"One reason I needed you to be a noble before I told you about this is because of the local lord near Widow's Dungeon. He locked down the dungeon forcefully and he's been doing his best to obstruct me. He's a Count, unfortunately, which means he outranks you. If I could have made you an Earl, I would have. However, as a fellow lord under the direct order of royalty, he won't be able to obstruct you from entering the dungeon with your party. If I had sent you as just an adventurer, he might have."
"Ah… another Lord Tibult, huh?"
"Lord Tibult was childish and had a superiority complex, but as far as nobles go, he's about as loyal as they come. This man, his name is Lord Reign, may be a traitor to the throne. I suspect his recent arrogance is a result of the mine. He sees profit in it and fears the throne is trying to take it away from him. He may even be colluding with an outside source."
"What kind of mine is it?"
"Orichalcum."
I whistled. "Seriously?"
"Mm… to make matters worse, the Imperial Cloud Meadow border isn't too far away. If they find out about it, they may attack. That is why this all needs to be handled quickly and quietly. Of course, if you succeed, I will have the King promote you to Count. Since the mine falls on the edge of your new territory, you will also take a cut of the profits and even get access to a small percentage of the orichalcum. That should be more than enough to stabilize the Deekson territory for several decades."
"You mentioned some trouble with the Cloud Meadow…"
"Yeah, I'm just being prepared. That Slave Master is likely to cause some trouble."
"He's alive?"
"Well, I didn't resurrect him!" the Prince responded with a snort. "However, a man like him assuredly had life insurance."
That was right. If he had life insurance, then he might have been resurrected only a few moments after his death. If he reported his findings to the government, that would cause trouble. I was already worried about it.
"In truth, I'm not against looking for the King, but I'm honestly very short on money at the moment. I can generate my own funds, but that might take a few weeks."
"I see… well, it can't be helped." The Prince pulled out a bag and dropped it on the table with a clang. "It's 50 gold coins. That's actually my personal allowance. Any money I took from the treasury in an official capacity would have to be reported, you see?"
"Oh, I understand… I won't waste it." I took the bag quickly.
He looked a bit like he didn't want to give it up, so I made sure to pocket it out of sight. Well, since it was his own pocket money, it probably hurt a bit more giving it away.
"Then, I've already set it up with the Adventuring Guild. Today, a Blue Mage will be able to send you to the city near the Widow's Dungeon, Alerith.
"Today!" I made a surprised noise.
"I would send you now, but I wanted to give you time to get your affairs in order. Make sure to stop by the Slavers Guild as well. Ah… and it'd be best if you didn't speak about the mine or the King, even to Lord Reign. I can't tell you what he knows."
"I understand." I nodded.
It looked like I was off to the dungeons again.