"The lord is back!"
One of the burly men from the group noticed Romon approaching and cheered loudly.
They all knew that Romon had made a lot of money today. Exactly how much, they weren't sure, but it was certainly a lot.
"Alright, everyone, stop working for the day. At least for today. I'm organizing a bonfire party to reward all of you lucky folks."
With Romon's command, men, women, and children alike erupted into cheers.
Not far off, there was a small grove. The excited men immediately grabbed their sickles and began chopping down trees, hauling them over to the flat ground outside the mine to set up the bonfire.
As the last sliver of the sunset was swallowed by the dark mountains, Romon, amid the eager faces of the villagers, threw a torch into the square bonfire pile.
The flames quickly flared up, burning brightly.
Lornis, who had already made preparations, signaled for Talia to bring over the wine and beef.
"Long live Lord Romon! Long live Thune!"
"Long live Lornis-sister!"
"Woohoo, after so many years, the Thune family has finally brought us good fortune!"
"Lord Romon, cheers!"
Romon, however, refused to drink.
He pulled Talia aside to stand near the piles of magic crystal ore. Talia's eyes lit up, sparkling with excitement at the sight.
"So much... so much... so much..." she murmured in awe.
"Talia, tonight you need to keep a close eye on these ores. If any stupid thief dares to enter my land, crush them into pieces."
"Yes! My lord! I promise I'll turn any thieves into dust!"
"With your promise, I'm at ease. By the way, can you sense how much more ore is under the ground?"
At his words, Talia closed her eyes. Using the most basic magic sensing technique, she reached down into the mine, her senses probing beneath the surface. A minute passed before she suddenly opened her eyes wide.
"So much... so huge! We're only about twenty percent done here, the rest is all under the forest below, stretching all the way over there!" Talia pointed toward the distant forest.
Romon followed her gaze. That area clearly lay within the territory of the neighboring lord.
In that case, reclaiming the lost land couldn't wait. They had to start preparing first thing tomorrow morning!
...
That night.
Romon's sleep quality was usually excellent, mostly thanks to Lornis's attentiveness every night. Even during those special seven days, her cherry lips and soft tongue never took a break.
In the castle.
In the corridor outside the master bedroom, Talia was leaning on the windowsill, her eyes shining like stars as she stared out at the mine. But in her ears, there was the soft, seductive moan of an incubus.
She couldn't imagine that such an elegant, poised, and beautiful woman like Lornis could be so wild at night. No wonder this lord insisted on living halfway up the mountain. If he lived in the village, it would be a disaster.
Talia squeezed her legs together. Any young girl, listening to the constant crashing sound of the waves, couldn't help but feel some physical reactions.
"Damn it, I thought I had found a wise employer. That lord is indeed much better than the ones I've heard of in the stories, but still! The punishment is to make me wait in this freezing night?!"
Talia was somewhat frustrated.
As the lord's bodyguard, she had to ensure the lord's safety, which meant she couldn't stray too far from him at night. But the lord had also instructed her to keep an eye on the mine, so she had to stay alert.
This forced her to be fully focused, listening until the very end.
"Hmm?"
Suddenly.
A flash of light appeared in Talia's eyes. Her small magic had activated, which meant someone had entered the mine.
For Talia, this felt more like relief.
She immediately jumped onto the windowsill, using wind magic to lift her silver staff, then sat astride it.
"Whoosh—"
The silver staff, bearing her small frame, shot up rapidly toward the mine.
Looking down from above at the ridiculous figure of the thief, Talia unleashed all her frustration.
"Burn to ash under my wrath!"
In that moment, it was like starlight falling to the earth, like a thunderbolt shooting through the air.
The light illuminated the dark night, crashing down with a thunderous roar. The thief barely managed to dodge, but when he looked up again, the tip of the silver staff was already aimed at his nose.
"Ah, oh~! I surrender! I'm just a passing adventurer, on my way to the forest up ahead to drive out some goblins!"
The thief, his face hidden, came up with an excuse on the spot.
But Talia didn't care. The tip of her staff gleamed with light, and the most skilled mage in rapid-fire spells could shatter the thief's skull before he even had time to dodge.
"Crack—"
The thief's head exploded like a watermelon, and Talia sighed in relief. But the next second, a curved, claw-like blade was pressed against her neck.
"Gotcha."
"An assassin?!"
Talia immediately realized that tonight's theft wasn't a solo job but a team effort.
The weakest one had just died—after all, she only found him in midair, while the others had managed to hide their movements from her magical sensing.
"Hmph."
Talia, like a battle-hardened old mage, wasn't flustered, even with a blade at her throat. Instead, she channeled a small spell and, from a special angle above her left shoulder, shot it down precisely onto the assassin's curved blade.
A tiny white light flashed, and the assassin's blade was deflected by the force, leaving only a small cut on her right chest, failing to take her life.
All of this—the reactions and the mental duel—took place in the blink of an eye.
Talia immediately released a rapid-fire magic burst, targeting all nearby possibilities as potential threats. Group rapid-fire!
"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh—"
The white magic balls shot out at high speed, leaving long trails behind them like beams of light.
She stood still, like a goddess scattering flowers, launching 360-degree attacks with no blind spots. Before long, the other hidden thieves were blown out of their stealth, exploding into a cloud of blood mist. Only the one with the curved blade survived; Talia could still sense his presence.
"Come out and face death, you apprentice of the whore, [Rose Alley's Little Curved Blade], you can't escape." Talia said calmly.
Everyone around here was an adventurer, and they all knew each other's skills and traits.
When Talia noticed the curved blade, she immediately had a hunch. A quick sniff of the air confirmed her suspicion.
It wasn't the smell of Spidevs.
That left only one other possibility—the assassin she had written about in her resume, the one worth 50 gold coins. This person was Spidevs' apprentice, someone Spidevs had trained with the intention of passing on her connections once she aged and lost her charm, to ensure she would be supported in her old age.
Suddenly—
A flash of silver light flickered in the night, and Talia decisively returned fire.
With a loud explosion, the curved blade, glowing with cold light, shattered into three pieces. The apprentice of the prostitute was injured in her right hand by the blast. Talia seized the opportunity, using a magical rope to bind her.
"Ahhh!" the thief cried out.
"I told you, you can't escape."
Talia's face was cold and serious, completely ignoring the blood gushing from the wound on her chest.
"You shameless mage, fighting me near the magic crystal mine? If you have the guts, release me, and let's settle this in a fair place, meow!"
Talia remained unfazed.
She held her staff in her right hand, pressing it against the assassin's forehead, while her left hand reached out and yanked off the assassin's hood and mask.
The assassin wasn't human, but a demi-human—a cat-eared girl.
Indeed, cat-eared girls were naturally endearing.
"Fair? You should talk to my employer about that."
Talia's mind quickly turned, calculating. The contract she had signed was based on contributions, so if she caught someone worth 50 gold coins, could she get a commission for that?
"Get up."
Talia threw aside the hood and mask, holding her silver staff in both hands, pointing it at the assassin and commanding.
"I won't!"
"Then you'll fly."
Talia didn't bother being polite. Using the same magic she had used to move cargo, she levitated the assassin, and then, applying the principle of rapid-fire, sent her hurtling toward the distant castle.
Then, Talia followed on her staff.
Romon, wearing his nightwear, opened the door to his chamber.
A fainted cat-eared girl lay at the door, while Talia stood nearby with one hand on her hip.
"All the other worthless assassins are dead, but this one is [Rose Alley's Little Curved Blade], worth 50 gold coins. My lord, it's your decision now."
Romon's ears perked up as he recognized the name. After a brief moment of recollection, he asked, "Is she Spidevs?"
"She's Spidevs' apprentice," Talia said, her bright eyes sneaking a glance into the room before adding, "Before Spidevs retired, she had to remain a virgin."
"Hang her up at the front gate and let her stay there for a few days."
"Yes, my lord."
Romon watched as Talia left. His mind wandered, thinking to himself, the simulator had only run twice, but this was the third time in real life, optimized—would there be any unexpected outcomes outside of the simulation?