Chapter 612 – Mines and Scales

000

In the days when the bandits were fine, the missions that Rakshaal often performed under orders from his brother were reconnaissance and infiltration.

Having lived hiding among corpses since childhood and staying unnoticed by soldiers, the only specialty he had that he could boast of was killing people and moving around.

It was useful in many ways even after he started working as an escort for the great priestess.

For example, while escorting her, she repelled the pursuit so that her bugs clinging to her would not notice, and in her reverse, her self would go behind her and subdue her opponent.

She sometimes secretly follows and escorts a disguised Nayuta who wants to go around without her escort.

However, in the end, the technology shines more when it is used based on malice than when it is helpful to people.

In order not to be noticed by Nayuta or all of her shrines, she also briefly exits the temple to gather information about the female dragon hall.

Finding out how their miners enter and exit Asteris in an unnoticed way.

And it was not difficult for the raksal to track down and find out where they were heading.

—If I said it wasn’t difficult, I’d be lying.

It is said that it is to realize the will of the brothers who cannot go against it, but in the end, his actions will bring great ruin to Asteris.

Including Nayuta and Gaios. There was no change in the fact that it would be an act of betraying those who believed in him.

Even while stabbing one side of his chest with a heated needle over and over again, he couldn’t help but do what his brother asked him to do to the end.

Betrayal of the one and only brother who protected him since childhood.

Betray the bond you made in Asteris.

Either way, it was bound to be painful for him…

Even so, he had no choice but to choose his brother’s side.

And now, with the mask on his face, he was walking slowly through the mine, making his way inward.

Few humans know that the location of the mine is a huge underground tunnel with an entrance to a cliff a little far from Asteris.

To find the entrance, you had to look behind the waterfall, and even if you entered it, you couldn’t enter the mine unless you went in the correct direction through several forks.

If he entered this place without prior information, it would have been obvious that he would starve to death inside and become a white bone without being able to come out.

However, apart from that, what you see as soon as you enter the mine is a passage whose walls are entirely made of black metal, and passages in such a passage.

When he got closer and touched it, he could tell that it was made of the same metal as the sword he was using.

‘…Awesome stuff. They say it’s a special metal, so I thought there would be few of them, but I never thought there would be this many…’

I only looked around a little, but the width and size of the mine must have been at least larger than most villages.

How much time would it take to dig out all of these mines that were connected by going down underground?

Considering that only a very small number of miners and mercenaries-thieves to escort them go in and out of this place for the sake of secrecy.

There will be some limits to the amount of mining and to making something using it.

Raksha picked up a raw adamandite stone the size of a fist rolling on the ground.

‘Nevertheless, if we use it to make weapons or armor, the effect is certain, we ourselves have confirmed…’

Couldn’t it have been used in a more peaceful place?

——I don’t think I have the capacity or qualifications to be thinking the same, stupid thoughts.

Since I’m thinking like this, no matter how long it takes, unlike my brothers, I can’t awaken the demonic sword.

Raksha was well aware that staying here for a long time was dangerous for him.

I checked the location of the mine, and the route is all in my head.

All that was left was to pass this on to his brother.

‘Come to think of it-‘

Suddenly, anxiously, before turning away, I realized that if I stopped to look around, the mine was strangely quiet and empty.

It was understandable that there were few people entering and exiting the mine, but it was hard to understand that there were no permanent guards.

It’s really a realm of chance, but if there are people who enter this place even by mistake-

Or, if there were people who invaded this mine with malicious intent like himself, how on earth was he planning to respond?

“…”

No, the side where there is no one like this is the one who is thankful for the brothers.

The moment he tried to let out a sigh, thinking that he had given up unnecessary worry, Rachal had no choice but to know.

The fact that there is no need for a single ‘human’ guard here.

The moment when he felt his heart pounding and his bodily sensations, which were expressed from the accumulated experiences of his long wandering life, first noticed the danger that would attack him.

Rakzal quickly rolled his body and fell from where he was standing.

Then, right after that, something like a barbed wire rose from the ground and appeared as if to confine the space where the Raksha had been standing until just now.

Rakshaka, who couldn’t believe that it was the power of such a device, immediately noticed that it was magic.

“Stop, no way.”

While looking for this place, among the possibilities that could happen, Rakshasa raises his head thinking that the worst case has become a reality.

“Rachal…Why is Nayuta doing something that would make her sad?”

Gaios was standing there, looking at him with cold eyes.

She looked the same as always, but her eyes were filled with a fainter magical light than usual.

Her hands were pointed above her like iron spears rising from the ground, and the feeling of awe that flowed through her whole body was hardly human.

‘Die.’

As soon as Rachal saw her form, and as soon as she felt the energy flowing from her body, she thought so.

‘Coming all the way here, she wouldn’t have noticed anyone, so why…’

“This mine is directly managed by me, the Dragon of the Earth. If someone appears that I did not allow, my magic immediately informs me of that fact.”

Gaios replied as if he was reading his mind.

And while she clenched her fists as if she couldn’t hide her anger at Rakshasa, at the same time, somewhere, she spoke in a slightly lonely voice.

“In the end, you can’t go against the fate of that blood that always wants power. A clan of black demons.”

“Hey, wait-“

The next moment, when she lowered her raised hand.

Several rock spears appeared around her in an instant, and they flew in a straight line to pierce the Raksha.

Rakshasa felt cruel towards Gaius, who started attacking without even listening to his story-

That her actions were natural was an undeniable fact.

First of all, in order to survive in this place. He pulls out the adamantite sword from his waist.

With one breath, he swung a trail that cut down the spears flying towards him, and the rock spears were cut off and flew back, disappearing before hitting the wall.

It was an excellent swordsmanship, but it would have been impossible if the weapon wasn’t better than that swordsmanship.

“Haha…”

In any case, he succeeded in responding to Gaios’ sudden attack, but he could tell that Gaios’ hostility toward him had not been resolved, even without words.

Gaios looked at the Raksha who wielded the adamantite sword and said this.

“If you’ve wielded that sword for two years, you’ll know. The power of adamantite. What you were trying to steal is something like that.”

After saying that, Gaius brought his hand to the wall right next to him, poured his mana into it, and removed a small chunk of it.

Although it was merely an extraction of adamantite with unimaginable strength using the mana of the earth, the rakshaka could only stare at it blankly, not understanding how absurd the magic-like phenomenon itself was.

“I’ve said before that it’s not just a hard metal – it’s a metal that responds to the power of the mind. For living beings, the ‘power of the mind’ is, in other words, ‘magical power’. No matter what magic the user uses, adamantite has the power to amplify and materialize that magical power. Therefore, when a wicked person uses it, it exerts its power in an absurd direction. Simply- thinking of using this adamantite to destroy, and giving it magical power-.”

While saying that, Gaios threw the removed metal in front of him, and Gaios’ mana that remained on the surface covered the adamantite.

It seemed as if he was trying to use Gaios’ mana as a power source to create something.

Gaios snapped his fingers while looking at the chunk of adamantine.

Then, a barrier appeared to cover the adamantite, and after a while, the wriggling adamantite caused a powerful explosion within the barrier.

Even though it was surrounded by a fairly thick barrier, the explosion was enough to knock the mine out.

“You saw it. This is the danger of adamantite.”

And, after releasing the smoke-filled barrier, the ground caved in and fragments of adamantite protruding in all directions were scattered like sharp thorns in the ground and in the pit.

If it explodes in front of people’s eyes, it will cause an uncontrollable disaster.

Rachal, involuntarily imagining the scene, felt his stomach ache.

“Well, in that case, such a dangerous thing… It’s better to keep it out of people’s hands from the beginning—”

“If you process it the right way, you can reduce the risk to some extent. That’s why only trustworthy artisans are allowed to process adamantite. The reason why I handed over this metal to the Eastern countries is that there are too many enemies in this country that I would not be able to deal with if I did not do so.”

For example- ‘Nobles’ who are born by eating the organs of the earth.

Or- 108 mighty monsters that are said to lead the world to destruction.

In the history of this Eastern country, elements that would have been a great danger to the entire continent had it not been for adamantite.

Gaius delivered this metal to them in order to protect the balance of the continent.

And in order to take on that responsibility, he must have made a rule that he would act as the guardian of the mine and prevent those who would take adamantite arbitrarily.

“You members of the dark horse clan should be especially careful about contact with adamantite. Because magic swordsmen are easily dominated by dark emotions. Tell me, what do you want this metal for?”

“Keeing-“, And a voice filled with magical power flowed toward the rakshaka’s ear.

“…To make the wish of an important person come true… I need the power of adamantite…”

Mouths that moved involuntarily and voices that flowed out.

The sense of being able to control one’s own body by a horse imbued with the dragon’s power was not that good.

“Important person…? —I see, is that so? …But no matter what the circumstances, if it’s your clan’s fate to be drawn to powerful forces, I have no choice but to kill you here to protect this continent.”

Upon hearing Gaius’ calm words, Rakshasa could not explain or refute the story.

He was talking about such things in the first place, and I thought that he was not the one to listen to-

That’s why, she was always talking about her own situation to her and aiming at her sword.

Then, Gaius quietly watched the rakshasa, relaxed his lifted arm, looked at the rakshaka with a painful expression, and spoke.

“But- don’t let me kill you. When you die, she—the child, she will fall apart.”

The voice was like her true intentions, which flowed out without being able to suppress the various emotions swirling in her heart.

Her own rules that she had set for herself—doing an act that went against those rules would be quite painful for her dragon.

Even so – for the sake of Nayuta, her mortal being with herself, she thought that even if she broke the rules, she could turn a blind eye to her rakshasa.

“If you swear an oath not to investigate further into this mine, I will erase your memory of the path to it. If you do, I can save you.”

That way, Nayuta won’t have to grieve over his death.

Gaius thought so, and tried to give Rachal one last chance.

The rachal heard her story and looked down at the sword in her own hand.

If she says that she surrenders to her over this now, she will keep her promise.

As for Gaios, she was strict, but she wasn’t the type to lie.

So, if she wanted herself to survive, she would have been right to do so.

And as she said, even for Nayuta’s sake – she even thought that it would be better for her to forget about this.

But – Nayuta is a precious person to Rakshasa – a person he loves at the same time.

She was able to be who she is now because she had a brother who took care of her when she was young.

It didn’t matter if the brother was ‘good’ or ‘evil’.

There is a part of him who longs for the ‘normal daily life’ he talked about when he came to visit him, but in the end, he has a part of himself that thinks that he is not qualified to enjoy such a thing.

It is, to the last, hatred towards oneself as a trashy human being who has lived in the dark…

For if he had gone into the light alone, no one would remain by his brother’s side.

“…Sorry. Mr Gaios. But for me, there is someone I cannot betray. I’m really sorry for Nayuta, but…”

Therefore, Rakzal rejected Gaius’ offer.

She had no choice but to refuse.

The person who compares the lover he loves and the brother he loves on a scale is, after all, the lowest.

“—Ha.”

It was the moment after Rakshasa’s words had ended.

Her eyes widened, whether surprised or angry.

With a squeak and a sound like grinding her teeth, she took a step towards Rakshasa.

And immediately, when a terrifyingly heavy mana pours out of her body, her body is enveloped in intense light and changes its shape.

The wind that was so strong that she couldn’t control her body properly was created by the flow of her magic power, and seeing Gaios’ body slowly growing in size, the rakshaka had no choice but to hesitate and step back.

[Yes… Then, that person who cannot be betrayed is not ‘Nayuta’.]

The voice that came from within the light, similar to Gaius’s voice from earlier, but with a lower, resonant voice–flowed directly into her head.

And what came before Rakshasa’s eyes was a creature with a body so gigantic that it could reach the ceiling.

Sharp horns, teeth, and glowing eyes and scales.

Her body felt even bigger thanks to the wings that rose from her back and were huge enough to cover her entire body.

[I heard your resolution. And, since I saw that resolution, I must be prepared too. Even if I kill you and receive resentment from Nayuta.]

Saying that, several magic circles came to mind around Gaius’ body, who opened his mouth wide.

[As a guardian of balance, I cannot tolerate your existence]

The next moment, powerful earth magics burst out with a roar and poured out from the magic circle.

Raksal took her sword at this spot, having a premonition that she would die.

He didn’t even know about the existence of the purple pattern engraved on his shoulder – the stamp of dominance.