Does this actually work?
The Sandworm stood rigid, as if it were a rookie who had just joined a Mercenary Band.
No, it wasn’t completely frozen.
The twelve eyes on its face darted nervously in all directions, and soon its whole body began to tremble uncontrollably.
And then—
“Ah, it’s running away.”
Just as Lone said, the Sandworm vanished in an instant.
The rumbling sound of the Sandworm’s escape faded away.
Farther and farther.
Soon, the artificial noise made by the massive beast disappeared entirely, and the sounds of nature—the chirping of insects and birds—began to fill the air once more.
Listening to the natural chorus that soothed my heart, I addressed the mercenaries with a refreshed mind.
“You’re all dismissed from here on. Of course, there’s no payment.”
“W-wait! Hold on! What do you mean by that?!”
Naturally, Charles and the mercenaries leapt up in protest.
“Hey, there’s got to be some kind of misunderstanding… We were ready to work, but then the Sandworm suddenly appeared, so—”
“But we listened to what the Sage said! Even if we couldn’t capture it alive, we risked our lives to drive the monster here!”
“That’s right, that’s right! And what happened? You saw for yourself, didn’t you? It was all proven, right? And now, after using us for everything, you’re just canceling the commission?! Isn’t that just plain robbery?!”
“No decent person would do this! If we go and tell the Grizzly Mercenary Corps, you’ll have a big problem on your hands! You think you can handle that?”
“Give me a break.”
Whether she found the situation absurd or not, Jamie let out a snort of laughter.
Thank you. Honestly, I was having a hard time holding back my own laughter.
The mercenaries’ fierce glares shot toward Jamie.
“What the hell are you laughing at, you damn brat?”
“Threw your conscience away just to avoid dying to the Sandworm, huh? Hey, kid!”
Instead of arguing with the mercenaries, Jamie beckoned Yan over, and Yan approached, picking up a small conch shell.
“You all know what this is, right?”
Jamie spoke, barely hiding her disgust.
The Mage Tool Yan held was a Voice Amplification Recording Transmission Device.
It’s expensive, but so widely used in noble households and Mercenary Band headquarters that it’s almost common.
So why had he brought it out now?
Yan twisted the dial on the Mage Tool, and a recorded voice played.
‘Hey, Charles. Are we gonna end up with nothing but trouble and no payment at this rate? If we run into a Sandworm out there, we’re really screwed.’
‘So what? As long as we survive, that’s all that matters. All kinds of accidents happen in places like this, right?’
These mercenaries had always had it out for us, and I couldn’t help but feel uneasy letting them go unchecked.
Back at the Academy, I’d been tormented by all sorts of schemes from Empire Marquis Families.
So, I’d developed the good habit of recording everything, just in case.
And with that in mind, I’d asked Jamie and Yan to cast an eavesdropping spell on one of the mercenaries.
And just as I’d suspected—
They really were plotting something underhanded.
Listening to their own voices spilling out of the device,
The mercenaries’ faces turned paler and paler.
“You’ll take this up officially with the Grizzly Mercenary Corps? Sounds great. I might do the same—except it’ll be in the name of Duke Helpion, not my own.”
“Oh, that’s nice. Real nice. Is this gonna be a showdown between the Duke and the Grizzly Mercenary Corps?”
Despite Jamie’s sarcasm, the mercenaries were struck speechless.
Maybe sensing that the mood was turning dangerous,
Kane stepped forward, holding his shield out to block their view.
“I believe you’re well aware of your own crimes.”
His broad, steady back, once that of a wandering knight, inspired great confidence.
“Choose: do you want to keep running your mouths and die here, or just quietly get lost?”
Jamie, too, let flames burst from both arms, signaling she was ready to fight at any time, and before I knew it, Yan was holding several mysterious vials in both hands.
No matter how skilled the Grizzly Mercenary Corps were, this would be a hard lineup to break through.
A knight for defense, a mage to bombard from a distance, and an alchemist ready to create unpredictable surprises.
It was like something straight out of an imperial tactics manual.
Even if there were a couple of extras, that could be overlooked.
And those mercenaries knew it better than anyone.
Their hands trembled as they gripped their weapons, their faces turning an ashen shade.
“Damn it, just you wait.”
In the end, Charles and his group spat on the ground and trudged off into the woods where the Sandworm had disappeared.
We stayed on guard for a long time after they left, just in case of a surprise attack.
Only after Jamie confirmed with magic that they were truly gone did we finally relax and sit down.
“Ugh, I’m dying here!”
My heart was pounding like crazy.
I may have pretended to be calm, but the Sandworm had made me tense, and so had the mercenaries.
Lone, too, must have been extremely nervous—she collapsed against my arm as if she’d gone limp.
I patted her gently on the shoulder to calm her down.
Watching the two of us, Yan spoke up first.
“When they said a Sage had come to the village, I thought it was just another rumor. But it was really you.”
Sir Kane added a comment as well.
“This reminds me of the old days, back when we used to come to the Helpion Duchy together. Even then, you’d come up with these brilliant schemes and outwit monsters.”
“I still can’t tell if they were brilliant or just plain crazy.”
Looks like Jamie’s got some real grudge against dung today.
“So what’s the plan? Are you going to lay Magic Stones all along the trade route?”
I shook my head at Lone’s question.
There are too many risks.
The monster threat might be gone for now,
But there are always dangers—bandits, mercenaries.
A trade route is never truly safe.
There’s even a chance some clueless monster that can’t recognize Dragon’s Dung might show up.
And I can’t just leave my sister exposed to danger—I’m not that kind of brother.
“So if you’re not even going to build a trade route, what was all this trouble for?”
“Who said I wasn’t building one? I am. Actually, I’m just going to borrow one that’s already been made.”
“Borrow?”
With a smile, I raised my index finger.
Then slowly pointed down.
Everyone’s gaze followed my finger toward the ground.
And finally—
“Ah?”
Everyone gasped in unison.
“We’re going to install Volprion Stones in the underground tunnels that the Sandworm dug, as well as on the surface.”
The looks on their faces said they’d never even imagined it.
I started to explain, step by step.
“The Sandworm’s territory stretches from the Duchy all the way to Count Afni’s domain in the west. If we investigate, I’m sure there’s a continuous path.”
Still, they didn’t look convinced.
Do these people really think I only tell lies?
…Well, I can understand why Lone would doubt me.
“In other words, doesn’t this mean we’ve created a hub connecting the Duchy and the County?”
When I finished explaining, Sir Kane asked, sounding worried.
“But even if the tunnels were made by the Sandworm, are they really safe?”
“There are certainly risks. That’s why I recruited someone for the job.”
At my words, everyone turned to look at one person.
Yan.
With his advanced alchemy skills, he could alter the crude dirt tunnels the Sandworm made, transforming them into trade routes that would last hundreds of years.
Of course, it would consume a terrifying amount of tools and mana in the process.
“So when you said we’d have to camp for a couple of days, this is what you meant…”
“That’s right. Now, it’s time to get to work!”
Realizing his fate, Yan’s face turned ashen.
Duke Helpion, together with the Chamberlain and Head Maid, set out in the morning to find the Sandworm’s habitat, doubling the trip as their daily exercise.
He simply couldn’t resist after reading last night’s paperwork: ‘Progress Report on Trade Route Construction with Afni County.’
The entrance to the trade route was well concealed by earth, shrubs, and rocks.
If it hadn’t been for the map attached to the report, they would’ve searched for ages.
“A talent for mapmaking, huh. Do they teach things like that at Delphi Academy?”
“I heard the Steward also took history classes. If he studied military history, surely he learned basic strategy too.”
“Truly, fortune has smiled on us.”
Duke Helpion shook his head as if he couldn’t quite understand.
Steward Raward was a fascinating person in many ways.
His mana and body were unstable and twisted, and from time to time, he showed flashes of remarkable wisdom.
That’s why Duke Helpion had even investigated his background through the Head Maid, who used to be part of an assassination guild.
“I heard his Academy days weren’t easy.”
“In what way?”
“He apparently had trouble with the Marquis’s Son. Most of the students hated him and he suffered terrible bullying from the Empire’s Marquis Families. After that, he kept a low profile and lived as quietly as a mouse for the rest of the term.”
Duke Helpion and the Head Maid slowly entered the trade route.
It wasn’t a path made by human hands, nor was it a natural cave—only a monster could have carved such a tunnel.
There were some crude attempts to make steps, but a lot still needed reinforcement before ordinary people could use it.
Even so, the hardened walls and the odd, scattered glow stones gave the place, at least in form, the feel of a mineshaft.
More than anything—
“It tingles.”
“I’ve got goosebumps. It feels like a giant beast is baring its teeth, ready to snap at our throats at any moment.”
“They say Dragon’s Dung was hidden everywhere. That must be the Dragon Fear lingering in the droppings.”
A chilly energy filled the entire chamber.
Perhaps it was the aura of the Dragon that once lived in Volprion Volcano, but it almost felt hot.
No, it wasn’t just an illusion.
Duke Helpion was sweating for the first time since becoming a top-level Swordmaster.
‘Am I nervous?’
That couldn’t be.
He was the man who had slain even demon kings—said to be as powerful as an adult dragon—single-handedly.
So it wasn’t fear, but rather a competitive thrill.
It was strange that just the aura of some dung could stir his spirit.
“If even a human insensitive to wild energy can feel this much, monsters won’t dare come near. Where did the Steward learn all this?”
“Could he be a true master, hiding his abilities?”
At the Head Maid’s question, Duke Helpion shook his head.
“If that were the case, I would have noticed.”
It sounded arrogant, but for Duke Helpion, it was a simple truth.
He had reached the rank of Grand Swordmaster—the strongest of all.
There was no realm beyond his sight.
All he saw in the Steward’s body was dangerously imbalanced mana and a ruined physique.
No true master would let their body deteriorate like that.
“There’s a five-year gap after graduation. Shall I focus the investigation on that period?”
At the Head Maid’s question, the Duke nodded.
“Do so. Find out if he learned the sword, or magic. Or perhaps black magic or shamanism. Search his history thoroughly.”
Regardless of the Steward’s competence, the fact that he possessed such astonishing knowledge was cause for caution.
It was necessary to learn its source.
“The Steward requested more personnel, didn’t he?”
“Yes. He’s investing the capital you provided into the Gordem Merchant Guild to turn monster byproducts into specialty goods and open a proper trade route.”
“So there will be a showdown with the Grizzly Mercenary Corps.”
The Head Maid nodded quietly.
This large-scale project to revitalize the Duchy might not be welcomed by all, especially those whose interests were threatened.
The Grizzly Mercenary Corps, in particular, had a long history with them.
The mercenaries who endangered the Steward during the trade route construction—Charles and his group—were Grizzly members.
In many ways, the Steward had earned the Grizzly Mercenary Corps’ enmity.
It wouldn’t be a smooth road.
Maybe that’s why—
The Duke made his decision.
“You and the Chamberlain, and the chef—all of you have apprentices you’ve been training personally, right?”
The Head Maid’s eyes wavered slightly.
“You want to assign them?”
“If the Steward asks for them.”
Having decided on additional support for the Steward, the Duke looked over the trade route one last time.
The Sandworm had dug it out exceptionally well.
The tunnel, about four meters in diameter, twisted on endlessly.
Duke Helpion stared for a long while at the darkness settled deep in the distant chamber.
If that darkness is completely lifted… what will be revealed?