Volume 8, Chapter 2 – Alice Wozwahl

After the troops had hastily departed, Yisi’s group soon arrived at Dahl City, the capital of the Hels Kingdom.

“So this is Dahl City.”

Lifting the carriage curtain, Laxyphinia gazed out from within, her expression complex.

“What’s wrong? Laxy, you don’t seem very happy.”

“No… It’s not that I’m unhappy. It’s just that the Dahl City of today is so different from the one in my memory that I don’t know how to react for a moment. In the era I lived in, Dahl City was supposed to be grand and luxurious, but now it has become so old and worn.”

It was like comparing a youth in their prime to a decrepit old man.

“It’s a mess down by the city walls…”

Pointing at a dense, gray fog beneath the walls of Dahl City, Mary, who was sitting in the driver’s seat, had a worried look in her eyes.

The carriage was about a kilometer away from Dahl City. Because a light drizzle veiled the river, visibility was poor. The group could only vaguely discern the flickering of fires within the gray mass. Of course, they could be certain it wasn’t a riot or an attack on the city; otherwise, the lights of magic cannons and defensive barriers would have long since been flashing on the walls.

As for what those things were, Yisi glanced at the [Omniscient Map], and her expression grew complicated.

It was refugees.

There were approximately eight hundred to a thousand of them. The reason they appeared gray was that the refugees had used broken wooden planks and tarps to build shelters that could not be called homes. Most of the light dots on the map were in a state of starvation. Furthermore, many were suffering from colds, and some even bore severe injuries from beatings.

“By the looks of it, the number of refugees is still increasing bit by bit…”

A wide river surrounded most of Dahl City’s walls. The only way to approach the city was via two long bridges to the north and south. On the bridge where Yisi’s group was, countless weary people in ragged clothes were dragging their exhausted bodies, leading their families step by step toward Dahl City.

Averting her gaze from the refugees, Edith pursed her lips.

“Poor governance.”

“Undeniably,” Laxyphinia rarely agreed with Edith. “If nothing is done, it won’t be long before a major problem arises. I somewhat understand now why the once-prosperous Hels Kingdom was suppressed by a small southern country. A weak nation and a feeble populace… Lady Trino was right, hereditary nobility will only lead to the nation’s ruin.”

“Lady Yisi, should we continue forward?”

As the refugees on the bridge, trudging through the drizzle, turned their gazes toward the carriage—perhaps because of the rain, there wasn’t a single other carriage, or even any pedestrians besides the refugees—Refina couldn’t help but slow down. Normally, when encountering refugees who actively sought help, Yisi would have Refina and Mary stop the carriage so she could get out and offer some assistance.

But now, Yisi simply shook her head and lowered the carriage curtain.

“Don’t mind them. Let’s keep going.”

“Understood.”

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“Onee-sama, why did you suddenly change your mind?” Camilla sat up a little straighter. “I don’t mean to criticize you, it’s just that you’ve always stopped to help them before, but today you changed your mind…”

“There are too many refugees nearby. If I help one of them, a second and a third will follow, asking for my help. If we attract the attention of even more refugees, it will cause a disturbance. I don’t have a legitimate status to help them right now. If a patrol mistakes me for someone with ulterior motives trying to exploit the refugees, it will be troublesome later.”

“But you are a Cardinal of the Church. Almsgiving should be a matter of course, and it could also enhance your reputation.”

“No,” Yisi shook her hand. “Although the two largest human kingdoms ostensibly allow the Ymir Church to establish temples in their countries, it’s a different story behind the scenes. You could see it from the incident with the Fallen, couldn’t you? Julius went to great lengths to promote the goddess as omniscient and omnipotent, but the rulers of the two monarchies used the Fallen as a pretext to accuse the Church of lying, claiming the goddess cannot save everyone. If we were to hand out alms without first notifying the King of Hels that we would be visiting the capital, it would only cause displeasure.”

The ruler has yet to react, yet an outsider is doing as they please in their own backyard. Such an act is like creating a wad of phlegm in the other party’s throat. Even if they know it’s not life-threatening, it will make them intensely uncomfortable. The only solution is to spit it out and be rid of it.

Camilla frowned slightly, lowering her head in thought.

“…Should we change our identity then?”

“There’s no need. While the identity of a Cardinal might cause trouble at first, it’s also a good shield. As long as we don’t do anything too out of line, they won’t give us a harsh warning. Our purpose this time is to find a craftsman who knows how to forge scarlet gold-grade magic weapons. It’s unlikely we’ll get involved with the royal family. Well, to put it another way, Camilla, you can do whatever you want during this time.”

Camilla and the others didn’t know anything about forging magic weapons. Exploring the city is what they should be doing at their age. As for learning to forge weapons, I can just do that by myself.

Creak, creak.

With the sound of wheels rolling over stone slabs, the carriage gradually came to a stop.

“Halt!”

“Have your people get out. We need to check their numbers.”

“Alright, but we have a member of the Blood Clan in our carriage, so please try not to be too alarmed.”

“Tsk, a third-class citizen actually gets to ride in a carriage. Could there be a noble inside?”

“No way. What noble would allow a third-class citizen to ride with them? It’s probably some kind of slave trader. Anyway, we just need to make sure none of those penniless refugees sneak in.”

Conversing loudly without any attempt to be discreet, two of the soldiers guarding the gate broke off and approached the carriage. During this time, Yisi’s group disembarked and opened their parasols.

“One, two, three… a total of seven people, huh? You’re not hiding anyone else, are you? Tell the truth. If we find an eighth person hiding in the carriage, you’ll have to pay a tenfold fine.”

“No.”

The soldier completely ignored Yisi’s honest answer, leaving her to stand in the rain while he and his partner went to inspect the carriage.

“What a bunch of diligent fellows.”

Camilla was clearly unhappy. Obviously, “diligent” was not a compliment. She had seen it all too often: if soldiers weren’t secretly slipped some money, they would make things difficult for merchants entering the city, finding all sorts of ways to waste their time.

However, thanks to the soldiers’ inspection, Yisi and the others, waiting outside the city gate, finally had a chance to observe the unclear gray presence at the foot of the wall up close. Just as Yisi had expected, countless makeshift wooden shacks were erected against the wall. A large number of refugees were crammed into these shacks. Crowding and filth were the dominant themes. Looking a little further, one could see some men building new shacks. Children and women often moved between the structures. Yisi even spotted merchants carrying poles, selling flint, bread, and old cloth, having formed a small community of their own.

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But it was undeniable that this was still a place where poverty, disease, and hunger gathered. Everyone wore an expression of extreme haggardness, clutching their bundles tightly for fear of them being stolen. Some newly arrived refugees, driven by exhaustion, had simply fallen asleep in the open under the continuous drizzle, looking like corpses at first glance.

“Line up, line up! Stop dawdling! Those with strength, follow me. Wages are paid every ten days, three copper coins at a time.”

A middle-aged man with a potbelly and neat clothes pointed at a group of men, his eyes full of contempt and disdain.

“Only three coppers, that’s too little!”

“If you think it’s too little, then scram. For you refugees, being given food and shelter is good enough. You still want more pay? Cuih! “

As he spoke, the fat man spat on the ground. The men lined up in front of him exchanged glances for a moment before one of them couldn’t help but ask.

“What about the fee to enter the city? We don’t have any money.”

“I’ll pay it for you, but it will be deducted from your wages later.”

“But how are we supposed to send the money out? I have a wife to support, she’s counting on me. It costs five copper coins just to leave and re-enter the city.”

“Just have someone bring it out for you. Hurry up, don’t waste my time. I only need five men. You, you, and you three. Alright, just you strong ones. Follow me.”

“Sir, what about me? Don’t let my appearance fool you. As long as you feed me, I’m actually very strong. I’ll work harder than anyone!”

Seeing he hadn’t been chosen, a scrawny man stepped forward, trying to force a fawning expression onto his face. He didn’t realize that on his grimy face, the smile looked worse than crying.

The merchant clicked his tongue impatiently.

“I’ve got all I need.”

“But sir, I really need this job. I have three sick children waiting for me at home…”

“What do I care if your children live or die? Why don’t you sell them into slavery? That way they’ll survive, and they can even get into the city to shelter from the rain.”

“B-but if they become slaves, they’ll never be free—”

“If you’re not willing to become a slave, then get lost. Don’t touch my clothes, you peasant.”

Kicking the pleading man into the mud, the merchant flicked his sleeves at his subordinates and quickly left with the chosen men. The guards who had stopped Yisi’s group earlier acted as if they hadn’t seen a thing, allowing the men who hadn’t paid the entrance fee into the city. It was clear the merchant had already bribed them.

As for the other men who were not chosen, they could only disperse helplessly, waiting for the next merchant to take them away. In the end, only the man who had been kicked into the mud was left, struggling to get up, his face contorted in pain as a liquid that could have been either rain or tears streamed down.

“How pitiful…”

Mary bit her lip, her right hand tightly gripping the hem of Yisi’s long dress.

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“Are all the people here refugees? Why don’t they let them into the city? If they live in this environment for long, they will wither away sooner or later.”

Wither, in this case, meant death. Laxy had deliberately used a euphemism.

“Because it costs five copper coins to enter the city. These people can’t afford that much, so naturally, they can only live outside. It’s better here than in the wilderness where beasts roam, but it’s just unbelievable… The entrance fee here is five times that of other places.”

“Corrupt.”

Tiffany expressionlessly summarized what Camilla had been implying.

“The slave traders over there are picking people too…”

“Refina, you’re not thinking of helping humans, are you?”

“No…”

Although she said no, Refina lowered her head. It was obvious she felt sympathy for the humans. Edith frowned, but she knew this was Refina’s nature and didn’t say anything more.

I should go and help that man a little.

Mary tugging at her dress had stirred a feeling of compassion in her. However, just as Yisi took a step forward, a commotion suddenly erupted from the shack area. It wasn’t the chaos of people fighting over food, but rather the sound of many people cheering for the arrival of someone.

Yisi subconsciously turned her head. There was indeed a disturbance in the shack area. Where there had only been women and children moments before, there were now many serious-looking men. The demeanor of these men was worlds apart from those who had been looking for work. If the job-seekers were homeless stray dogs, then this new group were loyal hounds protecting their master, single-minded in their devotion.

Even though these men were trying their best to relax their facial expressions to appear more natural, Yisi could still sense their tension from their awkward movements. It was clear they didn’t do this often.

“Their way of walking is strange, as if they’re shielding something.”

“You feel it too, Camilla?”

“Mhm.”

“They’re walking toward that injured gentleman from before…”

Mary’s words made everyone shift their gaze to the man getting up from the mud. Only Yisi kept her eyes on the crowd. Then, through a gap in the crowd, she saw the person being shielded by the human wall.

She was a pretty girl of about twelve to thirteen years old, with blonde hair in twin tails. Even without speaking, Yisi could tell from her aura that she was a lively person who would bring energy to those around her.

The moment Yisi saw the girl, the girl looked back at Yisi with a surprised expression. As their eyes met for an instant, Yisi saw the girl’s lips move, as if she were saying something.

what did she say?

Before she could get a clear look, the girl was once again blocked by the human wall.

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I don’t know this girl, so it must have been my imagination. She was probably just talking to someone else.

“They’ve carried that gentleman away.”

“Yes, very friendly.”

Tiffany’s nod made Mary’s worried expression relax. She looked up, her clear purple eyes filled with hope.

“Master, are they here to rescue that gentleman?”

“I think so. Unless they know each other, no one would save a person for no reason.”

“Hmph, you of all people.”

“Hey, hey, what was that scoff for?”

“It was a scoff.”

Half-covering her mouth with the back of her hand, Edith turned slightly to the side, her expression full of mocking amusement.

About ten minutes later, the soldiers, having rummaged through the carriage in an attempt to get a bribe from Yisi and finding no evidence, impatiently collected the entrance fee and led the carriage back to Yisi with grim faces.

“Hurry up and go! There are others waiting in line behind you!”

“We’re the only ones here. Onee-sama, you go up first.”

“Let Mary go up first. Refina will drive.”

“Yes~”

However, just as Mary stepped into the carriage, a shriek was heard from within.

“Aah—mph!”

“What’s wrong?!”

Yisi yanked open the carriage curtain.

The sight that greeted her was a blonde girl with one hand held up in a “shush” gesture and the other covering Mary’s mouth, her face a mask of urgency and pleading.

If Yisi’s memory served her right, this was the very person who had been hiding behind the human wall, protected by the crowd of refugees.

Alice Wozwahl.