Chapter 62
"The situation looks more serious than I thought. Even at a glance, the fields are in bad shape."
Our Noctus family made a modest living through farming, so I'd picked up a fair bit of agricultural knowledge from a young age. It might not stack up to your average farmer's expertise, but I had enough grounding to size up the state of Marcel Territory at a glance.
"Yeah... No droughts or bad weather lately, so does this mean the monster damage is worse than we imagined?"
"But that's odd. Even with monster attacks, how can there be so few people working the fields right now?"
"Exactly. And looking closer, it's only women out there laboring."
Hertia's observation rang true. Sweating it out in the fields were just a handful of women—no men in sight. I didn't buy into outdated notions of men and women sticking to separate roles, but farming was heavy labor by nature. You usually saw more men on the job, hauling loads or plowing. Yet here, it was women handling everything alone.
"Is the gender ratio in this place always this skewed?"
"No way. I might not know every corner of the Empire, but I've never heard of anywhere this imbalanced."
"Makes sense. If it were happening on this scale anywhere else, the Empire would've stepped in ages ago."
Just then, the women working the fields spotted us and came rushing over. At first, I figured they were just good Samaritans helping lost travelers, so we waited. But their frantic pace set off alarms—it wasn't the gait of folks greeting friends. It screamed desperation, like prey begging for their lives. We tensed up instinctively as they closed in, eyes scanning for threats.
"H-Hey... are you folks from outside?"
"Yes. We're from the academy. You provided support for the recent monster attacks, but we missed contacting you during the cleanup. We've come to apologize and offer compensation."
"They're from outside!"
"Oh god, we're saved!!"
The moment they learned we were outsiders, the women erupted in cheers, faces alight with joy. They looked like slaves tasting freedom. We exchanged bewildered glances, totally thrown.
"Hold on a second. Has something happened in the territory—"
"What the hell! Why aren't you working? Get back to it!"
Before I could probe the territory's secret, an angry male shout cut in from behind. Turning, I saw men in vigilante gear—swords and spears in hand—storming toward us.
"Loafing around like this? You wanna die...? Huh? Men? And strangers—women, too?"
The leader stepped forward, ready to drag the women off, but froze at the unfamiliar faces. To him, it must've looked like the workers slacking off in a huddle. Up close, though, we were obvious outsiders crashing their village. No wonder he was rattled.
"You there. Name and rank?"
"Wh-What?! You brainless wench! How dare you question me?!"
No one could deny Astraia's extraordinary beauty—it outshone even these local women, objectively speaking. But this leader was calling her a "brainless wench." It was so outrageous, it left even Her Imperial Highness momentarily speechless.
"Brainless...? Me?"
"Y-Yeah! Except for Her, all you women are ugly, dim-witted country hags—!"
"I am Astraia von Kailum, second princess of this Empire. I also serve as president of the academy's student council. My throne isn't fully secured yet, but I'm well on my way to claiming the imperial seat. I'll ask once more. Do I still strike you as some brainless wench?"
"P-Princess!!"
"F-Forgive us!!"
At "princess," his men fidgeted, then dropped to their knees. The women with us gasped and bowed low too. Suddenly, the leader stood alone, flustered, before slowly kneeling like the rest.
"By the way, this is a duke's daughter, and that's the Saintess. These two men are noble heirs, so I'd watch your thoughts if I were you."
"G-Gasp!"
"Now then, explain. What's going on here? Where are all the men, leaving just these women to farm?"
"Th-That's..."
Even under the princess's direct question, they hesitated. It didn't feel like defiance—they simply couldn't speak. My gut screamed it.
"B-But..."
"W-Women aren't allowed..."
What the hell? The men looked off—eyes vacant, like two selves warring inside. One urged them to kneel before nobility; the other snarled back. Caught in the clash, they floundered in confusion.
"Your Highness. Their reactions suggest external manipulation, not their own will. Should we meet the lord and get the full picture?"
"Hm... Yes, that's best."
I flashed the bewildered vigilante leader a gentle smile. "Easy now. Could you guide us to the lord? This is serious—better if he judges it."
"Th-The lord...? Y-Yes, of course."
Shifting authority to the lord eased their tension; they led the way with visible relief.
Thud!
"Watch out! The men are bad enough, but the lord's off too. He used to care for us, but lately he never shows his face. Now he controls us through these guys."
As we followed, one of the women grabbed my hand from behind, whispering urgently.
"This is weird. Suspicious, even."
"Was this place always so misogynistic?"
"Hardly. The Empire's had empresses aplenty—that mindset died out ages ago. A few stubborn old fogeys cling to it, but an entire territory like this? First I've seen."
"Came to hunt monsters, and now this..."
Swallowing our unease, we trailed the vigilantes to the lord's manor.
"Sounds rowdy outside... What's going on?"
In the manor of Marcel Territory's lord, a woman's voice echoed from the office. Sultry and captivating, it gripped the heart like a vice.
"Sh-Should I... check?"
The elderly man attending her wore finery no commoner could afford.
"Eh, probably nothing. Who'd visit this backwater? Lord dear~ How are the other men holding up?"
"Y-Yes... Their vitality's waning a bit, but they're managing. Though the weaker ones are falling ill first..."
"Fine. Ship the sick ones off as test subjects—keep 'em separate~"
Addressed as "lord," the man stared blankly, eyes unfocused like the villagers. Marcel's lord was known for frugality, pouring even his personal funds into his people. Yet his office now glittered with treasures.
"Tch. What a filthy territory. Nothing but junk—some old antiques at best. Be grateful I'm sprucing it up."
"Y-Yes... Truly grateful."
"Even if it's to cover tracks fast, I wanna wrap this dump up. Suck the men dry quick, ship the women off as test subjects—"
Knock knock.
A knock at the door snapped her from her thoughts.
"Pardon the intrusion."
"What is it?"
"Her Highness the Princess and the Duke's daughter have arrived in the territory. What should we do?"
"What?!"
She shot up, summoning the servant.
"Say that again!"
"Exactly as I said. The princess, duke's daughter, and a self-proclaimed Saintess—they're being escorted here."
"Damn these useless idiots! Why drag them here—wait..."
Fuming at her puppet men's blunder, she brightened with a sly idea.
"Line up all the servants. Maids, help with makeup. Go tidy things up."
"Yes, ma'am."
As the servant left, she recalled her mission.
"Snag the princess, duke's daughter, and Saintess as test subjects... That'd outshine the others' achievements, right? Hmm~ Time to pick some cute faces~"