novelraw Chapter 98
Chapter 98
Chapter 98
Discovering the Mana Stone mine was truly an incredible stroke of fortune.
Thanks to the overflowing monsters, Mana Crystals were relatively common in the Johnson Territory, but the amount released outward wasn’t that much.
At most, it was enough to buy food?
That was because a fair amount was consumed within the territory itself.
Especially since making potions, which were as precious as the water of life, required many Mana Crystals.
When I said I would make bombs out of Mana Crystals, it wasn’t without reason that Peter looked at me like I was insane.
There were plenty of people within the territory who also needed Mana Crystals.
Even Elder Benetrang, who was right in front of me now, was one of them.
His lips twitched as he fell deep into thought, clearly pleased at the thought of hauling away heaps of Mana Crystals.
Researching Golems also required many Mana Crystals.
-The Rabbit Tribe will lose their minds too.
The Rabbit Tribe were also ones who cried out for Mana Crystals every day.
Until now, there had been so many uses for them that none were left over for the Rabbit Tribe, but from now on, things would be different.
If I told them I’d give them Mana Crystals in proportion to the Mana Stones they mined, they would work through the night to dig them out.
And the same went for the existing alchemists.
For their field, the more Mana Crystals they had, the easier their research became.
Peter never said it aloud, but he surely wanted more Mana Crystals as well.
‘Not to mention, having plenty of Mana Crystals makes trade with outsiders much easier.’
Just in time, Haken had demanded a large number of Mana Crystals, so trading with Haken would also become much smoother.
But there was something else I had to keep in mind.
Every blessing came with its own curse.
Without the strength to protect it, just owning a treasure could be a crime.
The Johnson Territory was originally not an easy place to invade.
Most of the great territories were far to the south, and there were no neighboring lords here to threaten us.
The problem was the Levelium region.
If the Empire bastards managed to seize Levelium, things could get very troublesome.
‘The Empire bastards would go mad and charge in without hesitation.’
The Empire had always been more advanced in magical civilization than the Kingdom.
The Kingdom’s knights were stronger, but in terms of magic, they couldn’t compare to the Empire.
Even centuries ago, the Empire had carried out dangerous experiments like biological modifications.
The Black Lions who joined our territory were the successful results of those experiments.
Of course, that particular school of study had perished when the Black Lions escaped from the Empire.
Other schools that experimented with life also became nearly extinct, abandoned due to various side effects.
But the fact that such schools once existed was proof enough of the Empire’s magical prowess.
Manipulating life was extremely difficult—something the Kingdom never even attempted.
Although the Great Cataclysm had shaken the Empire terribly and wiped out many of their schools, their magical power still far surpassed others.
Even the greenhorns from the Empire we clashed with had equipment of a frightening standard.
The weapons of the Boar Tribe warriors who had crossed over from the Empire’s side were the same.
So, of course, those Empire bastards who occupied Levelium would crave Mana Crystals.
‘This won’t be easy.’
But the Levelium region wasn’t exactly teeming with monsters.
If trade routes were as active as in the past, they might have procured Mana Crystals from outside, but was that even possible now?
The Empire’s heartland was still overflowing with monsters, so they might source Mana Crystals from there—but with a Mana Stone mine right next door(?), why wouldn’t they rush in?
If they didn’t, they wouldn’t be Empire bastards.
‘It’s not like this is information I can even hide.’
The Johnson Territory was isolated from the outside.
It was practically a security-clean region, unthinkable for spies to infiltrate.
Even the Fox Tribe never considered planting spies here.
The problem was, the Hidden Mastermind already knew our territory had a Mana Stone mine.
I didn’t know what the mastermind’s ultimate goal was, but if he wanted to hinder us, all he had to do was inform Levelium.
And since the mastermind was already in touch with the Empire bastards, passing the information along would be all too easy.
‘No, maybe they already know.’
The Boar Tribe and the Empire—two groups that never should’ve gotten along—had once joined hands, even briefly.
If the Boar Tribe agreed to supply Mana Crystals to the Levelium region after conquering the Johnson Territory, then the Empire supporting them made perfect sense.
-I’ll need to grow stronger.
‘That makes the upcoming Lord’s Council even more important.’
From the Empire’s perspective, this place had probably always been a remote frontier, not worth bothering with.
Strengthening their borders was just a precaution.
But now, it had become a honeyed treat.
We needed to prepare far more thoroughly than before.
‘Still, better to know than to be blindsided.’
If I hadn’t known about the Mana Stone mine, I wouldn’t be this wary right now.
Either way, if we were going to get attacked, it was much better to be attacked knowing than to be caught off guard.
While I was waiting for the Lord’s Council to be held.
Troops to evacuate the residents of the Hawrun Territory set out for Levelium.
Leisha and Limond commanded the Black Lions, while Rudick would guide the residents once they reached the midpoint.
And the Rabbit Tribe, who were at the heart of this evacuation mission, also joined in.
“Ensure safety above all else. If it looks too risky, retreat immediately. You understand?”
“Yes, trust us, Guide.”
These days, the Rabbit Tribe was far more active than before.
Perhaps because they had shed blood in the previous battle, many were volunteering to join the Rangers, and I even heard that those tending to farmland were also sneaking in time to join military training.
The Rabbit Tribe were embodying the true meaning of the union of farmer and soldier.
It felt strange, seeing the once-docile, farming Rabbit Tribe slowly turning aggressive.
-That’s because of you, Master.
‘Why is this my fault?’
-The blessing the Rabbit Tribe received is adaptability. With their environment like this, it’s only natural they become violent.
‘That’s not my fault. That’s just the nature of this region.’
-You’re the one who taught them strange things like Mana Bombs and booby traps, Master.
‘Well, that’s…’
-And now you’re even planning to heap Mana Crystals on them, aren’t you?
‘If I didn’t have any, that would be one thing, but since I do, there’s no reason to withhold them when they want them so badly.’
So what?
This was a world where everyone had to protect themselves.
As long as they were determined to protect their territory and their families, why wouldn’t I welcome it, even if it was the Rabbit Tribe?
I didn’t want the entire Rabbit Tribe to become Johnsonized, but even amidst all this, they still didn’t neglect farming.
If anything, the fact that they trained after their daily work was something I should be grateful for.
Either way, the recently proactive Rabbit Tribe were extremely enthusiastic about this rescue mission.
Most of the Rabbit Tribe who had escaped from the Level Merchant Group wanted to participate in this operation, and only those particularly skilled at digging tunnels were carefully selected to join.
But well, there was no way the Rabbit Tribe couldn’t dig tunnels.
Since they had already dug tunnels from the ranch where they worked all the way into Hawrun’s interior, this part didn’t worry me much.
“I don’t know if this will be alright.”
“What do you mean?”
“This operation. It’s an operation without Lord Iron, right? Shouldn’t I at least follow along?”
“Hmm, there’s that side of it too.”
In the end, this operation was to be commanded by Leisha, Limond, and Rudick.
I couldn’t take part since I had to depart for the Lord’s Council.
But it wasn’t right to wait until I came back, either, since no one could say how long the chaos in the Levelium region would last.
Right now, the Empire bastards could occupy the entirety of Levelium at any moment, so it was best to hurry even a little.
That way, we could at least take in a few hundred new settlers.
Once the Empire bastards reinforced their defenses in earnest, the migration operation wouldn’t even be able to begin.
‘So in the end, it comes down to those people.’
And so, this rather shocking combination of Leisha, Limond, and Rudick was formed.
Running an operation with that team was an uneasy thing indeed.
At least Leon was attached to them, but could young Leon really control the beastly duo of Limond and Leisha?
Of course, Leon was the vice-captain of the Black Lion Mercenary Band and had once worked in tandem with Leisha, but with Limond—who was even more reckless than Leisha—in the mix, it was worrying.
‘They did say they’d restrain themselves as much as possible, so I’ll just have to trust them.’
But there was no helping it.
The only decent commander left, Irene, had to guard the territory.
Without me here, at least Irene needed to be present so I could leave with peace of mind.
When unexpected problems struck the territory, the only one capable of properly handling them was Irene, after all.
“Besides, the Crimson Comet also needs to be reorganized, doesn’t it?”
“That’s true.”
“So this time, stay in the territory and reorganize the Knight Order. If those idiots cause trouble, support them immediately.”
“Ha, yes. I’ll do that.”
It had been a battle we had pressed forward one-sidedly, but the damage was still considerable.
Even in the Crimson Comet, where not a single casualty had occurred until now, over ten were lost.
Deaths weren’t that many, but many had chosen retirement due to serious injuries.
The Knight Order’s formation required at least thirty members, and the Crimson Comet also had to accept new ones.
The problem was that the Crimson Comet only recruited women, which made reinforcement difficult.
Of course, there were female Soldiers and female Knights in our territory, but the Crimson Comet was extremely strict in selecting its members.
They valued horsemanship as much as combat power, which made replenishment all the harder.
This was because not many in this region were accustomed to riding anything.
It would probably take some time before the Crimson Comet regained its former strength.
“Well then, shall we go too?”
“Hmhm, sure. Let’s hurry.”
“And you’re…”
“Hmm? What?”
“No, it’s nothing.”
Yuria had decided to attend the Lord’s Council with me.
But then, this woman just went ahead and sat on my mountain goat.
The very seat behind me that Leisha usually occupied.
It might have been nothing before, but these days, there were plenty of horses in our territory.
Especially after the Fox Tribe fled here, we had dozens of horses that had pulled the wagons.
Yet she ignored the splendid wagons and deliberately took the seat right behind me.
I wasn’t sure what to make of it, but I let it be.
Because her riding behind me had its own valid reason.
“Oh, it’s the Lord’s wife.”
“So it was true. The Lord’s wife has returned.”
“And from that mine, mana stones were found…”
“Heavens!”
“Damn, I knew it!”
As the time came for me to leave the territory, the residents gathered in droves.
I had tried to leave quietly in the early morning, but that was impossible.
Seeing so many people gathered at this hour, it was clear someone had spread the word.
“Was it you?”
“Hmhm~ What do you mean? I don’t know anything.”
“No, from the start—”
The discovery of the mana stone mine hadn’t been hidden.
It was bound to be revealed anyway, and there was no risk of the news leaking outside the territory.
But Yuria’s presence had not yet been announced.
That part required a more delicate approach.
Yet the residents already knew.
And even distorted rumors were spreading throughout the territory.
‘The Lord’s wife, who had been dragged away by force, escaped back to the territory with all her household. And in the very mine she had been developing, mana stones were discovered.’
Thanks to this, the mood among the residents was better than ever.
The scandal of the Lord’s wife’s fraudulent escape had been a shocking event to the residents as well.
‘Explaining all this one by one would be such a pain,’
How was I supposed to explain this?
Anyone could see Yuria looked exactly like my former wife.
And this, clearly, was a rumor someone had deliberately spread.
Even if I explained, the truth would only grow more distorted over time.
That was the nature of rumors.
Nor could I grab the residents one by one and explain.
It’s the Fox Tribe. They spread the rumor on purpose.
I thought the same.
The only ones who would bother to spread such a rumor were the Fox Tribe.
Though the Fox Tribe who managed information hadn’t attended the festival, some among them had mingled with the residents.
And since the rumors about Yuria had begun spreading around that time, there was no suspect other than the Fox Tribe.
“What are you thinking?”
“What? I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Like hell you don’t.”
This sly fox woman.
Even the way she lightly waved to the gathered residents, enjoying the situation, showed it.
And in the back, I could see Beastmen who seemed to be Fox Tribe, nodding and raising their thumbs. It was obvious this farce had been prepared by the tribe itself.
‘Damn it. They really hit me with this one. I didn’t think they’d go this far.’
It seemed this woman had resolved herself to sacrifice for her tribe.