It was a sunny spring day.
This year, the weather was exceptionally clear compared to previous years.
Perhaps thanks to that.
Construction in the Frontera Barony was proceeding smoothly.
The ondol room installations, which had been ongoing for some time, continued steadily.
The ondol room adoption rate, in preparation for the coming winter, had now surpassed 30%.
The recently started mine development was also going great every day.
Thanks to the shield method, there were no accidents day after day.
The workers had been anxious at first.
But now they felt at ease.
They focused solely on their work.
The territory buzzed with vitality.
Farmers were busy with their hands full.
The conscripted soldiers in the engineering corps sweated endlessly.
Even the women bringing them snacks moved with brisk energy.
Even the children were bustling about.
This time of year, the mischievous little ones would usually be out chasing frogs.
But this year, the frogs in Frontera Territory could enjoy unprecedented peace.
The kids weren't catching frogs.
Instead, they loitered around the mine development site.
The children's goal was singular.
To catch a glimpse of Bangul, the fantasy beast monster Lloyd had deployed for this construction job.
"Whoa! It's out!"
The kids who had been hanging around the site all day would shout excitedly at the slightest glimpse of Bangul. Then, Bangul's fan service(?) never failed to follow as it emerged from the tunnel for a break.
"Bangul! Ppabangul!"
It deliberately shoveled a big mouthful of dirt near the rest area.
It shook noisily, putting on a Steel Poop Discharge show.
Each time, the children's shrieks of delight grew even louder.
The workers resting outside the tunnel hollered as well.
"Hey, you kids! Keep coming this close to the site and causing a ruckus? How many times do I have to tell you it's dangerous here!"
"It's not dangerous, though? It's fine!"
"You little punks? If you keep ignoring the grown-ups, a wolf-sized beast ant will come and chomp you up!"
"Where's there ever a beast ant like that in the world?"
"Where? Beyond the mountains in the eastern wasteland—those beasts are everywhere."
"But there aren't any here."
"Hey, you punk, still talking back!"
That was how everyone in Frontera Territory spent their vibrant days.
Well, not everyone.
There was an exception.
It was Ppodong.
"Ppodong... Ppodo-dong..."
Bored.
Ppodong thought that as it yawned widely.
It must have overslept again today.
Or had it woken briefly in the morning only to fall back asleep?
"Ppodo-dong..."
Truth be told, even getting up early left nothing to do.
That had been the case lately.
Lloyd hadn't taken it along to the mine construction.
Instead, he'd left it at the mansion with a "Take a break for once and have some fun."
The reason was simple.
'Sorry. We're short on sunflower seeds. Even what's needed for Bangul is tight.'
To be deployed on construction, it needed to eat red sunflower seeds to grow big.
But the transformation sunflower seed set had quantity limits.
Red and blue.
Each one cost 1 RP to purchase.
That's why Ppodong stayed at the mansion.
Digging tunnels safely was better suited to Bangul anyway.
'I'm worried you might get hurt. The tunnels seem too narrow for you. If it collapses, you could get seriously injured. Got it?'
...Lloyd had consoled it like that.
It felt a bit left out.
But it couldn't complain.
It knew Lloyd's concern was genuine.
Since then, Ppodong had been enjoying an unemployed life it never asked for.
"Ppodong... Ppodo-dong..."
Rolling this way.
Rolling that way.
Resting was nice and relaxing.
But it was too boring.
No one played with it.
All it did was roll left once, right once all day.
But after over 20 days, even that was unbearable!
"...PpDong! Ppodo-dodo-do-do!"
Ppodong shook its round head.
Its puffy, pancake-like cheeks jiggled.
Suddenly, it felt this wasn't right.
"Ppodong!"
It had to do something.
At this rate, it'd die of boredom.
So, first, head outside.
Resolved, Ppodong kicked off the handkerchief and stood up.
It climbed down the table leg, yo-heave-ho.
It toddled ppol-ppol-ppol to the door.
It clambered up the door, ppo-it-ppo-it.
It gripped and pulled the doorknob with a grunt.
Click.
The door opened.
It stepped into the hallway.
"Ppodong?"
This was Ppodong's first time venturing this far alone without Lloyd.
Looking down the long hallway, curiosity and adventure stirred more than fear.
"Ppodong!"
Anywhere would do.
Ppodong dashed down the hallway, do-do-do.
Down stairs when it met them, chasing after passing maids with choll-choll-choll.
How long did it scamper?
Before it knew it, Ppodong had reached the mansion's inner courtyard.
"Ppodo-ong..."
The sunlight was warm.
The grassy scent in the gentle breeze was nice.
A sweet floral aroma wafted from somewhere.
Ppodong's steps followed the flower scent.
Then, finally, it locked eyes with someone.
"Oh my?"
A soft voice from above.
Ppodong looked up.
It spotted the voice's owner.
And met eyes with the Baroness Frontera.
"...A mouse?"
"Ppodong?"
"Not a mouse?"
"Ppodong!"
Ppodong nodded vigorously.
The Baroness Frontera, tending the flowerbed, removed her dirt-gloved hands.
"Ah, now I see. You're that huge summon our son called forth. Right?"
"Ppodong!"
"But how did you end up at the flowerbed?"
"Ppodo-dong? Ppodong."
"Hmm, sorry, I can't understand what you're saying. So... are you here to help me?"
"Ppodong?"
"I see. That's it, isn't it?"
"Ppodo-dong?"
Ppodong tilted its head.
A pleased smile curved the Baroness's lips.
"How wonderful. I've been troubled lately by a few mice ruining the flowerbed."
"Ppodong?"
"You're related to them, right?"
"Ppodo-dong? Ppodong?"
"If possible, could you go find them? Ask them on my behalf not to ruin the flowerbed."
"Ppodong?"
"Can you do that?"
"...Ppodong!"
Ppodong nodded hastily.
Truthfully, it wasn't related to the mice.
It wasn't even sure if they'd understand each other.
But the Baroness's warm smile and voice toward it were irresistible.
And for now, fulfilling this request would banish the boredom!
"Ppodo-dong! Ppodong!"
Ppodong stood tall on two legs confidently.
As if saying trust me, it thumped its rice-grain palm against its chest.
Having accepted the Baroness's quest(?), Ppodong charged energetically toward the lawn.
♣
Thududududu!
"Push!"
Kuguguguk!
A vigorous command rang out.
The sturdy men moved busily.
In the dim torchlight of the tunnel, the engineers' sweat-slicked muscles gleamed.
Worm-like tendons bulged on their muscles.
The steel shield advanced slowly.
As the shield moved forward, rebar-laced panel walls filled the space it left.
The panel walls supported the weight of the freshly dug tunnel.
How many such walls had they built?
They couldn't tell.
They simply moved in perfect unison at the orders.
Lloyd's command fell toward the resting blacksmiths and engineers.
"Good work. Shift change!"
"Shift change!"
"Move quickly. Rest up properly. Next crew, deploy!"
"Deploy!"
One group of blacksmiths and engineers retreated behind the shield.
Others filled their spots.
"Is Lord Lloyd alright?"
One blacksmith asked.
Lloyd chuckled.
"Why? Worried?"
"Of course..."
"I'm fine. Not like I'm laboring like you all."
"Still, in this heat and stale air, staying this long..."
"Whoa, you're gonna make me tear up. Enough. Let's get to work."
Lloyd waved it off.
The concerned blacksmith averted his gaze.
Truthfully, he wasn't fine.
'It's insanely hot.'
The tunnel was hot.
Not just hot— it felt like being in a sauna all day.
The air was filthy stale too.
Naturally so.
This was the face of the tunnel, where excavation was ongoing.
Underground, the temperature was inherently higher than outside.
Body heat from the workers built up.
Proper ventilation was a pipe dream.
'If we had better tech, I'd have set up a proper ventilation system.'
Ventilation was crucial in tunnel work.
It tied directly to worker safety.
Dust inhalation was bad enough, but oxygen deprivation in low-oxygen environments could be fatal.
Lloyd was addressing it with forced ventilation.
"Hey! Don't step on the air pipe!"
Lloyd barked.
One engineer flinched back.
A forearm-thick iron pipe lay where he'd stepped.
It was the only lifeline piping outside air to this face.
'That's what's keeping us going.'
The pipe's other end connected outside.
Workers there were cranking the handle.
That spun a large windmill connected to the handle, forcing air through the pipe to supply oxygen here.
"If that joint leaks, what then? Might not notice here, but lower down, air leaks midway. Fresh air won't reach the face properly. Got it? Be careful."
"S-sorry."
"Tch. Whatever. Focus."
"Yes, sir!"
The muggy exhaustion sharpened his nerves.
But he couldn't pop out for breaks like the others.
'Need to monitor in real-time.'
Much to check personally.
First, the tunnel heading.
Ensure excavation headed straight for the coal stratum in real-time.
'Thanks to the previous lord's detailed records.'
Gratefully, he'd hired three expensive mages for geological surveys and documented the coal seams thoroughly.
Made navigation easier.
But underground held other dangers.
'Invisible hazards lurk ahead. Groundwater. Methane layers.'
Hit groundwater wrong, and the dug tunnel floods.
Methane layers were worse.
Inflammable gas meant massive explosions.
'Then it's game over. Totally over.'
That was mining's scariest part.
Methanogenic bacteria in coal, feeding on MACs (methoxylated aromatic compounds), produced methane inevitably in seams.
'Can't let guard down ever.'
Used surveying skill at least three times a day.
Checked what lay in the five meters ahead.
Also watched tail void subsidence between advancing shield and left-behind panels.
'The shield's diameter is larger than the panels anyway.'
Advancing shield diameter.
Panel diameter assembled inside.
Microscopic difference inevitable.
After shield advanced, ground sank by that gap.
Just centimeters of minor collapse.
Ignore it, and everyone gets buried alive in a cozy group grave.
'You think I'd let that happen?'
Sweltering heat.
Stale air.
Lloyd fought to maintain focus.
He stripped his upper body to endure.
When his head fogged, he gulped fresh air from the pipe.
Days of work continued.
Tunnel lengthened.
Nearing the target stratum.
'Just a bit more.'
Daily heat and stale air left fatigue unrelenting.
Mornings, barely pried eyes open.
But he alone could endure.
Thankfully(?), this wasn't new.
'Worse back then!'
Compared to his gosichon days, this was paradise.
Couldn't even sleep properly then.
Nosebleeds in lectures by day.
Alba till night, more nosebleeds.
Still not done.
Squeezed every scrap of time.
Only way to tackle piling assignments.
Easiest to cut: sleep.
Chronic fatigue inevitable.
Zombied through study and work on collapse's edge.
'And now? Only tough during construction—mansion means full belly and deep sleep?'
Food was leagues better than gosichon gruel and kimchi.
'Gosichon "free" rice and kimchi was it!'
That thought ignited nonexistent grit.
Never returning to those days.
Vigor surged to enrich this territory more.
That will kept construction nonstop.
Bangul and workers grew adept.
Progress gained momentum.
Finally, surveying skill caught the target stratum.
'There it is.'
Intermediate Survey peered five meters ahead at the face.
Black coal stratum sat there.
Underground premium ginseng: bituminous coal.
"End's in sight! Let's go!"
"Go-go-go!"
"Bangul!"
Lloyd let out a cheering shout.
Workers and Bangul roared back.
Even stoic Haviel bellowed.
All sensed it.
The grueling construction's end approached.
Completion shone before them.
"Ppabangul!"
Bangul shoveled one last mouthful of dirt toward the bituminous coal stratum.
(End of Chapter 24)
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