Ch.211Episode 11 – All Quiet on the Northern Front

If there’s oil in the global village, mana stones take its place in this neighborhood.

Mana stones are the most important resource in modern society, the pillar and beam supporting civilization.

Mana stones are produced through mining.

In nature, high concentrations of mana gather underground and condense. After a long time, when internal pressure increases or external shock occurs, the terrain changes, and the condensed energy bursts out, coloring the surroundings and allowing the mana stones underground to be mined.

People call this exposed underground area a “fissure.”

“…Fissure?”

Camilla, resting her head against the window, murmured her question.

“I think I heard that word in the conference room before. A place where extremely important resources are buried.”

“You remember well. That’s right. There are only a few facilities in the North more important than fissures.”

A fissure is equivalent to a Class A national security facility in South Korea. It means it’s a place that must be protected at all costs in case of war.

“What are those few places?”

“The Military Government Headquarters and the Grand Duke’s fortress.”

Currently, there are only two facilities more important than fissures in the North. One is the Imperial Military Headquarters that commands the imperial army, and the other is the fortress where the Grand Duke, who has ruled the North for a hundred years, resides.

“Grand Duke?”

Camilla’s head tilted naturally.

“He’s the ruler of the North. By lineage, he’s a collateral branch of the imperial family, and he’s a great mage who participated in the Magic Tower-Church War. You know Francesca’s surname is Ranieri, right? He fought alongside the founder of her family.”

“Sounds like someone we shouldn’t mess with.”

Anyway, fissures are facilities of that importance.

And Francesca is currently dispatched to one of those fissures.

“Camilla.”

“Yes.”

“You’re about to see something interesting, so please bear with the cold for a moment and lower the window.”

Camilla tilted her head sideways. After a moment of confusion, she lowered the rear window and peeked her head out.

The cold winter wind and bone-chilling cold seeped into the vehicle.

The car, which had been driving on snowy roads, had now passed through the fields and entered a forest, climbing up a mountain on a smoothly winding mountain road.

Eventually,

“…Wow.”

Camilla’s eyes, looking out the window, grew as big as saucers.

In the piercingly cold winter sky.

A blue aurora emitting an icy blue light was decorating the daytime sky.

Episode 11 – All Quiet on the Northern Front

Daughter of the great mage Ranieri family.

Elite civil servant of the Magic Tower Secretariat’s Economic Management Department.

A Magic Tower alchemist surpassing the Ivory Tower, the headquarters of alchemy.

There are many epithets for Francesca.

By bloodline, she was upper class from birth, and her abilities were so outstanding that she entered the Secretariat, said to be the most difficult department to enter in the Magic Tower, before the ink on her diploma had even dried.

Especially in alchemy, she was unrivaled.

Even the alchemists of the Red Desert, who were said to enslave with gold and were known for their haughtiness in the magical society of the Moritani continent, acknowledged her skills, so no further explanation was needed.

“Administrator, where should I move this?”

“Follow the instructions we received the day before yesterday. The golems deployed in the field must not stop working. Regularly maintain the joint lubricants to prevent freezing…”

“We received an official document from the Secretariat. How should I process this, Administrator?”

“Bring form No. 37. Just send it to my room.”

“Administrator! The Oracle Committee members today…”

It had been three hours since I rode in the car with Camilla. Francesca, whom we met at the fissure, was having her busiest day yet.

Despite the storm of approval and review requests from the Secretariat’s dispatched personnel, Francesca was handling the work without showing any particular strain.

“Ah…”

Francesca’s gaze, while directing the Secretariat personnel, suddenly fell on us.

She seemed momentarily flustered, as if she hadn’t realized we had arrived, but quickly composed herself and gave a small nod in greeting.

“Excuse me for a moment. Everyone, please come back later.”

“Understood, Administrator.”

The Magic Tower mages disappeared in an instant. After clearing the area, Francesca greeted me and Camilla.

“I didn’t expect to see you here. It’s good to see you.”

“It’s been four days.”

“Have you been well, Hero?”

“Yes!”

Francesca smiled at Camilla’s energetic response.

“I’m glad. I was worried because you were at the front lines. I’m relieved to see you’re healthy.”

“Same here. Back then…”

Camilla stopped mid-sentence and looked around. Then, lowering her voice, she continued.

“I haven’t seen you since we went to the black market. I was really worried.”

A smile formed on Francesca’s lips at the sincere concern.

“Thank you for your concern. But I know the Hero has it much harder than I do in the rear. Since you’re at the front lines…”

“Oh, come on! I’m just burning forests, that’s all!”

“…Burning forests?”

“Yes!”

“…Not just trees?”

Suddenly, as if asking what that meant, Francesca began to question. Her slightly dazed violet eyes blinked.

But Camilla didn’t seem to think it was a big deal, waving her hand dismissively.

“How can you clear a mountain range by burning a few trees? When you set a fire, you have to push it all the way through.”

“…”

“Anyway! The wind is blowing south, so progress is slow, but we should be able to burn a part of the mountain range by February.”

“To be precise, we can secure the advance and supply routes needed for the offensive operation by February 17th. Before that, we plan to clear the southern protruding branch of the Naroda mountain range first.”

“That’s right. Isn’t that the mountain range where monsters sometimes come down?”

Francesca’s expression became quite amusing at the mention of completely clearing part of a mountain range and an entire mountain branch. If another mage had said such things, it would have been considered boasting, but Camilla was incomparable to ordinary mages.

Staring at Camilla with a slightly open mouth and a dazed face, Francesca suddenly muttered.

“…What kind of person is she?”

“…”

As if it was an unconscious remark, Francesca hurriedly closed her mouth and corrected her expression.

Fortunately, Camilla was distracted by the aurora in the sky, so no one but me heard Francesca’s mutter.

*

“Don’t go far, just play nearby. Understood?”

“Don’t worry.”

An excited Camilla waved her hands and left the place with lightning-fast steps.

After seeing the aurora in the sky, she had been singing about wanting to see the fissure, so I pretended to give in and let her go.

“It’s a restricted area, so she won’t even get near the fissure anyway.”

“Why didn’t you go with her?”

“Why would I go to a fissure? This is Imperial territory…”

I looked once at Francesca, who was smiling gently, and then raised my head to look at the sky.

The blue sky, visible here and there, was covered with snowstorms, creating a gloomy gray sky, but a blue aurora that reminded one of a cold blue light was decorating the gray sky.

I pointed to the aurora in the sky and asked Francesca.

“That’s the mana erosion phenomenon, right?”

“Yes, you know it well.”

Mana erosion is a term referring to phenomena seen near fissures.

When exposed to suddenly released high-concentration mana energy, the nature and form of the natural ecosystem change. The academic world calls this phenomenon mana erosion.

A prime example is the coniferous forest in the northern part of the Kien Empire, and the aurora visible right in front of us.

“I’ve always heard explanations in geography class, but this is my first time seeing it in person.”

“Is that so? I’ve seen fissures a few times before, so it’s not that novel to me.”

“You’ve seen fissures in person? Did you go on a tour or something?”

“Not a tour… just an official overseas business trip.”

I groaned briefly while looking at the aurora illuminating the daytime sky.

“Hmm…”

Honestly, I didn’t particularly like geography. I didn’t do well in that subject during the college entrance exam, and even after coming to this neighborhood, my geography grades didn’t improve.

If anything, they went down rather than up. In this neighborhood, magic, divinity, and mysteries exist, and when taking geography exams, there were always complicated problems related to magic or mysteries.

But fortunately, an excellent encyclopedia was right beside me.

“Administrator? Could you explain that to me?”

“…I’m not a tour guide.”

“Oh, come on, quickly.”

“…”

Francesca, who was more knowledgeable about magic than anyone in our group, began her explanation with a small sigh.

With a tired face and a sigh, she pointed to the sky with her straightened finger.

“You know the six stages of fissure formation, right?”

“I do know that.”

“Then you must also know the three forms of fissures.”

Fissures are formed through 6 stages in a total of 3 forms.

“Condensation, rise, differentiation, dispersion, collapse, half-life. Mana gathers, pressure rises, and eventually energy explodes, changing the terrain, and concentrated mana is released externally. The terrain that changes when energy explodes is the fissure.”

Francesca nodded and continued her explanation.

“As time passes and the concentration of mana decreases, the fissure goes through a half-life and gradually stabilizes. When mana drops to a concentration that doesn’t have a significant effect on the human body, that’s when mana stones can be mined. Do you understand?”

“Yes.”

“Well, the way mana spreads differs depending on whether it’s an emission-type, radiation-type, or collapse-type fissure. But once high-concentration mana accumulated underground comes into contact with the natural ecosystem, everything changes.”

Mana spreading over land and sea can change soil and flora and fauna, and mana energy dispersed in the atmosphere can change the climate.

Francesca’s finger pointed to the aurora in the sky.

“The climate near the fissure can be affected like that. It’s a common phenomenon in emission-type fissures. Of course, the sandstorms that cover certain regions of the great forest or the Moritani continent for several months are similar, but if I explain that far, the story will get too long, so let’s skip it.”

“…”

“The important thing is that animals exposed to mana flowing from fissures for a long time mutate. Have you heard of mutants?”

I nodded.

“I know about mutants. Isn’t the reason why monsters in the Moritani continent became ferocious because they were influenced by fissures? Their appearance also changes extremely deformedly.”

“That’s right.”

Being exposed to high-concentration mana energy condensed underground is no different from being exposed to radiation. As the body structure changes, it mutates into a new organism completely different from its original form. Humans are no exception.

Humans who become mutants change into something that can hardly be called human anymore.

A person who used to walk on two legs suddenly crawls on all fours, or their skin is covered with black shells like crustaceans, or they climb trees at an incredible speed to attack passing animals, etc.

Because of this phenomenon, humans who became mutants have been treated as demonized demon worshippers since ancient times. As always, dealing with mutants has been the responsibility of religious institutions in each continent, including the Inquisition, for hundreds of years.

“Even though I’m a mage, I can’t help but be grateful to the Inquisition for that part. If they hadn’t been in charge of mutants, even with the existence of the Magic Tower, related research would have been a hundred years behind.”

Francesca’s eyes curved into a smile. It was a face that seemed genuinely happy and grateful.

Watching that smile and tilting my head repeatedly, I couldn’t contain my curiosity and asked Francesca a question.

“Isn’t it just that you’re grateful because the Church spilled blood on behalf of the Magic Tower, which would have had to spill blood for hundreds of years during the early stages of research on fissures and mutants, when so many people died?”

A strange smile formed on Francesca’s lips. She, who had been walking ahead, stood still like a nailed person and stared into space.

After laughing for a while, Francesca suddenly asked me.

“Do I have to answer that?”

“If you want to.”

“Then I won’t.”

Francesca smiled and silently turned around.

We hurried our steps in silence, and after walking for a while, we arrived at a building guarded by the Imperial army.

*

Francesca had taken on the task of rebuilding the road transportation network in the North and guarding the fissure.

In the early days of her dispatch, she was busy just repairing the railways, but as time passed after arriving in the North, she gradually began to have more leeway.

Francesca, who had been managing the transportation network with mages from the Magic Tower and the Empire while living and eating on site, is now working with communication magical tools in a building with a decent office.

“If there’s no fuel to supply to the trains, use the excess mana from the golems for now. We need to get the railways running first.”

“The mana stones mined from the fissure will be refined right here in the North. However, due to outdated facilities, there’s a high probability we won’t meet the production quota demanded by the military. Since the latest facilities for refining mana stones are concentrated in the distant western port, bring materials and personnel from the mainland to ensure fuel can be supplied directly in the North.”

“Although it’s a temporary measure, it’s better than nothing. I’ll handle the approval, so submit the business plan first. I need to report to Oracle today, so hurry. Now.”

As soon as we entered the office, Francesca grabbed the communication tool and gave instructions to various places. She’s busy because she’s performing two tasks simultaneously, but what she’s doing now is essentially public works.

While Camilla can follow the army and set fire to mountain ranges, and Lucia can rush to where refugees are to save lives,

Francesca has to consult with the Imperial government even to start construction or arrange meals for workers.

She can’t help but be busy as she has to exchange official documents with the Imperial government and coordinate opinions for each matter.

“Hah…”

“Are you finished?”

“Yes… I’ve finished the urgent matters now…”

Francesca, who put down the communication tool, slumped onto the sofa like dried jerky.

I unwrapped a candy from the desk and handed it to her.

“Thank you, Officer…”

“Don’t mention it.”

Francesca, half-leaning on the sofa, rolled the candy and groaned softly. It seemed she was under no small amount of stress due to the numerous headaches.

Leaving Francesca, who looked like she might collapse at any moment, I took out my camera and photographed all the materials in the office. From the North’s road transportation network reconstruction project to the mana stone refining project jointly conducted by the Magic Tower Secretariat and the Imperial Magic Department, and even the deployment map of the Imperial guard units stationed at the fissure.

-Click. Click.

As I turned the pages one by one and took pictures, I suddenly felt Francesca’s gaze.

Francesca was watching all my actions with narrowed eyes. I met her gaze briefly, then organized the photographed documents and spoke to her.

“Administrator. Nothing unusual happened today, right?”

“No.”

“Well… I didn’t visit here because I was particularly free. I came because I have something to tell you.”

Something to tell?

Francesca’s eyebrows, who was lying askew on the sofa, rose slightly. As if interested, she straightened her shoulders, opened her chest, and focused on what I was about to say.

I pulled up a chair and sat facing Francesca. She was still lying on the sofa with a relaxed expression, rolling her eyes full of interest to look at me.

“Do you remember the bet you proposed to me before? About providing a route.”

“Yes, I remember.”

A gentle answer came back.

I continued speaking while taking out the phone I had used in front of her before.

“I received a call today. They say they’ll arrive in the Empire soon.”

“…”

“I need to meet the broker soon. Is your schedule okay?”

Her silk-like purple hair swayed with her nod.

She said,

“I was bored anyway, so that’s fortunate.”

A faint smile formed on Francesca’s lips.

“I’ve been waiting.”