It was late autumn. The north had long since been blanketed in ice and snow, and even in the warm south, there was a distinct chill in the air. Most pedestrians on the streets had put on heavy clothes; even low-income commoners wrapped themselves in as many extra layers as they could.
Though many of them wore patched clothing, they were generally dressed neatly and warmly enough—enough to fend off the cold wind while maintaining a basic measure of dignity.
Such a sight was hard to find even in the capital of the Thunder Duchy. Beyond the upper district where nobles lived and the inner district where the wealthy resided, workers in worn-out clothes were still a common sight in the middle district, despite the local residents being decently dressed. As for the outer and lower districts... every morning, one of the patrols' important duties was clearing away homeless people who had frozen to death.
Every winter, even the capital of the Thunder Duchy saw hundreds of homeless people freeze to death, providing snacks for the wild beasts beyond the city walls.
But not in this city. Of course, people still died here in winter, but they would absolutely not die of cold or hunger.
Beginning more than twenty years ago with the previous lord, Baron Crick Keen, and through the efforts of two successive generations of barons, Keen City had become one of the most prosperous places in the entire Thunder Duchy. Unlike ordinary lords, the Keen Family followed a policy of "storing wealth among the people," placing great importance on the welfare of their subjects. Every winter, the lord arranged all manner of jobs, large and small, giving the poor a stable income—usually with a free lunch included as well.
Naturally, this cost a great deal of money,