𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐮𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐠𝐨𝐥𝐝
“Damn it!”
ㅤ
Greed kicked the leg of the desk roughly, wincing at the pain.
ㅤ
“Luke is alive?! What kind of magic did that brat use?”
ㅤ
“Sir Greed, calm yourself.”
ㅤ
Avaris, while tilting a glass of distilled liquor, was admonishing Greed.
ㅤ
“Exactly, first, we need to stay calm.”
ㅤ
The fat man sitting opposite, munching on baked sweets, nodded in agreement.
ㅤ
It was Todd Gluton of the Gluton Chamber of Commerce.
ㅤ
The three had gathered in Avaris’s private room after the party for a secret meeting.
ㅤ
ㅤ
“How can I stay calm! If he’s alive, he’ll surely contest my inheritance of the title! That would be the end for me!”
ㅤ
Greed held his head in his hands.
ㅤ
“And to make matters worse, Rampart Margrave is his guardian? With those rogue adventurers caught and causing trouble, and now that brat too!”
ㅤ
“I was surprised too. Who would have thought that boy was your nephew, Sir Greed.”
ㅤ
“Sir Avaris, you knew about Luke?”
ㅤ
“Yes, he has been a thorn in my side. To me, he’s like a bothersome fly.”
ㅤ
“Exactly! And after the party, he even met with Lady Flora! Could he be aware of us?!”
ㅤ
“That’s why I’m telling you to calm down.”
ㅤ
Avaris set down his glass and continued the conversation.
ㅤ
“Indeed, the capture of those adventurers is a setback. But they haven’t linked us to them yet. Gluton, how are things on your end?”
ㅤ
“All evidence linking us to them has been disposed of. If asked, we simply deny everything.”
ㅤ
Gluton laughs while burping.
ㅤ
Of course, Gluton doesn’t do such things.
ㅤ
It’s because I know that when something happens, I’ll be the one with the lizard’s tail cut off.
ㅤ
“B, But. . . What about Luke? Having him with Rampart Margrave could lead to unforeseen circumstances!”
ㅤ
“I understand. However, directly taking action against him would only arouse suspicion.”
ㅤ
With that, Avaris wore a eerie smile.
ㅤ
“There’s always a pawn in any situation. Ultimately, all we need to do is silence Rampart Margrave. For example, by kidnapping his beloved daughter, or something like that.”
ㅤ
“W, Wait. . . Are you serious! If that were to be exposed, there would be no turning back!”
ㅤ
“It’s only a problem if it gets exposed. Surely, you wouldn’t suggest pulling out now, would you? Do you know what would happen if you did that?”
ㅤ
“. . .”
ㅤ
Greed could only remain silent, pale-faced, under Avaris’s glare.
ㅤ
Avaris stood up and walked to the window.
ㅤ
“We’ve come too far to turn back now. We must move forward. It’s a perfect opportunity. By taking his daughter, Rampart Margrave will break. And his territory will become ours.”
ㅤ
A sinister smile spread across Avaris’s face as he looked down at the cityscape of St. Arrogas below.
ㅤ
ㅤ
ㅤ
ㅤ
◆
ㅤ
ㅤ
ㅤ
ㅤ
“What do you plan to do by coming to a place like this?”
ㅤ
Sir Wilfred asked Luke with a puzzled look.
ㅤ
The two were currently in the striped dungeon they had conquered before.
ㅤ
Previously, they had visited with a conquering team, but this time it was just Luke and Sir Wilfred.
ㅤ
“Since we defeated the dungeon boss, there shouldn’t be any demon beasts appearing for a while. . .”
ㅤ
“That’s why it’s convenient. Let’s go in first.”
ㅤ
The two proceeded deeper and eventually reached the 15th layer at the very end.
ㅤ
“When we defeated the chimera and broke the dungeon wall, there was something that caught my attention. I’m going to check it out now. . . .Collapse.”
ㅤ
Luke’s earth magic crumbled the dungeon wall, and huge chunks of rock fell apart.
ㅤ
“Just as I thought. . . look at this.”
ㅤ
Luke picked up a piece of the fallen rock.
ㅤ
Between the pure white rocks, there were streaks of gold.
ㅤ
“. . .Could it be. . . this is?!”
ㅤ
“Yes, it’s definitely gold.”
ㅤ
“Nonsense. . . I’ve never heard of a gold vein running through this dungeon!”
ㅤ
“It’s probably because of that chimera. I think no one could mine because of the regular appearance of demon beasts.”
ㅤ
“And the amount of it. . . how much gold can be mined in this entire dungeon?”
ㅤ
Sir Wilfred looked around the dungeon with an expression of astonishment.
ㅤ
“We don’t know yet, but I think there’s a gold vein throughout this mountain where the dungeon is located. This plant is the evidence.”
ㅤ
Luke said so and took out a grass from his pocket.
ㅤ
“This is called Yabumurasaki, known to grow where gold can be mined. The presence of Yabumurasaki throughout this mountain suggests a high possibility.”
ㅤ
“What a revelation. . .”
ㅤ
Sir Wilfred, shocked, sat down in the dungeon and held his head.
ㅤ
“Luke, have you told anyone about this?”
ㅤ
“No, not yet. Given the circumstances, I’ve kept it secret until now. I asked only Sir Wilfred to come for that reason.”
ㅤ
Initially, Luke intended to invite Alma, but they came just the two of them at Sir Wilfred’s insistence.
ㅤ
“I see. . . I’m sorry, but could you keep this matter confidential for a while? Naturally, we will also seal off this dungeon. This seems like a very delicate case.”
ㅤ
Sir Wilfred’s concern was natural.
ㅤ
The discovery of a new gold vein is more than just a problem for a lord.
ㅤ
It could even involve national strategies.
ㅤ
“Of course.”
ㅤ
“Thank you. But this is indeed an unexpected stroke of luck. If we can operate this mine, our territory can secure peace for a hundred years.”
ㅤ
“I think so too. Given our enmity with Avaris, securing a stable income on our own is an urgent task.”
ㅤ
“Exactly. I was concerned about financial instability for a while, even though we are out of debt, but this should help us manage.”
ㅤ
Sir Wilfred stood up and hugged Luke tightly.
ㅤ
“You’ve saved me again, haven’t you.”
Translator’s Blog
Blog
- Study Guide: Lofi or Punk Emo? The Soundtrack to Smashing Your Next Exam (Like a Boss)
- Quitting Your Waifus Cold Turkey: Can You ACTUALLY Choose Adulting Over 2D?
- The Great Manhua Crash: Why the Hype Died Down
- How to Deal with Your Cringey Otaku Classmate (Without Turning into a Weeaboo Yourself)
- The Unmentionable Truth About Anime Waifus: Why They’re All So Smooth
Leave a Reply