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Chapter 176 – Day 7 of Management Life
Just before dawn, the golems began moving frantically.
I woke up to the sound of footsteps and saw Ka-Ryu standing up.
“Someone’s coming.”
“Who else would come this far into the demonic realm?”
“No, that magic is probably Chel and the others.”
“Something must have happened on the East Coast…”
Because I had released my magic while sleeping, my body felt weak and unresponsive. Maybe it would have been better to sleep outside the dungeon.
“Lipa, wake up!”
“Is it a monster!?”
Lipa, who had been sleeping, jumped up in a panic and grabbed his wooden sword.
“No, it’s just Chel and the others. Ka-Ryu, I’m sorry, but could you do me a favor?”
“Just tell me what to do.”
“If they ran through the desert in the middle of the night, they must be cold. Warm them up for me.”
“Got it.”
Ka-Ryu immediately sprang into action, giving orders to the nearby golems. As a knight, she seemed to hold a high position within the base.
Golems gathered at the entrance to the dungeon.
In the center, Chel, Hel, and Sylvia rubbed their bodies and looked tired. It must be cold.
“What’s going on? Did something happen?”
I asked, pushing past the golems.
“Ah, there you are. It seems there was a civil war in Cliff Garuda.”
Chel explained concisely, without her usual accent.
Come to think of it, I haven’t been to Cliff Garuda lately. Even though trade has become possible, I only go there when necessary. There are still many discoveries to be made in the demonic land, and we are short on negotiators.
“What about trade with the Kingdom of Meiju?”
“We gave them monster hides and bones, as well as magic stones. They gave us cloth products and miscellaneous goods.”
“We left Jennifer and the dwarves behind, but they’ll come here eventually.”
Sylvia and Hel explained without hesitation. There was a sense of urgency in their voices. It was the middle of the night, and they were rushing to a military base in the desert, so it must be serious.
I had no idea why the three of them were in such a hurry. Even if another country were in the midst of a civil war, it shouldn’t have much to do with the demonic land.
“I’m sorry. I understand there’s a problem, but I don’t know what’s going to happen.”
“Oh, I see. The magic stones. Due to the civil war, it’s become impossible to mine magic stones in Cliff Garuda.”
“And then what?”
“The amount of imports to the Kingdom of Meiju will decrease, right? Magic tools that have officially started being traded require magic stones, so they might become unusable.”
“Then won’t we just go back to our old lives without magic tools?”
“Once you’ve experienced a convenient life, it’s not so easy to go back. Besides, it’s autumn now. The southern part of the Kingdom of Meiju is prone to typhoons. Trade will stop during storms. In the winter, the north needs magic stones for heating, so there might be an internal conflict in the kingdom…”
Without magic stones, people will die from the cold. Could there be a battle over magic stones?”
The three people answering the questions nodded vigorously.
As the number of trading countries increases, so do the troubles.
“Hmmm…”
“If you put off dealing with the issue of magic stones and magic power, it will become a serious problem. That’s how conflicts between dungeons started.”
Before I knew it, Gussenbach, the director of this dungeon, was standing next to me.
“Even in the elf kingdom, only the clan that hoarded magic stones had their spirit trees destroyed. Don’t underestimate this.”
Hel, who couldn’t use magic, might have bitter memories of this.
“Were there any magic stone deposits in Yggdrasil?”
I asked Gussenbach.
“Of course there were. I think there’s a mountain range to the west.”
“I went there just the other day.”
“There are large mines to the north and south of the mountain range. If the Earth’s veins haven’t changed, you should still be able to mine there.”
We haven’t found anything in the northwest, but the southern tip is probably within Cliff Garuda. There may be people living there.
“I see. I’ll go check it out.”
We prepared some dried meat and asked for a little rainwater.
“The three of you come later. You must be tired from running all night.”
“Wait, I—”
Unlike Sylvia and Hel, who were exhausted, Chel still seemed able to run.
“Make sure you bring the two of them to Cliff Garuda. There are things I can’t do alone. I’m counting on you, former nobles.”
With that, Chel relented and asked Gussenbach, “Is there a ship at this base?”
“All right, Lipa, let’s go.”
“Understood.”
We exited the dungeon and headed south. The cold morning air filled my lungs, and I felt my magic slowly recover.
“Makyo-san, aren’t you going too fast?”
“Then you go ahead, Lipa.”
Lipa took the lead.
Our pace slowed, but we would reach Cliff Garuda by evening.
Occasionally, we saw monsters fighting in the distance, kicking up dust, but they didn’t come near us.
As the sun rose, so did the temperature, but we didn’t stop to rest. We continued to run at the same pace.
“Are you still worried about the civil war back home?”
I asked Lipa while running, since I had nothing else to do.
“It’s not just because it’s my homeland. It’s also a neighboring country, so I’m concerned.”
“Don’t you want to get revenge on the country that exiled you?”
“Revenge? I’m happy here in the demonic land, so I don’t really think about it. But something feels strange.”
“I feel the same way.”
I couldn’t understand why there was a huge hole, yet still a shortage of magic stones. If you’re going to mine, the hole should be at the southern tip. Maybe the miners’ wages are extremely low.
There are many things I don’t understand.
Even though we ran aimlessly, we arrived at the abandoned village littered with monster feces by noon. We replenished our water supply and continued south to Cliff Garuda.
“Ah, so this is what it looks like from the demonic land.”
In front of us stretched a massive wall running from east to west. Cliff Garuda was perched atop it. Monsters were flying in the sky, targeting us, but they didn’t seem particularly strong.
“Can we climb it?”
“No, we’ll fly.”
Lipa had brought a sturdy flying broom. I climbed on behind him.
Whoosh!
As our feet left the ground, a small circle of sand swirled around us.
“Let’s go.”
Immediately after hearing his short command, we were on top of the wall. I don’t think the monsters we were targeting noticed us. Either they couldn’t see us, or we heard cries that sounded like screams.
We landed in a deep forest and replenished our water supply at a spring. There were monsters around us, but some plants didn’t attack. Finally, we calmed down and ate a hearty meal.
“The sun is setting. What should we do now?”
“Let’s go to the royal capital of Valkirya and gather some information. We need to hear both sides of the civil war.”
“Understood.”
The wild herb soup was tasteless, but it filled our stomachs. Perhaps we had grown accustomed to the bitter wild herbs of the demonic land.
As we emerged from the forest onto the road, several carriages passed by. Their cargo beds were loaded with large boxes.
“Even with the civil war, the trade routes haven’t stopped.
“Air trade may have stopped, though.”
We headed east along the animal trail beside the road and kept running. No monsters attacked us. Instead, we jumped over sleeping monsters as we advanced.
Near the large hole, the road was congested with horse-drawn carriages stretching all the way to the royal capital.
As we passed by the carriages, we could hear the merchants talking.
“At this rate, it’ll take half a day to reach the royal capital.”
“There’s nothing we can do since we can’t use the airships.”
“How far can we go east anyway?”
“I don’t know. At least those who left the royal capital haven’t returned for two days.”
“Should we camp out tonight?”
“What if monsters appear?”
“It’ll be fine. Someone must have hired adventurers to protect them.”
As Lipa had predicted, the airships seemed to be suspended.
The gates of the royal capital were crowded with people and carriages. It seemed like they would have to wait a long time. We learned that it would be impossible to reach the site of the civil war by carriage.
“What should we do? It seems difficult to enter through the main gate…”
“Then let’s climb over the wall.”
We turned away from the main road and headed into the forest. It feels strange that the plants don’t react, but that’s normal.
Climbing over the city wall isn’t that difficult. All we have to do is jump with magical power in our feet.
Before sunset, we entered Valkyria, the capital city of Cliff Garuda, with its rows of towers.
We avoided the crowded main streets and made our way through the smelly back alleys. Still, we had to pass through some busy streets. Perhaps because it was dinnertime, there were many people. Even if we tried to go with the flow, we were carried away to unexpected places.
We passed through a square lined with adventurers’ guilds and shops, where we bought thin bread stuffed with spicy poultry from a food stall. It would be our dinner and breakfast.
“There are so many people. I feel drunk.”
It’s more tiring than fighting monsters.”
When we finally reached a street lined with shops that seemed to sell goods for trade, it was suddenly quiet. There were no airships flying overhead, so it must have been a slow day.
I opened the door to a small trading shop and went inside without asking. There was no lock, so it was fine.
“Excuse me!”
The inside was cleaner than last time, and framed certificates were hung on the walls. Most of the merchandise was monster skins and teeth. They claimed to be from the demonic land, but they were probably fake. I hope they make a good profit. Maybe I’ll bring some real ones next time.
“Hey! You’re going to break the shop!”
Right after he said that, Shueni came rolling out of the back in a panic.
“Makyo-sama! I’m a little flustered by your sudden visit. How have you been?”
“I’ve been having a great time. More importantly, I heard that a civil war has broken out. Could you tell me what’s going on?”
“Eh? Oh, I see. Just wait a moment. Please, sit on the sofa over there. There are some tea stains, but if you brush off the cookie crumbs, it should be fine.”
It was hard to believe that this was the sofa offered to the lord of the demonic land, but it was indeed comfortable.
“Grandpa! Tea! Makyo-sama is here!”
Shueni shouted from the back of the room. Then, the sound of something being gathered could be heard, and she returned.
“These are the news sheets from the past few days. A rebellion has broken out in the western borderlands of Cliff Garuda. It’s a place famous for its magic stone mines. The reason is unclear at this point. The airships have stopped flying, and magic tools can’t be used, so it’s quite a mess.”
Shueni spread the newspapers on the table and explained.
“I see. If Cliff Garuda stops exporting magic stones, the Meiju Kingdom will be in trouble, too. Is there nothing that can be done?”
“Even if the rebellion is quelled, they can’t mine without workers.”
“Are they demanding better working conditions?”
“That’s not written here. Will Makyo-sama resolve it?”
“No, it won’t matter if the lords of other countries intervene. More importantly, aren’t you going to mine the magic stones in the big hole?”
“…What?”
“The big hole is full of magic power and magic stones. Why don’t you mine them?”
“We can’t enter the big hole. Not even high-ranking adventurers can. If you enter by accident, you’re considered dead.”
Even with the magician’s help?”
“They’re the ones who protect the big hole, not miners.”
“I see. Lipa, what should we do?”
I turned to Lipa, but he raised his hand.
We came here, but it seems there’s nothing we can do.
“Some former nobles are coming to this place tomorrow or the day after. They might have a better idea. Can we stay here tonight?”
“Our place is small, so we don’t have any extra space.”
“Is there any empty house we can use? We’ll just stay one night and leave.”
“Makyo-san, I think the airship landing field isn’t being used right now.”
Lipa suggested.
“What? Is that okay?”
Shueni’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Well, it’s just for one night. Tomorrow, I’ll go to the magic stone mine in the west. If anyone from the demonic land comes, offer them some tea. Can I take the newspaper with me?”
“Sure.”
We left Shueni’s trading post and headed to the nearby airship landing site.
It was pitch black and deserted. We snuck in and spent the night on a bench. Lipa knows some pretty good places to stay.
“Ah, this brings back memories.”
The exiles of Cliff Garuda gazed at the airship with nostalgia.
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