"FIRE IN THE HOLE!!!"
Alaric yelled from a distance, his axe pointed at the giant wall sealing the path of the mining cave.
Behind him were other workers, and in front of the boulder was Aurora, her arms stretched towards the wall, with the other resting on her waist.
Snapping her fingers, a spark shot out from her fingers and charged towards the wall.
Boom!
It exploded upon impact, leaving a massive hole in the wall, along with debris flying all around.
"You did it, Aurora!"
Alaric yelled from behind, immediately sprinting towards the wall that was blinded by the dust aftermath.
He placed his hands on Aurora's shoulder, a smile on his face as he spoke—
"Good girl. You did really well. Don't be exhausted yet, okay? We still have four more holes to burst open. Don't go giving up on me now..."
As he said those words, Aurora couldn't help but give a nervous chuckle. Other than the fact that the workers in the mining ground couldn't keep their eyes off her sexy, alluring body, her master was also working her to the bone, even though she had only just acquired her human body.
"Now then..."
Alaric turned his gaze towards the newly opened cave.
The amount of toxic gas leaking from the place was apparent. But thanks to the holes and pipes Alaric and the construction team had run through the place, oxygen and any other dangerous gas were not an issue.
Step!
Alaric moved closer to the opened space.
"Be careful, Young Master!"
"Please let us do it instead!"
"Yeah! We can scout the area ourselves!"
The workers all yelled, each one eager to help their lord.
"Keep quiet! I'm trying to concentrate here!"
Alaric responded, standing still in front of the hole, before giving a side look to the workers.
"Are you trying to take all the honor from your Lord? Don't think I don't know what you are all planning. I'll handle it myself; I don't need your help. You just wait there for my next order," he spoke.
The look on the faces of the workers was priceless, barely able to feel any ounce of remorse for their lord anymore.
[Your workers feel disgusted.]
Alaric sighed.
'Far better than having them die because I couldn't take the first step.'
He said to himself as he turned his gaze back at the hole.
He remembered a time when he and his friends went on a school mission in his former world. Those who were in charge of the squad always had to take responsibility for the followers.
If a single follower was injured, the leader of the squad would be punished for it. In their own understanding, those you lead become your responsibility.
Alaric carried the same mentality.
'I can already feel the energy from this place. There's definitely a rare material in here, I just have to—'
"Master!"
Aurora suddenly grabbed Alaric by the collar and, with a single tug, sent him flying towards her.
Almost instantly, the giant head of a snake shot out of the cave, its mouth snapping with intense power, leaving a small boom in the air.
"Eh?"
Alaric was shocked. There was a huge snake now slipping out of the cave.
Compared to the expressions on the workers, who were already shivering in fear, Alaric's was somewhat calm.
'A monster... I knew we'd find creatures hiding inside these caves, but I didn't expect it to be a giant snake.'
Alaric watched as Aurora protectively stood in front of him.
[Name: Cave Snake.
Occupation: Hunting.
Special skill: Swift jaw attack.
Relationship: Null.]
The profile hovered above the head of the snake.
If Ava was around, he would have her and Aurora battle the snake monster. But since she wasn't, he knew it would be difficult for just his summon to protect every worker in the mining ground.
Their safety came first—above all else.
So, he immediately turned to everyone who was in the cave—
"Quick! Exit the cave right now!!! Your safety should be your top priority!!!" he yelled.
Almost like they didn't need to be told, the workers began to run out of the cave, yelling and screaming as they sprinted forward.
Ava, who was still helping the construction crew outside chop down trees, heard the screams of the workers as they ran out of the cave.
'Lord Alaric?!'
He was the first person to pop up in her head.
She immediately dropped the axe she was using to chop down the trees and raced towards the cave after picking up her sword.
Just as she was getting close, she could see some of the workers that had been working with Alaric inside the mining cave begin to run out.
They looked terrified, not an expression one could see and feel relaxed about.
"What happened? Why are you all running away?!" Ava asked, stopping for a while.
"Lady Ava, it's good to see you. The Young Master...he...he..." stammered the worker.
"He what?!"
"He's battling a giant cave snake. It's really dangerous. We wanted to help, but he ordered us to run away. Please, you're the only one that can save him."
The words of the workers, added by the longing expressions on the rest of their faces, were enough to convince Ava about the scenario.
Leaving aside the fact it was almost impossible to believe that Alaric would sacrifice himself for someone else... she was still worried about him.
If he were to get hurt... or worse...
—Grip!
Her fingers wrapped around the hilt of her blade.
"Okay! If there are any injured, attend to them immediately!"
Ava's last orders echoed as she sprinted inside the mining cave.
Her goal was simple.
Kill the cave snake and save her master from dying.
...
[A\N: Thank you all for the supportive comments. It really meant a lot to me. I'm feeling better now.
Happy new month.
Shall we pick off from where we were?]