Viscount Arnold Keinitz was working on paperwork in his estate’s study when a soldier from his territorial army brought a report.
“Your Excellency, apologies for disturbing you during your work. A group of refugees is pleading to be let into the town at the south gate. There are too many of them for us to decide on our own, so we came to seek your instructions.”
“How many are there?”
“We counted 24 people.”
“That’s quite a few. Where are they from?”
“They say they come from a village near the border with the Lancel Kingdom to the south.”
“I see.”
Arnold thought it was a bothersome matter. The territorial capital of Ritvik in the Keinitz Viscounty is at the far northwestern edge of the kingdom. It’s not uncommon for refugees who have nowhere else to go to end up here after being turned away from other territories.
In the past, when the city was still developing, it grew by actively accepting such refugees. However, now that it has reached a certain level of stability, they can’t continue accepting refugees indiscriminately.
Uncontrolled influxes of refugees can lead to deteriorating public safety. They don’t want vagrants or the formation of slums.
But turning away all refugees outright would also cause problems. Refugees, having nowhere else to go, could turn to banditry as a last resort.
If the roads within the territory became overrun with bandits, that would be a major issue in itself.
Therefore, Arnold had been donating considerable sums to the church and organizing food drives and other support for refugees.
“It seems the number of refugees has been increasing over the past year.”
He reviewed monthly reports from the guards at the gates, and even though Ritvik is at the kingdom’s edge, the number of arriving refugees had visibly increased recently.
“I’ve heard that the conflict with the Lancel Kingdom to the west is intensifying, causing a deterioration in security and the economy in the western part of our kingdom. It’s likely due to that.”
Arnold already knew this, but he thought about how to respond.
Creating a precedent for accepting more than 20 refugees easily could not be allowed. The residents might resent using their taxes to feed strangers.
On the other hand, having a group of over 20 refugees turning to banditry in the territory must be avoided. What to do?
“…Perhaps we can use that person.”
“Excuse me?”
“No, it’s nothing.”
Arnold recalled a young man who visited about three months ago.
Noein Earlkvist, a knight-lord who was granted a piece of the Bezel Great Forest as his territory, located to the west of the Keinitz Viscounty. When this newly adult lad came to declare his intention to develop the forest with just a beastman slave and a very handy golem, Arnold had internally scoffed.
But later reports about the “Knight of the Forest” suggested he had managed to establish some form of settlement in the forest and was managing reasonably well.
Thinking back, although Noein appeared to be a cunning, smirking youth, he didn’t seem stupid—certainly smarter than his father, at least.
Arnold had, of course, heard that a part of the Bezel Great Forest bordering the Keinitz Viscounty had been given to Count Kivileft as an enclave.
The current Count Kivileft was infamous for his scandal of fathering a child with a servant before even taking a legal wife.
The scandal spread about 15 or 16 years ago, and now a young man had appeared, inheriting the forest and the title of knight from Count Kivileft. It was easy to deduce that this Noein was likely the son of that servant.
“I cannot permit the refugees to settle in Ritvik, but inform them that they may stay temporarily around the gate. Also, tell them we’ll find a place for them. Notify the church to arrange food and blankets.”
“Understood.”
After the soldier left, Arnold leaned back in his chair, deep in thought.
Lord Earlkvist was likely seeking more settlers. The Keinitz Viscounty struggled with the influx of refugees. If managed well, they could push the refugees west and earn favor with the new neighboring noble.
…
“I really want to develop proper roads instead of these beaten paths.”
On the way to Ritvik, Noein muttered.
Even after gaining subjects like Yuri and others, Noein still took the lead in making supply runs to Ritvik.
This was partly because he had to control the golem pulling the cart and partly because he wanted to build good relations with Ritvik’s residents.
This time, Noein was accompanied by Mathilda, Pence, and Mai.
“By the way, why did you create your settlement in the forest instead of clearing the edges?”
“The forest’s edge marks the border with the Keinitz Viscounty. Cutting the forest from the edge would reduce my territory.”
Eventually, they would need to formally agree on the exact boundary with the Keinitz Viscounty, but for now, the rule was that “the start of the Bezel Great Forest marks the Earlkvist domain.”
If he cut from the edge, he would be shrinking his own land. Hence, Noein chose to establish the settlement deeper within the forest.
“Is it safe to set boundaries like that? What if Viscount Keinitz starts clearing the forest?”
Worried, Mai asked, and Noein reassured her.
“That won’t happen. There’s no benefit for Viscount Keinitz to spend enormous resources clearing the Bezel Great Forest just to take our small domain.”
Even if Earlkvist grew and became prosperous, the inefficient method of clearing the forest from the edge to invade would not be worth the cost.
It would be more beneficial for Viscount Keinitz to foster economic ties and prosper together.
So, for the time being, the vague boundary definition of “the edge of the forest” was not an issue. Although it was a delicate balance, the Earlkvist domain was safe for now.
Noein explained these circumstances to everyone.
“That’s a brilliant and clear judgment, Lord Noein.”
“…Thinking about all these complicated things, it seems being a noble is quite tough.”
“Indeed, it seems far easier to be a mercenary or a small-scale farmer.”
Unlike the always supportive Mathilda, Pence and Mai were visibly discouraged by the complicated issues.
“A lord’s first priority is their domain’s welfare. You must always be prepared to protect it.”
Noein suppressed a sinister smile, thinking, if there’s an opportunity, one should be ready to outsmart the other side.
