Even with the food distributions and mass deployment of aid into the Schengen Region, they still were dealing with a major problem.

  Perlenstadt City was a truly major population center. It held, practically at least twenty or thirty percent of the population of the Schengen Region during its peak, and nearly half, or more than half of the city, was destroyed.

  Before this crisis began, Alexa found out that the Empire was already suffering a major housing shortage.

  Almost all towns and cities surrounding Perlenstadt were simply already near or full capacity in terms of the number of people they could reliably house. Thankfully, they still had some extra housing and facilities to accommodate the refugees from the Imperial Capital, but it was never going to be enough.

  The truth of the matter was that housing, infrastructure, and everything else weren’t going to be built in a matter of days, or weeks. Sure, the noble and wealthy districts alongside the Grand Academy were probably going to be rebuilt in a matter of weeks to months, but everything outside that was out of the question.

  People, on the other hand, needed homes now, not tomorrow. That was why they got displaced in the first place. They were searching for a new place to rebuild their life.

  And Alexa was going to provide that!

  So Alexa and her team got to work. First, they went for the Imperial Diet, trying to gain extra funds for the plan that she and Wilhelm were concocting. Unfortunately, after spending two days dealing with the bastards, they barely gave her enough funding.

  Apparently, the Imperial coffers were now stretched thin, and they had more expenses than revenues. It has been that way now since the old Eisen coup days years ago. Instability and the loss of major resources produced up north due to the demon horde was slowly squeezing the Empire.

  The Imperial Diet didn’t have much to spare beyond what was allocated in the national budget. Besides, it wasn’t like she was Empress yet, so she couldn’t blame them if they weren’t giving her much. The fact that she was running around doing all of this as Crown Princess was already neat enough.

  Instead, she got her eyes on a set of nobles—precisely the three romance targets of the original novel.

  First was Franz von Hohenzollern, the son of the Duke of Hohenzollern.

  The second was Levi von Frankfurt, the son of the Count of Frankfurt.

  And lastly was Felix von Klopp, the son of the Viscount of Klopp.

  She was of course going to ignore Crown Prince Jean Pierre de Galen, who was the fourth romance target, because she wasn’t a noble inside the Empire, but instead royalty from a vassal kingdom, and she wouldn’t send her countrymen to another country, even if they were a vassal of her’s.

  In any case, all three had their uses. First of all, while Felix was from a mere Viscount, the Klopp Corporation was one of the largest merchant companies of the Empire. She needed to gain access of all the transportation wagons and carriages as she could get, so he was in.

  Second, Levi was the heir to House Frankfurt. While their territory wasn’t large, House Frankfurt boasted three major cities in the western part of the Empire that had suffered labor shortages due to people leaving them for work in the Imperial Capital and Ostend.

  Well, now, the Imperial Capital was done busted, so Alexa was going to try to send as many people as she could back to the County of Frankfurt, alongside the promise of future investment, not just to bolster their labor force, but also to use the vacant housing in that principality.

  Lastly, there was Franz, the heir to the Duchy of Hohenzollern, which was immediately south of the Schengen Region. Alexa intended to move some people there, but that wasn’t his main use. Instead, Alexa needed Franz to beg his father to start organizing the nobles of other principalities to take in refugees.

  “So!” Alexa clapped, now in front of the three young noblemen. “I am quite grateful that you all answered my invitation with haste, and met me here. It is a pleasure to meet you all!”

  They were at one of the castles of House Hohenzollern, which Alexa used as a ‘neutral meeting place’ for this little conference. Setting beside Alexa were of course Phoebe, Wilhelm, Adele, and of course Alfred. They were eating at a long table, though, it seemed that the three noblemen weren’t keen on eating.

  Only Wilhelm was actively eating. He didn’t seem to give much of a crap about pretenses of nobility and business, he was here for the free food. He already advised her about the strategy they would take, so he indulged himself as a reward.

  Not even their host, Franz von Hohenzollern, seemed keen on eating, as he appeared nervous.

  “U-um,” Felix adjusted his round glasses. He was a bit more on the timid side of the scale, but he was quite the powerful six-circle mage at his age, under the [WATER MAGE] class specialization. “Your Highness…why did you—?”

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  “Because I need the three of you,” Alexa boisterously declared. “First of all, you, Felix, I need your father’s company for the logistics. You, Levi, I need your county’s extra housing, and you, Franz, I need you to wield Duke Hohenzollern’s influence to help the poor refugees of Perlenstadt.”

  Silence.

  Wilhelm raised his head, taking his attention off the steak he was rapidly eating.

  “...Hey, that’s not how you negotiate—” Wilhelm pointed out, before Alexa spoke again.

  “In exchange, if you three can do this to me, I will be very thankful. I believe the same is true with Phoebe over here, right Phoebe?”

  “U-um,” Phoebe didn’t seem like she expected to be called for this, as she was just tagging along like an extra mascot…thing, but she tried to nod. “Yes, I guess. If they can help people, what’s there not to like?”

  Immediately, the three young men’s cheeks grew red as they stared at Phoebe. Alexa expected that reaction when she said she would be so pleased if they did what she liked, so she felt a pang of jealousy when that effect only worked with Phoebe.

  But, that was her plan anyway. And it worked! All because she knew what these stupid boys liked from reading the novel.

  So she clapped.

  “That, and consider yourselves good friends of the next Empress if you can do this for me,” Alexa said. “I have a great many plans for the future of the Empire, and you three, the next leaders of your households, might have a place in that future I’m crafting—”

  “Please let me in on this!” Franz was first.

  “Wait, I can do more than him—!” Levi sputtered forward.

  “If it’s investments we’re talking about, I’m in too!” Felix banged his fist on the table.

  Alexa grinned. This was much easier than she thought. She was expecting some pushback, but it seemed that a good deal sweetened by Phoebe’s presence alone was a simple enough way to get what she wanted.

  Mwahahaha, befriending Phoebe really is the best investment I made.

  “Let’s discuss the finer details then, shall we?”

  +++

  Phoebe wasn’t sure what her role was in all of this.

  So far, she’d been following Lady Alexa like some…some lost puppy. She wasn’t going to deny that. She’d been just doing whatever she was ordered, and then some, and then some.

  Sometimes, Alexa would show her off to people, and somehow, by doing that, they’d follow whatever Alexa said.

  It was strange. It was weird. And while she was making herself useful in so many ways to Alexa and her friends, Phoebe felt like she wasn’t doing enough. Now, she was sitting outside the office of the patriarch of House Frankfurt, while inside, Levi’s father and Alexa talked.

  For the past few days, she and Alexa had been traveling with their noble classmates—Franz, Felix, and Levi, to meet with officials of the Empire. Alexa talked and talked to every adult and person she could, moving around with speed that made Phoebe’s head spin.

  All along, she just watched.

  And it made Phoebe wonder. As a saintess, wasn’t her role in this world to be the heroine who would save the day? But, she felt like she was more of a side character by now, someone who was just at the wayside while following someone else.

  Then again, Lady Alexa seemed more suited for this role than Phoebe. She was someone who could do anything, confidently. Sure, she wasn’t the most powerful person out there, but she could move people in the direction that would do good.

  I wish I could do the same…

  “You look quite dismayed over there,” someone called out to her. It was Wilhelm, and he sat beside her, taking a sip out of a metal flask.

  Phoebe furrowed her brows as she watched him, before looking away.

  “Alcohol shortens a human being’s lifetime, Mr. Wilhelm,” Phoebe said, curtly. “I don’t understand why you insist on always having a drink.”

  “It makes me feel something, that’s why,” Wilhelm said. “Now, what’s your big deal? Tired of all this?”

  “No, not really,” Phoebe looked up at Wilhelm. “Why…did you sacrifice so many things just to activate my powers?”

  “Because you can kill Archdemons. And you’re probably, as of now, the most powerful individual walking the world,” Wilhelm grinned. “Pretty good asset if you ask me.”

  “But I only managed to kill one Archdemon…” Phoebe mumbled.

  “And you shouldn’t ask me about your purpose. Because to me, everyone’s purpose is simple. How useful are you at killing demons? That’s my way, but it shouldn’t be your way of seeing things yourself.”

  “How bold. You just admitted that you like using people as tools.”

  “Yes, but I also know that people are people, and just like me, they may want to have a purpose other than being someone else’s tool. So, why are you asking me? You’re now aimless, aren’t you?”

  “I…”

  Phoebe looked down. This guy…he was way too good at figuring people out. It was almost terrifying, and she wondered if he was some sort of psychopath or something. It was as if he always knew every person’s state and used that for his schemes.

  “I’ve seen…so many injured people since the battle,” Phoebe said. “Can that be my purpose?”

  “Hmm?”

  “It’s too short-term though.”

  “But you’ll be serving quite a good duty you assigned to yourself,” Wilhelm grinned. “Why not? Do you want to heal more people instead of being Alexa’s mascot?”

  “I suppose…but aren’t I serving well for her too? Whenever she points people to me, the saintess who killed an archdemon, they always seem to be easier to talk to…”

  “Yes, but again, do you want that to be your purpose, something Alexa assigned to you, or do you want to make your own?”

  “I want to heal people and save them. There’s just…too much suffering in this world, and I’m starting to really hate that…”

  “Then go out,” Wilhelm said. “I’m sure Alexa will understand.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yeah. Go ask her.”

  +++

  “I already have my deals.”

  “What?”

  “So you’re free.”

  Alexa smiled at Phoebe. Phoebe approached Alexa to ask if she could go out and heal people in the Schengen Region. It was something that Alexa thought was useful, so why not?

  After all, she already managed to extract Phoebe’s secret task in her schemes, so…

  “Just go,” Alexa said. “You want to help people out more directly right? It’s fine. That’s your role as the saintess anyway.”

  “R-really?”

  “Just make sure that if I send you a letter or two, you’ll read them,” Alexa declared. “For now, I’m helping to organize the resettlement efforts of the refugees, so, I will be quite busy to have more tea parties with you, but, once we’re free—I’ll be sure to invite you again for a good celebration. Thanks for being with me.”

  Alexa shook Phoebe’s hand gratefully, and the girl’s eyes widened as she looked up at Alexa.

  “...Thanks too, Lady Alexa,” Phoebe smiled. “I’ll be sure to join you once we celebrate. I want strawberry cake again!”

  Alexa giggled.

  “Of course, of course. I’ll prepare the finest one for us for a job well done.”