Chapter 161
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 161
Chapter Title: An Unexpected Encounter
-----------------------------------------------------------------
A heavy silence fell.
Pernyan couldn’t tell what Adolphe was thinking. He could only read the faint anger gathering in the corners of his eyes.
“Hahaha…!”
But instead of showing anger, Adolphe laughed brightly.
“My apologies if I’ve made things difficult. I bought a music box a while ago, but it had a problem, so I haven’t been able to use it properly.”
“I understand. I heard what happened at the Electors’ meeting.”
“…”
Pernyan smiled faintly.
“It seems a Fallenberg is impossible to fool. Thank you for your understanding.”
Adolphe’s gaze returned to the front, and the conversation ended. A long silence ensued.
“We’re here.”
After three days of riding, they arrived at a rocky mountain range filled with bizarrely shaped stones.
The barren, skeletal mountain range, nearly devoid of trees, was quite a spectacle. It was indeed a place the elves would tolerate being developed.
After a brief survey of the area, Adolphe gave the order, and the expedition team set up a base at the entrance of the mountain range.
And so, the exploration began.
* * *
Two days passed since the exploration began. The team had yet to find any trace of an ore vein.
This was to be expected, as finding an ore vein wasn't something that could be done in a day or two.
That was why Pernyan had chosen ore exploration out of many possible reasons. He needed to stay as long as possible to investigate.
“I brought him.”
In the early dawn, as Pernyan was lightly washing his face, Aria appeared with a knight.
He was a member of the Guardian Tree Knights.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you. I am Jeffrey of the Guardian Tree Knights.”
Jeffrey was the one who had written the letter Aria had shown him.
“Pernyan.”
“Lady Aria has told me much about you.”
“What did she say?”
“…That you’re a rather good person.”
A momentary hesitation. Pernyan could roughly guess what kind of curses she had actually used.
“I only said good things. Only good things. This isn’t a conversation to have standing up, so shall we go inside?”
Aria led Pernyan and Jeffrey into the tent. Hyde served tea, and Pernyan presented the letter he had received from Aria.
It was a letter containing nothing but mundane, everyday matters.
“This, did you write it?”
“Yes, that’s correct. It’s my handwriting and my words.”
“Then what about this one?”
This time, it was the letter stating that Adolphe wanted to start an uprising.
Jeffrey’s face hardened as he took it.
“…What is the meaning of this?”
“Aria.”
“Jeffrey, don’t say another word. Just answer his questions.”
“But, my lady.”
“Now.”
At Aria’s command, Jeffrey nodded.
“It’s correct.”
“Then this one?”
This time, the letter stating it was a simple misunderstanding.
“…This one is also mine.”
“You wrote two letters with completely contradictory content in the span of a single day.”
“Because, as I said, it was a misunderstanding.”
“Well, we don’t know that for sure. Whether it was a misunderstanding or not.”
“Are you suggesting the Vice-Commander is a Vile Breed?”
Jeffrey shot to his feet, incensed.
“Sit down, Jeffrey.”
“My lady!”
“I told you to lower your voice and sit. Cooperate fully with him. This is an order from my father as well.”
“…”
Jeffrey bit his lip and sat back down. Pernyan tapped the letters.
“I’m not the one who wrote this. You are. I, too, wish the contents of the letter were true.”
“Are you saying I lied?”
“No, it’s highly likely you only told the truth.”
“Then…”
“But whether that truth was the actual truth is another matter.”
Jeffrey’s face stiffened.
“What do you want from me?”
“That day. I want to hear the story of the day you were made to write this letter.”
“So the ore exploration was a lie from the start.”
“The exploration is real. We’ve agreed that if we find anything, we get the development rights.”
That was the price Aria and the Friedien family had promised Pernyan. Though they had agreed to give him something else if no vein was found.
“I understand. That day…”
* * *
News arrived that a group of monsters had been spotted in southern Friedien territory.
The Marquis quickly dispatched a part of the Guardian Tree Knights, and Jeffrey was among them.
“Ogres!”
“A pack of five?”
There, the Guardian Tree Knights faced the ogres, known as the kings of the mountain.
It was unusual for ogres to form a pack, but faced with an immediate enemy, they had no time to dwell on the strangeness of it.
“Everyone, spread out and take them down one by one!”
Under Adolphe’s command, the Guardian Tree Knights began to deal with the ogres one by one. That was when the problem occurred.
*Kieeeek!*
A massive swarm of winged insects swept over the knights like a wave.
“What are those?!”
“Demonic beasts!”
“Don’t panic!”
The swarm of dozens of Krikters wasn't that threatening on its own. But being ambushed from behind while fighting ogres was fatal.
And that wasn’t all.
“Orgas and Vargas? I thought these were supposed to be monsters!”
“Do not panic!”
“Form up!”
As if the Krikters were just a prelude, other demonic beasts poured out in a flood.
No matter how skilled the Guardian Tree Knights were as Friedien’s finest, being surrounded and ambushed by a large-scale demonic beast attack was a different story.
“*Cough…!*”
Jeffrey was unlucky.
He managed to climb onto a Varga’s back and slice its neck. But as he staggered from heavy blood loss, the Krikters swarmed him from behind.
He fell from the collapsing Varga’s back and tumbled down a slope, plummeting dozens of meters.
He broke his arm and several ribs. A groan escaped his lips from the throbbing pain.
“…He… help.”
The sounds of battle still roared from above, easily drowning out his voice.
His consciousness began to fade.
Just then, a shadow fell over him.
“Are you all right?”
“Vi-Vice-Commander…”
“I’m sorry I couldn’t find you sooner. The situation was so urgent, I was delayed.”
“N-No, sir.”
“I’m glad you’re still alive.”
Adolphe Friedien uncorked a potion, pouring half on his wounds and helping him drink the rest.
“This is just first aid. We need to get you to the city quickly.”
The knights lifted Jeffrey onto a horse.
* * *
“…And that’s what happened.”
“Is that all?”
“Yes. Should there be more?”
“Didn’t you mention Vice-Commander Adolphe’s radical remarks?”
“He just mentioned in passing that he was displeased with the current situation. And it’s true, isn’t it? We all know how Friedien is treated, despite being an Elector state.”
“Of course, I’m aware of that.”
Pernyan rummaged for something and placed it on the table.
“But something is strange.”
“What is?”
“This letter, didn’t you say you wrote it?”
“I did.”
Then why.
“Is what you’re saying now different from what you wrote in the letter?”
“…What do you mean?”
“It’s clearly written here, ‘If you want to live, answer me honestly. Do you think the current state of Friedien is right?’”
“That can’t be…”
“There’s no need to read the letter again.”
It was a crystal orb.
“First, let’s have you channel your aura into this and we’ll talk again.”
“Ugh, I hate that thing.”
To be precise, it was a demonic energy-sensitive artifact made by the Church.
A moment later, the artifact glowed a faint gray.
“…W-Wait. This has to be some kind of mistake…!”
“How did this go again?”
“I’ll do it, I’ll do it! Someone with experience is best for this.”
“Weren’t you on the receiving end?”
“Being on the receiving end is still experience.”
“My lady? What are you…?”
Aria poured holy water into a basin.
“No matter how painful it is, endure it, Jeffrey.”
“What do you m—*grlrlrl…!*”
“Don’t resist! If you resist, I’ll tell my father you’re a Vile Breed!”
“I’m innocent—*blub…!*”
“Being on the torturing—no, purifying—side, I think I finally understand that damn Saint’s expression a little.”
After about ten minutes submerged in the holy water, the artifact no longer turned gray.
“…I remember what happened!”
And unlike Aria or Verian’s cases, where repeated exposure had completely erased their memories, he managed to recall a part of his.
“When I was injured, Vice-Commander Adolphe came to me. He came and…”
He grimaced.
“Instead of giving me a potion, he threatened me…!”
“What did he say?”
“I can’t remember exactly. It’s in fragments…”
“Tell us what you can, Jeffrey.”
“‘The Empire is rotten. Crushed by humans, the elves are not getting the treatment they deserve.’”
The words coming from Jeffrey’s mouth were fragmented, like shards of a memory.
“‘The Empire must be set right. The elves must rise.’”
But that alone…
“‘Even if it means joining hands with the Vile Breeds. What do you think, Jeffrey?’”
Was enough. He remembered the most important part.
“‘Then I have no choice.’ And after that, his hand…”
Jeffrey clutched his head and groaned.
“The next thing I knew, I woke up in bed. My memory was strange…”
“That’s enough. That will suffice.”
“…I hoped it wasn’t true. What do we do now?”
“We need to find proper evidence.”
Jeffrey’s story was a crucial clue, but it was still just testimony.
Without concrete proof, they would only succeed in angering their target.
“For now, we’ll have to focus on this task and buy a little more time.”
If they stayed close and kept prodding, there was bound to be a reaction.
*If I can’t find evidence, I’ll have to capture and torture him…*
That was truly a last resort.
Pernyan’s eyes grew cold.
* * *
Separate from finding this clue, the search for an ore vein continued, but without much progress.
Whether they found one or not, the Friedien family had promised compensation, so it wasn’t a problem. However, Wooden wanted to step up.
*-Kuuung.*
“You want to give it a try? It might just be possible…”
Having eaten the root of an Itarium, which was said to grow by feeding on the energy of ore, there was a good chance.
“Alright, do as you please.”
Pernyan took Hyde and Wooden to a remote part of the mountain range. Even if Wooden found something, they would have to hide it for now.
“It would certainly be good if we found something.”
“Of course. Alright, Wooden. Go ahead.”
*-Geuing!*
Wooden stood on its two legs in the middle of the rocky mountain.
Its mana surged, and tree roots began to sprout from its entire body.
*Kwadeudeudeuk—*
Normally, it isn’t easy for tree roots to penetrate solid rock.
But Wooden’s roots were no ordinary roots. They originated from an Itarium that grew by feeding on the World Tree and the energy of metal.
In an instant, they pierced the rocky mountain, spreading wide and deep.
A few hours passed like that.
*-Kuuung!*
Wooden sent a signal, indicating it had found something.
“What is it?”
*-Guuuu!*
“Iron ore? A sizable amount?”
To think its abilities as an ore detector were this good, on top of being a demonic energy detector. A smile spread across Pernyan’s lips.
“You really found it?”
“Hyde, I’m going down. Wait here.”
“I’ll go with you…”
“I have to break through the rock wall to get down. Creating a space for two is tedious and difficult. It’s easier alone.”
He placed a hand on the ground and activated his magic.
*Kwadeudeudeu*, a hole opened in the solid rock, guiding Pernyan downward.
Down he went.
And down further still.
“…Why is it so deep? Are you sure it’s here?”
*-Kuuung!*
“You’re telling me not to doubt you? No, I think I’ve descended hundreds of meters. Is this right?”
At this depth, it wouldn’t be profitable even if there was a mine. Especially since this was a rocky mountain, not an ordinary one.
Pernyan descended even deeper. Breaking through the solid rock consumed a considerable amount of mana.
And finally.
“…Alright, it’s here. you were right.”
He had found the iron ore vein. The quantity was substantial, but Pernyan’s expression was not pleased.
It was at a depth where he wouldn’t even dream of mining it unless it was Adamant, Orichalcum, or Mithril.
“It would be better for me to just come and go by myself whenever I need some.”
Of course, even that wouldn’t be very efficient…
It was then.
*Kwarereu—*
Without Pernyan even touching it, a section of the wall crumbled away. A face peeked through the newly formed hole.
“…A dwarf?”
“…A human?”
The moment their eyes met.
“Uwaaaaaaah!”
With a scream, the hole was instantly sealed shut. The sound of frantic footsteps echoed from beyond the wall.
“…What the.”
Why is there a dwarf here?
No, that’s not what’s important.
Pernyan placed his hand on the newly sealed rock wall.
*Kugeugeugeu—*
With a surge of mana, the wall cracked open, creating a path.
“…I don’t know why you’re here or why we met.”
The greatest artisan race on the continent.
As if I’d let a dwarf I just happened to find get away.
* * *
“*Pant, pant…!*”
The dwarf, Akhgrot, gasped for breath.
“What the, why is a human here?”
He performed the bizarre feat of running while simultaneously filling in the tunnel he had dug. A skill most dwarves couldn’t easily replicate.
It was a shame to lose the tunnel he had worked so hard to dig, but that wasn’t what mattered.
“This is elven territory…! How did a human get this far…?”
Could the elves have fallen? No way. There were no problems the last time he went outside.
No, that wasn’t important either.
I have to tell the mayor that a human has come this far and figure out what to do…
“Oof…!”
Akhgrot tripped on a rock and tumbled several times.
As he got up to run again, he froze.
“…I tripped on a rock in a tunnel I dug myself?”
For a dwarf, that was an impossibility.
He slowly turned his head. It wasn’t a rock; it was a mound that someone had artificially created.
And it made no sense for there to be a mound he didn’t know about in a tunnel he had dug.
“Yes, it wouldn’t make sense for a dwarf to do that.”
A voice from ahead sent a chill down his spine.
“…”
Slowly.
Very slowly, his head turned.
And there, blocking his path as naturally as if he had been there all along, stood the man.
“How in the world…?”
How did he get ahead of me in a tunnel I dug?
“Is that important?”
The man said, brushing the dirt from his clothes.
“What’s important is that I met you here.”
“What do you mean?”
The man extended his hand.
“I can guarantee the best treatment. Are you interested in a job at my merchant guild?”
Suddenly…?
Akhgrot’s eyes went blank.