Volume 18 Chapter 7 Iron Mine Investigation, Part 2️⃣
As Al gradually approached the iron mine from above, he noticed a few wisps of smoke rising, although there were fewer than last time.
The chances of it being humans were quite low. It seemed more likely that the Barbarians had returned to start refining and weapon manufacturing again.
Al carefully moved closer to the base of the mountain, where it appeared that the mountain had been heavily excavated, exposing its surface, just like before.
Indeed, the smoke was coming from what looked like small earthen mounds, similar to those seen previously, and nearby, shadows resembling goblins were wandering around.
Compared to last time, their numbers were fewer, and it seemed there were no hobgoblins in sight. However, a small hut had been built nearby, which hadn't been there before.
As Al lowered his altitude to where the trees were, hiding and observing, a figure emerged from the hut: the upper body of a human male and the lower body of a snake, resembling a type of Barbarian he had never seen before.
Although it looked human, it was larger than average, muscular, with blue skin, and covered in scales from its head down to its neck, back, shoulders, and the tops of its hands.
The lower body was a thick snake, likely around 5 meters long when stretched out.
It appeared to be giving some instructions to the goblins.
Al recalled hearing about snake-bodied Barbarians from someone during his time as an adventurer in the capital.
The name was supposedly Lamia, described as a dangerous Barbarian who could use magic, and this could be that Lamia.
"If this is Lamia, it means they can use magic... it's dangerous to get too close."
'I think it's better to find out what kind of Barbarians they are, and if they're even really Barbarians.'
While he was concerned about leaving the Barbarians alone, it was too risky to approach someone whose magic abilities were unknown. It seemed Glee agreed with Al's murmurs.
'If we use the 'Conceal' spell or the 'Stealth' spell, we might be able to ambush them, but it's probably not worth the risk.'
Life is precious. Al had thought that if it was just goblins, he could deal with them using 'Magic Tornado' like last time, but that was no.
"If we can't obtain information about LaMia and can't take action immediately, the fact that there seem to be Barbarians around must have significance for his fathers.
'Even without getting close to the area where Lamia is said to be refining, we can just take ore samples from exposed areas on the mountainside, right?'
Besides, if they bring in a large number of Barbarian corpses, Patricia and the others won't be pleased.
"Well, that's true."
As he muttered various things, Glee pointed this out, and Al scratched his head. Leaving the corpses of the Barbarians could potentially increase their numbers instead.
After defeating the Barbarians, it's only natural to deal with their corpses, such as burying them. But when a large number of Barbarians are defeated, managing the remains becomes a challenge.
...
Last time, when goblins and hobgoblins were dealt with using 'Magic Tornado' from above at this iron mine, the corpses had to be stored temporarily after parting ways with Mary and the others. Al returned later to place them in a warehouse connected to a button-shaped magic bag and then processed them bit by bit—about a dozen at a time—at the tower's composting facility over an extended period.
The warehouse connected to the button-shaped magic bag was still quite cold, so the decomposition hadn't progressed much. Even so, the work was accompanied by a terrible stench, and Al swore he never wanted to do it again.
This time, Al decided to leave the Barbarians alone without killing them. Instead, he used the 'Record & Play' spell to capture the appearance of what seemed to be Lamia and the state of the smelting area.
Next was sampling from the mountain surface. Stealing samples unnoticed by the goblins collecting nearby wasn't much of a challenge for Al.
The reddish-brown striped areas were supposedly ore rich in iron. While he was at it, Al also photographed the terrain and linked it to the samples.
Careful not to be discovered by the Barbarians, Al spent about an hour gathering samples.
"All right, task complete. I recorded the aerial view too, so we should be good."
'Yeah, now we just need to confirm the route.'
After double-checking with Glee to ensure nothing was forgotten, Al safely left the mining area.
* * *
"I'm back!"
Al returned to Channing Village a little while after sunset. He had been so caught up in checking the route and hunting around Channing Village that he lost track of time.
Of course, on the 'Carrier' spell disk behind him, there was a deer that had been processed and bled out.
"Welcome back!" "Welcome back!" "Glad you're okay." "See? I told you it would be fine."
As Al opened the door, his mother Pamela and sister Lucy rushed over, looking relieved. His father Nelson, brother Jasper, and sister Mary also seemed worried but smiled when they saw Al.
"Sorry for being late. I was hunting on the way back. Should I just leave it by the back storage?"
"Thanks! The meat is probably tough, so let it rest overnight. If possible, hang it up."
"Got it."
"By the way, it's always been like this."
Nelson sighed as he listened to Al and Pamela's exchange.
"So, how was it?"
Ozbert peeked out from behind the family.
"Yeah, the survey went perfectly. But the goblins were definitely there. And there were Barbarians I've never seen before..."
Al moved to the living room with everyone and explained what he had seen, showing them the scenery with a spell.
"Since they were with the goblins, they must be Barbarians. I've never seen them before..."
Nelson and the others tilted their heads in confusion.
"When I was in middle school, I heard from someone about Barbarians who had a human upper body and a snake lower body, and they said that was Lamia. I'm not sure if that's what it is, but if it is, then they would be Barbarians who can use magic. Be careful."
Everyone nodded at Al's words.
"Show this footage to Myron and Neville tomorrow. And for tomorrow's route check, could you take Jasper and Neville with you along with Ozbert? It's better to have multiple people who can actually guide the way."
"Got it, Dad."
Al nodded at Nelson's words.
"Alfred, I'm sorry for putting you through so much trouble this time. I feel like such an unreliable father."
Nelson gave a slightly forlorn smile as he lowered his head to Al.
"What are you talking about? We're all here to help each other, right? Anyway, I'm starving. Let's leave the rest for tomorrow. Mr. Ozbert, sorry for keeping you waiting. Your wife's probably expecting you."
When Al said that, Nelson smiled warmly and patted Al on the head.
"Thanks. Alright, that's enough of the heavy talk. Let's eat."
"Sure. Well then, see you tomorrow…."
Ozbert bowed politely and took his leave. After seeing him off, Al and his family gathered around the dining table, enjoying a rare moment of family togetherness.
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