"Well then, shall we take our leave."
"Please, my lady, allow us."
In response to Athena's statement, Black Moon signaled for the sisters to move ahead as they were currently acting as the princess's bodyguard for the moment and could not afford to be accused of being anything other than professionals.
With Blane sitting alongside the driver in front, Sigrid entered the carriage first without introducing herself. Although it seemed like she was being rude, she was simply ensuring the safety of the carriage before being accompanied by her sister as though the two of them could not be apart for long.
Shortly after that, Athena, Bam and finally Black Moon entered one after the other, and then the carriage set off towards Radiance city's side entrance.
A small and private gate at the Southside of the city walls used mainly for the transportation of goods and supplies by the Jaxith family and thus, was heavily guarded.
The luxurious carriage, marked with the emblem of the Jaxith family, easily passed through the supply chain and entered the city. Galloping its way toward the Jaxith family's castle.
Soon, the carriage drove through the west district-- where numerous shelters had been built for the survivors from the border city that had been attacked by the combined forces of their neighboring region, Gerroyian City.
These shelters housed the women and children driven from their homes and were unable to fend for themselves. These women were then given the task of running and maintaining the shelter while taking care of the children as though it was an orphanage.
The typical war shelter was usually just temporary housing for those who were rendered homeless by war and was usually managed by the city's paid workers.
These were mostly dark and damp warehouses that would get incredibly cold at night. Providing only the bare necessities for its occupants.
However, the shelter that had been constructed in Radiance city was on a whole different level. Not only were they massive with proper lighting that even most middle-class citizens didn't possess, but there were also multiple clean bathrooms and a separate section for children in each of them.
The idea for this was brought up and pursued by Athena herself, a feat that rapidly increased her popularity with the masses. As such, she has also taken it upon herself to visit the shelters personally on several occasions and was very well-loved by both the men and children around.
Naturally, as the kids outside the shelter saw the familiar carriage slowly moving through the streets, they found a way to break free from their caretakers and ran excitedly after the carriage which immediately came to a stop so as not to harm any of them with the horses.
The doors to the carriage opened up and Bam rushed out before his mistress. Her appearance caused an uproar among the kids as they happily surrounded the nice demon lady that always brought them sweets and toys.
Her outfit may have been a tad inappropriate for kids, but her pure expression made it impossible for anyone to stare at anything other than her face.
The way she smiled tenderly at the rowdy children and the posture which she took to listen to their words made the hearts of all who saw her skip several beats.
As a pureblooded noble princess, she was already supernaturally beautiful enough, so being the first humble demon noble they had met added several layers of charm to her person.
As Bam -- who stood behind her-- beheld this picturesque scene, he lost the ability to speak.
He was aware of their time constraints but found it difficult to disturb this perfect picture of true nobility.
As someone who had once held a deep hatred for those high-class noble demons that always looked down on others as though they were nothing, meeting Athena had truly opened his eyes to what it meant to be a true pureblood noble, hence why he has vowed to lay down his life for his mistress.
However, there were a few individuals that weren't affected by this scene as one of them rudely interrupted them.
"Hey kid, weren't you the one complaining about your lack of time?"
"Right. I deeply apologize my lady, but we must leave if we're to make it in time."
"I understand. Then, although it pains me that I can't stay long today, I must be on my way."
The kids simultaneously grumbled "Ehhhhhh~", in voices filled with longing and reluctance. They would not have made such a sound if she had not thoroughly ensnared their hearts.
In response to the children, the caretakers' and mothers, hurriedly sprang into action. They patted the children soothingly and pulled away those children who were slower on the uptake from Athena's side.
"Everyone, can I come to play with you some other time?"
The kids energetically affirmed in excitement as Athena returned to the carriage and wave the children goodbye.
Within the bumpy carriage, BlackMoon could not help but mumble:
"...It must have been pretty hard to build so many Shelters like that."
"Hard you say?"
"Indeed, it's no secret that the funds of the Jaxith family are all being allocated to the war efforts and there isn't much to spare on anything else. So where on Neron did you get the money to spend on so many fancy Shelters as well as pay for their maintenance and upkeep."
Athena cupped her chin with one hand, tilting her head slightly in amusement.
"I don't believe it was that difficult to get the funds especially since there was an urgent need to build shelters for the victims of the war. My elder brother was more than willing to grant my request given as the only real cost was for building the shelters."
"Hmm... you mean..."
"Yes, there was no need to hire any staff for the shelters as the women were willing and eager to clean and maintain the nice environment they were provided. Using any random warehouse would not have inspired such devotion. All we really needed to do was asign the most qualified leader to help optimize their job and the rest was up to them. With a bit of training, they took care of the injured, the sick, and especially the children."
"There is still the issue with providing food and water as well as other necessities isn't that right."
"Of course, we still have to provide that for now but the shelters are also providing some labor force for the city. While the only men in the shelters are mostly the elderly or wounded, there are a lot of abled bodies we are currently using for some labor which pays for more than half of what we spend most times. Besides, with the current state of the Demon continent, maintaining a favorable relationship with our own people is a must don't you think?"
Black Moon raised his chin slightly, as though to permit her to continue speaking.
"As you all may have surmised. The situation with the Darknar region has spread tension across the entire continent and beyond that many have even begun to question the authority of the Great Five. And with the latest rumors of the strength of the Darknar family's Lord being on par with the Great Demon Lords, families that have not allied with any superpower are far more likely to fall apart from within if care was not taken. This may be the beginning of a new age in the demon continent."
At the mention of the name Darknar, Black Moon suddenly thought of something but decided to focus on the topic at hand.
"The Darknar family's Lord, huh... well, we'll talk about that later. Couldn't that money be better spent on things besides those brats? If you ask me, the weak losing their lives is just the way things work in the demon continent, no?"
"That's not accurate."
Athena's statement was clear and succinct. Unlike her tone from just now, those words were filled with tremendous power that it made even someone as strong as he hesitated.
"Saving the weak is the duty of the demon nobles, it's why we established a society, not unlike the humans. And..."
Bam felt Athena's eyes suddenly turn to him
Perhapsa�?
The image of himself as a child appeared in his mind. As a lesser demon that was an orphan, his childhood was filled with pain and suffering. However, he was also one of the lucky few that was blessed with a talent in the form of an innate ability that allowed him to crawl out of the gutter and now finds himself by the side of his beloved mistress who he greatly admired as the only decent Demoness in the Jaxith family.
Perhaps she had built the shelters because she remembered what he had told her about his past. With the majority of those in the shelters being lesser demons and beastfolks.
A wave of heat flashed through his chest.
Of course, he could not verify the Princess' actual thoughts. Even so, Bam did not doubt that it was that way.
"Well, I don't really care either way but the only thing that bothers me is why you had to create so many of them."
"Well of course. After all, we have to consider that we will take in many survivors in the future, as the war is yet to reach its climax. We're also evacuating many of the border towns close to the front lines so there will be many seeking refuge from those places as well. With that in mind, even 6 shelters of that size may not be enough. The children also take priority as many of them would end up losing their families in battle, and we need to take care of them to make sure they don't go down the wrong path."
"Hmmm. The princess is really considerate isn't she?"
"Hmm. The princess sure is considerate."
"What are you guys trying to say, Sidrun?"
"Oh, we were just thinking about how children without their parents would live, Black Moon."
"I see. I can now understand why this was the best way to maintain public order considering the chaos with the Great Five and Darknar. Your understanding of the world is really as impressive as ever Princess Athena."
"Impressive. So you're saying she has a keen insight then."
"Keen insight. They usually say the same thing about you Black Moon."
" I think they've greatly overestimated my abilities."
Black Moon did not respond to Athena's gentle smile as a chill crawled down his spine. He could not help but imagine just how far into the future could this so-called princess predict and control.
Not only has she singlehandedly maintained the public order of Radiance City while promoting herself to the public in the midst of an ongoing war. But all her actions seem so selfless and saintly that she had become a proper candidate for the throne without doing anything.
While the latter half was something that nobody but Black Moon and the girls could understand, the first half was simple enough that even Bam could understand.
Those survivors, especially the children who had lost their parents would often turn to crime in order to survive. If that happened, even the less active underground organizations in the Floato Region like Numbers would easily be able to spread across the continent and would be worse for the weakened Floato Region.
In other words, his beloved lady had done this to prepare for the future.
However a�? Athena asked Black Moon in a curious tone:
"a�?What does that mean?"
"Hmm... did we read too deeply into it? Or is this just an act?"
"Hm~ it looked genuine enough at a glance."
"Hm~ it certainly feels genuine to me."
The girls, Sigrid and Sigrun were excellent and reading facial expressions despite their lack of one themselves so when Black Moon held their opinion, he stared at Athena's confused face for a moment before deciding to accept it.
"Well, if you guys say so, then it must be true. I feel like I just wasted my brain cells thinking too much about that."
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