Chapter 48
Chapter 48
'Where am I? Who are these people?'
An endless mountain of paperwork.
The towering stacks of documents obscuring his vision were more disorienting than any curse could ever be.
Thud.
The stamp came down mechanically, his eyes glazed over as they scanned some indiscernible point in the air.
But then—
"Are you even looking at what you're stamping?! That document is about inner-city repairs—we haven't even discussed it yet! My lord! Are you seriously going to keep working like this?!"
The devil showed no signs of releasing him, continuing to squeeze him dry without mercy.
"I... I've never seen Father work like this before?"
Logan finally protested against the surreal disconnect he was feeling.
"Of course not. I handle most things before they reach him."
"...What?"
The demon's absurd response made flames flicker in Logan's crimson eyes.
"Then why the hell are you dumping all this on me?!"
"You're the heir apparent—you need to understand every detail of the territory's affairs now!"
"I'm not the heir!"
"Oh, who's going to believe that?!"
Logan's mind went blank at Dwain's outburst.
'Ah... right. It's not about being recognized as the heir—it's about getting people to acknowledge I'm not?'
For a moment, his common sense wavered—but Dwain gave him no time to recover.
"The volume is high because post-war settlements aren't finished yet. Some of it's from Tesron Castle too. We had to purge most of the administrators who embezzled alongside Haman Tesron..."
Logan's head throbbed at Dwain's grumbling complaints.
"We're already short-staffed and stretched thin as it is, but with Lord Logan's help, we might just survive."
It was a familiar pattern—push him to his limit, then sweeten the deal with praise.
But this time, Dwain's tactics failed.
"At this rate, I'll be the one dying."
"Then hire more administrators once you become lord. Actually, hire more now. Haha."
"Grrr..."
"The paperwork piled up because of your construction project. It's massive in scale, and the post-war cleanup isn't even done yet..."
Logan saw right through Dwain's sly grin.
He knew Logan couldn't refuse once the dam project was mentioned.
"Fine. I'll do it. But only until this project is finished, got it?!"
If this wasn't the end, he would end Dwain.
The threat in his voice was palpable, forcing Dwain to reluctantly nod.
And so, the malicious proxy duties imposed by the head administrator came to an end.
Dragging his exhausted body, Logan climbed the ancestral mountain and raised his sword against the backdrop of the setting sun.
'Once construction is done, I'll recruit soldiers...'
His mind was still filled with thoughts of strengthening the family's military power, but when he swung his sword, he forced himself to focus entirely.
'It's not just the family—I need to grow stronger too.'
He needed the power to face the overwhelming forces he had witnessed in his past life.
Recruiting talented allies was one approach, but that wasn't easy.
The requests he had entrusted to Nox hadn't yielded a single lead yet.
'I have to get stronger. If it's the power of secret techniques...'
He swung his sword with vague hope, but fortunately, as his concentration deepened, he could feel strength flowing into his blade and his movements refining.
His Force Core-enhanced senses were sharp enough to perceive even the subtlest changes.
For Logan, training was a process of turning uncertain expectations into tangible hope.
Pushing his body to its limits in training ironically felt like mental rest.
Of course, this was only possible because his meditation training—now fully replacing sleep—allowed him to completely recover from fatigue.
And so, Logan's days passed in a blur of busyness.
As the paperwork gradually decreased and his training time overtook his administrative duties, bad news arrived.
"An accident?!"
The sudden report during work hours was enough to make him bolt upright.
"Yes. One of the mine shafts collapsed..."
"Hmph. I knew things were going too smoothly."
"But since when did our territory even have a mine—"
"Why? Why did it collapse? How bad is it? What was Hamar doing?"
Though collapse scrolls had been used, they were strictly supervised by Hamar and only applied where necessary.
The mine's development prioritized safety above all, overseen by a dwarf—how could there be an accident?
"Well... Hamar was inside when it collapsed. But my lord, I've heard rumors—what kind of mine even is—"
"Hamar was inside?! You should've led with that!"
BANG!
Logan stormed out of the office like a gust of wind.
Not just laborers—Hamar, a precious asset, was trapped.
He couldn't just sit back and give orders from afar.
'If he dies, it's over!'
Without Hamar, the gears of his grand plan would grind to a halt.
This was the worst possible time for such a disaster.
'A dwarf causing a mine collapse while working? That's ridiculous...'
Suppressing his boiling frustration, Logan spurred his horse forward.
Meanwhile, the finance administrator left behind in the office clutched his head in disbelief at news of a mine he hadn't even known existed.
"What the hell kind of mine is this?!"
Gallop gallop gallop!
With urgency driving him, Logan whipped his horse—adding Force to enhance its speed. His massive black steed, Fire Run, covered a two-hour distance in just half an hour.
Foaming at the mouth from the exertion, Logan didn't even glance back as he charged toward the gathered crowd.
Neigh!
"Move aside!"
"It's the Grand Prince!"
"Clear the way!"
The laborers quickly parted upon recognizing him.
"Where's the collapsed shaft?"
"Take the middle path at the fork. It's the deepest—"
Logan didn't wait for the full answer before sprinting ahead.
Dashing past the dim lanterns lighting the shaft, he took the central path at the fork. Due to the accident, even the faintest lights had gone out.
But his golden eyes pierced the darkness effortlessly, allowing him to race forward unimpeded.
Before long, he found miners hammering at a pile of rubble under flickering lantern light.
"What the hell happ—"
"Shh! Noise could trigger another collapse."
It was Pale, one of the mining experts rescued from Tesron Castle.
"What happened?"
Logan lowered his voice at the warning.
"We don't know. Hamar went down as usual, but..."
"He didn't look well. He's been overworking lately."
"Maybe he made a mistake with the scroll?"
Hamar, a dwarf who could read bedrock better than a Fifth-Circle Earth Mage, making a mistake?
Unbelievable—yet the massive pile of rocks blocking the shaft was undeniable reality.
"What's the situation? How much collapsed?"
"At least 50 meters. The scroll must've taken out the supports too. Thankfully, the chain reaction stopped, but we need to check the other braces. Even with repairs, rescue will take days..."
'50 meters?'
The rest of the explanation barely registered.
That distance was something he could handle.
"Step aside."
"Huh? If you're planning to use a scroll—"
"I'm not an idiot. Move."
The quiet authority in his voice made Pale swallow hard and retreat.
Placing his hand on the rock pile, Logan focused.
A faint surge of Force seeped through the rubble, threading between the cracks.
Sharpening his amplified senses further, he extended tendrils of Force, searching for a familiar presence.
How long had it been?
After what felt like an eternity, Logan exhaled in relief.
Deep within the collapsed rocks, he felt Hamar's energy—along with a dozen laborers with similar warmth.
"They're still alive."
At least the worst-case scenario was avoided.
"But many are injured. Hamar too. He's unconscious, bleeding. Damn it."
"Huh? My lord?"
"H-How could you—"
"Doesn't matter. How long to clear this and get Hamar out?"
"...At least a week. Maybe three days—if everything goes perfectly. And that's without Hamar's help. Beyond that, it's impossible."
Logan glanced at the miners—they all nodded in agreement.
His teeth ground together.
No matter how tough Hamar was, bleeding under rubble for three days was pushing it.
And the biggest problem was something else entirely.
'Is there airflow? Can they even breathe...?'
The longer this dragged on, the less likely their survival became.
'What do I do...?'
The solution was already in his mind.
There was one person in the family perfectly suited for this.
'An Earth Mage...'
But fierce conflict raged within him.
'What if the mages leak the secret?'
The mine's existence couldn't be revealed yet.
Could he trust temporary hires?
Wouldn't it be better to mobilize himself or the knights under the miners' guidance?
His thoughts tangled—but rushing in risked a second collapse.
There was no surer method than summoning Earth Mages.
'No matter what, Hamar has to be saved.'
And right now, that was the priority.
There was no replacement for Hamar at this stage.
'I'll have to take the risk.'
Beyond all rational reasoning, his past life had taught him one lesson:
—If you can't even protect your own, you'll end up with no one left.
"Right. Of course..."
The conflict in his mind cleared instantly.
Gritting his teeth, Logan swiftly exited the mine.
"The Grand Prince is here!"
"My lord!"
Gallop gallop gallop!
Workers saluted as he rode past, but he had no time to acknowledge them.
"Ah, Lord Logan! Long time—"
"Master Clayton! Can we speak privately?!"
The urgency in his voice cut through pleasantries, forcing Clayton to excuse himself from the construction site with a grave expression.
"A mine? And an accident?"
Clayton's eyes widened in shock at Logan's brief explanation.
But there was no time for lengthy discussions.
"Yes. Master Clayton, I beg you—save Hamar and the laborers! I'll repay this debt in full. Please."
"...So that's why the dwarf was so busy. Running between here and there... Hah, very well. If lives are at stake, I'll help."
"Thank you. I swear, the compensation—"
Clayton studied Logan's bowed head with newfound respect.
'A mine, huh...'
No wonder he hadn't used collapse scrolls.
He had suspected ulterior motives—but a secret mine made sense.
'If he kept it hidden, it's no ordinary copper mine.'
Even if it were, revealing a secret just to save a slave and a few laborers wasn't something most nobles would do.
Especially not while bowing to a hired mage and promising compensation.
'He's no ordinary noble.'
He'd known since their first meeting that Logan was capable.
But refusing to forcibly conscript laborers—instead offering food as payment—showed remarkable character.
And now, this.
'Impressive!'
He was the most remarkable young man Clayton had met in years.
'And he's rich. Even if this project fails, his territory will thrive.'
Seeing youths like this always warmed his heart—though sometimes it made him feel old.
Not that it was a bad feeling.
"Grick! Gather the disciples. We're all going."
Clayton acted swiftly.