Isekai Nonbiri Nouka

●Character Refresher

Hermes – One of the ancient devils. Works as a maid for Versa.

-0-

Feather Magic Crystals.

The information came from an unexpected source.

From Prada.

There was a certain map she successfully bid at the auction in the royal capital.

It was quite old, and all the country names written on it were no longer in use, making it practically useless in a conventional sense.

However, the exotic design fascinated those who laid eyes on it.

The first to be delighted by it were the spiderlings.

They seemed inspired by the map’s exotic design, thinking they might use it as decoration.

Next were the High Elves.

They said it felt nostalgic and took a liking to the map.

They asked if it could be displayed somewhere easily visible.

The angels, beastgirls, and the civil servant girls also had favorable impressions.

But my reaction was different.

There was something more intriguing than the design.

The names of the countries written on the map.

It also listed several major cities.

And it showed what kind of minerals were buried where.

………

Eh?

Isn’t this a resource distribution map?

There were markings for Wind Magic Crystals, Flame Magic Crystals, Sword Magic Crystals, Beast Magic Crystals, and Silver Magic Crystals.

And Feather Magic Crystals too.

What I thought were decorative symbols turned out to be charts—maybe pie charts or box graphs—indicating the estimated volume of each resource, divided into large, medium, and small.

The important part was that there was a Feather Magic Crystal location with a large estimated yield.

I looked at Prada.

「It’s said to be a map once used by the ancient Elder Dwarves. I heard you were searching for minerals, so I thought this might be useful and brought it here」

Oh!

「I can’t read it very well myself, but perhaps the dwarves living in this village can make use of it」

I called for Donovan.

-0-

Prada, saying she had work to do, quickly returned to the Village Five Museum after leaving the map behind.

It seemed she had come all this way just to deliver the map.

Thank you.

Then, I showed the map to Donovan, who had just arrived.

Sorry to interrupt you during work.

I need your help with something.

「What’s going on? I was right in the middle of brewing a good batch of liquor… Oh, this is an old-style map」

Can you read it?

I want to know where this place is.

「I can read it, but the country names are far too old. Not just a thousand years… maybe two thousand… no, three thousand years ago? There’s no scale either… Hm? Ah, wait, this terrain… could it be that area? No, that place changed after a great wave… when was that again?」

Donovan stared at the map for a while, troubled, before calling for backup.

I thought he would summon other dwarves, but I was wrong.

The one Donovan called was Hermes, the maid serving the ancient devil Versa.

If we’re going to ask Hermes, wouldn’t it make more sense to ask Versa directly?

Or maybe Bulga or Stifano.

But Versa had shut herself away to focus on writing, so she probably didn’t care about the world outside.

And if Prada wasn’t familiar with the map, it was likely that Bulga and Stifano, who were from the same era, wouldn’t know either.

I see.

Apparently, Hermes is younger than Versa but much older than Prada and the others.

For now, I offered Hermes a fruit parfait as a token of welcome for answering Donovan’s summons.

「Ah, this is delicious」

Then I asked her.

We’re trying to identify the locations marked on this map.

Do you recognize them?

「Let’s see… it’s northeast from Big Tree Village.」

While eating her parfait, Hermes glanced at the map and seemed to understand the general location right away.

「The scale of this map is… one to fifty thousand. From the size of the map, it appears to cover an area about as large as the Forest of Death. If I remember correctly, the town drawn at the edge here used to be called Edderi.

It’s gone now, though」

Edderi?

That’s a name I’ve never heard before.

And it’s been destroyed?

That sounds dangerous.

Just as I was about to ask for more details, Donovan spoke up.

「That’s the place where a massive outbreak of undead was reported」

In the past?

Undead?

Ah, that must be where Kierbit and her group took care of the undead.

「That’s right. The town that used to be around there was called Edderi. If this edge of the map is Edderi, then just outside the map’s range… Howling Village should be nearby. The Big Tree Village would be around here」

So the map shows an area closer than I expected.

As I expressed my admiration, Hermes gave a soft chuckle.

「The current Prada-san wouldn’t hand over a map that was too far away to be of use to Village Chief.」

Is that so?

But didn’t Prada say she couldn’t read it?

「She said she couldn’t read it in detail, but I’m sure she understood most of it. She’s just not very straightforward, is she.」

I-Is that so.

I’ll make sure to thank Prada properly later.

Anyway, now that we know the location, that’s something to be glad about.

Thank you, Hermes.

Another parfait?

I don’t mind.

The Fairy Queen is watching from over there, after all.

Whether I make one or two, it’s all the same.

And Donovan, you’ve been a big help too.

I get it.

Drink all you want tonight.

-0-

Now that we’ve identified the location on the map, the next issue is whether the Feather Magic Crystal is actually buried there as indicated.

There’s a strong possibility it’s already been mined out and the site is empty.

If there were a giant hole from open-pit mining, it would be easy to tell, but…

I asked the angels who accompanied Kierbit during the undead extermination before, and they said there were no such signs in that area.

The only thing there was the ruined town of Edderi.

That means we’ll probably have to conduct a test excavation at the mapped site.

But… is it really okay to dig there without permission?

I think there are laws about mining rights, aren’t there?

What’s the situation like around here?

Better ask someone who knows.

Frau, do you have a moment?

-0-

「I don’t know who currently holds the mining rights, if that’s what you’re asking」

I see.

「But it’s near Edderi, right?」

Yeah.

Edderi is located northeast of the village, past the mountains.

I’d like to do the excavation further northeast from there…

「If I remember correctly… Edderi was a town seized by the Demon Kingdom army when they were expanding the front lines. During that time, the surrounding area was handed over to some noble. I think that’s what we learned in history class… I’m sorry. That’s as far as I know. But if you ask my father, he might know more.」

No, that was helpful.

Thank you.

Then, just as luck would have it, Beezel showed up, so I decided to ask him.

-0-

「It’s Count Pugyaru. 」

Then, I should meet with Count Pugyaru and negotiate for the mining rights…..

「No need. I’ve already received a letter of proxy. The mining rights are yours to use freely. You’re allowed to excavate as you please. Ownership of anything you find also belongs entirely to you, Village Chief」

Huh?

「This morning, Count Pugyaru came storming into my estate in the capital. That’s how this came about.」

Ehto… in that case, I should thank him…

「He insisted there be no thanks. If you truly feel grateful, then do not thank him under any circumstances」

What…

「Whether you find ancient ruins or piles of gold and silver treasures, all of it may belong to you, Village Chief」

Is… is that really okay?

「He said: ‘Having left a ruined town abandoned for so long, what face could I possibly show now to claim rights over it?’ He also said that if you feel guilty profiting from it, you should share that profit with the people instead.」

…Understood.

If he’s going that far, there’s no need to overthink it.

I’ll gratefully accept the mining rights.

-0-

There’s no longer any issue with conducting a test excavation.

Next comes finding people to do the digging.

Well, I can just ask the folks from Howling Village for that.

As for transportation to the site… maybe I’ll try using the repaired airship.

We haven’t secured any Feather Magic Crystals yet, but since we went through the trouble of fixing the thing, it would be a waste not to use it.

Of course, I plan to board the airship and go to the site myself.

People don’t object to me leaving the village as much as they used to.

Fufufu.

I’m kind of looking forward to it.

And if we don’t find any Feather Magic Crystals?

That’d be unfortunate, but until research into a replacement for floating gas advances, the airship will just have to rest in the hangar.

Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.