Chapter 53
Bang!
An unexpected explosion shattered the door.
Immediately afterward, dozens of soldiers stormed into the room.
“Rebel Ian Impera, hear this!”
Rebel?
Ah. So I’ve been found out after all.
This is why I shouldn’t be associating with the remnants of the Emperor.
“For colluding with the remnant of the gruesome massacres and disturbing the peace of the continent, you shall be executed immediately!”
Wait! Please, just listen! No trial, and you’re going to kill me just like that?
I tried to shout, but strangely, no sound came out.
“Damn it! Rebel scum! Die!”
Argh!
“…Huff! Huff!”
I opened my eyes on the damp bed.
Thankfully, it had only been a dream.
“…Damn it.”
I rubbed the back of my neck, soaked in cold sweat.
The feeling of flesh being sliced by a cold blade was unnervingly vivid, like it had really happened.
“Phew…”
Was it because of all the stress lately? Sitting there, dreaming such a cursed dream.
“Master? Are you all right?”
I must have screamed; Islin immediately ran over and knocked on the door.
“I-I’m fine. Just had a stupid dream.”
“…I see.”
“Ha…”
Even though it was just a dream, it wasn’t entirely unrealistic.
And that made it all the more unsettling.
According to the laws of the Kingdom Alliance, anyone entangled with the remnants of the Emperor is executed immediately.
‘And I’m not just slightly entangled.’
I hadn’t just brushed against the Emperor’s remnants lightly. I had revealed not only the location of the Knight Order’s relics but also how to break their seals. Simply dying peacefully would be fortunate.
“….”
The one I worried about the most was Oberon.
The great wizard Oberon had ended the Great War alone and then vanished without a trace.
He had never appeared alongside the protagonist, Dia, in the novel. Only in flashbacks scattered throughout the story did he show his incredible feats.
After the Great War, Oberon disappeared and had never shown his face even once.
Even in the chapter just before the final one, during the fierce battle between Dia and Lacresia, he did not appear.
He was certainly not dead.
Nothing in this world could kill a Rank 9.
He was merely observing everything, as if he were a god, aloof and doing nothing.
‘Right. The one who didn’t appear even when the Second Great War broke out—he’s not going to show up just because I told someone how to break a relic’s seal.’
I tried to calm myself.
“Phew…”
All this worry came from overthinking.
At times like this, it’s better to do something, anything.
‘No time to sit here and stew in thoughts.’
“Islin.”
“Yes, Master.”
“What’s the schedule for today?”
“There’s a report scheduled regarding the Endello Mines.”
“Oh?”
A report from Isbart Bolton, who would become the head of the snake.
I felt a bit of anticipation. She was a woman whose intelligence was second to none.
“Bring water for washing. Let’s go at once.”
“Yes. I’ll prepare it.”
I was already curious to see what kind of report she would bring.
The Endello Mines had a new owner.
Though it was an iron mine rather than a precious metal mine, its production was considerable, providing a decent income.
Even with the change of ownership, the mines were still crowded with laborers.
They were covered in black dust and sweat, fully absorbed in their work.
Clatter…
At the mine entrance, carts laden with iron ore moved busily.
The miners dumped the ore in the open area right in front of the tunnel.
Soon, children and women arrived to pick out the usable iron ore.
“Do children normally work here too?”
Islin tilted her head at my question.
“Excuse me? I don’t understand what you mean…”
I hesitated to say more. I suppose common sense differs by world.
“…Enough. Are they paid properly?”
“Yes. Most work as family units. Fathers mine the ore, while mothers and children sort it. If wages are not properly paid, the whole family would rebel, so they must be paid fairly.”
“Hmm… I see.”
It felt strange to me that children worked, but this was a world where swords and magic flew freely.
There was no labor law to protect them, and trying to change that suddenly would only earn one a reputation as a madman.
Islin and I entered a building within the Endello Mines.
Inside, piles of paperwork blocked the view.
Beyond them, a woman with her face completely wrapped in white bandages was looking troubled.
“Ugh…”
“Busy, it seems.”
“…Huh? Ah!”
Only then did Isbart notice us and bowed deeply.
“M-Master! I’m sorry! I didn’t realize you had come!”
Her long black hair dragged on the floor, and it tugged at my heart a little.
“It’s fine. You just arrived. Anyway, you have a report to make?”
“Ah… y-yes…”
Isbart hesitated as if it were difficult to speak.
“Actually… I devised a new working method to increase efficiency, but the laborers have resisted, causing some problems.”
“Oh?”
Laborer resistance was expected.
The old overseer, Lark, had been imprisoned, and a new owner had appeared. Such pushback was normal.
‘Besides, looking at Isbart now…’
She was slender and her face tightly wrapped in bandages. From appearance alone, she could easily be underestimated.
That was partly why I came—to enforce discipline.
A new working method, huh?
I perched on a chair, legs crossed, and asked her.
“Explain it. What is this new method you came up with?”
“Ah… yes.”
Isbart carefully took a sheet of paper from the pile on the table and handed it to me.
It detailed the wages and various additional costs for the miners.
Under “Monster Compensation Costs,” a bold line was drawn.
“Until now, the Endello Mines operated from sunrise to sunset.”
“Right. Most places do.”
“But under this system, we have to check each morning if monsters have spawned in the tunnels. If they have, additional costs are required.”
“Hm.”
Typically, three conditions were needed for monsters to appear: darkness, abundance of spirits, and lack of human presence.
If all three were met, monster generation was almost guaranteed.
Sometimes, it became as chaotic as a dungeon.
The mine’s deep underground tunnels met two of the three conditions well: dark and rarely visited.
Hence, morning inspections were necessary.
If monsters were discovered, miners couldn’t work until they were eliminated, cutting that day’s output in half.
“So?”
“We divide the miners into two shifts. This reduces the chance of monsters spawning, and even if they do, they can be dealt with early.”
It was a method familiar in modern Earth terms.
‘Like two-shift factory work.’
“That sounds reasonable in theory.”
“But…”
Isbart’s cheerful explanation soon turned into a frown.
“The night-shift workers are resisting. That’s the problem.”
“Yes…”
I frowned at the report.
Seeing my reaction, she shrank her neck as if she’d made a mistake.
Honestly, my reaction was…
‘Impressive.’
Two-shift work was common to me.
But not for Isbart.
In this world, night fell under the influence of the Lunar Evil God, Selen.
Most people believed it was dangerous to work in dungeons or tunnels at night.
Not just belief—monsters really were stronger at night.
Even the Valdig Dungeon restricted entry at night.
Night was dangerous. It was common sense.
And she devised a two-shift system despite that.
Malicious efficiency, or brilliant strategy? Either way, she was squeezing the maximum out of her workers.
‘Definitely smart.’
I smiled faintly at Isbart. If she used her brain, I should support her where I could.
“Gather the miners.”
“Eh? But…”
Isbart seemed worried I’d punish them.
“Now.”
“Yes, sir!”
I didn’t bother explaining and simply ordered them to assemble.
Soon, miners gathered in the open area in front of the mine.
“Isn’t that Master?”
“Wow! Such a noble here in this humble place…”
The miners were stunned to see a noble.
“…Tch!”
A burly, bald man seemed displeased by my presence.
“Uh…”
Isbart spoke up carefully.
“M-Master wants to discuss the working method I mentioned before!”
The miners murmured.
“What?”
“You know, working at night.”
“What! How can we work at night? People could die!”
“Exactly!”
Their opposition was natural.
“Hehe.”
The bald man looked pleased with their reactions.
“Clear your throat!”
“…”
My cough silenced the miners instantly. They were frightened by a noble’s presence, though their eyes still glimmered with hesitation.
“I hear you have complaints about the new work method.”
“…”
I singled out the man at the front.
“You. Tell me why you’re dissatisfied.”
“W-Well…”
“I’m not here to scold you. Just explain.”
“Uh…”
The man hesitated but spoke up.
“Night belongs to the Lunar Evil God, Selen… If we enter the tunnels at that time and encounter monsters, we—ranked low as we are—will all die!”
He based his words on common rumors.
But there were flaws in his logic.
“No, that’s prejudice. Monsters appear when human presence is low. If people keep going in and out, monsters won’t spawn.”
“Really?”
The miners exchanged glances.
Then the bald man raised his hand.
“What now?”
He looked at me with a dissatisfied tone.
“But what if monsters do appear? They’ll be stronger under Selen’s influence and harder to fight!”
“Exactly!”
The miners began murmuring in worry again.
‘That bald bastard…’
I wanted to smack him just out of frustration.
He even looked like Lark, which made it worse.
“Islin.”
“Yes, Master.”
“Who is that bald guy?”
“He’s Lark’s nephew, Hiron. Seems like the de facto leader among the miners.”
“Ah, that explains it.”
I couldn’t simply cut him down; that would only spark rebellion.
“No. Even if monsters appear, they’re weak at first. One pickaxe hit and they’re gone.”
“Ugh…”
The miners looked uncertain about whose argument was correct.
I needed to present a decisive incentive.
Something impossible to refuse.
“Still, I understand your concerns.”
“Yes…”
I was confident this would sway them. People everywhere respond to incentives.
“So, I’ll make an offer.”
“Offer?”
“Night-shift workers will receive 30% extra wages.”
“30%!?”
Even that small increase made their eyes widen.
Hiron was also surprised.
“Is that really so much?”
Isbart looked flustered too.
‘Even you are surprised…’
Honestly, if they hadn’t reacted, I was prepared to offer 50%.
It saved me money, though.
“Moreover, if by some extremely unlucky chance, a worker dies at night from a monster, I’ll pay the family 300 times their normal wage.”
This caused a huge stir.
“300 times!?”
“Master! That’s a bit…”
Isbart was dumbfounded.
I whispered to her.
“So, if a monster really appears at night, you’ll be responsible. Manage well, understood?”
“…Yes, Master!”
Isbart’s eyes shone. My drastic offer signified her recognition.
“Then I’ll do it!”
“Me too!”
The miners, now excited, were eager to work at night.
In truth, 300 times normal pay wasn’t that much.
Their daily wage was 3–4 copper; 100 copper equaled 1 gold, so 300 times amounted to roughly 10 gold.
It highlighted just how harsh labor conditions were in this world.
I smiled, both satisfied and somewhat bitter.
‘Even if they’re a poor noble family, being born as a noble has its advantages.’
