"You…" Edmund was rendered speechless. He pointed at Lynch for a long moment before finally letting out a heavy sigh. "Fine. I'll go back and discuss this with the legion commander. You, kid… you really don't give an inch, do you?"
"You flatter me." Lynch beamed. "If I were too agreeable, all those old sly dogs would have chewed me up and spit me out by now, leaving nothing behind!"
Edmund shot Lynch another irritated glare.
＊＊＊＊＊＊
「At the same time, in the West Ridge Mines.」
Inside the dark, damp mine, the torchlight flickered, casting wavering shadows on the rock walls. The ceaseless CLINK-CLANK of pickaxes filled the air, punctuated by the harsh shouts of the overseers.
Fritz von Hohenlohe stood on a raised platform. He was dressed in a set of practical gray clothes, a leather whip and a notebook tucked at his waist, as he supervised a group of newly arrived teachers performing their mining duties.
