The Former Empress Roughly Hides Her Abilities - Chapter 55

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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【Chapter 55】

 

The people who had been overheated with excitement gradually began to calm down.

 

With the appearance of a third party, and finally seeing blood, the reason that had left home returned.

 

Though they had shouted whatever came to mind while swept up in anger, they hadn’t really expected anyone to actually come out.

 

The truly high-ranking people would dismiss the complaints their subordinates burst out with as annoying noise, like flies buzzing. They never truly listened to them.

 

Their way was to roughly send subordinates and wait until the overheated atmosphere died down, then give out small change and act generous once the situation was settled.

 

As if saying ‘take this and get lost.’

 

Then people whose livelihoods were difficult and who needed every penny would take that money.

 

A few with lingering attachments would refuse negotiations and continue their resistance, but.

 

“You already got money, so why are you acting like this?”

 

“You went to earn money and got paid, so isn’t that enough?”

 

“Ah, are they the only ones in the world who died unjustly?”

 

Thus division would occur between those who took money and those who wanted to fight to the end, and they would split apart fighting each other before eventually scattering.

 

And so they would become the forgotten ones.

 

‘We don’t want to become like that.’

 

These people chose to be indignant together because they didn’t want to become a fleeting stroke in history.

 

The more they united, the stronger they became, and no one could ignore a dense crowd.

 

But they weren’t villains, just a collective of angry individuals.

 

As their anger subsided, each individual began to reflect on what they had done.

 

‘Did, did I throw stones?’

 

‘Still, these are people who came saying they’d listen to our story.’

 

They too were people no different from us.

 

‘Getting angry at them wasn’t going to solve anything.’

 

They hung their heads, overwhelmed by the rushing feeling of guilt.

 

Of course, there were other emotions too.

 

“Why did you come here?”

 

Nothing changes even if you come.

 

A voice deeply steeped in helplessness.

 

Rianel looked at the blood flowing down Asil’s chin.

 

It was evidence that her student had suffered the pain she should have endured instead.

 

Her insides ached and felt bitter, making it impossible to look directly.

 

“Please hold this against it for now.”

 

Rianel hurriedly took out a handkerchief and pressed it to his forehead.

 

At the same time, she pulled him back and stepped forward.

 

Because the crowd was finally ready to have a conversation.

 

“I came to assess the extent of the damage.”

 

“Why? To count the number of dead people and hand out some small change?”

 

“Of course, we do plan to provide compensation. But the amount will be calculated after estimating the degree of damage, and will be paid through a separate process.”

 

“So what, you’re just going to give us money and roughly end it?”

 

“Of course, receiving compensation won’t bring back the dead or make the damage disappear.”

 

A man unable to contain his anger kicked the wall and shouted, but Rianel didn’t even blink.

 

“But money is also the product of effort.”

 

If not, why would people feel a sense of loss every time they lose large sums to fraud?

 

In some ways, money is just colored paper, or metal shaped by casting.

 

“Money can’t replace everything. But since money is the means that can substitute, even a little, for the sense of loss, labor, and grief you’ve experienced, I’m saying it’s better to receive even that.”

 

Receiving money wouldn’t make the sadness disappear, but that wasn’t an area that could be resolved by receiving clumsy comfort from a third party.

 

Above all.

 

“I’m not trying to give you compensation to soothe your anger.”

 

“Then…?”

 

“I came here because I need your anger.”

 

Rianel didn’t think anger was bad either.

 

Because righteous anger sometimes becomes the power to change the world.

 

“That’s how we can prevent what comes next, isn’t it?”

 

Change began as many tenant farmers left their farmland and flocked to the city.

 

For them to survive in the city, they had to either start businesses themselves like the Princess, or work under others.

 

Since most came with nothing, the latter would be overwhelmingly more common.

 

Since such accidents could happen at any time.

 

They had to create a foundation for the future here.

 

“Would you please cooperate?”

 

The gathered people stared blankly at Rianel.

 

She hadn’t lied.

 

She didn’t offer hasty comfort either.

 

She didn’t say she was sorry, nor did she shed tears.

 

She only spoke firm truths.

 

But that’s exactly why there was something that caught people’s attention even more.

 

‘No one had ever spoken to us like that before.’

 

‘Saying our anger was justified…’

 

‘No one who said it was actually needed.’

 

The density of truth that rose as much as the temperature of emotions lowered shook the people.

 

‘How could we resist this.’

 

“Yes, yes.”

 

“This way.”

 

They willingly bowed their heads.

 

May favorable winds blow on this ship of hope.

 

* * *

 

“Still, there are fewer casualties than expected.”

 

It was delicate to say such things about an incident where deaths occurred, but considering the scale of the factory, it wasn’t entirely wrong.

 

About 300 people were working at the site when the accident occurred.

 

The number of workers was high because the Saint hired people as much as she could.

 

Among them, the counted casualties were 22.

 

Of those, four were deaths, three were seriously injured, and the rest were minor injuries from spraining ankles or getting bruises from falling or bumping into things while escaping.

 

When a fire breaks out in a wooden building, the fire spreads to the building itself, and the framework usually collapses quickly.

 

In most cases, people inside the building are engulfed in flames and die together before they can escape.

 

This time, the damage was unusually small.

 

“It must be thanks to the young lady making many exits throughout the factory.”

 

Thanks to the side doors made here and there, evacuation was easy.

 

Making the corridors wide for passage also became a good condition for large numbers of people to escape when an accident occurred.

 

“The windows made high up in the ceiling also helped. The smoke escaped through there, so not a single person suffocated.”

 

The black smoke that leaked through the windows rose like a beacon, also serving to quickly alert nearby people of the fire.

 

Thanks to this, nearby residents rushed out to help and were able to prevent major damage.

 

Everything was thanks to Rianel, who designed the factory, considering many things.

 

People who heard the Factory Manager’s words were greatly surprised.

 

“Did the young lady really design the factory herself?”

 

“Th, thank you. Thanks to you, my son made it out alive.”

 

The Elderly Mother grasped Rianel’s hands and wept.

 

If it weren’t for her, my son would have died.

 

Rianel asked what she was curious about.

 

“Why didn’t the Work Supervisor take control of the situation?”

 

She had issued guidelines for middle management to have command authority at the site during emergencies.

 

‘If an orderly evacuation had been carried out, we could have reduced the damage further.’

 

“Well, about that.”

 

Filson sighed in disbelief even as he spoke.

 

“The Saint said that since we were already short on manpower, we couldn’t afford to have people just standing around, so she ordered everyone to be put to work as laborers.”

 

The surroundings stirred.

 

“What? So we ended up like this because of the Saint?”

 

“That’s what they say. Think about it, how many days has it been since the oil cauldrons were brought into our factory? Remember, wasn’t this originally just a place for making and drying noodles?”

 

Filson was a devout person who went to the Temple every week to pray and donated money even when splitting his tight living expenses.

 

Because of this, the Saint’s behavior of avoiding responsibility in the face of the accident remained a shock to him.

 

“But still, she is the Saint…”

 

However, since only Filson had directly witnessed the scene, others were skeptical.

 

After all, in the Empire, the Saint was God’s representative and a sacred being. It was difficult to criticize her carelessly.

 

‘But it’s also true that the iron cauldrons were installed after the Saint toured the factory.’

 

‘What did she say? A new era? Industrialization? She gave a speech about opening something like that anyway.’

 

Since the Saint was such a conspicuous figure, there were several people who had witnessed her.

 

Above all, the person who used to come and go using inspections as an excuse when the factory was running well hadn’t even shown her face since the disaster struck…

 

‘It is a bit suspicious…’

 

‘Come on, she’s still the Saint.’

 

‘Maybe she’s too busy to come. She represents the Religious Order, after all.’

 

While everyone was lost in such thoughts, some people looked at Rianel and Asil.

 

“Oh, right, are your injuries okay?”

 

The voice was cautious, tinged with self-blame and regret as much as the cooled excitement.

 

“I’m fine.”

 

Asil removed the handkerchief he had been pressing against his forehead.

 

He had only suffered a minor laceration, and since the wound wasn’t deep, the bleeding had already stopped.

 

“However, this person is injured, so could we get some clean cloth?”

 

People hurriedly handed over cloth and ointment, and Asil sat down across from Rianel.

 

“Why is that…”

 

“You’re injured, aren’t you.”

 

Asil clicked his tongue and pulled Rianel’s hand toward him.

 

When people got excited and threw stones.

 

Rianel had only been concerned about Asil’s forehead and was completely unaware that one of the stones that grazed past had scraped her hand.

 

“How is it that this oblivious side of you remains the same.”

 

The touch of washing the wound with water and applying ointment was surprisingly caring.

 

Rianel knew the reason.

 

‘He said he liked me.’

 

Me, and no one else.

 

As those words she had let pass without questioning came to mind, she couldn’t help but ask.

 

“Do you like me, Bureau Director? Or do you like your teacher?”

 

She wanted to determine whether those feelings were romantic affection or respectful admiration.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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