Ch.143Refugee (3)

Objectively speaking, this matter wasn’t something I had to handle alone as I initially thought.

While these were wandering refugees coming to “my” pioneer village, it was also a case of displaced people seeking me out during the collapse of a territory-sponsored pioneer settlement.

Though I had been granted authority over this village as a proxy, my jurisdiction was strictly limited to within its boundaries. I had no real power to deal with refugees from another pioneer village.

Therefore, I decided to respond to this refugee situation by following proper protocol.

‘Father, I’m contacting you because there’s something I need to report.’

[What is it?]

‘Actually, residents from a collapsed pioneer village have arrived at our settlement. They have ‘tokens’ that seem to verify they’re genuine….’

In other words, I was contacting my lord—the most reliable person I could reach out to and the one I was obligated to report to first in such situations.

My status and circumstances are quite unusual, but from the perspective of this era, I’m essentially a vassal who received a manor as a fief from my father, making me close to a lord.

However, since I’m acting as a lord in a pioneer village where one shouldn’t technically exist, the terminology gets convoluted. In reality, the roles and tasks my father assigns me amount to lordly duties.

In short, as a vassal who swore loyalty to Baron Alzar and received a manor and knighthood, I needed permission from my superior to resolve incidents that originated outside my jurisdiction.

Of course, an ordinary lord would have simply thought “Free labor, excellent!” and absorbed these refugees while making up some excuse.

Refugees from a carefully selected ‘pioneer village’ are truly top-tier among refugees. Unlike common rabble, these groups with foundations and skills are quite attractive.

Even considering the unknown adversary mixed among them, they’re still worth attempting to recruit.

But I’m different. As someone who’s practically confirmed to inherit my father’s title, I’m definitely different.

This is especially burdensome now, as we’re preparing for winter.

According to my father’s old friend, the chief librarian, my father intends to pass his title to me when the time is right.

Rather than doing something foolish that would put me in my father’s bad graces, wouldn’t it be better to remain a good son and avoid unnecessary conflict?

While I can’t claim to be a genius, I certainly don’t intend to be so blinded by immediate gain that I’d cut open the goose that lays golden eggs.

However, despite opening the conversation with these thoughts… the response I received was truly beyond my imagination.

[My son, could you perhaps take them in at your village?]

‘…Pardon?’

Contrary to my expectation that he would find a way to redirect these refugees from the collapsed pioneer village, my father’s words left me completely bewildered.

There are several reasons for my shocked reaction, but the most immediate one is that our village has no capacity to accommodate additional people while preparing for winter.

If it were any other time, with the village stable, we might have attempted a bold expansion. But right now, we’re preparing winter provisions for exactly 200 people with no margin to spare.

I simply cannot risk a potential disaster from mismanaged food distribution, and we already lack sufficient housing to accommodate all 73 newcomers.

Even distributing land to them wouldn’t improve the situation.

The ground may be soft with moisture now, before the cold snap arrives, but once winter sets in properly, the frozen earth will make even basic cultivation difficult.

Moreover, performing heavy labor outdoors in the dead of winter is a life-threatening proposition, which is why we generally avoid large-scale construction projects during winter.

In other words, this was a burdensome request, even coming from my father.

‘…Father. Is this really alright?’

[Is there a problem?]

‘Of course there is. Accepting 73 additional people at this time… that’s simply unreasonable.’

[…Oh? So you intend to refuse my proposal?]

At that moment, when I heard my father’s response to my refusal, I instinctively understood why he was being so harsh with me.

‘Ah. This is a test.’

A test to evaluate the capabilities of his son who would eventually inherit the territory, and to develop my ability to handle crisis situations.

Being on the receiving end is certainly annoying, but gaining experience in safely managing incidents in a relatively controlled environment is actually a valuable opportunity.

…Though that rational conclusion doesn’t stop the irritation from rising within me.

Anyway, my father seemed to be testing how I would handle an unreasonable order from a superior, so rather than getting particularly tense, I maintained my composure as I formulated my response.

‘Father. As the rightful governor of this pioneer village, I refuse the request to accept refugees based on my legitimate right to self-governance.’

[…Continue.]

‘Yes. Although I hold the slightly unconventional title of lord’s proxy, I nonetheless possess authority equal to the rightful lord of this manor according to royal decree.’

[Oh?]

‘The autonomy exercised by lords in their respective territories cannot be violated, even by their liege lords. At least not as long as I haven’t violated the terms of our feudal contract.’

Indeed, a lord’s right to self-governance is the most fundamental authority in the Frankish Kingdom’s political system.

Dozens of feudal territories united to form an alliance against the Holy Empire…

To be precise, the Frankish Kingdom was established under the leadership of the first king, Charlemagne de Frank.

Had Charlemagne lived longer, this feudal state might have evolved into a centralized autocracy, but with the premature death of its founder, the kingdom remained essentially a collection of dozens of small states bound together.

In other words, each territory is like a small country with its own sovereignty and autonomy. Except for certain matters like diplomacy and military affairs, even a feudal superior has no right to intervene.

It’s not for nothing that the relationship between lord and vassal is called a feudal ‘contract.’

Their loyalty isn’t one-sided but complementary—each party must fulfill their obligations in a relationship predicated on mutual respect.

Of course, this is a world where violence often supersedes law, so many do break these contracts… but even if there are no immediate consequences, the future backlash cannot be ignored.

Knights stop seeking vassalage contracts, reputation among neighboring territories plummets causing political damage, and in extreme cases, neighboring territories might even declare territorial war using the breach as justification.

In other words, no matter how much my father pressures me, if I refuse, there’s nothing he can do…

‘So, did I pass your test, Father?’

[Yes, you ungrateful son. Are you so pleased to have bested your aging father?]

‘Yes. Extremely pleased.’

Only after I finished speaking did my father respond with a mischievous tone, chuckling before finally revealing his true intentions beyond the test.

[Camille, my son. The political situation near Baron Colland’s territory is concerning right now.]

‘Is that… so?’

[Yes. Even our weather mages are in an uproar. We want to minimize variables as much as possible. The failure of a pioneer village…]

‘…While not a major issue, it certainly wouldn’t have a positive impact on the political climate. Yes, I understand.’

With my father speaking so gravely about the situation, I couldn’t bring myself to argue about our circumstances.

However, since the village’s prosperity was in a different realm from these concerns, I was confident my father wouldn’t simply tell me to manage without offering support…

[I’ll send you ample supplies. To start with… how about 200 sacks of grain?]

‘200 sacks… Yes, please continue.’

Starting with enough grain to feed hundreds of people for months if used sparingly, my father continued listing compensations sufficient for accommodating 73 refugees, and then…

[And I could also establish a regular shipping route on that river of yours—]

‘—I’ll do it!’

My father had undoubtedly anticipated this reaction when making his offer, but I simply couldn’t refuse.

A water route, a regular shipping route by water! How could I possibly reject such an offer?