Otaku Translation: The Amber Sword V3C85

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Chapter 85: The New Master of the Mine

“No, .”

Nimuesis smiled faintly but quickly sobered. “Be careful recently. That brat has been stirring up trouble again. Though this time they’ve been more discreet—I haven’t found enough evidence to act yet.”

Freya looked up at her, concern flickering in her eyes.

“It’s fine,” the dark-haired knight reassured her, taking a deep breath. “As long as I’m here, just be cautious.”

With that, she turned her gaze to the sky where the carriage had disappeared. The northern horizon was overcast, heavy with the promise of an impending storm.

Would the storm arrive before the winter?

No one knew.

What Nimuesis did know was that unease was spreading through the academy. This last bastion of the kingdom might not be a safe haven but rather the epicenter of a future maelstrom. The fleeting peace they enjoyed now was nothing more than the deceptive calm before the tempest.

At least the female knight understood this much: in the north, in the free port of Ampersal, a war without smoke or fire was about to unfold.

She turned back and studied Freya intently.

“Are you up to it?” she asked.

“What?” Freya blinked, confused.

The future Valkyrie’s bewildered expression amused Nimuesis, who lightly covered her mouth and chuckled. “Never mind…”

---

Amidst the swirling complexities of the final days of , events seemed to converge from all directions. As tensions in the north grew precarious, time flew by in the blink of an eye. Two weeks had already passed since the incident at .

That event, which had initially caused widespread panic, turned out to be little more than a farce. While it spread like wildfire through the town at first, it was soon forgotten by most.

People were quick to forget—except for the families of the injured and the dead, who would remember that day forever. For the majority, life returned to its usual rhythm within a week.

On the surface, Shafrend Mine appeared unchanged, maintaining its decades-old appearance. Beneath the surface, however, things were slowly shifting.

First, Kulan’s movements were restricted after Brandon and his companions left the underground. At Brandon’s suggestion, the elder announced he was temporarily handing over all duties within the mine to Orkins and then retreated to recover from his injuries. As for that cowardly scribe—well, when Brandon and Metissa stormed into his office, he surrendered completely.

Now, under the constant surveillance of Yuta and over twenty iron-rank mercenaries disguised as ordinary workers, the scribe wouldn’t dare try anything even if given ten thousand chances. Contrary to Brandon’s expectations, Orkins had become noticeably more diligent and cautious, earning praise from some of the lower-ranking officials.

These second-in-commands likely believed their superior had finally reformed after shouldering the entire mine’s responsibilities, becoming pragmatic and hardworking.

Even the spies sent by to monitor the young man’s performance had written glowing reports for two consecutive weeks.

Of course, every single one of those reports passed through Brandon’s hands. When he showed them to the cowardly scribe, Orkins cursed aloud for the first time.

Afterward, he nervously glanced around, fearful that his disrespect toward Earl Jandel might be overheard by the ever-present eyes and ears.

Such was the nature of someone who couldn’t rise above mediocrity—Brandon couldn’t help but shake his head.

To placate the timid yet ambitious scribe, Brandon made a promise. He assured him that no one would learn the details of his cooperation, claiming instead that he had been imprisoned and replaced by someone resembling him.

Though the lie was flimsy, it provided the scribe with some psychological comfort. Now living in perpetual fear, he clung to this small reassurance for dear life.

As for Kulan, he was sent to Cold Fir City the next day. Upon seeing Chael there, the old swordsman realized escape was impossible. Still, he rejected Brandon’s subtle overtures of goodwill, insisting instead that the latter honor his promise and release him once the agreed-upon time elapsed.

When Brandon read this report, he was seated at a desk in a room at inn in Shafrend Town. He chuckled and shook his head.

Kulan clearly shared some connection with his grandfather, but since leaving the underground, the old swordsman had become tight-lipped and withdrawn.

Though Brandon was curious to uncover the truth behind this mystery, his patient nature meant he wasn’t in a hurry. He had plenty of methods at his disposal—and besides, more pressing matters demanded his attention.

So, for now, he set aside this issue and turned his gaze to Roma’s petite figure, hunched over piles of ledgers. After leaving the underground, Brandon had scolded the disobedient young lady thoroughly.

He expected Roma to ignore him for days, but to his surprise, when they left the mining area, the self-proclaimed merchant girl clung tightly to his hand—as though holding onto a precious artifact she feared losing.

This made Brandon feel a pang of regret, wondering if he had been too harsh with his words.

But within hours, the young woman reverted to her usual mischievous ways, strutting around without a care. It wasn’t until Tiger Finch arrived and Brandon instructed Yuta to smuggle copies of the mine’s account books out that Roma finally focused her energy.

She had been working tirelessly for two days, making astonishing progress. Merchants, it seemed, possessed an innate talent for sifting through complex numbers and abbreviations to find what they needed.

Fortunately, was relatively primitive, simplifying the process. Roma quickly uncovered discrepancies in Orkins’ records and identified areas where funds had been embezzled.

However, Brandon knew it wasn’t time to conduct a full-scale audit of the mine. Officially, the region still fell under Earl Jandel’s jurisdiction, and neither he nor Roma could enter the mine freely to meet with Yuta without drawing suspicion from the spies lurking within.

In fact, the insertion of over twenty mercenaries had been justified by the need to replace soldiers lost in recent mining accidents. These newcomers wouldn’t raise eyebrows for long; Earl Jandel wouldn’t tolerate too many unfamiliar faces in his territory.

At most, new reinforcements would arrive within a month—or perhaps two, if Brandon managed to delay them further.

Two months was more than enough time for Brandon.

Thus, he shelved the matter for now, waiting to settle accounts later. But beyond this pressing issue, smaller headaches persisted.

Take, for instance, the youths who emerged from the underground with them—Koven, Joka, and Mahler. Brandon admired the frail youth, the future King of Jandel. Everything he knew or had witnessed confirmed that Koven was no ordinary person destined for obscurity.

And indeed, Koven’s actions underground proved as much.

To Brandon’s surprise, however, the boy declined his offer of patronage. Koven stated firmly that he and his friends intended to leave this place and venture into the wider world as planned.

This news disappointed Brandon. A future king was no trivial matter, but he understood such individuals couldn’t be forced to stay. For now, Koven and his companions remained in Shafrend Town, with the option to leave or stay after two months.

Meanwhile, those who should have stayed departed, while those who shouldn’t have lingered behind.

The eccentric old dwarf, who claimed to be the sole heir of the , continued to make appearances in Brandon’s vicinity. His behavior below ground supported his claim, but what puzzled Brandon was the dwarf’s persistent presence despite having stowed away The Sword of the Earth. Even after hiding the sword, the old dwarf showed no signs of being affected.

Brandon chalked it up to the dwarf’s eccentricity and stopped paying him any mind.

Not long after, another matter entirely captured his attention—

Tiger Finch arrived at the mine with a plan to secretly transport all the silver ore stored in Shafrend Town’s warehouses. Once melted down, the metal would be sent to Cold Fir Territory to mint coins.

Simultaneously, Tiger Finch brought Brandon good news. Just three days after their departure, Chael had discovered Grudin’s private mint hidden in a nearby estate. However, a minor complication arose when the noble’s private guards, realizing their cover was blown, barricaded themselves inside and vowed to resist to the last man.

Such defiance enraged Madelan, the hot-tempered leader of a mercenary band loyal to Brandon. Known more for his fiery temper than his prowess, Madelan prepared to teach these guards a lesson.

But before the volatile mercenary could act, the young mage intervened, sending Madelan a single message: Wait and see.

The strategy worked wonders.

By the second day, the once-arrogant guards raised a white flag and surrendered meekly. While the mercenaries marveled at the mage’s inscrutability, they soon realized it wasn’t particularly mysterious.

The reason was simple.

By then, news of Sir Minty’s crushing defeat had spread throughout Tonygel.

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