Toypus Mine (2)
"Whoa, so that's what happened here."
"The monsters suddenly expanded their territory... Hmm..."
I barely stifled my laughter, touched by their concern but putting on my best serious lord act as I led them to my office. They flinched at the broken desk, but I kicked the debris aside with my foot. Then I gave the Holy Knights a quick rundown on the Toypus Mine situation.
The Toypus Mine had been the earldom's financial lifeline until a few years ago. It wasn't a massive revenue source, but we couldn't afford to lose it. Then monsters swarmed in, collapsing the entrance and nesting inside. My father took what few soldiers we had to break through and clear them out. The result? Predictable defeat. He died, we lost the men, and no reports survived on what lay inside the cave.
"Weren't the desert monsters supposed to stay within their boundaries? That's what I knew, at least."
Tecus voiced his doubts, piecing together his knowledge with my explanation.
"That's partly true, but not entirely. Desert monsters live and move deep in the sands of the inner desert. So they don't cross into areas like our territory, where the ground is rocky or the sand is thin."
Take the ocean as an example. Marine life mostly thrives below a certain depth and rarely comes ashore. But in shallow coastal waters, or where the land is narrow, some creatures cross over. Desert monsters are similar. The differences? They're hostile to all non-monster life, strong enough to cross wide barriers, and while they can breathe outside deep sand, their bodies limit movement severely.
And then.
"My guess is the noise and vibrations from expanding the mine drew them in."
Desert monsters are hypersensitive to sound and vibrations. Especially over their deep sand homes—rocky ground or thin sand demands caution too. You never know when one might charge from the depths.
"And since they've settled inside the mine, parts of it must connect to deep sand zones."
"I see. Thank you for the explanation, Earl. I get the picture now."
Tecus nodded, setting down the reports I'd handed him. He pondered for a moment, then spoke.
"We'll set our stay here as the deadline and plan accordingly."
"Makes sense. You Holy Knights have to head back."
"I'd love to stick around until it's resolved, but the northern front's a mess, and we have the Pope's orders..."
"Understood. Let's aim for five days and map it out."
I'd planned a week for the Toypus Mine monster subjugation. They could stay ten days total, today being day one. That left four days after.
The rest goes to territory repairs.
Not using these high-stamina, high-strength folks on construction would be idiotic. I'm no idiot, and I'll squeeze every drop out of them. Reclaiming the mine is a huge win already, of course.
"Day one: scout the mine location and entrance. Sound good?"
"Perfect. We need to check the deep sand boundary too."
Tecus approved my plan.
"We'll refine the rest after. Accurate intel will help."
We settled on departing for the mine at dawn.
"Then we'll take our leave."
"Pardon? What's that about?"
I blocked Tecus as he led the Holy Knights out.
"We depart tomorrow morning, so we figured rest up... Is there a problem?"
"Yeah. Not a problem, exactly—more like unfinished business."
"...?"
"Supplies. Gotta distribute them. Not today, but prep work: sort residents and organize aid."
"..."
So the Holy Knights did some light work with me before resting.
It's really simple stuff—why the funeral faces?
It took a bit, pushing past midnight, but Holy Knights tempered by Divine Power can handle it.
"Straight north from here, we hit the mountains—mine entrance is there."
"Let's go."
Me, Tecus, and three others set out at dawn. We carried gear: food, weapons, long poles, wide cloths. Not entering the mine today, so light load. No strain from weight, but three hours on foot. Fine in the morning, but midday sun would drench us in sweat. Holy Knights have divine power; I'm desert-born, so I grit through.
Damn, of all people, Holy Knights—can't use Kyu-ing.
-.......
Purple. This guy goes dead silent around them. Hasn't even shown up since yesterday. Pulling out Kyu-ing would ease the march, I thought, trudging on. Feet sank in sand, extra effort; the desert heated up. Luck held—we reached the entrance before noon.
A hole in a tall rock face. That's the Toypus Mine entrance.
"Poles there too."
Gaban spotted one near the entrance. Not the first; they'd dotted our path.
"Seeing it now, entrance and deep sand aren't far apart."
Those poles mark the deep sand boundary. Beyond? Monster heartland.
"Path widened out safe, but narrows here at the entrance."
Tecus recalled our route. True—safety zone thinned from village to here. Now narrow enough for monsters to cross.
"Why the deep-versus-shallow divide? Rocky bottoms make sense, but..."
"Ah, forgot to explain."
My bad. All Cecily's fault—those breasts hogging brain space. Scary woman.
"Dig into this 'shallow sand'—what's below?"
"More sand...?"
"Right. Some spots hit rock like our territory, but mostly sand. Special sand, though."
Words failed; I dug by hand. Lucky spot—quick reveal.
"See? This."
"It's... red."
"Yeah. Red Sand underneath. Monsters avoid it like plague."
"Oh... News to me."
"No clue why. Lucky for us, though."
I brushed red sand from my hands.
"Alright, to the entrance."
For the record, I truly don't know why monsters shun it. If the Hero's stage was the western desert, I'd have intel—but no, that bastard sticks north. North has the invasions, sure, but feels like the author forgot the west exists.
Tsk tsk. With a brain, no way Heroines flock to that Arthur prick.
Plot hole from the start. Arthur-types ruled isekai once, but not anymore. Who wants a frustrating, indecisive harem protag?
"Women hate indecisive guys, right?"
Nearing the entrance, I tossed it out to the Holy Knights—boredom. Better reaction than expected.
"Haha, even you have interest in women, Earl? With that look, you've made plenty cry."
"..."
Tecus said it—no retort. Haven't made any cry, but looks-wise? Fair. What surprised me: him saying it. Yesterday's apologies and late-night work built rapport. His straightforward personality helped.
"You know, Earl? Tecus got dumped by his wife ten times before marrying."
"Really?"
"Why tell him that..."
Another knight spilled Tecus's secret. Decent looks, Holy Knight—prime husband material.
"Why the dumps?"
"Ahem... First time, candlelit confession in the village square..."
"Ah."
Oof. Even I'd bail.
"Young and foolish... Embarrassing now."
"But you succeeded—lucky."
"Haha... Yeah. Hey, Gaban—you've got someone too, right?"
Tecus, embarrassed, pivoted to Gaban. Quieter since yesterday, his glare softened but lingered.
"...Yeah. Someone I like... want to protect."
Gaban answered, shooting me a hostile glance. Puzzle clicked.
Gaban, you bastard. You like the saintess.
Tsk tsk. Years from now, post-Demon King, I'll show him Cecily back in our territory—belly swollen.