episode_0056

The place we arrived at just before Brigal was the Kapumo Kingdom.

While the territory of Kapumo is filled with desolate wastelands, its people are known for their resilience and toughness.

Although the country didn’t have much to boast about, on the flip side, there wasn’t much to gain by invading it either.

In that scenario, the Kapumo royal family sent laborers to the neighboring country, Brigal, to work as miners at a low cost.

Since the barren land made farming inefficient, it was challenging to make ends meet.

Hence, the Kapumo royals decided it was better to send them to the relatively prosperous mines in Brigal, where they could be provided food and earn some foreign currency slowly.

Even the people of Kapumo preferred going to neighboring countries where they could at least hold onto some money, as staying in their own country didn’t promise much income.

…This was Kona’s explanation.

He didn’t quite grasp the full meaning of it, but he remembered it accurately nonetheless.

We walked along the main road from the border checkpoint of Kapumo Kingdom and arrived at a nearby village.

“Oh…”

Kona looked slightly taken aback at the sight of the village.

Well, anyone would startle at such a view.

“…”

“…”

The village was quiet.

It was eerily quiet to the point of feeling strange.

Yet, there were many people around.

Everyone stood still with closed mouths.

There were no running children, no voices conversing, not even those basking in the sun bothered to do more than glance at us quietly.

“…Hm?”

However, a man leaning against the fence wearing a straw hat and yawning, upon seeing us—or more precisely, Kona—widened his eyes.

“You… Could it be Kona?”

“Hello. Do you happen to know me?”

Kona approached him and greeted.

“It’s me, Jonis.”

“Jon… Jonis? You’re Jonis?!”

Kona asked, surprised.

“It’s been ten years, how come you haven’t aged at all?”

The man who introduced himself as Jonis said.

“Jon, Jonis, what happened? Why have you become… sir?”

“Nothing special. Just aging.”

Jonis looked well over thirty at first glance.

But if you observed him talking to Kona, he would have seemed much younger ten years ago.

“They say Kapumo people age quickly…”

Spectre emitted a somewhat melancholic atmosphere.

“Oh, by any chance…”

“My hometown is Loreldia, but my parents are from the Kapumo Kingdom.”

Indeed.

Is that presbyopia a genetic trait?

“Well… I always thought from the beginning that you weren’t human.”

Jonis told Kona.

“Maybe because of your skin color, or hair color… like mixed with elf blood or something?”

“Yeah.”

Kona nodded.

“…Oh, I see. You’ve changed a lot since the last time you were here?”

“What… what happened exactly?”

“Everyone got driven out of their workplaces and had to return.”

“Driven out?”

“Yeah. Quite a few people used to work in Brigal’s mines. But since the year before last, the monsters increased so much that they couldn’t work anymore. So, they had no choice but to come back, all of them walking around with faces like they’ve chewed on crap.”

“Could it be… the Dokart Mine?”

Recalling the words of Fonze, the leader of the adventurer team “Strong Wind,” who had been commissioned by Brigal to subdue the monsters in the mine, Kona asked abruptly.

“Yeah, who are you? Kona’s group?”

“More like a relative’s friend’s friend? Anyway, we’re helping out due to some connection we have.”

“Why is Kona alone…”

“…”

“…There must be some reason. Anyway, is what you said true?”

He asked Kona.

Kona nodded sadly.

“That’s right. Come with me for now. Since we owe Kona’s parents a debt of gratitude, it’s time to repay it. It’s a bit too risky to discuss further details out here.”

“…”

He glanced around while rolling his eyes.

One couldn’t say the village’s atmosphere was pleasant even with empty words.

In an instant, I lost my livelihood and returned to my hometown empty-handed, which was only natural.

We entered Jonis’s house.

“Who is it?”

A woman who appeared to be Jonis’s wife spoke.

She had a stern and tough impression.

“A guest. You know who it is.”

“A guest… huh? Kona?”

“That voice… Emil?”

Kona’s eyes widened.

“Is it really Emil?”

“Yeah, it’s me. How long has it been? But why haven’t you…”

“Well…”

“Well, don’t pry too deeply.”

Jonis said.

“As you can see, I married Emil.”

“I see…”

“Anyway, make yourself comfortable. Well, if there aren’t enough chairs, the floor will do.”

Looking into the next room, the children were looking at us with curious expressions.

Kona also noticed their gazes and glanced over, but didn’t greet them.

“Emil, make us some tea, please.”

“Alright.”

A woman named Emil placed a pot of water on the stove.

“Well, while we wait for the tea to brew, you must have some questions. As I mentioned before, we owe a debt of gratitude to Kona’s parents.”

“A debt?”

“Back in the day, I had quite severe headaches, and Kona’s mother taught me that boiling round leaves in water and drinking it would help. I’ve been drinking that tea ever since. Kona’s father taught me how to grow the plant.”

“I see…”

“And somehow, when you drink that tea, it feels like your mind becomes healthier. Living comfortably in this dreary town.”

“But I have a question about the mine I wanted to ask earlier.”

I got to the point.

“Oh, the Brigal Mine? But are you a relative of Kona’s friend?”

Jonis asked.

“More like a friend of Kona’s mother’s brother’s friend.”

“Practically a stranger.”

“Still, there’s a connection.”

“I suppose so. Well, if you’re helping Kona, then I’m grateful. Feel free to ask anything if you’re curious. I was also expelled from the Brigal Mine.”

“My friend mentioned that the Dokart Mine has been plagued by creatures. I want to know more details.”

“The Dokart Mine… Sorry. I work at the Virello Mine, so I don’t know exactly about that one. But I’ve heard stories about it as well.”

“Are there any other mines?”

“The Kapumo people work in three main mines in Brigal. Dokart Mine, Virello Mine, and Jokonir Mine. All of them produce mithril. They’re all close by, but they strictly prevent workers from different mines from meeting.”

“What do these creatures look like?”

“They look like large bugs. Sometimes resembling bats. They bear a strange resemblance to things occasionally seen in caves.”

That matches the characteristics of the creatures.

Since these creatures are mutations caused by magic erosion on existing organisms, some original features remain.

“It seems they keep coming endlessly.”

“Oh, they really do. It’s quite overwhelming. Even adventurers or soldiers going in to deal with them could only work for an hour or two before they reappeared. Occasionally, wizards or adventurers go in to investigate, but it doesn’t seem like there’s a solution.”

“…”

Indeed.

While I didn’t doubt Ponce’s words, I needed more detailed information.

Dokart, Virello, Jokonir…

Not just one mithril mine, but a crisis where three mines have ceased operations.

It wouldn’t be surprising to call it a national disaster.

Yet, there’s still no news at all.

Could this be… information control?

There might still be stockpiles left from mining, allowing for deception, but eventually, the truth will come out.

“When did these creatures start appearing?”

“About ten years? I’ve only been working in the mine for about five years, so I’m not exactly sure, but there have been rumors of monsters appearing in the mine since then.”

Ten years…

It just so happened that Kona’s parents escaped with her from Brigal around that time.

Is this a coincidence?

Kona’s aunt, Onelloi, works in the Brigal royal family.

Could it be that Onelloi sensed a serious crisis in the country and evacuated her sister and her family?

There’s no solid evidence, but it’s something to consider to some extent.

Above all, that magic circle on Kona’s chest.

It’s a pattern commonly used by high-ranking demons.

And the demons pouring out of the mithril mine.

Is all of this just a coincidence?

No, that can’t be true.

Something… something significant is happening.

Something that could be called a great destiny…

…damn it.

“…Are you okay?”

Jonis asked.

He seemed to detect a negative vibe even though I was wearing a helmet.

“Oh, I’m fine. Just thinking about this and that a bit. I know some people among my acquaintances who worked in the mine. It seemed like they were just getting by.”

“That’s true…”

Jonis’s voice darkened slightly.

At that moment, Emile brought the tea on a tray.

“Thanks.”

Jonis kissed Emile’s cheek and sipped the tea.

“Ah… you guys should drink too. The taste isn’t that bad.”

“Well then, thank you for a cup.”

We also received the tea Emile offered and drank it.

The faint sweetness at the end and the cold sensation on the back of the throat felt good.

“Speaking of which…,” Jonis said.

“The mine in Brigal is a very important issue for us. Of course, we know that the work there isn’t pleasant. You probably see it as mere pennies. But look. This town, this country, really has nowhere to turn. So even those meager earnings are a big help to us. When we have kids to feed and raise, we have no choice.”

He turned his head towards the room where the children were.

“Truly, everyone who worked in the mine was driven out. Among them were many who were willing to work even if it meant facing demons. I was one of them… Now I don’t know what to do… Are you interested in that mine? Will you go there?”

“Probably.”

“Then, could you come back and tell us how things are there on your way back? It’s not a strict request. I just… want to know something. Whether we can work there again, or if we should start looking for other jobs now…”

“What about the Labyrinth City?”

Spect asked.

“These days, many people from Brigal seem to work there.”

“I haven’t thought about it. But it’s too far away. I don’t want to go so far leaving my family behind. Besides, I saw a lot of Brigal people heading to the Labyrinth City recently, and none of them seemed properly reformed. Beggars, thugs, gangsters… it was sickening.”

“…That’s a wise thought.”

I gulped down the tea and said,

“But I hope people understand that not all adventurers are rogues.”

“Are you an adventurer?”

“Yeah.”

“When I was young, I wanted to be an adventurer too. My thoughts changed a lot after marrying my beloved wife and having children, but curiosity still lingered. How about you? Do you think becoming an adventurer was a good choice?”

“Well… I didn’t become an adventurer because I wanted to in the first place.”

“Really? That’s quite surprising. So why did you become an adventurer then?”

“I was led by someone I knew.”

“You were led by someone, not drawn to being an adventurer?”

“Yeah.”

“That’s… a lame reason.”

“…Yeah.”

I emptied the cup in one go.

My throat felt hot to the point of stinging.