Chapter 294: Before daybreak

[My lord, Reinhart-sama is calling.]

Reinhart was calling Jin using the mana cam.

“It’s Jin, what’s up?”

[Ooh, Jin! Sorry for today!]

“That’s what you’re calling about? I didn’t really mind.”

He had thought something might have happened but was relieved to find out he was wrong.

[Matheus didn’t have any ill intention. He just misunderstood a bit.]

“Misunderstood?”

Jin wondered if he did anything which could be misunderstood.

“What did he misunderstand?”

And when he asked, Reinhart laughed and answered,

[That you and I are in a love relationship…]

“Eeehhhh?!”

[Right? Hilarious.]

But Jin couldn’t laugh. He didn’t think Matheus would have such a misunderstanding.

“I-it’s all cleared up now, right?”

[Of course.]

“…Then it’s fine.”

[Well, either way, I will try not to trouble you with these from now on.]

They gossiped for a while after which Reinhart cut the call.

“…I am tired.”

Mentally exhausted, Jin decided get into the hot spring once again.

“…Haa”

Stretching out his limbs in the hot water, he murmured to himself,

“Shorou Empire, eh… Sounds fun.”

＊ ＊ ＊

“Gyaaa!”

“I-it’s a rebellion!”

“The criminals have escaped!”

On the afternoon of the same day, the Inado mine’s administrative building was filled with agonizing cries. The item keeping the criminals in check was the ‘Criminals’ collar’. This was an item equipped onto the criminal with which one can inflict pain on the wearer by pouring a specific mana into it.

And to pour that specific mana, a specific magic item is required.

Two of those magic items, the dominators, were set up in case of unforeseen circumstances but they were rendered useless somehow.

“Hyahahaah! Free! We are free!”

“Go, go! We will head for the north!”

“Don’t even go south by mistake! There are soldiers there!”

52 of these criminals descended the mountain with pickaxes, hammers and clubs in their hands. After going down for about 20 kilometers, the Toka v