Inside the lords castle of Lakeheart Town, a eting was underway, attended by various mbers of the Administration Council and the militarys high command.
Count, this trip to the south has been quite fruitful! Hansel reported proudly. He had returned to Lakeheart Town a few days ago and imdiately got to work, tirelessly beginning the recruitnt of new personnel and the resettlent of refugees.
In addition to the refugees, weve also recruited 56 individuals of various professions, including blacksmiths, teachers, alchemists, and doctors Before he could finish, Paul started clapping enthusiastically.
Well done, Hansel. I didnt expect you to find so many willing to co to the northwest. I thought people in the south believed our region was nothing but barren and harsh.
Hansel smiled and said, Count, if one searches with dedication, one will always find what they are looking for. There are always those whose lives arent going as planned, those who wish to try their luck
Alright, alright, lets leave the assignnt of these peoples positions to Steward Ford. Lets talk about the refugees now.
Paul interrupted Hansels introduction, musing that those willing to co seed like outcasts of their own industries. Well, he didnt need any master-level talents for now; anyone who could work would do.
How many refugees have arrived in our territory by now?
Hansel quickly calculated in his mind and responded, According to the latest statistics, a total of 421 refugees have arrived in Alda.
Will there be more coming?
Of course, Count. And there will be many. The 500-plus figure I ntioned was just the latest number before I left, but the several shelters weve set up are still receiving refugees. They will keep coming to the northwest bay.
Im curious, arent the kingdoms army and the rebels facing off near Thorn Fortress? How are these refugees getting through?
This ti, Schroeder answered his question.
My Lord, Thorn Fortress is not ant to completely block north-south traffic. Its easy for refugees to bypass it.
Then whats the point of building such a fortress? Cant the enemy just easily circumvent it as well?
Many fortresses on the plains are not ant to completely cut off traffic. Take Thorn Fortress, for example. It can house a staggering 50,000 troops and store enough provisions for them for a year. There are many roads near the fortress connecting the north and south, but all within the reach of its garrison. Armies are not like refugees; to keep soldiers focused on fighting, their food and drink supplies must not be interrupted. If an army rashly bypasses it to attack the fortress from behind, they risk having their supply lines cut at any ti.
Paul had an epiphany. I see.
He continued to inquire about the refugees with Hansel. Have those whove already arrived been settled?
Hansel, with a smirk, replied, You can rest assured, my Lord. They have been accommodated in temporary official residences to the south of the town, comfortably enough to get through the winter. After such a long period of hardship, they feel like theyve arrived in paradise. Everyone is singing praises of your grace. In a nutshell, the entire refugee resettlent process is proceeding efficiently and peacefully.
Paul was about to nod in agreent when a discordant voice chid in, albeit a pleasant-sounding one.
Efficiently and peacefully? Baron Abbott, it might be efficient, but the word peacefully really doesnt fit.
The speaker was Miss Betty Dias, a female advisor, who was now looking at Hansel with a sarcastic expression.
Paul, confused, asked, What happened?
Could it be that Hansel had offended this young lady?
Hansel imdiately responded, Nothing happened, Count. As I just ntioned, the entire process of resettling the refugees is proceeding both efficiently and peacefully.
However, his response lacked a certain conviction.
The advisor, Miss Dias, stood up abruptly, her tone harsh:
Count Grayman, do you know how your agricultural director has been treating the refugees?
How so?
Eileen, visibly annoyed, said, The information I have is that the staff in charge of the refugees have been quite rough in their treatnt. Not only are they verbally and physically abusive, but they also carelessly discard or destroy the refugees belongings. These people have fled their hos and barely survived the war. They co here seeking refuge only to face more hardship. Baron Abbotts actions are inexcusable.
Hansel imdiately defended himself. Miss Dias, these refugees, to use a phrase once said by the Count himself, are unorganized and undisciplined. When we were conducting their dical examinations, they were noisy and chaotic. In order to expedite the process and settle them quickly which is for their own good the militia had to step in to maintain order and teach them how to queue. Its inevitable and understandable that so unpleasant incidents occurred during this ti.
As for their belongings, oh my Lord, what possessions did they have? Nothing but ragged clothes that fell apart upon washing, which we had to discard. Besides, havent we provided them with new clothes, far better than what they originally had?
Miss Dias was clearly unsatisfied with his explanation, and a heated argunt ensued between the two.
Both of you, please!
Paul, overwheld, gestured for them to stop.
Once the argunt had subsided, Paul said, Miss Dias makes a good point. These refugees are already suffering enough; we shouldnt add to their misery. Hansel
Hansel imdiately stood up. Yes, my Lord. Your instructions?
Paul, adopting a bureaucratic tone, said, From now on, we must not treat those who will beco our subjects harshly. Instead, they should feel the warmth of a ho and the care of siblings. Understand?
However, when Miss Diass attention was elsewhere, he subtly winked at Hansel.
Hansel internally rejoiced: Count Grayman supports at least implicitly. Besides, his tone was mild and noncommittal.
He promptly responded, Yes, Count. I will notify the officers in charge of the resettlent operations to be mindful of their deanor in future tasks.
Eileens face lit up with a victorious smile, giving Paul a sweet smile that made his heart flutter.
In truth, Eileens dissatisfaction with Hansel stemd not only from her compassion but also from a deeper reason.
She believed that these refugees were displaced due to the war between the royal family and the rebels. As a mber of the royal establishnt, she wanted to do her utmost to improve their lives, in part to alleviate her own guilt.
Of course, this was a reason she could not openly express at the mont.
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