Chapter 38: Iron Mine (3)
Mitchell watched the falling enemy and prepared his next strike.
But right at that moment, a massive energy registered from behind. As he turned his body, he saw the middle-aged man's saber, filled with unbridled rage.
Hurriedly raising his sword, a sharp, clashing ring echoed out.
Clang!
The moment they collided, the Heaven-Shattering Flash vanished, and the Incarnation shook violently.
Mitchell gritted his teeth and forcefully drew up his Dark Aura.
The trembling Incarnation regained its proper form, but his Aura Hole was completely emptied out.
“I will tear you into shreds!”
Dizzy from a profound sense of exhaustion, Mitchell barely managed to parry the saber of the middle-aged man, who was charging forward with a demonic face.
Clang!
Perhaps because he failed to block from a stable stance, he couldn't properly deflect the impact. Consequently, Mitchell was thrown far away and rolled across the ground for a good while.
“Ugh.”
A groan escaped his lips from the consecutive impacts.
His mind was completely filled with the desire to just lie down and rest.
However, since he couldn't actually stay still, Mitchell extended his palm forward.
Shriek—
The souls of the enemies he had killed just moments ago were drawn in, emitting ghostly wails.
As he converted the absorbed souls into energy, the distant, rushing dizziness began to subside.
The replenished Aura Hole infused strength into his entire body once more.
“I do not know what kind of trick you just pulled, but do you truly believe you can win because of that?”
The middle-aged man spat out words full of ridicule and lowered his stance, preparing to spring forward.
However, because he was focusing entirely on Mitchell, there was something he failed to notice.
“Mitchell!”
Along with Grant’s shout, a sword came flying through the air. The destination of the sword was the middle-aged man's chest.
He swung his saber to swat the sword away and furrowed his brows.
“Tsk, how utterly absurd. To waste this much time against mere brats like you.”
“Who are you calling a brat!”
Before anyone knew it, Grant was standing right beside Mitchell, snapping back at the middle-aged man's words.
Mitchell subtly checked the other areas and saw the twin brothers pushing back the enemies as well.
The middle-aged man must have witnessed this too, as he clicked his tongue and pulled a small pipe from his robe to blow it.
Tweet—
At that signal, the enemies immediately began to retreat, pulling back their wounded.
As the enemies withdrew right in the middle of the fight, the twin brothers rushed over to Mitchell’s side.
Even so, the middle-aged man did not flee but stood perfectly still.
He was buying time for his subordinates to escape.
‘Impressive.’
Judging by his posture, he wasn't risking his life out of a sense of sacrifice; rather, he was overflowing with the confidence that he could easily hold his ground.
And in Mitchell’s eyes, the man was fully capable of escaping from everyone gathered here.
Thus, when an agitated Grant was about to charge forward, Mitchell raised his arm to hold him back.
The middle-aged man looked at Mitchell and began to laugh.
“Your judgment is quite remarkable. You will live a very long life.”
“Yes, I will certainly live longer than you.”
“Kekeke, you said your name was Mitchell, correct? I shall remember it well.”
Finishing his words, the middle-aged man threw his body backward.
His subordinates had already completely vanished from sight.
All that remained was the bloody stench of friend and foe alike, and the groans of the wounded.
Even though it was a brief battle, the damage sustained was far too great.
Scanning the surroundings, Grant vented his frustration.
“Damn it, why did you stop me!”
“If we pursued them, our casualties would have been even greater.”
“So you're saying we just let them go like this?”
As if he would ever do that.
Mitchell turned his head toward the twin brothers.
“You two, please handle the cleanup here. Grant and I will pursue them.”
“You cannot!”
“It is far too dangerous!”
The shouts from Rydrick and Vendrick came out instantly.
Even Grant, who had been huffing and puffing until just now, looked flustered.
“Do not worry. We can track them from a distance where we won't be detected by the enemies.”
“Ah, that's right! Mitchell, if it's you, it's possible!”
At those words, Grant completely changed his attitude.
Had he not already witnessed Mitchell moving back in the Demon Realm? Back then, tracking demonic beasts and monsters was entirely Mitchell’s responsibility.
“Have you mastered tracking techniques?”
“Yes. So please tend to the wounded here and prepare for any other potential attacks.”
“……Understood.”
“Let’s go, Grant.”
Just as they were about to move, Knox followed behind them.
Mitchell patted Knox on his back.
“Stay here quietly; we'll be right back after checking on the enemies.”
Knox conveyed a wave of intense dissatisfaction, but he stepped back in accordance with Mitchell’s command.
Only then did Mitchell set off in the lead, with Grant following closely behind him.
[Tsk, tsk. You've completely thrown yourself into this, relying entirely on me.]
He felt a bit apologetic at Calian’s remark, but he decided to play it shameless.
Mitchell murmured in a small voice that Grant couldn't hear.
“Please help your disciple out. Where else would you find a disciple who trains so diligently on his own?”
[Sigh, what a mess to deal with in my final years.]
Since he was already dead, Mitchell thought his final years had passed a long time ago, but because he was the one needing help, he kept his mouth tightly shut.
The old master would surely guide him after nagging for a bit.
And Mitchell’s prediction was not wrong.
[Well, you aren't the type to listen even if I stop you, so I shall guide you. It will be good to teach you tracking techniques through this opportunity. Consider it an honor, brat. The number of experts who came to me carrying carts of gold and silver treasures just to learn tracking techniques alone could fill an entire wagon.]
“Yes, yes. It is an honor to learn tracking techniques from you, Master.”
[……You certainly talk a good game. First, the basics of tracking begin with hiding the fact that you are pursuing someone. Clean up your body first.]
Following Calian’s instructions, he washed off the blood in a nearby creek.
However, as if that wasn't enough to satisfy him, Calian ordered him to rub his body with dirt and decaying leaves. Only after they had rubbed it all over each other for a long time were they finally able to depart.
[Now that you've hidden your presence, it's time to track the prey. Look closely at the grass, tree branches, and miscellaneous things on the ground. Traces are bound to be left somewhere.]
“Is it perhaps that over there?”
[Yes, good find. Keep following like that. Wait, no, that's an animal's trail, look to the right.]
Mitchell continued to walk, relying on Calian’s teachings and assistance.
As they passed between the trees, Calian suddenly made Mitchell stop.
[Hmm…… to erase their traces even while fleeing with the wounded. They are quite cautious.]
Just as Calian said, some traces were completely wiped away, while others seemed to branch out in all directions.
Just as Mitchell furrowed his brows, thinking they had lost the trail, Calian clicked his tongue.
[Unfurrow your brows and wait just a moment. Go five steps forward and crouch down.]
He crouched down according to the instructions. Calian told him to clear away the grass, and then to move a stone next to him, before finally pointing out the correct direction.
The pursuit resumed.
However, because they had spent time finding the traces earlier, catching up was by no means easy.
Only after crossing nearly an entire mountain did they discover an empty clearing where the enemies had briefly rested.
Seeing that there were even blood-stained bandages left behind, it seemed their vigilance against being tracked had diminished considerably following their earlier precautions.
[They should be somewhere not too far from here. Be careful not to make a sound.]
Mitchell nodded his head and approached Grant.
“The enemy should be nearby. The two of us cannot handle that man from earlier, so let’s strictly focus on scouting.”
Thinking about what the family's people had suffered, he wanted to storm in and take revenge right this instant, but as long as that expert was with them, it was impossible.
Knowing that all too well, Grant nodded his head without a word of complaint.
Mitchell patted his shoulder and began to lead the way again. Before long, he discovered a cluster of several tents.
“Mitchell, look at that woman over there.”
Turning his head toward where Grant was pointing, he saw a young woman conversing with a middle-aged man.
She was quite beautiful, but what stood out more was that her appearance perfectly matched the description given by the miner earlier.
Though she was said to be unseen in the village, it appeared she had been traveling between this place and the iron mine.
“Looking closely, it seems that man is the expert we encountered earlier.”
“The man talking to the woman? I think you're right. His build looks quite similar. But…… what is that over there?”
“What is what?”
“That thing at the very edge of the camp.”
Mitchell utilized his energy to enhance his vision.
Consequently, something that was mostly hidden by the trees became slightly clearer to see.
“It looks like a transport carriage?”
It wasn't completely certain since only a fraction of it was visible, but judging by the iron bars, it seemed to be a transport carriage.
However, it was highly unusual for a transport carriage to be at the camp of those who were plundering the iron mine.
“We need to check that out. Let’s take a wide detour so we don't get caught.”
Taking an entire hour to make a wide detour, the two of us looked inside the transport carriage and were utterly shocked.
This was because an completely unexpected existence was locked inside.
“A Dwarf?”
Dwarves were a reclusive race that lived centered around their tribes.
While they traded with humans, they were famous for absolutely never stepping outside of their tribal lands.
Moreover, since the majority of their tribes lived in the eastern inland, this was the first time they were seeing one in person.
For such a Dwarf to be here all alone.
‘We can find out the details once we rescue him.’
That Dwarf would surely know the identity and purpose of the plunderers.
Mitchell waited for the dead of night when everyone would be fast asleep.
The chief of the Thunder Rock Tribe, the Dwarf Tulgram, let out a deep sigh.
Even though it was late at night, sleep did not come easily.
When he thought of his fellow tribesmen who would be locked underground even at this very hour, he couldn't bring himself to sleep.
As the faces of his tribesmen naturally surfaced in his mind, Tulgram blamed himself for being blinded by greed.
‘Because of that damn greed…….’
The incident began one day when a merchant he frequently traded with made a covert proposition.
He claimed that his family had discovered a mana stone mine but was facing severe difficulties in its development.
Therefore, he proposed that the tribe relocate to develop the mine and split the profits resulting from it.
Though he hesitated, the moment he recalled the value a mana stone mine possessed, he accepted the proposal.
However, he couldn't afford to handle a massive event like moving the tribe carelessly.
To prepare for any unforeseen circumstances, Tulgram had informed the imperial official in charge of the territory where the tribe resided in advance.
This was to prevent them from being kidnapped into slavery or having their goods plundered and being slaughtered, just like in this current situation.
It was an action taken because he knew all too well that humans viewed Dwarves as nothing more than geese that laid golden eggs.
‘But to think even the imperial official had turned…….’
At the time, he thought it was only natural for the official and the merchant to be on close terms.
He knew full well that those two professions were bound to be close by nature.
But looking back now, they seemed to have greeted each other with an unnecessary amount of delight.
Well, it was already spilled water, but his stomach turned sour every single time he thought back to that moment.
Tulgram let out a heavy sigh to vent his frustrated feelings.
‘Is everyone doing alright…….’
They would certainly be safe.
Except, they would have to craft armaments until they dropped dead.
Rather, the one whose life was in immediate jeopardy was himself.
— Where did you say the mana stone mine is located?
— You are the one who has to find it from now on. If you fail to find it, your tribe will have to elect a new chief. Ah, since they've become slaves, perhaps a new chief won't be necessary?
He had expected them to kidnap the tribe and force them to develop the mine, but even that wasn't the case.
Instead, they handed down an order to him, the chief, to locate the mana stone vein.
The problem was that the moment he found the mana stone vein, he, having outlived his usefulness, would undoubtedly have his throat slit to maintain confidentiality. Yet, if he refused to search for it, their treatment of him grew increasingly harsh.
It was truly a catch-22 situation.
‘Furthermore, they returned from engaging in a battle just a short while ago…… Could it be some place guarded by demonic beasts?’
Recalling that the Demon Realm was located in the north, Tulgram wondered if this place might be that very region he had only heard rumors about.
If that were the case, it would be even easier to kill him off.
If they simply left the door of the transport carriage wide open, wouldn't he just end up dead anyway?
Then, he would become food for demonic beasts or monsters without leaving a single trace behind.
Right when he was indulging in such thoughts.
Thud, clatter—
The sound of a small pebble rolling echoed from somewhere. At first, he ignored it, thinking it was a mere coincidence, but he listened closely as the sound continued to repeat.
Clatter—
As expected, it was rolling precisely toward his direction.
Realizing that someone was doing this intentionally, Tulgram cautiously scanned his surroundings.
Then, he discovered two figures standing within the darkness.
Anyone could see they were covertly calling out to him.
Sure enough, they soon initiated a conversation using Sound Transmission, a technique utilized by humans who wielded the sword.
[We will rescue you, so please stay still.]
When Tulgram nodded his head, the human who approached carefully sliced through the lock.
However, Tulgram did not step outside of the transport carriage.
This was because he couldn't be entirely certain if it was right to follow an unknown stranger just like this.
[We are the ones who fought against those who imprisoned you. We followed their trail and discovered you.]
“……”
[If you do not follow us right now, there will be no other opportunity to escape. As you know, there is an expert among them.]
Hearing up to that point, Tulgram made up his mind.
The fact that they engaged in a battle meant they were hostile to each other. If so, even in the worst-case scenario, he would at least gain an opportunity for revenge.
Stepping out after opening the door himself, Tulgram followed the two individuals, and only after moving for a long time to arrive at a safe location did he finally hear who they were.
“I am Mitchell of the Luney family.”
“I am Grant of the Luney family.”
