For now, the situation was still under control.
But what if more returnees appeared? The doctor reminded me that there was another possibility I had to watch out for: as the number of returnees grew, many of them might hold high positions within their families and possess enormous influence. For people like that, taking control of their entire families would not be difficult at all. Besides, they certainly would not lack supporters.
The doctor asked me what I would do if those families all fell into the returnees' hands and came under their control. Would I truly force my way in? If I did, the Four Great Families might very well join forces and declare war on the manor first.
If it really came to that, the members of the Four Great Families who had originally supported the island lord system and stood with us would very likely turn against us. After all, though they appeared to support us, when it came down to it, they were more likely to choose their own bloodline.
No matter what, their ties to the returnees ran bone-deep.
To the Four Great Families, the people of the manor were outsiders.
When we were useful to them, they might treat us with courtesy. But once we became mortal enemies, their attitude would be entirely different.
I looked at the doctor. "Do you have any good suggestions? We can't possibly start taking action against these returnees right now, can we?"
The doctor shook his head. "No. You already missed the best opportunity. If you had imposed mandatory isolation on the very first returnee—I mean bringing them to the manor for isolation—then you would have gained a certain degree of initiative afterward. Since the person would have been in your hands, whether they were truly returnees from