novelraw Chapter 211
Chapter 211
Chapter 211
The underground Smallfolk who appeared weren't showing hostility toward Emotion or Rutimi De, but rather directed strong animosity at Kadiri Ki, who led the group.
One of them, covered in wounds, stood directly in front of Kadiri Ki and glared at him intensely.
He had only two arms. Just by appearance, he gave off the vibe of a seasoned warrior, though.
"Halgan Na, give it up already. The Prison of Heaven is no place where we Smallfolk can live."
"Shut up, Kadiri Ki! You know it too! The population of this country is about to hit its limit!"
The two-armed Halgan Na showed no fear in the face of Kadiri Ki's intimidation. If anything, it was Kadiri Ki who hesitated at the other's words.
The population reaching its limit. Exile punishment, the Liberators of Darva Ni, emigration to the surface. From all the information Emotion had heard so far, she began to grasp the issue the underground Smallfolk were facing.
"But opening the Heavenly Path is extremely dangerous. Creatures from above would descend through it."
"It's the Imperial household that's driving people out to such a place! As if telling them to go die in the Prison of Heaven!"
So that was it. Even after being warned of the surface's horrors, the underground Smallfolk still aimed for it. The population problem likely meant there were simply too many of them.
Paying no mind to Rutimi De or Emotion behind them, the verbal clash between Halgan Na and Kadiri Ki continued.
"Do you understand? The same thing will happen again."
"The situation is different from last time. If you keep making noise, you'll be the next ones targeted for exile. Why can't you see that?"
"......I do understand."
Halgan Na responded to Kadiri Ki's words with a fierce smile.
At the same time, the other Liberators surrounding them also spoke up. It seemed their resolve far outmatched their opponents'.
"We understand, and we're prepared. If we're exiled, that means fewer people will be sent to the Prison of Heaven without cause or reason."
"No way..."
"Are you any different, Kadiri Ki? Do you think your family won't be chosen just because you're obedient?"
"That's not... true. The great prophecy is absolutely fair. My family is ready. You know that. Even in the last exile, my household lost relatives."
"I know. That's exactly why I thought you would understand how we feel."
Were Halgan Na and Kadiri Ki old friends?
A resistance leader and a national authority. Even with their roles reversed, neither seemed to waver in trying to persuade the other.
In short, Halgan Na had come to recruit Kadiri Ki. Meanwhile, Kadiri Ki was telling Halgan Na and the others not to do anything foolish. To accept reality.
Both sides had their logic. And the Liberators of Darva Ni were prepared for their own exile. They hoped that by doing so, someone close to them might be spared.
It was quite a selfless story. Maybe they were intoxicated by their own nobility, but if the selection for exile was truly random, then Halgan Na and the others' actions weren't meaningless.
"......We won't give up."
After a tense stare-down, Halgan Na and his group dispersed their encirclement. They scattered in small groups, likely to avoid being arrested all at once. In the end, Halgan Na and a few others disappeared between buildings.
After staying there a while longer to confirm there were no further schemes, Kadiri Ki began walking the Kambandi again.
They followed in silence for a while. Then, perhaps losing patience, Kadiri Ki turned back toward them.
"Aren't you going to ask?"
"Do you want me to ask?"
She shot back immediately, and Kadiri Ki, as if she'd hit the mark, fell silent for a moment.
Turning forward to hide his reddening face, he gave a barely noticeable nod that required careful observation to catch.
***
According to Kadiri Ki, the underground Smallfolk's residential areas were already nearing their limit.
Apparently, they hadn't been underground from the start. There's a myth that they tamed Kambandi and dug their way down to this place.
However, even using Kambandi to dig, the rate of underground expansion couldn't keep up with the population growth. The people were multiplying faster than the country was expanding.
That's why the Imperial household, the core of the empire, maintained population balance by exiling randomly chosen citizens to the surface based on prophecy.
The exiled Smallfolk began life on the surface with death looming over them, and most were likely eaten by surface beasts. Unless they found a sufficiently hidden shelter, their numbers would have quickly dwindled.
The ancestors of Borno-kki and the others survived that hell. What kind of feelings about their homeland made them keep passing down the story of their exile from the underground?
"I wonder if Borno-kki and the others are doing well."
"They should be fine. The Captain might seem that way, but she does her job well. Even if it drags on and the beasts come back, I'm sure she can easily protect the villagers."
Though she never said it directly, Emotion placed absolute trust in Kait. Her trust in him even surpassed that for Terapolapaneshio, the Federation's most powerful being.
She would never say it out loud, knowing he'd either get cocky or tease her for it.
"......You two don't seem very surprised."
"Well, it's a common story. Is the selection really random and fair?"
"Yes. It's determined by prophecy."
Suddenly, the story started to sound sketchy. If it were some machine randomly selecting people, you could believe it was just luck. But calling it prophecy made it feel suspicious.
Walking leisurely down the path to the center, they listened to Kadiri Ki's explanation. Since Terapolapaneshio hadn't spoken up, it didn't seem like he was lying.
Still, prophecy, huh. Well, there were Federation citizens who could detect things on a level close to precognition. If you consider it highly accurate forecasting, maybe it makes some sense.
Perhaps interpreting Emotion's silence in a certain way, Kadiri Ki continued as if making excuses.
"Exile punishment isn't that frequent. When the population gets too large, or when food runs short, the Imperial household suddenly announces its implementation."
"I see. When was the last time, and for what reason?"
"Three hundred years ago. Again, it was due to explosive population growth. Apparently, even my relatives were exiled as a whole family. I wasn't born yet at the time, though."
Though it's called exile punishment, neither the exiled nor their descendants seemed to have committed crimes worthy of such treatment.
Borno-kki and the others hoped to join the Federation. By now, no one on the Federation side would object to making them Federation citizens. The remaining question was whether to treat the underground Smallfolk as kin.
And if the surface Smallfolk were taken in by the Federation again this time, eventually more would be exiled from the underground. Unless the empire changed its policy, the Smallfolk of Ramadite would remain under constant threat.
The challenges were far from over.
***
Just as they were about to reach the palace of the Imperial household, Emotion decided to ask Kadiri Ki a question that had been lingering.
Why were they bringing trees from the surface? She'd come all this way and still hadn't seen how they were being used. What purpose did they serve?
"By the way, how do you process the wood?"
"We crush it into powder and use it to cultivate mushrooms. We can't eat it as is, and mushrooms are the most efficient way to produce food."
"......I see, so that's your form of agriculture."
"?"
"No, I was just talking to myself."
A giant beast capable of devouring the entire surface forest in one go. Maybe the underground population was indeed larger than she had initially expected.