Chapter 77 The Forbidden Zone And The Woodcutter And The Hunter
"By the way, how is Mr. Ben's cousin doing?"
"Not too bad, just a sprained ankle or so."
"That's a relief, but it's still unusual for a young lady to get hurt like that, isn't it?"
"It's also related to the management of the hunting grounds, so it would be better if we sent some gifts from the Grandchester family to console her."
"Yeah, that's a good idea. We should send some things that women would like... Hey, Sara, where's Revi?"
Robert looked puzzled, and Sara replied.
"Uncle, did you just notice?"
"I thought she was coming later."
"There was no school today. Miss Rebecca said she had a headache."
"What?! Revi's sick?!"
Robert suddenly became flustered and stood up from the sofa.
"Well, it's because of my actions that Miss Rebecca has a headache..."
By the time Sara said that, Robert had already rushed out of the room. Marquis, who was watching from the side, muttered.
"What did you do this time, Sara?"
"It's hard to explain, so maybe after work today..."
"Hmm... it seems like something that requires a private conversation again."
"That would be better."
"Well, I'll listen to your piano playing and calm down first, then I'll hear it."
"I'll play a song that Grandfather has never heard before."
"Sounds good. I'm looking forward to it."
After that, they had a peaceful lunch. Robert seemed to have been chased out of Rebecca's room and returned to the office in a hurry.
"She's not sick, but she wouldn't let me in the room!"
"You didn't listen to my explanation until the end and ran out, Uncle!"
"But Revi looked really pale. What did you do, Sara?"
"I'll talk about it tonight. I promised Grandfather too."
"Okay."
Robert finished eating the remaining food on the table. It seemed he had worked up an appetite from running around.
"By the way, how would you handle this problem, Sara?"
"Ugh... Let's separate the punishment for the riot and the treatment of the woodcutters and hunters. As for the treatment of the woodcutters and hunters, I have 2 proposals, Grandfather."
"Go ahead and say it."
"Firstly, regarding the prey hunted by woodcutters within the hunting grounds, it shouldn't belong to the woodcutters, but must be handed over to Baron Walt. We should also make them report on the circumstances that led to the hunt, such as which area and what situation they were in."
Marquis fell silent for a moment.
"What do you think Baron Walt should do with the prey?"
"All the profits from selling it should go to the territory. After all, Baron Walt receives management fees from the territory."
"But won't that cause dissatisfaction among the woodcutters?"
Robert expressed his opinion.
"Of course, it will, Uncle. But it's not like it's an exception to the no-hunting zone. If they're still dissatisfied, they can just quit being woodcutters."
"I see. There's no other way to stop illegal hunting."
Sara nodded.
"And what's the second measure?"
"We should open up part of the hunting grounds to the hunters. If it's near facilities like inns and pastures, the danger can be greatly reduced, don't you think? Wild animals, except for monsters, generally avoid humans. If there's enough food, they won't come down to human settlements often, I think."
"Hmm, but there's a lot of deer damage in the fields too..."
"Then, let's increase the hunting areas near the fields as well. If we can secure a certain amount of prey, hunters can make a living from it, can't they? Ideally, it would be a side job for woodcutters too."
"I understand your proposal, Sara. I was thinking of setting up areas where hunting is allowed, but I didn't think of taking away the woodcutters' prey."
"Taking it away... doesn't that sound like I'm doing something cruel to the woodcutters?"
"Are you really going to take it away?"
"It's for fairness with the hunters, you know!"
"Haha."
"By the way, didn't you say we'd give harsh punishments for the riot?"
"Yes. Since there are injured people, I think it's crucial to punish violent incidents severely. Moreover, it's even scarier if the people start thinking, 'If we riot, our opinions will be heard.'."
"I see."
"But we don't want to take away the people's means of expressing their opinions to the rulers or other people."
"Means of expressing opinions?"
Robert tilted his head, seemingly not understanding what was being referred to.
"Holding assemblies to appeal their plight, marching in crowded areas to express dissatisfaction, distributing flyers, and such protest activities shouldn't be banned, I think."
"But if we let it slide, it might escalate into a riot, Sara. That kind of group behavior is usually dispersed early on in the capital city, after all."
Marquis seemed to view such collective actions by the people as dangerous.
'Yeah, that's right. Since this country isn't a democracy, assemblies and demos are usually considered illegal. But suppressing the people's dissatisfaction is really dangerous, I feel.'
"But don't you think it's important to directly listen to the people's opinions? To identify where their dissatisfaction is coming from, why it's happening, and to deal with it calmly? Isn't that the ruler's responsibility? Of course, we can't eliminate all dissatisfaction, but if we aim for better governance, we should create such opportunities."
"Hmm."
"I understand that assemblies and marches have aspects that can easily lead to riots. We should advance legal preparations to require permits for assemblies and marches held in front of many people. We can also deploy knights in advance for safety. And since unauthorized assemblies are illegal, we can crack down on them accordingly."
"Can't activities that can't be openly permitted be judged as highly illegal?"
"That's also true, but once a permit is applied for, we can understand what kind of group it is and what kind of dissatisfaction they're expressing. The possibility of early countermeasures also increases."
"I see. I understand your opinion well. It was very helpful."
"My opinion is humble, though..."
"Umm... are you calling your own opinion humble?"
Not just Marquis and Robert, but the bureaucrats also wore bitter smiles.
Moreover, the bureaucrats were having a conversation in hushed tones, making sure Sara and the others couldn't hear them.
"This topic would make a great debate theme for the academy's professors, don't you think?"
"No way, if 8-year-old Miss Sara can do it, the academy students might be too embarrassed to come to school!"
"That's true!"
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