Chapter: 323
At the foot of the massive mountain range composed of shattered rocks, a sudden, thunderous roar erupted, and one of the peaks crumbled down, causing a gigantic landslide.
The cause of the landslide was a creature known as Behemoth, a demonic beast of sloth. Just moments ago, it had demolished a rockslide roughly its size with a single irritated stomp, and it was still snorting in fury.
Atop Behemoth’s enormous head lay a girl with violet hair, Beatrice, who murmured towards the beast.
“Hey, stop whining.”
“It’s not whining! Given your size, it’s not something to cause such a ruckus over.”
Beatrice’s words made Behemoth retort, claiming it wasn’t whining, but she simply smirked while glancing at the wound on its leg. The injury, while not insignificant in size, seemed minor compared to Behemoth’s massive frame, making it ridiculous for the creature to be so dramatic about it.
From Beatrice’s perspective, the Behemoth’s fuss over a scraped leg was just an overreaction.
However, from Behemoth’s viewpoint, it wasn’t difficult to understand. So, Beatrice gently patted Behemoth on the back, saying, “Well, now that I think about it, is this your first time being hurt? That could be why you’re acting like this.”
Behemoth, who shared an ability similar to Beatrice’s, was experiencing pain for the first time. That was why it was reacting so intensely. She couldn’t help but raise the corners of her mouth at the sight of the troubled beast.
“Are you mad at the one who hurt you? Just wait a little; when Eva and that guy come, I’ll leave him to you.”
At her words, Behemoth let out a warlike cry, as if recalling the creature that had caused it such newfound pain. Beatrice, watching the Behemoth, fell into a moment of contemplation.
Pain. It had been hundreds of years since she had last felt anything akin to pain. This meant that Beatrice wasn’t a strong being born without the capacity to feel it, like Behemoth. In fact, it was quite the opposite.
Beatrice was weak. She was not a strong presence that could live without interference from others, but rather a fragile existence that had to move according to the desires of others.
Yet, why was it that she still remembered such a bad past so vividly? Despite having spent centuries without retaining most of her memories, why did that particular recollection still stand out so clearly?
She couldn’t quite grasp the reason. All that was clear to her was that today, the memories of those times resurfaced, prompting Beatrice to close her eyes and murmur.
“… Eva.”
The name of the one etched most vividly into her memory.
—
There was an underground mine.
“They say the ores here are quite valuable. For instance, that blue one over there. They say with just one of those, you could live off it for a year.”
With precious minerals buried abundantly, the mine held astronomical value; if discovered, it would surely attract attention.
Thus, the one who first discovered the mine thought:
If I want to keep this for myself, ensuring that no information gets leaked is crucial.
But how to do that?
If I hire workers, there’s a risk that the mine’s location could leak through their mouths.
Then again, I can’t just lock them up and have them work.
…Wait, thinking about it, there’s a way.
“Cheh, that’s why us slaves end up living in this underground, unable to even breathe the outside air.”
From that day, the discoverer purchased slaves, and those who were recognized as non-human laborers were put to work in the mine.
They had no way to leak information as they lived there as residents and workers.
Thus, the slaves suddenly found themselves in a position where they had to work underground, away from sunlight.
Surprisingly, there was little dissatisfaction among the slaves living there.
“Well, the good thing is, it’s not that bad here. As long as we meet our quota, the meals aren’t terrible. They don’t work us to death either.”
“I mean, being confined isn’t ideal, but it’s better than being dragged off to war like some other slaves and dying an unnecessary death.”
“Ha! I can’t express how lucky I feel to have been sold to a master like the wizard. For us, he’s pretty much a nice master!”
Part of their relative contentment stemmed from how they weren’t starving or overworked compared to other slaves.
Accidents do happen mining, and people get killed, but since slaves often die anyhow, this was a relief to them.
While some slaves chatted about how fortunate they were to be sold to their current master, an elderly slave chuckled softly and spoke.
“Well, really, it’s more about his wits than his kindness.”
“Huh? What do you mean, old man?”
“There was a slave who dared to speak back to that master not long ago, and he ended up cooked as an example. That man knows how to deal with people. And that’s what makes him terrifying.”
This elderly slave, known among the others as the wise one, recognized their master, commonly referred to as the wizard, for what he was: Not a good person.
Recently, a new slave had arrived, claiming to be a prince from some kingdom and demanding to be freed by the wizard.
To this, the wizard replied, “Once you’re in here, that’s impossible. I’ll let this slide this time, but live quietly from now on.”
However, the slave insisted that the future of the kingdom depended on him and boldly continued his demands.
In an instant, the wizard conjured a lightning bolt and turned the slave to char.
That incident served as a lesson to the others—a warning that anyone who defied his orders would meet a similar fate.
Still, despite this, the other slaves spoke well of the wizard.
Because he provided decent meals.
Because he didn’t overwork them.
Their workload was limited simply because the wizard was bound by how much he could bring to market without exposing the mine’s existence.
Even though he seemed considerate, making sure the slaves were well-fed, it was merely a cover to avoid drawing suspicion.
In the end, there was no dissent among the slaves, and the mine continued to operate smoothly.
The elderly slave, having been wrongfully made a slave due to charges of conspiracy, understood this.
He knew that the wizard, who was thorough and rational, was also someone who wanted everything to work according to his wishes.
Knowing well how terrifying it could be to be out of favor with such a man, he warned the others.
“…Just remember, the wizard isn’t someone to take lightly. So, it’s best not to provoke his temper. If other slaves come in, let them know to avoid any trouble.”
“Yes, yes. I got it. Oh, time’s up. Lunch break is over; guess we better get back to work.”
Just as the slaves were tidying up while chatting away during their meal, someone in the corner quietly asked.
“Um… I’m curious, what’s ‘outside’ like?”
The old man, who was preparing to leave, grimaced at the question. Then he took the girl’s hand, helped her up, and gently patted her head.
The one who had asked was a little girl with violet hair. Her world had been nothing but this place from the start.
—
“Ugh… I’ve moved everything.”
“Good job. Since you’ve finished your quota for today, you can rest now.”
“Yes…”
The girl with shimmering stones in her cart plopped down against the wall, exhausted at being told she could take a break.
Although she was a slave working in this mine, she was a unique existence unlike the others.
While the other slaves had entered from the ‘outside,’ she had not.
As the other slaves would put it, she had simply been here for as long as anyone could remember.
Despite strict entry controls, it was unclear how she had come to be in this mine.
No matter the reason, she had found herself trapped here, and since the master of the mine, the wizard, had no intention of sending her away, she had to live as a slave.
Thus, she assisted with the work in the mine alongside the others.
Of course, she couldn’t handle physically demanding tasks like digging, so she was assigned to help transport the ores or clear dirt and rubble from the tunnels.
Though less strenuous compared to the heavy lifting, it was still hard work for the little girl, stretching her tiny body to its limits daily.
Tomorrow would likely pass in the same manner as today, too.
But she held little dissatisfaction with her life.
Everyone lived this way, and having known nothing but life in the underground mine, she thought it was only natural for her to live like this.
As such thoughts crossed her mind, when she tried to head to her tent for an early sleep as usual, someone grabbed her arm.
Who on earth is so rude as to stop someone trying to rest?
The girl, weary from toil, frowned and glared at whoever it was.
And there, she saw—
“…Who are you?”
A black-haired girl who looked younger than her.
“Me?”
At the girl’s question, the black-haired girl answered with a playful smile.
“Hi! I’m Evangeline!”
That was the first meeting between the girl and Evangeline.
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