Chapter 161
GkgpoeA heavy silence filled the air.Dgpxj
90NFernan couldn’t tell what Adolf was thinking, he could only detect a faint trace of anger at the corner of his eyes.fOUxJI
4RF2k“Hahaha…”BJDA
27P6OeBut instead of getting upset, Adolf smiled broadly.V86WzQF
sbFZ1cA“Sorry if I put you in an awkward position. I recently bought a music box, but it had a problem and I couldn’t use it properly.”9yJC
MgZ“I understand. I heard what happened during the meeting of the prince-electors.”HmbWwra
bbg8l“…”oKAw
y2TAaYDFernan smiled slightly.0Dv2G
Pk30SbF“I knew I couldn’t deceive a Pellenberg. Thank you for understanding.”evJWQ
2I0Adolf looked forward again, and the conversation ended there. Silence returned.Hi6w
RvckOUb***Ija
Ey9“We’ve arrived.”qFvke
9mIAfter two days of travel, they reached a rocky mountain range full of steep formations.4jzyNF
tAfNnThere were hardly any trees. The place was arid, rocky, and majestic. If someone planned to develop it, it was understandable that the elves wouldn’t oppose too much.zcMiLd0
30liSAfter surveying the surroundings, Adolf gave the order, and the team set up a base at the entrance of the range.sbNPl
rchdThus began the exploration.JRyXwX
wT92Two days passed since the expedition began, with no sign of mineral veins.4lSdg
wp0PdhHThat was normal. Finding a vein wasn’t something that happened in a day or two.BySk
ELHAnd that was precisely why Fernan had chosen this mission among many options—it allowed him to stay longer while he investigated.Xwr
Rid“I brought him.”dGI7
3qs6Early in the morning, as Fernan was washing his face, Aria appeared accompanied by a knight.ftX4bB2
n7m3VHe was a member of the Order of the Guardian Tree.R5imT
ck9Er“It’s a pleasure. I’m Jeffrey, knight of the order.”TNl146
FOEFJWJeffrey was the one who wrote the letter Aria had shown Fernan before.iKZDAL
Ot8Oo“Fernan.”EI4Jw
RkX“Aria has told me a lot about you.”zrG0
aCXrlJl“And what did she say?”EWVP4
oRmh“…That you’re a good person.”Vmj
WsG4A brief pause. Fernan could imagine the insults she had probably really said.Uio
cBO“I only said good things. I swear. But this isn’t a conversation to have standing up. Let’s go inside.”PZyQh
dwMAria led them both into the tent. Hyde served tea, and Fernan handed Jeffrey the letter.qJ0
CyStpxIt was a simple letter, with mundane, everyday content.eIWF9Z
gvhpZ2v“Did you write this one?”lsUV
I7Li“Yes, that’s my handwriting. I wrote it.”GYPe
AhDXe“And this one?”IO3sV3h
vtkAeJRThis time he showed him the letter that said Adolf collaborated with the corrupt.uDQhshp
CE4FeeJeffrey’s face tensed as he read it.jhIvNM
Uo5P5“What is this?”GOayQu
ORI8J“Aria.”t0VvjFK
RCMR9G“Jeffrey, just answer what Fernan asks. Nothing more.”GdB
DXRXFq“But, miss…”Stp
tFabBE“Quickly.”FxQ2XR
JpMV9fAt Aria’s order, Jeffrey nodded reluctantly.8LyEPxp
ThSJ“Yes, I wrote it.”N1u3Wf
e1mL“And this one?”s2QBK
laMTkHe handed him a third letter, where everything was denied as a misunderstanding.t5hA
oB9“…That one’s mine too.”Fxu10
YliH“Wow, you wrote three completely contradictory letters in just one day.”Ferm
oigY“It was a misunderstanding.”2zMUN
dgDP“That remains to be seen. We can’t be sure it was just a mistake.”CvaICg
FXdRpw“Are you saying the subcommander is a corrupt?”PHdK
OLKJeffrey stood up, indignant.5fTG
88q“Sit down, Jeffrey.”Ir1M
N8vxqMg“Miss!”g9Z7
BiUd“I told you to calm down. Cooperate with Fernan. It’s a direct order from my father.”BCOi
JaL“…”fw0ff
0MVWQJeffrey pressed his lips together and sat back down.nL1LB
tXOYhFernan lightly tapped the letters with his fingers.741hk
1pu“I didn’t write these letters. You did. And I wish everything you wrote was true.”Og5
27uz3a“Are you implying I lied?”PafNjJF
G0cwB“No. It’s very likely you told the truth.”rAGf
k9e“Then…”6BbXm
RSnylTB“But we don’t know if that ‘truth’ is actually true.”wIdIci
R3JrEiJeffrey frowned.Lg3FFnr
l0NTKGD“What do you want from me?”i4nhdVj
LO0“I want you to tell me exactly what happened the day you wrote that letter.”PaUWxb
HDxp“So the mineral vein was just an excuse from the beginning.”7P9j
N6K“The expedition is real. If we find something, we get the exploitation rights.”lOR94vS
NLWRam5That was the deal Aria and Fridian had offered Fernan.lZ89OY
s8gSIf there were no veins, they’d compensate him with something of equal value.pWCg
SiB“Understood. That day…”WTN5DN
QFP4***l2Td
zc2TThey had received a report about a group of monsters appearing in the south of Fridian.MQA
WgETB25The marquis quickly dispatched part of the Order of the Guardian Tree, including Jeffrey.DOdw7Y
rYb5x“They’re ogres!”gcKRXf3
Njeq“Five of them together?!”kODV8o
GY0MyAIn the area, they encountered a group of ogres, known as the kings of the mountain.ERN2De6
mMsroIt was rare for them to move in a group, but in the middle of battle, there was no time to think about it.iEXH
g919y“Split up and take them down one by one!”zD5v
uejlimUnder Adolf’s command, they began eliminating the ogres.
The problem came afterward.4lO9KXc
R1IthDKieeeek!YprXL
s7ZRRA wave of flying insects descended on them like a black tide.1Brdv
8G2DphT“What is that?”rBtL2v
BoIB“They’re monsters!”2N3r
r4xSoI“Don’t panic!”EwKB
P1Cmw0On their own, Crichter weren’t too dangerous. But being attacked from the rear while fighting ogres was devastating.L02
M6eAnd that wasn’t all.9XX5Th
tQYcar“Orgae Barka?! They said it was just normal monsters!”9c769j8
zj1B“Hold formation!”3Gmf
YwC“Regroup!”34Mbekl
UXHVW4sThe Crichter were just the beginning.E56nIL
Tzu2GfDMore monsters began swarming them from all sides.M15DyC
Dms5ACNot even Fridian’s best order of knights could handle such a massive ambush from both flanks.V3ikhpW
eKgs“Khff…!”WPGe
UtOW6IJeffrey was unlucky.OLBpQ
ccE8mhHe managed to climb a Barka’s back and slash its neck,
but he lost too much blood, and before he could recover, Crichter ambushed him from behind.M0tV
Q880dfpHe fell down the slope, rolling several meters.
He broke his arm and several ribs. The pain was unbearable.YDei
39FRxU“Ah… help…”OdVnK
F6CBattle cries could still be heard above.bLZ
KhI0t8jHis voice was too weak to stand out amidst the chaos.Y5C
uHCFXJeHis consciousness began to fade…H9W
6HZThen, a shadow covered him.ufK
0j1“Are you okay?”E9R2k
7b9SvCq“S-Subcommander…”Miv
lVXqki“Sorry I didn’t get here sooner. The situation was complicated.”DfnaX9h
UNNRv“No… it’s not your fault…”sIg1A
3RHrd“Glad you’re still alive.”91VO4X
WrOtLIAdolf Fridian applied a potion to his wounds.
Half he poured on the injuries, the other half he made him drink.Uq9m2L
R7Om“This is just emergency treatment. We need to get you to the city as soon as possible.”qmySoV
YJpThe knights loaded Jeffrey onto a horse.NnA0lE
uYgd***OJTz
xeBXqr“…That’s how it happened.”iGhDB3
ZHMpBJ“That’s all?”pufa
PNajc“Yes. Were you expecting more?”ht7GVp
NyZ“Didn’t you mention earlier that Subcommander Adolf made some aggressive remarks?”pdKIf
dscbBU“It was just a passing comment. He only said he wasn’t satisfied with the current situation. And well, that’s understandable, isn’t it? Even though we’re one of the prince-electors, everyone knows how Fridian is treated.”yVoeJpK
uomFPNG“Of course, I know that.”zwkCV
XHIKhbFernan slowly placed something on the table.puyC
Inio2K“But there’s something I find strange.”1MtjY
siPu“What is it?”FA1d2eu
WP2ASnf“You said you wrote this letter, right?”TANPJdj
0Cmkx21“Yes, that’s my handwriting.”AcP
onlI“Then why does the content not match what you’re telling me now?”4tSJQZr
qZfJlG“What do you mean?”wQacH
Yb1“It literally says here, ‘If you want to live, answer me honestly. Do you really believe Fridian is on the right path?’”2Y70
Tl0GEfU“It says that…?”xTaM9
mXx0“There’s no need to reread it.”M7P
zgyeFernan pulled out a crystal orb.iugb
keicYK“Place your aura here and tell it again.”ww8HGyz
k1QZ“Ugh, I hate those things…”nM0Yv
bib0It was a demonic energy detection artifact made by the Church.Rj2jU1
a9zaAnd a few seconds later, the orb emitted a faint gray glow.Zsj
3D4A“W-wait, it must be a mistake…”BtVswL
5A4U0Z“How did this thing work again?”F5VX
QSbLu7w“Leave it to me! This kind of thing is for experienced people.”IkS9arY
ZJyjbX“Weren’t you the one who was a victim?”nCRwlie
NEdgR1“Being a victim is also experience!”WBCz0
j5G“Miss? What are you doing?”ckCV
JPsAria poured holy water into a container.Wlk
o10wOpS“No matter how painful it is, endure it, Jeffrey.”Mmlq1
GRCd“W-what are you talking abou—grrgggh…!”PRqvi
80TTXh4“Don’t resist! If you do, I’ll tell my father you’re a corrupt!”WA39S
818“This is injustice… blghgh…!”CqwCC
7xhFT6“Now that I’m the one doing the purification, I’m starting to understand that damn Saint’s expression.”ttx
OdMAfter about ten minutes of immersion in holy water, the artifact stopped showing the gray color.IC0dQ
RWV“…I remembered what happened!”fuibSRU
x2BXyJust like with Aria and Verian, it didn’t seem like the memory had been completely erased, so he managed to recover part of it.KSRoVPM
hfXb“Subcommander Adolf came to me while I was injured. And…”Hy5
GwgtgcHe frowned.gzYX
Uj1vP“…He threatened me while giving me the potion.”tkJjfg
CavjDO“What exactly did he say?”qMf5pWN
X0sp9bM“I don’t remember clearly… just fragments…”nDJx
Ng4E“Even so, say it, Jeffrey.”Cmxl9nM
hAX“The empire is rotten. Elves aren’t treated as they deserve under human rule.”ywdj
FjtfLJeffrey’s words came out as scattered fragments.7Fg0MHw
bg61uA“We have to fix the empire. The elves must rise.”hFmmgl8
upAuy3EBut that was enough.tV9
8IoE“Even if we must ally with the corrupt. What do you think, Jeffrey?”HVCri
XIkoThat was the key part. That he clearly remembered.XXCh4
vFJ“Then there’s no other choice…”dCX97w
ixkLAfter that, his memory faded.D7D
GFKj“And then I woke up in a bed. Everything felt confusing…”mvrlP
qVG“That’s enough. That’s all we need.”8e58Kd
jkx“…I wish it weren’t true. What do we do now?”FsC
icaQ“Get solid proof.”a3gt
z14QmJeffrey’s testimony was a great lead, but it was still just that—words.5mQp
f3ujLWithout clear evidence, all they’d do is provoke the enemy.mIz1UGI
u4OCTDU“For now, we continue the mission and buy time.”ynvJ
TdhGAs long as they stayed together, he’d make a mistake eventually.FNMQILC
R7Bfs‘And if I can’t get proof, I’ll capture him and torture him.’0lBLu
xZ9SThat was the last resort.03oa9Ll
1pgCuNFernan’s eyes turned cold.TXSpW
0xTP***nOY0wdy
uMbBAside from that lead, the mining expedition continued, though without much progress.mwTh5xa
CbA8et6That wasn’t a problem, since Fridian had promised a reward even if they found nothing.lmKamV
Fm5biBut Wooden wanted to try.DgoZT37
WcF5Uo— Kyuu.ol3n0Z
qhge“You want to try? Well, it might work…”LtKLV
6gZAfter all, he had eaten roots of Itarium, a plant that feeds on minerals.UVXef7
j3nfwThat made him an excellent tracker.lqdt
FpT“All right. Do as you like.”Pk6
pUgalFernan headed to a remote part of the range with Hyde and Wooden. If he found anything, it would be better to keep it hidden for now.bNlIM8
i9lle“It’d be nice if you do find something.”3TnW
h9SyyiX“Obviously. Let’s go, Wooden. Give it a shot.”bAkyrqk
Tbah0R3— Kyiii!MR35
pdE2MzmWooden planted himself in the middle of the mountain and extended his roots from all over his body.03Dc
zFivPDCrack, crack.IQf
tqGNormally, it’s not easy for roots to penetrate solid rock.C7kKNPP
JjiBut Wooden’s roots weren’t normal.EequKs
pJEK0ekBorn from Itarium, nourished by the World Tree and sacred metals, they began drilling through the mountain like butter.ZULoFsM
KPoomxThey spread quickly and deep.u2iHbC
nX1XBoRSeveral hours passed.kqC
B31U— Kyuuu!MEPF
sOtVWooden let out a sound—he had found something.NFf
eDCYAZo“What is it?”LsoyEM2
J9l9a4— Kyu!PbLkr8G
5FVB“Iron ore? And quite a lot?”4b4jU
MbXFhITurns out Wooden wasn’t just good at detecting demonic energy, he was great at finding minerals too.CQl
KSOFernan smiled in satisfaction.wPOx
mYBaFC2“You really found it?”fxssRit
9Gp4KWJ“Hyde, wait here. I’ll go down to check.”pVz3
HXStEzT“Would you like me to go with you?”h9e
6fBFx“I’m going to drill through the rock. It’s easier alone than making room for two.”ww1H
DofFernan placed his hand on the ground and activated his magic.mxNauA
JgJnCrack-crack-crack, a tunnel opened and led him downward.kR9Lkw
tDkWloHe kept going down.fnKJ6kG
xNJAnd down.WkNTNL
Z5jp“Why is this so deep? Are you sure there’s something here?”TpWO
JcB— Kyuuu!2zt0H
ZQCzBl“You don’t want me to doubt you? Feels like I’ve gone down hundreds of meters.”2JRFl
fbZJAt that depth, mining wasn’t profitable.6AdSFVq
Xs2EnAnd even worse, it was in a rocky mountain.88o1o1y
h9yQuFernan kept descending, using a large amount of mana.THqCi
z1qCInFinally.5ZQ
4IQpbQ“…Yep, here it is. You were right.”pUD6
995ZaOLHe found an iron mine. Quite a big one.WFi
EZFEBut his expression wasn’t exactly pleased.VkeF2Ru
plSsv2It wasn’t adamantite, orichalcum, or mithril.qEIu2
uxPKwwxIt was too hard to extract to be worthwhile.VidvGx
qMPtr“I’d better only come back for it if I really need it.”XU87
KbsuEven that wasn’t very efficient.Dab8
31WmDjThat’s when—rKGf8
bVm3Crack.4tk
T7f0PfOne of the walls collapsed on its own.PqnfB
gbLEAThrough the opening, a face appeared.zMm4F6
YpT“…A dwarf?”lCH
Zvq“…A human?”a7JS
x6aMTheir eyes met.BUzFpN
sKOy“Waaaah!”tQ2q
GfCWrQmWith a scream, the hole shut immediately.pporO2
XAHAwaOFootsteps could be heard hurrying away on the other side.Vnq8
8EM9“…What the heck?”Fzksxu
syTWhat was a dwarf doing there?juN
OABhkSNo, that wasn’t the most urgent question.O3mSn
HplFernan placed his hand on the freshly sealed wall.NjOHep
JgvjyCrkk.a3z5
1eOEqsMana surged. The wall split open, revealing a new path.UxXGR
4PHLFe“I don’t know why you’re here, or why we ended up meeting.”QTAgHCQ
vd5fBut he wasn’t going to waste that opportunity.JZ7oG
emAHThe best craftsmen on the continent.EhKC1Uh
Hcc36MHe wasn’t going to ignore a dwarf he found by chance.epZmJp
QNlNzMj***0ncn7uh
HUlAHl“Huff, huff…!”cJ0jfN
J1CYThe dwarf Ahgrot panted as he ran.xi4
Tmw“What’s a human doing here?”BtLChUQ
OSd5TAs he ran, he sealed the tunnel he had dug.Oak5
KXXA skill not all dwarves possessed.srclj9y
XkSNNcIt was a shame to seal a tunnel he had worked so hard on, but that didn’t matter now.eMItH
53Q0“This territory belongs to the elves! How could a human get this far?”42V2bXc
6bcFfVHad the elves been defeated? No, impossible.X4S9
ITKJWhen he went out recently, everything was fine.OCB
XnMvTvTNo, that wasn’t the important thing right now.qnDAu
dXdSHHe had to report this to the mayor.jgV10
zxHX8“Ack…!”FhO5
ZnIbHe tripped on a stone and tumbled several times along the ground.7ev
XeXLUHe tried to get up, but stopped cold.cOd
GofE“…Did I trip on a rock in a tunnel I dug myself?”Mksj
MB2That was unacceptable for a dwarf.XkBxAz
u8xdHe slowly turned his head.HChxT
feEZIt wasn’t a rock—it was a lump he hadn’t left behind.B06
SlYVhAnd for something like that to exist in his tunnel…mdgxZy2
XdXpn4C“Yes, that’s what makes no sense for a dwarf.”9AwdPt
bTgQAiMA voice came from ahead, freezing his blood.K4v
zhind“…”uYtF08z
8jvRmCdHe slowly, very slowly turned his head.xvN
CIeVAnd there he was.z3YLQ
GzcDmoRA man, standing as if he’d been there from the start, blocking his path.NdIV3Nc
an3jl“How…?”N9SY7
DSr4oUOHow had he gotten there before him, through a tunnel he dug himself?JQdKaj
ipF“Does that matter?”8K4
bT1VyuVThe man brushed the dust off his clothes and spoke.yRU
8xw“What matters is that we’ve met here.”neY
cTv“What…?”oQBr
uECoGThe man extended his hand.fYcQMaO
dJfoMjU“I guarantee you the best deal possible. Would you like to work for my company?”AkQDau
Zzqu…Huh?XzJ
ZM6PThe dwarf’s eyes went blank with sheer confusion.yr6C
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