I walked from home to the square where the distribution was taking place. Looking around, I saw refugees drawn by the smell of the distribution, walking with weary steps. Everyone was dressed in tattered clothes, not much different from mine. The only difference might be the presence or absence of vitality in their faces.
But on closer inspection, I noticed the differences. Those who had recently moved here wore faces filled with despair, while those who had been here for a while wore faces of apathy. Most people spent their daytime distribution doing nothing.
On the other hand, there were those who were trying to escape this situation. After having the morning distribution, they would go to the nearest town to find day labor jobs and earn some daily wages. Although money was not needed within the village, it was necessary for those who eventually planned to leave.
Thus, the village was a mix of those who came in and those who left. I wondered which option was better for me. If I chose to leave, I would need to find a means to earn money. There were many things I needed, and it wouldn’t be easy to move out.
I wasn’t sure what I could do, but I decided to think carefully and take it one step at a time. Pursuing the improvement of living conditions would be a good foundation for achieving my goals.
Lost in my thoughts, I reached the square. There, a few women were distributing food from a large pot. Refugees held bowls and lined up in two rows, waiting quietly. I also lined up at the end of the line.
The village was surrounded by a forest, and a river flowed about 30 minutes away. There were around four hundred people living here, ranging from children to the elderly. Although they were refugees, personal space was essential, so everyone built their own huts to withstand the rain and wind.
The forest provided edible fruits and plants, and various animals lived there. Despite the distribution from the lord, it wasn’t enough to satisfy everyone, so the refugees cooperated to procure food from the forest and river.
It made sense not to provide too much; otherwise, people would become complacent with the current situation and stop being productive. The goal was to keep the number of refugees in check, neither letting them die nor multiplying unnecessarily. This was the current treatment of refugees.
Occasionally, officials visited, probably to adjust the number of refugees. They couldn’t enter the town, but they couldn’t just abandon the labor force of the refugees either. The lord seemed to be facilitating resettlement elsewhere. It might seem like a tempting opportunity, but considering the number of remaining refugees, there wasn’t much incentive to accept such an offer.
All the places for resettlement were rural, and starting from scratch to cultivate fields would require a lot of effort. Would villagers who lacked knowledge be willing to help outsiders? Therefore, those who were offered resettlement were mostly people from rural areas or those who had become disillusioned with the village.
I probably wouldn’t be chosen either. I was already out of the game just at the stage of cultivating land after clearing it. I had no idea how much labor was needed, and even if I managed to do it, someone without the knowledge or experience of growing crops wouldn’t be able to create fields easily.
As I thought about it, it occurred to me that I needed a job in town. The problem was what kind of job it would be.
“Next.”
Ah, it’s my turn. I quickly handed my bowl to the woman, and in return, she gave me a small piece of potato.
“Riru.”
“Yes, that’s my name.”
“What’s going on with your mother? She hasn’t been coming to help lately. We’re supposed to cooperate and make meals together. It’s not something you can’t do every few days, right?”
“…I’m sorry.”
“I told her earlier, but she just makes a face and doesn’t say anything back. What’s wrong with her?”
Come to think of it, I noticed that she’s been staying at home a lot lately.
“And your father too. He stopped going to fetch water from the river and hunting. It’s troublesome because I don’t think it’s that much of a burden, you know?”
“Yes…”
I can’t believe even my father stopped doing anything. If this continues, it will become a bigger problem, and I must do something about it.
“Um, can I help from now on?”
“You, Riru?”
“I’ll help with carrying water, gathering food, and cooking—anything you need. I’ll do my best to take over for my parents.”
“Huh… What’s going on with your parents? Okay, I understand. You’ll be the one to help instead of your parents.”
“Yes.”
“It’s a little too much to ask, but after the meal, could you put water from the river into the water bottles for me? Can I ask you for two trips?”
“Of course.”
I quickly finished speaking and received a bowl of soup with vegetables and dried meat (there were barely any meat pieces in it). I bowed deeply and left the area.
As I sat down a little distance away on the ground, I let out a deep sigh.
“I can’t believe both my father and mother have stopped doing anything.”
It was a serious problem. The survival of this refugee village depended on cooperation, and everyone understood that they had to contribute in some way, even if they were in despair or apathetic. However, my parents had broken this unspoken rule.
The village was sensitive to such matters, and the news would spread in no time. If that happened, my entire family would be ostracized. We might even face exile from the village. I didn’t want to sink any deeper into despair.
I couldn’t afford to talk about life improvement anymore. This issue was more important. I couldn’t afford to create more enemies and risk my life over it.
To prevent my image in the village from getting worse, I decided to help a bit more. Normally, once every six days would be sufficient, but I decided to offer my assistance once every four days. I planned to make up for the time
arscanTL 