A Treacherous Courtier Manages the Empire Well

48 – Do You Have a Job?

Those who have experienced persecution understand the most resentful parts. Cherto and the Rang tribe played the biggest role in producing the banners.

“Draw a scene where angry citizens of the Karamba Empire are chasing away the aquatic beings. Show the fleeing aquatic beings holding young children tightly. In reality, pregnant aquatic beings have nowhere to give birth, so they end up giving birth in desolate areas. They can’t receive medical help.”

“Alright. Then draw it exactly as you said.”

“And in the Aylam Empire, draw a scene where aquatic beings are laughing and eating white bread. White bread is a food that aquatic beings cannot eat in the Karamba Empire.”

“Why white bread?”

“Only give rough, black bread to the aquatic beings. Bakers discriminate against them because they are aquatic beings. If you draw a picture that shows here that they can eat white bread, it will be a very strong appeal.”

With the active help of Cherto and various Rang tribe members, the completed banners were incredibly emotional. The aquatic beings sobbing in Karamba and the happy aquatic beings in Aylam. It would be impossible for anyone to remain unaffected after seeing this.

“This is great. hahahahaha! Alright! Distribute them!”

Once the banners were completed, they were immediately put into action. Dawn. Carrying sacks filled with banners, the wyverns secretly flew a long way around the Crescent Moon Triplet and the Wong tribe and the Ho tribe’s grazing area, releasing a large quantity of banners, before returning.

Unlike the black pit where the Rang tribe used to live, this place was quite far from the Laco Mountains, so after making one round, both the wyverns and their riders were exhausted and had to rest. But I didn’t stop distributing the banners.

“You have worked hard. Here is the reward, including danger pay.”

I rewarded the exhausted riders with generous bundles of money, expressing my gratitude for their hard work. Thanks to them, the wyverns continued to distribute the banners, and the massive distribution quickly garnered a reaction from Karamba.

“Count Landor. What on earth are you doing? This flyer! Did you distribute it?”

Prince Rashed. A man who was more intelligent than strong, using the trading city Dagamba as his stage. One day, he was dispatched as an envoy and started expressing his dissatisfaction when he met with me.

“Stop right now! Sending wyverns to another country’s capital! Are you trying to start a war?”

“What are you talking about? Sending wyverns? And what is this flyer… I have no idea.”

And then, I used my skill called “Ignorance” on Prince Rashed. It was a dark dawn. Moreover, the wyverns were black in color, and the riders wore black clothes, making them almost invisible in the night sky. There would probably be very few direct witness accounts.

It’s probably just people speculating that something like this fell from the sky and the wyverns were sent to distribute it.

“Count Landor. Are you playing a joke?”

“A joke? We really haven’t sent any wyverns. Do you have any solid evidence? The evidence that wyverns flew and distributed those flyers. If there is no such evidence, this kind of provocation is really heartbreaking.”

Prince Rashed seemed to find my tearful act disgusting, as his face turned red with anger. But that was all he could do. Instead of the aquatic beings, only the flyers fell, even though the wyverns could have carried the aquatic beings to commit a terrorist act and return without a trace.

The initial plan to send the aquatic beings and destroy the commercial city of Porto was the Sultan’s idea. When I deny being the one responsible for the battle I am losing in a legitimacy fight, there is no more to be inquired.

“Interesting. Fine. Karamba looks funny, doesn’t it? Landor? Let’s see.”

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After crumpling the flyer in front of me and throwing it to the ground as a performance, Prince Rashed disappeared. I continued to bid him farewell with a smile until the end. It was expected that the Sultan would be furious. However, it was unexpected that there was still no reaction from the aquatic beings to the flyers.

“Is there still no reaction from the aquatic beings?”

“No. There doesn’t seem to be any particular reaction.”

“Maybe the pictures on the flyers are not provocative enough. Why isn’t there any reaction? I thought they would make some kind of contact.”

Cherto raised his head at my words.

“The picture on the flyer is a very provocative picture. I’m certain as a water clan member. The miao race, the toi race, the hoi race, and the wun race must have been deeply moved by it.”

“But why is there no reaction? Cherto?”

“Because they are skeptical. Having suffered so much at the hands of humans, the water clan cannot believe that this is a country where they can live comfortably. Especially the suspicious toi race, they will spend a long time thoroughly investigating and then take action. That is why it takes time.”

Cherto patted my shoulder.

“Lanodor, don’t be too disheartened. I’m sure there will be a response from their side.”

“Yes. I hope it reaches the silent water clans.”

And so, I continued to distribute flyers, praying for them to reach the silent water clans. And after about a month of continuous distribution…

“Lanodor.”

“Seoric, what’s the matter?”

“We captured a rabbit water clan member who infiltrated in Elond’s territory. He was crying uncontrollably. He wants to meet you, Lanodor.”

Finally.

There was a response from the water clan.

The wun race, the hoi race, the toi race, and the miao race.

The leaders of the four clans gathered in one place for a meeting. Since they lived in different places, it was not easy for them to meet, but because of the peculiar flyers that were being distributed throughout Karamba recently, they could not help but gather.

“I believe everyone has seen this flyer. What do you think?”

The leader of the wun race asked, showing Lanodor the flyer that he had been distributing. Everyone looked closely at the flyer.

“If we go to Ailam, will the water clans really be welcomed? If we can be welcomed as depicted in this picture, there is no need for us to suffer persecution in Karamba.”

The leader of the miao race cautiously expressed his opinion.

“I agree too. We can’t get proper jobs or proper treatment here. If Ailam treats us as well as depicted in this flyer, I think it is necessary for us to move there even if we have to risk our lives.”

The leader of the wun race also nodded.

“I agree too, but… there are a few issues. Whether the contents of this flyer are true or not. Honestly, haven’t we suffered enough? The wicked humans who promised us humane treatment were only interested in our power.”

The toi race leader, Crack, sighed after hearing everything.

“It could be another scam. According to rumors, the Ailam Empire is tightly controlled by a certain author named Lanodor, who is notorious for betrayals. Although he seems to have changed recently and is involved in various businesses… we don’t know what might happen.”

The most skeptical existence among all the water clans.

That was the toi race.

Compared to other clans, the toi race had the most reproductive power and the largest number. That’s why they were also the most victimized among the tribes. Crack believed that the idealized contents of the flyer were not true.

“It seems necessary to confirm it once. I will go and see for myself.”

“How do you plan to do that, Crack?”

“In the Crescent Moon Triangle where I live, there are many merchants from Ailam. Their wagons are always loaded with goods. I will secretly infiltrate one of their wagons and see for myself.”

It was entirely possible for the Toin tribe, who lived by stealing.

“And I will be carried on that carriage, crossing the trade route and heading to Ailam. I will discreetly hide my body there and see how the people of that country are living.”

“It will be dangerous. Crack.”

“Yes, I know. But I still think it’s worth taking that risk.”

Crack smiles bitterly.

“Isn’t it our position to hold onto even the slightest possibility? We can’t continue living hopelessly in Karamba like this.”

Hope.

The most cruel emotion, perhaps.

Everyone clenches their fists at Crack’s words.

They believed that if Crack, the most suspicious and cold-hearted among all the mercenaries here, went and confirmed it, then it could be trusted.

“Crack, I will trust you and leave it to you.”

“I will definitely confirm it. There is a high possibility of it being false… Of course, I know. But there is also a possibility of it being true.”

That’s how the decision was made.

The next day, Crack carefully hid himself under the carriage of the Ailam merchant who was returning with a full load of Karumba coins from selling air conditioners, and with his skills as a seasoned thief, he was able to cross the trade route and reach Ailam without being noticed by anyone.

For a whole week, Crack hid himself like a chameleon in the lower part of the carriage, between the boxes of coins, amongst piles of rope, etc. Whenever he felt like he might be discovered, he would hide in other carriages. His skills as a seasoned thief since childhood were almost like an art.

Facing the strict inspections on the trade route, he would sneak out of the carriage in the early morning, cling to the ceiling of the trade route tunnel by scratching his fingernails, and move in a way to avoid getting caught, successfully infiltrating the Elond Baron’s territory without being arrested.

His motto was constant disguise, constant vigilance. He never revealed a rabbit’s ear for even a moment, and as he only went to places that humans could never reach, the Seoric and Rang-tribe patrol guards who could read memories had no idea that Crack had infiltrated.

“The weather is damn cold.”

Having successfully infiltrated, Crack cautiously began to observe how these humans lived, hiding in the dark corners of the city. More precisely, he began to concentrate on observing how the Rang-tribe, who were described in the flyers, lived together with humans.

“Hmph. A society where humans and creatures can live together harmoniously. There’s no way something like that exists.”

Crack muttered cynically, but secretly held expectations. As he watched over Baron Elond, hidden in the darkness. And the more he watched, the more impressive Baron Elond’s city appeared to be.

A bustling city with a large market where a huge number of merchants from both countries came and went, conducting trade.

Furthermore, there was also a huge amusement park called the skating rink and sledding park, which brought joy to those who visited this place.

“For now, it seems like a country where people are living well.”

But what’s the use of living well? If the treatment towards creatures is no different from Karamba, then this land has no reason to exist.

“By the way, why the hell can’t I see these damn Rang-tribe anywhere?”

Crack became annoyed.

He thoroughly searched for places like shabby alleys and residential complexes where poor commoners gathered, places where the despised Rang-tribe could live, but nowhere in those places did he see the image of the Rang-tribe depicted in the flyers.

Was it all a lie, after all? He laughed bitterly at such a thought.

“Did this bastard just provoke my temperament?”

“Argh! Ahh!!”

A fight broke out in a residential area where commoners live. Jang-jeong, heavily intoxicated, was violently slapping a woman who appeared to be his wife. The wife, holding a young child, collapsed in shock and screamed.

“H-Help! Please report this to the security guards! Anyone, please!… Ahh!!”

“What report! You b*tch! How dare you make my husband aware of you with this b*tchy face?”

The assault continued, and the neighbors who witnessed the scene hurriedly ran somewhere.

And after a while.

Crack had to open his eyes wide.

A beast-person, with their tail and animal ears fully exposed, appeared in a neat security guard uniform at the scene.

“Stop the assault immediately! It is clearly stated in the Imperial Constitution that assault is punishable!”

It was a Languine woman. She flourished her tail and ears as she growled.

The man, shattered a bottle against her appearance, thrust the pointed part at the Languine woman.

“Who the hell do you think you are, you b*tch with animal ears!”

In response to the threat, the Languine woman moved. Running at an incredible speed befitting her beast-like nature, she simply knocked the man who was causing a scene with a punch. The sturdy man was easily subdued by the relatively petite Languine woman.

“Wha-what?!”

“Don’t call me a b*tch with animal ears. I really hate that term.”

Click. Handcuffs were put on, and the many citizens who had been witnessing this scene came out of their houses and applauded.

“Well done, Officer of the Security Guards!”

“Alex, give that bastard a proper scolding! We’ve been seeing his wife crying every day!”

“You damn bastard! Go to jail and never come out!”

The Languine woman received applause as the criminal was escorted away, and the neighbors gathered around the woman who had been mistreated, comforting her as they entered her house.

“Take care of your body. We’ll bring you some food until you get better.”

“Thank you, everyone.”

“Yeah, your face is quite swollen. Go see a doctor as soon as possible.”

Crack, who had observed all of these events in the darkness, had a blank expression.

The advanced security system where the security guards immediately responded and suppressed upon reporting?

The fact that the people in the poorest area are so generous that they willingly give food to their neighbors?

Everyone was surprised, but what surprised her the most was something else.

“Do the Languine people have occupations? And even as security guards responsible for public safety?”