“Can you move now?”
Giedt put a hand on the hilt of his sword as he asked about my condition.
I stood up and peered behind Giedt into the depths of the tunnels instead of answering.
I extinguished the fireballs and stored mana in my body.
Hugo-san, a miner who resembled a dwarf, stopped when he saw that we were on our guards.
I couldn’t see anyone behind him, and he was only holding a lamp.
It was hard to believe that he had come here for work. Perhaps the feudal lord had also asked the miners to look for us.
We couldn’t let Hugo-san go if that is the case. It would all be over if he called the miners, soldiers, and feudal lord here.
Let’s hit him ―――, no…
Ah, that was a close one. My thoughts are getting dangerous.
I cast the sealing spell, stepped forward and pressed down on the hilt of Giedt’s sword.
I signalled him with my eyes as he gave me a questioning gaze and spoke to the miner who was standing in the dark.
“I mean you no harm, so would you please listen to me before you hand us over to the feudal lord? What I have to say will benefit your family if you have one.”
Hugo-san moved a little.
They must already know that killing us won’t solve anything.
“… Can you do something about it?”
A low voice echoed through the cave.
I probably wasn’t imagining it when I felt a hint of hope in that voice since he showed up in front of us and didn’t call people here.
“I can.”
This time, I answered clearly and without hesitation.
“There is a way to purify the water and restore the soil without having to turn this into an abandoned mine.”
“Huh, there is?”
Giedt was more surprised about this than Hugo-san was.
“Then you should have said something earlier.”
“I tried to tell him, but he tried to kill me. Of course, it would be hard work, but it’s not that difficult to do. For example, you could make a reservoir and throw the liquid iron chloride ――― uh, iron dissolved in acid, then the supernatant will be clean water since arsenic and iron will stick together. If you keep repeating this process, and later filter the supernatant, then you can make drinking water. The iron remaining in the water can be removed by mixing plant ash into it. The top layer of the soil will go to waste, but I have been told that the crops don’t wither when it rains a lot, so…”
“I don’t understand what you’re saying, but anyways, from what I’m hearing, you have a way to get rid of the poison?”
Giedt summarised what I was saying while I was still speaking. What he said was a very simplified version of what I was saying, but well, it’s fine if they get the point.
“Yes, so Hugo-san.”
I asked him a question while looking into his dark eyes.
“You won’t lose anything if you help us now. I promise. Please, can you lend us your strength for the sake of everyone living on this land and most importantly for your family?”
I held out my hand, which had been resting on the hilt of Giedt’s sword, towards Hugo.
Unfortunately, he didn’t take my hand.
“What are you planning on doing once you’re back at the foot of the mountain?”
Instead, I received a positive response from him.
“You’re going to help us?”
“… We knew we had to do something about it.”
Hugo-san said bitterly.
“But a lot of the workers here will be left out in the cold if this place is abandoned. Your words will result in everyone leaving.”
“Killing me will do the same. You know that.”
“The feudal lord feeds his miners with food from elsewhere, but it’s impossible for him to feed everyone.”
I see. So that’s why there were only a few miners who were sick.
“So, are you saying that the farmers who have lived here for a long time should die? And not everyone just eats the food they receive here.”
I don’t think the feudal lord can prepare enough food and water for all the people who work at the mines every day since a lot of people work here.
“The symptoms will eventually manifest. They might become more serious in the next generation. And what are you going to do with the land after you’ve dug everything up and nobody can live here anymore?”
“There’s nothing we can do about that, so…”
Hugo-san threatened.
“It’s not enough to say that you might be able to help. You must solve this.”
This time, he’s the one who is questioning my determination.
For him, cooperating with me is an act of betrayal to his feudal lord.
He was determining whether this is worth it or not.
“Very well!”
I didn’t have the time to worry about how to reply to him. This was the only option I had.
“I wasn’t going to leave until this was resolved from the start. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have gone to investigate the village after I had finished checking the veins.”
This made Hugo-san raise his eyebrows.
“Why are you going that far for us? You have nothing to do with us. We even nearly killed you.”
“I do have something to do with you all!”
I didn’t expect him to say something like this, so I shouted.
“The borders of fiefs and nations are just lines that people draw on their own, but we’re all connected. It’s misguided to think that it’s someone else’s problem just because it’s happening far away from you. You all were the ones who suffered this time, but it wouldn’t be strange if this were to happen to my family. In fact, my sister, who was also dispatched from the capital, is in Kikus Village taking care of the villagers. I can’t just leave her behind and go back on my own.”
“…”
“Besides, it would be bad for the nation if the precious mines where the magic stones are extracted were to be abandoned. I repeat again, this isn’t just a problem for the people living on this fief. The poison won’t disappear just because the mines have been abandoned. We need a purification plant even if the mines aren’t abandoned!”
Please understand, I’m begging you.
I emphasised.
“――― You ain’t bluffing when you say you’ll do something about this, are you?”
Hugo-san smiled thinly.
You still have your doubts. I gave him a big nod so that he could see it properly.
“Alright, I’ll believe in you, but like I said before, I won’t let you off if you can’t do anything to solve this problem.”
“I can solve it. I’ll do whatever it takes as long as I’m still breathing.”
The miner’s big hands firmly grasped my hand that was once again extended towards him.
Having successfully persuaded someone to our side, I discussed our future course of action.
“The feudal lord has ordered all the miners to look for you in the mountains. Some of them think like me, but some of them don’t. People who want money will tell the feudal lord that you two are here if you hide here, but the feudal lord’s soldiers are in town as well.”
First, I got information from Hugo-san. Hmm…
“Do you know how many soldiers the feudal lord has?”
“I don’t, but I think he has more soldiers than the ones who came from the capital.”
The one platoon who were dispatched from the capital this time consisted of, at most, 50 men. The feudal lord would certainly have more soldiers than that.
“Giedt, do you know where Gwen and the other soldiers are?”
“Most of them are helping carry sick people to Kikus Village. The rest are patrolling the surrounding villages to see if there are any sick people, and the feudal lord’s soldiers are in charge of patrolling the town.”
“Then, we’ll hide in Kikus Village. Hugo-san, please take us to the foot of the mountain close to the village and as far away from the town as possible.”
The feudal lord won’t check the plagued village and there are plenty of people who will help us there. I must tell Rille-nee and the others that there is a problem with the water as soon as possible.
“The feudal lord’s soldiers might be at the village as well. You saw them before, didn’t you?”
Giedt immediately warned.
“Well, yeah, I did, but there are fewer of them than in the city and they won’t know we are there if we sneak in. Besides, the feudal lord probably has them searching for us right now.”
“What do you hope to achieve by hiding?”
“I’ll contact Gwen-san straight away, deal with the feudal lord somehow then build a purification plant to purify the soil and water.”
“Somehow? Like tie him up and throw him in jail?”
“It won’t be easy to do that. I think I’ll have to ask Giedt and the other soldiers from the capital to take care of the feudal lord.”
Honestly, I would like the feudal lord to put aside his feelings and help me, but I don’t know what kind of actions he would take since he’s gone as far to try and kill us, and I also don’t know if he will believe what I have to say either.
I can no longer trust that person.
I don’t think he would go as far as killing everyone to cover up the evidence… But it’s a bit scary to think about it.
“Just go straight down from here and you’ll reach the edge of town.”
Hugo-san pointed beyond the path.
There didn’t seem to be any path left at all, but we should be fine if we follow the words of a miner who has been working here for years. We wound up in a good place.
“Well, let’s get this over with.”
Giedt tossed me my robe which was drying on a rock.
“Are we leaving already?”
“We should leave now while the rain is light, or they’ll find us.”
Hugo-san rushed us. He had already extinguished the lamp, hung it on his waist and was ready to go.
I know that we can’t dawdle around here. I know that but…
“There’ll be thunderstorms as long as rain clouds don’t appear.”
“You’re still saying that?”
“I can’t help it if I’m scared!”
I raised my voice, aware that Giedt was sick of this.
Woah, Hugo-san’s looking at me like I’m crazy.
“Look, which do you think is better? Get found by the feudal lord’s soldiers because we stayed here for a long time and die or go out there?”
“It’s better to get out of here! I know!”
“Then let’s go.”
“I know but wait!”
“What?”
Giedt put his hands around my neck and forcibly dragged me away. This is abuse!
――― Ah, I just remembered.
There is a solution to this.
“Hey, it’s hard to walk if you hold my neck like that, so let’s hold hands.”
“Hah?”
I slipped out from under his arm and grabbed his hand.
“You… you’re seriously like a little brat.”
I sighed but didn’t argue with him.
“If you’re wearing metal, you’ll survive a lightning strike since it’ll act like a conductor. You’re wearing armour, Giedt, so if I touch you, it should save me if the lightning strikes me.”
I don’t have any precious metals or weapons of any kind. I’ve got a magic stone, but I’m not sure if it has metal in it or not.
“I can’t unsheathe my sword if you hold onto me like this, so stop it.”
Giedt gently refused.
I understand. I’ll just let your hand go then.
“Then can you lend me something that’s made out of metal?”
“You can’t just ask that out of the blue.”
“Then, please hold onto my hand Hugo-san.”
Hugo also had a metal pick on his waist.
But when I tried to get closer to Hugo-san, Giedt pulled me by my collar.
“You don’t care who holds your hand, do you?”
He growled in my ear. I’ve made him angry somehow.
“I don’t care who it is as long as they have metal on them. I don’t have any ulterior motives towards you either.”
“That’s what pisses me off, ――― I mean, don’t put your guard down so easily.”
My guard, Giedt, apparently still doesn’t trust Hugo-san, or rather, he can’t.
“You’re so serious!”
“I’m cautious, unlike you. Here you go.”
In the end, Giedt let me borrow his dagger. You should have given this to me from the start.
“… Are you sure? You…”
Hugo-san’s gaze was so piercing as he watched our pathetic exchange in silence that it hurt.
“It’s fine!”
I won’t expose my embarrassing side any longer. I’m not afraid of lightning anymore! Probably!
We forced our way down the mountain as it drizzled down to save people.