Chapter 22 ….
“This… this person? The mine caretaker?”
“They say these are the ghosts that watch over the mine.”
Mine ghosts?
Ghost mine?
The spirit, whose head had somehow returned to normal, stared at me with a faint, blurred face.
Just looking at it made the hair on my arms stand on end, giving me goosebumps, but upon closer inspection, its vague shape almost looked like a cute little character.
“These are the main ghosts of the mine. Even while the Demon Lord was asleep, they steadily collected gold here.”
“…They collected gold?”
“I was going to exorcise them if they were malicious spirits, but since they weren’t evil, I didn’t. Instead, I just listened to them.”
So, according to Joanna, these ghosts are actually benevolent spirits?
“…Are they like monsters?”
“No. They’re just spirits.”
Since they weren’t monsters, they didn’t count toward the score in my dungeon.
They were just beings that had long existed alongside the mine.
Beings that had coexisted with the land and cared for it.
I hesitated, staring at the ghost.
The pale, eyeless creature stared right back at me.
“…I’m sorry for punching your face.”
When I apologized, the ghost smiled faintly.
Ugh. Still scary, though.
While I shivered slightly, the ghost suddenly turned and headed somewhere.
“Let’s follow it.”
Following Joanna’s words, we trailed behind the ghost. Han Hyunjin came along as well.
“I heard it also guarded the most important room in this mine?”
Ah.
It was referring to the secret room where my treasures were kept.
It had been guarding it for a hundred years.
Thinking about that, I felt even more guilty for punching its face.
“So the ghosts helped us when we collapsed earlier too.”
“….”
Han Hyunjin, naturally acting as if he were part of the group, followed along and spoke.
Anyone seeing him might think he was a local.
Come to think of it, when we first entered the mine, he even grabbed my hand—pretending to be Joanna—when I was scared.
Maybe he’s not that bad…?
The ghost stopped in front of a door along the long corridor and waved its white hand, signaling us to enter.
I hesitated but grasped the door handle.
The moment I opened the door, I gasped in surprise.
“Wow, it’s really gold.”
So that’s what they meant by collecting gold for a hundred years.
A cart was filled with flat stacks of gold.
How much could this be worth?
Would it be enough to easily buy a house in the capital?
“By the way, after a hundred years, is this all the gold you collected?”
When I asked, the ghost nodded shyly.
I guess being a ghost made the work difficult.
It’s like in ghost movies where even picking up a small pen is shown to be incredibly hard.
Thinking about that made me feel strangely moved.
I approached the cart and grabbed a gold ingot.
It was slightly smaller than my palm.
At first, I had just wanted to own a mine and live comfortably.
I had intended to spend the gold extravagantly, like a reckless rich person…
I glanced at the ghost while holding the ingot. It hovered in the air, looking puzzled.
“This…”
“?”
“I’ll use it carefully. I won’t waste it.”
I had originally planned to cover my castle in gold, but my heart changed. This gold had been gathered through a hundred years of hard work by the ghosts, and I didn’t want to squander it.
“This gold… the gold you collected… I’ll use it wisely for the villagers here. Don’t worry.”
Then, after hesitating a moment, I continued.
“You’ve worked hard all this time.”
I tentatively patted its semi-transparent, misty form, like one would pat a human head.
“!”
The ghost’s misty body shivered as if clapping.
This creature… the more I looked at it, the more I thought it had a surprisingly cute side…
I was already starting to feel attached, and that could be dangerous.
I ordered the orcs to take enough gold for the next few months, then turned around.
Han Hyunjin was staring at me intently with his arms crossed.
Huh? What’s with that?
Since when had he been staring like that?
“What is it? Why?”
I asked brusquely, but his expression didn’t change.
Well, I already knew he didn’t talk much.
“Just…”
“Huh?”
Han Hyunjin’s gaze lingered on my face. Then, suddenly, he asked:
“Aren’t you hungry?”
“What? No, I just ate tteokbokki.”
Who does he think I am—a pig!?
I got angry, then looked around. Secretly, I had finished all the food Han Hyunjin had brought.
“I’ll bring some next time.”
Han Hyunjin quietly looked at my face and shamelessly promised a “next time.”
In the past, I might have yelled, asking if this was his house or what…
“Well, fine then.”
I now had no reason to avoid him.
Han Hyunjin—if only for the peace of my dungeon—I would make sure he obeyed me.
I smiled at him with utmost confidence.
“Demon Lord, where have you been?”
It was now late at night after returning from the ghost mine.
Despite the late hour, villagers had gathered at the Demon Lord’s castle, bustling with activity.
The reason? Gold.
Although the ghosts’ mining over a hundred years had been meager, gold was still gold.
Even just a palm-sized piece could do a lot!
Watching the children play with the gold, I called Griffith over.
“Tomorrow, take a piece of gold and go to the kingdom to buy fertilizer and meat.”
“Yes, Demon Lord.”
“It would be nice to get livestock too, but there’s no barn… And since the continent is at war, the orcs should stay here. Joanna, your face is well-known, so stay here. The puppet troupe people and Griffith will go. Can you protect them?”
“Yes, Demon Lord.”
Naturally, the puppet troupe people went shopping.
Even though the war continued, Griffith’s presence ensured safety.
“Still, we must be careful, since you’ll be carrying gold.”
“Leave it to me!”
“And here’s a new member.”
I took out the mirror to introduce it to everyone—the talking mirror I had met in the mine.
“This one is now a servant of our castle. You know how hard it is to see the king in person, right? If trivial matters arise, don’t ask me—just follow this one’s instructions.”
“Yes, understood!”
[Greetings. Everyone follow me!]
I hung the proud mirror on the castle wall.
“And finally, that hunter.”
Han Hyunjin had returned via a gate as soon as he left the mine.
After hearing the mirror servant’s instructions, my thoughts about Han Hyunjin had changed a lot.
“Han Hyunjin is allowed to enter our dungeon from now on. Ahem… well, he’s already doing it freely, but… I officially permit it in the Demon Lord’s name!”
The villagers murmured at my words.
The children seemed to notice the benefit.
After all, how could a child hate an adult who buys delicious things?
No one seemed to hate Han Hyunjin blindly.
Even the puppet troupe people nodded.
“At first, I thought he was really scary, but he seems to have a conscience.”
“That’s right. I heard he’s helped the Demon Lord several times!”
“I never thought he was a bad person from the start. He’s handsome too. And his body is nice.”
Wait, why are they talking about his face all of a sudden? Is being handsome everything? Don’t they know being too handsome comes with responsibilities?
Even though I had permitted it, the villagers accepted it immediately, which made me feel strangely rebellious.
I pouted at them.
“What about me? Am I not handsome?”
“Oh, Demon Lord, you’re the most handsome in the world! That hunter guy is second.”
Griffith, who had been thinking until the end, nodded.
“Indeed! If he’s that strong, it’s better to have him as an ally than an enemy.”
“I agree.”
“Absolutely! We will follow the Demon Lord’s will.”
“But that doesn’t mean he’ll live in our village. Think of him as a friend of the king.”
“Yes!”
“Story’s over. Go home and sleep. It’s late.”
Since the ones going shopping early tomorrow had been chosen, I sent everyone home to sleep.
Then, Gyu approached.
“Kyu. Kyu.”
“Huh? You’re sleeping with me tonight?”
Yeah, he seemed to have gotten too friendly with the villagers anyway.
I had been patient, letting him interact with them, or I might have been a bit upset.
I gladly picked up Gyu and headed to the bedroom. The sun had set, and it was dim, but it wasn’t time to sleep yet.
“Actually, there’s still some work to do.”
“Kyu?”
I petted Gyu’s soft, plump body, recalling another ‘reward’ we had received from the mine.
