Chapter 75

"Are you working as a miner because you have debts?"

"They said this is the most profitable job. They also said that mining in existing mines is illegal, but it's fine if it's in an abandoned mine."

"Who told you that?"

"The person I owe money to. I think it's mostly them. You need a job to live, and you need money."

"Didn't Mr. Illega say anything about the mine...?"

"Mr. Illega said he would do it too. It's dangerous, but it's better than selling your family to debt collectors. I know because I secretly listened to the adults talking."

Huh...

When I looked at Carnac in surprise, he looked at me with a puzzled expression.

"What's so surprising?"

Well, there are a few things...

The most surprising thing is that the bar owner, Mr. Illega, suggested illegal mining in an abandoned mine. Basically, resources belong to the territory, which means they belong to the lord. Whether it's an abandoned mine or not, mining resources is illegal and a crime.

I wonder if he didn't know that. Being smart doesn't mean knowing everything, but I think he should at least know the basic laws.

In other words, it seemed to me that Mr. Illega deliberately incited them.

However, considering how much everyone admires him, it's hard to imagine he would deceive people.

But there are always bad people who pretend to be good.

It seems more natural to think that he knew and incited them.

The unavoidable situation of having debts...

But I can't help but think that he could have done something else.

"What?"

"Oh, no. Thank you for telling me all this."

The conversation took a rather strange turn.

Through this, I discovered a problem that the whole village is facing. Of course, Carnac was still a child when the debt issue came up, so we need to verify if it's really true.

So, who should we verify it with?

Well, at this point, there's only one person...

I glanced at Murdoch, who was a bit away from us, talking to Miss Rosalimonde.

I was worried he might say something to upset her, but it seemed he was handling it well.

I think Murdoch is the one acting like an adult, while Miss Rosalimonde is just being her usual self.

"Hmm?"

Suddenly, Carnac looked towards the entrance of the mine.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing... just now—"

His gaze was directed slightly above the mine entrance, towards the steep mountain.

The area near the mine entrance has been partially deforested, but there is still plenty of greenery here.

"I thought I saw something... but it was probably just my imagination."

I also looked in the direction Carnac was looking, but there was nothing there.

"Anyway, we're done here. Let's go back."

Carnac nodded towards Murdoch and Miss Rosalimonde.

"Right, let's go back."

"You're different from that woman. You still make sense."

"Um... she doesn't have any ill intentions—"

Yeah, she doesn't have any ill intentions. And I don't think she's a bad person—hopefully.

Even Mr. didn't say she had any ill intentions. She's just very troublesome.

"It's amazing how Murdoch puts up with her. What's she asking him? I bet she's asking some really annoying questions. I can't believe he doesn't show any irritation. I've never seen Murdoch angry."

"Really?"

I did think he was very patient.

He looks a bit odd, but he seems to be a very broad-minded and understanding person.

He's not exactly quiet, but he doesn't say more than necessary.

"When we were kids... and even now, when we do something dangerous, he gets angry, but he scolds us calmly. It's like he's angry, but he doesn't show it, which makes it even scarier."

Ah, I think I understand.

There are people like that.

Lagnath is a bit similar, but with Lagnath, it's more obvious.

He doesn't just calmly scold; he smiles and gives sarcastic responses, which is a completely different type.

Actually, Mr. is more similar in that he seems to only scold in an aggressive way. It's more sarcastic, too.

"By the way, Murdoch seems to be very trusted by the bar owner, Mr. Illega. Does he know a lot about this mine?"

"Of course! No one knows as much as Murdoch! He can tell you exactly where it's safe to dig."

"By the way, is Murdoch from this village?"

"Yeah. Murdoch's father used to be a miner here, but he left and came back."

His father's generation might have been around when the lord was running the mining operations.

I can't tell his exact age, but Murdoch looks to be in his forties.

So, his father, who is a generation older, might have been involved in the mines.

"When did he leave and come back?"

"Why do you want to know that?"

Even though I said I was here for an inspection, he looked at me suspiciously because I hadn't talked about the main topic yet.

"Is it strange to want to know about someone who knows the site in detail?"

The purpose of an inspection is to investigate the actual situation. That means it's necessary to know about the people working there.

Especially, the person who knows the site best is an important figure.

When I explained this to Carnac, he didn't fully understand, but he seemed to get the idea.

"Mr. Illega knows more than I do, though."

That's true.

But hearing from multiple sources is very helpful.

Especially, Carnac seems to have a hard time lying.

He tells things as they are.

Illega chose Carnac and Murdoch as guides, and he knows their personalities much better than I do.

He might think it's okay for Carnac to talk about things he doesn't know are important, but Carnac actually knows a lot.

Honestly, I didn't expect him to be so honest about the debts.

Debts are a weakness.

He doesn't seem like the type to easily share his current situation with someone he considers an enemy—.

"Oh, they're coming this way."

Looking at Miss Rosalimonde's satisfied face, I knew she had gotten the information she wanted.

I also had some questions, so I hope they don't overlap.

"Lisha-sama! I was surprised by so many things!"

"Me too."

Miss Rosalimonde spoke excitedly.

"Especially, I was surprised to find out that this person is an expert!"

"What!?"

I was startled and looked at Murdoch, who was staring at me intently.

"If there's an expert, we can mine safely like in other mines!"

"That's not possible. It's too dangerous to continue."

Murdoch's calm, low voice contradicted Miss Rosalimonde's words.

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