episode_0058

The first place we visited was the Virello Mine where Capumo’s Jonas had worked.

I heard that it was a mine where demons endlessly emerged, but surprisingly, the security wasn’t as strict as expected.

“It’s quite serious…”

“Do you sense something?”

The continuous emergence of demons meant that the danger kept increasing endlessly.

Although demons had extremely low adaptability and would naturally die if left in ordinary places, in a suitable environment, just staying there would slowly expand their suitable habitat.

It was like the corruption spreading through the land like poison in the body.

Once the land had been corrupted in this way, it wouldn’t return to its original state unless all the demons living there were killed.

To revert the polluted land, the demons in that area had to be slain.

If one entered the polluted land to kill those demons, they could be influenced by the erosion of magic and turn into demons themselves.

As demons increased in this manner, a larger area of land became contaminated.

The demon war was an unsolvable situation like that.

Those who received the protection of gods like priests, paladins, or monks had some resistance to magic and stood on the front lines, but they couldn’t stop the all-encompassing pressure from the encroaching demons.

At that moment, the last resort called upon was us, the Eboni tribe.

“Understand? If demons keep emerging, you have to keep killing them and disposing of the bodies. Fonze and Jonas must have definitely kept killing demons. But now… no one is around.”

“Oh…!”

The guards protecting the mine seemed skilled in their own right, but they didn’t seem to be elite forces.

Their armor wasn’t specifically for combating demons, and their numbers weren’t large either.

To prevent the transformation into demons due to magic corruption, those fighting demons needed to take turns resting.

Going to the battlefield without detoxifying the twisted magic accumulated in their bodies would only lead to more demons.

“So, Brigal…”

“Gave up demon hunting. It’s not a problem that can be solved by simply turning a blind eye and covering it up. It’s actually exacerbating the issue.”

As demons increased and twisted magic accumulated, the environment became more conducive to birthing stronger demons.

“Why did they give up then? They wouldn’t easily abandon a mithril mine.”

“Well…”

As Specter said, this was a mithril mine.

It was a place responsible for the nation’s backbone, and with power struggles, it wouldn’t be surprising if wars broke out.

If such a place came to a standstill, it was imperative to resolve the issue by any means necessary.

At that moment, someone emerged from a tent near the mine.

Are they a mage and an investigator?

Yes, indeed.

Surely, someone would be investigating the state of the mine.

Was the item in their hand a tool for investigation?

One of the people following the mage was pulling a cart.

The item in the cart… no… wait…

“…!!!”

I almost jumped up in shock, but thankfully, Specter grabbed my hand and made me sit back down.

“Why are you acting like that?”

He asked, looking concerned.

“Oh, no. That’s… that’s…”

The item in the cart.

A black cylindrical object with a lid and a wick in the center.

Why was that still here?

“That’s… a candle holder…”

“A candle…? You mean the kind you light?”

“Yes…”

“What’s so strange about that?”

“Do you know what goes inside that holder?”

“No way.”

Specter’s eyes widened slightly, as if he had realized something.

“If you put blood inside and light the wick… you can temporarily drive away demons…”

“The blood…?”

“Eboni. It’s a device used with Eboni blood.”

A blood candle.

That’s what we called it.

Quite literally, it’s a device where we put our tribe’s blood inside the container, light the wick, and use it like a candle.

Then, within a certain range centered around the candle, the demons retreat.

Of course, high-ranking demons or those with high intelligence could withstand even that, but for most low-level demons, it was effective.

“…”

These bastards…

Could it be because of that they brought Stellia here…?

“…Hoo.”

Stay calm.

Take a deep breath.

That is clearly an item made using the blood of the Ebony Tribe.

However, blood candles were not so effective on the battlefield.

After all, the goal was to drive out demons, not to exterminate them.

In the end, it was a failed experiment that was used a few times and then discarded.

There were several other failed weapons developed and abandoned during the demon war, not just blood candles.

And Stellia was the wife of Sron, a member of the royal family.

She was not just a valuable guest but a legitimate part of the royal family, so one wouldn’t do such a thing to someone in that position.

If they had brought her for such a purpose, they wouldn’t have gone through the elaborate wedding with Krisha.

“Hmm…”

It’s complicated.

Difficult.

What exactly are they aiming for?

Why did they bring Stellia here?

Originally, the Ebony Tribe was slightly outside the caste system, and meddling with them could lead to sanctions from the temple.

Although the status of the goddess faith had declined significantly compared to 500 years ago, it was still the world’s largest religion.

Furthermore, Stellia had a reputation within the Loreldia Kingdom and had spent a long time with the prestigious Capcella family.

Treating someone in that position like a slave was essentially a declaration of war.

Why did the Loreldia royal family hand over such a person without resistance to Brigal?

“…?”

Huh…?

…Seriously, why did they hand over Stellia?

What benefit is there?

Why would they make someone like Stellia, who is difficult to touch in terms of status, into a noblewoman, marry her off, and even give her the title of queen?

“…Hey, Spect.”

“Yes?”

“Does Loreldia have a mithril mine?”

“No, we don’t. However, we do have an Orichalcum mine… but the output is not significant.”

“Is that so?”

I haven’t heard any stories about mithril or Orichalcum mines in Loreldia.

If what Spect said is true, they probably can’t mine enough to boast about it.

Mithril and Orichalcum.

Both are representative rare metals.

Even though Adamantite exists above them, the mining and processing are supervised by the religious sect, making production practically nonexistent.

“Do you think Brigal will sell the mithril mine?”

“I’m not sure, but… probably.”

“Even so, that seems a bit unbelievable…”

“Why wouldn’t it? If demons keep pouring out of the mine and they can’t mine it, what good is having mithril?”

“Still… it’s a mithril mine…”

“That’s exactly it.”

“Yes?”

“It’s still a mithril mine. It’s a treasure that almost everyone covets. What king would refuse if offered for sale? They won’t hesitate to use any means necessary, even if it means sacrificing a noble family…”

“So… is Stellia marrying for the exchange of the mine?”

“Yes. That’s the price they’re trading for the mine.”

“Should we believe that? It seems too suspicious…”

“Stellia is the patron of the Capcella family. And the Capcella family has a record of defeating a member of the Brigal royal family in a sword fight. There’s enough personal animosity there. It’s not uncommon for a royal family to ruin national affairs due to personal grudges.”

“…A sword fight?”

At that moment, Kona raised her head for the first time.

“There have been stories about the royal family participating in sword fights. I’ve heard about it before.”

“Really? Who was it?”

“It’s the current king, Sron.”

“Ah, I see.”

This puts the pieces together.

Brigal ended up with demons pouring out of their mithril mine.

At first, I tried to deal with the monsters in any way possible, but after several attempts and investigations, I concluded that it was impossible.

However, if we just leave the mine alone, we can expect continuous damage from the monsters.

At this point, the mithril mine has become not a mine, but a money and manpower-draining pit.

“In that case, it’s much better to sell it at a high price. Of course, the Loredia royal family may not be aware of the mine’s condition.”

“And it seems that he increased his persuasiveness due to personal grudges against the Kapsella family owned by Slone.”

“Yeah… It doesn’t make sense for royalty to participate in a swordsmanship competition. But Slone did it casually. So, you can easily think that he’s not an ordinary guy from the start. When such a guy sells the country’s backbone to resolve old grudges, Loredia didn’t hesitate to agree without suspecting anything.”

Demanding as a guardian rather than a formal noble would have relieved Loredia’s burden.

And since it wasn’t being sold as a slave but handed over as a member of the royal family, it would have been difficult for the religious community to judge.

“So… about the blood-infused candle holder…”

“Two options. Either extract Steria’s blood once to buy some time, or give it to Loredia later when they find out the truth about the mine. Either way, it doesn’t matter much.”

“When Loredia realizes it’s a lie, they won’t stay quiet, will they?”

“For now, Loredia doesn’t know much about the mine. They’ll probably issue a statement after investigating the mine to some extent and investing time and manpower. Besides, the relationship between Loredia and the mine is not ordinary. In that case, depending on diplomacy, it could end with compensation. Loredia will be angry for being deceived, but sending an army across the country for a useless mine is difficult.”

Between Loredia and Brigal lies the Kapumo Kingdom.

And the Kapumo Kingdom is closer to Brigal than Loredia.

Even though we don’t know much about the relationship between the royal families, Kapumo’s people have often been sent to Brigal as laborers, so they must have built a somewhat cooperative relationship.

Perhaps among the trade agreements between Loredia and Brigal, there might be a promise that Kapumo will perform a role as a trade route.

“Hmm… If we use this well, we can stop the wedding. We just need to inform Loredia of the truth about this mine.”

“How? They won’t listen without solid evidence.”

“…I guess I’ll need your help.”

“Even if you say that, I can’t do that!”

“I’m not asking you to directly tell the Loredia royal family.”

“Then what?”

“There’s a son of the Kapsella family in the Labyrinth City. Since we’re close, if I say it, he’ll pass it on for me.”

“There’s such a connection…? Truly, in the Labyrinth City, no one can deceive Lord Rasiod.”

Spect sighed as if fed up.

“Well, if it’s passing on the message over there, I’ll do it as many times as needed. So, shall we leave now?”

“…No. Wait a moment. There’s still something I need to do.”

“What’s left?”

“I have to sneak into the mine with Kona.”