Chapter 6

"Phew... You really gave me a scare coming home so late!"

"I'm sorry. I got held up."

Raidor, who had repelled the Catastrophe Org, was sitting across from Zaphis at the Adventurers' Guild. On the table were two cups of tea and some tea snacks.

Only Raidor and Zaphis were present in the room. The other adventurers were busy collecting the remains of the Catastrophe Org and repairing the fences and traps on the town's outer walls.

The Catastrophe Org is a disaster-level monster, and when it appears in a group like this time, it can easily destroy one or two towns.

Therefore, its materials are extremely rare, and all parts of its body are traded at high prices.

Its skin is used as material for armor, its bones, when melted and mixed with iron, become a harder and sharper alloy. Its organs are used as ingredients for medicine, and its meat, though not suitable for human consumption, is said to help cattle and sheep grow larger and stronger when mixed into their feed.

The remains of dozens of Catastrophe Orgs could be considered a mountain of treasure, and the adventurers were eagerly working on the cleanup, eyeing the rewards.

"There was no choice. Idras was quite stubborn. That's why I hate those greedy nobles who coat their insides with gold."

Raidor spat out resentfully and gulped down the tea with a disgruntled look.

When the Catastrophe Org's attack began, Raidor was away from the frontier city, visiting the neighboring town's lord, Duke Idras.

He had stayed in Idras's town to discuss the ownership of a silver vein found on the border between their territories. However, the greedy noble persistently claimed his rights, causing Raidor to return later than planned.

Hearing about the Catastrophe Org's attack, Raidor rushed back to the city, which resulted in the negotiations being superficial, and he had to make significant concessions regarding the rights to the silver vein.

"That must have been tough. But, well, I'm glad you made it back."

Zaphis, holding the teapot, poured another cup for Raidor, who had drained his tea in one gulp, offering words of encouragement. As he poured, he changed the subject, saying, "Still, your performance in the battle was amazing. Even the Imperial Guild Headquarters doesn't have anyone who can fight like that. As a swordsman, you're unmatched."

"Hmm, you make it sound like I still have a lot to learn as a swordsman?"

"Hmph, if we were to fight with swords, I'd still beat you. I didn't become the master of a frontier guild for nothing. Don't underestimate me, young man!"

Raidor shrugged and smiled wryly at Zaphis's hearty laugh.

As both Raidor's sword master and his guardian in the frontier city, Zaphis was someone Raidor still looked up to.

While Raidor, being of royal blood and a lord, technically outranked Zaphis, it was only natural given that Zaphis had taken him in like a son after his brother and country had abandoned him.

"Still, it's a shame about the silver vein. It was closer to our side, wasn't it?"

"Seems that way. But Idras wouldn't budge."

The silver vein was found on the border with Duke Idras's territory, but in the end, Raidor had to concede 80% of the rights. The loss was significant.

"There was no choice. If I hadn't made those concessions, he wouldn't have let me leave quietly."

The Catastrophe Org's attack must have delighted Duke Idras.

Even though Raidor was of royal blood, considering the size of their territories, Idras had more influence in the southern part of the Zain Kingdom. Even in an emergency, it was not permissible to abruptly end the negotiations and leave.

Conceding the rights to the silver vein was unavoidable to end the negotiations.

"I'm sorry. If we could have defended it on our own, it would have been better..."

"Don't worry about it. This is my territory, my hometown. It's only natural to rush to its defense, no matter what."

Raidor raised his teacup in response to Zaphis, who looked apologetic, and took a sip, smiling mischievously like a boy.

"Besides... I think Idras will come crying to us soon?"

"Hmph? What do you mean?"

"That place is part of the frontier. It's not safe."

"Ah... I see."

Hearing Raidor's response, Zaphis's expression turned sympathetic. He imagined the greedy duke collapsing after receiving an unexpected blow.

The newly discovered silver vein was in a dangerous area where many monsters appeared.

While the frontier city's adventurers regularly thinned out the monsters, making it relatively safe for now, developing and mining the area would be far more difficult than Idras anticipated.

"Let's pull the adventurers back from that area for a while. That should be fine, right?"

"Agreed. Well... let's see how long it lasts."

Raidor chuckled, shaking his shoulders.

As they had predicted, Duke Idras, who had started developing the silver vein, suffered significant losses due to repeated monster attacks, losing many miners and guards.

A month later, Idras came to them, offering to transfer a large portion of the silver vein's rights in exchange for help in repelling the monsters.

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