Chapter 44: News (Part Two)
[Displaced Refugee Resettlement Regulations in the Southern Disaster Zone of Silgaya]
The letter’s heading boldly states this, and beneath it are the various organizations designated to carry out the orders. At the top of the list is the Second Knights Order of the Holy Church, led by Mr. Kolaron Leonrio, followed by the names of various dioceses in Silgaya and some bishops, along with the Knowledge Association deploying all its members throughout Silgaya.
“Clause one…”
As I followed the excessively ornate penmanship down the page, I couldn’t help but mumble the contents aloud: “By the will of the deity, the devout servants must unconditionally and selflessly assist those displaced by war and disaster. However, a tiered system must be established to categorize the varying levels of persecution faced, enabling more efficient and suitable rescue measures. The following are the specific classification standards…”
“For all those displaced, lacking livelihoods but still having family members intact, or families primarily composed of able-bodied men, they shall be classified as mild disaster victims. The Church has the obligation to provide appropriate assistance to these children of the gods… The Second Knights Order and various dioceses must cooperate with the Currency Exchange to ensure basic living arrangements are met…”
“Primarily focusing on places like Alectine City, Tuyu City, Lake Town, and Tasta City as initial disaster recovery sites, those with farming skills, or artisans such as bricklayers and carpenters will take priority. Each diocesan bishop needs to arrange corresponding jobs for these children of God, providing ample food and water to address labor shortages… Ugh.”
This regulation sure sounds grand and noble…
I instinctively glanced at the bottom of the document and saw that it was dated December 11, 1188—issued at the end of last year…
But it’s been months since then. Just take a look at Alectine City now… and the people of the Second Knights Order… it’s simply…
How many of those who received this document are genuinely executing it without any selfish motives?
There’s clearly a huge oversight issue at the higher-ups of the Church…
But two years ago, the Church…
Such problems shouldn’t have arisen, right?
What’s going on…
Have the higher-ups got themselves caught up in so much internal strife that they can’t even handle basic operations?
I couldn’t help but speculate, utterly perplexed as to why things had spiraled out of control without anyone seeming to step in to handle it. What’s more, just a few days ago, there were disturbances at the church entrance; it was clear the public—at least some folks here—had shifted their attitudes toward the Church from what I’d originally perceived.
That guy, Angel, is he completely out of his depth?
Hmph…
I shrugged and let the weak blue glow emitted from the floating ice sphere steady my focus as I continued reading the document.
“The above classification standards apply to mild disaster victims. Furthermore, if a household consists only of women, or if men are few and elderly, children, or the disabled are the majority with little to no working ability, the family should be classified as moderate disaster victims. All dioceses, along with towns and villages with sufficient resources, must unconditionally accept this demographic and designate independent refugee zones for them…”
“The refugee zones shall be fully governed by the Second Knights Order. The resources for these zones should be entirely managed by the local Currency Exchange. No one, for any reason, is allowed to expel or exile moderate disaster refugees. Any resultant unrest or d*ath of a significant number of refugees will result in the Church executing the wrongdoers in the name of the deity…”
Hmm…
Does Alectine City even have such a thing as a refugee zone?
It doesn’t seem like it…
While nobody dares to expel anyone, the rest isn’t being implemented at all.
Look the other way, and together with the Second Knights Order, that’s pretty much the majority…
“…Aside from the aforementioned categories of refugee families, the following groups of people shall be classified as severe disaster victims as decided by the Holy Ministry Council… Firstly, those who are left alone, with no relatives in sight… Secondly, the injured or ill, with no caretakers or access to medical treatment… Thirdly, young children who can’t fend for themselves and have been long lost from their families…”
“Those three groups will be categorized as severe disaster victims. If identified and conditions allow, they should be sent to the Fortress of Silence for assistance from the Church… In addition, if any disaster-exposed individuals are found to possess auras of order and kindness, they may also be sent to the Fortress of Silence for accommodation by exception… For each qualified person sent, the courier can claim five gold coins and three pounds of venison from the temporary dioceses deployed at the Fortress of Silence. send over more than five… and the Holy Church will bestow the honorific medal of ‘Disaster Rescuer’…”
…And this is it.
“Whew—”
I exhaled a great breath.
This is exactly what Rect told me…
The lonely and abandoned, the helpless, the clueless children…
Upon discovery, all of them would be sent to the Fortress of Silence… even if they didn’t want to go…
[It’s been going on since the beginning of this year, I believe…]
Back when I was outside the city, Rect found me, saying he had something important to discuss. I pondered for a bit and found a desolate patch of grass away from the war chariot in the city outskirts, where we had our exchange.
[I come on behalf of Her Majesty the Queen, having brought four skilled men from the Sword of Kanli to the southern edge of Silgaya, and we only seek to investigate two matters.]
During our entire meeting, I never took off my mask or cloak. I stood a few steps away from him, listening as he shared important news from the Royal City.
[The first and, indeed, the most important issue… is to seek any clues regarding you, any possible lead. Her Majesty has requested me to uncover the complete trail surrounding you during the heretic war, and for that, I even ventured into the now-ruined Woodward Forest, a place entirely engulfed by flames, currently sealed off by the Church… Heh, things have grown terribly complicated, so I suppose I should start from the beginning.]
[In fact, back at the end of the year before last, we saw the shocking news on the bulletin that rattled everyone. Her Majesty was furious and declared she would take two thousand city guards to the Holy City. I tried to stop her because I knew your importance in her eyes, and I was terrified she might impulsively make a rash move that could harm the kingdom… but of course, she didn’t.]
[Her Majesty proved to be far more wise and composed than I had imagined; from the start, she never believed the reports. She knew the Church was lying. I don’t know how she figured that out, but somehow, she realized it wasn’t as the bulletin claimed; she merely acted like she believed it was true… Later, in the Royal City dioceses… in front of the Pope, she even threw a fit as a performance for them…]
[You might not be aware, but back in early last year, the Church held an incredibly grand funeral ceremony for you in the Holy City. Of course, the main purpose wasn’t really a funeral; you know, during that time, the Pope was busy dealing with Cardinal St. George… Regardless, everyone, including your father and mother, genuinely thought you were dead—so did I… except for Her Majesty.]
[I suspect that even Her Majesty at that time couldn’t be one hundred percent sure you were alive. She likely caught on to the oddities with the heretic war in the Western continent and the floods that year, all of which had many inconsistencies. She was aware of these oddities but acted as if she completely believed the results after the funeral ceremony; that night, she privately met with the Pope, and nobody was allowed to follow her…]
[Their conversation likely took around half an hour. I don’t know the specifics of what they discussed; however, afterward, she immediately returned to the Royal City and never brought up anything about you with me again until one day…]
[I discovered that she had actually established contact with the long-missing Cardinal St. George…]
