CH 84

Ch. 84: Deep Inside a Certain Mine

In the northwest area of Andestan, inside a mountain.

At the mountain, the incident occurred inside the mines where the country’s criminals were gathered together.

“RAAAAAHHHH!! HAND OVER THE FOOD!!”

“HA HAAAAAーー! This is pay back for all the whippingーー!”

And all the miners ー in other words, the prisoners ー began a revolt.

It was the guards who were behind the operation, and a large crowd of prisoners were released from their prisons.

“CーCapture them! Don’t let any of them escape!”

The prison guard captain shouted, but there were more criminals than guards inside the mines of Andestan.

Normally, the prisoners will be cuffed at the hands and feet, and they would be cuffed in groups of three.

Hence, that is why they were able to get by with fewer guards.

But now, all the prisoners are free. And they held weapons in their hands.

“DIE, DIE, DIEーー!”

“HAーーHA HA HA!!”

The Captain of the Prison Guards immediately headed to the guard office to call for reinforcements with the Magecraft Communication Device.

In front of their office, he saw a few guards standing in front of it.

“Activate the Communication Device, now!”

“We refuse.”

(Wh……at?)

Steam fumed from the Captain’s ears, but he soon fell to the floor silently with his mouth gaping open.

As he hurried towards the guards’ office, one of the officers quickly thrust a sword through him using his momentum.

“Yー......you……be……trayed…….us…..”

“Do you think we’ll stay in a s*** hole like this with little pay and no chance of promotion for the rest of our lives? No thanks～, Sir.”

“Well, not that we really care about being promoted. We’re just in it for the money after all.”

The emergency bell was also secured, and the platforms for raising smoke signals were taken down as well.

The mines were now taken over by the criminals and the turncoat guards.

Among them, there was a man trembling inside the facility where all the children who were born in the mines were kept.

Thick iron bars protected the man’s room, and the iron door was locked with a key.

“Don’t come here. Don’t come here.”

As if reciting a spell, the man continued to repeat those words, and bringing the children closer to him, they all trembled in fear together.

“Mr. Lonne? What’s going to happen to us?” “Mister, all the guards are getting killed…….will we….”

“Shhhh….” The man held a hand to the child’s mouth to quiet him.

They may not be found if they stay quiet.

Believing this, the man did his best to keep the group dead silent.

They held their breath and waited for the men to leave.

But another thought crossed his mind.

(What am I supposed to do if I do become free? Will we live here?)

(But……what can I do with a mine?)

The mines were dug deep into the core of the mountain. And walking to the nearest town would take 10 days.

And to put matters worse, this mountain was located off the far west edge of the continent on a peninsula.

There will be……..no opportunities to raid and attack travelers or merchants to get supplies.

(So if that’s the case, those men will definitely go somewhere else. Until then, we have to survive hereーー）

And the man fearfully peaked out of the window to take a look.

And in the distance, his eyes caught something.

They had set a shed set in the back on fire.

In front of the flames, a silhouette of a few men carrying a massive object appeared.

Maybe they were carrying it on some sort of platform.

But to the man, the silhouette looked familiar.

It made him tremble even more.

(WhーWhy is that……why is Angelina being carried by the prisoners?)

Angelina.

Until a few months ago, she was the wife of the Marquis.

(Did she arrange this escape with the prisoners? No, she only cares about food. There’s no way she could have thought of a plan like this. So then, whoーー)

The man ー Lonneberg ー continued to observe and saw that a figure walked towards the men carrying the massive ball of meat.

“Lady Angelina, we have come to pick you up. Your father is waiting for you at sea.”

Angelina: “Hmph! He’s late! Now then you men! Carry me to the ship!”

“ “ YーYes ma’am ” ”

The ship ー that’s what Angelina said.

And the man also mentioned her “father.”

Lonneberg: (The Duke of Attempo?!)

The former Duke should have been imprisoned in the Royal Underground Prison of Andestan, and he was scheduled to be executed.

Lonneberg: (Was he able to escape before his execution date?!)

Lonneberg: (I need to tell someone!)

But though he wished he could, he could not move from his spot. If he was caught, the children would be killed with him.

He was ーー well, not quite a new man.

He lost all hope and as they brought him to this mountain, he was but a shell of a man. And after a while, he saw some kids running around.

Were they young criminals?

But this was no place for children.

When he asked, he found out that they were children born from the prisoners.

Of course, the prisoners were prohibited from procreating, but …….there are always those who are able to get past the eyes of the guards.

And the children who were born were not put through a trial, and lived here until they turned fifteen.

Once they were fifteen, they were free to go anywhere they liked.

But even then, they had no education, no skills, and no knowledge about the real world.

They are not taught the differences between right and wrong. No one cared to do so.

As a result, many children who left, came back a few years later.

And came back as criminalsーー

And Lonneberg, out of boredom, taught some children how to read.

But the children were ecstatic saying, “Mister! You’re amazing!” and “Thank you, mister!” and they gladly accepted his teachings.

How many years has it been since he did something that made people happy?

How many years has it been since someone thanked him?

For Lonneberg, it was enough to ignite his hope once again.

He was determined to raise these children to the best of his ability, so that when they turned fifteen and were released back into the world, at the very least, they would not come back here again as criminals. For that goal, he was going to teach them everything he knew.

That was his resolution.

And for him, the children’s safety was his utmost priority.

That’s why he postponed letting anyone know.

For now, he and the children only wished for the nightmare to pass.