Mana Ore
The reason Lord Donold invited the Tryon family—lords of a remote territory with whom he’d had no prior relationship—to the ball… I had assumed it was simply to throw a grand birthday party for his beloved daughter and needed extra guests to fill out the numbers.
… But it seems that wasn’t the case after all.
Saying he wanted to have a more serious discussion, Lord Donold led Lord Doyle, Lady Alyssa, and the rest of us connected to the Tryon family to a drawing room.
“Sorry for the sudden change. I had intended to speak with you at the venue itself.”
“Not at all. Just having this opportunity to speak with you is more than enough. We’re grateful.”
Lord Doyle remained composed. During the ball, he’d seemed to be putting on a brave face, but now he carried himself with quiet confidence. Perhaps Lord Donold appreciated this quality of his—the lack of flattery or cowardice.
The representatives from both families sat facing each other. Lord Donold, Lady Alyssa, and Lord Doyle took seats on the sofa, while the four of us stood straight behind Lord Doyle, quietly observing the proceedings with a bit of unease.
First, Lord Donold began speaking about the history of the Abbott region, where mana ore had once been mined. As expected, Lord Doyle, the current lord, had heard about the mine from his predecessor and was aware—like Mr. Brough—that the mana ore had run dry and the mining operations had ceased.
Although the mine had already fulfilled its role, Lord Donold insisted that it was too soon to write it off entirely.
“In fact, I recently heard news that mana ore mining has resumed at an abandoned mine in a neighboring country.”
“Th-That’s really possible!?”
That made us all glance at one another in surprise.
We weren’t exactly experts in that field, but we certainly didn’t recall hearing anything about a defunct mine being revived.
“It’s not that new mana ore has begun to form, but rather that previously unexplored areas have yielded new findings. Apparently, advancements in technology have made it possible to widen the search area.”
“I-I see… if that’s the case, then it’s certainly within the realm of possibility.”
So, there had been mana ore hidden in places that couldn’t be investigated before… if that’s true, then it’s not entirely out of the question.
The real issue is how to locate such areas—assuming there’s still mana ore left in the Abbott mine.
According to Lord Donold, a newly developed method would be necessary for that.
Since the mine is dangerous, randomly investigating every nook and cranny wouldn’t be wise. The key would be how efficiently and accurately the target area could be identified… and that method is—
“Magic. A new spell has been developed that can detect even the faint traces of mana emitted by mana ore.”
What do you think about this chapter?
