Looking at the lazy young man in front of her with a face full of fatigue, Princess Veronica stood up from her chair in shock and asked:
"Say it again? What happened to the Crolock Kingdom?"
"The Crolock Kingdom is no more, all its land has been completely burned down, and the surviving 1.3 million citizens are preparing to join our Kingdom. You need to be ready to receive them."
After repeating the message the director asked him to convey, Tom, with two big dark circles under his eyes, added wearily:
"The matter of accepting the refugees from the Crolock Kingdom was decided by Leon... um... by your Prince. According to him, during his diplomatic mission to the Crolock Kingdom, he sensed internal turmoil within the Crolock royal family and, at the invitation of the Sixth Princess Feiliya, assisted in setting things right for the Crolock royal family.
However, despite his efforts, he was still outnumbered and lacked manpower. Combined with a sudden natural disaster, he couldn’t save the Crolock Kingdom, just barely managed to rescue the afflicted citizens of the Crolock Kingdom, and a small portion of valuable facilities..."
Does that mean... during Leon’s diplomatic mission, he managed to bring back all the "essence" of the Crolock Kingdom?
After hearing Tom relay the situation, Princess Veronica couldn’t help but take a deep breath, and a blush of excitement appeared on her delicate cheeks.
So, miracles do happen!
No! That’s not the right way to put it. This gift wasn’t a miracle but something Leon helped find for us! The effect of his diplomatic mission was simply... my goodness... how did he do it?
It’s still somewhat unbelievable that such a huge gift would land on the Kingdom’s lap with a thump. Feeling a bit dizzy with excitement, Princess Veronica had to reach out to support the desk and gradually sat back down, nodding slightly:
"Understood, I will immediately arrange for personnel to prepare for receiving the citizens of the Crolock Kingdom to ensure everything goes smoothly... Mr. Tom, is there anything else Leon wanted you to convey?"
Frowning and recalling for a moment, the lazy young man shook his head and said:
"That’s all the director asked me to convey, although not all are exact words, the meaning should not be missing... Oh, right."
A sudden recollection brought about the lazy young man to speak:
"If there’s anything else to say, it’s just that he knows the Kingdom’s finances have been tight in recent years, with military and mining reforms imminent, money is needed everywhere, and accommodating 1.3 million people suddenly is a big burden. So, if the Kingdom can’t bear it, we can also cooperate with the Kingdom of Orleson..."
Just like the Prince who has embarked on the No Return Path speculated, the moment she heard the word "cooperate," Princess Veronica didn’t hesitate for even a fraction of a second and immediately rejected it:
"The rescue of disaster victims is an unshirkable duty of our Kingdom; it needs to be done even if the finances are tight! Fresh chapters posted on noⅴelfire.net
Mr. Tom, please convey to Leon that he doesn’t need to worry about the Kingdom’s financial problems. Bring back as many people as there are! Even if I have to sell the royal palace to raise money, I will make sure to accommodate everyone!"
"Alright, I will find a way to convey it to him."
"Thank you very much."
Politely thanking the lazy young man, and summoning the lady-in-waiting to see him out of her office, Princess Veronica, with a composed demeanor, let out a long sigh.
Then she moved aside the stacks of documents piled like a small mountain on her desk, picked up a shiny little photo frame, and gave a fierce kiss to Leon’s helpless expression in the photo, smiling radiantly with a self-murmur:
"Let me make do with a kiss for now, the rest can wait until you return~"
Hmph... finally back...
Walking down from the smoking ferry with the green-eyed maiden, Leon relaxed significantly as he stepped onto the dock of the Royal Capital Canal, feeling much more at ease.
After being away on this mission for over a month, dealing with life-and-death struggles round after round, finally returning to familiar ground even made the previously annoying noisy world seem lovable.
The ever-honking horns of the canal, the sour air lingering below the chimneys, the wooden deck so trampled it’s hard to discern its original color—all of it was so familiar... Even the unfriendly pickpockets on the dock didn’t seem as bothersome as before.
After kicking down a pickpocket cutting a purse, and in the grateful outpouring of thanks from the victim, twisting the pickpocket over to the security office on the dock, Leon used the five Copper Wheel bonus from the security office to pay the fare and, with Feiliya, boarded the carriage to the police department.
The 1.3 million citizens of the Crolock Kingdom had already arrived at the internal port of Ryan County by ship and were undergoing initial resettlement, while his only task was to escort Princess Feiliya to the Clean-up Bureau and hand her over to the director, which marked the end of this investigation mission, allowing him the chance to apply for leave.
Before leaving home, he had told Anna and the others that this time it would be a long period away, but it was his first time being away so long, and he wondered if they were getting used to it... Ugh...
Glancing at Feiliya, who was secretly grasping her skirt and appeared quite tense, Leon couldn’t help but slightly raise an eyebrow.
Though once the omnipotent Atifei-01, without the core of intelligence, Feiliya was now just a twelve or thirteen-year-old child. The Kingdom was like home to him, but to her, it was a completely unfamiliar place.
Considering her identity as a former member of the Slaughter King Association and the last bloodline of the Crolock royal family, she was bound to receive strict "protection" from the entire Clean-up Bureau in the future, and even if he tried to plead on her behalf, she likely wouldn’t enjoy any real freedom.
This much she’d surely figured out, and faced with such an uncertain future, her mood was likely quite heavy, contrasting with his own.
Gently patting Feiliya on the top of her head, Leon looked into her eyes filled with unease, then comforted her warmly:
"I will fulfill the promise I made to your brother. Although I can’t give you complete freedom, you’ll be protected, but not kept in prison-like conditions either. Moreover, the head bureau has been overwhelmed lately, so you’ll likely stay in our Virgin Branch for quite a long time."
Hearing Leon’s promise, the green-eyed maiden responded softly, but instead of easing, the worry in her eyes seemed to increase.
So... she’s not worried about the Clean-up Bureau, but about our Virgin Branch?
Through the subtle changes in Feiliya’s expression, Leon astutely identified the source of her unease and raised an eyebrow in surprise, then spoke with some understanding:
"Did you hear some rumors about our branch from others before?"