The Current State of the Capital

After the demonstrators dispersed and left, the queue remained.

The long, long line had shrunk considerably thanks to the non-stop processing at the reception desks.

It should be wrapped up by the end of the day.

There were reserve days set aside, so anyone who absolutely couldn't make it could go on those instead.

I figured I could leave things here.

I left the rest to the Bureau of Internal Affairs staff and set about taking action for the non-citizen residents.

From the look of things, even if the rations calmed people down for a bit, leaving the situation alone would only make it worse.

Increasing rations was one thing, but anything beyond that would require consulting with Her Majesty Tianis.

"There are quite a lot of people who aren't citizens, huh. I assumed everyone living in the Royal Capital was a citizen."

"That assumption isn't exactly wrong. They aren't living in the capital for free, after all."

"Hmm. Well, tell me about it on the way. We only ever hear the reports that come up to us, y'know? It's like we only know things on paper."

"Understood. Though it's not a complicated topic. Those who pay the citizen tax are official citizens, and they get voting rights in the Citizens' Assembly and access to public facilities."

"I know that much."

Princess Yupe said with a smug little huff.

I'd certainly hope she knew at least that much.

"People who can't pay the citizen tax don't have these rights. There are clear differences, like needing to pay money to read books at the library. That said, if you can look past that, you can still buy a home, get married, and have children. Well, if you can afford a home and kids, you probably have enough for the citizen tax. And not being a citizen doesn't get you kicked out of the capital, either."

Even displaced people were considered part of the capital so long as they worked.

Being penniless and homeless without a job was a different story, though.

You couldn't have slums forming in a major city like the capital. The issues with public safety, black markets circulating shady goods, and the like…

The Church of the Sun God had targeted exactly that demographic, too.

To prevent that, various support measures had been put in place to create jobs, let people earn money through labor, and hopefully become citizens in the long run.

Alsarm was exceptionally skilled at this.

"I see. If you'd get kicked out for not being a citizen, adventurers wouldn't be able to stay either. Traveling merchants wouldn't come, either."

"The same goes for young people from rural villages who can't find work. They come to the capital looking for employment, apparently. Those people make up a large portion of the capital's labor force."

If everyone without citizenship suddenly disappeared from the capital, the logistics network could very well grind to a halt.

That's how important the non-citizen population was, and how dependent the capital was on them.

The larger the city, the more precious its labor force.

"Huh… I didn't know that. If they're working for the sake of the capital, then of course they wouldn't want to be treated as outcasts. What about the business tax?"

"That's applied uniformly. Citizens aren't exempt from paying it. The citizens were glaring at the demonstrators because they're not exactly having it easy themselves. It was a 'you don't know what we're going through' kind of thing."

"The grass is always greener, huh. Ah, so that's why you wanted to break them up before any arguments broke out."

"Yes. Or they might band together over the business tax issue, and that would be troublesome. Lowering it would be quite difficult, after all."

The business tax was one of the capital's revenue sources.

Since it applied to all residents of the capital, its scale was significant.

That said, collecting from every single individual was difficult and impractical.

Cash transactions at the street level could be fudged endlessly.

So if you owned a shop, it was a land fee. If you ran a stall, it was a spot fee.

If you hired people to work for you, it was a head tax. That was how the taxation was structured.

During events like concerts, apparently a substantial sum would flow into the treasury in a single day.

I'd heard that people making their living from food and drink had it particularly tough, since they had to buy the next day's ingredients from that day's sales. Street vendors especially.

Even if the tax rate couldn't be lowered, there might be ways to reduce the burden, like allowing installment payments.

Kazusa had complained about the tax being rough on managing her inn, too.

"When you put it that way, it's more like we need them to stay. The more there are, the more the capital prospers, right?"

"Honestly, I envy cities where people gather. Regional cities don't have industries, and the population just keeps declining."

"Oh my. That's, um, my condolences?"

"Was that sarcasm? Hmph. Things are flourishing now, so it's fine. I'm not a lord anymore, anyway."

"I thought you had a certain refinement and knowledge of etiquette, but turns out you're actually from somewhere quite well-off. You've got a nice figure too."

"H-Hey. Stop touching me."

Alexia had gotten a bit touchy recalling the past.

The city Alexia had come from, Aquarius, now even farmed thanks to its abundant water, but back then its main industry had been monster extermination, if I remembered right.

… Hmm, hunting monsters every day without even being adventurers.

They'd certainly be tough fighters, but it would be hard to prosper as a city.

Spartia, which was similar in that regard, actually made its money not so much from the monsters themselves but from turning items obtained from slaying monsters, like gems and gold crafts, into specialty artisan goods.

That, and the mercenary business.

When you went that far, it could sustain itself as an industry.

"So with that said, I'm going to work with Her Majesty Tianis to find a good middle ground for the people of the capital. You too, Princess Yupe. And of course you, Alexia."

"… I think I just remembered some urgent business."

"This early in the morning? You're the one who said you wanted to come along."

She wasn't getting away. Surprisingly, this woman came up with good ideas when squeezed.

I grabbed her by the scruff of the neck, and she resigned herself to her fate.

We moved to Her Majesty Tianis's chambers and knocked on the door.

After knocking several times, footsteps finally approached.

The door opened slowly.

"It's still early morning, what do you want?"

There stood a sleepy queen in her pajamas.

It seemed I'd woken her up.

It was an emergency, so it couldn't be helped.

I had the groggy Her Majesty let us in and explained why we'd come.

That seemed to wake her up, and her gaze sharpened just a little.

"I understand what you need, but… I'm going to change, so wait outside. And bring me something warm to drink while you're at it."

"Understood."

Apparently it was too embarrassing to discuss things in her pajamas, so I was kicked out of the room.