Chapter 104

Chapter 104: Strike

Strike
Chapter 104. Strike

Strike.
It was a truly alien concept to Ferda.
— Strike?
— Literally, it means declaring that I will not work.
— They are being paid, so why won’t they work?
— They stop working for purposes such as finding their rights and things like that.
— A hostage situation, then.
Ferda thought it was novel.
To think they would use the means of taking themselves hostage.
It’s their own neck on the line, so why would they do such a thing?
— I don’t think that happened when I was in the Empire.
— It’s a difference in demand. In the Empire, if someone caused such an uproar, you would simply replace them and that’s it.
There are more than tens of millions of people just in the Imperial Capital.
Not a single eye blinks if someone dies, and replacing people is a daily routine there.
He only just realizes how blind he is.
“The Emperor’s power is stronger than the Dragon’s authority.”
It sounds like nonsense, yet he could understand it.
A kitchen knife at hand is scarier than a distant treasure sword, after all.
Regardless, Ferda tried to resolve this problem and asked her.
— Who is that brazen ringleader?
— A carpenter from the Empire named Hanson. He currently serves as foreman of the laborers who came from the Empire.
— Would killing him cause any problems?
His solution was simple.
Crush the head so they cannot harbor other thoughts.
That was the best Ferda could think of.
Isabella caught his intention and replied.
— His skills are mediocre, but killing him carelessly will cause problems.
— Why?
— Partly because he has connections among figures, and there is concern that the political image will worsen.
— How much worse can it get from an already bad state?
Ferda spoke as if it were nothing.
At that, Isabella tilted her head, then suddenly realized and asked him.
— …Just in case, but does Ferda-nim not know what his current reputation is like?
— Yes.
Isabella blinked her eyes.
Thinking she needed to make him aware, Isabella spoke seriously.
— Aren’t you taking in refugees and guaranteeing their right to survive?
— That’s right.
— There is no savior like one who takes in refugees in a winter like this. Furthermore, you are also guaranteeing jobs, so they are resolving food, clothing, and shelter through stable income.
— I understand.
— Additionally, since they are people driven out by foreign powers, you showed the ambition to block that threat, so there are also people moved by that point.
— That… hmm?
Ferda tilted his head.
— Did I ever say something like that?
— Since it was something I made up, it is natural that you didn’t know.
— Why did you do that?
— We needed a good reputation to contrast with the Red Dragon’s notoriety.
— But isn’t that reality?
— The world thinks that way, so what can we do?
The essence of Isabella’s words was that Ferda had to be able to counter the Red Dragon’s notoriety so people would feel reassured.
— Besides, you have no intention of kicking them out, right?
— That is true.
Given that he took in those who fled because he failed to manage them properly, what reason would there be to send them back?
Regardless, he could understand what she was saying.
— So, the point is that my reputation is good in the town.
— To the point that someone is going around shouting that you are surely the reincarnation of a sage.
It was a strange thing.
Ferda was neither a saint nor a knight.
He simply strove solely for Valdrova, and for her, he would not hesitate to do anything.
Life is full of ups and downs, they say.
Perhaps this is exactly that kind of thing?
Ferda cut it short and returned to the main topic.
— If cutting the throat is not an option…
Since the simplest method was not permitted, he tried to search for another plan.
— The problem is not just that.
Isabella did not even give him that time and moved on to another story.
— What other problems are there?
— If we combine all the trivial ones, there are many, but typically, there is a fierce clash of opinions between the wall architects.
Pushing a sheet of paper forward,
— Adventurers are trying to collect protection money by district, causing friction with shop owners.
Another sheet.
— And during prayer, a pink-haired woman walked past singing a strange song, making everyone burst into laughter, so they could not maintain solemnity, thus they are asking for her to be caught and punished.
— Pink hair…
He could tell who that pink hair was without even looking.
— Amid these complaints and confusion, someone is deliberately undermining the Regent’s reputation. There is definitely an agitator.
Agitators exist wherever you go.
Guys who grew up in wealthy families, or places where they could receive sufficient education, lure commoners with knowledge and silver tongues.
In a city with a short history and lax systems like this, commoners were more than enough prey for agitators.
— Can that bastard be punished?
— I am also trying to punish them, but I cannot get a lead.
That is a bit surprising.
— You cannot track them?
— That’s right. It is embarrassing to say, but they are completely elusive.
— Hmm…
She is a descendant of Iorga, the Phase of Magic.
For her to be unable to track them means the opponents are not easy to defeat either.
“Not just a simple agitator.”
Probably a purely demonic bastard who prefers chaos to power.
— In any case, it would be better to close this pile of work in a single way this time.
Isabella said, laying documents in front.
— Hold a council.
— Face the commoners and talk, you mean.
— It is the way to end things most smoothly.
End smoothly, huh?
Ferda did not like that word ‘smoothly’.
Does a person leading the masses really need to be soft?
He thought they should be harsher instead.
“Yet in this aspect, Isabella is more outstanding.”
Isabella must also have thought of beheading the ringleader to normalize things.
If that were the case, she wouldn’t have come to say this.
A council was worth considering.
“Now that I think about it, it’s not bad either…”
There are times when keeping them alive yields more profit than killing them.
Perhaps this current situation is exactly that.
— Understood. I will proceed with the council.
— Yes. Then I will set the schedule.
Isabella bowed and withdrew.
Ferda immediately pulled out a communication crystal orb and connected somewhere.
— This is Rize, contact officer of the Pascal Trading Company, greeting the Regent. How may I help you?
— This is Regent Ferda Valdrova. Is the Department Head present?
— The Department Head is present. Would you like me to connect you?
— Please.
Soon, Stefan’s voice was heard.
— Greetings, Regent. Did you contact me regarding the strike incident?
Fast information network. Getting straight to the point.
— That’s right.
— I was also thinking of taking measures regarding that, so if you need help, please do not hesitate to speak!
A voice overflowing with confidence, truly reliable.
— I do need your help. I’m going to open a council, how do you think it will go?
— A council… I’ve done many of those. The kind where they oppose the lord is mostly connected to power, isn’t it?
— Power…
If one has power, money follows automatically.
The feeling of being looked down upon was not pleasant.
— Then, are you saying I only need to give them that power?
— You may not like giving it, but there is a way to preserve power while doing so.
— What do you mean?
Stefan spoke with a voice overflowing with confidence.
— Just trust me. I will turn them into puppets I can torment for a very, very long time.

Hestia Village, construction site.
The place where the Hestia Trading Company was scheduled to move into had been transformed under the name of Far East Labor Union (Provisional) and was currently occupied.
The leader there was none other than Site Manager Hanson.
He succeeded in forming a provisional union by seducing other site managers and foremen.
— Hey, will they really listen to us…?
A foreman sitting on the ground asked cautiously.
— No matter how I think about it, those above don’t seem like they will allow this kind of thing…
— Hey, don’t say discouraging things.
— You came saying you wanted more money, and now you say that! Pull out now if you want, then!
— No, I’m just anxious…
He had no choice but to tuck his tail between his legs at the harsh backlash from the rough foremen.
Hanson waited with an expressionless face and arms crossed.
‘I am terribly anxious too.’
Until he committed, he was overflowing with dreams.
Yet now he felt similar to a death row inmate awaiting execution.
Even so, he could not stop.
Already riding on the back of a tiger, he had no such thing as a choice.
‘Even so, they won’t be able to do anything reckless…’
The reason Hanson could act so boldly was because he had a reliable ally.
‘Armored Knightess.’
A monstrous strength capable of lifting 11 logs with bare hands!
Outstanding martial prowess, enough to kill two monsters by herself!
Although she instilled fear, she was the most respected figure in this village.
The biggest reason Hanson was able to commit such a reckless act was because the Armored Knightess also agreed.
And the other site managers and foremen also believed in that Armored Knightess.
In fact, she was the focal point of the bond they had formed.
And that focal point was sitting next to Hanson.
‘Right, Armored Knightess-nim is here.’
‘Nothing bad will happen.’
Although they had never exchanged a single word due to the Vow of Silence, there was belief that she would help in a crisis.
Soon, someone opened the door and entered.
Sharp glasses and intellectual eyes.
She wore a formal red uniform embroidered with the Valdrova crest, giving a professional and authoritative impression.
Their hearts froze.
Everyone was wearing headbands with the phrase ‘Life or Death!’ written on them.
— I have finished speaking with the Regent.
Isabella said.
— Prepare your demands. We will hold a council in one week.
— A council? Do you mean proceeding with a face-to-face conversation with the Regent?
— That’s right. He will listen to your difficulties, so please prepare in the meantime.
Their faces showed a mixture of doubt and belief.
In the Empire, they would have vanished without a trace, and in another village, it would have ended with a raid by security forces and a forced dissolution.
Yet, instead of force, they were listening to them.
— And since you have agreed to negotiate, I expect you to halt the ongoing strike and return to your livelihoods.
At those words, the foremen shifted restlessly in their seats.
— That won’t do.
The one who said that was none other than Union Leader Hanson.
Hanson spoke with strength in his voice.
— You are telling us to work when you haven’t set any conditions for us yet. Does that make sense?
People looked back and forth between Hanson’s face and Isabella’s with worried expressions.
Isabella replied calmly.
— We cannot leave the construction site unattended when there is no replacement yet. Wages will be paid at 150% of the current rate—.
— Wages are not the problem. People died, and if the same thing happens again, what will you do?
— Good sir…
The foremen watched between the two, hands frozen in the air, at a loss.
Hanson was blowing things out of proportion.
When he heard the young mage’s story, it was like this.
— She will tell you to return to your livelihoods.
— Then what do we do?
— You must never accept it. If you return to work, you will also be looked down upon. Ah, those ignorant commoners will risk themselves again if you just give them money.
— Mmm…
— Above all, the power you will obtain will weaken.
Hanson, hooked by those words, replied as the mage said.
Of course, his current mental state of ‘come what may’ also played a large role.
His liver had already popped out of his belly, so his gallbladder could pop out a bit more, couldn’t it?
Isabella stared intently at the face of the man making such claims.
The children of Iorga, who represented coldness.
Yet this coldness was of a different kind.
It digs into the heart and halts everything.
Just as Iorga was about to say something, Hanson felt a touch on his shoulder.
Startled, he turned around, and there was the Armored Knightess.
Hanson calmed his surprised heart and asked.
— Ho, ho… Why are you doing this, Knightess-nim?
The Armored Knightess had taken a Vow of Silence.
So, instead of speaking, she merely shook her head.
Hanson caught her intention instantly.
— Are you telling us to go to work?
Nod, nod.
He didn’t get what he wanted, but he couldn’t insist any further here.
When the person who is the focal point says so, what can he do?
— Since Knightess-nim says so… all right. We will return to work immediately. If monsters appear again and it becomes dangerous…
— I will take responsibility myself.
A coldness settled in Isabella’s eyes.
— What responsibility will you take?
— I…
Hanson could not answer.
The words ‘Life or Death’ written on the headband became colorless, as he could assert nothing.
Isabella sighed as if deflated.
— Fine. Let us end the dispute here and return.
Isabella spoke briefly and clearly, then vanished.
The foremen who had been holding their breath wiped their chests in relief.
— Whew!
— My liver was truly trembling.
— Thank goodness it went well. If it had gone wrong, we would never be able to work here again…
— Come on, let’s get to work too. Whew! Sitting like a scholar has my whole body stiff!
The foremen left the room one by one.
At that moment, a middle-aged man who was at the end looked around and stealthily approached Hanson.
He was a man who had arrived here as a refugee and had risen to foreman thanks to his diligent work.
— Site Manager Hanson, do not do that next time.
He warned with a murderous expression.