Home Visit (3)
To sum up the situation: the Daoist and the priest wanted to exhume the tomb, while the nobles and scholars insisted on preserving it. By headcount, the latter camp held an overwhelming majority. In truth, even Colin should have sided with them rather than with me. He only took my side because his arm had bent so far inward it needed a splint.
"I understand your position perfectly."
At this point, I stepped forward.
"Before we decide anything, there are a few things I'd like to confirm."
I turned to the advisory committee of scholars.
"Can you tell me when the mausoleum was built, and by whom?"
How could our ancestor's grave have been built precisely atop the dragon vein? The mausoleum's structure was highly unusual. A tunnel had been dug downward to connect with an underground cavern, but under normal circumstances there would be no reason to build a tomb inside a natural cave. It was humid, the ground had to be excavated deeply... and it was not as if the ducal house lacked the funds to build above ground.
"Allow me to explain, my young lord."
An elderly man stepped forward.
"My name is Simon. I have studied the Esterzy family lineage for twenty-five years."
Twenty-five years—longer than I had been alive. There could be no one more trustworthy on the subject.
"Speak, Simon."
"The first to begin construction of the mausoleum was Sir Ivan Esterzy. Building commenced in Imperial Year 138 and was completed in Year 153."
Ivan Esterzy. The owner of the sarcophagus resting atop the dragon vein. That the very man who began the mausoleum's construction had claimed the most auspicious spot directly above it—the circumstances were far too suspicious.
"Did Sir Ivan Esterzy not die in Year 141?"
"Yes, that is correct. He did not live to see the mausoleum completed."
"Why did he die?"
I recalled the inscription I had read on Ivan's epitaph. Something about cleaving a mountain with a single stroke of his sword, leaving no rival to match him across the four seas. What troubled me were Ivan's dates of birth and death. Born in Year 103, deceased in Year 141—how could a man said to cleave mountains with his sword have perished before reaching forty?
"An excellent question. In fact, Sir Ivan did not pass away in Year 141. The prevailing theory holds that the mausoleum was built to fake his death."
"Faked his death? Why?"
"To cross into the Demon Realm and settle an unfinished duel with the Demon King. Several historical records support this, but..."
"Nonsense!"
Suddenly another old man burst out from among the scholars.
"How dare you spout such lunatic ravings before the young lord!"
"Ravings, you say? If my research is ravings, then yours is diarrhea, you wretch!"
The two old men seized each other by the collar with skeletal arms. The scholars rushed over and forcibly pulled them apart.
"What's gotten into them all of a sudden?"
Other scholars stepped in to explain on behalf of the agitated old men. Ivan Esterzy—the great Grand Master produced by the Esterzy family. Opinions among scholars were sharply divided over his deeds, with the theories championed by those two old men in particular splitting the academic community in two. One held that Ivan had faked his death to fight the Demon King; the other, that he had died young from pushing his body too hard since his youth.
The old men kept snorting indignantly throughout the explanation. Was this really worth such an emotional brawl? Was how Ivan Esterzy died really so important? ...Who knew. They were genealogists who had devoted their lives to lineage research. What seemed trivial to me might have been everything to them.
"Perfect timing."
The scholars looked at me.
"I suspect a rare ore vein lies buried beneath the mausoleum. If we examine Sir Ivan's sarcophagus, my purpose will be fulfilled and your research will advance as well. What do you say?"
The scholars began to murmur among themselves.
The earth dragon had no wings. Yet Ruby had been caught on the surface. Which meant there had to be a path by which it had climbed up—a passage connecting the surface and the underworld. But the cavern beneath the mausoleum was a sealed space. To learn the truth, I needed to find where Ruby had stopped. There was no choice but to open the lid of Ivan Esterzy's coffin.
"If only we could open Sir Ivan's sarcophagus..."
"But it would be difficult for people to accept ethically..."
The scholars were visibly agitated. Academy scholars were a strange breed willing to lay down their lives for a single fragment of truth. Those I had encountered in records had been that way, and so had those I'd met in the capital. I doubted scholars of the empire would be any different.
"There's nothing urgent, is there?"
A stout man stepped forward from the noble council's side.
"The duchy has run smoothly without any problems until now. That is thanks to the distinguished gentlemen gathered here. There is no need for the young lord to strain himself."
"And who might you be?"
"Count Abaro, chairman of the council."
Count Abaro. The man who had abused Laszlo to awaken his ability. Looking at that face caked with malice, I could well understand why Laszlo had been left nothing but skin and bones.
"The young lord is merely provisionally exercising the Duke's authority. For matters of great importance to the family, should we not first seek His Grace the Duke's opinion? That would be proper."
He pressed me again. Murmurs of agreement rose among the nobles. Riding on their support, Abaro wore a triumphant expression.
"Provisional or not, I hold full plenipotentiary authority. Contradicting my word is tantamount to defying my father."
His brow twitched.
"Principally, that is true. But the young lord is still young. Grasping the duties comes first."
"Grasp the duties? You mean learn to watch the relevant departments' moods?"
I smiled.
"You all seem quite at leisure. I, for one, am worried for the safety of my lord and father, and intend to do whatever I can."
"At leisure? We too are doing our part to assist His Grace."
"If your role is consolation, I'll grant that. My head maid's hands and feet have grown alike from throwing away all the invitations you send."
At my sneer, Abaro's expression curdled rapidly.
"The ore vein doesn't have to exist. If you, my father's vassals, compensate for the duchy's insufficient revenue. Do that much, and I'll accept your earnest advice to stay out of it. Otherwise... why not stop making a fuss and go back to your party?"
I had disliked the duchy's nobles since childhood. Thalia had once explained my father's vassals to me thus: 'Not all the nobles are loyal to His Grace. The fall of Esterzy means opportunity to them.' No doubt it was true. Not a single one had come forward offering to pay more taxes to aid the northern front.
"If the mausoleum is damaged and nothing is found, you will have to take responsibility."
Count Abaro issued his ultimatum and stormed out of the office. The council members trailed after him like ducklings.
The political burden was considerable, so relocating the tomb immediately was out of the question. Instead, we agreed that I would examine only Ivan Esterzy's sarcophagus. I headed to the mausoleum alongside the genealogist Simon, his rival genealogist Joris, and the many other scholars who supported them.
"Once the truth comes out, I won't have to listen to your drivel anymore."
"That's my line, you cursed old fool."
Simon and Joris didn't stop tearing into each other even during the short walk. If anything, they seemed more invested in this than I was.
At last we arrived before Ivan Esterzy's sarcophagus. Then it happened.
"Beep!"
Ruby darted down between my legs and vanished through the narrow gap where the sarcophagus met its lid.
"Ruby?"
I thought I could hear its footsteps, but they soon faded away.
"Those are supposed to fit together perfectly to form a seal. It seems someone opened the coffin."
"In that case, we have no choice but to open the lid."
"Please wait a moment!"
As I stepped forward, the two old men hastily thrust out their hands.
"W-we need time to prepare ourselves mentally."
I still couldn't fathom it. Why were they in such a state over my opening my own ancestor's tomb? But the elderly must take care of their mental health. I gave them ample time to compose themselves.
"Ready?"
"Yes, we're ready."
With a grinding scrape, I pushed the sarcophagus lid aside with force.
"Wh-what is there?"
Simon asked in a trembling voice.
"...Nothing."
"Pardon? Nothing? What do you mean..."
I stared hard into the sarcophagus. Ivan Esterzy's remains were not there. Instead, there was a hole in the bottom of the sarcophagus. A ladder was propped against the hole's edge, so thickly coated in dust that I couldn't begin to guess when it had been placed there.
"So in the end, you were all wrong."
I laughed, still looking down.
"Ivan didn't die, and he didn't go off to fight the Demon King either. He went down to the Underworld."
The ladder's end disappeared into the dark abyss. Bracing myself on the sarcophagus's edge, I leapt down.
"Young lord!"
The people were aghast. I stepped lightly across empty air and descended with unhurried grace. Below me spread an absurdly vast darkness. My sleeves billowed violently in the wind. Embers like fireflies were rising upward from below.
A vast landmass gradually revealed itself. Rivers, mountain ranges, and valleys of unfathomable depth came into view. It was as if the surface world had been lifted out whole and planted here.
After roughly five minutes of descent, I finally reached the bottom. Damp earth was lush with plants that gave off their own light. Around the ladder stood a base camp of considerable size, complete with wooden crates, a campfire, and a palisade to keep out intruders. But the provisions in the crates had all rotted, and nothing remained of the campfire but charcoal and ash.
"Beep!"
Ruby was there too. It stood proudly just outside the base camp, atop ground strewn with iridescent, multicolored stones.
After waiting a while, the scholars began climbing down the ladder one by one.
"What in the world... the mausoleum connects to the Underworld?"
"This means the early history of the Esterzy family must be revised from the ground up. No—this goes beyond Esterzy genealogy alone."
They spent a while collecting themselves, then began combing through the base camp thoroughly.
"It seems to be over three hundred years old."
"It looks like around twenty people were stationed here."
"There must be another site like this somewhere deeper in."
Several scholars turned their attention to the iridescent ground where Ruby stood. They approached it and examined the surrounding earth.
"A rare ore, indeed."
One of them picked up a small stone and held it aloft.
"I'm no expert in geology, but it appears quite valuable."
They looked around. Similar stones filled every direction. Not only that—an ore deposit of staggering scale had formed throughout the ground above and below.
"Could this be the rare ore vein the young lord mentioned...?"
They turned their heads and met my gaze. One of them hastily unbuckled his belt, drew a dagger, and pressed it against the ground. At once, a hazy radiance began to emanate from the small dagger.
"...It's Oradium."
They sprang to their feet.
"An open-pit deposit. And on a staggering scale!"