103. Philanthropic Work
The next day.
Using folia 【Transfer], we literally made it to Jimina's Tower in an instant.
「I actually saw it with my own eyes at that time, but seeing the half-destroyed castle of Hanaria again, I feel indescribable.」
Seeing the wreckage of the castle on top of a hill, probably less than two kilometers away, I couldn't help but let out a thought that came to my mind.
「According to what I heard, the petrified people from that time are still left untouched. In addition, the Duke of Mordom, who is now in charge of politics on behalf of His Majesty the King, and his private army have placed strict regulations on Hanaria. It is said that even Mr. Tonelico was not allowed to enter.」
I listened to Luia's explanation and kept my eyes fixed on the direction of Hanaria.
「Say, Luia. To be honest, what kind of a person is this "Duke of Mordom"?」
「......If I had to sum him up in one word, I would say he is an idealist who is close to his people, I guess?」
According to Luia, he is a man who will be 40 years old this year, and while he has been critical of the monarchy since he was young, he is a talented man who has achieved many accomplishments.
「He is particularly popular among demihuman groups such as beasts and spirits. He is also a man who is passionate about the issue of inequality.」
「But even so, he is a "duke," ...... that is, he is close to royalty, but is it okay for him to criticize the monarchy?」
「How can it be okay? Looking at the nobles, the only one who clearly criticizes the monarchy is the Duke of Mordom. Even those who have expressed their neutrality have distanced themselves from him, so to be honest, I get a strong impression that he's "fighting alone".」
「But even so―I must admit that he was quick to take action and settle into the position of "regent" at the time of the sudden tragedy.」
Or ......, that thought crossed my mind, but
「In any case, our objective right now is to investigate this huge tower and find clues as to Philly's whereabouts.」
When I said this, Osada-kun, Lilyza, and Luia shook their heads in agreement.
「Yuuto. I'm going to search for clues for now, but ...... What about you?」
「The three of us decided to take a walk around the area for the time being. It looks like there are refugees from Hanaria.」
Besides―right after we landed, I ordered Nemu to "explore the neighborhood" in my head.
「Well then, if anything happens, let's meet at the "Sea Gull Pavilion" on the west side of the village.」
After saying that, Luia went away.
And so we wandered aimlessly around the village, where buildings lined up at the foot of the tower.
「There are more people than I thought.」
「Yeah. As far as I know, the original population was about 2,000.」
「No matter how you look at it, there are more than twice as many of them, aren't there?」
In terms of time, it was a little after 8:00 AM.
Nevertheless, when it's this many people――Besides,...
「Whoa there.」
As we passed each other, a man tried to ram me - or more accurately, pickpocket me, and I dodged his attempt.
「Gufuhh!?」
I didn't like it, so I sneakily slammed my fist into his abdomen and went on my way with an innocent look on my face.
「Geez. You're doing a dirty thing, aren't you?」
Lilitha said in amazement, but.
「It's better than killing him, isn't it? I mean, what about you? How are you better than me?」
「Don't worry. I'm used to "those things", and I've learned to sense people's movement and flow, so I won't be molested unless I'm up to it or someone better than me shows up.」
She says this with confidence, but in any case, this place seems to be very unsafe.
――It was at that moment.
(Yuuto-sama――)
Nemu's voice echoed in my brain. At the same time, I saw a scene from a little distance away, and as I headed toward that place,
「Oi, oi, oi. Bastard, shut the fuck up, will you?」
「If you don't get your fucking stuff out quickly, we're going to sink all those kids in there together, you hear?」
A few trashy people with obviously bad looks and attitudes were intimidating the young boys and girls. They seemed to be engaged in some sort of mugging.
「Aaaaah!」
Suddenly, Osada-kun raised his voice and all the men turned their heads in our direction. Immediately afterward
「【Hypnosis.】」
Since it would be troublesome if there was a commotion, I put the bums to sleep with folia, and the moment I saw the face of the boy who looked like a fixer who was dumbfounded...
「Hey, isn't that Jyan!」
Osada-kun said, and the boy called Jyan said, "Osada-san! And Yuuto-san, too!" with a bright expression on his face
I thought for a moment, "Who is he?", but...
「If you're here, does that mean the others at the orphanage are safe!?」
「Yes! I'm an adult, so I'm already on my own――I've been taking on some help and chore-type jobs for various reasons, but ...... anyway, please come along! I'm sure Leia-san and everyone else are safe too!」
From the conversation that took place, I realized that he was related to the "Leia Orphanage" that had taken care of me before in Hanaria. And then......
「Osada-san! And――even Yuuto-san!」
We arrived at a rundown building that could hardly be called a "house" or "building" at all.
The orphanage in Hanaria was a solid stone building, but this one was made entirely of wood, and the structure seemed quite fragile.
There are many gaps, and I can't help but tilt my head when asked if the building is satisfactorily protected from the wind and rain.
(Besides――)
It had been a long time since I saw Leia-san, but she looked much more emaciated compared to before.
It's the same with other children,...... perhaps they are not even able to take a satisfactory meal.
I heard that day. They said they were all inside the building and were not affected by the "Petrifying Ashes."
However, the subsequent chaos and riots caused by the decline in security resulted in damage to buildings and other structures, so they had no choice but to evacuate to Jimina.
「If it were possible, we would have liked to go to another village, such as Bele, but there are too many people who want to take refuge there ......, and as you can see, there are many small children here.
Leia says, but in any case, I'm so glad they're all safe.
「With all due respect, by the looks of things, you haven't had a good meal, have you? Fortunately, we have quite a bit on hand, so if you don't mind, we'd like to give you a little extra help.」
When I said this, Osada-kun also exclaimed, "Ohhh!" and Lilyza didn't object either.
Leia seemed a little reluctant at first, but I guess she didn't want to put the children through any more hardship than they had already endured.
The place was terrible, with no pots, pans, or dishes, but that was the way it was. In anticipation of such a situation, I had already instructed Osada-kun to buy and gather things other than food.
As for money, we had plenty of crystal stones and materials from the demonic beasts we had defeated, so it wouldn't hurt our pockets either. Besides,
(If we're going to do this, we might as well do something akin to "volunteering").
Perhaps serving food only to everyone here could tilt things negatively later on. Like looting, or extortion. .......
The scum who were involved with Jyan and the others earlier probably did it because they needed food.
We have enough manpower, food, and tools.
After setting up the kitchen for the time being, I told the residents of the area that we were going to have a "cookout".
The effect was so great that more than 100 people immediately gathered.
「Now, we are going to get busy! Osada-kun and Lilyza, please lend me your help!」
I said, and they both responded with smiles on their faces, "' Sure!""― and the spontaneous charity work went on and on until a little past noon.
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