased after him, sighing.
“Well then, shall we relax at the mansion?”
“Yes. Let’s cook together again today, okay?”
And so, as we chatted idly on our way back to the mansion, we were immediately caught by Natalia-san, and far from relaxing, we ended up being swept along at her pace.
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This is the author. Excuse the interruption in the main story.
My stockpile of chapters is almost completely gone, so updates will be irregular for a while.
There were far more things to consider than I anticipated, so I couldn’t make much progress. orz