61
Chapter 61
"I'm going to work hard and learn as much as I can today!"
I told Imperial Princess Helena, who was brimming with enthusiasm and clenching her fists, that I would pick her up in the evening before I turned to leave.
When I returned to the safehouse, Old Man Daph was waiting for me.
"Did you drop the Princess off safely?"
"I did. You're back early."
Yesterday, I had borrowed some help from the Intelligence Agency to find Shine's necklace.
Although I had obtained a list, it only contained the names of the families rather than the actual attendees, so figuring out who exactly was there and where they were would have taken me too long on my own.
Old Man Daph initially refused, complaining that I was trying to use the Intelligence Agency for something trivial, but as soon as I mentioned the missing item was a keepsake from the Duchess, he cooperated immediately.
Fortunately, through the information I gathered, I found a suspicious person and recovered the necklace easily.
The culprit was Silvia, the Marquis's daughter and Shine's academy peer, whom I had met before the play.
She had been sitting behind us and must have swiped the necklace while we were asleep.
Since we were already acquainted, I slightly altered my appearance before meeting her; she denied it at first, but she readily confessed once I revealed I was with the Intelligence Agency.
It was truly pathetic how she kept spouting nonsense about how she was just playing a prank during the play, while begging me not to tell the Duke's family...
Of course, I didn't want to make a scene either, so I just took the necklace back.
"Didn't you say the interrogation would start at noon?"
The reason I was meeting Old Man Daph again today was for the interrogation of Viscount Lapierre, the Lord of Creta.
"The schedule changed. We need to finish the interrogation before lunch."
"Why so suddenly?"
"Duke Marshall has arrived in the Capital."
I was a bit surprised.
They say the conflict with Quasar has diminished, but for a Commander who manages a key pillar of the border to leave his post and come here, it meant he was truly furious.
"Didn't you say you'd try to persuade His Majesty the Emperor?"
"...He told the Emperor that he would renounce his title as Duke if he weren't allowed to handle the Viscount himself, so there wasn't much His Majesty could do. It's only because Marshall doesn't have the Ruby Plaque; if he did, he would have taken the man's head long ago."
I can understand Duke Marshall's feelings after losing his child, but Viscount Lapierre must also feel it's unfair.
He's just caught in the crossfire because the incident happened in his own territory, in his own building.
The truly evil ones are those Vicious Exile bastards who carried out the terror attack.
"Then will Duke Marshall take him after lunch?"
"That's the plan, but let's interrogate him first. If further investigation is needed, I'll have to negotiate again. Let's go."
I nodded and left the safehouse with the old man.
We navigated through various narrow alleys off the main road and entered a closed butcher shop.
From the inner room, we descended into an underground passage, walked for about twenty minutes, and passed through a familiar wooden door into the interrogation room.
"This place is exactly as it was."
The Intelligence Agency's underground interrogation room.
There are terrifying rumors that it's filled with all sorts of torture devices and that no one ever leaves alive, but in reality, it's just an ordinary basement.
Since the Intelligence Agency doesn't use tools when they torture.
A mountain of documents was piled on the table, and a scrawny man lay on a cot in the corner.
I quickly used magic to slightly alter my face.
"The Viscount? You let him sleep here?"
"He said he didn't want to come out after hearing the Duke had arrived... Viscount Lapierre, wake up now."
At the old man's voice, the man stood up.
"I didn't know you had arrived. And who is this beside you?"
He looked extremely guarded.
"Rest assured, I'm not one of Duke Marshall's men come to take you away. He said he'd come in person around noon."
"Count, please save me! This is all such a misunderstanding!"
"If you want to live, you'd better help us catch the terrorists first. Now, have a seat."
I sat down beside the old man and scanned the documents, listening to the conversation between him and the Viscount.
Since he managed the empire's most famous tourist destination, there were some minor irregularities here and there, but overall, he was relatively clean.
There was nothing that seemed to link him to Vicious Exile.
The old man had already investigated the few suspicious points, as they were marked with X's.
"See anything unusual?"
"Not yet. May I ask a few questions as well?"
"By all means. Viscount Lapierre, this here is our... associate."
"Looking at the files, it seems many people and organizations approached you. Were any of them suspicious?"
"Due to the nature of Creta Island as a tourist spot, I've met so many people regarding development or business permits that..."
"I'm sure you have. But I'm asking about the odd ones. Even the smallest detail helps. Most of these seem to be about tourism, casinos, and inns; did anyone ask for something other than that?"
"I've told the Director everything I remember. Even the illegal stuff."
He's a dead man once the Duke arrives, so he has no reason to hide anything....
"Think carefully. Ah! Was there anyone who showed an interest in the forest?"
"Many people were interested in the forest. Various merchant groups and neighboring nobles proposed logging and developing the area to expand the city and create new tourist attractions."
"Sounds like a great idea. Who did you partner with?"
Because the Vicious Exile bastards might have used another noble as a front to get in.
"Actually... I intended to clear the monsters with the help of the Southern Legion and develop it independently."
"So that your share wouldn't be cut by other partners?"
"...Correct."
Typical. The rich really are the greediest.
"Aside from general development, did anyone mention doing something else in the forest?"
The Viscount shook his head.
Dammit. I met an Exile member in the forest, so I was sure it had something to do with the woods. Was I wrong?
Then again, the terror attack happened in the city....
It seems I've been looking in the wrong direction.
"Ah! Now that you mention it, I did receive an offer to buy the development rights for an iron mine."
An iron mine?
"Is there an iron mine in the forests of Creta Island?"
It's famous as a tourist destination, but this is the first I've heard of any mines.
"I'm not sure if you're aware, but the Adolph Merchant Group operates casinos and inns on my land. I've often hired their mercenary group for monster control, and they once proposed buying the rights, claiming they'd found a site where an iron mine was suspected to be."
The Adolph Merchant Group. The name sounded strangely familiar.
"And did you sell the rights?"
"No. The price they offered was too low... They tried to lowball me, arguing that since the estate lacked smelting facilities and shipping ore from an island would be costly, it wouldn't be very profitable."
"So you wanted to run the mine yourself...."
"No. I just wasn't that interested. I had it investigated, but the quality was low, so it didn't seem like it would make much money...."
True. In a typical estate, finding an iron mine would be a windfall, but given the island's geography and the fortune he was already making from tourism, it probably wasn't tempting.
"This doesn't seem particularly important, so let's move on to other questions. It's almost lunchtime."
No.
If it were anything else, I might have let it go, but a mine is different.
According to Ark, a vast amount of minerals is required to utilize the Alchemist's Ruins.
Iron mines are common, but they don't always produce only iron.
Like May's territory, they can have gold veins or various other minerals.
"Do you remember the potential mine sites?"
"Uh... I think I can tell you if I see a map."
"Director, could I have a map of Creta Island, please?"
"Why the sudden interest in mines? You said you didn't even sell the rights."
"What was their reaction when the Viscount put the deal on hold?"
"They said they understood and didn't react much."
No reaction? Then maybe not?
Still, I think it's better to investigate for now.
"I'll explain the reason later, so please hurry with the map. I'll also need the files on the Adolph Merchant Group."
Old Man Daph grumbled that anyone watching would think I was the Director, but he told me to wait and left the interrogation room.
"Do you suspect the Adolph Merchant Group?"
"Why? Do you think they're not the ones, Viscount?"
"The Adolph Merchant Group is run by Viscount Adolph, the nephew-in-law of the First Empress. As far as I know, he gives her quite a lot of gifts...."
Is the Adolph Merchant Group the First Empress's piggy bank?
Touching them recklessly could cause trouble, but it's not something to worry too much about.
Since the Emperor has already ordered the culprits of this terror attack to be hunted down.
Even the Duke's son was killed; no matter how powerful the First Empress is, she can't blatantly protect them.
But first, confirming the mine is the priority.
After a while, the old man returned with the map, and I identified the potential mine sites.
Three in total.
Since it was almost time for the Duke's visit, I left the Viscount in the interrogation room and stepped out with the old man.
"I think I should try mining at these sites and look into the Adolph Merchant Group."
"I think you're chasing a ghost. The Adolph Merchant Group is..."
"Since when did the Intelligence Agency fear the First Empress?"
"It's not fear, but... sigh, fine. Then what should we do with Viscount Lapierre?"
If he's handed over to Duke Marshall, he won't come back alive.
"It would be better to keep him alive in case we're wrong, but do you think he'll be persuaded?"
Given he even defied the Emperor, the chances are slim....
"Well, I'll try talking to him first. You can leave now."
I told him not to overdo it and parted ways with the old man.
In a secluded alley, I used my warp device to move to the Creta forest.
I still had time before I had to pick up the Princess, so I decided to investigate the mine first.
I had once gone undercover as a miner back in my active days.
I can't say I'm an absolute expert, but I can recognize most minerals.
I pulled out the map I received during training from my subspace and arrived at the site the Viscount had mentioned.
It was a rocky area with few trees, with holes dug here and there and piles of dirt.
There were definitely traces of mining exploration; I should head inside.
Once I entered the hole, the light dimmed, so I used magic.
The mixture of black and silver confirmed it was an iron ore deposit.
I could see marks from pickaxes as well.
It was, but seeing the murky red streaks mixed in, the quality didn't seem that high.
Of course, the deeper I dug, the better it might get...
'Bio, try digging out those red parts.'
'Why? Those are just impurities.'
'They look different to me. Just dig them out for now.'
...I wondered if I was just wasting my energy, but I'd never lost out by listening to him.
I pulled out the pickaxe I'd used on the mountain behind my house from my subspace.
Channeling my magic power, I began digging out the red sections as instructed.
'Putting magic into the ore... no, this requires a certain knack, so I'll do it myself.'
In an instant, a massive chunk of magic power drained from my core and circles, and Ark, whom I'd seen in the lab, appeared.
He seemed a bit larger than before.
As he picked up a piece of ore, my magic power began to vanish once again.
"What are you doing?"
"I'm concentrating, so stop talking."
My magic power continued to drain, and just as I was about to tell him to stop because I'd have nothing left for the trip back, the red ore in Ark's hand began to glow with a bright light.
"I was right. Bio, this is what Vicious Exile is after."
"What is it?"
"Elsarium. The primary ingredient for the Philosopher's Stone."
"The Philosopher's Stone? That's the ancient artifact Zero used."
"Oh, you remembered?"
Who does he think I am, an idiot?
"You need a huge amount of Elsarium to create a Philosopher's Stone, so that's likely why they approached this place."
"Then the terror attack... ah!"
I realized.
Since Viscount Lapierre wouldn't sell the development rights, they likely tried to put him in a difficult position to force a sale, or they planned to replace him and negotiate with a new lord.
"Is Elsarium that rare?"
"Elia and every other alchemist called Elsarium the mineral of the gods. In ancient times, it was so rare that wars were fought over it."
"Then can you make that Philosopher's Stone too?"
"I know all the ingredients, so it's not entirely impossible if I research it, but it won't be easy. The exact recipe and transmutation method should be in Elia's ruins, but those..."
Since the Vicious Exile bastards already took them, this 'El-something' mineral was just a rock to me.
So much for that.
Still, it's a rare mineral, so they'll definitely try to seize this place.
I should let the old man know and tell him to guard this area.
I also need to visit the other potential mine sites and investigate the Adolph Merchant Group; I have a lot to do.
"Ark, that's enough... wait, what are you doing?"
He had his hand on the mine, and my magic power was still draining.
"I'm out of magic power, you brat!"
"Stop being so stingy over a little bit of magic."
"Stingy? What did you even do?"
"I roughly measured the amount of Elsarium in this area. There's a massive amount buried here."
"It doesn't matter if we don't need it."
Since the Vicious Exile bastards already took Elia's ruins.
"What are you talking about? Alchemists weren't the only ones who valued Elsarium."