Chapter 26

After the mining experience ended, when Xiaoming returned the visitor's pass to the office, it started to drizzle from the dark sky.

"It's raining..."

"We can get back to the inn without getting too wet if we go now. Chii is returning to the mine."

"Eh? Are you going back, Tien?"

"I need to help so everyone can return quickly."

"I see... That's a shame. I prepared a bento."

Nina's words made Tien's eyebrows twitch.

"Bento...?"

"Yes. Of course, I used ingredients that don't contain the pollen of the Purple Bellflower."

When Nina showed the basket, Tien's heart wavered.

Emiri said,

"It's lunchtime, Tien. You should eat too."

Astrid added,

"Yes, that's right. You won't have any strength if you don't eat... You know that better than anyone, don't you?"

Tien had indeed eaten a lot last night and this morning, but after just guiding the mine, he felt quite hungry. As if to make up for the past, he muttered to himself,

"Chii's stomach has become quite picky..."

"What will you do?"

"Yes... If it's not a bother, I would like to have it."

"Of course!"

The four of them moved to a shaded area away from the office. This place had no houses, only large pieces of equipment that had been used and discarded from the mine. They chose this spot because if there were a cafeteria nearby, the smell might make Tien lose his appetite.

"Please, help yourself."

Nina opened the basket. Inside were colorful sandwiches. The vegetables and meat, despite being made some time ago, shone like jewels.

"Wow..."

As Tien exclaimed, Emiri took the first one and said,

"Nina got up before dawn to bake the bread specially."

"Ah... I'm sorry, it's because of Chii."

"No, no. It's not like that... Come, try it. I'm grateful for it."

"Grateful?"

Tien, looking puzzled, took a bite of the sandwich.

"!"

With wide eyes, Tien quickly finished the rest.

"See? The sandwiches Nina made are really delicious! It's lucky we get to eat them today. I'm so grateful."

"If you like them so much, I can make sandwiches every day."

"Oh, if you do that, I'd feel bad. It's special because we eat them on special days. Right, Astrid?"

"Yes. These sandwiches are truly wonderful. If people knew about them, top chefs would come to learn from you."

"No, no, as a maid..."

Nina started to say, but then stopped.

"What's wrong, Nina?"

"...I learned how to make these sandwiches from a special chef at a mansion where I used to work. I left without saying goodbye to the chef, Roy, who was very kind to me... Considering Roy's skills, many chefs might want to know the secret of their deliciousness."

Thinking of Roy, and her former maid colleague Mona, and the gardener Tom, Nina smiled sadly.

"I wonder how everyone is doing."

"...Nina, could it be that—"

Just as Emiri was about to speak to Nina,

Thud...

A sound like an earthquake was heard in the distance.

"—What was that sound?"

Astrid asked, and Tien, startled, stood up and looked in the direction of the sound. It was the iron mine, the direction of the fourth district—

"Mnya hoh mnya hoh!"

"What did you say!?"

"Ah, this kid ate all the sandwiches!?"

"Tien! Did that sound—do you have any idea what it was?"

Tien nodded and swallowed.

"Something might have happened in the mine."

△

When Nina and the others returned to the mine entrance, there was a commotion.

"Bring the injured over here!"

"What the heck, it shook really bad!"

"Miners! Get out! Just get away!"

"Whoa, what a loud noise!"

Many miners rushed out of the wide entrance tunnel. Most of them had nothing in their hands, and it was clear they had fled in a hurry.

"Someone, call the guard team! It's the fourth district! The fourth district has collapsed!"

The word "collapse" spread like lightning.

"Run, run! Other areas might collapse too!"

"The entrance is blocked! Get out quickly!"

"What about the iron ore we mined today?"

"Are you stupid? Which is more important, your life or the ore?"

In the chaos, the miners pushed and shoved, even fighting as they fled the mine.

"Hey, how bad is the damage?"

Office staff came out of the building and ran to the miner who had shouted "collapse"—a large, red-haired miner. He had some injuries, but seeing him, Tien felt a slight relief.

"There are many injured. Water suddenly gushed from the ceiling, and we realized it was dangerous and came out quickly... But many were caught in the subsequent collapse. Some have broken legs, so we're carrying them out. No one has died yet."

"That's good... It's a fortunate turn of events."

"No, there are people trapped on the other side of the collapse. I don't think they were hit directly."

"!?"

The office staff froze at his words. If the rock hit them, they would die. If they were crushed, they would die. Even if they survived, they would die from lack of oxygen.

"The site supervisor was on the other side of the collapse."

He was shouting at us to meet the quota as we fled... the red-haired man sighed. In dangerous mining work, the first priority is to evacuate when there's a risk. Yet, the site supervisor prioritized the quota—this made even the office staff speechless.

"Anyway, the site supervisor is the only one left, right?"

"Yes, probably. The space is quite large, so there should be enough air."

Hearing this, a sense of relief spread. The office staff said,

"Then we can wait for the guard team to arrive."

"Let's confirm the injured. Compensation will be necessary."

"The mining schedule will be delayed, so we'll probably get a scolding..."

They discussed these matters. However,

"We should go to help immediately."

The girl of the Moon Wolf tribe had a different opinion.

"Tien? What do you mean? As he said, only the site supervisor is trapped, and there's enough air. It's better to leave it to the guard team."

"Once a collapse happens, it might happen again."

"..."

This possibility was something the office staff had been trying to ignore. The guard team was responsible for town security, not professional rescuers. The office staff, already dealing with the collapse, didn't want to take on the responsibility of a rescue and were trying to push it onto the guard team.

"But... since the site supervisor, the person in charge, is inside, we can't do anything..."

"Yes, we are just office staff."

"Oh, they're here! Is that the one with the broken leg?"

When a miner on a makeshift stretcher arrived at the mine entrance, the office staff went to help. Only the red-haired man, Tien, and Nina's group remained.

"...Girl, you're right. But those office staff aren't wrong. If they tried to take charge, no one would follow them."

"What about the mine manager?"

"The mine manager is just a figurehead, a noble's imitation. He just yells about quotas and pressures the site supervisors. Because of him, we're always chasing quotas... You understand, right? Even you, called 'Ghost Dog,' were the target of the site supervisor's frustration. If such a person is trapped in a collapse, everyone here would think it's 'what goes around comes around'... sigh."

The red-haired man frowned.

"! That hand...!"

"Yeah, I messed up. But only a couple of fingers are broken. It's not a big deal."

"You should get it treated quickly."

"I know. But more injured will come out. We need to deal with them first, so I'll wait—"

"—Let me see."

Nina slipped out from the side and took the man's hand.

"Hey, what are you doing?"

"It will hurt a bit."

"Huh? —Ouch!"

Nina pulled the man's broken fingers. Tears welled up in his eyes from the intense pain.

"What are you doing!?"

"It's bone setting. I've aligned the broken bones. Just to be safe, you should see a doctor, okay?"

While saying this, Nina applied ointment to the fingers and wrapped them with a bandage. The man could only blink at her skilled movements. When she finished, Nina said,

"Tien."

"Wh-what...?"

"Do you want to help?"

"!!"

At her straightforward words, Tien was taken aback. But then, he nodded clearly.

"We should go to help."

Tien said.