Episode 176. Black-haired devil (1)
Uito, the western territory of the Garam Kingdom.
Although it is a somewhat remote and barren territory surrounded by rugged mountains, it is one of the most populous cities in the kingdom.
The reason is because of the mine near the territory.
The magic stone buried here contains a large amount of mana, close to the amount of mana possessed by an average person, and was a valuable item that was considered of the highest quality even on the continent.
Accordingly, mining has been continuously carried out for several years under the leadership of the Garam Magic Society, an institution directly under the royal family, and most of it is being used for research for the development of magic in the country rather than being exported to other countries, including the Usif Empire.
Of course, not all mined magic stones were sent intact.
Where valuable treasures are piled up, there are bound to be thieves who try to steal them.
It wasn’t much different here either.
“The amount mined increased by about 10% compared to last month, with about 1.2 tons of magic stones requiring processing and about 0.3 tons of magic crystals not requiring processing.”
“It’s definitely worth increasing the number of people.”
Vince, the lord of Uito, smiled with satisfaction as he read the mining report.
“Of these, 80% have already been prepared for transport. It will be sent to the Garam Society in the future, and the remaining 20% will be stored in the warehouse… … .”
“I don’t mind taking out more than this, just take out about 3% more, focusing on magic crystals that don’t need to be processed.”
“yes? Well, wouldn’t that leave room for doubt in many ways?”
“Is there any doubt? Then just eliminate that space! There’s still some time left until delivery, right? “We will implement additional overtime to compensate for the amount stolen!”
“If that happens, the workers’ dissatisfaction… … .”
Vince took out a fist-sized magic crystal from his desk drawer.
“I’m not here to worry about that, am I? “It’s your job, not mine!”
“I will follow your orders!”
The face of the knight who received the magic crystal suddenly changed brightly.
Vince immediately got up and headed to the mining site.
Born into a merchant family and with extensive business experience since a young age, he was typically an aristocrat who bought his title with money.
There was only one reason why a fake nobleman who was not of pure blood was put in charge of the Uito Mine, which was the royal family’s main industrial site, and that was ability.
He knew better than anyone else how to operate a mine efficiently, and the rapid increase in mining volume in recent months was proof of his ability.
His motto is proportionality between labor and production.
In other words, the direction was to mine more minerals the more work was done.
However, compared to the excessive labor force, the convenience of the workers who actually implemented this was not considered.
By hiring mercenaries from all over the continent to create a coercive atmosphere, they blocked out any complaints in advance, and only focused on increasing mining volume.
“hmm… … .”
Suddenly, Vince’s eyes, as he was looking around the scene, turned to a man.
“What is that guy?”
At first glance, he was a young man with black hair and a sturdy physique.
“This is a new guy from out of town, and despite the intense work, he is doing it quite easily without any complaints. “Even if I can’t do it, I’m taking on the workload of two or three people by myself.”
“The eyes are quite sharp and look better suited to holding a sword than a pickaxe.”
Vince seemed quite interested and looked at him, stroking his chin.
“Wow!”
Meanwhile, a worker who had been brought in from the knights belonging to the territory suddenly fell in front of Vince.
“I will report to the lord! “A little while ago, we caught a worker stealing magic crystals from a mining site.”
The knight bowed his head and handed Vince a magic crystal the size of a thumbnail.
“Stolen magic crystals?”
Vince’s profound gaze immediately turned to the worker who had stolen the crystal.
“Lord, I have committed a mortal sin!”
The worker put his head on the ground and prayed for his hands to become feet.
Vince, who was fiddling with the crystal like a bead, soon squatted down in his seat and made eye contact with the worker.
“What were you trying to do with this?”
The worker who barely raised his head cried and complained.
“Forgive me! It was because I had a sick daughter at home because she couldn’t eat! As a father, I couldn’t bear to open my eyes and see my daughter in pain… … .”
“You got sick because you couldn’t eat? So, were you planning to sell her crystals to make money and take care of her daughter?”
“yes… … .”
A short silence followed the answer.
The moment the worker, puzzled by the lack of response, raised his head,
“Kick!”
Vince burst out laughing as if he was dumbfounded.
“Even though I am called an evil lord who makes you do a lot of work, I am also a person with my own pride. “I have never thought that I paid you unfair compensation.”
In fact, despite the fact that the Uito Mine was known for its intense workload, there was no shortage of manpower.
It was because of the generous compensation that more than covered the hard work.
“But what? Are you getting sick because you can’t eat? “Do you know how much this magic crystal is worth?”
Vince thrust the magic crystal in his hand directly in front of him.
“Well, that is…” … .”
“You probably don’t know. If you knew the value of this decision, you wouldn’t even think about stealing it. why? “Because you will naturally learn that this is something that a person like you can never afford.”
The faces of the workers listening to the story gradually became stained with despair.
“Now, say it with your own mouth. “If I steal minerals from a mine, what happens under the laws of the territory?”
The worker had no intention of opening his mouth, and only his lips were trembling.
“I ask you one more time. “What happens if you get caught stealing minerals from a mine?”
“In addition to being deprived of their qualifications as workers, all of the family’s assets were confiscated, the male family members became slaves directly under the mine, and the female family members… … .”
Unable to continue his next sentence, the worker hit his head on the ground once again.
“Please, I will do whatever you ask me to do! “I will sacrifice my whole body to do anything, so please take care of my family!”
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-puck
What came back as an unexpected answer was an indifferent kick.
Vince stood up after shaking his hands and turned around as if there was nothing more to see.
The moment the knights grabbed the worker’s arm and were about to take him away,
“Eight!”
The worker, who finally sensed that he was pushed to the edge of a cliff, shook off the knights’ arms and made a hasty escape.
However, the escape was caught before it could go far.
-puck! puck!
The price of reckless flight was merciless violence.
Vince, seeing that, shook his head.
“You put your family’s safety on the line to satisfy your own self-interest, so you should be paid well in return… … .”
Then, the moment I was about to leave the scene without any regrets,
-chin
“… … !”
Suddenly, I sensed a threatening aura from behind me and immediately turned my head.
“Is there a need to beat them like this, saying they are being used as slaves directly under the mine?”
Right in front of the worker who stole the crystal.
A tall man who grabbed the wrist of a knight who was swinging his club.
Some knights flinched at the bloody force radiating from their blade-like eyes.
“Can’t you let go of this?”
The driver tried his best to pull his arm out, but let alone pull it out, it didn’t even move.
The man was holding the knight’s hand tightly like handcuffs, and there was not even the slightest change in his expression, as if he was not afraid of what would happen next.
“done. Until there.”
Vince raised his hand to dissuade him.
“There is no need to waste your energy on something that doesn’t work. Let’s all go back and do our jobs… … .”
Only then did the man let go of the knight’s hand.
The driver seemed to be glaring at the man sharply, and soon left the scene, taking the worker with him.
The man also returned to his original position and resumed work again.
“No matter how you look at it. “He doesn’t look like a guy who would use a pickaxe.”
Vince was looking at the man with a very interesting gaze, as if he had discovered an unpolished stone.
* * *
After night work that lasted until dusk,
An empty workplace just before dawn.
Until the morning work crew started work, there was a tall, black-haired man in the corner of the workshop, even though it was supposed to be empty.
To anyone, it may seem like he is working extra overtime alone, but due to the nature of always working in groups of two or more, working alone without an accompanying person was not possible here at the Uito Mine.
If anyone in charge of the mine were to see that scene now,
You will most likely notice right away that you are doing something bad.
-clap clap clap
The man turned his head as a sudden applause rang out from behind him.
“I was a merchant before I was the lord of this land. “When you travel around the continent and do business, you meet many people.”
There, Vince, the lord of Uito, appeared in front of the man along with a number of armed knights.
“When I met and worked with many people like that, I would sometimes meet talented people who were called talented people. People usually call such encounters fate, but I didn’t think of it that way.”
Despite Vince’s lengthy explanation, the man didn’t even flinch an eyebrow.
“You met me after going through countless circumstances and coincidences? I don’t know if it was because I grew suspicious as I lived the life of a merchant, but I didn’t believe in fate. I thought every encounter was always a calculated act with a purpose. It’s the same for you too. Zion.”
Soon dozens of knights led by Vince surrounded the man.
“Of course the name I am using now is an alias. After investigating, I found that he had been engaging in quite a bit of mercenary activity not only in the Garam Kingdom, but also in Usif and Spania.”
“What do you want to say?”
He asked, raising his eyebrows as if it was uncomfortable to hear any more than this.
“A veteran who has been working for decades might not know it, but a rookie who has just started to smell like a man quits everything and comes to this mine to work as a laborer… … “Wouldn’t that be strange to anyone?”
Vince’s gaze was focused on the magic crystal tightly hidden from the man’s fist.
“Say it. “Why did you come here?”
“… … .”
“Unlike the daytime asshole, you know the value of that decision. “What did you plan on using that crystal for?”
“… … .”
“If not, was that decision just a bait to call me?”
Despite Vince’s repeated questions, the man did not open his mouth.
“I guess I just don’t have any intention of telling you. Then you can’t do it. I have no choice but to force your mouth to open… … .”
At the signal, the knights surrounding the man rushed at lightning speed,
-puck!
As if he was reading their movements, the man subdued them all with one fist in less than ten seconds.
“The ability itself is definitely something worth recognizing.”
The man’s eyes had suddenly turned a vibrant red.
As if to welcome those eyes, the large knight right next to Vince stepped forward.
At first glance, the overwhelming difference in physique makes it impossible to match.
In response, the man first raised his fist and struck hard, but
-Park!
It was blocked in vain by the knight’s wide-open hand.
-Whirik
However, the man did not hesitate and immediately jumped up in place, spun around, and hit the knight on the head with his right foot.
-puck!
It proved that the light hitting sound was properly incorporated.
At this, a faint smile appeared on the man’s lips, and the moment the knight lost his balance and was about to fall helplessly backwards,
“Did you know it would be like this?”
With a word that chilled my stomach, the driver thrust his face forward.
-Whoosh!
Then, he grabbed his legs and struck them mercilessly from side to side, as if beating them, so that the man could not even scream, let alone resist.
“Cough!”
Soon, blood poured out like a waterfall from the mouth of the man lying on the floor.
Vince, who watched the scene, clicked his tongue as if it was pathetic.
“It’s bland. Still, I thought I would show you a bit more… … .”
The situation ended so abruptly that I couldn’t even take out everything I had prepared.
The man didn’t even have the strength left to stand up, so his body was trembling.
“I thought it might be the black-haired devil who came to catch me, so I prepared light magicians myself, but it’s not worth staying up all night like this.”
Vince yawned as he suddenly felt drowsy.
Then, the moment I turned my head without thinking,
“W-what is this?”
Vince’s half-closed eyes suddenly opened.
Approximately 30m from the direction you are looking.
An unidentified red stream of water flowing from the entrance to the workshop right in front of him.
This is clear when seen with the human eye,
“blood?”
Long streams of blood flowed everywhere, with no idea when or where it came from.
The appearance reminded me of a devil’s stronghold, something that would exist in hell, not the human world.
“Hey, what on earth is going on? Who would pull a prank like this… … ?”
In front of Vince, who was not aware of the situation and was looking around,
“… … !”
An unfamiliar black fog slowly began to descend.
(Continued in the next part)
fantasy,
