“Let me introduce you around.” Vance walked with Roland across the expanse of the mining grounds, carrying himself with the majesty of a lion surveying its territory.
“The Ackman Magic Ore Field was originally established by Duke Edmond, later granted to Baron Ackman, and has been handed down to the present day. It has a history of nearly two hundred years.”
“The vein’s been mined for that long and still isn’t depleted?”
“That’s something you might not know. Magic raw ore isn’t like other minerals that disappear once you dig them out. Instead, after some time, they grow back from the ground. Quite miraculous, really.”
Roland truly hadn’t known that magic raw ore was so special—it was actually a renewable resource.
Fascinating new knowledge gained.
“This side is the workers’ dormitory and cafeteria. So they don’t get bored, the Ackman nobles even set up a tavern and some entertainment facilities for them.”
“Mm-hmm.” Roland responded perfunctorily.
As the two chatted and strolled, the other miners all took notice, especially the old miner, who was completely astonished that Roland was not only conversing with the overseer but that Vance himself was being so respectful to her.
But whenever any of the miners dared to stop and watch the spectacle, Vance would immediately lash his whip and bark, “What are you gawking at? Get back to mining, all of you!”
After scolding them, he’d immediately turn back to Roland with a fawning smile and say in a gentle tone, “Sorry for the disturbance, let me continue.”
The information Vance provided was clearly more comprehensive than what the old miner offered, but his perspective was entirely different.
If the old miner introduced things from the workers’ point of view, then Vance was doing his utmost to brag about how excellently he managed everything.
If she hadn’t known his true nature, the original naive and gullible Roland would probably have been completely taken in.
Especially when Vance spoke about the processing and value of magic raw ore, his gaze was filled with unconcealed greed, like a mint worker eyeing stacks of banknotes pouring out of a machine.
Roland immediately realized there was a problem with the accounts the butler kept. Putting someone like this in charge of the mine was like letting a wolf watch over sheep—not sneaking a few for himself would be an insult to the wolf’s nature.
The more Roland listened to these hypocritical half-truths, the worse her mood became. By the end, she couldn’t even be bothered to reply.
“Did you know, this mine has around fifty or sixty workers, and every few days one or two die. I really can’t fathom why mining should be a matter of life and death. And when they die, they start to stink, so I always throw their corpses outside for the vultures. Back when I was an adventurer, I fought over a hundred goblins and didn’t even bat an eye.”
Roland stopped, took off her hat, and placed it over her chest.
“What’s wrong?” Vance looked at her in confusion.
“Have you never considered that they’re people too?” Roland’s tone was utterly emotionless, so flat it was impossible to tell if she was questioning or just asking.
“Of course I know, but not all people are equal. There are so many people in this world—what’s the loss of one or two miners?”
“But they have families, dreams; they feel joy and sorrow. Does inequality in status mean their lives are worthless?”
“Miss, you’re just too kind. If you’d been an adventurer, seen all those pitiful souls dying in the labyrinth, you wouldn’t think this way.”
Roland gave a cold laugh, memories surfacing of Mia’s smiling face and the old miner suffering from magic corruption.
“I’ve never been an adventurer, but I’ve seen people made homeless for no reason, seen wars start over a loaf of bread. If only the greedy could learn restraint, learn to respect life, there wouldn’t be so much conflict in this world.”
Vance was no longer pleased. In his eyes, Roland was just some rich, naive girl who probably hadn’t even killed as many people as he had. What right did she have to lecture him?
“If you’re trying to preach at me, I’m not interested.”
“I don’t need you to listen, because you’ll soon pay for your words and actions.”
“Heh, whatever you say. Think you’re a Star-ranked adventurer?”
“Why not take another guess at who I am?”
As the two squared off, someone in the crowd suddenly shouted, “The beastmen are coming again!!”
The miners, who’d been working as usual, immediately panicked and scattered like startled sheep, fleeing in all directions—but their destination was the same: the mine shafts. The tunnels were narrow, restricting the beastmen’s movement and making it easier for the miners to resist.
Even Vance, upon hearing news of the beastmen’s approach, scrambled in a panic and fled to the base of the watchtower, grabbing the ladder with one hand and hauling himself up to hide.
“You go on and on about being an adventurer, but the moment there’s danger, you run faster than anyone.”
Roland put her hat back on, patted her satchel to make sure everything was still inside, then turned and walked towards the center of the mining grounds.
A miner who hadn’t yet entered the mine noticed her and kindly shouted, “Hurry inside! Only by gathering together can we fight the beastmen!”
But Roland paid him no mind, instead walking on her own to the very center and stopping.
With her current strength, she couldn’t possibly take on the beastmen alone. But, anticipating unexpected dangers, she had bought quite a few single-use magical items from Jasper.
Truly, it was nice to have money. But since the items were so expensive, Roland had been forced to sell off some of the castle’s collectibles to afford them.
Just then, Graham arrived at the mine in his carriage. He jumped off his horse and hurried over. “Miss Roland, I just spotted a band of beastmen crossing the hills towards us! We need to get out of here!”
“I know. I’m going to drive them all away.”
“But there are at least fifteen beastmen in that group! You can’t take them all on by yourself!”
“Who said I was alone? You’re here, aren’t you? And my satchel is packed with magical items—it’s not just for show.”
“But…is it really necessary?”
At those words, Roland smiled—not mockingly, but with genuine warmth.
“You could ask yourself the same thing. Is it really necessary for you to be so devoted to protecting me? Just because my father raised you?”
“Because you’re my master. Protecting my master is a knight’s duty.”
“Since you’ve said I’m your master, then stay and protect me.”
If she could minimize the use of magical items, Roland certainly wanted to be as frugal as possible. After all, she’d spent a lot of money on them.
After a moment’s hesitation, Graham finally nodded. “As you command. I will stand and fight with you to the end.”
Boom. Boom. Boom.
The ground vibrated with a regular, heartbeat-like tremor.
Roland looked up to see over a dozen tall, green-skinned figures appearing above the mine pit. They carried broadswords or spiked clubs over a meter long. Their lips curled with fangs, their eyes glowed red, and every inch of them radiated danger.
Even Graham couldn’t help swallowing hard. Facing a single beastman was one thing, but a whole group was a fool’s hope. All he could do now was pray that his master truly had a way to handle this.
Roland calmly opened her bag, pulled out a rolled-up piece of parchment, untied the knot, and spread it open. The strange markings on the surface were revealed—this was one of her trump cards against the beastmen.
Explosion Magic, a third-level fire attribute spell specialized for wide-area destruction. Its advantage lay in the fact that it could absorb unlimited amounts of mana—the more you poured in, the more powerful it became. In theory, it could wipe out an entire city in an instant.
With the magic scroll, all Roland needed to do was inject mana, activate it, and use it as she pleased. She intended to use this to prove her identity to everyone.
If the miners knew that a noble like Roland was not only lowering herself to investigate the mine’s true condition, but also willing to use precious magical items to help them, they’d probably be moved to tears.
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