Time passed, and with it came winter. This was the most difficult season for those living in tents in the refugee ward, however, thanks to Princess Alicia’s careful consideration, we were able to ensure they were comfortable. Since Sacula was quite far from the central regions, Princess Alicia had opted to send clothing, materials to protect against the cold, bedding, and instead of food, they had sent cooking equipment. They had also sent wood which we used for fuel and to build windbreaks. The doctors were working around the clock, expecting frequent outbreaks of the common cold. But since we were able to build suitable accommodation, not that many people ended up getting sick. This is a satisfactory result.
I had turned eighteen along with the change of season, and I was still as busy as ever. Once I had completed my inspections of the refugee ward, I joined the meeting of Frontier Alliance leaders. With a calm and confident voice, I asked, “So? Why have they not yet decided on the successor to Viscount Yanga?” What on earth were they doing in the capital? If they don’t give me a satisfactory reason, I might just have to go all the way down there and knock some sense into them. I’ve gained a lot of mysterious power from fighting the werewolves and have (maybe) leveled up, so if I wanted to, I could probably run to the capital faster than a horse. I’m that serious about it.
“Maika, he’s doing it again. He’s all fired up. His voice is scarier than the werewolves’ roars...” Lord Itsuki commented.
“You should know why by now, uncle. I get why he’s annoyed about this...”
“I should think everyone is annoyed, to be honest. It’s been hard. We’ve taken in over ten thousand refugees,” I responded. Ten thousand? That was nothing. Just last week, we hit 12,017. I did not expect the number to increase much over winter, however, we could probably expect more refugees in the spring.
Bandits would probably resurface when the villages could farm again in spring too. I thought of them like bears. They filled their stomachs in fall, hibernated through winter, and then started looting again when spring hits. On the other hand, villages that had been spared bandit attacks during fall could relax over winter. Naturally, I wanted to somewhat lessen the burden on the Yanga territory by striking a deal ahead of time.
If we were allowed to send workers there, we could take a selection of refugees—under the protection of the army—to the destroyed areas in the southern region to offer aid and relocate the refugees, but for some reason, we had not been able to do something as simple as that. Even though I had gone out of my way to come up with a plan that marked out the settlements with close to no damage, organized a group of escorts, and even plotted out the route they would take! But I could not do anything purely because they had yet to decide Viscount Yanga’s successor. The Frontier Alliance already had three candidates picked out, and we should have had it decided in no time. So just what exactly was taking them so long? As I waited for an explanation, Lord Itsuki, who had been enjoying a pleasant conversation with his niece, finally moved the conversation along. Better late than never. I would prefer if he could properly separate work and pleasure.
“Ah, yes, Ash’s question. I’m sure everyone else is thinking the same thing.” The acting count looked at all the faces of the leaders, however, his gaze avoided me. I wonder why? Shouldn’t I be included seeing as I work so hard?
“My father, His Excellency the Count, isn’t taking this situation lightly either. He has sent us a letter from the capital explaining why things aren’t going as we expect, so I’ll be able to answer your question with His Excellency’s words. I’ll read it now.”
The letter began, “Maika, I am really sorry. Your grandfather is taking this seriously, so I ask that you understand.” To summarize, and put the message to his granddaughter aside, the letter continued by detailing the royal capital’s chaotic response to the Yanga territory’s disaster. Somehow, they were having a harder time than we who were actually having to take in the refugees.
“One would think that it is the king’s job to maintain control of everything,” I remarked. This world’s society ran under absolutism. If the king were to say he would do something, the influence of that statement would be enormous, if not absolute. It seemed that Princess Alicia was well aware of how important the king’s actions were. However, since Sacula was lending quite a bit of money to that very king, one could at least expect him to exercise some form of authority...
“Speaking of the royal family, it seems the crown prince is proving to be quite the problem,” Lord Itsuki said.
“The crown prince?” I wonder what that boring-but-good-looking guy has done. “I don’t recall ever being in touch with him.”
“That’s probably where we went wrong.”
According to the letter from His Excellency, it seemed the crown prince was becoming suspicious of Princess Alicia’s actions in the royal capital.
“Her skills in getting relief supplies sent to Sacula seemingly attracted a lot of attention. It wouldn’t be too bizarre to imagine that it’s caused conflict among the crown prince’s supporters regarding the line of succession,” Lord Itsuki explained.
“What? What are you saying? There’s absolutely zero chance of that.”
“Is there really?” Lord Itsuki smirked.
“Her Highness is intelligent and extremely beautiful. She is even popular among the general public. I think it is entirely possible that she could overthrow the line of succession if she felt like it.”
“Ha ha, I bet she could usurp the throne quite easily if she wanted. I still doubt it would happen though.” As far as we were concerned, this competition between the crown prince and princess was not necessary.
“Right, I see now.” Of course, you do.
“If we are talking about the possibility of Her Highness being interested in the throne, then there is zero chance of that.” She had told me directly. Her hometown was Sacula—the place she wanted to return to someday. To her, the throne was simply nothing compared to that. “However, I understand that the crown prince has neither the insight nor ability to understand that himself.”
“I see you’re also quite bitter about the royal family,” Lord Itsuki commented. That was about one percent of the things I could say about them, but I was holding back. They were, after all, still Princess Alicia’s family, so I did not want to speak too badly of them.