"What if I get bitten by a monster?" Roland asked. "Would I become like them?" He hoped it wasn't some otherworldly version of Resident Evil. With current technology, extracting viral antigens was impossible.
"Of course not," Iron Axe said with a look of "How could you ask such a question?" "If bitten, they'd just become a corpse." "What about their meat? Is it edible?" Carter exclaimed. "Your Highness! How could such vile creatures be eaten? They're all tainted by the air of hell!" Roland turned to Iron Axe, who nodded. "Your Knight is right. I once cut out the flesh of a vile beast to feed my hounds, and they died shortly after eating it." "Is that so? What a pity." Roland sighed. Food was scarce in this era. If vile beasts were edible, winter would be a month of abundance. Imagine the entire forest's animals running madly toward Border Town, even skipping the hunting tools.
After inspecting the city walls, he decided to visit Nana Wa.
Now, the nearest Noble residence to the city walls has been requisitioned by Roland for use as a field hospital, though officially designated as a medical facility. As a precaution, this area has become the town's most heavily guarded zone outside the walls.
The homeowner had taken all valuables back to the Chōge Fortress, and since Border Town was a place meant for abandonment, this spacious house was completely devoid of decorations—no murals, carpets, or porcelain. Had it not been for the relatively tidy cleaning, it would have looked like a long-abandoned, ownerless dwelling.
Roland penetrated the entire wooden partition wall on the first floor, connecting all rooms except the hallway and entrance hall into a single unit. By arranging ten beds, a makeshift hospital was established. There were no nurses or doctors, and it was unlikely that all ten beds would be utilized—Nanava's treatment required no bed rest but immediate efficacy.
During the day, she remained on standby on the second floor of the hospital, with Anna coming to accompany her when free. Tigu Payne and Brian were assigned to guard the first floor, while two bodyguards were stationed outside the door, ensuring absolute security.
But Roland never expected that the first casualty admitted to the field hospital would not be a militiaman defending the city walls, but a miner from the northern slope.
...
Nail felt his hands shaking.
Hearing the shrill screams of the iron head behind him, he quickened his pace again, almost wishing he could fly.
It was all his own fault, he thought. Damn it, how could he have forgotten Lord Knight's warning back then?
If I'd known, I wouldn't have taken on this massive project!
Ever since this massive black machine was installed at the mine entrance, the miners' work has been much easier.
The most exhausting task was hauling the excavated ore out of the mine. When the ore basket was full, it required three to four people to drag. Typically, two pushed from behind while the others pulled from the front. The originally uneven tunnel floor had been polished smooth by the ore basket over years of mining, and the iron pads at the basket's base needed frequent replacement.
A week ago, Chief Knight had Ironhead and his crew haul up a pile of oddly shaped metal parts to the mountain. After days of fiddling, they finally put it together into a furnace. To Nail's complete surprise, the furnace started moving on its own once lit—not just moving, but with incredible power.
Knight said it was Your Royal Highness's invention, apparently referring to the steam engine.
Just tighten the hemp rope around the ore basket and light the furnace fire, and this massive machine will start humming, turning the winch to swiftly haul the basket out of the mine shaft.
It's incredible!
After demonstrating the steam engine several times, Knight the elder asked Ironhead to pick a candidate to operate it. When the nail was chosen, he was genuinely thrilled. Just standing guard at this machine meant he'd never have to go down the mine to dig stones or push carts again. The last accident had left him terrified.
So he took to heart everything Lord Knight had instructed.
The mechanism is simple: When operating, lift the green-painted lever and press the red one. Knight explained that the green lever controls the intake valve while the red lever operates the exhaust valve, directing steam into the cylinder through pipes. To stop the machine after lifting the mining basket, reverse the action—lift the red lever and press the green one to discharge steam through the boiler's side pipe. Each cycle requires refilling the furnace with water. Though unfamiliar with the valves or cylinder's function, the workers dutifully followed every instruction.
However, Knight emphasized two critical points: First, the sequence must be strictly followed—when starting, the green light must precede the red, and when stopping, the red must precede the green. Any mistake could damage the machine. Second, during exhaust, miners must be cleared first, and a loud shout must be given until the red lever is fully raised.
The first point is so well memorized that you could recite it by heart without looking, but the second point is where the flaw lies.
When he turned off the machine as usual today, there was no one around. He felt that shouting warnings alone looked somewhat foolish, so he quietly went to pull the red lever. The lever was slightly jammed, and he gritted his teeth, exerting considerable effort before finally pulling it.
To his horror, the iron head materialized before the furnace the instant he pulled it up. The miner swore he hadn't seen the machine emerge from nowhere, its thunderous roar drowning out his footsteps. White steam whistled from the exhaust, slamming straight into the iron head's face!
The onlooker froze in terror as the iron-headed creature collapsed backward, clutching its face and writhing in agony. The blood-curdling scream sent shivers down his spine.
Soon, other miners surrounded him, pinning down the rolling Iron Head and forcibly removing his hand. The victim's face was already blurred, with blood seeping from the thoroughly decomposed flesh, and his eyes had turned into white orbs. All present realized that Iron Head was beyond saving.
Tears welled up in God's eyes as he turned around. Ironhead had always been considerate of him, assigning him less work than others due to his young age, yet never failing to pay his wages. However, this accident was caused by his negligence.
In the midst of grief and anxiety, the nail suddenly remembered Lord Knight's warning: if anyone in the mining area got injured, they could take the injured to the nearby city wall, where a newly opened medical facility was located.
Although he knew in his heart that such severe injuries were incurable—the wound was too extensive for herbal remedies to be effective, and it would only continue to rot, followed by systemic high fever and imminent coma—he still shouldered the iron head, disregarding the astonishment of those around him, clenched his teeth, and ran toward the foot of the mountain.
If he does nothing and just watches the iron head die, he may never forgive himself.