Chapter 30
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 30
Chapter Title: Baum Territory's Mine (2)
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In his previous life, after Stefan Tolome went missing, the Tolome family had dispatched three separate search parties to look for him. In other words, the first attempt had failed to locate him or any of the other missing people.
The Tolome family had scoured every inch of the Baum Mine, tearing it apart as if they were determined to reduce it to rubble in their hunt for Stefan.
It was the result of Bartolomeo Tolome's fierce determination to at least bring back his son's body.
Only with the final search party—bolstered by the Tolome family's finest knight, Schmaier—did they finally uncover the black mage's dungeon hidden deep within the Baum Mine.
The missing workers had been lured away one by one by the dark voice echoing from the black mage's dungeon.
Schmaier, who had been the vice-captain of the Royal Knights, had to be specially pulled from duty with the king's permission, which was a massive blow to the Tolome family's reputation.
And to top it off, the incident led directly to the Baum family's bankruptcy.
A black mage's dungeon had emerged right in their territory, in a mine they owned. Baron Tigor Baum was dragged to the royal palace to clear his name of any ties to black mages. Their iron ore was branded cursed, and no one would buy it. In the end, the Baum family went under.
After the Tolome family left and Tigor Baum headed to Baltimer to explain his innocence, the Batay Mercenaries stumbled upon the now-empty Baum Mine.
More precisely, they rummaged through the mine that the Tolome family had already swept once, hoping to find anything of value.
Since the Tolome family had already conquered it, there wasn't much left, but because they'd smashed all the traps and curses, Batay got a decent haul for the effort.
Blanc had tagged along beside Batay, diligently mapping out the Baum Mine.
As a noble's son, Blanc was skilled in reading and arithmetic.
Truth be told, he was the only one in the Batay Mercenaries capable of it.
That's why Blanc ended up handling all the miscellaneous tasks in the group. Those experiences formed the foundation of who he was now—an ironic twist of fate.
Blanc didn't have expert knowledge in cartography, but the mercenaries dumped any job requiring even a bit of brainpower on him.
And if the path deviated even slightly, fists and kicks would fly without fail. So young Blanc had no choice but to sharpen his senses, meticulously crafting maps and memorizing routes.
That made Blanc the one who knew the Baum Mine better than anyone else right now.
"It wasn't this bad before..."
"Yeah, the vibe's totally different from when we first came in."
Just a few months ago, miners had been bustling in and out of the Baum Mine. But now, it looked like it had been abandoned for decades.
"That pig bastard's definitely hiding something. How about we head down now and beat it out of him?"
"...Let's wait until Sir Edwin arrives with the rear guard."
The hot-tempered Obet suggested grilling Baron Tigor, who seemed suspicious, but Noel opted to explore the mine first.
There was every reason for Obet to suspect the baron strongly.
When they'd first arrived with their father, Stefan Tolome, it had been an ordinary mine.
But now, a sticky, malevolent aura seeped from the depths, prickling their skin.
"I'll take point. Blanc, follow behind us."
"Even Captain Stefan went missing here. Talent doesn't matter—stay sharp."
"Understood, brothers."
As Obet drew his sword, the ten knights behind him followed suit, forming up in his wake.
The search party totaled twenty: ten knights, squire Blanc, Noel, and Obet.
The remaining seven were the most capable squires, carrying packs and torches instead of drawing swords as they trailed the knights.
"Y-Young master... Isn't this dangerous?"
"It is. So stick close and protect me."
"Y-Yes, sir."
Rakshar, one of the seven squires, huddled right next to Blanc.
An eerie energy permeated the mine. The intangible malice grew thicker inward, unsettling their steps.
The group fell silent, instinctively cautious amid the dark, heavy atmosphere.
The occasional clatter of kicked stones echoed through the mine, heightening their tension.
"It really wasn't like this before..."
Obet muttered defensively, but no one replied.
'Definitely some strange pressure building up.'
Unlike the tense knights, Blanc calmly scanned his surroundings.
He was a veteran even on the Liberation Front.
He had slain and burned countless voids that corrupted minds through fear.
Compared to those, this atmosphere was tolerable.
His body might be young, but his soul was intact, so Blanc pressed on with unyielding resolve.
Aside from the oppressively heavy air, the mine interior seemed normal. Traces of miners' work lingered everywhere.
'Not voids. Of course not.'
It had been known as a black mage's dungeon in his previous life.
If a new calamity like voids had appeared, the rumors wouldn't have spread that way.
Still, after hearing the Aselheit's words about discovering voids, Blanc stayed prepared to face them at any moment.
"This is it..."
"We go left."
A fork appeared ahead. Two massive tunnels loomed, swallowing them in darkness.
Obet grabbed a torch from a squire and raised it high to push back the shadows, but it only highlighted their depth.
Noel consulted the mine map provided by the Baum family, plotting their path.
"The spot where the miners first vanished is left from this fork. This leads deeper underground, so watch your step on the decline."
At Noel's words, one squire gulped at the thought of going even lower.
Noel eyed the group.
"If anyone regrets being here, you're free to turn back."
His final chance drew no responses from the knights.
It had only stoked their pride. One knight was already smacking the squire who'd swallowed hard earlier.
"You fool! A coward who can't even spot the enemy thinks he can be a knight?!"
"Sorry!"
The knight showed no hesitation, claiming the squire as his charge.
The knight's bark and the squire's yelp snapped everyone back to reality.
"We're Tolome knights. Never forget it."
"Of course!"
"It's just a mine! I'll find Captain Stefan first!"
As if shaking off the clinging tension and fear, the hitherto quiet knights rallied at the fork, reigniting their resolve.
'Seasoned veterans. True Tolome knights.'
The knights had been briefly cowed by the mine's eerie vibe but quickly turned it around with practiced fervor—a move born of experience.
Ride the momentum when ahead; flip it when behind.
The knights knew this well.
'Enviable bunch.'
For Blanc to raise knights like these legitimately might take decades.
So he needed to get as close as possible now, to borrow them easily later.
"Let's move."
Noel's squire pressed a torch to his side.
Seven torches stretched in a line, illuminating the dark tunnel and guiding the knights.
From afar, they resembled red serpents swimming deep in the ocean.
But that sea was vast and black.
And the red serpents slowly sank into its depths.
As Noel had warned, the slope started gentle but steepened quickly.
The knights' superior physiques handled it fine, but an ambush here would spell trouble.
Finally, the decline ended, revealing a small cavern and three entrances ahead.
This seemed to be the mine's true beginning.
"We only probed this far. Stay alert from here."
"The first squad took the middle path and didn't return after a day, so Captain Stefan followed."
The knights' gazes naturally shifted to the central entrance.
"We'll take the middle."
"At least we'll learn what happened."
Noel and Obet steeled themselves.
They'd reached the place where their father vanished.
"Then, let's enter—"
A grip sound interrupted Noel as he moved to lead.
"Lord Noel... Lord Obet..."
"You came to save us? Finally!"
The echo-like voices emanated from the leftmost entrance.
The unidentified sounds prompted the knights to form a defensive line instantly.
Blanc slipped between them, sword aimed at the left entrance.
"Lord Noel... Lord Obet... It's us."
"You finally came! Now we can get out!"
Clanking armor accompanied two pale faces emerging from the dark.
"Karo! Asat!"
"You're alive! Haha!"
Noel and Obet recognized them, beaming with joy. They were genuinely relieved.
Comrades they'd thought dead were alive.
"Yes, Karo and Asat."
"Your faces are gaunt. Haven't been eating right, huh."
"Phew... Thank goodness."
The ten search knights also recognized the pair stepping from the shadows.
"Welcome back!"
Obet sheathed his sword and approached warmly.
But the two missing knights didn't advance.
They stayed rooted at the entrance, torches illuminating only their faces.
"Lord Obet! We've found Captain Stefan."
At the news, Noel and Obet lit up.
Unlike Yonas, the twin knights shared a close bond with their father.
"You found Father?"
"Yes, but he's injured. Hurry and help carry him out."
"Where? Lead the way."
The faces in the dark smiled.
"Follow us."
With that, they vanished like snuffed candles.
"Let's go!"
"Who'd have thought they survived!"
The twins and ten knights chattered excitedly, tension broken, heading left.
If not for Blanc's shout.
"Everyone, hold!"
The group turned to see Blanc drawing his sword, summoning White Lightning.
"Blanc, what's wrong?"
"No time for this. Father’s hurt—they said so. We need to hurry!"
Noel and Obet couldn't fathom Blanc's outburst.
"Are those really Sir Karo and Sir Asat?"
"Of course! After a year together, you don't recognize them?"
Obet pounded his chest in frustration at Blanc's question.
Noel and the knights stared at Blanc quizzically.
"How did you confirm?"
"What nonsense, Blanc? Scared? Get a grip!"
Amid Obet's scolding, Blanc replied calmly.
"The ones who need to get a grip are you, brother."
"What?"
Blanc addressed the group.
"Those knights who spoke."
He pointed his sword at the left entrance.
"They had no bodies."