Rest and Celestine strolled through the quiet fishing village.
Being nobles, they drew many piercing stares from the villagers, but no one approached them—perhaps word of their visit had been sent ahead.
"U-Um!"
"Hmm?"
However, amidst the silence, someone came running toward them.
It was a young girl, likely barely old enough for grade school.
"H-Help... Noble sirs, please help us!"
"Hmm? This child is...?"
"Stay back! Do not approach Lady Celestine!"
Celestine's guard, Elina, who had been following at a short distance, raised her voice at the girl. She rushed forward and stepped between the child and Celestine.
"Impudent brat! Get away from her!"
"I'm so sorry! Please, please forgive us!"
A woman, presumably the girl’s mother, came running in a frantic state toward the shouting guard.
"To show such disrespect to the nobility... please, please forgive her!"
"Waaaa..."
The mother shoved her daughter’s head down, prostrating herself on the ground in a desperate bow.
"Please, please, I beg you—at least spare our lives!"
To commoners, nobles were often objects of pure terror. Among the more tyrannical members of the aristocracy, there were those who would execute a commoner on the spot over the slightest perceived slight.
If it had been Rodel or his lackeys, they probably would have cut her down without a second thought, Rest realized.
"It was only a child’s mistake. Elina, stand down," Celestine said.
"Yes, ma'am..."
The guard backed away at Celestine’s calm command, though her eyes remained sharp, scanning the mother, the child, and the surrounding crowd for any sign of a threat.
"I take no offense. Please, raise your heads."
"T-Thank you... Noble lady..."
Even with the reassurance, the mother did not raise her head easily. No matter how generous the treatment, a noble was still a noble, and a commoner was still a commoner. The divide was as deep as ever.
"More importantly," Celestine continued, "what did your daughter mean? Why is she asking for help?"
"E-Err... that is..."
"Daddy’s hurt... Please help, help him..." the girl sobbed.
The mother tried to scold her again, but Celestine gently raised a hand to stop her.
"Please, tell me what happened. Rest?"
"I'd like to hear it too. It doesn't sound like a trivial matter."
With the two of them prompting her, the mother’s brow furrowed in distress as she began her explanation.
"The truth is... recently, monsters have been appearing in these waters. My husband is a fisherman—the girl’s father. He was attacked and injured."
"An injury? Is it severe?"
"No, no, it’s nothing fatal. It should heal in about a month or so." The woman waved her hand dismissively. "But he won't be able to work until then, and our finances are... forgive me! I’m speaking out of turn!"
"It is fine," Rest said, stepping in. "What kind of monster is it?"
The mother thought for a moment before answering. "Most likely... it’s a monster resembling a shark or a sea serpent. It stays below the surface, so no one has seen it clearly, but..."
"Daddy's boat flipped over!"
"Don't interrupt when the adults are speaking... Yes, the creature has been capsizing boats and dragging fishermen into the sea. Fortunately, there haven't been any deaths yet, but the catch has plummeted. We don't know if we can pay this year's taxes."
The mother stroked her child’s head, her expression troubled. If they couldn't catch fish, their income would vanish. Without income, they couldn't pay taxes, and in the worst-case scenario, they would simply starve. Even if the monster wasn't killing people directly, it was still a death sentence for the village.
"Can’t you petition the local Lord for a tax exemption?" Rest asked.
The woman shook her head. "Normally, this village is treated quite well by the Lord. That was thanks to Lady Shoko, who used to favor us."
Shoko Sanada—the late Queen Dowager. Apparently, she had visited this village frequently during her life.
"Since we are already being favored, the Lord says he won't allow any more concessions. In times like this, if Lady Shoko were here, she would have listened to our concerns, but..."
"...And she's already gone."
Rest fell silent, contemplating the situation. He had inherited the land in this general vicinity, but he was technically just a large landowner; the local administrative Lord was someone else. If the taxation was based on legitimate law, he had no right to interfere.
But still... I’d feel guilty abandoning the people of a place Shoko loved so much.
He had only met Shoko Sanada once, and it would have been a stretch to call them friends. However, she was the first Japanese person he had been able to truly talk to since arriving in this world. He also felt a certain lingering sympathy for the difficult circumstances she had endured.
"If it’s alright with you, maybe I can help with the monster subjugation? You don’t need to worry—this is my specialty."
The words came out of Rest's mouth before he even realized he had made the decision.