Chapter 36

"The western region, you say?"

Cadeon looked somewhat surprised, showing a doubtful expression. Normally, when talking about mines, people would mention the eastern and southeastern regions first.

The north faced severe cold if you went up even a little, and the south was mostly used for large-scale farming thanks to its fertile land.

The west, however, was filled with high mountains and dense forests compared to other areas, and so was mainly used for timber resources.

"There are gold mines buried in the west as well. We just haven't found them yet."

"If they haven't been found, how do you know about them?"

"...... Would you take a look at the map for a moment?"

Alter spread out the map he'd brought and pointed somewhere in the eastern region. Cadeon studied the location carefully, then spoke up.

"That's the eastern mining area, isn't it?"

"That's correct. And... this is the southeastern mining area. Don't you see a certain pattern between them?"

"A pattern? What are you saying?"

"If you overlap the directions the mine entrances are facing along the mountain range, the gold mine would be at the center."

"......?"

Caught up in this strange logic, Cadeon mindlessly checked the mine entrances.

As Alter had described, drawing a straight line between their directions, there was indeed a spot where they overlapped.

The distance was considerable, but if you presumed they spread from the center, it was somewhat convincing.

"Thinking from this perspective, the gold vein should be located somewhere in a mountain range accessible from all directions. If we apply this to the west, there's a suitable mountain range as well."

"Hmmm..."

Cadeon kept his eyes on the map, but did not easily believe his words.

It was such a simple idea, and there was no guarantee that a gold mine would be found.

It almost seemed like buying a mine for appearances' sake, for the sake of the grand duke's family name.

"Alternatively, we could do some preliminary mining... but if gold is found, the price of the mine is bound to go up."

"That would be more reassuring. As you said, maybe we can try some test mining. If it turns out to be a gold mine... What would you want in exchange?"

"...... I would like a plot of land on the outskirts of the capital."

Alter was aiming for that parcel of land from the beginning. Nobody cared about it for now, but its value would rise in the future. If he sold the land at the right time, he could make a fortune.

"Land? I doubt you intend to farm—do you have something in mind?"

"I've never owned anything of my own in my life so far. If I had some land, I could at least build a villa, couldn't I?"

"A villa on the outskirts of the capital? That's an interesting idea."

Cadeon found it quite intriguing, but did not simply brush it off.

Alter was a noble whose true intentions Cadeon had seen through from their very first meeting.

If he was so thoughtful, perhaps there was a special intent behind both a gold mine in the west and land on the outskirts of the capital.

'It's a strange proposal, but there's no reason not to grant it. I'm curious to see the outcome...'

To Cadeon, Alter was a physically weak young man, bound by a curse, simply part of the process to seize the highest power.

Yet, he had later attracted the attention of the great mage and shaken Brillie's heart as well.

Showing this much potential in such a short time—perhaps he deserved a bit of cooperation.

'Do as you wish. Not just anyone can make use of the opportunities they're given.'

* * *

Brillie was carrying out a dangerous mission for the first time in a while: wiping out all the werewolves that had appeared in the capital.

Things were so urgent that not only the security force and guards had been mobilized, but several famous knight orders had surrounded the area.

In effect, it had become a direct order from military high command to resolve the problem swiftly.

'I heard the Imperial Army was attacked...'

Brillie and Lang had each taken a group and split up to cover different sectors.

Because the initial response had been delayed, the area they needed to encircle grew even larger.

Besides blocking people from approaching, they also had to fight the enemy, making everything even more troublesome.

'All this chaos just because of some experiment with werewolves... sheesh...'

Though Brillie had considerable complaints about this mission, she couldn't just ignore it. As a member of the knight order, she had to perform her duties faithfully. Besides, in order to uphold the order's honor and trust, she had to carry out every mission she accepted without fail.

'Whenever things get out of hand, a mage is always involved.'

Brillie looked around with an annoyed expression. Of course, not all mages committed evil acts or repeated illegal deeds.

But whenever an uncontrollable accident happened, a mage inevitably had a hand in it. Among mages, there always seemed to be a few who were not right in the head.

'How did they even get werewolves into the capital?'

Actually, contrary to what she was thinking, Brillie could roughly figure out how. Someone probably bribed the guards or smuggled them in using cunning means.

As long as you had money, anyone could abandon their responsibilities—problems like these were impossible to prevent.

'This isn't why I became a knight...'

Brillie felt frustrated but didn't show it. For now, she was guarding her designated sector with her team members.

She was supposed to set an example as vice-captain of the knights—how could she let her feelings show?

'Still, these days I can handle it better. At least I'm not bored.'

Brillie suddenly thought of Alter, a wry smile escaping her lips. He always acted like an adult even though he was three years younger than she was.

At their first meeting, he'd brought up their broken engagement, collapsed whenever he had a chance, and made mistakes because he overthought things.

It was frustrating, but looking at his face, she couldn't stay mad at him if she tried.

'He is handsome. And cute, too.'

Alter was always wrapped in a serious atmosphere, but whenever he was criticized, he looked genuinely flustered.

Even so, he was considerate of her position and ready to face the enemy first.

He was a delicate and polite fiancé, so she always had to be cautious around him.

'I do have some concerns, but... we can work through them together.'

Brillie was already fairly used to Alter's personality and actions. Normally, he was quiet, and as long as she looked after him, there shouldn't be any major issues.

'I need to think about what we'll do after we get married...'

Just then, Brillie sensed something strange and grabbed her sword. Two—no, three—presences were approaching rapidly.

Judging by their speed and aura, she was sure werewolves had appeared.

"All units, prepare for battle!"

"Kraaaagh!"

The moment Brillie shouted, something savage showed itself. Brown fur covered its whole body, claws curved long and sharp, canine fangs protruded through its jaws, and wild eyes blazed with ferocity.

Three werewolves howled and rushed forward without hesitation.

"Haa... Everyone, hold your ground!"

Brillie coldly murmured, glaring at them. If they were high-ranking ones, they would act more cautiously with intelligence.

But if they only charged ragingly, they were actually easier to deal with.

"Graah... Ugh!"

The werewolf in the center had its side slashed and collapsed on the spot. It had realized an attack was coming, but couldn't dodge.

It was just a flash of a blade—and nothing more.

'That's one.'

Not missing her chance, Brillie thrust her sword. The thick hide met her blade, but then magic power burst forth, letting it sink deep.

Following the veins, muscles were severed, and even bones began to crack. When she retrieved her sword, the werewolf's head rolled across the ground, severed cleanly.

'Now the others...'

Brillie checked the position of the rest and threw herself forward. The other two, having recognized her strength, charged at her squad members.

She had to take them out before anyone got hurt.

"Grrr..."

The second werewolf, noticing Brillie's approach, instinctively backed off.

At that same moment, the other members rushed in together—spears and swords stabbing in quick succession.

Brillie cut down the beast as it was being hacked apart, giving it a merciful, perfect death.

'Only that one left...'

Sensing danger, Brillie instantly rushed at the last werewolf. If she hadn't moved quickly, one of her squad would have been slashed by its claws.

Because she moved so abruptly, her posture was unstable, and her sword, meeting the claws, began to tremble violently.

"Kyaaagh!"

Brillie lost hold of her sword, and the werewolf lunged with its jaws wide open. But without flinching, she drew the dagger at her waist.

It was a gift from her fiancé, so she wanted to take care of it, but now was no time for that.

"Kh... Kraaagh!"

Brillie infused the dagger with magic power and counterattacked immediately. The werewolf's jaw was ripped off, and it fell to the ground.

On top of that, the wound quickly froze over, and shards of ice began to spread.

"Urrgh... urrghh!"

"......?"

Brillie stared at the werewolf, puzzled. Its jaw was frozen solid; even the blood wouldn't flow.

The beast, overwhelmed with pain, thrashed around helplessly, while her teammates could only watch silently.

"Wow... That's an expensive weapon, isn't it? That thing's imbued with an element, right?"

"What? It shouldn't have that much power just from elemental enchantment."

"So are you saying the vice-captain can use magic?"

"No way. I was watching her—she just swung her dagger."

"Come on. Maybe she had a good mage enchant it for her."

"Hey. Even mages who only do enchantments can't do that."

"What do you know about magic? All you do is swing a sword and talk."

"I don't want to hear that from a brute like you."

"You swing a sword just like me..."

Brillie, after a brief pause, picked up her fallen sword. She swiftly cut off the werewolf's head, ending the fight.

'How in the world did he make something like this?'

Even Brillie couldn't fully grasp the dagger's performance. She'd seen other knights use elemental weapons before, so she had a rough sense of their power.

Usually, they weren't this strong—they merely conferred some basic advantages from the attribute. But how had Alter engraved such a powerful enchantment?

'He's said to have talent for magic... but this is...'

Brillie suddenly recalled that Alter had made contact with the great mage.

Surely, the great mage had recognized his talent and approached him first.

He had frozen vampires instantly, and even this enchanted dagger held immense magic power.

Maybe Alter's very body contained transcendent magic power.

'If only his curse could be lifted, he could truly become a great mage. If that happens... I'll be the wife of a great mage?'

-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=【ദ്ദി(⩌ᴗ⩌)】

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