The lotus flower bloomed in regret (2)
The body of the royal palace financial manager floated to the surface by someone who ran out of the hallway.
puck!
“Keugh!”
“Aww!”
The papers the manager was holding flew into the air.
As a rule of thumb, there are at least a few hundred pages of documents that can be seen with the naked eye.
Despair hung over his face as he grabbed his shoulder from the sudden collision.
“Aagh! All the papers I’ve sorted out!”
How many Treasury Department talents have been honed before sorting out all this volume?
Were the papers piled up over the course of several nights destined to fly away with just one unexpected collision!
The financial manager, who was flipping over a pile of papers with a meaningless hand, looked up and glared at the cause of the crash.
“Who the hell is running around in the corridors of the palace… … .”
suddenly. His body stiffened as he tried to shoot.
It was because the cause of the collision was a familiar face.
“Huh, Your Excellency the Marquis?!”
“Chemm!”
Esteban’s finance minister and head of the long-established Marquis Balter family was wiping away sweat with a shy face.
… … There was an illusion that time had stopped for a moment.
After such an awkward silence, Marquis Balter hesitantly opened his mouth.
“… … Were you taking the paperwork I ordered to the Financial Accounting Office?”
“That, that, yes, but… … .”
“ah! this.”
Realizing the meaning of the empty eyes, the Marquis noticed the papers trodden under his shoes and stepped back.
The papers with clear footprints were crumpled and soiled, rendering the writing unrecognizable.
The financial manager’s eyes were wide open, but he couldn’t bear to speak bitterly.
“I’m really sorry, I had something urgent to do so I couldn’t check ahead.”
“This… … That, don’t worry. It is something that needs to be rearranged.”
“… … It’s a lot of trouble.”
yes… … what.
His eyes were smiling, but he was never happy.
If there’s anything good about it. Most of the accounting work for the quarter was finished, so the Treasury had some room.
This means that even if sorting the documents again is an arduous task, it can be overcome somehow.
However, the Minister of Finance, Marquis Balter, did not allow even such vain hopes.
“I’m sorry about the subject that provided the cause. I may be busy soon, so please finish this paperwork ASAP.”
“yes? Isn’t this the time when accounting work is free?”
“They say a mine has been discovered. It is also a mine worth remaining in the history of the continent… … .”
That moment.
Marquis Balter recalled the reason for rushing through the corridors of the royal palace.
“This, this… … ! I’ll be gone.”
“dismissal!”
“I am so sorry! And please organize the documents within two days and upload them again!”
There was no time to explain.
Marquis Balter ran through the corridors of the palace, forgetting that he had many eyes.
Small tears fell from the eyes of the remaining financial manager.
* * *
“… … And this is what the dwarves mined in the plains of Galderd.”
With trembling hands, the investigator set down the small gemstone hidden in the cloth.
It had a rough appearance because it hadn’t been processed yet, but the subtle turquoise ore that could be seen inside it was enough to take away the souls of the people inside the office.
The king got up from his seat, forgetting about his body shape, and touched the gemstone.
Perhaps it was because I was nervous without even realizing it, sweat was pouring out of my palms.
“This is it… … .”
“yes. It is an ore of mithril.”
“… … oh my god!”
did it really exist?
It wasn’t that I didn’t believe the words of the first prince, but the story of the mithril mine was so absurd that it was true that deep down in my heart I was still dubious.
To be precise, you could say that he desperately hoped that he was right.
one. Seeing it in real life like this, it seemed that all the worries I had were finally released.
“More details will be reported as soon as certain information comes in.”
“Okay.”
It was enough just to confirm the existence of Mithril, so the king was able to sit down with a satisfied expression.
However, it was not the Marquis Baltaire, the Minister of Finance who persistently looked at the rough stone.
“How much is the mithril reserve estimated?”
It was a sharp question.
The amount of ore reserves is considered the most important factor in developing a mine.
Especially, what about mithril whose value cannot be compared to other minerals?
Regardless of the scale, we will continue to develop even just in case. If you know the amount of the reserve, even roughly, it could be an indicator that allows you to estimate how much money you need to invest even before starting development.
gulp-
When everyone’s eyes turned to the investigator, the investigator moistened his dry lips and replied.
“According to the Dwarves, it is said to weigh at least three hundred tons. In terms of purely refined mithril, it is about 25 tons.”
“her!”
“Is that really true?”
“This is only telling what has been ‘estimated’ so far.”
25 tons of mithril? You might think it was just that much, but in terms of the amount, it was more than 40 times Esteban’s one-year budget.
It was so much money that I couldn’t even feel it.
Of course, it must have been a calculation based on the assumption that the market price would be maintained even after all that amount of mithril was mined, but it was an unchanging fact that it was an absurd amount.
The king felt dizzy and rose from his seat again.
“If the Federation Empire had known this first, it would have been a big deal!”
If so, they would have had no choice but to keep their eyes open and watch as they literally plucked bundles of gold from their old territories.
Recalling the unexpected harvest, Marquis Balter reflexively nodded.
“I was really lucky. I can’t imagine that the land that the first prince received would create such a miracle… … .”
“miracle… … say.”
A miracle refers to a situation in which common sense did not understand the result.
… … So, was this event really a miracle?
-Send the dwarves to the plains of Galderd to discover Mithril.
The king remembered clearly what his son had said.
Let’s make the discovery of mithril in the plains of Galderd look like a coincidence.
-That way, you can alleviate the suspicion of the Federation Empire that they knew about the existence of the Mithril Mine and received the land. outwardly.
The whole situation was woven in his head.
Just like the time when they foretold Asus’ betrayal. Just like when I discovered the dwarves… … .
In the ears of the king, who was lowering his head as if thinking about something, the voice of Marquis Balter was heard again.
“On the one hand, I’m worried about what kind of moves will be made in the Commonwealth Empire, which has missed this advantage.”
“hmm… … Oh, that’s right.”
“His Highness the King?”
“Kuhm! Nothing.”
okay. Now was the time to think about how to use the Mithril Mine.
It was a foolish act to question the cause of something that had already been good.
“Then, before discussing development, I will tell you what I think.”
The king straightened his posture and focused his gaze with a solemn expression.
It was the beginning of a meeting that could possibly decide Esteban’s fate.
* * *
The news from the magic ball was very satisfying.
“Can we really start developing on our own?”
“hmm.”
Dwarf leader Surt was delighted to hear that the development permit had been granted, but was shocked when he realized the true meaning of the words.
“Then, in effect, the condition of 3% of the amount mined is… … .”
“Do I have to explain it twice to understand?”
“… … No, I understand. It was just an unbelievable story.”
Esteban took over the overall management of the Galderd Plain, but the development of the Mithril Mine was left to the Dwarves.
This was the decision my father made at the cabinet meeting just before.
It was the right decision.
“Good idea. No one can match the abilities of our dwarves in this field, so you can rest assured.”
As he beat his chest triumphantly, the dust-covered hem of his clothes fluttered wildly as he secured the access road to the mine.
His forearms were full of light scratches, but he smiled at what was so good about them.
“Then I’ll go see you. The clan is happy, so I have a heart to do it too.”
“as you please.”
Their attitude had already changed 180 degrees.
The existence of Mithril, which was unexpected, must have created a more favorable public opinion, in contrast to the handling so far.
Of course, it could also be due to the fact that a larger share of Mithril than expected was returned to their clan.
That’s how he left, and Roder came.
“I found what you said.”
The Sun Knights were instructed to search for elements that threaten the Galderd Plain.
And what vice-captain Roder was talking about was about the things I had directly mentioned.
“Go now.”
We passed the temporary shelter that the Dwarves had built and came to a clearing with overgrown bushes.
Unusually, there were traces of crushing of the bushes here and there, and the fierce eyes of the Sun Knights who placed them in the middle were scanning the surroundings.
I made my way through the brush to the center of the clearing and ran my finger over what seemed to be the most recent trail.
“Big.”
Footprints of gigantic size.
The marks of the claws revealed between the blunt marks dug up the ground, and the plants bent in the place where something had passed by had lost their life and faded to a dark color.
The danger could be guessed from that trace alone, so Roder, who was watching from behind, let out a drool.
“It is a monster. It is also a large monster on the level of an ogre and a minotaur.”
“hmm.”
I nodded and got up from my seat.
The reason why ‘Siltaff Grande’ was called a heavenly mountain range was because of its rugged and high mountain range, but the influence of the monsters sleeping there could not be ignored.
And some of the monsters sometimes came down the mountain range and roamed the plains like this, which was one of the major problems that remained even when the Commonwealth Empire developed Mithril mines before returning.
“Sure, there must have been a reason Your Highness told us to prioritize building the barrier.”
In the direction Roder looked at, the dwarves were divided into two groups and were working on different tasks.
The class carrying stones from the mines to build the protective walls. And the class that is steadily building a wall.
Needless to say, it was a breakneck pace.
“At this rate, it seems that a simple barrier will be completed within a week… … .”
Roder’s expression changed to a thoughtful expression.
From noble mtl dot com.
“If we leave it as it is, monsters may hear the commotion and come looking for us.”
“I guess so.”
If it’s a problem… … It wasn’t.
No matter how large monsters descended from the heavenly mountains, all of the Sun Knights here were skilled enough to use Auras.
The level of attack by monsters could be blocked somehow.
But after the Sun Knights return?
Even if the barriers were completed, would they be able to withstand their attacks at a temporary level?
Even if it was the Dwarves who developed this land differently than in the past, it was no different from before the return until the proper means of defense were completed.
Besides, with Esteban’s current national defense power, it is impossible to station a standing army like the Federation Empire.
“It’s a large monster… … .”
Well done.
I got up from my seat and licked my lips.
It was not a bad opportunity to proceed with the idea.