Mine Cleanup (1)
I let out a small grunt of effort.
The pouch that merchant Janice pulled out was heavy. Was it all iron ore? She'd secured a volume that was on a completely different scale from the other merchants. Since securing stock was the basics of the trade, Janice might actually be a far more capable merchant than she appeared.
"Want to take a look?"
"Ah, yes. Thank you."
Thud. Thud. Janice placed the iron ores on the stall. Each and every one was of such exceptional quality that they seemed to exist on another level. They weren't rusted, they weren't cracked, and when I focused, I could even sense a faint bluish energy within them.
"These are incredible. I heard there were problems at the Hilden Mine recently. How did you manage to get your hands on all this?"
"Hey, kid? It's rude to ask a merchant something like that. This is my livelihood we're talking about."
"Ah. Right, of course."
I nodded. Now that she mentioned it, that made sense. Convinced, I decided to just buy the iron ore. I rummaged through the pouch Iselina had given me.
"So, how much?"
"Three times the usual market price."
"?"
"Right now, in this village, you can only get it from me. If you don't like it, you can wait until the mine gets back to normal."
Janice drew a firm line with absolute confidence. In a situation that was practically a monopoly, her word really was law.
"What will you do, Ruines?"
"W-well..."
I'd come to buy some iron ore and ended up getting my blood squeezed dry. By my rough estimate, she might wring out every last coin I'd brought. No matter how much I wanted to help Liz, this was crossing the line. As I was wondering if there was any way out of this—
"Hm?"
Vrrrrrm!
I felt an ominous energy and turned my head. In front of me was the large sack Janice had set down.
"Made up your mind? Big sis is pretty busy, you know."
"J-just a moment. Could I take a look inside the pouch?"
"Huh?"
I'd blurted out the request without thinking. She might have suspected I was up to something shady, but Janice simply chuckled and opened the pouch wide for me to see.
"Why? Worried these ores are fake?"
"No, it's not that... Oh."
Thump.
The moment I looked inside the pouch, I thought it might have been better if they were fake. Among the ores, the one giving off the cloudiest glow had completely captured my attention. I stared at it blankly before swallowing hard.
"What's wrong?"
Thump!
"Ruines?"
Thump!
My head was screaming danger. My gigaam was doing the same. Was this heartbeat mine? Or was it...?
Grind!
There was no time. The murky energy was growing stronger. The heartbeat quickened as if it were about to be born at any second. I quickly thrust my hand into the pouch, grabbed the ore, and hurled it away.
"Everyone, get back!!"
"???"
The people watching me clearly had no idea what was going on. But among them, only Melissa and Janice looked at me with different eyes. One held trust. The other... curiosity?
That was when it happened.
Shwooooooo!
"Kyaaak!"
"W-what is that?!"
Sand began gathering around the thrown ore, forming the shape of a massive worm. A circular mouth packed with razor-sharp teeth. A body that looked exactly like a giant caterpillar. There was no question about it—this was a monster. And one made of ore and sand? It felt completely different from the monsterfied beasts I'd faced before.
The creature let out a monstrous roar the moment it was "born" and began rampaging.
Kiiiiiii—!
"Uwaaaaagh!"
"It's a monster!"
Only after my shout did the bewildered people finally start to run. The only ones who didn't flee were me, Melissa, and Janice.
"...Why aren't you running, miss?"
"I'm watching."
"Sigh. Suit yourself, then."
"Hehe. How could I miss a show this entertaining?"
Janice was giggling even though her own merchandise was being destroyed. She really was no ordinary woman. In contrast, the utterly reliable Melissa drew her sword in one swift motion.
Srrrrng!
"A sandworm, is it... Ruines."
"Yes."
"Subjugating monsters is one of a knight's duties. Watch carefully."
"...!"
Melissa gripped her two-handed greatsword. She felt completely different from her usual self. As she breathed, an intangible energy began to rise faintly from her blade.
Kii—?
The monster that had been wrecking the market stalls froze when it saw Melissa's sword. It seemed to shrink back for a moment before hesitating. Wait, it didn't have eyes, but it felt like it was staring blankly in my direction...
Kiiiiiiiiiii!!!
"!?"
The monster—the sandworm—charged fiercely. Straight toward me, of all people. I had no idea why it was targeting me, but I didn't even have a decent sword on me. This was an absolute crisis where I couldn't decide whether to run or stand my ground...!
"It's alright."
Melissa cut through my hesitation with a single decisive phrase. Then, in one clean stroke, she sliced the charging sandworm clean in half—from its hideous mouth all the way to its tail.
Slaaaaaash!!!
"Uwaaagh!"
The absurd sight made me scream involuntarily. Even in retirement, a knight was still a knight, huh? The severed body segments thudded to the ground on either side of me. My heart clenched painfully, but I held it together. I stepped past the still-twitching torso and picked up the fallen mana crystal fragment.
"Phew."
"It ended more anticlimactically than expected."
"When it charged at me, I really thought I was going to die...!"
I took deep breaths to calm my pounding heart. A knight who trembled in front of a monster—I really needed to reflect on this. If Melissa hadn't come with me, the damage could have been catastrophic.
"Still, thanks to your gigaam, we were able to prevent major casualties. You truly possess the qualities of a knight."
"...Do I?"
"The ability to prevent great harm in advance. Not just anyone possesses such foresight and intuition. You should have more confidence in yourself."
"Miss Melissa...!"
Her words made my eyes sting with emotion. My true teacher should have been Melissa, not Hildegard... Just as that thought crossed my mind, an unnecessarily cheerful voice rang out from behind us.
"Wow, that was the most fun I've had in ages. The little guy’s got some skills too."
"...Janice."
"Hm?"
She might not be the mastermind behind this incident, but she was definitely involved. It seemed like I needed to hear the full story.
"I'd like to hear the whole story of what happened here."
"The whole story, huh... Haha."
"......"
Janice laughed awkwardly, sweat beading on her forehead. Melissa nodded quietly beside her. The other merchants who had been listening also nodded secretly.
After the situation was settled, Iselina, who essentially managed the village, stepped in to handle the aftermath. She generously compensated the affected merchants and paid full price for the damaged stalls and goods. She truly was the village's de facto leader. Her decisive action hidden behind that gentle demeanor was truly impressive. Without Iselina, the village probably wouldn't have developed this far.
Anyway. Now the only thing left was—
"That's right. I got the goods from that mine."
"...The mine should currently be under an access prohibition order."
"There's a route that only a few merchants know about."
"So you used that route to smuggle in the minerals?"
"It's not exactly smuggling. I acted for the public good. How many mines have been closed because of monsters lately? At this rate, we won't be able to make swords, pickaxes, or anything else."
"......"
Even standing in front of Iselina, Janice remained completely brazen. She was even using casual speech so naturally it was almost impressive. At this point, I was genuinely curious about how her brain was wired.
"Then there's no helping it. By the laws of the kingdom, I'll have to turn you over for trial, Janice."
"Gack."
Only now did Janice break into a nervous sweat, looking genuinely flustered.
"Let's talk this over."
"Didn't we just finish talking?"
"Yes, that's right. Mother. Let's just handle this cleanly and be done with it."
Selena, who had been quietly listening from the side, narrowed her eyes as she spoke. Melissa nodded. The listening merchants nodded secretly as well. Janice looked around with an awkward smile before turning to me with big, watery, puppy-like eyes.
......
I eventually let out a sigh and stepped forward.
"Lady Iselina? How about we do it this way instead?"
"Yes, Ruines. Tell me."
Iselina gazed at me gently. Everyone around us did the same.
"It's true that Janice did something wrong, but we can't just leave the mine like this forever, can we?"
"Exactly. That's what I've been saying."
"Janice, please be quiet for a moment."
"Y-yes..."
It was the first time I'd seen Janice look so dejected. Of course, I had no way of knowing what she was really thinking. For some reason, even with my gigaam, I couldn't properly read her emotions.
I set Janice's matter aside for now and looked at everyone.
"Do the guild and the kingdom know about this?"
At that moment, one of the female merchants spoke up.
"As of now, the guild is paralyzed by the sudden surge in monster activity. The royal knights are in the same situation. A massive monster outbreak occurred in the northern plains, so they can't spare anyone. Besides, mercenaries tend to avoid mines. You never know what might happen inside."
Everyone nodded at her words. It seemed Iselina had already known this, as she simply listened quietly. After a brief silence, I was the one who broke it again.
"Then, couldn't we step up and handle it ourselves?"
"Ruines. Who exactly do you mean by 'we'?"
Selena stared at me quietly. Her gaze was colder than usual. But I didn't back down.
"For starters, me and Janice."
"Ah...!"
"I have no intention of forcing anyone else to join us. But... I can't just pretend I don't know about this."
"......"
Silence fell once more. A kid who wanted to become a knight and a merchant who was little more than a drifter. It was an overwhelmingly insufficient force to clear out the monsters in the mine. Knowing this, no one rashly stepped forward. Even Melissa and Selena seemed content to simply observe for now.
That was when it happened.
"You're having another interesting conversation and leaving me out again, I see?"
"?"
A resonant voice echoed from outside the door.