A House Call (6)

But the egg didn't look like an ordinary egg. Demonic energy pulsed steadily from its shell, and it looked suspicious at a glance. The fact that it had come from the Gulrok chieftain's lair made it all the more unsettling.

"Srudal, come here a moment."

I called over the ecology advisor, who had been walking some distance away.

"We found this nearby. Is this a Gulrok egg, by any chance?"

Srudal examined ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the egg up close.

"Gulroks are not oviparous, my lord. This egg is... difficult to say. The ecology of the Underworld has been studied hardly at all."

"Should we just smash it?"

Vitten asked.

"It's been giving me a bad feeling this whole time. If some bizarre monster pops out, I don't think we'd be able to handle it."

"I believe it would not be too late to decide after observing what emerges from within."

Srudal offered the opposite opinion to Vitten's.

"...Hmm."

Going by Ruby's case, it wasn't impossible for humans and monsters to form bonds with one another.

But no matter how I looked at it, I couldn't imagine anything sane hatching from this egg.

Still... how much harm could a newborn hatchling possibly do?

"Vitten, carry it carefully so it doesn't crack. Bring it along."

"Yes, sir!"

I could just ask Lucian what the egg actually was. He wouldn't hand over information for free, but the man knew suspiciously much about everything.

"Kruk! Krruk!"

When we emerged from the basin, the Gulrok army had formed ranks and was blocking the entrance.

For some reason, their forces seemed to improve in quality every time they returned. The unit now before us had warriors making up what looked like more than thirty percent of its total.

"So they still haven't come to their senses, even after being smashed like that."

"If the base camp falls, the surface above could well be endangered, my lord."

The Gulroks roamed only within the domain of their fungal mats. But if that domain spread all the way to the camp, I would go down in history as the first head of House Esterzy to bring mushroom people into his own home.

This was exactly why you didn't go prying open your ancestor's coffin lid.

By the time I had swept aside the blocking Gulroks and returned to camp, the officers were visibly worn out. In the meantime, the camp had been reinforced with a fair number of new personnel.

"Iden!"

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

Ruka greeted me warmly as he approached.

"Uncle!"

"An Oradium vein discovered under the mausoleum — Duke Drek will have a fit when he returns."

"I'm worried he'll be angry, haha."

"The Duke Drek I know would thank you instead. With an Oradium deposit of this size, a great many things are going to change."

I agreed. What those changes would be, though, was in my hands.

"You've made quite a mess of things. Do you have a plan?"

"First I need to secure more footholds for descending into the Underworld. We can't exactly tear out the mausoleum to build a mine."

There were surely other passages connecting to the Underworld. If Ruby had been using the mausoleum's tunnel, she would never have ended up at the auction house.

"Also... I'm thinking of creating a department dedicated to producing and processing Oradium. Would you take the position of department head, Uncle?"

"Me?"

Ruka looked surprised.

"You're a Master Blacksmith. The only person alive who can work Oradium."

"I've got more than one or two things tying me down right now, but..."

Ruka thought for a moment, then smiled as if he'd made up his mind.

"...Fine. Go ahead and use me as you please."

"Thank you."

"Ah, and one more thing."

Ruka reached out and gripped my wrist.

"This has been bothering me for a while now. What is this shoddy item?"

"Excuse me?"

I was a little taken aback. The 'shoddy item' Ruka was pointing at was the masterpiece from the Dris Merchant Guild that Father had waited more than ten years to obtain.

"It's a gift from my father. It's called the Bracelet of Sacrifice — made of Doomsteel by the first-class artisan Yanosi—"

"Tsk."

Ruka clicked his tongue.

"That Yanosi, of course it was him. Taking such precious Doomsteel and making a toy like this. If it were me, I'd have been so ashamed I'd have smashed my own hammer to pieces."

...I'm sorry, what?

"Give it to me. I'll remake it into something actually useful."

The Bracelet of Sacrifice's effect was to nullify a single fatal, lethal attack. It was an absurdly overpowered item — effectively a spare life — and he wanted to make it more useful? I had no idea what he intended to do with it.

For now, I slipped the bracelet off and handed it to Ruka. I hadn't worn it all that long, but my wrist felt strangely empty.

"Young Lord Iden!"

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

After Ruka, it was Colin who came to welcome me.

"I hear there was more than one battle. I trust you weren't injured?"

"I'm fine, Colin."

"Pardon me a moment. The cunning vermin of the Underworld may have laid hidden hands upon you."

Colin combed over my body from head to toe, and still not satisfied, proceeded to spam holy magic attuned to disease and poison.

He had seen me more than once as a child, gasping for breath from my cold meridian seizures, and ever since he'd been unusually sensitive about my condition.

"You seem to be in no serious danger. I shall leave it at this for now."

The 'this for now' he spoke of referred to more than ten successive showers of holy power.

If only I'd known five years ago that each one cost a hundred barts. A bishop's holy magic would be far more potent, which meant the unit price would be higher too.

"Oh, right. Colin."

"Speak, my lord."

"I'm planning to expand our footholds into the Underworld, and fighting the Underworld species, there are bound to be casualties."

"You mean to establish an infirmary at the camp? I anticipated as much and summoned priests in advance."

That was Colin for you.

"Before long, a makeshift shelter won't be enough. Once our footholds have grown large enough, what do you say to building a temple of Solitas here as well?"

"A temple requires a diocese, my lord, and the Underworld belongs to no diocese."

Colin looked troubled.

"Is there any doctrine saying we can't create one in the Underworld?"

"Hoh..."

He stroked his beard.

"You are quite right. Wherever people gather, thither we are called — that is our mission. Now that I consider it, I see no reason it cannot be done. But a diocese in the Underworld... haha, you truly are painting on a grand canvas, my lord."

"The situation leaves me no choice but to paint big."

The Underworld was as vast as the surface. On top of that, it held rare resources capable of feeding the entire duchy, and mushroom colonies that could replace crops.

Of course, putting the Underworld's land to use meant many obstacles to overcome. First we'd have to deal with the persistent Gulroks, and we'd also have to find out why Sir Ivan Esterzy had descended below in the first place.

"Very well."

Colin nodded.

"When the time comes, I shall see to it that the Church is properly... persuaded to be of help."

**

The next morning, barely finished washing up, I received a visit from the Noble Council. It was a gathering of more than twenty high-ranking nobles, led by their chairman, Count Abaro.

"What brings you here so early in the morning, Count Abaro?"

"We heard that rare resources were discovered beneath the mausoleum."

So he couldn't say exactly what the resource was. The gag order seemed to be holding.

"And? Weren't you all opposed to touching the mausoleum?"

"Our position has not changed even now. To speak frankly, we have doubts about your judgment, Young Lord Iden. However urgent the money may be, if you treat matters of procedure so lightly, what use are law and institution?"

"Don't worry. The mausoleum hasn't been damaged in the slightest. And we plan to secure other footholds connecting the Underworld and the surface soon."

"We are not here to dispute whether the mausoleum was damaged."

"Then what?"

"The problem is that you disregarded the Council's counsel."

...Ah, so that's how they're playing it.

"Let ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠me be clear — we are no hollow committee. The taxes we pay account for a considerable portion of the duchy's revenue. You pointed out that the money we contribute is insufficient, but have you considered what becomes of the duchy without it?"

"I think about it often."

That's exactly why I pried open your ancestor's coffin, isn't it? I'd watched Father suffer under your thumb for far more than a day or two.

"Then we ask that our position be considered as well. His Grace the Duke never once dismissed the Council's opinions."

Father's burdens struck home anew. Demons snarling to the north, nobles snarling to the south.

The nobles were surely the worse of the two. Unlike demons, you couldn't just beat them down.

"What exactly is your position?"

"We will not press the mausoleum matter further. It is already in the past, and if the ducal house's income grows, that is a good thing for everyone, is it not?"

Count Abaro spoke in a soothing, gentle tone.

"Then?"

"We ask that you show some measure of leniency at tomorrow's trial. With such a great blessing upon us, there is no need to manufacture reasons for us to quarrel."

Now that I looked at it, this wasn't a Noble Council at all — it was a gathering of merchant guild investors.

Chris had long been the leading candidate for succession. Ravenshade was the guild Chris himself guaranteed, so everyone and their mother had sunk money into it, thinking it easy money.

Right. These people couldn't care less about the Oradium mine right now. It was the capital tied up in the guild that worried them.

"I understand perfectly."

I gave Count Abaro a pleasant smile.

"You... understand?"

"A little leniency is hardly difficult."

Only then did Count Abaro's face relax.

"Thank you. We shall return then, trusting in you, my lord."

The Council filed out of the office. In the quiet that followed, I reviewed once more the court records I had received from Chief Judge Ollite of the High Court.

Looking over the record again, one section in particular caught my eye.

Every other entry was dry, listing nothing but bare facts — yet the jury entry alone bore the useless little embellishment of "good and honest."

Here was a situation where every party with a stake in the trial came swarming to pressure the lord's proxy. There was no way twelve good and honest citizens were still sitting on that jury.

And so I...

Had a servant summon the single most good and honest person I knew.

"I trust you have been in good health, my lord?"

The middle-aged man bowed deeply the moment he entered the office.

"You look cheerful, Adras."

Adras was beaming. He was always a bit overdone in his grooming, but today his clothes were even more immaculate than usual.

"All thanks to you, my lord. The Guild President was thoroughly pleased when you opened trade with the Dris Merchant Guild."

"Glad my goodwill paid off."

Adras's smile vanished in an instant.

"Is there... something you would have me do?"

"I do like how quick you are on the uptake."

"I would be only too glad to assist you, my lord, but as I am not affiliated with the ducal administration—"

"Oradium."

"...But I have put down roots in this duchy! Command me in anything at all!"

I'd expected exactly this. How could the right hand of Lucian Gray not yet know that an Oradium vein had been discovered?

"You once said, didn't you — that out of three hundred thousand barts earned, only thirty thousand ever fell into your hands. My guess is the remaining two hundred seventy thousand went into bribing law enforcement. Am I right?"

Adras's thin beard twitched.

"Haha, you speak of the Adras who is dead. Yes... I'm sure that wretch spouted such nonsense. But the man standing before you now is a reborn Adras. He has nothing whatsoever to do with that filthy creature."

"The filthy creature is exactly what I need right now."

"...Pardon?"

"I imagine that creature left records of where all his money went. I was wondering if you could fetch them for me."

"As you know, my lord, those records were moved to the harbor warehouse during the tax audit."

"Go get them."

"Pardon? But those documents—"

Adras looked uneasy. I smiled gently to reassure him.

"What is there to fear? The lord's proxy is me."