novelThe Temple Knight - A Strange Conversation
| ← Ch.047 | Ch.049 → |
Translator: Manga0205
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「......It's kinda, turned into something quite strange, hasn't it. 」
My words went beyond being able to be called shameless, and were rather weak. To be honest, I'm a bit scared to meet eyes with Olivie.
「......That's, do you mean this situation? About how you kept the fact that you were the Dungeon Master a secret from me? Or could it be......」
Even Olivie who was sitting opposite of me was unable to properly look this way.
「Ah......Um, don't mind me. G, go ahead and continue......pleas......Ah. 」
Several minutes after that event. This was my room. The one sitting in my chair and fidgeting and rubbing her knees together was my childhood friend and currently a Temple Knight, Olivie. The one sitting on the bed, and sharing an awkward atmosphere together with Olivie was the Dungeon Master of this Man-Eating Dungeon, me. And then, the one that was straddling me, receiving my erected penis, and silently swinging her hips was Dahlia the maid.
「T, to begin with, why is it that you're embracing a girl when you're having a talk alone with another person!?」
With face completely red, Olivie protested.
「It is because, I am something like Master's tool...... Do not mind me, and please continue. If I don't do this, magical power will overflow from inside of Master's body after all......」
Dahlia wrapped both of her arms around my neck, and glued herself to me as if to say that she were my clothing. Since the skirt of her maid uniform was fairly long, it's not like the spot where my penis was sticking into Dahlia could be directly seen. Well, since I had shown such foolishness before, this might be pointless to worry about now though. Even so, since it seemed that she was extraordinarily bothered by how Dahlia's hips would sometimes move unable to endure it and leak out a small voice, Olivia was pretty much unable to look directly this way.......If it's true that she is a virgin, well, that's understandable.
「Man, it's an embarrassing story, but I can't think properly if I don't have this done......Or rather, if I lose focus, I feel like I'd end up attacking you, Olivie. 」
In terms of positions, we were in opposition, and furthermore, the other party is currently in a situation where she is my prisoner, but it didn't really feel like that.
In front of Olivie, I probably behaved like a Human automatically. And it seemed that Olivie behaved as my old friend, and not as a Temple Knight.
「Eh, ah, erm, um......」
I could probably imagine the scene if I were to attack her at that moment. Olivie would become red like a boiled octopus and be flustered. Although I thought that would be cute, my nerves were headed towards Dahlia who I was currently embracing.
「Dahlia, I'm about to let it out......」
「......Yes, Master. Please let it out inside me. 」
Dahlia quietly whispered that into my ear. Creampieing another woman (Dahlia) while being watched in front of Olivie, it had a quite immoral feeling overflowing from it, or rather, there was an unneeded nervousness in it. This might be obvious, but it was quite different from doing it in front of Sara and Shiro who were my women. Unable to endure it, my waist jumped. My veins pulsed, and a *dokun dokun* sound was made at the same time as my ejaculation. The bed made a remarkably loud creaking sound.
「So......warm......」
Receiving the creampie, Dahlia was worn out and entrusted herself to my body. Stabilizing her body with my right hand as if I were hugging her waist, I once again turned around to Olivie while still connected to Dahlia. Finally, my thinking faculty had returned.
「......A, are you......done?」
Covering her face with both hands, Olivie asked that while peeking at me through the gaps of her fingers.......It feels like it's pointless if it doesn't cover your face though.
「Nn, yeah. Thanks to that, I'm feeling much better. Once again, how about we have a talk.......About how we will be from now on as friends, yet as mutual enemies. 」
When Olivie looked at Dahlia, who had placed her head on my shoulder and was sleeping, with a slightly jealous look, maybe because she resigned, she finally met eyes with me.
「That's......right. Although various things happened, like you saving me. You, are the master of this Man Eating Dungeon, after all. 」
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「First, as the commanding officer of the expeditionary force......as the commander of the defeated army, I have a request for you as the enemy general. 」
After the negotiations began, Olivie's first thing was this.
「Is it, the rescue of the remaining living soldiers?」
「That's right. Although they were injured by my errored command, I heard that many of them are still alive, by your instruction. I want to save as many of them as possible. 」
That's right. Since I didn't feel the need to unreasonably defeat them, there was no need to kill them. But, I wanted to snatch away their fighting strength as much as possible. In that meaning, the Officer of Arms' planted trap could be said to have been extraordinarily favorable.
「......Speaking on whether or not I can do that, that is possible. It probably isn't time for any of them to die from hunger. Although it isn't enough to treat their wounds, only water has been supplemented in the dangerous looking places that are within my grasp. 」
「......Phew, thank you. That helps. 」
Olivie's facial expression became cheerful. She probably really values her subordinates.
「Nevertheless, I was watching the whole time, you see. Olivie, when you're the enemy, you really are an unpleasant opponent. You wouldn't be lured, you wouldn't be caught, and you wouldn't push through. Your progress in capturing the dungeon was slow, but since your numbers wouldn't decrease, I was wondering what I should do. 」
「S, something like that......That is, just my cowardice. As a commanding officer, there will occasionally be times where things must commence without fearing the dissipation of soldiers, that is what I've studied many times over but......as expected, it was scary. However, to be able to receive praise by the Master of the famous Man Eating Dungeon, I will obediently accept it. 」
「At the time my treasured Stone Golem was completely broken, I felt like I was going to cry, you know! How about I teach just how much time and money went into make that?」
「Aah, that one was really formidable......But, is that something that can be made normally? If used in things such as castle defense as support, I was thinking that it could somewhat reduce the number needed for night lookouts. 」
Ah, this girl hasn't changed from when we were kids. Because she played with me who was a business child, she probably grew up while not being able to have the cost-ignoring thoughts that were usual amongst nobles.
「......That's, well. It's because Golems do commands in response according to the opponent. Now then, I remember this from saying command but......That Baron Lanvelt, what kind of guy is he?」
Olivie's face clouded over from those words.
「......They are one of the town nobles of Abram, and are on the side of being relatives to Count Abram. They are water transportation operators and moneylending nobles with strong influence. The real status is held by Lord Ruvelio who is currently the eldest son.......He is, one of my fiance candidates. 」
Uwah, so it's a two-layer strategy. It's dirty but, since it's hard to suspect him of participating whether this succeeded or failed, it's unexpectedly a good method.
「Eliott, what you're thinking is leaking out from your mouth. 」
「Ah......Sorry. So, from what I've heard from the story of the Assassin's Guild, it looks like the assassination of Count Abram's children is also that same wire puller. Olivie, whether it be through killing you or taking you in, just what kind of profit is there to be had?」
As if playing a game of chess, as if reading the flow of business from sales, we exchanged information and deductions.
「......Count Abram was originally nothing but a Viscount, a humble and youthful mountain forest noble. Even this mountain that the village is on, it's still land that Count Abram governs on official documents, you know? Having a talent for riparian works, he created watergates in Abram, and with the usage fees of the watergates and waterways, as well as the town developments that accompanied that, he was appointed Count Abram. There are stories that Abram was originally a large fishing village in the frontier up until 30 years ago after all......」
「Fumu. I knew in my knowledge that that town was a town that the current Count Abram had build in his lifetime. Just a while ago, I had gone to Abram for the first time, but I was a complete country bumpkin.......So, what about the Lanvelt House?」
The Lanvelt House, the nobles that possessed a family crest of a Gryphon and a tower. And then, the employers of the Assassin's Guild.
「The Lanvelt House has a certain extent of manorialism, but is mainly in the money-exchange business......With the circulation of money as the principal part, they mainly do business with water transportation merchants. No, would "making them do business" with them be a better way of putting it? In terms of consanguinity, it looks like the Lanvelt House had a slightly higher rank, but the Blair House......Aah, that's my and Count Abram's house......made a turn-around when he became a Count. But, in terms of consanguinity, they are quite close. Because of that......If I, Count Abram's last biological child, and my granduncle who is sick and under medical care were to disappear, Count Abram's inheritance rights would be transferred to the Lanvelt House. 」
I used an abacus inside of my head. Just who would the profit go to, and how would it move.
「......Wait, if the water transportation business-related rights are with the Lanvelt House, then the commerce rights of Abram, wouldn't Count Abram not have that much of it?」
「In relation to trade, he doesn't have much. The right of use to the watergates just might be their aim, I suppose. From the profits of the user rights of the waterways, half of it goes to public services, and as for the gains from the watergate, more than half of it disappears into the maintenance of the watergate and waterways. Because of that, the Blair House which Count Abram belongs to isn't all that rich. If it's about real monetary wealth, Count Abram's House loses to the Lanvelt House. 」
Hearing Olivie's explanation, the questions did nothing but increase. In that case, isn't there no need to kill Olivie, nor a need to even take her as a wife?
「Well now......Why would they want the inheritance rights to go as far as killing you, Olivie? I don't know the reason why they would desire the position of Margrave, going as far as bearing the risks for it. Is the name of Count Abram something that a great noble would want that much?」
Taking a small pause, she replied with an answer to my honest question.
「The current Baron Lanvelt isn't exactly on very good terms with Count Abram. Although I don't know what the next head of the family, Ruvelio-dono, thinks of him, but in terms of position, he believes that he himself should be the next Count Abram, and feels that the seat of Count Abram was stolen away by their relatives, the Blair House. However, the cause isn't just that......is, what I would like to think. And then, there is one more large concession. 」
Just what in the world could that large concession be.
「Could you tell me about it without putting on airs. That concession, just what is it?」
Olivia was a bit hesitant to respond to those words. I noticed that her gaze wasn't just on me, but also on Dahlia.
「Eliott, you, do you know about the movements of the market price on iron?」
Unfortunately, as long as I am here, I am unable to know about that. Besides, even if I am in the trading business, anything other than magic tools and things concerning this dungeon is still outside of my area of experience. However, the word "iron" bothered me. This dungeon, originally it was......
「Over the past few months, the price of iron has steadily been increasing in the capital city. Although the war with the east becoming larger in scale is one of the causes, that isn't the only reason......I suppose it was one year ago, there seemed to be a large incident that happened in the northern mining zone which had been supplying an abundance of iron to this country up until now, so the mining facilities and technicians decreased, and the circulation of iron itself had become scarce. Of course, this isn't about the trends of today or tomorrow. But......」
「It's about the iron mine that was abandoned in the middle of development that is here, isn't it. 」
Maybe because she had regained consciousness at some point, Dahlia reacted with a flinch within my arms. One year ago, the iron mine.......I've got a bad feeling.
「In the results of an investigation, it became clear that Grandol Village's mine possessed a bountiful vein. But, at the time, the abundant and cheap iron from the northern mining zone was greatly circulated. Moreover, both the route to carry the iron out from here and the water transportation route from Abram to the capital city were underdeveloped. The cost of building up the iron manufacturing industry and the means to do it weren't counterbalanced with the profits.......Because of that, large scale development wasn't performed. Nevertheless, by Count Abram's decision, who had judged that it wouldn't be good to close down the mine, only a small number of laborers and technicians were placed here, and only a small quantity of iron production was performed.......It was done so that in the event of an emergency, even if the circulation route of arms to the capital city were to be closed, it would be possible to make the minimum preparations. 」
Slowly, the missing puzzle pieces filled in.
「......I see, so what they were aiming for, was the iron mine. 」
「With Count Abram himself sometimes becoming forgetful, he probably didn't think that his own rights as a mountain forest noble would suddenly take center stage here. But, now that it's come to this, for the sake of benefits for the entire town, as well as for the sake of benefits for the country, Grandol's mine now needs to undergo development once again. 」
「However, that mine has been under the control of a wicked Dungeon Master since a year ago......huh. Then that would mean that the mercenary group that attacked the mining village a year ago had also came for the sake of usurping the mining rights to the mine.......It really is unfortunate that I wasn't able to confirm the name of their client. 」
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