47 – Counterattack
＜Chapter 47 Mine＞
Somehow, at the entrance of the mansion, the maid Marie was waiting.
“Hello, Mr. Elwin.”
“Is Allenia here?”
“I will guide you.”
As soon as I entered Allenia’s room following Mari,
“Why does she look angry?”
If someone else saw her, they would say she looked the same as usual,
But to me, it was clear.
That Allenia was angry.
“Have you been well?”
Alzenia sat down on the chair and crossed her legs the other way around.
“What’s the point of greeting me when it’s been so long?”
“Cough… I’m glad you look healthy.”
I raised my head and met Allenia’s gaze.
I was lower than her because I was kneeling on one knee.
“Do you need money again?”
“It’s not about that. However…”
“However?”
“I have a small favor to ask.”
Alzenia’s expression subtly changed at the word “favor.”
She uncrossed her arms and rested both hands on the armrest of the chair.
“What kind of favor?”
I began the prepared story.
– Currently considering the construction of a blacksmith shop.
– No issues with the construction of the blacksmith shop building.
– No problems with hiring blacksmith shop workers.
– Issue with the supply of raw materials.
“So, what help are you looking for?”
“Information.”
“Information?”
“I want information about the mine.”
Alencia lowered her upper body and stroked her chin.
“Ireland doesn’t have mines, right?”
“Everyone thinks so. However, there can’t be no mines in this vast land.”
The vast Monster Island.
Among them, the area occupied by humans is extremely small.
“There must be some. So? Are you planning to find a mine while fighting monsters?”
It’s not possible.
Even in a situation without monsters, mines are hard to find.
“If it’s the Duke’s report… wouldn’t there be information?”
The Duke’s report.
A place with 300 years of history.
Somewhere with more Irish intelligence stored than anywhere else in the world.
If it existed, it had to be there.
“If it’s not there, then no one would know.”
Arlencia didn’t respond immediately.
A moment of silence settled in the room.
After a few minutes,
“Do you know the value of what you’re asking to see? You want me to show it to you?”
“You just need to confirm the mining information.”
Arlencia seemed to struggle with the decision.
Again, a few minutes passed.
“If I show you…”
‘Success?’
I lifted my head and looked at Arlencia.
She was looking at me too.
The few seconds Arlencia took to speak felt like an hour.
“Can you grant my request?”
‘Request?’
“Can you fulfill any request I make?”
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It was not easy to answer willingly.
How difficult could the request be to make her ask like that.
I balanced the scales in my mind.
The Request from the Mine vs. Alencia
How to find the mine without Alencia’s help?
It requires a massive amount of capital, manpower, and time.
“Elwin, answer me.”
“As long as it doesn’t greatly deviate from humanity, I’ll entertain any request.”
I activated one safety measure: humanity.
I’ll entertain most requests, but there might be some that are impossible.
I cautiously glanced at Alencia.
What should I do if she’s not satisfied with this answer?
But…
“Are you smiling?”
A smile appeared on Alencia’s lips.
A smile so profound that even others could notice.
“What kind of request could it be…”
“Alright. Let’s go straight to the briefing.”
Alencia rose from her seat.
Then she headed straight for the door.
“Alencia.”
“What’s the matter?”
“May I ask for a favor?”
“A favor? Nothing specific comes to mind. If something comes up, I’ll let you know.”
What’s going on?
Why set such a condition when there’s no favor to ask for?
And all while setting the mood?
He rose from his seat and followed Allensia.
For now, finding the mine was a priority.
.
.
The Duke’s mansion.
It was a place fitting for the saying, “There’s nothing you can’t find.”
Books to accessories.
Weapons, armor.
There were even displays of rocks and monster skeletons.
“What is that… What kind of monster is that?”
“Elwin, just look at the necessary information. I didn’t permit anything else.”
“I apologize.”
He headed to the section where the books were organized.
There, he opened one.
“Is this an incident from 300 years ago?”
300 years ago, an incident occurred.
Despite its magnitude, there weren’t as many records as one would think.
Many people died, and the first vampire duke, who was the supreme commander, remained silent.
“Such records exist here…”
“Elwin.”
In response to Alencia’s voice, I turned the page.
It was about the appointment of the Frontier Family as artists.
There were also appointments of the Aquano, Aier, and Kent Families as viscounts, but I couldn’t read them in detail.
I searched through many books,
And finally, the awaited information appeared.
It was a book composed of maps.
“So, they expanded this far 300 years ago?”
300 years ago,
I knew that the Human Alliance had advanced north.
But I didn’t know that they had expanded this much to the west.
“It’s even farther west than Terra.”
I confirmed the important landmarks marked on the map.
And one of them had iron drawn on it.
“This is it. Iron ore is deposited here.”
Recalling the original map, I pinpointed the location of the iron ore deposit.
North, rather than the coast. It’s not the goblin territory, right? Orcs? Trolls? Maybe around the border?
With this much information, it should be possible to find the iron ore mining site.
However, I was curious about the contents of the next chapter.
Considering the previous information, there would undoubtedly be a map in the later pages as well.
Understanding geography is a tremendous advantage.
Especially for me, expanding into monster territories made it even more crucial.
Gulp.
Swallowing saliva, I slowly grasped the paper.
The moment I tried to turn the page,
Alencia’s hand wrapped around mine.
“No more.”
“I apologize.”
I closed the book and put it back in its original place.
As I stepped out,
Mari was waiting with an anxious face.
“Madam, you need to attend the next appointment.”
“Next?”
“Regarding the successor competition…”
“I see. Elwin, don’t forget our promise.”
Expressing gratitude, I deeply bowed my head.
“Don’t worry, Lady Alencia.”
Alencia and Mari distanced themselves.
‘The Duke is being too harsh.’
Under the pretext of selecting a successor, they mercilessly pitted Benia against Alencia in fierce competition.
Once this competition is over, another mission will be assigned.
And then, again, and again, they will keep coming.
“Is it not a position to worry about Lady Alencia?”
I, too, can’t say my position as the successor is secure.
**
**
Confirming the location of the iron mine from the Duke’s mansion,
they began their preparations in earnest.
They gathered those with experience working in mines.
Invited experts in mining from the continent.
Prepared the materials needed for the mine exploration.
Despite these preparations, they couldn’t set out.
Because the construction in the Alps hasn’t concluded yet.
Seriver.
Elwin’s office.
Knock. Knock.
“Come in.”
The door opened, and Aine entered.
“After finishing the construction work, Hans Gyeong contacted me to say he’ll be leaving for Terra.”
“That’s good. What about the mercenaries?”
“They’ve been on standby for three days.”
“Tell them we’ll depart tomorrow.”
“Yes, and… it’s almost the new year.”
“So?”
The new year doesn’t bring any changes.
If I were to find meaning in it, it would be Gibson’s coming-of-age year.
“You should send a gift to your parents.”
I took my eyes off the document and looked up.
“You know about my relationship with my parents?”
“Still, you should send them. It’s for improving our public image and lulling the enemy into complacency.”
Even though this world isn’t part of the Confucian cultural sphere, filial piety is a good thing.
Sending a gift to our parents during the new year has a positive impact on our image.
“Lulling the enemy, huh…”
“Not a bad idea. If we send the gift now, it will arrive around the same time as other gifts.”
“Have you prepared the gift already?”
“Well… it’s a gift from me, so I’m not sure if the recipient will like it. Anyway, choose an appropriate gift and send it. Oh, and send one to the maid Anna too.”
“Is it a direct message from Brilda’s personal maid?”
“That’s right. I hear Inon was quite impertinent.”
In this place, it’s common for a man to chide a woman.
Especially when mercenaries cause such issues.
If not taken seriously, it usually ends as a mere happening.
But it lingered in my mind due to memories from Earth.
“I understand. I’ll send an appropriate gift to the maid.”
The next day,
Mercenaries, mining experts, and carts laden with supplies set off towards Terra.
**
**
Terra Village.
Central square.
More than a thousand people gathered in the square.
I stood on the platform, looking down at them.
Everyone had a tense expression.
“Today, I will announce the chosen candidate for the lord as promised!”
“Woahhh!!”
“Woahhh!!”
“With the decision of the top-ranked Innocent Mercenary Unit to accept the contract, as long as the contract is upheld, the lordship of Terra will be entrusted to the Innocent Mercenary Unit! Captain Inon, come up to the platform!”
“Waaah!!”
“Waaah!!”
Ilon, who had been waiting below, ascended.
Then, he knelt on one knee.
The cheers that filled the square subsided.
To the mercenaries, Ilon’s appearance might not seem pleasing.
The Lordship contract was not a pledge of loyalty; it was, literally, a contract.
“I have pre-negotiated the terms of the contract with Ilon. This is the agreed-upon contract!”
He raised the contract high.
“From the moment both parties sign, the contract takes effect.”
Before the mercenaries’ eyes, he signed the contract.
“Waaah!!”
“Waaah!!”
.
.
On the night of the lordship appointment ceremony.
Ilon met with him at the Tera Shrine.
“My lord, I also want to participate in the mine exploration.”
“No, you can’t. You are the Lord of Tera. You can’t leave your position from the first day of your appointment.”
Raising his hand, he patted Ilon’s shoulder.
“Innocent Mercenary Corps had three teams participating. That should be enough.”
“Understood, my lord.”
“And also. Shouldn’t we inform Brelida about the contract?”
“Do we really need to let her know?”
“Well, it’s almost New Year, so shouldn’t we send a gift?”
Inon made a perplexed expression, unable to understand.
“Is this considered a gift?”
“That’s for the recipient to judge.”
