Precious Labor
Contrary to the assumption that the mine would be empty of valuable labor, quite a few miners were present. From the start, a village had been built nearby and styled after the Mining Village. A miners' village. Though not particularly large, its proximity to the mine made commuting convenient. The miners knew the owner had changed. That was why they had been waiting. Waiting for the new owner to arrive. And they intended to beg. To beg to be hired again.
Having spent their entire lives working only in the mines, these miners possessed few other skills. Unable to imagine doing anything else, they had no choice but to remain miners. So they waited endlessly in the village for the new owner. But while they waited, disaster struck. Monsters had appeared.
“Damn it…… Monsters, of all things……”
“There was a small earthquake the other day. The shock must have opened a hole connecting us to the neighboring dungeon……”
“Ah…… Damn it! I told you so! I said we should hire mercenaries and wipe out every last monster in that dungeon!”
They had been uneasy. A dungeon lay right beside the mine, and until now they had mined while carefully avoiding it. Fortunately, no monsters had emerged so far, and the dungeon entrance was on the opposite side, so none had reached them. Still, the anxiety remained. They had suggested to the supervisor that something be done about the monsters, but he had ignored them.
“Money, he said! Hiring mercenaries costs too much! That bastard just brushed us off!”
The copper-skinned, muscular man radiated fury. As befitting a miner, his sturdy frame and labor-hardened muscles were dazzling to behold.
“That damned supervisor! I can’t take it anymore! I’m going to—!”
“Pax, stop! You know protesting won’t change anything! There’s a noble backing him!”
“Even so!!”
“There’s nothing we can do. We commoners have no choice but to endure……”
“Kgh……”
“That’s not the important part right now. We need to rescue the people inside! Your son is in there too!”
“You’re right…… Let’s go, quickly!”
The two miners gathered everyone from the village.
“How many monsters are there?”
“I don’t know the exact number…… But they won’t last long.”
“Then we need to hurry.”
“Right……”
“What do you think you’re doing!!”
Just as the miners, each gripping a pickaxe, were about to enter the mine, Supervisor Yoki appeared. Unlike the other miners’ muscular builds, he had suffered severe muscle loss, leaving him soft and flabby. His protruding belly perfectly advertised how greedy he was. He frowned at the gathered miners.
“What’s with this crowd? Huh?”
Yoki narrowed his eyes and asked. Pax stepped forward and explained why they had gathered.
“Monsters have appeared inside the mine.”
“Monsters?”
“Yes. It seems yesterday’s small earthquake opened a hole in one of the tunnels and connected it to the dungeon. Monsters are coming out from there.”
“What!? Are you insane!? What can you lot possibly do!? Are you planning to fight the monsters!?”
“We have to save the people trapped inside.”
“Save them…… Tch. You fools. Why did they even go into the mine at a time like this? If you’d managed things properly from the start, this wouldn’t have happened…… How pathetic…… Urgh!”
At that moment, Pax grabbed Yoki by the collar. His menacing gaze bored straight into the supervisor. The sheer presence radiating from his miner-forged muscles was beyond imagination.
“Whose fault do you think this is!? Why do you think they went into the mine!? You forced them in this morning, saying a new noble might arrive and we needed to look presentable!”
“Th-that’s!!”
“We told you it could be dangerous after yesterday’s earthquake, but you shoved them in anyway! You threatened to fire anyone who refused!!”
Because of Yoki’s threats, the reluctant miners had been forced inside.
“Th-that’s right!”
“If you had just listened to me! I warned you clearly! If we didn’t hire mercenaries to clear out the monsters, they might eventually spill over! If you’d listened, none of this would have happened!”
“D-do you have any idea how expensive mercenaries are!? Clearing a dungeon costs even more!”
“All because of money! How much could it possibly cost!? You could have used the subsidy funds!”
“Ha, haha! Why would I waste money on something like that!? Think of all the things I could buy with it!”
“……So you really were skimming the subsidies……”
“Kgh! Let go! Let go of me!”
Yoki tried to pry Pax’s arm off, but the grip was too strong. No matter how much he struggled, he couldn’t break free.
“You think you’ll get away with this!? You’re fired! Fired!!”
“Tch.”
Pax shoved Yoki away. His eyes were filled with cold anger and contempt. Ever since becoming supervisor, Yoki had abused his authority and looked down on everyone. He held their livelihoods hostage. Anyone who disobeyed could be fired on the spot, so they had no choice but to obey. They had endured and endured, but today was the limit.
“Fine. Fire us. I never want to see your face again anyway.”
“Ha! Serves you right! I’ve been waiting for an excuse! While I’m at it, I’ll fire everyone connected to you! You’re all fired! Fired!!!”
He shouted with vicious glee, cackling. But then—
“No. Rather than them quitting, aren’t you the one who should be leaving?”
“Hic! Wh-who are you!?”
Yoki was startled by the sudden appearance behind him. Then he was startled a second time when he saw the man’s face.
‘How can a man be that handsome?’
He had never seen such a good-looking man before. Normally, seeing someone this attractive would stir envy or jealousy, but he couldn’t even feel that. The difference in class was too vast.
Just then, the man—Albert—held out the documents he was carrying.
“Th-this is…… Th-the mine deed? D-don’t tell me you’re!!”
“I’m the new owner.”
“Hic! Th-th-this is…… I-I’ve shown you something unsightly. M-my name is Yoki, the mine supervisor. I……”
“No, you’re not.”
“Pardon?”
“You’re not.”
“What do you mean……?”
“You’re no longer the supervisor. You were just fired.”
“Wh-what are you saying? H-how well have I managed this mine…… There’s no one who manages it as well as I do!”
Yoki pointed at the miners behind him.
“Those idiots were only able to keep working until now because of me! If you fire someone like me……”
“Really? Then let’s ask them.”
“Eh?”
“If even one miner speaks up for you, I’ll appoint you as the next supervisor. How about it? Confident?”
At those words, Yoki couldn’t hide his panic. And for good reason—the result came instantly. Before anyone could speak, it was unanimous.
“Y-you bastards! After everything I’ve done for you! You ungrateful wretches!!”
“Enough.”
Albert took out the supervisor appointment document from his papers and held it in front of Yoki’s eyes. Then he tore it in half. Not satisfied with that, he shredded it into pieces and let the wind carry them away. They scattered like cherry blossoms past their season, drifting on the breeze.
“You’re fired. Outsiders should leave now.”
“Kgh……”
Yoki ground his teeth in frustration before quickly running off. The obstacle had been dealt with simply. When he received the deed from the baron, he had already heard about Yoki and planned to replace him the moment he arrived.
Having cleared the obstacle, Albert turned to the man standing before him.
“Who are you?”
“My name is Pax. The new supervisor……”
“Ah, skip the introductions. We need to rescue the people first.”
“R-right! Right away……”
Come to think of it, there was something more urgent. They had to save the people who had entered the mine. No matter how fit the miners were, they didn’t know how to fight. These were men who had spent their lives mining.
‘Even if their bodies are strong, they’re useless if they don’t know how to use them. We need to rescue them quickly!’
“We must hurry! First……”
Just then, people began walking out from inside the mine.
“Huh!? Lax!!”
“Pix!”
“H-how did you……?”
The people emerging from the mine were those who had fled deeper after being chased by monsters. Now outside, they wore refreshed expressions as they breathed in the fresh air. The air inside the mine was filthy and full of dust, making it hard to breathe.
“Hahaha! The outside air is so sweet!!”
“Refreshing! We finally made it out!”
The people expelled the foul air from their lungs and eagerly filled them with fresh air.
“You…… How on earth?”
“Ah! This person saved us!!”
“This person……?”
From behind them, someone stepped forward. Her snow-white hair, untouched by even a speck of dust, didn’t suit the mine at all. Her amethyst eyes held the beauty of a vast world within them. With a straight nose and striking features, she was a rare beauty in these parts. She held a sword, her fingers gripping it pale and slender.
‘Beautiful.’
Simply standing there, she exuded nobility and graceful elegance. The sight of her holding a sword reminded one of the goddess Valkyrie from fairy tales. The moment one looked at her, it felt as though their dim vision had been purified and their eyesight improved.
“Hahaha! We thought it was all over! But then she appeared and wiped out every single monster!”
“I thought a goddess had descended at first.”
“Huh? You too?”
“Me too!”
Elena smiled at Albert.
“Brother.”
“Good work.”
“It was easier than I expected.”
“Really?”
“Yes. It was a bit dangerous at first, but once I got used to it…… it was fine. I’m just glad we could save everyone. If we’d been even a little later…… Phew……”
The moment Albert arrived, he immediately assessed the situation.
System quickly relayed the information it had gathered to Albert. After a brief moment of consideration, he entrusted the task to Elena. Experience was important, after all. The result had been excellent. Elena had inherited her father’s talent and never spared effort. She had grown strong. Twenty monsters were no match for her.
“I’m glad we could save them all.”
“Yeah.”
“Your judgment was correct, Brother. It’s really amazing. To make that decision in that situation……”
Elena’s eyes sparkled. They had been able to save them purely because Albert’s judgment had been swift. His decision to hurl her into the depths of the mine with telekinesis. If that judgment had been even slightly delayed……
‘As expected of Brother! He prioritized saving lives over everything else. No matter what he says, he really does want to save people……’
“Can’t afford to lose slaves.”
“Eh?”
Elena, who had been looking at him with admiration, thought she must have misheard. What did he just say?
“These miners have worked here for a long time, right? In other words, they’re experts. Can’t afford to lose such valuable labor.”
Albert gazed at the miners as if they were delicious prey. Like a wicked serpent licking its lips.
“It would take forever to hire and train new people. The Mining Village…… Not bad. The short commute makes it perfect for night shifts too.”
To him, the Mining Village looked like nothing more than a slave village. If the company and home were close, he could call them in to work even on their days off.
“Right!? They’re perfect…… labor. Can’t afford to lose them!”
Watching Albert seek agreement, Elena weakly nodded.
“I suppose so……”
Albert seemed to value manpower far more than human rights. Seeing that unchanging side of him, she couldn’t help but sigh.
‘Sigh……’
[As expected.]
[Sigh……]
[(•́ɞ•̀)]