Chapter 24: Bonds and Discoveries
Hawk dismounted and lifted Fine by the waist, setting her gently on the ground.
He then approached Carl, who was behind them.
“Carl, the markers.”
“Yes, sir.”
At Hawk’s command, Carl briskly drove stakes into the spot Fine had indicated.
“Let’s start a test dig.
Everyone.”
At Hawk’s order, about ten subordinates with shovels gathered around the stakes.
Seeing this, Val blinked in surprise.
“They want to dig for ore?
Like I said before, this isn’t gold.”
Val said, hands on hips, eyeing the group.
“I know.
We want this ore.”
Fine explained.
“That rock’s valuable?”
“Yes.
It’s called iron ore, and it’s very precious.”
“Huh.
Alright, I’ll help with the digging.”
“Really?”
“Yup.
That guy seems to care about you, so he’s alright.”
Val pointed at Hawk, giving orders to his men.
‘Care about me, huh…’
Val often called Banaji “that jerk who bullies Fine,” but he had the opposite impression of Hawk.
It was curious to think others saw it that way.
Hawk did respect Fine as his countess, supporting her efforts.
They dined together, and he never belittled her.
‘If I hadn’t overheard about Sherry that first day, I might’ve believed it too.’
Fine still hadn’t met Sherry, Hawk’s lover.
Anna mentioned she was occasionally in the kitchen, so Fine could meet her there, but she didn’t know what to say.
From the overheard conversation, Sherry was Hawk’s “lifesaver,” possibly a woman who nursed him during wartime injuries.
‘But there’s no sign of him visiting her.
When does he see her?
Have they broken up?’
They dined together every night and shared a bedroom.
Both were busy with work during the day, so when could he meet his lover?
“Fine, you okay?
You’re spacing out.”
Hawk’s voice snapped her back, his face close, looking puzzled.
“Sorry, I got lost in thought.
The earth spirit says it’ll help with the digging.”
“Really?
That’s a huge help.”
Hawk’s face lit up.
Reaching a vein was the hardest part of mining.
Even with Rosaider’s strong warriors, it was no small task.
“Val, can you do it?”
“Leave it to me!
Step back a bit.”
Val puffed out his chest and nodded confidently, raising both hands to the ground.
The earth rumbled, a large crack formed at Val’s feet, and the ground collapsed, revealing a three-meter-wide hole.
“Incredible.
This is the power of an earth spirit?”
Hawk murmured, amazed.
“Carl, check the hole.”
“Yes, sir.”
Carl jumped in, touched the ground, and looked up.
“There’s ore-like stone here.”
He held up a piece about ten centimeters wide.
“Hand it over.”
“Yes.”
Carl tossed it upward, and Hawk caught it, examining it closely.
“It does look like the iron ore you brought, Fine.”
“Told ya.
Who do you think I am?
I don’t make mistakes.”
Val boasted.
“To think such a thing was buried in our land.
The power of spirits is truly remarkable.”
“Right?
I’m awesome.
Keep the praise coming!”
Val, delighted by the compliments, spoke energetically to Hawk, who couldn’t hear him.
Yet their words meshed like a conversation.
The scene was amusing, and Fine couldn’t help but giggle.
“Is the spirit saying something?”
Hawk asked, noticing her reaction with a curious look.