Chapter 112
–Aegir POV–
After travelling several days away from Rafen, we reach the potential area of our destination – the mine .
「That was quick, I thought it would take more time to get to the mountain nation territory . 」
I thought that would be the case, more so since we’re bringing wagons along with us this time .
「In other words, it’s the maintenance of the highway . If there’s a maintained path, it would take the same amount of people two or three times faster to move through . 」
After Adolph delivered his fervent speech, he sniffles . Sorry that I made you stay outside because of the many nights I embraced Celia and the others .
「No, I also can’t endure sleeping when you’re having sex beside me . 」
So with that, we’re even then .
I approach the mountain again . The grand mountain range lies to the east, where the summit looks hazy and not much can be seen, and just like its child, a rocky mountain juts out to the west, where the mine is suspected to be .
Even though it’s jutting out, the mountain is still several hundred meters tall, standing out more than most mountains in the central plains . The surface is rocky and there aren’t many trees or grass growing, but the incline isn’t that steep, so it’s possible to climb up to the peak quite easily if you cut around here and there .
It doesn’t look like a regular rocky mountain and the entirety looks slightly reddish-brown in color . There is spring water flowing around the mountain here and there, but it isn’t enough to allow for full-scale farming . Plus, the water has a strange color and a strange smell .
「I saw it last time too, but it really is an amazing mine . The surface is covered with red scrap rocks though……」
The man Claire brought with her……I forgot his name . But he finds a recess in the rocky mountain and hits it with a hammer .
「If you remove one layer, there is high quality iron inside……and with just a little refinement, it will become the best iron . 」
「Then, shall we dig a hole in the mountain?」
「Yes . We can retrieve a large amount of ore that way……」
He moves along to a nearby flowing stream .
「Even if you don’t enter the mountain, you can get a lot of iron sand from this stream . This land is basically one big clump of iron . 」
I see, if he says it like that, it might be better to quicken the development of this place .
「Since you’re building it anyways, it may be better to build a large blast furnace instead of a small one . 」
Adolph jumps into the conversation .
「If it’s steel, then it’ll be higher quality……」
「More importantly, the accumulation of a large amount of ore……」
「Not only miners……」
Adolph and Claire start to argue so Celia and I exclude ourselves from the loop . We won’t understand a single thing even if we try to listen anyways . It’s best to entrust it to someone else if you don’t understand something .
As I shift my gaze elsewhere, I see a small hut hidden on the mountain side . Thin smoke puffs out of the chimney and climbs into the air . Since I’m free anyways, I’ll check it out .
「Is that the fire nation the mountain nation was talking about ……the ones who they were trading food for iron with?」
「Yes, they said they were friendly and wouldn’t attack, but I will stay alert . 」
Celia orders the escort unit to take a defensive formation .
「I don’t think they’ll attack us so suddenly, but let’s talk through it just in case . 」
In the distant future, it would be ridiculous to have a dispute . If we’re going to oppose them in the first place, it’s better just to attack them first .
When I ride on Schwartz and approach the hut, what I thought to be only a few houses turned out to be many dozen huts hiding in a recess on the mountain’s surface, creating a small village of sorts . Their huts aren’t made of wood, but with a baked clay or dirt or some other unknown material .
There is smoke coming from the top of most houses and I can hear the clanking of metal . It seems that it’s true they’re a people who make iron .
「Oh, I thought you guys weren’t coming anymore recently and then suddenly……」
Probably hearing the sound of a horse’s hooves, a man covered in soot comes out sluggishly from one of the huts . That man probably mistook us for the mountain nation, who came to trade with them, but when he clearly saw the difference in armor and weapons we were wielding, he suddenly shouts loudly .
「Who are you people!? Are you plains people!? Are you coming to attack us this time!?」
The man’s shouting brought people out of the huts one after the other, but they’re just coming out to check on the situation and staring over at us .
「Tch . 」
I stop Celia from drawing her sword .
「Calm down, they aren’t enemies……they’re scared . 」
They aren’t carrying weapons and there are only a few of them . It’s impossible for them to do anything to the escort unit, who are fully equipped heavy cavalry . With that said, it will be easier to talk with them if they’re slightly afraid .
「The village chief of this place……I don’t know if you call him the chief, but anyways, bring out the person I can speak with . As long as you don’t attack us, we won’t do anything either . 」
After saying that, Celia and the others deliberately continue to maintain their battle formation .
The place we were guided to is a relatively larger hut, which seemingly acts as an assembly hall, though it’s still a small house which might not be able to fit even ten people inside . The escort unit is kept outside the entrance while I enter, where there is a wobbly, old man sitting down inside . His face is black with soot and one eye has been damaged .
「I am the person in charge, you can call me Flamme . 」
「I’m Aegir . I’m the feudal lord below these mountains . 」
He won’t understand even if I say it, so this kind of rough introduction should be fine .
「This may seem sudden, but everyone is afraid . Could you tell me what your goal is?」
I only came because I saw the hut, but that won’t lead into what I want to say .
「We can take the iron out from this mountain, right?」
「Of course, we are living off of striking iron . 」
「It appears to be so . We also want the iron . We want to dig in this area, that’s why we came here for an inspection . 」
There’s no point to prefacing my statement . I don’t intend to make them suffer, but I don’t want to be too reserved either .
「……so you’re chasing us out?」
「No, I won’t pay you any attention if you don’t get in the way . Rather, wouldn’t it bother you that we are starting our mining?」
After saying that, I suddenly notice something strange . Since they seem to interact with the mountain nation on a daily basis, I thought for sure that they would be a similar kind of tribe, but this guy called Flamme is close to 180 cm tall and has a good physique, even though he’s old . He’s pretty big compared to most of the large men of the mountain nation, who would still be one head shorter than me .
「You are not of the mountain nation, right?」
Flamme closes his eyes and nods slowly .
「Correct, I am not from the mountain nation . It has been more than 40 years ago in the plains……and I have already forgotten the name of the country, but I was driven out by the flames of battle, chased here by bandits and picked up after collapsing . 」
Flamme leads me outside the assembly hall . People have gathered and are looking at me with worried expressions .
「These are people who are also from the plains like me, the tribes of mountain nation who have perished from war or illness and other mixed races . This is a place where those sorts of people gather . 」
When I look at the people here, it’s true that the difference between their stature and skin is large .
「Hooh ……how interesting . 」
I thought it was because they would only die if they stayed in the mountain nation territory, but it’s a different story . But there are too few people . There are only 40 to 50 people at most .
「From what you said before, it has been 40 years since you’ve come here? It’s been a fairly long time, and yet this is quite the lonely village, isn’t it?」
Flamme smiles and speaks .
「We don’t have food . The water is also poor, so even if we can give birth, 80% of them don’t survive . 」
Flamme reaches into a basket that appears to be used for food and tosses me something from inside . That thing was a large mouse, which was smoked .
「This is the best meal we have . Small insects, mushrooms, moss……we search for things we totally never thought about when we were living in the plains . Once in awhile, we would give the mountain nation iron tools in exchange for food, but they surprisingly haven’t come recently . 」
Sorry, it’s probably because I gave a majority of the tribes weapons when they came under my control . It looks like it would make things worse so I won’t say anything .
「More importantly, the water that flows from the streams in the mountain becomes poisonous when you drink it . I understand that, but there isn’t any other source of water so we have to drink this . Moreover babies can’t endure this . 」
What a pitiful lifestyle they’re living . They’re not a big deal in terms of their population and they’re not aggressive or anything . It probably wouldn’t make a difference if I left them alone .
「I see, now I understand . We will dig into the mountain and make iron . But I don’t have any intention to do anything to you……if you gather the iron sand though, we can give you water in exchange . 」
If they’re not going to interfere with us then I don’t intend to talk with them any further . I don’t expect anything from them as a group of blacksmiths and if they can only make the crude, unrefined swords the mountain nation used in the past, they are worthless as manufacturers too . We have no choice but to gather blacksmiths from somewhere else .
「Digging in the mountain……that will be quite problematic . 」
「What?」
Flamme stands up and draws the sword leaning against the side .
「Bastard!!」
Celia instantly draws her sword and steps forward, but it doesn’t look like they’re going to attack .
「That is……」
My eyes are drawn to the sword and I could clearly tell in the dimly lit room from its shine and sharpness that this item is something rarely seen even from the blacksmiths in the capital .
「Did you make this?」
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