9th Grade Civil Servant In Another World Chapter 197 - Emergency (2)

The workers were divided 2:8.

Two for returning, eight for staying.

While most chose to remain, those who wanted to leave were mainly people with extreme loyalty to the Supreme Leader or those who had left family back in the homeland.

Of course, there were also those who didn’t fit either category. People like Liam Weber, for instance.

“President.”

Liam entered the office hesitantly, his stiff lips twitching.

“Mr. Weber.”

“What did you call me for?”

Daniel looked at him through emotions so jumbled he couldn’t make sense of them.

“I wanted to give you compensation.”

“I already received it…”

Daniel had given small amounts of cash to the workers returning home. There wasn’t really a reason for it—it was money he’d given out hoping they would survive hell.

“Mr. Weber, you suffered a disability due to the company’s negligence, so I’m giving you a bit more. Please don’t refuse.”

“……”

After hesitating, Liam took the envelope, and his mouth opened slowly and powerlessly with a sigh.

“President, I don’t understand.”

His eyes, unable to look directly at Daniel, felt sad.

“Can you really live alongside those terrible mongrel bastards? They’re the ones who always cause problems. Even in places where humans vastly outnumber them, they were like that—now that they’re in a region where they can wield power, won’t they do harm to you and your colleagues? Like that bomb terrorism, won’t more dangerous incidents happen? Why do you care so much for mongrels, sir? I don’t understand any of it…”

He hung his head low.

Countless words swirled in Daniel’s mouth. What should have been done from the beginning? To avoid creating such an unfortunate victim.

“Someday you’ll understand.”

In the end, he could only give a simple answer.

“Well then, safe travels.”

After Liam left, Daniel slumped onto the sofa and looked up at the ceiling.

A weight that settled heavily in his heart as time passed. As if telling him not to run away anymore.

***

All the workers who chose to return home went back to Schufaben.

Since they couldn’t know what might happen if they crossed the border on dragons, they used a personally owned ship registered as stateless and unaffiliated instead.

It was a ship belonging to Jauhar, chairman of the ‘Five Tribes Merchant Alliance’ who was allied with Fael, and fortunately it came and went from Schufaben ports without receiving any sanctions.

‘Workers with nowhere to go after Redan Company’s bankruptcy borrowed a local ship to return home.’

Immigration and customs believed that ridiculous excuse.

No, even if they couldn’t believe it, there was nothing they could do about it.

After all, they couldn’t refuse entry to people who were clearly their own citizens, and the military would have had its influence too.

They were at a point where every soldier was precious. They would welcome with open arms the influx of manpower they could conscript.

After all the workers left, when they had caught their breath a bit and were idling around the office without much to do.

“Someone is approaching the village.”

Bletter Agent’s report came in.

Daniel and Fael climbed up to the watchtower. Looking through the telescope at the distant wasteland, someone wrapped in cloth around their face and wearing a long tunic was slowly moving on a camel.

“Alone? They don’t have much cargo, so probably not a merchant…”

Word spread and people gradually gathered.

Since a full 20% of their workforce had left all at once, everyone was staying in the pioneer village resting until the system could be reorganized. So there were quite a few people murmuring about.

The mysterious traveler finally stopped their camel and dismounted.

The traveler approached with firm, measured steps, removed their hat, and asked in clumsy Elvish,

“Is this the pioneer village?”

The revealed face was slightly sun-weathered, but definitely a human woman.

“Yes it is, but where are you from…”

“Mom!”

As a staff member was about to step forward, a voice like a baby bird burst out and a young girl ran forward.

“Honey!”

And then Thomas Himmel, his face glowing with joy.

“Lucy?”

The startled woman swept the girl up in her arms.

“Is it really Mom? Mom, Mom, Mom, Mom! Why are you only coming now!”

Lucy sobbed and buried her face in the woman’s embrace, rubbing her cheek against it. It was a comical sight with tears and snot getting all over the dusty tunic, but no one laughed.

“By any chance… Captain Alina Himmel?”

“Captain Alina Himmel, reporting to the pioneer village under orders from Commander Lucas Redan!”

When Daniel, who had hurriedly climbed down from the watchtower, asked cautiously, the woman snapped to attention and saluted smartly while dangling Lucy from one arm.

***

“Stay healthy, Captain.”

It was a forest on the eastern front. Commander Lucas Redan, who had greeted her lightly, pushed Alina’s hesitant back.

She walked earnestly, ran, and used various means of transportation to move, fleeing from the war zone.

Sometimes she met deserters, sometimes used the fake identity Queen Rubellia had prepared, crossing several countries and ownerless lands until she reached the Great Desert.

She borrowed a camel from the first elf village she encountered and used her clumsily learned Elvish to ask around until she found the pioneer village.

Despite the long journey, the moment Alina Himmel saw her husband and daughter’s faces, she suddenly felt,

Thank goodness I’m alive.

Thank goodness I’m alive to meet my family again.

Gratitude toward Commander Lucas Redan surged up in her chest. He too must reunite with his loved ones.

“I’m never going to die, Captain! Don’t you trust me that much?”

While holding the exhausted, sleeping Lucy, she recalled the commander’s playful smile.

After Lucy fell asleep from exhaustion, Alina told the story of everything that had happened in the office of the main building.

How the war was going, what Lucas had done while moving between fronts.

Fael steadily obtained newspapers and radio broadcast recordings from the outside through the merchant alliance. Combining that information with Captain Himmel’s story, they could get a rough understanding of the situation.

“I see. Lucas must have had a hard time too.”

“He said he thought he might get depression.”

And while saying that, he would laugh carelessly and throw around stale jokes.

“‘Might get,’ not ‘got.’ That’s also very like Lucas.”

Fael commented calmly while sipping tea.

“Right.”

“Is there any other news?”

“This is the last newspaper I read before entering the Great Desert. I thought it might be helpful, so I brought it.”

Alina pulled a yellowed newspaper from her backpack. Though it was in a foreign language, Daniel could stumble through reading the large headline.

“Schufaben, elves, expulsion order…?”

“What?”

Fael snatched the newspaper away as if he might spill his teacup, then let out a hollow laugh.

“I guess rest time is over, Daniel.”

***

“Aaaaaah! People are pouring in!”

“Lord Namir, please calm down!”

Shan-Lea grabbed and scolded Namir, who was jumping around and screaming.

The scene at the harbor before them was chaos.

Just half a month ago this place had been peaceful, but now a large ship was docked, endlessly spitting out people. All of them were clearly elves or elf mixed-bloods, men, women, old and young.

This was a coastal village of the Shan tribe.

Since Jauhar’s ship went in and out of this port, he’d come here under the pretext of supervising whether the workers departed safely—really to see Lea.

They’d been enjoying themselves sweetly together after finishing work when suddenly another strange ship docked and created this scene.

“First let’s hear what’s going on. Call the staff to handle crowd control!”

“R-right, shouldn’t we?”

Namir nodded at Lea’s crisp words.

“Everyone! Please maintain order!”

While Lea went to call the staff, a somewhat familiar voice was heard, so he hurried to the harbor.

“Hannah!”

“Lord Fa-Namir!”

The peach-haired, slender woman who had been struggling to control the people called out happily.

“What is all this about?”

“Well—”

“Allow me to explain.”

Assad suddenly interjected. After casually rescuing someone who had nearly stumbled and fallen into the sea, he led Namir away from this chaos.

“Huh?! An elf expulsion order?!”

Namir shrieked.

“That’s right. The Schufaben Supreme Leader blamed the economic crisis on the elves, froze their assets, and issued an expulsion order. Pure blood, mixed blood—it didn’t matter, and even humans who were married to elves received the same treatment.”

“Th-th-then…”

Namir shook his dizzy head. He seemed to have some idea what this meant, but it was hard to organize his thoughts.

“The White Raven Order informed us, so we could respond quickly. We grabbed everything we could from Lord Fa-Elhar’s assets and immediately boarded a ship. Of course, we picked up all the elves we could contact too. Though the number got rather large.”

“Bletter has completely withdrawn from Schufaben. We couldn’t get Lord Fa-Elhar’s permission, but it was an emergency situation…”

“Ah, you did well. You saved our people.”

Namir said dazedly while rubbing his throbbing temples.

Though they’d moved away from the harbor, the noise was still vividly audible. If anything, it seemed even more chaotic with the staff who’d come to help trying to establish order.

“Ashtard!”

When Namir called out softly, Ashtard popped out from wherever he’d been hiding.

“Do you have paper and a pen? I’ll write a letter, so go to the pioneer village with Tan as fast as possible. Just bring my brother and Daniel back quickly.”

“Alright.”

Ashtard nodded.

Namir was busy trying to handle the chaos.

He set up tents near the Shan tribe village to accommodate the refugee elves, coordinated with Lea to procure supplies, and carefully recorded the internal Schufaben situation that Bletter had brought.

Fortunately, thanks to Fael and Daniel flying over at amazing speed, he didn’t reach the point of collapsing from sleep deprivation.

A few days later.

When things had been somewhat organized and they could catch their breath, Namir and Lea visited Fael’s tent.

“Brother, I have something to discuss.”

Namir entered with an extremely serious expression, walking with determined strides, but Fael gestured for him to wait a moment.

Jauhar was sitting demurely in front of him.

Jauhar was the chairman of the ‘Five Tribes Merchant Alliance.’

The merchant alliance now moved almost like Fael’s hands and feet.

It was because they had done excellent money laundering through various businesses that Erika had been able to swiftly and accurately transfer funds to the Great Desert.

Of course, he hadn’t thought the secret would last forever. Once Redan Company’s bankruptcy was announced, it was only a matter of time before their connection to the elves was discovered anyway.

So when the workers returned home, Jauhar had gone with them to observe the Schufaben situation. Thanks to that, after the elf expulsion order was issued, he’d been able to contact Bletter faster than anyone and escape to the Great Desert.

“The officials who had been looking after our affairs were purged. Fortunately, we were able to extract the merchant association’s assets in time, but…”

“The businesses would have dissolved into thin air. Whether shell companies or substantial companies with front men.”

“Exactly so. Of course, we accepted this for Lord Elhar’s sake, but…”

Jauhar glanced at Fael and let out a soft sigh.

“We can recover trade relationships with humans. I guarantee it. At most within a few years, we’ll achieve even greater profits.”

“Lord Elhar’s words reassure me.”

He slowly rose to his feet.

“I feel I’ve taken up too much of your time. I’ll take my leave now. Please, everyone continue your discussion.”

“No, Mr. Jauhar, please stay as well. This is something you should hear too.”

Namir settled into his seat. Lea sat beside him, and Ashtard sat one step back.

Jauhar was more frightened by Ashtard’s intense gaze than by Namir’s serious tone.

When Ashtard had been on the verge of execution for committing terrorism, Jauhar had argued that his death was ‘an unavoidable sacrifice for the greater cause.’

Ashtard was from the Ban tribe, just like Jauhar. He was even the nephew of his closest friend. But even so, Jauhar’s thinking had been the same.

Terrorism was foolish. If they dreamed of a future where they could live as equals with humans, Ashtard’s execution couldn’t be stopped and shouldn’t be stopped.

Ah, if he’d known that Fa-Elhar would save Ashtard and keep using him, he would have spoken more tactfully back then!

Since then, the two often encountered each other, but they only exchanged awkward air.

Regretting it once again inwardly, Jauhar sat down awkwardly.

“Brother, I’ve been thinking.”

Namir, holding Lea’s hand, opened his mouth in a whisper.

“This is an opportunity.”

“What kind of opportunity are you talking about?”

“Don’t you see? This is the chance to build the paradise for our elves that you’ve wanted so much, brother! If we can bring even half—not all—of the expelled elves to the Great Desert, we can wash away our people’s pain and lay the foundation for the confederate nation you advocated…”

True to Namir’s nature of seeing nothing else once his eyes were set on something, he truly began to speak passionately.

Fael closed his eyes and thought of his friend and business partner.

‘Lucas, this must be your doing. This is how our promise is kept. Already.’

It might be speculation, but Fael felt certain. All this commotion had flowed according to Lucas’s intentions.

“Brother, are you listening?”

“Yeah.”

“Daniel, what do you think? An opportunity like this won’t come again!”

“You’re right, Namir. But.”

Daniel smiled somewhat awkwardly.

“You’re going to have a hard time ahead.”

“Why?”

Namir tilted his head, but Lea looked at him with a slightly dark expression as if she’d expected this.

Daniel was right.

For the next several months, Namir was driven to the brink of madness in tremendous chaos.

Perhaps it was self-inflicted.

Because Fael and Namir, and Lucas who had been the original instigator, had dropped a bomb on all the tribes of the Great Desert with the ‘elf refugee problem.’