Chapter 65 – 66

Chapter 65 – We were discovered!!

"Are you okay…?"

I asked. A part of Shiel's body extended like a hand and waved.

I had cast healing magic on Shiel as soon as she had spread out over the table.

Apparently, the magic depletion had been pretty bad.

Currently…we were both at the hot spring, just like always.

"Maybe you should get some rest…?"

Shiel's body shook and then she began to scrub my back.

I had had a conversation with Baris and Rienna about back scrubbing before, and it ended with us all agreeing that it was best that Shiel did it.

So, that's why she was with me now…but…

It was because of today's events that this familiar ritual now felt quite embarrassing.

She had been so beautiful…

I thought back on the woman with long golden hair in front of the gravestone.

Yes, I had seen many beautiful women and men back at the palace.

However, the way she carried herself, the way she spoke… All of it had felt divine.

And now a slime that carried her soul was washing my back…

According to Shiela, this slime had its own soul within its body as well.

"Shi-shiel?"

I said. And then Shiel twisted its body as if puzzled.

As always, the slime was cute and innocent.

"No-nothing. Thank you."

Shiel shook vertically and then continued scrubbing my back.

Well, as long as Shiel didn't mind… Still, was it just me, or was the scrubbing a little more thorough than usual? Especially around my waist and face…

No, it was probably just me…

That night, I slept with Shiel, which I hadn't done for a while.

And that resulted in a soothing dream…

But when I woke up the next morning, my ears were filled with the ringing of a bell.

This was the alarm bell that had been installed in the cave. It was supposed to tell us that someone was coming from the sea.

And so I exited my bedroom in the cave and headed towards the beach.

Armed monsters and Golems had already gathered around.

And what I saw…was a single ship in the distance.

What? Had Kamyu returned so soon…?

No, it hadn't even been a week yet. Besides, Kamyu's ship didn't have flags.

But this ship had great flags raised on its stern and its mast.

Was it the royal flag…? No, I couldn't tell from this distance. I had to get closer…

"Lord Heal. I will carry you to the tower! That is where Erevan is!"

"Oh, uh, thank you!"

Baris came up from behind and grabbed me before rising high up into the air.

While I did not care for heights, this was not the time to complain about such things.

Once we arrived at the top of the tower, Baris let me down.

It was here that Erevan waitied, axe in hand.

"Chief. I'm sorry that your sleep was disturbed. But it is quite clear that that is not Kamyu's ship."

"Aye. It's smaller than Kamyu's ship…and that flag…"

I knew all of the flags for the countries of the Barleon continent, where Sanfaris was located.

And I knew most of the flags for other important countries on other continents as well.

"…I think it is the Barleon Principality flag."

The gold tree on a red field… It was the flag of a country once called the Barleon Empire. They had fought to dominate the continent for many years.

The principality was west of Sanfaris, and on the west side of the continent.

Baris listened to me and muttered.

"Aye. Then that would mean that it's a ship from the old Barleon Empire. I thought they were already part of the kingdom. But they still exist."

"Yes… Well, I think they still obey the king."

It had been a very long time since they dominated the continent.

Now, they had to look up to Sanfaris, and their lands and strength had decreased greatly. They were not allowed to call themselves an empire, and they were called a principality instead.

There wasn't even a shadow of their former glory remaining now. It was just a small country with one city by the sea and a little land around that. But they shared borders with Sanfaris, and had to consult with the king in matters of government, finance and diplomacy.

In other words, they were a vassal state… But why were they here?

They didn't have the strength to go to war against Sanfaris. So perhaps they had given up on expansion and decided to explore the seas instead.

Maybe they had come here to find new trading partners…or to find land they could acquire.

Just then, Baris opened his mouth.

"I thought I knew all of the flags of the countries that are currently part of the continent. That's very impressive."

"Huh? Uh…I don't think many people would actually recognize it."

After all, everyone thought of the empire as having fallen.

So maybe it was just one in ten that would recognize that old flag.

I think it had been during a discussion of an engagement that I heard that the principality was what was left of an old empire.

"Hoho. I see that you were very serious about your studies, Lord Heal. However, it seems like they aren't going to attack us."

"Aye. And they don't seem to be heavily armed from what I can see… Well, they shouldn't even have any warships."

Sanfaris had restrictions for what kind of ships they could own.

Erevan looked like the tenseness had suddenly left him.

"So, in other words, they aren't even worth talking about… Ahh, and I was so much looking forward to a fight."

"General… We have not yet decided that there won't be a fight."

"…Eh? What do you mean?"

"The fact remains that this ship is a threat… Isn't that right, Lord Heal?"

Baris asked me with a serious expression.

"You are saying that we should sink it…"

"Yes. If it's true that they are ruled by Sanfaris, word of this island's development may reach your father. And then…"

"He will send his men here…"

What would my father do if he knew what was happening here…? Even if I didn't care about what happened to me, there was a high likelihood that he would banish or even execute the others.

I had been fearing this, but knew it would happen sooner or later.

The island had become so much larger, and the World Tree reached towards the sky… There was no way that it wouldn't attract attention.

What was surprising was that it had been this ship, instead of the royal navy.

If they took this information back with them, how would their government react?

They would have to decide how much they wanted their people to know.

Because they would fear that this precious information would get leaked to other countries…

I thought that it was likely that they would want to keep this information from Sanfaris.

However, that was just wishful thinking.

Besides, even if their government did remain silent about this island, there were sure to be some nobles who were friends with Sanfaris nobles who had loose lips. The outcome was obvious.

In that case, it would be best to sink the ship and prevent this information from leaving….

We could avoid a fight as well. This is what Baris was suggesting.

However, even if we did sink this one, another would come and take its place.

We would have to sink that one as well…

If so many ships vanished in this area, then it would draw even more interest.

Besides, I wanted to avoid war with them. And I didn't want to kill either.

"…This might be naive of me, but I am not going to sink them."

"…Are you certain?"

"If my father sends his men, perhaps I can persuade them to leave us alone by paying taxes. But if that doesn't work… Well, that's when I will resist."

I said. And Baris sighed with relief.

"…You really never change, Lord Heal."

"Huh?"

"Yes, that is what I expect from you. The Lord Heal that I know would not fight unless it was absolutely necessary."

"Huh? Uh, well…I suppose so."

It wasn't anything great or commendable.

If anything, it was part of the reason that I was belittled and seen as weak in the palace.

"We will obey you, Lord Heal… Ah, they have raised their sails again."

As Baris talked, the white sails of the ship began to spread open.

And then they raised their anchor and sailed to the north.

"They are leaving…"

How would Sanfaris deal with the information that the ship carried?

And when it reached my father's ears…

How would I be able to persuade my father…

The man's severe expression hung in my mind.

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Chapter 66 – We departed!

"Alright, we'll start from this position."

When I turned around, Fule and Taran nodded.

It was decided that from today, we would start digging to a specific point.

And that place was the ancient city that lay under this cave.

The place with the device that controlled the Golems.

If we wanted to continue to mine in safety, then it was necessary that we be able to control the hostile Golems.

Furthermore, having access to these control devices meant that we would be able to unfreeze the physical bodies of Shiel and the people of the ancient city.

And so the people that would be digging towards it…would be a team of the best miners, Fule, Taran, and I.

"I'm counting on you, Taran and Fule. Make sure that the walls and floors are smooth and clean so they will be easy for us to move back and forth."

The three of us stood lined up as we got ready to dig in a downward spiral.

When we did this, I intended for there to be a smooth slope along with the stairs.

Fule looked very confident as she replied.

"Leave it to me, Lord Heal! And it seems like Shiel and Mappa are ready as well."

Behind her, Shiel and the other slimes stretched their bodies in reply.

And next to them, Mappa and the other blacksmith monsters waved their hands.

As we created the path, Shiel and Mappa would start construction on the iron tracks for the carriage.

As for these iron tracks…we decided to call them the 'railway.'

This railway would make moving to the surface incredibly quick.

Furthermore, Mappa would install pipes for ventilation and for water.

"Thank you, Mappa. And the rest of you."

Mappa slapped his chest as if to say, 'leave it to me.' And the monsters chanted 'aye' in reply.

Besides them, Number 15, the Mythril Golem, was holding a giant shield as it stood behind us.

This was so it could protect everyone in case something happened.

"Alright… Let's start digging then!"

"Aye!"

I shouted, and they shouted back.

I was in the center, Fule and Taran were on my right and left. And then our pickaxes swung down.

This time, it wasn't a competition, but a team effort.

Our feet were in a straight line as we dug out a beautiful path.

I swung my pickaxe.

This was all for Shiel and the people of the ancient city. And for our own safety…

However, I did have one other reason.

Well, there was one thing I was looking forward to.

The ruins and artifacts that we would find there.

Not because I wanted them for my own, but for the joy of discovery.

Of course, Shiel seemed like she didn't mind what we did with what we found… Well, I would just have to ask her if I wasn't sure what to do.

Regardless, the digging went smoothly, as if we were of one mind.

And behind us, I could hear the loud clangs of hammers echoing in the cave.

We couldn't let them catch up… Such thoughts would just make our work suffer.

Fule turned to me and said,

"Are you worried about the surface?"

"Yeah… I'm wondering if my father will hear…"

Yes, it was worrying me.

The principality was essentially a vassal state. And one of their ships knew about this island.

When news of it got around and entered my father's ears… How would he react?

Fule continued.

"Doesn't your father the king have the 'Supreme Ruler' crest?"

"Now that I think about it, I did tell you, didn't I?"

Yes, when Fule and I had first dug together. We had talked about Erevan.

"That crest sounds very impressive. What kind of man is he?"

"Hmm… He's very strict."

I couldn't tell Fule about it, but he was not the kind of person to forgive monsters.

Furthermore, when he found out that I had refused to die, he would be even less pleased.

No, perhaps it wasn't true…?

I thought back on our conversations.

I did not actually know him that well.

We had not had many opportunities to speak to each other. And he always avoided me.

And then there was the day of the land granting ceremony… As everyone laughed about what I had been given, there was one person whose face remained the same.

It was my father.

This hatred of monsters was something that was shared by the majority of people in the kingdom. But I had never heard him speak about monsters directly.

"A strict man, huh? Is he more strict than my father?"

"Erevan is… He laughs a lot. And he's kind, isn't he?"

The father I knew was the same cold and emotionless person regardless of who he was with. It was very different from Erevan.

"Huh… So, he's always angry?"

"No, I wouldn't say that…"

Yes. Now that I thought about it, he never showed his emotions. Nor was he dictated by them.

He was staunchly about the profit of the kingdom, and nothing else.

In the first place, my role was still that of lord of a part of the kingdom. And I hadn't lost my position as prince.

This land had been entrusted to me because of the oracle.

In that case, the possibility of him attacking us was…very low.

He would try to gather information first, and then think of a plan to deal with us. Maybe he would just threaten us with an attack.

Regardless… If I could show how difficult an assault on this island would be, there would be more room to negotiate.

Besides, I had so much rock here.

I could build towers and walls in order to make the place look like some kind of impenetrable fortress.

The giant golems would be quite useful for such a thing.

If I had another Heart Stone, I could make another Golem that was even bigger…

Fule muttered.

"Hmm. That's kind of surprising."

"Huh? Why?"

"Well, because you laugh a lot, Lord Heal. …Except for when you're mining. You still smile, but your eyes are serious. It's kind of creepy."

"Wh-what? I really look that scary?"

"Hmm?"

Fule replied.

Did I make that same kind of face I did when I first met Rienna and the others… I would have to be careful.

…Oh?

I thought I could hear the echo of our pickaxes coming from the other side.

Fule seemed to notice too, and she and Taran nodded to each other.

"Lord Heal. I think we're close to a cave…"

"Yeah… I'm ready."

And so I activated 'Shield' around us.

And I also told Mappa, Shiel and the others to be careful.

Immediately, Number 15 moved to protect them.

Once I saw that they were ready, I swung down with the pickaxe.

And then…

We were greeted by thick darkness.

However, there were countless floating red eyes within.