In the original story, the issue regarding Roti’s mother was resolved by granting her the status of a free citizen.
You might ask, “In a world without slaves, why would there be any mention of free citizens?” but as I mentioned earlier, just because slavery is illegal doesn’t mean it can’t be circumvented to create something akin to slavery.
In this era, the wealth of the world is monopolized by a small percentage of people. Just because a human life is considered valuable doesn’t mean it’s unaffordable. Moreover, in fact, life isn’t as valuable in this world as one might think.
One of the most typical ways the Empire treats colonized residents like slaves is through “debt.”
They burden individuals with unpayable loans and then force them to pay it back. If they can’t repay the debt, they’re made to work as labor in exchange for the money. And if someone lies down and says they have no intention of repaying, they’ll alert the financial authorities immediately.
You might think it’s better to be stuck in prison, but of course, labor continues even in prison. Outside, they do work to pay off the debt, and inside, they labor to repay their sins.
Moreover, corporal punishment still existed in this age. Of course, it doesn’t apply to the Empire’s citizens. It’s a law enforced “to respect the culture of the original natives who used to enforce corporal punishment.”
“Is there really no way to live without getting into debt?”
Alice, who listened to my explanation, asked with a bored expression.
It was a chilly night, but not cold enough to be called winter. As long as we wrapped our coats tightly, the cold was bearable enough that we could sit late into the night at a café after leaving the Duke’s residence.
The Lindbergh estate was bright even at night. In some sense, it was more developed than the Imperial Capital. The city center didn’t darken at night, and there were quite a few cafés and pubs that didn’t close even at midnight.
Well, distinguishing between the two wasn’t easy. Many places sold coffee in the morning and alcohol at night. We weren’t sitting at the outside table sipping non-alcoholic cocktails out of necessity; the inside was too noisy to hold a quiet conversation.
“Debts incurred by natives in the colonies aren’t limited to personal loans.”
Of course, there were personal loans involved. The natives, who became serfs the moment their fields were forcefully taken from them, received small rations no matter how hard they worked. And naturally, they were rarely given money, leading them to borrow from landowners.
To avoid starving themselves or feeding their families.
Some might wonder if this issue could be resolved by simply starving. It’s a story often told by those who have never truly experienced ‘hunger,’ thinking that the ‘hunger’ they feel just before lunch is the same.
Well, fine, let’s go with that.
But then, how do we understand the situation regarding infrastructure?
It goes without saying that infrastructure can’t be built for free. They lay out piping for drainage, lavishly pour magic stones to connect telephone lines, construct modern buildings, lay roads, and create airports and ports.
All of that was built for the Empire and directed at the Empire, but the bill for that goes to the “colonized residents living the life of modernization.” After their original homes were demolished, they were charged for the land’s depreciated value, and everything else was counted as modernization costs. Even if a new road was built on land where a house once stood, it was the same story.
“Alice, after hearing my story, was momentarily at a loss for words.
“All civilizations of the world are modernizing and supposedly breaking down the class system,” she said.
“The class system hasn’t even been dismantled in the Empire,” I replied.
“But… isn’t that wrong? I heard that the original class system in this land was different from the classes in the Empire.”
There was indeed a class structure borrowed from the Indian caste system.
With the highest position occupied by a priest, and at the very bottom, the untouchables, who were considered defiled just by contact.
“Exactly. That’s why one of the first things Lindbergh eliminated after occupying this land was the surnames. If you don’t know the family name, you can’t figure out what class someone belongs to. But that doesn’t mean you can’t infer class at all.”
“How can we infer classes?”
“If there is a native in a high position, it’s likely that they originally belonged to a lower class.”
They actively employed untouchables to oppress those who were above them. For those at the top, it felt as though the world had turned upside down, and they willingly took on that role.
At first glance, it seems like a dismantlement of class, but in reality, it was just a strategy for the Empire to manipulate society to its own taste.
And by doing so, it may also allow them to package that act itself as “noble.”
“If the Empire truly cared about the natives, it wouldn’t have built all modernized facilities directed at the Empire. All facilities are directed at the Empire, which is ultimately for sending all crops and resources produced in this land to the Empire.”
“…”
Alice raised her hand to wipe her face.
“Why didn’t I know this?”
“You couldn’t know. There are almost no people genuinely interested in this.”
Upon hearing my words, Alice fell silent, pondering for a while, before suddenly lighting up.
The gleam in her eyes was certainly not one of joy.
If I had to describe it, it was the look of sorrow raised by stubborn determination.
“I can’t save everyone in this land.”
“That’s true.”
At least, not with our power.
Even if the Empire realized its mistake and withdrew from the mainland decades later, it would be difficult for the once-chaotic society to return to its original state. Plus, because of the twisted class system, the untouchables would have created justifications for them to remain as untouchables.
“It may only be a trivial act of self-satisfaction, but still… I want to help those people.”
“In that case, you should help them.”
I responded simply.
“And that might serve as a bit of a warning, considering the Crown Princess is the one helping.”
“…”
At my words, Alice bit her lip tightly.
*
How much money does the Imperial Family actually have?
It’s a subject of curiosity for the dukes with royal blood mixed in, as well as distant relatives far removed from the line of succession.
And honestly, I was curious too.
Even someone like me, who ran amok inside the Imperial Palace and saw all manner of hidden treasures, found it hard to gauge just how much gold was in the palace.
Of course, it’s not that one could buy an entire country with that money—well, no. If I recalled how America once purchased Alaska, one could probably buy a duchy with just the money within the palace.
Inside the Imperial Palace, there were about six places that could be called secret vaults. Those secret vaults, not even featured in the game, were strictly secured and organized with gold and artworks.
That’s why they didn’t give the princesses an allowance.
Without even needing a budget, they could just borrow directly from the bank and repay later with interest. There were plenty of sources for getting more money, and even if they ran out, there was enough for three generations to live comfortably.
And because the Imperial Family had so much money, it was after hours when the bank president was summoned with great haste.
“Yes, um…”
Scratching his head, the bank president started speaking.
“Actually, it’s rather ambiguous to convert that into money.”
It was painfully obvious that he was trying his best to lend a significant amount to Alice, but at the same time, that statement was sincere.
“Thanks to obliterating the last names of the native residents here, it’s difficult to tell who is who… I feel a bit awkward saying this, but from Lindbergh’s point of view, it doesn’t really matter. The debts incurred by the natives are theoretically infinite.”
How on earth do they manipulate every little thing to turn them into debt slaves?
But Alice, sitting with her legs crossed, stated confidently.
“In that case, how much are you willing to spend to acquire a native maid, bank president?”
Upon hearing Alice’s words, the bank president’s face instantly brightened.
I assumed she’d probably demand an outrageous price.
Well, that was something we could manage. After all, being able to borrow money is also a skill!
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