Chapter 98

The once vibrant coal mine in Monne was now half-dead.

The main reason was that, after the chaos that swept through the territory during the summer, all the miners had dropped their pickaxes. They had come down to the village to protect their families and secure food, and before anyone realized it, winter had already arrived.

Though working in winter was easier than in summer, the warehouse was already overflowing thanks to Gula’s rationing, so there was no pressing need to return to the mine.

“The coal profits aren’t that great anyway. The more we mine, the faster the resources dwindle. Better to hold onto it and strike when the time is right.”

Clatter, clatter.

The carriage jolted along the night road. The hawk, sitting quietly beside Ian, lifted its head and cocked it in confusion, as if wondering why it had to be on this ride.

“Sorry. But I can’t follow you, nor can I communicate with you. I’ll send you off at the mine.”

If he let the hawk fly ahead from the mansion, it would be impossible to catch up. The pocket watch already showed that an hour had passed since departure. It seemed they were close to arriving.

Screech.

“Ian, the road ahead is too rough for the wheels. You’ll have to walk from here.”

“Is that so? Understood.”

The carriage stopped, and the soldiers following behind dismounted. While they prepared their lanterns, Ian released the warrior’s hawk into the sky.

“Let’s hurry. Just follow the hawk.”

“We’re entering the forest! Stay close!”

“Stick together around the lanterns!”

What a ruckus in the moonlight. Fortunately, the sky was clear, so it wasn’t pitch black. Ian and the soldiers followed the barely visible path upward.

“Is that the mine over there?”

“Yes, we’re almost there.”

“Ah, there!”

Whoosh!

A figure standing at the mine entrance raised a hand and whistled. The hawk, soaring above, gently landed and spread its wings.

“Ian, you’ve arrived.”

“Where’s Beric?”

Ian scanned the area, looking for Beric first. The other warriors were nowhere to be seen. Was it an emergency? But the expression on the warrior who came to greet him was nothing more than sheer bewilderment.

“They’re hitting hard inside…”

“Hitting? What? The knight?”

“I’m not sure. You’ll see when you get in.”

As Ian stepped inside, the air changed noticeably. He covered his lower face with his sleeve and followed the warrior.

“Have you been here before? It’s my first time.”

“Only heard reports. This is my first time going this deep.”

The tunnel was surprisingly spacious. Compared to other mines of similar scale, the ceiling seemed higher and well-carved. It looked easy for workers to move around.

“But why are they making such a racket inside? If they apply too much force, it could be dangerous. Knowing Beric’s temper, I’m worried the mine ceiling might collapse.”

Ian’s teasing question was met with a hearty laugh from the warrior. The sound echoed through the mine, and the soldiers following behind sighed in relief. Entering a mine at night was no small fear. At least it seemed they wouldn’t die here.

As the cold winter wind barely penetrated inside, the warrior pointed to a narrow opening.

“This is it.”

The entrance was so narrow it could be called a hole. It looked like a crack caused by a collapsed wall, not a proper passage.

Bang! Bang!

Clang!

“Hah, hah…”

“Beric, stop and let me try.”

“Seriously! What is this?”

“Come out. You seem to be using more force pulling than pushing.”

Voices came from inside. It was a conversation between Beric and the accompanying warrior.

The light was so dim it was almost out. They must have come this far with only an emergency lantern.

“Beric.”

“Ah! Ian!”

Clang!

Beric was striking something with his sword. When a soldier holding a lantern tried to move forward, Ian grabbed his arm and pulled him back.

“Ian?”

“Give the lantern to me and the warrior. You all go back and guard the tunnel entrance.”

Beric should be just ahead. It was better to send the soldiers back just in case. They wouldn’t be much help if things went wrong.

“Understood.”

The tone suggested it wasn’t an immediate danger, but the order was sudden. The air was foul and the smell acrid; the soldiers didn’t mind leaving quickly.

“Hey, let’s head out from the rear first!”

“Leaving? Really?”

“Orders! Move, move!”

The soldiers retraced their steps, and Ian and the warrior ventured deeper.

Thump, thump.

Ian felt his heart pounding—not from nerves, but from a strong magical energy radiating nearby.

“This can’t be. Why is there such power here…?”

Clang! Clang!

“Damn it!”

“My sword’s about to break, Beric.”

“Oh? Ian!”

Beric was swinging his sword at a translucent, glowing purple substance. It looked liquid inside, with bubbles, but the sword couldn’t scratch it.

“Ian, what is this?”

“You think I know everything, don’t you?”

“So, you don’t know?”

“I do.”

It was the same ‘Phulura’—the lower half of the leader of Merelrof’s three knights was half-embedded inside it. There were no wounds, so the cause of death was clearly this strange ‘ore.’

“It looks like a type of mana stone.”

Did Beric not sense the magical energy? Ian raised the lantern to check his face, but his flushed cheeks could have been from the exertion of swinging the sword.

“Mana stone?”

“You know the brooch we used in Bratz? It’s similar—an ore that responds to magic and grants special abilities.”

“But this isn’t just a rock. It has bubbles inside.”

“Not everything is visible. We’d have to cut it open to know for sure, but it’s definitely a mana stone.”

There were many kinds of mana stones—from the sealing stones that bound Emperor Ian’s power, to ones that could record voices or track locations, to those that created pocket dimensions for storage, or expanded magical waves when carried. Just as magic’s limits were unknown, so were those of mana stones.

“How did the knight end up like this?”

Ian motioned for Beric to stop and step back. Beric had struck the mana stone so many times the sword’s edge was nearly gone. Wiping sweat from his brow, he answered.

“We chased it here. The hawk’s good at tracking prey. The trail went cold halfway, so we thought it might have hidden here—and sure enough.”

“When you found him, was he still breathing?”

“Yeah. At first, we thought he was unconscious, but he died quickly.”

“So no one knows how he got trapped.”

“There were traces of something flowing below. Probably liquid that hardened after some reaction.”

As Beric crouched muttering, Ian grabbed the back of his neck and gave him a light flick on the forehead.

Smack!

“Ah!”

“Don’t pretend it hurts. You all are reckless. What if you’d been swallowed like that thing?”

“No way. It’s so hard.”

“It could suddenly melt and attack, or keep appearing somewhere else. Tch. Anyway…”

Ian turned sharply, and the warriors awkwardly avoided his gaze. They were all so alike—simple and fearless!

“You will report this to Lord Nersarn.”

“Ian, we did try to leave, but Beric was obsessed and wouldn’t budge.”

Beric rubbed his forehead, frowning.

“But if this is a mana stone, it must be valuable, right?”

“Priceless.”

“If more of these keep appearing, this place could be a goldmine?”

“We’ll have to investigate…”

Ian’s answer trailed off. To assess the extent and probability of mana stone deposits, they’d need the magic department’s help.

That meant only the magic department could even guess where the mana stones were buried.

“Ian?”

Looking at the mana stone with the knight’s body embedded inside, Ian felt as if he’d been hit in the back of the head.

“…Yeah. No wonder.”

“What? What do you mean?”

“We’re heading back to the mansion immediately. Close the mine. Don’t let anyone in—seal the entrance shut.”

“What about the body?”

“There’s nothing we can do for now. We leave.”

Ian turned sharply, urging haste. Beric, still crouched, looked back and forth between Ian and the knight’s corpse, bewildered. But soon, he and the warriors lit the way as Ian led them out.

“This sudden move scares me.”

“Isn’t Minister Wesley of the Magic Department one of Prince Gale’s main supporters? No wonder, no wonder! Among all the borderlands, they were fixated on this place.”

Clatter, clatter!

They clearly knew something.

Or at least, they had enough reason to suspect and targeted the Bratz territory. They must have guessed mana stones were buried nearby and couldn’t afford to lose the chance.

“So everything makes sense now.”

For them, the conditions couldn’t have been more perfect. The military buildup against the bordering barbarians, the peace treaty requiring palace intervention, Derga’s tax evasion—and the nearby mana stone deposits!

I think I finally understood why they’d gone to such lengths to save Morlin. With Bratz being so valuable, Morlin—the one in charge here—was a horse they simply couldn’t afford to lose.

“We’re heading back to the mansion! Shut this place down immediately, and have some of you stay behind to inform the nearby miners.”

Ian shouted as he exited the tunnel. The temporary settlement where the miners lived wasn’t far from the village.

The guards, who had been chatting in small groups, snapped to attention, startled.

“Yes, sir! Understood!”

“I know it’s dark and tough, but move quickly.”

“Y-yes, yes! Please get on board.”

The quiet forest suddenly erupted into noise. Lantern lights scattered in all directions as Ian pressed his forehead, overwhelmed by the flood of thoughts. Beric, sitting across from him, glanced over slyly.

“Was it really that bad?”

“What do you mean?”

“The stabbing.”

“…Enough. But didn’t you feel the magic? I sensed it the moment I stepped inside.”

“Huh? No, I was fine.”

Even as a magic swordsman, he was still essentially a warrior. And since he was still inexperienced, that made sense.

Screeeech.

They ran back as fast as they came, arriving once again at the mansion. Hana, who hadn’t fallen asleep, greeted Ian and handed him his jacket.

“Are you heading to the bathroom? Romandro is still in his study, but he’s been dozing off since he had that soup earlier.”

“No. I’m going underground.”

“Underground?”

It had been a long time since he’d taken those steps. Without hesitation, Ian descended the basement stairs and soon stood before the prison cell at the end of the corridor.

“Open it.”

Click.

The prison, always lit by lanterns since it had no windows, suddenly stirred. Mac and D’Gor, who had been sleeping, jolted awake. Morlin sat on the sofa, reading a book.

“W-what’s going on?”

Confusion spread across Mac’s face. They’d been left to languish here because Ian hadn’t made a decision about what to do with Morlin and the others.

“Sir Morlin, a letter has arrived from the palace.”

“Don’t you dare touch the master! You bastard!”

“It concerns your disposition, Sir Morlin.”

Ian fixed his gaze on him and offered a lie. The pale old man’s eyes seemed to gleam with an unusual gray light.

“Is that so? What do they say?”

“They said you’ll be summoned to the capital soon and to prepare accordingly.”

Morlin calmly closed his book, as if lost in thought. Who could truly read a man’s mind? Yet Ian somehow felt he could decipher the expression on Morlin’s face.

‘No way.’

That look said he simply didn’t believe it.

Ian was certain of one thing.

Morlin knew the true nature of the magic stone.