Royal Princess of Blood

The air was a bit tense during this next part of the journey. Not because of me though, and to be precise, it was not tense for me. In fact, I preferred to disregard this tension to make my life a bit peaceful. The best path to peace is to just ignore whatever problems around you! Best if it wouldn’t directly hurt you or anything.

Now where was this tension coming from precisely? Well, it was from Miyako, of course! I managed to get her under control — you know, to stop her from antagonizing our fucking escorts. But that didn’t mean she wasn’t quite bitter and displeased about the circumstance. She ‌often glared at the criminals.

It was not this bad before, but her seeing the treatment of the slaves really pissed her off. But a glare wouldn’t harm anyone. Any other criminals would be pissed about it, though. But they knew we were high-paying clients, so they wouldn’t do anything to us. Besides, if they did, one of them might end up getting hurt real bad. I would prefer not to kill any of them, as that would cause more trouble.

To make less of a chaos, and for Miyako’s sake, I asked the criminals to be a bit kinder to the slaves. Whatever that may entail.

Eventually, we arrived at a crossroads. The convoy came to a stop. We all came out of the carriage for the time being.

“What’s going to happen now?” Miyako asked with a grim voice.

I watched as some of the carriages gradually lined up on a path going to the right. It would appear that part of the convoy was going its separate way. I approached the criminal supervisor.

“They’re going to a different city, I presume?” I asked.

“Yeah. They’re the ones that’re gonna get distributed on Hokunoa.”

I observed the carriages and the men who were to guard them. The carriages contained both ‌narcotics and‌ slaves. I raised an eyebrow. “This is not going to take long, right?”

“In just a moment.”

“Hm… Imagine there are many others doing the same thing. There’s no way these are enough for this part of the island.”

“... Of course it’s not enough.”

“How are you managing to create such a large amount of narcotics?” It was not synthetic, from what I could guess. I didn’t really ask Miyako about that.

“Now that’s a trade secret.”

“You must have farms, lots of them. I guess these drugs are made from plants that grow in this barren wasteland.”

“...” He glanced at me, silent. Hit the spot then.

“As for your department, you must have divided the islands into regions for your distribution network. Your leader is at the capital, so that means that is the center of your network. With the slaves and products before us, that made it more certain.”

He wryly smiled. “What an interesting guess.”

“Your farms for the narcotics, they must be somewhere in the capital region. It would be hard to grow them in the city, so you must be somewhere on the outskirts where no one can disturb you. Could they have been brought into the city in bulk? You sell part of them within the city itself, while the rest you store until it’s time to distribute them.”

That of course was quite a risk, but it was better than storing them outside civilization, where the weather and environment could get quite unpredictable, monsters all over. And when they were in one place, accounting, tallying, and logistics were easier to manage, especially in a medieval-like place where communication and coordination from vast distances was difficult. The authorities of that city were pretty corrupt anyway, so they didn’t pose a danger to the criminal organization. If the authorities were serious about their jobs, they wouldn’t have put lots of their products in that city.

“... It’s more complicated than that, and not all accurate.”

“Of course, there are more branches to your operation than I could imagine. But is that the gist of it?”

“Y-You have a wild imagination.”

Hm, judging from his reaction, I might have hit him in a few places. Of course, it would be difficult to accurately guess their operations. Every criminal organization had its unique techniques, so things could be very complicated. If everything was the same shit back on Earth, it would have been easy for the cops to catch the criminals.

I smirked. “From here on out, those narcotics and slaves are going to the next city. Then the distribution spreads out again.”

I glanced at Miyako, who was listening quietly. They might have an idea of how these things happen, but those were in Nishinoa. Things could be different here on Hokunoa, the source of some of those problems.

“I don’t see the point of you guessing how our operation works. It’s none of your business.”

“The point? No, I’m just curious if I’m right about the ideas. It would be interesting to know how you avoided the rough parts of your channels. How you hide your illegal products, and so on.”

“Why would that be of interest to you?” He frowned.

“Because maybe I could use it in the future as a reference. Knowledge is a welcome thing.”

“Don’t tell me you’re planning to start a criminal network or some shit?”

“Not exactly. Logistics is important in times of war, for example. Maybe I could learn from you how to evade enemy lines and sneak through.”

“What does war have to do with it?”

“Not with you, but mine. But then again, you have it on easy mode. The authorities don’t care much about your criminal operations.”

I wondered how their operations would hold up in Wisteria. I imagined it would be difficult for them. So perhaps trying to learn from them would be a fool’s errand. But then again, it was for Miyako to hear about this. For her to learn something.

“By the way, your organization is a big one, right? So Kazuhiko is not the only head, am I wrong?”

“... No.”

I nodded with a smile. “How many are there?”

“Why the fuck would I answer you?”

I frowned. “I’ve been curious. Something that’s been bothering me. Is Kazuhiko involved in taking people from the continent to be made as slaves here?”

He paused for a moment. “What do you mean?”

I stared directly into his eyes. “Taking people from the continent, snatching, kidnapping, buying men and women, is Kazuhiko involved in that kind of operation?”

“... Why would that matter to you?”

“I was among the people on their slave ships.”

“W-What?” He slowly stepped back warily, surprised to hear what I had just said.

“And it kind of pisses me off that I became one of their victims. Two of my group were also victims of such operations. So, is Kazuhiko involved?”

“... What will you do if he is?”

“Not sure. Although I found the experience unpleasant.”

“... W-When it comes to slave ships, Lord Kazuhiko is not involved in such. As you know, he’s operating in the capital, far away from the seas.”

“So the one behind my being on the slave ship is someone else?”

“Yes… Could be one or two. It could also be from another island, Tobunoa maybe. But Lord Kazuhiko has no such operations. We only sell slaves inland.”

I smiled and patted his shoulder. “I see. That’s good. I already guessed he wasn’t involved, though.”

“T-Then why did you ask?”

“Just making sure.”

“And if we were involved, what would you have done?”

“Nothing, you’re our transport, after all.” But after that… well, at this point, there was no way of knowing. “That being said, I am quite curious about these slave ships. To be honest, I don’t like the idea of you Shinoroans stealing people from the continent.”

I mean, it’s crazy though. Just snatching people from another continent because they would be the exotic kind. Who’s to say they weren’t taking people from Wisteria? Can’t have that, it’s my territory. But then again, I wouldn’t be this invested if I hadn’t been taken on their ships. Although, my resentment was not that great, so I was just intimidating this man.

“So, if you don’t mind, can you tell me about those slave ships and their operations? Not now, of course, maybe before we reach Nishinoa’s shores. I’m sure we’ll have plenty of time while sailing.”

“And if I don’t?”

“Why wouldn’t you? No harm to you, right?” I gave him a mischievous look.

He clicked his tongue and shifted his shoulder to remove my hand. “Sure.”

“Good man. Now, focus on your work so we can get out of here quicker.”

He grunted and walked away.

Hartwin approached me with a curious expression. “What was that about? I thought we’re not supposed to antagonize them.”

“That was not antagonizing them. I just took the chance to get some information.”

“About the slave ships?”

I smiled at my allies before me. “I’ve been feeling I was missing something. Some unfinished business, you could say.”

“And that is?”

“I’ve not looked into the ones behind the slave ship we were in.”

“You’re still pissed off about that?”

I shrugged. “I just don’t like some people getting away with wronging me. But there is another reason…” I approached Miyako with a small smile. “Miyako.”

“Yes?”

“May I make a request?”

She was puzzled, and she glanced at my allies for a moment. “Of course.”

“While you’re at it, please destroy the people behind the slave ships. In case I’m unable to do anything about it while I’m here.” The priority was returning home. So, I wouldn’t be able to focus on going after those behind the slave ships.

“To think they would also go after people from another land entirely…”

“Indeed.”

“Their cruelty knows no bounds.” She placed a hand on her chest. “I will carry out your request.”

“... Thanks.”

It would be annoying if they got away with treating me badly. Hell, I might get so annoyed that I might just destroy this entire archipelago if I got the power to do so. However, that might be a bit unfair to Miyako, who was trying to fix it.

Well, as long as those that wronged me are dealt with in the end, that’s fine with me.

And I was sure Miyako would fulfill my request with all her heart.

Some time later, after things were finalized, our convoy continued on. As we parted, Miyako had a frustrated look on her face as she stared at the separated convoy.

“And there those slaves go…” she muttered. “There’s no telling what will happen to them from now on.”

I glanced in the same direction as she did. “I’m surprised you’re less concerned about the drugs that are about to come onto your island.”

“... Hm.” She lowered her head, as if in thought. “Maybe I just pity those who were forced into something rather than those who chose it. One of them is truly suffering.”

Huh, I understood her sentiment. Those who were forced into slavery didn’t choose where they ended up. They were suffering, inflicted with pain and abuse. They were the powerless, and they deserved to be pitied. For the drugs, those who bought them chose for themselves. The consequences were their own. If they got ruined, experienced torment and suffering, it was all of their own doing.

“Those drugs do not need urgency as much as the people who are truly in torment, those who need saving.”

I smiled. “Why do you feel you need to save people?”

She smiled back at me. “Need you ask? It’s because it’s the right thing to do. As the daughter of the lord, I have the responsibility to do what’s right for my island.”

“But your grace extends to those beyond it.”

“... Perhaps because I’m also… human. I care about people in pain.”

“... I see. That’s good. But don’t overdo it.”

“I recall the slaves that you saved, the women. You could have left them after your mission, but you brought them to the city in hopes of being taken care of.”

“What about it?”

“I wish for that kind of kindness everywhere.”

Nah uh, I’m not a very good example of kindness.

“You saved people not of your own. We’re even from another land entirely. That is a beautiful thing.”

I leaned back in my seat. “... I only did it because I can.”

“Yes, it’s because you can.” She stared outside. “I couldn’t save the slaves this time. But in time, when I can, I will.” She had a strong hint of conviction in those words.

Man, people always misunderstand me for being kind.

But then again… perhaps I was being a bit gracious that time. But that didn’t mean I was actually being kind…

With that said, I was looking forward to Miyako's success. If she fails… Oh well…