Chapter 127
“I’m Sophia, the village chief here. It’s an honor to meet you.”
“Nice to meet you. I’m Anna Frost.”
Others also introduced themselves one by one.
“I’m Leonhard Winston. Please take care of me!”
After Leonhard introduced himself, Sophia and her family smiled warmly.
“You must be the famous nobleman. My grandson spoke a lot about you.”
“Lavio did?”
“Yes. He kept praising you, saying you were kind and gentle. You must be tired after your long journey. Please come in and have some tea and snacks.”
Inside, they had already prepared fragrant tea and exotic treats.
“Wow! It melts in my mouth!”
“It’s sweet and sour! What is this?”
“We should take some home later!”
The kids were full of praise after tasting the snacks.
“These are traditional sweets from Noveli. The fruit jelly is especially popular.”
“Would you like some more?”
“Yes, please!”
While watching the happy children, Hestia smiled and turned to Sophia.
“Nothing unusual happened lately, right?”
“Of course not. Thanks to your support, we’ve been doing very well.”
“The village seems more lively than before.”
“It’s probably because of the recent good harvest.”
“I saw it on the way here. Turning such dry land into fertile soil… was there some secret method?”
“Not really a secret. The imperial farming methods just didn’t suit this land. After some research, we found that the soil here is similar to Noveli’s soil.”
“That’s why crops from Noveli grow better here. We’re recording all of this, so let us know if you ever need the data.”
“That would be great. It might help reclaim other barren lands too.”
They continued talking about little things happening in Noveli Town.
“There haven’t been any problems between the refugees lately, right?”
“No, Count. Everyone knows the rules well now. After that one big warning, everyone’s been careful.”
Noveli Town looked peaceful and full of life now, but it took a lot of effort to reach this point.
“Still… when you broke people’s arms and legs, we were really shocked.”
Sophia and Kenneth laughed awkwardly while glancing at Hestia.
“You broke their arms and legs…?”
“Tia, what are they talking about?”
Her family and Luciard were shocked by the new information.
Hestia scratched her neck and laughed awkwardly.
“There were some people who didn’t listen, so I had to ‘persuade’ them a little.”
To explain, we have to go back to about six months after they started accepting refugees.
At first, refugees like Lavio and Neville’s family arrived, and word spread, bringing more people.
With more people, control became harder, and small issues started to happen.
Some people refused to work and just tried to enjoy the benefits from the Pastine Empire.
Back then, Noveli Town was still being developed, so Hestia had the refugees help with construction and paid them fairly.
Most refugees needed a way to make a living and were happy to help build the place where they would live.
But not everyone was willing.
Example conversation from that time:
“You need to work to earn your freedom. you look healthy to me.”
“I got injured on the way here. I can’t work. There are plenty of others, so what’s the big deal if I don’t help?”
“That’s not the point. Also, others are starting to follow your example. If you’re sick, get checked by a doctor.”
“I said I’m hurt, didn’t I? Others probably have good reasons too. It’s not like we’re being lazy on purpose.”
In the refugee center, people were given food and a place to sleep. So even if they didn’t work, they could still live.
When one person slacked off, others followed. It became a serious problem.
Sophia reported the situation to Hestia, who quickly came with her knights.
She was shocked to see that the once hardworking village was now in chaos.
So she decided to take strong action.
Another conversation:
“I heard you’ve been slacking off and causing trouble. Is it true?”
“Trouble? I’m just quietly staying here. I don’t look sick, but I can’t do heavy labor. Everyone else is building roads and buildings, right?”
“Those buildings are for you, not for imperial citizens.”
“I know, but I’ve never done hard labor before. I’m not healthy. If I try, I’ll just get in the way.”
Hestia saw the mocking look in their eyes—like they were challenging her.
“So, what’s your injury? Did you see a doctor?”
“I don’t have money to see a doctor. I just need a few months of rest. I know my body best.”
“Then tell me where it hurts.”
They hesitated, then randomly pointed at body parts—shoulders, arms, legs.
Clearly, they were lying.
Hestia gave an order to Morgan:
“Break that man’s arm.”
“Yes, milady.”
“W-Wait, what did you say—AAARGH!”
The man tried to escape, but Morgan was faster.
The others turned pale.
“Break each of their ‘injured’ parts. No exceptions.”
“Y-You’re insane! Why are you hurting innocent people?”
“Didn’t you say you were hurt? I’m just making your words real. What’s the problem?”
“Still! This is too much! You’re treating us like animals—AAAARGH!”
Despite their screams and curses, Hestia didn’t blink.
She stared coldly at their now-crying faces.
“Let me make this clear. The Pastine Empire is not here to serve you. We gave you shelter out of kindness. You’re not our citizens. We don’t owe you anything.”
Other refugees turned pale after hearing this.
Some of them had similar intentions, so Hestia made her message even stronger.
“If you don’t work, you don’t eat. Follow the empire’s rules while you’re here. If you act like leeches, we’ll kick you out and send you back to Noveli.”
That event shocked everyone. From that day on, order was restored among the refugees.
Some were still resentful, but after seeing those men lying in bed with broken bones, they didn’t dare resist.
“Wow… that really happened…”
“What if there was a riot among the refugees?”
People looked worried after hearing the full story.
Hestia just snorted.
“If they riot, they’ll just suffer more. We don’t have to please them. We’re the ones helping them.”
“Young lady, what you said is true. I was a bit surprised at the time, but surprisingly, after that day, all the troublemakers stopped acting out.”
“Not only that, there was a rumor going around among the refugees.”
“A rumor?”
Hestia tilted her head, as this was the first time she had heard about it.
“They said people who didn’t follow imperial law were forcibly sent back to Noveli.”
It seemed what she said back then, especially while breaking people’s arms and legs, left quite a shock. The rumor got exaggerated quite a bit.
In reality, Hestia had never actually sent a single refugee back to Noveli.
“Thanks to that, those who were scared tried their best to live by the rules.”
“The rules weren’t much different from what we had back in Noveli, so we haven’t had any major problems so far.”
“No wonder… I always thought the way people looked at me here was strange after that day.”
Kenneth said he had noticed fear in the eyes of the refugees when they looked at them, and Hestia suddenly felt a bit guilty.
“Still, now everyone knows you both are doing everything to help us.”
“We only did hard labor until the town was built. After that, you helped us find work that suited our skills.”
“And if it weren’t for you, we never would’ve thought of selling what we made to imperial citizens. We never imagined the camp would become a tourist spot either.”
At first, many imperial citizens were against accepting refugees. The policy at the time even banned refugees from leaving the camp.
But Hestia and Kenneth kept showing that the refugees weren’t a danger.
They slowly introduced refugee-made goods to the market, which helped reduce people’s suspicions.
Eventually, Noveli Town became a kind of tourist attraction, and the refugees were finally able to feel at peace in a country that no longer treated them like outcasts.
“That’s why we wanted to ask… Maybe now, we could start going outside the camp freely?”
Sophia cautiously made the suggestion.
Many things had changed, including how people saw refugees and how they were treated, but one problem persisted.
Refugees still couldn’t move freely outside the camp.
Only those who went through a strict process and received a permit were allowed to leave for a short while.
But now, many had adjusted well to life in the empire, and going outside likely wouldn’t cause any trouble.
“I have thought about that too,” Kenneth said.
“Really?!”
Hope lit up Sophia’s face.
But then Hestia’s calm voice followed.
“I’m sorry, but… I don’t think that will be possible just yet.”
Sophia froze in place at her words.
Everyone turned to look at Hestia in shock.
But she remained calm, her expression cold and firm.
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• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •By Freya• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •
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