The Story Of The Second Son Of The Baron Family [EN]: Chapter 32

“Here’s our plan for mining. Would you like to hear it?”

In truth, we hadn’t even established a concrete plan. It was just a vague idea that everyone thought was the best option. Evan responded to my words.

“You’re saying we can’t even start with ordinary mining methods? What does that mean?”

“Exactly as it sounds. Ordinary mining methods—building walls around the mining site for defense and digging into the ground inside—are impossible here.”

“Is the former the problem? Or the latter?”

“Definitely the former.”

If the magic stone mine weren’t located in the monsters’ territory, or if it were on the south side of the Terra Barrier, or at least in the mountains surrounding the Terra Barrier, it could have been developed in a normal way. But the mine was in the monsters’ territory, so there was no need to consider such hypotheticals.

“As you know from the continuous reports, the area around the mine is a plain with no small hills. We can’t take advantage of the terrain like here at the Terra Barrier, and we have to defend against monsters coming from all directions, not just the front. Even maintaining the status quo at the Terra Barrier, which is the entrance, is barely manageable. Protecting a mine located further inside is impossible.”

However, even after my explanation, Evan and the other mages looked puzzled. Having only heard about the reality of the Terra Barrier and not experienced it firsthand, they might not understand why I was using the word ‘impossible.’

“You’ll understand what I mean if you experience it once. There’s no point in talking about it now if you can’t empathize, so let’s have this conversation later.”

Just then, the bell signaling a monster invasion began to ring loudly.

#

When I arrived at the Terra Barrier last year, I had some time before participating in combat. Because the red alert had been triggered, all the nearby monsters had gathered, creating a slight gap before the new battle began.

Thanks to that, I was able to adapt to the atmosphere of the Terra Barrier, but this year was different. Instead of large-scale battles, there were frequent skirmishes, meaning the new recruits had to be thrown into combat without time to adjust.

“Move it! Do you think the monsters will go easy on you because it’s your first time!”

“Anyone trying to sneak to the back will die by my hand first!”

“Hey! Do it right!”

Frankly, even with the reinforcements, I didn’t feel much relief. The area each person had to cover had become both smaller and larger at the same time. The new recruits, on their first battle, couldn’t possibly perform as well as the veteran mages who had fought in hundreds of battles.

Mistakes occurred everywhere, and to cover them, the existing mages had to work even harder. It would have been less difficult if we could fully concentrate, even with a larger area, and if our colleagues were reliable. But because we didn’t know when and where mistakes would occur, it was mentally more exhausting than before.

Bang!

“Argh! Fi, fire!”

“Who’s attacking allies!”

“N, no! I was attacked by a monster…”

“Are your heads just for decoration! Causing an explosion in a place this crowded, and you still want to be called a mage!”

It was a spectacle. A real spectacle. Even though they didn’t have much time, they should have been trained on what to do, but none of it was being followed.

I understood why. It was also unavoidable. The number, quality, and behavior of the enemies they had faced so far were all different.

Time would solve the problem, just as we had become veterans after surviving over a hundred battles in just one year. And those who couldn’t adapt? They would become a meal for the monsters, like so many others who had fallen.

“Are you alright?”

“Even if I combined all the monsters I’ve seen, it wouldn’t equal the number of monsters I’ve seen today.”

“Haha. You’ll probably see all the monsters you’ll ever see while you’re here. Actually, this scale of attack is just average.”

“Average?!”

Evan’s eyes widened as if he couldn’t believe my words. As the adjutant to the Master of Magic Tower, he should have known the scale of the attack. But there was a huge difference between the numbers on paper and facing it in reality.

“Yes. This kind of battle happens every three days at the earliest, and every five days at the latest. Smaller attacks happen even more frequently. Still, it’s fortunate that the monsters didn’t swarm enough to trigger a red alert for the first battle of the reinforcements.”

“If that’s true, I can understand why you said it’s impossible to even start with ordinary methods.”

Seeing is believing. A single battle seemed to be enough to convince them. Of course, after a few more battles, they might move beyond understanding to resignation.

“It seems like we’re ready to resume our discussion. Can I continue with the explanation we put on hold?”

After the battle was over, all Evan could do was nod at my words.

#

Unfortunately, the Scorpion didn’t get to show off its power in this battle. Not because its power was lacking, but because there was no opportunity to show it off.

“How many days until it’s finished?”

“It depends on when the chains are completed, so it’s hard to give you a definite answer.”

The ballista is enormous. It’s wide enough for three people to fit comfortably across, and several times that in height. Although the Terra Barrier is wide, placing the ballista on top of the barrier would make troop deployment difficult. But without raising it above the barrier, effective attacks were impossible. The solution was simple.

If there’s no space, create space. We laid the groundwork to raise and lower the ballista using pulleys behind the barrier when needed.

The reason we hadn’t made it in advance was, in short, a lack of supplies. Ordinary ropes couldn’t handle the weight of the ballista, so chains were needed, but iron was a major resource with too many demands, so we had to wait for this large-scale support to arrive.

“Hurry as much as possible.”

“We’ll do our best.”

Meanwhile, I was continuing the explanation I hadn’t been able to give to Evan and his group.

“The planned mining site is located in a plain about 10km away from here, the Terra Barrier.”

10km. Far if you ride a horse for thirty minutes, close if you don’t. But 10km here is not the same as 10km in other regions. The physical distance may be the same, but it’s a completely different distance.

“Even if we estimate the diameter to be only 1km, we would have to build a wall more than three times that length. Furthermore, we need to ensure the safety of the road from the mine to the Terra Barrier, so the length we have to protect will increase even more. Without that, stable mining and transporting the mined magic stones without loss would be impossible. And to cut to the chase, that’s impossible.”

The expected length is over 10km. With the Terra Barrier barely holding on, there was no way to protect a length twice that. Absolutely not.

“As you all have experienced, the monsters’ territory is constantly spewing out monsters. Even if we kill thousands, tens of thousands of monsters a day, more monsters swarm in the next day. The monsters’ territory is still unknown land to us humans.”

“Enough with the introduction, get to the point.”

“There’s no solution on the surface. With the methods we’ve discussed so far, we won’t be able to touch a single hair of the magic stones for at least a hundred years.”

“…On the surface?”

“I propose building a tunnel from the Terra Barrier to the planned mine site, and simultaneously constructing an underground base near the site.”

If the surface is impossible, we have no choice but to turn our eyes to the underground.

#

Duke Zeke, having received the Emperor’s order, turned his horse eastward. The Emperor had prepared this much for him, a vassal, so he couldn’t disobey the order.

‘It must be that child’s doing.’

Some time ago, the messenger he had sent to the capital returned with good news. At the same time, he also brought a letter from his daughter, as always. It was nothing new, as it had been repeated for years, so he intended to keep it in the drawer without reading it, as he had done until now. If it hadn’t been for Renil, the messenger, saying:

[Mother wants to see Father one last time.]

He had intentionally avoided reading the letters all this time. Because he was afraid his resolve would weaken. He was the head of a family, but also a commander responsible for the lives of tens of thousands of people.

His subordinates were fighting hard for the country, even though they missed their families and worried about their well-being. He, as the highest authority, couldn’t abandon his post because he was worried about his family. Such a thing was impossible in his mind.

“Last time…”

He slowly began to read the letter. The content of the letter was as he had expected. It began with resentment towards him for never replying, followed by the situation of the territory and the well-being of the family, and finally, a request to return to the territory as soon as possible if he read the letter, as his mother was critically ill.

“Hoo.”

He closed his eyes and leaned back in his chair. This was why he didn’t want to read the letters. Because it made him think of his hometown, because it made him worry about his family. Why wouldn’t he miss his hometown and worry about his family?

He had simply prioritized public affairs over private matters. He thought it was the right thing to do, and he still didn’t regret that decision.

He would probably make the same decision all hundred times he regressed. He just felt sorry for the family who had such a husband, such a father. But he never imagined that he would talk to the Emperor and have him summoned.

“Your Excellency. We’re almost there.”

Opening his eyes and snapping out of the past, he saw a familiar yet unfamiliar sight, as his subordinate had said. It had been nearly ten years since his return, so even his hometown, where he had spent decades, was bound to feel unfamiliar.

Nevertheless, what hadn’t changed was the flag hanging high enough to be seen from afar. The flag with a beautifully embroidered sword fluttered in the wind, just as it had when he left this place ten years ago and when he returned now.

“I’ve returned.”

Regardless of whose intention it was, it was the moment when the head of the family returned home after ten years.