『There’s one more thing. This time, Zoe might encounter danger in Blood Harbor—there are quite a few cultists stirring up trouble there. Ash, take a team and head to the waters near the port to provide support.』
『Understood. To what extent should I provide cover?』
『You’re allowed to open fire in an emergency. If the situation is particularly dire, you may storm the dock to rescue her.』 Hughes spoke without hesitation.
That basically meant the Banshees were permitted to do whatever was necessary. Hughes trusted Ash’s judgment. She was the most capable when it came to commanding in combat.
As for the prince’s side, although the newly appointed Grand Duke of Tis had a good reputation and was praised by many, to Hughes, the lives of Zoe, Connor, and the Holy Guard were far more important.
After all, cultists ran rampant in Blood Harbor, and the danger level was no joke.
Ash took the order and departed. The Banshees were swift swimmers, and it would take her only half a day to reach Rift City.
But bringing the *Black Pearl* back would take several days—after all, it was just a sail-powered wooden ship, struggling to even reach five knots.
Banshees would gradually lose vitality once outside the range of the Symbiotic Contract, but for a few days, it wasn’t a major problem. Ash quickly selected her team and set off.
On the other side, Zoe ran into some mild but bothersome trouble.A group had shown up at her door. Leading them was a burly man, as sturdy as a bear.
Upon seeing Zoe’s figure, he hurriedly took off his crumpled hat and held it to his chest, bowing slightly as he spoke with a flattering tone:
“Miss Zoe, hello, hello.”
Before long, the door to Hughes’ office was knocked on once again.
“Come in.”
Hughes was in the middle of selecting the extraordinary individuals to accompany this mission. When he looked up, he saw Zoe leading a large group of people into the room. Some others were peeking in from outside the doorway.
Judging by their appearance, they seemed to be factory workers.
Hughes’ expression turned serious. If there was trouble in the factory or an accident had occurred, the one to come to him should’ve been the Supervisor. But now it was a group of workers, which clearly didn’t seem like a minor matter.
Hughes had previously established a policy: if workers encountered an issue, they were allowed to bypass the chain of command and report it directly. In particularly serious situations, they could come straight to him.
This was to prevent Supervisors from abusing their power and concealing the truth.
Now that so many workers had come to him, it must’ve been something significant. Surely not just a demand for a pay raise?
『My Lord, do you need help?』
The voice of a Banshee echoed through the Mind Link. Her duty station was nearby, placed there as a precaution—if anyone ever attempted to harm Hughes, the Banshee could arrive instantly.
*Very* instantly. The Banshees usually used the door, but that didn’t mean they were limited to that.
The walls between the rooms had deliberately been left without steel reinforcement. If they wished, the Banshees could break through them at any second.
Sensing the movement in Hughes’ room, the Banshee on duty was already prepared to assist.
『It’s fine. They’re just workers. I’ll call you if needed.』
『Understood.』
Hughes looked up at the workers.
He still held a high degree of trust in them. No matter their backgrounds, they had all experienced the war together on Castel Island.
Whether on the battlefield or in the factory, they had all contributed to Castel. Even if some of them had once been spies, by now they were surely Castel’s people.
So Hughes stood up without hesitation and walked over to the slightly nervous workers.
“You all… Hmm?”
Hughes suddenly blinked. Some of these workers looked familiar.
After thinking for a moment, he said, “Kyle, Hodge—are you from Rhine?”
The workers were a bit surprised. They hadn’t expected the Lord to remember them—they had only met once.
But to Hughes, they were fellow workers he had spent quite a bit of time with.
His gaze softened considerably.
The short Hodge stepped forward and bowed respectfully. “My Lord, we’re all from Rhine. When we heard Miss Zoe was heading to the continent, we… we hoped we might go take a look back home.”
He quickly added, “Not all of us want to leave. We know Castel is short-staffed right now. We just hope one or two of us can go on our behalf to deliver a letter. You know… we’ve been away from Rhine for a long time, and we’re worried about our families.”
Hodge’s words were very sincere. He had practiced this speech many times. This group had already stayed in Castel for more than half a year, and there had been no news from Rhine.
Some among them were orphans, while others still had family they relied on. But after so long, they had no idea what things were like back home.
Hughes had originally planned to send a ship to bring their families over, but soon after, Castel had been drawn into another space. It was only now that they had just returned.
*Rhine…* Hughes sighed silently to himself.
He beckoned the workers into the room. There were quite a few of them, and the space quickly became a bit crowded. People looked at Hughes with a mix of nervousness and anticipation.
That made Hughes feel even heavier inside.
“All of you, I understand your request now. Wanting to check on your family is a perfectly reasonable thing.”
The workers stirred slightly. Some had hopeful expressions. Had the Lord agreed?
But the smarter ones felt a sinking sensation in their chests. Judging by Hughes’ expression, something didn’t feel right.
Sure enough, Hughes’ next sentence took a sudden turn.
“But the current situation on the continent isn’t good. The Empress has been assassinated, the Principality of Tis has declared independence from the Empire, and several major churches have banded together to seize control of the Empire’s upper ranks.”
The room fell silent. Every word struck like a thunderclap. These workers were still young. They had only ever seen the Empire during its glorious days. None of them had imagined such upheaval.
“Our destination this time is the Principality of Tis. It’s locked in a standoff with the Empire’s troops at the frontier. Even if you wanted to return to Rhine… you wouldn’t be able to.”
Sensing the heavy atmosphere in the room, Hughes quickly added, “But don’t worry too much. Though the continent is in chaos, Rhine is still relatively safe. It is, after all, the Empire’s capital. The unrest hasn’t reached there yet.”
Most of the workers were from Rhine. Though they were bottom-class citizens from the slums, where many died each year, they still benefitted somewhat from the city’s prestige.
The fires of war wouldn’t reach that place.
“Kyle, I remember you served in the Holy Guard, didn’t you?”
The burly man jolted and quickly saluted. “Yes, my Lord!”
“You’ll lead the Holy Guard accompanying this trip. Go see for yourself what the situation is across the sea.”
Hughes’ gaze swept across the crowd and paused briefly on Hodge.
If he remembered correctly, Hodge had a younger sister—her name was Lina, wasn’t it?