Dragon Knight Chronicles ~ From a mere mercenary, rise to success through tactics! A small harem with the princess and the lord's daughter!? I'll also develop my territory! ~ - Chapter 86

Chapter 86   Silver Coins and Magic Stones

Mid-March, Year 567 of the Unified Calendar—

The sunlight was bright, signaling the arrival of spring. I was seated on the throne in Bartholomeus Castle.

“Is something troubling you, my lord?”

Seeing my troubled expression, Count Bartholomeus inquired.

“…Yes, I’m concerned about my daughter I left behind across the sea.”

“Is that so? Please wait a moment.”

With that, he headed to the castle’s treasury. About thirty minutes later, he returned holding a large crystal ball.

“My lord, this is called the Farseeing Crystal. It’s an exceptional item that allows you to speak with those far away. Please give me a moment!”

“Alright.”

Still somewhat skeptical, I watched as he chanted an unfamiliar spell, and the crystal ball began to glow. When the light faded, it revealed the inside of Castle Lebe.

“Can I hear their voices too?”

“Of course.”

I leaned forward and spoke to the maid reflected in the crystal.

“Ah! My lord, is that you?”

“Yes! Please bring Io and Opal immediately!”

“Understood!”

The maid hurried out of view, and soon Io appeared on the screen, holding Opal in her arms.

“My lord! It has been so long!”

“…Indeed!”

I clung to the crystal, losing track of time as I talked with Io and Opal.

◇◇◇◇◇

Today was the day for inspecting the silver mine. I changed into light clothing and prepared myself.

“Shall we go?”

“Yes.”

With Adelheid accompanying me, I set out to inspect the silver mine located deep within the mountains.

There were two sections of the mine where human workers labored, while six other sections were operated by the creatures introduced by Count Bartholomeus.

The expansion of the silver mine meant that human miners alone weren’t sufficient for the work.

“This is the smelting facility!”

Following our guide, we moved on to the next inspection point: the silver smelting facility. The blast furnaces radiated intense heat, and the molten silver glowed red.

“We solidify this and turn it into silver coins.”

“…Impressive.”

In the Owen Kingdom, nobles could mint their own currency as long as the prescribed purity of the silver was maintained. This system allowed the kingdom to maintain high standards for currency while ensuring a large circulation of money.

The molten silver was poured into molds one after another, and once solidified, the crest of the Rillburn family was stamped onto it, producing 10-rahl small silver coins.

The workers then packed the coins into wooden boxes. These boxes filled with silver coins would be shipped across the sea and stored in the treasury of Castle Lebe.

“Please have a safe journey back.”

“Thank you.”

We were seen off by the workers as we left the silver mining facility.

◇◇◇◇◇

The next day was the inspection of the magic stone refinery. My companion for the day was Pokorina.

“Alright, let’s go!”

“Poko~♪”

“Gau!”

In the end, Gau, who was bored, also tagged along. We made our way through the wastelands and visited the magic stone refinery.

“Ah, welcome, my lord.”

An elderly wizard, dedicated to the refinery, greeted us.

“Thank you for having us.”

The magic stones, transported from the mines, were placed into a large magical furnace where they underwent secret refining techniques. Though the magic stone technician explained the refining process to me, I didn’t understand a word of it.

“These are low-quality magic stones. They’re used as fuel for cooking or as food for magical creatures.”

“…Interesting.”

While cooking could be done with regular wood, the advantage of magic stones was their light weight and smokeless combustion. However, their weak firepower made them less cost-effective compared to wood…

“And these are the high-quality magic stones.”

“…Impressive.”

High-quality magic stones emitted a strong light and could serve as the basis for simple magic spells. They were also extremely valuable, favored by nobles and wealthy merchants.

“My lord, though it’s still a prototype, please take this…”

After completing my tour of the facility, the magic stone technician handed me a strange tube.

“What is this?”

“It’s a magical tube crafted using ancient techniques. The tube is made from mithril steel, sourced from Lebe.”

From the explanation, it appeared to be a type of weapon that could shoot mithril arrows from the tube. Powered by the magic stone, it could be used easily by anyone.

“Thank you. I’ll keep it for self-defense.”

“…No, no, please have a safe journey back.”

I waved to the magic stone technician who saw me off, and then I returned to the port town of Enkera.

◇◇◇◇◇

A few days later—on a clear, sunny day.

I was out fishing on the outskirts of Enkera’s port town with Pokorina. The sight of ships passing by in the distance was incredibly soothing.

“Poko! Poko!”

Just as I was about to drift off in the warm sunlight, Pokorina suddenly started making a fuss.

Looking in the direction she was pointing, I saw an old woman being harassed by a group of thugs.

“Hey, you lot! What do you think you’re doing!?”

When I called out to them, the thugs turned on me in anger.

“What did you say, you bastard? Don’t think you can take us on by yourself!”

…I had no choice. I drew my beloved sword from its sheath on my back and assumed a ready stance.

“You wanna go, huh!?”

The thugs charged at me one after another, but I was a seasoned mercenary who had survived countless battlefields. I threw a handful of sand, which I had grabbed with my left hand, into the eyes of one of the thugs.

“You bastard! That’s dirty!”

I kicked the blinded man away and used other dirty tactics to deal with the rest of the thugs. …In the end, I successfully drove them off.

“Poko~♪”

Then, I made sure the old woman was safe and administered some basic first aid.

“You’re quite spirited for someone so young.”

“Thank you.”

The old woman had a ruddy, weathered face and a look I’d never seen before. Perhaps she was someone who had lived in this land long before we arrived.

“Follow me. I’ll give you something good to eat.”

With that, the old woman turned her back to me and began walking away. I hesitated for a moment but decided to follow her since I had nothing better to do.