After receiving permission from the quest in the morning, we finished preparing for lunch and set off. It was an unusually quick and quick start.
So we headed for Caspal’s home, and quickly ran into serious trouble.
“If I get a say, I’ll have to make it my first priority to build railroads across the country.”
“Please, please. It’s one of the reasons I don’t want to go to my parents’ house.”
Sadly, the railroad to Caspal’s home had not yet been completed, so he had to take a carriage.
As always, the wagon rattles terribly and hurts your ass. Having to ride this for two days is already exhausting.
“Can’t you catch a dragon or something and ride it?”
“You speak like a fairy tale.”
When I said it lightly, Dimitri across from me (Ber, with a very nervous face in the seat next to me) smiled and said. If it’s like a fairy tale, are there no dragons in this world? Or is it simply impossible to ride?
“Are there any dragons now?”
This may seem like a silly question, but I was genuinely curious.
In the original work, there was no such thing as a dragon, but there was equipment that was said to use scales because it was the skin of a dragon. I don’t know if it’s real or if it’s just a brand name.
“They are said to have become extinct because of relentless subjugation in the very distant past. There are no recent sightings.”
Dimitri didn’t laugh at my question, but answered it seriously.
“Hmm. Didn’t you guys think that elves were also extinct? It wouldn’t be strange if at least one of them was alive.”
Ethel next to Caspal smiled and questioned. When I looked at him asking if he knew, he shrugged.
“Then there might be at least one.”
I don’t know if it’s the type that appears in the form of a dragon for the first time, which is common in fantasy novels these days, and then becomes a human form, or if it’s a disaster-class existence in classic fantasy, but personally, I wish it was the former. Wouldn’t it be strong enough to be subjugated to extinction?
“It might be faster to invent a flying machine than to find a dragon.”
Caspal said something. It was an advance remark that made me mistakenly thinking that I had said it for a moment.
“Sometimes I say pretty good things. That’s a good idea.”
“… … You want to make it?”
Caspal asked in bewilderment. I said it was a joke and shook my hand.
“not now. It will probably be needed to advance beyond the continent in the distant future.”
It is a world where trains have just begun to open. If you go too far, the balance is out of balance. And I know a little about the principles of airplanes, but I don’t know anything about engines or motors.
‘No, the problem with the power source might have already been resolved.’
If you use Chaosium, you might be able to moderately use magic in complex parts. Like my Beretragna.
‘Can you make at least one with the help of two?’
When I thought about it, I felt like there was nothing I couldn’t do. Regarding the structure of the airplane, the Wright brothers’ biography that I read as a child is everything, but I feel like two generations of geniuses would do it on their own even if they just threw the theory.
‘no way. It doesn’t matter now. Let’s think about the immediate task.’
“What kind of monsters are in Abandoned Mine?”
I asked Caspal. It was good to start somehow, but I still didn’t know what kind of monsters were around the abandoned mines.
“Kobolds and a bit of undead. It is safe to say that 90% are kobolds.”
After all, if it’s a mine, is it a kobold? I just imagined what it would feel like.
“Are there any undead?”
However, the undead was a bit surprising. At my question, Caspal frowned slightly and then nodded.
“Kobolds aren’t that scary, but the undead are annoying. A being who has no intelligence and instinctively hates living things. I am not afraid of death because I am not alive in the first place.”
Even in the original work, the undead appeared quite often, so I remember it. However, it was an ‘army of the dead’ created by the blood magic of the ‘masked necromancer’, not naturally occurring as it is now.
‘When will the time come to deal with it?’
The fight against the army of the dead handled by the masked necromancer that decorates the middle of the original work was excruciatingly long and grueling. Even if there was still a lot of time left until then, it was not something to be taken lightly.
‘If you think about it, that masked necromancer didn’t reveal his true identity until the very end… … . No, let’s think about the future. You fell into Samcheonpo again.’
I let out a deep sigh.
“When you say undead, were they originally human?”
Then he asked Caspal, who looked out the window before he knew it.
“Well, yes. Because a lot died.”
Caspal looked at me briefly and answered briefly.
“I guess the reason the mine was closed wasn’t just because the silver vein was cut off.”
At my words, Caspal groaned softly as if he had made a mistake.
“… … Knowing that far won’t help much. Our mission is to clean up the monsters near the abandoned mine, right?”
And he shook his head in a weak voice. It was the attitude I wished I hadn’t asked anymore.
“I’m sorry, but I’m also quite interested in abandoned mines. There is also a pitch blend.”
“Then he dies.”
Caspal replied.
It was a harsh word, but it wasn’t a joke or a tired tone at all.
“Wait, Caspal. It’s a bit harsh.”
“No kidding. … … I won’t stop you if you die, but please don’t let me take responsibility.”
Caspal said with a sharp expression he had never seen before. If Katyusha hadn’t been on the lookout next to the coachman, it would have been enough to call him rude.
“You must have seen my strength. Is there anything so frightening as to say you will die?”
I shook my hand saying it was okay and asked Caspal.
“… … There was a lot of disagreement about what to call living in an abandoned mine.”
Caspal, who had been silent for a while, continued talking with his eyes fixed on the window.
“The name that was eventually settled on was a common noun after all.”
“So what is it?”
“death.”
It was a very short and easy-to-understand word.
“In the depths of the abandoned mines there is death.”
A heavy silence lingered in the carriage at Caspal’s words. A little fear flashed in Caspal’s eyes as he spoke of death.
For some reason, I remembered the 11 intelligence agents I had heard about from the Prime Minister.
“Is the security of Iron Blood actually good?”
After an awkward silence for a while, I was the one who couldn’t hold back and opened my mouth.
“What are you talking about all of a sudden?”
Dimitri accepted my words as if he had been waiting.
“I just thought it might be attacked by a wagon or something, but I thought it was going well.”
I waved my hands and said jokingly. In fact, it is very common for carriages to be attacked in fantasy novels, so I was half worried and half excited.
“I’m a little uneasy because if you say that, I’m afraid I’ll be attacked when I didn’t.”
“There’s an unwritten rule that you don’t talk about raids in carriages, Crown Prince.”
Dimitri smiled bitterly and Caspal was dumbfounded.
“Ah, did you defeat and slay the formidable enemy? If you say the same thing, it’s like being 100% alive?!”
And Ver, who was still nervous and restless, finally joined the conversation. The fact that the interjection is a story that is difficult for ordinary people to understand is very good.
“… … Speaking from a villain’s point of view, there’s also ‘It’s over.’ Most of it is not over.”
When Dimitri didn’t understand what he was saying, Caspal caught it and accepted it. While teasing that he will die from being a bother, he is surprisingly considerate.
Come to think of it, Fromm was quite considerate when we first met. Looking back now, I doubt that I may have poisoned those cookies.
“Wow, I’m sure that comes out often too! Umm, other than that, and other than that… … .”
When Caspal accepted the story, Ver nodded excitedly. And as if trying to continue a topic that wasn’t very interesting, he thought about it with a serious expression.
“It’s safe if you’ve come this far.” … .”
While Ber started talking nonsense, there was a thump and the carriage shook greatly——.
“uh?”
Just like that, the bottom of the wagon exploded.
The moment the bottom of the wagon rose, I instantly raised the boost to its limit. The flying planks on the floor, Ethel waking up from sleep, Caspal instinctively raising her arm to block it, and Dimitri hurriedly casting magic passed in slow motion.
‘I’d rather be grateful for the raid.’
I stepped on the flying board and pulled Ber, who hadn’t grasped the situation yet, by the collar.
After waking up, I pushed Ethel, who was slowly understanding the situation, outside.
Removed the dangerous fragments flying in front of Caspal.
Dimitri had already almost completed the emergency defense spell. Excellent too.
‘If this… … enough… … !’
At the same time that the limit reached its limit and was released on its own, I rolled roughly on the floor with Ber in my arms. The world, which seemed slow until just before, flowed frighteningly fast and violently.
“Ugh, uh… … !”
“Uh, huh? uh, what happened… … ?”
I hit my shoulder hard, causing intense pain. Ver, in my arms, looked at me in bewilderment, still not grasping the situation.
“Is everyone okay?!”
I shouted while hugging Ber. Caspal and Dimitri staggered out of the wreckage of the carriage, which had been cut in two.
“Coke, Coke! Damn, I thought I was dying… … !”
“I’m sorry.”
Caspal was annoyed with death, and Dimitri apologized for some reason. Neither appeared to have any major injuries.
Lastly, Ethel, who was pushed out because she was an elf in a hurry——.
“Hasn’t the clothes you’ve been wearing all messed up? joy.”
He was brushing off his tattered clothes and grunting. As expected, it didn’t seem like there was anything to worry about, like the one left.
“Katyusa! Where are you!”
I called the one remaining person who had nothing to worry about.
“here it is.”
Katyusha appeared from the front of the wrecked wagon. He was quickly thrusting a knife into the coachman’s neck.
“I caught it quickly. Was it the coachman’s work?”
“I-I don’t know anything! I was really surprised!”
“I thought it might be so, so I took it for now.”
Katyusha removed the knife from the trembling coachman’s neck.
“I don’t think it is as you said.”
“I mean.”
Then he looked around and said. I agree with Katyusha’s words.
Around the wagon, hooded people were approaching in a large circle.
It was a promiscuous gang armed with farm implements, clubs and axes, and a few that seemed to be leaders with crude guns. It felt similar to the Saratov rebels of the past, but with a more vicious atmosphere.
“… … it’s annoying.”
In the tense atmosphere (I wasn’t particularly nervous), Caspal was the first to speak.
“Everyone is taking a break. I’ll take care of it.”
“Wait, Caspal! Don’t move hastily!”
As if ignoring Dimitri’s persuasion, mist erupted from Caspal’s arms as if they were about to explode. Soon, the surroundings were enveloped in thick fog, making it impossible to see an inch ahead.
I focused on the mana and air flow around me. And after a while, I caught Caspal running through the fog.
‘okay. Show your skills, Caspal.’
It was a good opportunity to check the skills of those who achieved victory in the Colosseum in the original work.
From noble mtl dot com