[Book 1 Completed] Industrial Mage: Modernizing a Magical World [Kingdom Building LitRPG]
B2 | Chapter 2 – Underground

Death smelled earthy and metallic, with a hint of sulfur. That was unexpected for Gareth. He had never really thought about death in his life. The dampness coated his nose. It was both enlightening and suffocating.

This was the end, he knew.

As their room shrank, he pressed himself against the wall. Water slowly worked its way up the stone as he watched. Inch by inch. At the very least once every minute. He found it both too persistent to ignore and too slow to cause concern. He thought it was the perfect pace for deep pondering. Enough time to contemplate everything that you were losing.

Next to him, Tanner muttered prayers to whatever god could be listening. Poor bastard. Tragically, the support beam had crumbled under the weight of that… that thing with an inordinate number of legs and glaring eyes that glowed like hot coals. At around the same moment, Gareth had given up hope of a heavenly intervention.

What on earth was the monster doing down here? Was it looking for a place to stay? Food? Or was it just wandering aimlessly, like everyone else in life, until fate united them?

Perched atop a fallen boulder, Bram questioned, "Think they're coming for us?"

"Of course they are. Question is whether they'll make it in time."

He examined the partially collapsed tunnel, which was their only means of escape. Between the fallen boulders, water trickled through the crevices.

At least slower than previously. Little mercies.

The oil in the lantern was running low, and it flickered between them. Shadows shifted. Gareth thought back on his enthusiasm from six months ago.

Lord Theodore had announced the expansion of the mines. Good pay. Proper safety measures. Benefits for families.

The families.

At least someone would take care of Marta and the kids. The contract included provisions for widow's pension, children's education, and other death benifits. To put it mildly, Lord Theodore was careful. He had thought of everything.

Well. Almost everything.

Cave monsters had not been anticipated.

Even so, where had it even come from?

Now the water was cold enough to hurt his bones and had reached his ankles. Similar to the day he proposed to Marta at the lake, when they both laughed as they waded in too quickly and too deeply.

Still, she had said yes.

His Marta always jumped in headfirst.

A rumble in the distance shook more dirt from above.

With their eyes leaping to the ceiling, the three men froze.

"Another collapse?"

"Or that thing is coming back."

Gareth touched the wall. Sensing the vibrations, he shook his head at Tanner and Bram.

"Neither. It's a different pattern."

He had spent enough time in these mines to understand the distinction.

"It seems like digging."

Like their lamp, hope flickered in his mind. They would have to move mountains to clear the collapsed tunnel before the water rose too high.

And ordinary miners like him did not make mountains move.

The tremors became more intense.

"If they're coming," Bram said, "they'd better hurry."

Not confident in his ability to say the correct thing, Gareth nodded. Now that the water was up to his shins, they had about an hour before it got to their throats. If the flow increased, they had even less time.

Strangely at ease, he rested his head back on the jagged rock. Facing death is funny because it removes all pretenses. He found himself muttering even though he was not a really religious man.

Water sloshed around their legs. The lantern sputtered its last and went out.

In the sudden darkness, Gareth closed his eyes.

"You know," Gareth continued deep in the shadows, his voice unwavering in spite of everything, "I always thought I'd die old. Surrounded by grandkids. Not... wet."

Tanner's prayer paused. Bram's surprised laugh echoed off stone.

The water reached his knees.

***

Mine mishaps were more coordinated than Theodore had anticipated. Although he hadn't seen many, the sight in front of him seemed almost staged in its crisis response, with rescue teams, medical tents set up in tidy rows, and even the terrified family members gathered into waiting sections.

If men weren't about to die, it would have been impressive.

Without paying attention to the surprised emotions on the faces of the guards who had barely been able to keep up with him on the ride from the manor, he dismounted his horse before it had completely stopped. The moist ground caused his boots to sink slightly when they made contact with it.

"Report."

Despite the chilly air, the man wiped sweat from his brow.

"Three men trapped, my lord," he said. "Gareth, Tanner, and Bram. They were inspecting the new support beams when something attacked—"

"Something?"

"A creature. Multi-legged. Burrowed through the wall. Caused a partial collapse, that thing. Horrifying, I say! Horrifying! The men retreated deeper, but they're cut off now, and the water's rising."

"How long?"

"An hour at most before the chamber floods completely."

There isn't enough time for conventional digging.

A full-scale magic attack could lead to further collapse.

"Clear the entrance," Theodore ordered. "Everyone back. Now."

The foreman blinked.

"But my lord, the trapped men—"

"Will be dead if we waste time arguing," Theodore snapped. "Clear it. Now."

They retreated from the entrance of the mine. Theodore could see Roland and Jack in the distance, already yelling commands to form a perimeter.

Excellent. That would keep the onlookers away.

With the burden of desperate stares pressing down on him, Theodore walked alone to the entrance of the mine. Spectators from the specified area include the relatives of the trapped miners. Workers questioned whether their lord had lost his mind or if he had a plan.

What exactly was he going to do?

The act of closing his eyes helped him to relax. He was quite intent on the task at hand. He centered himself. He concentrated. He drew mana from his center, directed it with his hands, and shaped it according to his will.

He could save these men. He would save these men.

Because how could he expect to safeguard Holden as a whole come wintertime if he couldn't protect three miners? When dangers bigger than a cave-in eventually materialized?

Mana flowed. As if heat waves were emanating from stone that had been burned in the sun, the atmosphere that surrounded him started to become distorted and sparkled. Inhaling deeply, he felt the mana shape and extend at his will, molding it to suit his desires. He pictured the tunnel collapsing, the water rising, and the men stuck within, waiting to die or be rescued. Theodore extended his range of mana perception. The obstruction became apparent. In certain areas, water was pooling, stones were leaning against one another, and, most crucially, he could feel the weak supports that could soon cause the collapse of the entire labyrinth of tunnels.

And then, with control honed through months of practice, Theodore began to move mountains.

Without a doubt, that was an exaggeration. But the image helped his visualization.

Rocks did, however, tremble—and then they moved.

To buttress the walls and roof, he first built pillars out of the earth. Not everywhere, but at key junctures where his senses told him collapse was most likely. Over the course of the compromised stretch, he erected five, six, then seven supports.

And then some more.

He didn't dare start removing stones till he was satisfied.

Smaller stones dislodged and fell to the ground, sending dust flying in all directions.

Nowhere near enough.

He pressed on.

He hesitated at a rumble, but his pillars held. Then a portion of the blockage fell away with a noise akin to distant thunder. A stream of water rushed past his ankles and spread like a murky flood across the mine yard.

Time became hazy as he worked. The process was rather simple: remove the water first. It was easier to handle and lighter than stone. Direct it away from the tunnel and past him. Then, continuously preserving those pillars and building new ones, remove rocks one after the other. From bottom to top. A single error may bring the entire cave down on him and the trapped miners. Then followed mud and smaller debris, drawn out through the widening gap like a vortex.

Compared to the initial breach, the second one happened more readily. A piece of rock broke apart and fell into pebbles, which were carried away by the flowing water. The gap stretched, expanded, and turned into a passage.

And then—movement. In the tunnel's gloom, a stooped, wet figure emerged. Then another. And a third at last.

Theodore lowered his hands.

"Get them to the medical tent," he said in a much harsher tone than he had meant. "And someone check that tunnel. I want to know what kind of creature caused this."

The miners had informed him about the creature.

Was it a monster from that incursion six months ago? There was a chance that some had gotten away, sought safety in the tunnels, and were now misbehaving.

Rescue workers, along with concerned family members, hoisted the rescued miners to safety. As he watched them go, Theodore noted that nobody appeared to be seriously injured. Cold, bruised, scared—but alive.

Jack stepped up beside him and offered a flask without saying anything. With gratitude, Theodore took a long swallow of the invigorating water inside.

"I wonder why you bother with this yourself all the time," Jack asked. "The others could've probably done it."

Theodore shrugged. "I like to do things myself, however minor." He returned the flask while keeping his gaze fixed on the mine entrance, which was now securely guarded, as guards cautiously ventured inside. "We'll need a more permanent solution. This was a stopgap at best."

"Lord Theodore!"

Shivering under blankets, the rescued miners had gathered nearby and were determined to talk to him. An older man with the grizzled visage of someone who had been underground for decades walked forward.

"My lord," he said, his voice still rough from coughing. "I've been mining these hills for thirty years, and I've never seen anything like what you just did. I—we—" he gestured to his companions, "we owe you our lives."

Theodore shook his head.

"You owe me nothing. Just doing what any lord should for his people."

***

Three days passed. As usual, Theodore trained and practiced, and he also attempted to determine what had caused the collapse, came up with a longer-term solution to the flooding, and, of course, trained even more for the forthcoming tournament in the capital. He would often fall asleep at his work instead of his bed, and his slumber would be brief.

Despite the fact that it was unhealthy in every way, he enjoyed his work. He needed less sleep after evolving his Race anyway.

The last few days had been productive:

[Elemental Spells] has leveled up! – Lvl 16 > Lvl 17!

[Meditation] has leveled up! – Lvl 8 > Lvl 13!

[Healing Touch] has leveled up! – Lvl 2 > Lvl 5!

[Basic Rune Creation] has leveled up! – Lvl 12 > Lvl 14!

[Swordsmanship (Novice)] has leveled up! – Lvl 20 > Lvl 21!

Not as fast as he had hoped, but progress nonetheless. He was pleased. At least he was much stronger now that he had evolved.

Suddenly, a burst of violet light burst into his study, interrupting his meticulous map-reading of the western mining zone. A crack, and then the room's air began to spiral in on itself. A familiar figure materialized, causing Theodore to relax after tensing up.

In the center of his study, his aunt Lady Karmichael stood with her arms outstretched, as if to exclaim "ta-da!" A purple silk blindfold obscured her eyes, her hair a tangle of curls, and her midnight-blue robes stitched with silver stars.

"Theodore, darling!" she exclaimed, spinning around with arms outstretched. "Where are you hiding? Come give your favorite aunt a hug!"

From his perch on the table, Opie hissed gently, not in a menacing way but with an air of resignation.

Theodore sympathized with the sentiment.

"Aunt Karmichael," his tone was even. "To what do I owe the pleasure of this unexpected visit?"

Even though she had her eyes covered, the woman's tilted head seemed to focus on his voice with an uncanny precision. "There you are! My goodness, you sound tired. Working too hard, as usual?" Without pausing for a response, she started to make her way around the room, hands extended, fingers tracing over various pieces of furniture and other objects. What a drama queen. She could see perfectly, so far as he knew, so there was no need for this show. "Have you got any chocolate? The teleportation always gives me such a craving!"

A sigh escaped Theodore's lips. His aunt's eccentricities weren't an act, not entirely. She had to wear the blindfold because her magical ability, Sight. In addition to her troubled past, the mental effects of her unusual eyes had worn her down over the years; her Sight—a magical ability that let her perceive things beyond normal vision—had grown so powerful that using her physical eyes simultaneously caused her intense pain. Aside from her past, the resulting disorientation of having such eyes had affected her mind over the years, leaving her brilliant but… a bit loose in the head.

"Third drawer on the right," he said, knowing resistance was futile. "Behind the ledgers."

Her deftness in reaching his desk was truly remarkable. With a gentle tug, she opened the drawer and proceeded to uncover the little box of chocolates that he had stashed away. "Aha! Still have excellent taste, I see." She giggled as she popped a chocolate into her mouth.

She took her time enjoying the food, while Theodore watched calmly. He knew from past experience that trying to hurry Aunt Karmichael would only make things worse.

"Mmm, divine," she finally declared. "The ladies loved it, by the way! Thanks for making this for me! Now then, to business! Your sister, my dear, has made quite a mess of things."

Theodore tensed.

"Juliana? What's happened? Is she alright?"

"Oh, she's fine. Physically, at least. Her diplomatic mission, however..." Aunt Karmichael made an explosion gesture. "Kapow! Complete disaster. Not entirely her fault, mind you. Those barbarians have the most complicated honor system you could imagine. One wrong word and suddenly you're required to wrestle a bear or some such nonsense."

"What happened?"

Perched on the edge of his desk, Aunt Karmichael swung her legs back and forth like a child. "The short version? She failed to secure a mutual agreement she was sent to negotiate. The longer, much more interesting version? She's made friends with the wrong princess—or the right one, depending on your perspective—and now they're plotting to overthrow Borstag."

"Borstag? The chieftain?"

"The very same! Turns out he's been a very naughty boy. Hoarding resources, assassinating rivals, the usual tribal politics. Princess Freya—that's the barbarian princess Juliana's befriended—wants him gone, and your sister has pledged our support." She popped another chocolate into her mouth. "Oh, by the way, they're on their way here now, actually."

Theodore pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Let me understand this. My sister, who was sent on a simple diplomatic mission, is now involved in a barbarian coup, and is bringing the instigator of said coup to my doorstep?"

"Precisely!" Aunt Karmichael was so thrilled that she clapped her hands. "Isn't it exciting? Oh, and the best part—Freya is traveling under the guise of participating in the tournament, as a friend of Juliana, and 'strengthening our relations.' Bah! A load of bull! All very official and diplomatic on paper. But Borstag knows exactly what she's up to, of course. But she's a woman, so he's most likely not that worried."

"Of course," Theodore said weakly.

"So he'll be trying to have her killed—"

Yep, he's definitely not worried.

"—and possibly your sister too, since she's aligned herself with Freya. Which means you, my dear nephew, have been volunteered to escort them safely to the capital for the king's tournament!"

***

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