99. Group Project – The Path of Despair and the Path of Hope (3)
“Accidents have been occurring frequently in the mana stone mines for some time. I was told that safety management was neglected under the excuse of cutting costs.”
Philip explained calmly.
He summarized what he had heard from the site manager and the miners themselves, delivering the information as objectively as possible.
“Normally, mana stone mines are dangerous because monsters often appear there, especially during the Monster Wave season when they grow even more aggressive.”
“……”
“But recently, it seems Baron Garret even neglected monster control. A sort of safety negligence, you could say. Even the site manager admitted this point.”
“The miners must have borne the full brunt of that.”
“Exactly. With the work environment so dangerous, accidents happened frequently. There were not only many injuries, big and small, but also occasional cases of people going missing.”
“Missing?”
That was the first I’d heard of such a thing.
“Of course, ‘missing’ is only what the site manager claims. Among the locals, there are rumors that those were actually deaths disguised as disappearances.”
“That’s outrageous…”
Seraphine, too, looked horrified.
“It seems Baron Garret wanted desperately to downplay the incidents. Whenever families protested, he tried to silence them with compensation money.”
“But with incidents on this scale, it must’ve been hard to keep them quiet. The victims weren’t just one or two people.”
Even if Baron Garret tried to cover it up, how could it be that no one knew about these incidents in the territory until now?
Could it be that someone was backing him from behind the scenes?
As suspicion grew in me, Philip continued without hesitation.
“This region’s peculiar situation played a part. The territory is far from the capital, isolated. Most of the inhabitants here are immigrants from outside the Empire.”
“Why does that matter?” Seraphine interjected.
“Because most of these immigrants had no relatives here. So when they suffered injustice or tragic accidents, there were often no families to protest on their behalf.”
“Ah…”
At that, both Seraphine and I fell silent.
I had suspected there were hidden circumstances behind this incident… but this was worse than I imagined.
‘Immigrant or not, they’re still his subjects. How could he torment them so mercilessly?’
I shuddered at Baron Garret’s vile cruelty—always targeting only the weakest.
“And then, starting last year, he arbitrarily changed the mining routes. After that, the number of miners who went missing in the mines skyrocketed.”
Garret’s reputation was already in ruins, but Philip’s explanation made it sink even lower.
“With accidents piling up, the miners’ burden must have grown unbearable. And when their demands for safety measures were continually ignored, they finally went on strike last year.”
“……”
“They said it didn’t matter whether they died in accidents while working or starved to death by refusing to work—the result was the same.”
Death, one way or another.
How could anyone truly comprehend the despair of those driven to such extremes?
Ping!
Just then, as I sank into dismay, a system window appeared before me.
【SYSTEM: You have met the conditions for a Hidden Route. A special mission has been generated!】
“A special mission?”
It had better not be some underhanded trick like last time.
I looked at the system window suspiciously.
【SYSTEM: Mission! “Baron Garret’s Secret”】
[The massive strike in Garret Territory!
The fierce dispute over the mana stone mines. They say there’s a hidden truth behind it all…
Resolve the grievances of the townsfolk and uncover the full story of this incident. ♥]
[Success Rewards: Fragment of Cayenne’s Memory, +30 Affection with Cayenne, a special encounter, and 1 Lucky Roulette Ticket.
Failure Penalty: Loss of Hidden Route Access.]
I examined the success rewards carefully.
A fragment of Cayenne’s memory?
Could this incident be related to him somehow?
At that moment, Seraphine spoke carefully.
“Actually… when I went out earlier with Philip, I met a girl who had joined the protest. She was my age.”
“You did, Lady Seraphine? When?” Philip looked at her in surprise.
“It was while you stepped away for a bit. You told me to stay somewhere safe, but I wandered off. I’m sorry for acting on my own.”
“Finish your story first,” I pressed her when she hesitated under Philip’s gaze.
“Ah, yes. She was an immigrant too. She said her father had gone missing while working in the mines.”
“How awful…”
“She said she protested during the strike, demanding a search for the missing, but no one listened. So she tried to formally petition the capital for a trial, but no lawyer would take her case.”
I nodded silently.
“Because of the social climate here…”
The deep-rooted prejudice against immigrants.
The conquest wars had ended long ago, and in time the immigrants were supposedly accepted as Imperial citizens. Yet discrimination against them persisted.
“On top of class discrimination, there’s also discrimination against immigrants.”
Even when nobles and commoners clashed, courts usually ruled in the nobles’ favor.
“No wonder no one wanted to take on such a difficult case.”
No matter how hard that girl fought, the result was practically decided from the start.
“In any case, you’ve both worked hard. You hardly had time to rest since we arrived in Garret Territory.”
“Oh, it was nothing.”
“As an aide, it’s only my duty. But, my lady… what do you plan to do now?”
Both of them waited nervously for my answer.
“Of course, I’ll have to meet the people directly involved.”
My answer had already been decided.
“Coming here at such a late hour, my lady? Is there something wrong with your accommodations? Or perhaps a personal matter?”
I went straight to confront Baron Garret.
Receiving me in the parlor, he greeted me with a greasy smile.
I’d always thought he looked despicable, but today that smile made me want to retch.
“Baron, I heard something shocking today.”
“Oh? What is it?”
He rubbed his palms together, as if eagerly anticipating gossip.
But soon, the smile faded from his face.
“…You went to the mines? Not the shopping district?”
“Yes.”
Strictly speaking, it was Philip and Seraphine who went, not me.
“I also learned that more than a few people suffered because of your neglect of safety measures.”
“…!”
At first, he pretended not to know, but when I pressed him with what had been witnessed on site, he couldn’t deny it.
“I want to hear your explanation directly. How did things come to this?”
I decided to give him one last chance to speak for himself.
The situation was already clear, but it wouldn’t do to skip hearing from the man at the center of it.
“That’s all just an act to squeeze compensation money.”
Baron Garret quickly played the victim.
“What?”
“They’re vermin. Making money off their dead family members—what else do you call that? They’re determined to bleed me dry. It’s killing me.”
“……”
“And now they even refuse to do their most basic duty as subjects—labor! They’re just lazy… They shirk their duties yet demand rights. Honestly, I’m at my wits’ end.”
His shameless words left me speechless.
But he seemed to take my silence as agreement, and began pouring out complaints like a flood.
“Because of their wildcat strike, nothing runs properly. Frankly, Count Vermon must’ve suffered losses too, but we’re taking a heavy hit on our side as well.”
“……”
“Isn’t this outright obstruction of business? I should be the one getting compensation! In fact, I’ve already filed a lawsuit against those pests.”
“You’re suing your own subjects? You, Baron?”
“Yes. The trial may drag on, but how long can those wretches hold out? This is the perfect chance to crush them completely.”
Wow. Just listen to him.
He sounded as if he were swatting away bothersome flies.
Normally, when disputes arose within a territory, it was the lord’s responsibility to mediate and resolve them.
If the lord deliberately abused his authority, the townsfolk wouldn’t stand a chance.
“Listen, Baron Garret.”
“Yes?”
“The root of this entire problem is your neglect of safety, isn’t it? That’s the explanation I want to hear from you.”
“Well, that’s…”
For a moment, Baron Garret was at a loss for words.
But then he quickly changed his tone.
“Fine, yes. I’ll admit it—I didn’t strictly follow all the safety regulations. But honestly, who does? Who really abides by every little rule? No one’s perfect.”
“What?”
“What more do you expect me to do? I’m no philanthropist. How much loss am I supposed to endure?”
His attitude screamed: Sue me if you dare.
I know she won’t take the direct route and end him like he so deserves because it’s too dangerous given her circumstances, but here’s one who deserves it