Investigation of the Mine

"Just to prevent accidents?!" He Xi exclaimed, unable to believe it. "You lock a group of such dangerous monsters in a mine, then make a rule that their relatives aren't allowed near it?

"That's as ridiculous as putting up a sign beside a wolf den saying, 'Little lambs, keep out!' Does Viscount Rick really think the Goblins will obey his rules?!"

Baron Ul was stunned by He Xi's questions and was briefly at a loss for words.

He regretted telling the young man so much.

He Xi had already found Goblins utterly disgusting, but he hadn't imagined they could be this vile.

Suppressing his surging anger, he continued to ask, "How long does it take a Goblin to 'hatch' and become capable of fighting?"

"I'm not too sure about that either. Some people say half a year... Others say it only takes a month or two..."

"A month or two?"

"In other words," he said, staring at Baron Ul, "Matt's relatives might have been abducted by Goblins as far back as two months ago?"

Baron Ul looked at the undisguised fury in He Xi's eyes, but he had his own concerns.

He opened his mouth, trying to explain. "He Xi... I... I have no authority over what happens in Oak Town... Besides, I'd only ever heard of them abducting creatures like Kobolds from the wilderness..."

He Xi said, "Then why did they show up in Plint? What about the twenty people who died? You don't intend to investigate what happened?"

"Investigate what happened?"

Baron Ul quickly weighed his options. The mine lay on the border between the two towns. Though it was closer to Plint, it had actually been discovered by the Viscount's son. The Viscount only shared a portion of the mine's annual profits with him out of neighborly consideration.

Besides...

Even if the mine really was involved, so what? Could he demand compensation from Viscount Rick?

A hasty investigation would only offend someone he shouldn't, and might not only cost him his share of the profits, but also make him lose face as a noble.

And if the mine really was the cause, Viscount Rick would surely offer Plint generous compensation afterward, given his status.

With that in mind, he avoided He Xi's gaze and replied in a matter-of-fact tone, "I'll provide some money to compensate the townspeople who've lost family members. And... we still can't be completely sure the Goblins came from the mine."

Worried that He Xi might investigate the mine regardless and cause even more trouble, ultimately affecting him, he did his best to placate him.

"I'll handle this matter, but not right now. In any case, thank you for your help the day before yesterday. This matter doesn't have much to do with you. I'll speak with Oak Town about the details."

To his surprise, however, He Xi calmed down.

"All right, I understand. This matter really doesn't have much to do with me."

He Xi said goodbye to Baron Ul, not because he agreed with him.

He simply didn't think there was any point in continuing the conversation.

He fell into thought:

In Baron Ul's eyes, the safety of the common people deserves attention, of course, but it seems far less important than the mine's profits or the nobles' reputations.

I can't accept what happened to Plint, or the way Baron Ul is handling it.

But this isn't the world I came from.

Here, the common people have little standing to begin with. Perhaps Baron Ul's actions already count as doing his duty.

Maybe I shouldn't judge him by the standards of another world?

But...

What do this world's rules have to do with me?

If this whole thing disgusts me...

Whether Baron Ul doesn't dare investigate or simply doesn't want to...

I'll investigate it myself and deal with it my own way.

But then he remembered the danger he'd faced while "silencing" Plint the night before last. If Bruce hadn't removed the Mud Doll at the last moment, he would have died there.

He calmed down a little.

Anger won't solve anything. It'll only create new problems.

I'm not in a position to charge in recklessly.

I can't be rash. But... just checking out the mine shouldn't be too dangerous.

If anything feels off, I'll run.

Blackstone Mine was about twenty kilometers from Plint Town.

Thanks to [Mora's Blessing], which had strengthened his body, He Xi had far more stamina than before. In less than four hours, he and the dog arrived at their destination.

The mine lay in a barren mountain hollow. The exposed black rock reflected the midday sun in a glaring sheen, and the air was thick with the smell of mineral dust.

A few shabby wooden huts stood crookedly near the entrance. They were probably temporary lodgings for the overseers and miners.

It was lunchtime.

Some miners sat in twos and threes in the open space outside the mine, resting against piles of waste rock or the walls of the huts.

Most were bare-chested, their bronze skin coated in a layer of black grime that wouldn't wash off, as they gnawed on hard Black Bread.

This scene...

Was nothing like what He Xi had expected.

"If the Goblins that attacked Plint came from here, this place should be in chaos, or overrun by Goblins."

"But everything looks normal."

"The miners are still here..."

"Could those Goblins that attacked Plint have nothing to do with this mine? Did they come from somewhere else?"

He Xi was full of doubts.

But since he'd come all this way, he might as well ask someone what was going on.

His eyes soon landed on a burly miner dozing beneath the shade of a tree.

He walked over with Bruce.

"Hello, sorry to bother you. Is there a miner named Matt working here?"

The miner jolted awake from his nap and opened his bloodshot, bleary eyes.

He'd assumed an overseer was there to hurry him along. When he saw He Xi's clean clothes, his anger at being woken from his nap became impossible to suppress.

"What fly is this? I've been breaking my back on hard rock all morning, and you blind rat! Can't you see I'm sleeping? Ask the ghosts! Get lost!"

He Xi wasn't offended. He was the one who'd disturbed the man's sleep, after all.

He put a hand in his pocket, where he held a few coins he'd planned to offer as payment for directions.

After thinking it over, he put them away.

Then he took out just one copper nail and held it out to the miner.

Even so, the anger on the miner's face visibly faded.

It was enough for him to buy a piece of Black Bread and fill his stomach.

He snatched the copper nail. "Oh! Matt! He's probably over there, resting in the overseer's hut."

He jerked his chin toward a wooden hut not far away, his voice tinged with envy.

"That brat! He acts like he's some kind of distant relative of Viscount Rick from Oak Town. Not only does he do the least work, he even gets to rest in the hut! Pah! What a piece of work!"

At this, He Xi's doubts only grew.

Could Baron Ul's guess have been wrong?