Chapter 98
“Are all of these people really going in?”
“No way. It’ll just be me, Aden, Sierra, and the lieutenant—four of us total. Since we’re visiting, the mine’s completely cleared out for the day, so there shouldn’t be any problems. Besides…”
I cut myself off and glanced around the mountain.
The large stockade, watchtowers, and scattered weapons drew my attention.
Aden also looked around the mine, raising an eyebrow slightly.
Unlike the scene he showed us earlier, the mine looked perfect.
There were a lot of soldiers stationed here, and they had enough housing for the miners working in the area.
Seeing they even had a garden for basic food supplies, Shearer had put in quite the effort.
“What do you think, Aden? If Rippleton had fortifications like this, would it be safe?”
“The stockade isn’t strong enough to withstand large monsters, and the watchtower is too low for hunting wyverns.”
I nodded briefly at Aden’s words, which considered high-level monsters rather than low ones.
Rippleton’s and Redboron’s monsters would definitely differ in quality.
With that in mind, we might need to operate siege equipment separately.
“Well then, we’d need at least a thousand stationed soldiers. That’s like a small village.”
I shook my head, calculating the total construction time as I recalled the necessary supplies.
Let’s deal with that later.
Right now, checking the structure inside is the priority.
While I was chatting with Aden, Shearer approached to let us know he was ready.
I gave a quick nod and stood up.
“Let’s go.”
* * *
“There aren’t many high-level monsters in Redboron, but every now and then, you might see one or two. For that reason, we designed the lift and the internal structure to be sturdier.”
The inside of the mine gave the impression of being quite safe and strong, just as Shearer had described.
Instead of using solid wood like most places, steel beams supported the ceiling.
“I wanted to prevent the risk of the mine collapsing if something happened outside, and even if it does collapse, we’ve created safe areas for evacuation.”
“Are all the escape routes connected?”
“Yes. Plus, we’ve made a total of six additional entrances in case the main one gets blocked by monsters. They all go to valleys to avoid being ambushed by other monsters.
Sierra provided detailed explanations, describing the terrain and features along the way.
The more I listened, the more I realized he had studied the mine extensively and had a deep understanding of it.
Every question I asked was answered.
It was clear he frequented this place, as he walked around without looking at a map.
“What do you think?”
“Seeing the mine in person is totally different from observing it to build.”
“Because it’s dangerous. If a mine like this were to collapse, the people inside would be stuck and die. So safety is the top priority.”
It was rare to hear stories of mines collapsing and people dying, but it definitely happened.
And when it did, it could lead to dozens of deaths, making it even more dangerous.
“Why don’t we take a break here for a bit?”
Shearer, pointing to a place that looked like a food storage, pulled out some water from a box.
The water he handed over wasn’t from a fridge but was surprisingly cool.
Now that I think about it, it was chilly here.
Fortunately, I brought along two thin coats, so I wasn’t too cold, but this was the first time I’d experienced such a cool mine.
“Is the temperature usually low here?”
“It is lower compared to other places.”
“Interesting. Other mines are cool too, but not this much.”
At this rate, they probably shouldn’t operate the mine during winter.
I took a sip of the water and unfolded the mine’s blueprints.
This should be around this location.
“What are you looking at?”
“The initial blueprints.”
As I was measuring our current location with the design, Aden spoke up.
He stepped closer, and I smiled, showing him the blueprints.
“To understand a mine, you should look at the initial blueprints. That’s how you really get to know it.”
The initial blueprints were crucial as they held all that information.
For instance, even if this mine collapsed, I’d know the safest places to be.
“It’s good to look at these in advance. We can improve things later when applying them to Rippleton.”
After organizing the blueprints, I tucked them away and took another sip of cool water before getting up.
“Let’s start heading out.”
I felt like I might catch a cold if I stayed here much longer.
Shearer got up first and began to move.
As I watched his back, I turned to look at the exceptionally high ceiling and open walls.
“Sierra.”
Aden, moving ahead, called out to me.
I approached him as he waited.
* * *
“Ready to go.”
Fiorette turned to face the voice behind her, looking down at the steep cliff.
Two soldiers in black armor stood by, waiting for orders.
Fiorette rubbed the round object in her hand and scanned her surroundings.
Once again, her gaze dropped down the cliff’s edge.
How many people had thrown themselves down there?
A small smile crept onto Fiorette’s face as thoughts swirled in her mind.
The soldier standing behind her stiffened at the sight of her sudden grin.
A single gust of wind could send them falling into an unknown place from the cliff.
Didn’t that noble lady feel any fear at all?
The soldier swallowed hard, repeatedly wishing to escape this place.
“Lady Fiorette.”
Breaking the prolonged silence, the soldier called out again.
As Fiorette felt the pressure in his voice, she opened her mouth slightly.
A sigh escaped her lips, whisked away by the gusting wind.
“Fiorette, I trust you won’t disappoint me. Show me your best.”
The noise of the howling wind made it seem like Fiorette was hearing things.
She swallowed hard as she rubbed the object in her hand.
Looking down at the cliff, Fiorette slowly lifted her gaze to the soldiers.
“You guys should head back.”
“Excuse me?”
“I’ll take it from here.”
“But the lady ordered us to… Fiorette?!”
As the soldier stumbled over his words, Fiorette quickly snatched the remote device from his hand.
Caught off guard, the soldier turned to grab her, but his partner stopped him.
“Let her handle it; she’s from the Bairon family. Just leave her be.”
The flustered soldier’s comrade quietly watched the direction Fiorette had gone.
As she passed through the dense forest, it felt like the noise was echoing in her ears.
Someone’s scream.
Or maybe a cry.
The cry of a child mourning their fate.
The trees seemed to hold that sound.
While descending the mountain, Fiorette eventually spotted a small tunnel.
The iron door, which had seemed tightly shut, was open, revealing a long stretch of darkness beneath.
Fiorette slowly raised her hand while staring into the deep abyss that reminded her of a bottomless pit.
Suddenly, a familiar face flashed in her mind.
“Is living like that really fun?”
Recalling the voice that had turned her inside out countless times, she pressed the device.
In that instant, an explosion erupted from the entrance and into the deep darkness.
Fiorette’s hands, which had appeared calm, trembled uncontrollably.
Facing the retreating explosion, she realized there was no turning back now.
This would be enough.
Fiorette turned away, erasing the voice that had shaken her so many times.
“What can you heal with?”
The voice’s tail followed Fiorette as she moved further away.
* * *
KRRRUMBLE—
Suddenly, the ground shook, and a strange noise echoed from afar.
Sand and rocks fell from the ceiling, and the earth groaned.
Was it an earthquake all of a sudden?
Grimacing at the strange sensation, I placed my hand against the wall and immediately slipped.
What now?
More than feeling confused, irritation surged within me.
I was wobbling, unable to properly stand on solid ground, but Aden caught me, even though he was shaking too.
Drawing his sword, Aden drove it into the wall and quickly turned to Shearer.
“Shearer, what’s going on?!”
“I—I’m not sure. It felt like an earthquake or something.”
Shearer looked visibly flustered, struggling to regain his balance as he glanced around.
It wasn’t collapsing yet, but staying here felt dangerous.
“We need to get out of here. Follow me!”
I followed behind him as he stumbled toward the lift.
The ground shook so much that it felt like my vision was spinning.
Aden held my hand in front of him to keep me from falling.
We must have gone pretty deep into the mine because it took a while to run.
“We’re almost there!”
The lieutenant, having received prior orders, was already preparing to operate the lift.
CRACK!
As we ran toward it, the sound of cracks echoed, and the ceiling began to split.
“Sierra!”
Aden tried to grab me and lift me up, but it was too much for him to handle himself, let alone carry me.
In the end, as he gave up on picking me up and tried to lead me again, a rock tumbled down right between us.
I flinched and pulled back just as rocks started to fall between the iron beams supporting the ceiling, completely blocking the space between Aden and me.
It was impossible to get through.
“Ugh… ugh…”
As I exhaled, feeling breathless, I looked up to see Aden’s face stiffened with tension.
A massive pile of rocks filled the passage, easily five meters high, blocking our way to the lift.
In the meantime, I could hear a commotion coming from the other side.
Aden was trying to break the rocks, while Shearer was urging him to stop.
Despite all of this, the ceiling above Aden began to collapse.
