A follow-up report had arrived from Sacula. Around the time of the first report, it seemed they were also a bit lost. From then, we received update after update—some even arrived before we’d finished reading the last! Count Gentoh had asked me to keep him up to date on the matter, saying that it was something he struggled to do himself. I used to help Ash with similar tasks, so I know exactly what to do!
Once we had (somewhat) made sense of the current situation in Sacula, Count Gentoh held a Frontier Alliance meeting in the capital manor to share the information with its members.
“Hey, is this true?” blurted out a Nepton diplomatic officer, sounding like she didn’t quite know what to make of it all. She gave a brief apology for speaking out of turn and then reworded her question a little. “How much of this is true?” She’d tried to say it differently, but it came out exactly the same.
Count Gentoh had raised three main points regarding Sacula’s current status. First, a horde of two hundred werewolves charged from Yanga’s territory toward Sacula but were successfully repelled. Second, Yanga’s territory had taken severe damage, and two thousand refugees had reached Sacula—with that number still climbing. Other neighboring territories faced a similar crisis. Third, Sacula was taking in as many refugees as they could, and that approach had inspired other lords to lend their aid. The lords of the Frontier Alliance, led by the Nepton officer, were probably thinking something to the effect of: the first point was hard to believe, the second simply couldn’t be true, and the third was absolutely unbelievable.
The frontier regions knew all too well the strength of a horde of demons. There were few who wouldn’t lose all hope upon hearing news of one hundred charging werewolves. Though that may not be the case for those in Sacula. Not to mention that they had fought said werewolves and had come out of it mostly, unbelievably, unscathed.
Two thousand refugees were equivalent to the population of a whole city ward. If it were only one or two hundred people, sheltering them might be feasible, but managing numbers ten times that was difficult to comprehend. It could lead to trouble. Not to mention, if the number of refugees had already reached that high, how much higher could it go? The report was difficult to believe.
Coming up with plans was likely troublesome. Taking in people with only the clothes on their backs meant that they would have to provide food, clothing, and accommodation for several thousand people. An unimaginable decision.
The Frontier Alliance members all had their eyes on Count Gentoh, likely doubting the credibility of the report, especially regarding the third point—I imagine they were hoping that part, at least, wasn’t true. Count Gentoh folded his arms and gave a nod.
“It’s not a matter of how much is true... I mean, it seems they have already started.”
“Your Excellency! Surely you can see how reckless this is!” The Nepton officer stood up, slamming the table.
“You ought to stop this intake of refugees! If you take in one, that leads to ten more, which will then lead to one hundred more, until you’re overwhelmed! It’s happened before. Those who get left behind end up attacking settlements because they feel they’ve been slighted!”
“That’s true,” replied Count Gentoh. The look on his face clearly showed that he understood the consequences far more than this young officer. He then looked upwards to the ceiling.
“Sacula has always been weak,” Gentoh continued. He was the leader of a region renowned for being the strongest in the kingdom, and he spoke as if he were addressing the top of the World Tree. “It has happened countless times in the past. Failing to cultivate villages, towns attacked by demons, territories meeting with disaster—they all result in refugees. Our weakness always leads to refugees and bandits.” He spoke in a somber tone. It was a history where people were rarely saved, always ending in death.
“I remember it too well,” reminisced Count Gentoh. “I ordered people so weak that they could barely hold a sickle to fashion spears out of wooden branches and chase off bandits. I had never felt so ashamed in my life.” The elderly members among the attendees all looked downwards, recalling similar memories.
The Nepton officer, having not experienced anything remotely similar, continued to argue. “I understand that the Yanga territory’s disaster is no doubt something that will cause pain to those close to the frontier regions. However, regardless of that, it does not mean that we have the capacity to deal with it!”
“Is that what you think?” replied Count Gentoh. Of course, Gentoh understood where she was coming from. But... “It seems our young companions in Sacula don’t agree.” He sounded pleased, waving the report from the territory he had left in his son’s charge like a flag. “We’ve become stronger. We’ve become so strong that when we say we’ll do something, we can do it. That’s why we have decided to take in the refugees. No one in Sacula will listen and obey whatever some old man who decided to retire to the royal capital has to say. All I can do is support them in their endeavors.”
The Nepton officer bit her lip—seemingly she still had something to say. But Count Gentoh delivered the final blow. “My region has decided they will do it. Do you think we would go back on something that easily? They’re the people who made Sacula what it is now!” I felt a sudden but refreshing gust of wind around me. Ah, I remember this feeling. The wind in Sacula. That strong yet gentle gale was brewing a storm even here. “Ha... Aha ha!” I couldn’t keep my laughter in, causing everyone to turn to look at me. “Heh heh, I’m sorry. I just couldn’t help but think this is so very Sacula...” It was incredibly Sacula. The deep emotions and the outright stubbornness—these small nostalgic reminders of the place I hoped to return to someday brought a warm smile to my face. That’s why I need to do my best to protect it. Still smiling, I looked around at all the lords’ shocked faces.
“I, Princess Alicia, value Sacula’s decision, and I promise to do all I can to support them.”
There was a murmur in the room. While the response seemed positive, they also seemed hesitant. It’s a start. Even if they keep out of it now, once they see that we can produce results, they will no doubt be swayed into joining our cause. I knew because they were just like how I used to be. I also used to often complain, saying things were impossible and nothing could be done. However, when people are enshrouded in darkness, they become attracted to the light. We’ll surely light the way for them.
“As for support, I’m considering using the church’s authority to secure supplies. I was expecting that Sacula would take in refugees.” I smiled and looked at Count Gentoh who shrugged with a look that said, “you know more than me.”
“I have already met with Father Birkan. I suspect he will take action once I have given him this report,” I continued. That prompted a few murmurs from the room—they were already pondering the magnitude of the church’s authority. “There’s no precedent for sheltering this many refugees, so I understand your concern.” There’s been a lot of unprecedented things lately. We discovered flight, the frontier regions stopped the central regions from monopolizing a certain technology, and a girl won the Royal Sword Fighting tournament, which led to the Frontier Alliance being formed. Every day was different, but we were all facing it together.
“From now on, let’s become that precedent. The church will add to the power of the Frontier Alliance, of which Sacula is at the very heart. With this, we will be able to help people in small ways that were not possible before.” I mean, this much is a small matter. It’s not like we were forming a new country in the midst of a demon crisis like the first king Sodra once did. Just like those who once built and protected the foundations of this country, we were simply trying to protect what we had and carry on. We were at a turning point in history.
“Let’s work together,” I continued. “This really isn’t that much of a big deal. If people are hurt, you reach out and help them, like you would for a family member or a friend. We’re doing the same as a kingdom, except on a larger scale. It’s time for the frontier regions to expand.”