The secret talk with the three heavyweights of the Kingdom of Kurtmerga in the office of Chancellor Bergman ended in a way that was convenient for me. Count Crood and Count Teisen had already left the room, and after talking with the Chancellor about the details, I was about to leave the room to start the next preparation.
“Wait, Schwartz. One last thing――I’ve accepted this proposal, but as I advised earlier, I don’t want you to delve too deep into the Kingdom’s political affairs.”
“Of course, Your Excellency. I made that proposal after weighing both of my wishes and this country’s political stance.”
“Wish… If I wanted to bring it into the Kingdom of Kurtmerga, this story would have flowed. The original plan was meant to keep it in the buffer zone of the Devil’s Mountains.”
My wish――I don’t really know what it was. Was it mercy for the fugitive slaves, because I never want to see the tears of the girl I saw in the southern sea again, or was it a mourning for those who were eaten by the ruthless reality on the lakeside of the mountains?
Or all of these… I left the Royal castle and returned to『Daikokuya』, confused by my uncertain feelings.
On the way back to the store, I bought some miscellaneous goods that I needed from now on and prepared to return to the Devil’s Mountains again. From here on, it’s a race against time. Before the Order of the Knights of the Frontiers can come near the Mine Labyrinth, Koti’s hidden village must already be completed.
Returning to the underground warehouse in Jonah’s form, I explained the situation to Koti and ordered him to wait for a few days. Of course, I haven’t talked about the secret agreement with the Kurtmerga Kingdom, and it’s unpleasant to give the implication that the undead and the Kingdom are actually directly connected.
Afterward, I used the Royal Capital’s transfer circle to return to the forest city Dragrange. Then scaled the Devil’s mountain to reach the Mine Labyrinth.
“Around here, maybe?”
Displaying the map of the surrounding area with the help of TSS, I measured the distance between the labyrinth and the nearest water source, in this case a lake. Then a mountainside to see which part is a suitable spot.
Once I decided on a location, all I needed to do was start working.
I summoned multiple Gift BOXs, then took out the materials and foods I bought at the Royal Capital, as well as the cheapest furniture I can buy on VMB. Finally, I took out the copy circle and deployed it. At the same time, I changed my avatar setting to Shaft as from here on, it will be his turn to act. Schwartz won’t be scouring the mountain. It would be Shaft instead. Jonah’s turn was ending here, as there’s very little benefit for me to continue masquerading as the undead. He’ll be gone for good after this anyway.
Right after everything was ready, the copy circle started glowing――and the next moment, the fugitive slaves and everyone that will work on the hidden village construction, including the dwarf Girim, emerged from the circle.
“Here is――the Devil’s Mountain? Who are you? And that guy――where is he?”
Seeing Black Masked Shaft at the other end of the transfer circle in Daikokuya basement instead of Jonah, Girim and the others understandably stood their ground in suspicion.
“I’m the mercenary Shaft. Here as an escort until the work here is done.”
“Then where is he?”
“Do you mean that ‘skeleton guy’? I don’t know. I wasn’t hired to know. Instead, start working already. The Frontier Knights should be heading here as we speak. You need to turn this place into a hidden village before they find their way here.”
“G-got it. Damn, I don’t know anymore――let’s start working!”
Despite everything not making any sense, Girim called out to the men who had followed him to start picking up the mining tools in order to make a cave in the mountain wall. Whilst watching them work, I leaned my back into a tree nearby. Staying alert of our surroundings.
Girim’s mining technique was brilliant. I couldn’t tell whether it’s because of skill or magic, but they dug down through the mountain surface fairly easily, as if the dirt and rocks were made of tofu. The men who transferred along with him acted as his assistants. Some were taking out the dirt and rocks he dug out while others were reinforcing the walls. Taking breaks in rotation, the construction work continued even past sundown. A group of kobolds appeared in the midst of that, but I quickly dispatched them.
“Well, that’s about it for now.”
Around the time when the sun was about to rise, Girim finally stopped working. A cave, created by carving and digging through the mountain, was completed.
From the outside, a short horizontal hole continues, and beyond that, a circular hall with a high ceiling and a meeting place for residents is created. Around the circumference, there are private rooms and shared rooms, as well as rooms around water such as toilets and kitchens. The floors and walls were magically hardened and tiled.
The furniture that had been taken out was carried to each room, and the living environment was set up for the time being. A copy circle will be set up again in the circular hall to inform Koti and the rest who are waiting in Daikokuya basement that we are ready.
The transfer circle in the basement would shine dimly once it’s ready to use. But given the time, they should come in pretty soon.
“It’s been prepared, Koti-sama”
“Girim, thank you-nya. As expected, your workmanship is――nyaa?!”
Girim greeted Koti as she arrived with the remaining fugitive slaves. Her eyes scoured the interior of the cave until she inevitably looked toward me.
“W, why is Shaft here-nya…”
“If it isn’t Koti… it’s been a while.”
As soon as I saw my face, Koti quivered――she quickly pinched her nose with her right hand. Does something smell so bad here for her…?
“Wh-whay… ish he heere-nya! Wh-whad khabbened wit Yonah-nya!” (Wh-why… is he here! Wh-what happened to Jonah-nya!”
The little girls who were rubbing their sleepy eyes beside them looked up at Koti as she pinched her nose and raised a protest.Behind Koti, I saw the elf Flik and the cook Garard, the only other two who could recognize me, just emerging from the copy circle.
“H, hold yer horses there! Does Koti-sama know this person?”
“That man is Shaft――also known as the “Black Mask Shaft”, a mercenary capable of conquering a labyrinth solo!”
Flik gave me the introduction rather politely instead, while Koti kept glaring at me.
“No need to worry, I’m not your enemy at the moment. For now, I’m just an escort hired by someone we both are acquaintanced with.”
“Huwha-huwhat!”
“Y-yes, that’s right, Koti-sama. This person has been standing watch alone as an escort while we were working.”
Well, I didn’t even break a sweat.
The men who were working to build this cave dwelling tried to reassure Koti by explaining my work one after another. Listening to their story, I could see that the cautions of Koti and Flik were gradually released.
“Is-is he really not an enemy-nya? Aren’t you still mad after last time-nya?”
Last time――must have been when they tried to rob the labyrinth core.
“In the end the labyrinth core is back with me. It doesn’t matter anymore. More than that, I have a letter from someone. For the sake of your own future, you should probably worry about that more than you do me.”
The letter that I had inside my overcoat was a statement that I decided after discussing with Chancellor Bergman. The sender’s name is “Daikokuya’s Schwartz”, and the content is about how Daikokuya will take over the transaction of magic ore mined from the labyrinth in the future. A certain company in the forest city of Dragrange, which they had been secretly trading with until now, was sent to prison for guiding smugglers from other countries.
In addition, for the time being to live here, it is necessary to live daily, such as setting up a front base of the Frontier Knight in a nearby place and accepting merchants who come to trade daily necessities and food there. The notice that various things will be done via『Daikokuya』 is written on the letter.
At first glance, Koti and this group may seem to have gained autonomy to live in the Devil’s Mountains, but the truth is that they have to deal directly with Kurtmerga Kingdom――under the guise of Daikokuya. Koti might be dissatisfied with it, but crushing the fortress alone will not release the Devil’s Mountain from the Drak Kingdom’s influence. It’s a given since the mountain was a buffer zone.
It is difficult to avoid a conflict with the Kingdom of Drak and the Empire of Bashburn without monitoring and controlling the trends and establishing a system that can be kept in hand at any time. As soon as she regained her composure, Koti received the letter and read deeply into the content. The girl is smart, she glanced at the letter and at me alternatively, and seemed to grasp my exact meaning.
“…alright-nya, I’ll make sure everything goes as agreed.”
“Are you sure, Koti-sama?”
“It’s many times better than having to return to our country. And if we expand here――it should be possible for us to help more stragglers.”
That was the loophole.
The letter I prepared has no mention about the fugitive slaves or the people who have escaped from the Drak kingdom. This Devil’s Mountains is not exactly the territory of Kurtmerga either. There is no reason to blame the invasion of non-combatants from the Drak Kingdom unless they cross the border.
“One piece of advice. Today, or tomorrow, the Frontier Knights of Dragrange city will be arriving here. And along with them, Ophelia Dragrange, who came to this mountain specifically to hunt the phantom thieves. Do not let her see you, since the phantom thief Nekoyanagi is supposed to be annihilated in the labyrinth already.”
“I, I see-nya. By the way, where did Jonah go-nya?”
“He won’t show up here anymore. It’s just a coincidence that I was willing to take his request to escort this place. I have no shred of relation with that undead. That is all.”
Koti was awfully different today. Where did the holiness that she exhibited when I confronted her as Jonah in Daikokuya basement go to?
It was the afternoon of that day that the Frontier Knights of Dragrange arrived at the Hidden Village.
The response of the GPS transmitter attached to Miche-san is also close. The Frontier Knights and Sasanqua clan seemed to be acting together to search for the unique first-class undead Jonah whose species and rank are known. Count Crood, the Knights adviser, has instructed them to search the area before subduing the labyrinth.
The cave dwelling Hidden Village was named Yorum in consideration of the future.
Three frontier knights, the Dragrange branch of Daikokuya, and four unfamiliar men who claim to be the branch managers came to the Yorum. This Dragrange branch will support the future life of Yorum. While it uses Daikokuya name, the contents have nothing to do with me, and the merchant directly working for Count Teisen is supposed to take charge as the branch manager. The representative of『Yorum』is the dwarven Girim. If Koti or Flik were to be the representatives, it would not be possible to avoid getting caught in the event of meeting Ophelia.
After watching Girim, who is in discussions with the branch manager and Knights, I moved out to leave Yorum.
“Where are you going-nya?”
It was Koti who called me out. I thought she was hiding in the back room of Yorum to avoid the eyes of the Frontier Knights. But here she was already, without seemingly getting seen by anyone.
“With the Frontier knights in here, my job is over. There is no reason for me to stay here anymore, so I should move on to the next job.”
Yes――I have the next job, the task of conquering the Mine Labyrinth. I’m not here just to help others.
“O-of course-nya…”
I was wondering what to say after that, but Koti herself didn’t seem to know what to say as well. I have nothing more to add. I’ve prepared a place for them. What comes next――it’s all up to them. If I would do anything else for them――I guess conquering the labyrinth and thus making the devil’s mountain a little safer may also count.
“Sha-Shaft!”
The moment I turned around to continue my path toward the labyrinth, Koti called out to me once more.
“I’m sorry for the last time at the Capital! And thank you for everything!”
“….don’t wo――”
“～～～、～～～、～～ Leap!!”
I was trying to tell her not to worry about it, but Koti had already leapt away before I could finish.
While seeing her leaping off, I exhaled and took the path to the Mine labyrinth.
One more thing to do――.
The secret talk with the three heavyweights of the Kingdom of Kurtmerga in the office of Chancellor Bergman ended in a way that was convenient for me. Count Crood and Count Teisen had already left the room, and after talking with the Chancellor about the details, I was about to leave the room to start the next preparation.
“Wait, Schwartz. One last thing――I’ve accepted this proposal, but as I advised earlier, I don’t want you to delve too deep into the Kingdom’s political affairs.”
“Of course, Your Excellency. I made that proposal after weighing both of my wishes and this country’s political stance.”
“Wish… If I wanted to bring it into the Kingdom of Kurtmerga, this story would have flowed. The original plan was meant to keep it in the buffer zone of the Devil’s Mountains.”
My wish――I don’t really know what it was. Was it mercy for the fugitive slaves, because I never want to see the tears of the girl I saw in the southern sea again, or was it a mourning for those who were eaten by the ruthless reality on the lakeside of the mountains?
Or all of these… I left the Royal castle and returned to『Daikokuya』, confused by my uncertain feelings.
On the way back to the store, I bought some miscellaneous goods that I needed from now on and prepared to return to the Devil’s Mountains again. From here on, it’s a race against time. Before the Order of the Knights of the Frontiers can come near the Mine Labyrinth, Koti’s hidden village must already be completed.
Returning to the underground warehouse in Jonah’s form, I explained the situation to Koti and ordered him to wait for a few days. Of course, I haven’t talked about the secret agreement with the Kurtmerga Kingdom, and it’s unpleasant to give the implication that the undead and the Kingdom are actually directly connected.
Afterward, I used the Royal Capital’s transfer circle to return to the forest city Dragrange. Then scaled the Devil’s mountain to reach the Mine Labyrinth.
“Around here, maybe?”
Displaying the map of the surrounding area with the help of TSS, I measured the distance between the labyrinth and the nearest water source, in this case a lake. Then a mountainside to see which part is a suitable spot.
Once I decided on a location, all I needed to do was start working.
I summoned multiple Gift BOXs, then took out the materials and foods I bought at the Royal Capital, as well as the cheapest furniture I can buy on VMB. Finally, I took out the copy circle and deployed it. At the same time, I changed my avatar setting to Shaft as from here on, it will be his turn to act. Schwartz won’t be scouring the mountain. It would be Shaft instead. Jonah’s turn was ending here, as there’s very little benefit for me to continue masquerading as the undead. He’ll be gone for good after this anyway.
Right after everything was ready, the copy circle started glowing――and the next moment, the fugitive slaves and everyone that will work on the hidden village construction, including the dwarf Girim, emerged from the circle.
“Here is――the Devil’s Mountain? Who are you? And that guy――where is he?”
Seeing Black Masked Shaft at the other end of the transfer circle in Daikokuya basement instead of Jonah, Girim and the others understandably stood their ground in suspicion.
“I’m the mercenary Shaft. Here as an escort until the work here is done.”
“Then where is he?”
“Do you mean that ‘skeleton guy’? I don’t know. I wasn’t hired to know. Instead, start working already. The Frontier Knights should be heading here as we speak. You need to turn this place into a hidden village before they find their way here.”
“G-got it. Damn, I don’t know anymore――let’s start working!”
Despite everything not making any sense, Girim called out to the men who had followed him to start picking up the mining tools in order to make a cave in the mountain wall. Whilst watching them work, I leaned my back into a tree nearby. Staying alert of our surroundings.
Girim’s mining technique was brilliant. I couldn’t tell whether it’s because of skill or magic, but they dug down through the mountain surface fairly easily, as if the dirt and rocks were made of tofu. The men who transferred along with him acted as his assistants. Some were taking out the dirt and rocks he dug out while others were reinforcing the walls. Taking breaks in rotation, the construction work continued even past sundown. A group of kobolds appeared in the midst of that, but I quickly dispatched them.
“Well, that’s about it for now.”
Around the time when the sun was about to rise, Girim finally stopped working. A cave, created by carving and digging through the mountain, was completed.
From the outside, a short horizontal hole continues, and beyond that, a circular hall with a high ceiling and a meeting place for residents is created. Around the circumference, there are private rooms and shared rooms, as well as rooms around water such as toilets and kitchens. The floors and walls were magically hardened and tiled.
The furniture that had been taken out was carried to each room, and the living environment was set up for the time being. A copy circle will be set up again in the circular hall to inform Koti and the rest who are waiting in Daikokuya basement that we are ready.
The transfer circle in the basement would shine dimly once it’s ready to use. But given the time, they should come in pretty soon.
“It’s been prepared, Koti-sama”
“Girim, thank you-nya. As expected, your workmanship is――nyaa?!”
Girim greeted Koti as she arrived with the remaining fugitive slaves. Her eyes scoured the interior of the cave until she inevitably looked toward me.
“W, why is Shaft here-nya…”
“If it isn’t Koti… it’s been a while.”
As soon as I saw my face, Koti quivered――she quickly pinched her nose with her right hand. Does something smell so bad here for her…?
“Wh-whay… ish he heere-nya! Wh-whad khabbened wit Yonah-nya!” (Wh-why… is he here! Wh-what happened to Jonah-nya!”
The little girls who were rubbing their sleepy eyes beside them looked up at Koti as she pinched her nose and raised a protest.Behind Koti, I saw the elf Flik and the cook Garard, the only other two who could recognize me, just emerging from the copy circle.
“H, hold yer horses there! Does Koti-sama know this person?”
“That man is Shaft――also known as the “Black Mask Shaft”, a mercenary capable of conquering a labyrinth solo!”
Flik gave me the introduction rather politely instead, while Koti kept glaring at me.
“No need to worry, I’m not your enemy at the moment. For now, I’m just an escort hired by someone we both are acquaintanced with.”
“Huwha-huwhat!”
“Y-yes, that’s right, Koti-sama. This person has been standing watch alone as an escort while we were working.”
Well, I didn’t even break a sweat.
The men who were working to build this cave dwelling tried to reassure Koti by explaining my work one after another. Listening to their story, I could see that the cautions of Koti and Flik were gradually released.
“Is-is he really not an enemy-nya? Aren’t you still mad after last time-nya?”
Last time――must have been when they tried to rob the labyrinth core.
“In the end the labyrinth core is back with me. It doesn’t matter anymore. More than that, I have a letter from someone. For the sake of your own future, you should probably worry about that more than you do me.”
The letter that I had inside my overcoat was a statement that I decided after discussing with Chancellor Bergman. The sender’s name is “Daikokuya’s Schwartz”, and the content is about how Daikokuya will take over the transaction of magic ore mined from the labyrinth in the future. A certain company in the forest city of Dragrange, which they had been secretly trading with until now, was sent to prison for guiding smugglers from other countries.
In addition, for the time being to live here, it is necessary to live daily, such as setting up a front base of the Frontier Knight in a nearby place and accepting merchants who come to trade daily necessities and food there. The notice that various things will be done via『Daikokuya』 is written on the letter.
At first glance, Koti and this group may seem to have gained autonomy to live in the Devil’s Mountains, but the truth is that they have to deal directly with Kurtmerga Kingdom――under the guise of Daikokuya. Koti might be dissatisfied with it, but crushing the fortress alone will not release the Devil’s Mountain from the Drak Kingdom’s influence. It’s a given since the mountain was a buffer zone.
It is difficult to avoid a conflict with the Kingdom of Drak and the Empire of Bashburn without monitoring and controlling the trends and establishing a system that can be kept in hand at any time. As soon as she regained her composure, Koti received the letter and read deeply into the content. The girl is smart, she glanced at the letter and at me alternatively, and seemed to grasp my exact meaning.
“…alright-nya, I’ll make sure everything goes as agreed.”
“Are you sure, Koti-sama?”
“It’s many times better than having to return to our country. And if we expand here――it should be possible for us to help more stragglers.”
That was the loophole.
The letter I prepared has no mention about the fugitive slaves or the people who have escaped from the Drak kingdom. This Devil’s Mountains is not exactly the territory of Kurtmerga either. There is no reason to blame the invasion of non-combatants from the Drak Kingdom unless they cross the border.
“One piece of advice. Today, or tomorrow, the Frontier Knights of Dragrange city will be arriving here. And along with them, Ophelia Dragrange, who came to this mountain specifically to hunt the phantom thieves. Do not let her see you, since the phantom thief Nekoyanagi is supposed to be annihilated in the labyrinth already.”
“I, I see-nya. By the way, where did Jonah go-nya?”
“He won’t show up here anymore. It’s just a coincidence that I was willing to take his request to escort this place. I have no shred of relation with that undead. That is all.”
Koti was awfully different today. Where did the holiness that she exhibited when I confronted her as Jonah in Daikokuya basement go to?
It was the afternoon of that day that the Frontier Knights of Dragrange arrived at the Hidden Village.
The response of the GPS transmitter attached to Miche-san is also close. The Frontier Knights and Sasanqua clan seemed to be acting together to search for the unique first-class undead Jonah whose species and rank are known. Count Crood, the Knights adviser, has instructed them to search the area before subduing the labyrinth.
The cave dwelling Hidden Village was named Yorum in consideration of the future.
Three frontier knights, the Dragrange branch of Daikokuya, and four unfamiliar men who claim to be the branch managers came to the Yorum. This Dragrange branch will support the future life of Yorum. While it uses Daikokuya name, the contents have nothing to do with me, and the merchant directly working for Count Teisen is supposed to take charge as the branch manager. The representative of『Yorum』is the dwarven Girim. If Koti or Flik were to be the representatives, it would not be possible to avoid getting caught in the event of meeting Ophelia.
After watching Girim, who is in discussions with the branch manager and Knights, I moved out to leave Yorum.
“Where are you going-nya?”
It was Koti who called me out. I thought she was hiding in the back room of Yorum to avoid the eyes of the Frontier Knights. But here she was already, without seemingly getting seen by anyone.
“With the Frontier knights in here, my job is over. There is no reason for me to stay here anymore, so I should move on to the next job.”
Yes――I have the next job, the task of conquering the Mine Labyrinth. I’m not here just to help others.
“O-of course-nya…”
I was wondering what to say after that, but Koti herself didn’t seem to know what to say as well. I have nothing more to add. I’ve prepared a place for them. What comes next――it’s all up to them. If I would do anything else for them――I guess conquering the labyrinth and thus making the devil’s mountain a little safer may also count.
“Sha-Shaft!”
The moment I turned around to continue my path toward the labyrinth, Koti called out to me once more.
“I’m sorry for the last time at the Capital! And thank you for everything!”
“….don’t wo――”
“～～～、～～～、～～ Leap!!”
I was trying to tell her not to worry about it, but Koti had already leapt away before I could finish.
While seeing her leaping off, I exhaled and took the path to the Mine labyrinth.
One more thing to do――.
