Chapter 30 : Chapter 30
Chapter 30. Baum Territory's Mine (2)
In the previous life, after Stefan Tolome went missing, the Tolome family dispatched search parties over 3 attempts to search for him. In other words, in the first attempt, they failed to find the missing people including him.
The Tolome family searched Baum Mine thoroughly, to the point of almost turning it into rags, searching for Stefan.
It was the result of Bartomyu's strong will to bring back at least his son's corpse.
Eventually, the Tolome search party was able to find the necromancer's dungeon hidden deep in Baum Mine only after putting Schumacher, Tolome's best knight, into the final search party.
The missing people had disappeared one by one, lured by the dark voice echoing from the necromancer's dungeon.
Since they had to get special permission from the King to pull out Schumacher, who was the vice-commander of the Royal Knights, the Tolome family's face was crumpled quite a bit.
Moreover, due to this incident, it became the trigger for the Baum family to go bankrupt.
Since a necromancer's dungeon popped out in their territory, and in the mine they possessed at that, Baron Tigor was also dragged to the royal palace and suffered hardships to explain the connection with the necromancers, and because no one bought the iron ore they dug saying it was cursed, eventually the Baum family went bankrupt.
While the Tolome family left like that and Tigor Baum moved to Baltimere to explain the relationship with the necromancers, the Batai Mercenary Corps visited the empty Baum Mine.
To be precise, should I say they rummaged through Baum Mine, which the Tolome family had swept through once, to see if there was anything that could become money.
Since it was a place already conquered by the Tolome family, there were few things that came out, but since situations like traps or curses were all destroyed, Batai obtained quite decent results compared to the effort put in.
Blanc followed next to such Batai and was in charge of the role of diligently making a map of Baum Mine.
Because Blanc was a noble son, he was adept at writing and calculation.
To be precise, Blanc was the only one within the Batai Mercenary Corps who could do so.
Therefore, Blanc ended up taking on all sorts of chores occurring within the mercenary corps. It was truly ironic that the experiences gained then were the most basic parts making the current Blanc.
Although Blanc did not possess professional knowledge to make maps, mercenaries usually shoved work to Blanc if it required using even a little bit of brain.
Moreover, if the path was even slightly wrong, punches and kicks flew in without fail, so young Blanc had to produce maps and memorize paths with his senses sharpened to the limit.
Therefore, it could be said that Blanc was the one who knew about Baum Mine better than anyone else right now.
"It wasn't to this extent..."
"Certainly, the atmosphere is different from when we first entered."
It was Baum Mine where miners must have been coming and going until just a few months ago, but looking only at the appearance in front of eyes right now, it looked as if it had been abandoned for decades.
"I'm telling you, that pig bastard is definitely hiding something. How about we go down and beat him up right now?"
"...Let's think about that later when Sir Edwin arrives as the rear party."
Aubert, whose personality was fiery, said to beat up Baron Tigor who seemed to have an ulterior motive a bit more, but Noel chose to enter the mine and search even a little for now.
It was a situation where Aubert couldn't help but strongly suspect Baron Tigor.
Because clearly when he first arrived here with his father Stefan Tolome, it was just an ordinary mine itself.
However, now sticky malice felt from deep within the mine was touching the skin.
"I will take the lead. Blanc, follow behind us."
"It's a place where even father, Commander Stefan, went missing. Since it's a place irrelevant to the presence of talent, I hope you stay sharp."
"I will keep it in mind. Brothers."
When Aubert drew his sword, the 10 knights following behind him also drew their swords and followed behind him.
The personnel exploring inside the mine were a total of 20 people. 10 knights, the standard-bearer Blanc, and Noel and Aubert.
The remaining 7 people were those with usable skills among the squires, holding backpacks and torches instead of drawing swords and following the knights.
"Y, Young master. Wouldn't it be dangerous?"
"It will be dangerous. So protect me by my side."
"I, I understand."
Rakshar, one of the 7 squires, stuck closely to Blanc's side.
An eerie aura was hovering inside the mine. The intangible malice was making the party's steps dizzy the further they went inside.
The party was silent. Because feeling the dark and heavy atmosphere, they were being careful without realizing it themselves.
Occasionally, the sound of stones kicked by feet echoed inside the mine, making their shrunken hearts even more tense.
"Really, it wasn't to this extent..."
Aubert spat out words as if making an excuse, but no one responded to him.
'Certainly, strange pressure is rushing in.'
Unlike other knights who were extremely tense, Blanc was examining the surroundings calmly.
He was a person recognized as a veteran even in the Liberation Front.
He had lived cutting and burning countless existences called Void that contaminated the mind through the emotion of fear.
Compared to such Void, the atmosphere felt now was at a level he could endure.
Since Blanc was one whose body became young but soul crossed over as is, he was walking without shaking with a bold spirit.
Except for the strangely heavy atmosphere, it was inside a mine with nothing particularly strange. Traces left by miners while working remained everywhere.
'It is not the Void. No, of course, it wouldn't be.'
It was a place known as a necromancer's dungeon in the previous life too.
If a new calamity like the Void had been discovered, rumors wouldn't have spread in such a way.
However, hearing Aselheit's words that he discovered the Void, Blanc was preparing thinking he could encounter them anytime.
"It is here..."
"We have to go to the left."
A fork in the road appeared in front of the party. Two huge passages welcomed the party embracing huge darkness.
Aubert, perhaps wanting to drive away that darkness even a little, took the torch a squire was holding and raised it high, but it only ended up adding to the depth of darkness.
Noel was gauging the path they would advance looking at the map of the mine the Baum family prepared.
"The place where the miners of Baum Mine first went missing is to the left from this fork. This road is a path going down to the bottom of the mine, so everyone be careful of the downhill path."
At Noel's words, one of the squires swallowed his saliva loudly at the words that they were going down even further than now.
Noel, who watched that appearance, looked at the party and spoke.
"If there is anyone who regrets being here right now, you may go back."
Noel asking whether they would return calling it the last chance, but none of the knights answered Noel's words.
Rather, it seemed that remark stimulated the knights' pride. One of the 10 knights was striking the squire who swallowed saliva earlier and couldn't hide his tension.
"Stupid fellow! You imply you want to become a knight when you are a coward who cannot even confirm who the enemy is!"
"I am sorry!"
Perhaps because he was the squire he was in charge of, he was a knight without hesitation in striking.
The knight's shouting and the squire's crying sound awakened their minds to return to reality again.
"We are knights of Tolome. Let us always not forget."
"Obvious words!"
"It is merely a mine at best! I will find Lord Stefan first!"
As if trying to shake off the tension and fear attached to their shoulders, the knights who were moving quietly until now burned with fighting spirit standing in front of the fork.
'Seasoned. Indeed, they are knights of Tolome.'
Although the knights were momentarily daunted by the bizarre atmosphere the mine gave, they soon skillfully burned with fighting spirit and tried to reverse the atmosphere. This was an action that could not come out without sufficient experience.
If it is a favorable situation, one must ride that momentum, and if it is an unfavorable situation, one must reverse the atmosphere.
The knights knew that well.
'Truly coveted knights.'
If Blanc tried to raise knights like the knighthood of the Tolome family in a normal way, it might take decades.
So he had to get as close as possible to the knights of Tolome at this opportunity. To make them easy to borrow anytime.
"Then let us move."
Noel's squire held a torch and stuck closely to his side.
Seven torches lined up in a row, illuminating the dark passage and guiding the knights.
If watched from afar, it would look like a red water snake swimming in the deep sea.
However, that sea was deep and dark.
The red water snake was sinking slowly into the sea.
Indeed, perhaps because it was a downhill path as Noel said, it was a gentle slope at first, but the slope began to become steep as they went.
Since they were knights with excellent physical abilities, there was no problem going down, but if they were attacked in a place like this, it would be troublesome.
Finally, the downhill path ended, and what unfolded before their eyes was a small cavity and 3 entrances holding out in front of it.
Probably the real start of the mine was from now.
"We also only broke through up to here. From now on, everyone stay sharp."
"The first group entered the fork in the middle and when they did not come out even after a day passed, Commander Stefan followed them in."
The eyes of the knights listening to Noel and Aubert naturally turned to the fork in the middle.
"We will enter the path in the middle."
"At least we will be able to know what happened."
Noel and Aubert resolved their fighting spirit.
Finally, they reached the place where their father went missing.
"Then we enter..."
There was a sound holding onto the ankle of Noel who was just about to take the lead with the party.
"Lord Noel... Lord Aubert..."
"Did you come to save us? Finally!"
A sound echoing like an echo was heard from the leftmost entrance.
As the unidentifiable sound was heard, the knights instantly took position and formed a defensive formation.
Blanc also took the hint appropriately, tucked himself among them, and aimed his sword toward the left entrance where the sound came from.
"Lord Noel... Lord Aubert... It is us."
"You finally came! Now we can go out!"
Along with the clattering sound of armor from the left entrance, there were 2 faces floating white in the darkness.
"Carlo! Asat!"
"Were you alive! Hahaha!"
Noel and Aubert recognized them and smiled gladly. They were genuinely relieved.
Because colleagues they thought were dead were alive.
"Right, it is Carlo and Asat."
"Your faces are scrawny, it seems because you couldn't eat properly."
"Phew... What a relief."
The 10 knights selected as the search party also recognized the faces of the 2 knights who walked out from the darkness.
"Welcome!"
Aubert sheathed his sword and approached them as if glad.
However, the 2 missing knights did not approach Aubert.
They did not move an inch from inside the entrance.
The torches illuminating the darkness were reflecting only their faces.
"Lord Aubert! We found Lord Stefan."
At the words that they found Stefan, color returned to Noel and Aubert's faces.
Unlike Jonas, the twin knights maintained a close relationship with their father.
"You found father?"
"Yes, but he is in an injured state. So please come quickly and support Lord Stefan out."
"Where is that! Guide us."
The 2 faces floating in the darkness smiled and spoke.
"Please follow. Everyone."
As soon as they finished speaking, the 2 people disappeared as if a candle was blown out.
"Let's go in!"
"To think they were really alive!"
The twins and 10 knights moved toward the leftmost entrance chatting noisily as if their tension was released only now.
"Everyone, do not move!"
If only Blanc's shout hadn't been there.
When the party looked back, Blanc was rousing the White Thunderbolt with his sword drawn.
"Blanc, why are you doing that?"
"There is no time for this now. I don't know why you are doing this, but didn't they say father was injured. We have to go quickly!"
Noel and Aubert could not understand Blanc acting strangely.
"Are they truly Sir Carlo and Sir Asat?"
"Right! It is Carlo and Asat! Can you not recognize colleagues we did missions together with for a year?"
At Blanc's question, Aubert beat his chest as if frustrated.
Noel and the 10 knights also looked at Blanc as if puzzled.
"How did you confirm?"
"What kind of sound is this? Blanc! Did you get scared? Snap out of it!"
At Aubert's shouting, Blanc answered with a calm voice.
"The one who needs to snap out of it is the brother."
"What?"
Blanc looked back at the party and spoke.
"The knights who voiced out just now."
Blanc pointed at the entrance where the knights came out earlier with his sword.
"They had no faces."