Chapter 70
Kenich and Yeloise, having hurriedly changed into the clothes Gerard had fetched, succeeded in renting an entire floor of the inn.
However, our plan to gather information while having a simple dinner was practically a failure.
No matter how ordinary our clothes were, the siblings’ faces—unmistakably those of the Yong-Yong pair—couldn’t be hidden.
“Looks like nobles…”
“Hey, why would nobles come to a place like this?”
“Still, their faces are too suspicious.”
“Too handsome for commoners.”
The persistent gazes that had followed us since we entered the inn didn’t leave until we climbed all the stairs.
‘Even to me, it’s awkward…’
Thanks to our good looks, we were trapped on the third floor, but it was too early to give up.
“Shh-shh.”
After all, we had Cherry… no, the Yong-Yong siblings with us.
Speaking of the Kreuz siblings, they were chronic insomniacs, suffering from hypersensitive hearing their whole lives.
In other words—
“Fortunately, we can hear well even here.”
Even on the third floor, they could hear the conversations happening on the first floor.
As Yeloise crossed her legs on the bed and spoke casually, Gerard’s expression grew slightly complicated.
“Eh…? What is that sound…?”
Just as Gerard leaned close to the creaky wooden floor, about to speak again—
“Shh.”
Shhh!
I shot him a sharp look and flattened myself against the floor.
The boisterous voices of drunken men reverberated clearly in our ears.
“Ha, looks like crystals really are profitable. I’ve never seen so many nobles in my life.”
The first to speak was a gruff-voiced man.
As he let out a nervous laugh, the clinking of beer mugs sounded.
“They’re all just being played by the count as a group.”
“Hey, watch your mouth. One slip and you’ll be in trouble.”
Someone whispered to quiet him, but the drunken man raised his voice even more.
“Am I wrong? It’s just an attempt to exaggerate decades-old stories to make a quick profit.”
“Well, at least it livens up the village. And we got a little money in the process.”
It was obvious that Count Albon was behind this scheme.
We still didn’t know why he had orchestrated this.
However, one thing was clear from the voice of another man, who sounded as if he were restraining his anger:
“Crystals, my foot. It’s all nonsense.”
There were no crystals in the open-pit mines of Gelende.
“From generation to generation, since my grandfather’s grandfather, we’ve turned the open-pit mines inside out just trying to scrape by.”
“Exactly. If crystals existed, they would have been found long ago. From what I hear, crystals are mainly found in volcanic rock.”
“Ha, then there’s no hope. It’s been decades since any volcanic rock has appeared in the open-pit mine.”
The man let out a laugh-like sigh and added pessimistically:
Currently, the open-pit mines only produced solid bedrock deep underground.
‘Volcanic rock or sacred rock…’
Both are formed from solidified magma.
Is the difference only where they’re found?
I tilted my head, puzzled.
“Nobles just know how to count money. Do they even know stuff like this?”
“They’re all chasing illusions. Even if a noble grandfather came, he wouldn’t find any crystals.”
“Only the count benefits, huh.”
Clink—
The sound of beer mugs marked the end of the miners’ conversation.
At least until the first man added one last comment:
“Ah, maybe it’s a bit different there.”
“There…?”
Where is there?!
Silence fell on the third floor.
Listening to the miners’ conversation, Kenich, Yeloise, and I exchanged glances in midair.
‘There might be something there…’
Could there be another place in Gelende where crystals are buried, aside from the open-pit mines?
“There shouldn’t be any mining sites besides the open-pit mines in Gelende.”
Yeloise, who had already visited the Gelende mines once, muttered.
Yet the other miners positively responded to the last man’s remark, as if saying, “That might be true.”
Kenich, lost in thought, finally spoke.
“Are they talking about the rocky mountain near the village?”
I recalled a rocky mountain we had passed on the way by carriage.
It seemed plausible.
If bedrock is found deep underground, volcanic rock would naturally appear at higher elevations.
“Shh-shh…”
I nodded in awe, and Yeloise added beside me:
“If it’s the mountain extending to the east… the village where crystals were discovered is also in that direction.”
The scattered pieces of information came together as a decisive clue.
From here, there was only one way left:
To see it with our own eyes.
The next day.
As soon as the sun rose, we left the inn.
“See you in a little while.”
The Kreuz siblings, wearing hats, climbed into the carriage, and Gerard bowed politely.
Unlike the Kreuz siblings, who wore the clothes fetched last night, he had dressed rather neatly.
“Shh-shh!”
Do well, Gerard!
I popped my head out from Kenich’s pocket and greeted him.
He said he had some errands to handle at the Volken estate, following Kenich’s instructions.
With Gerard disappearing like a dot in the distance, the carriage carrying Kenich, Yeloise, and me rattled along the bumpy stone path.
Stretching endlessly before us was a rocky mountain, looking like a giant elephant atop the wasteland.
Other than the dried weeds clinging to the crevices, there was nothing particularly remarkable.
Steep cliffs and massive rock walls formed the typical appearance of a rocky mountain.
“Your Grace, we’ve arrived.”
The carriage stopped, and Kenich and Yeloise carefully surveyed the surroundings.
“It’s larger than it looks.”
Yeloise, raising her head to observe the mountain, said:
“The terrain is rough, and the rock is harder than most iron ore. Even miners tend to avoid this place.”
The carriage driver was from the Volken estate, whose home was Gelende.
“Trees planted here die quickly, and weeds wither easily. Spring and fall wildfires are annual occurrences.”
“Is that still the case?”
“Yes, Princess. Even now, when fires occur, people just accept it. Sometimes fires start and die out by themselves.”
I only let out a short “Shh” sound at the driver’s words.
It wasn’t unusual for dry leaves to spontaneously ignite in spring or fall.
Even on Bear Mountain, where I stayed—especially near my secret storage—this often happened.
‘It’s a bit strange that the fires only ignite in that exact area and then die out.’
At that moment, the driver pointed with a dark expression to the mid-slope of the mountain.
“Oh dear, it seems another fire has started there.”
“Shh-shh?”
It wasn’t dry today, and the sun wasn’t strong… how could this happen?
I stared in bewilderment at the direction from which the smoke rose.
But that wasn’t the only strange thing.
As if an invisible line restrained it, the fire flared up and died down in the same spot.
“…Are you sure?”
“I’m sure.”
The Kreuz siblings raised their eyebrows and exchanged an unspoken understanding.
“Shh, shh-shh…?”
Sure about what…?!
