On the first day that Roman received permission from Jacob to work, the miners showed their displeasure upon hearing the news.
"Did you hear? Dmitri's young master is starting work at the iron mine today?"
"Roman Dmitri? Why?"
"I don't know the reason. What I do know is that he'll probably just pretend to work."
No one responded positively.
It was only natural.
If he was not a real laborer, Roman's very presence would be uncomfortable.
He was not just any commoner; he was the heir of the Dmitri family.
How could they work comfortably under someone who belonged to the family they served?
In this predictable situation, the miners expressed their grievances one after another.
In particular, the veteran miner Morcan reacted especially harshly.
"Lord Dmitri has lost his touch. It's fine to train his son as a successor, but if that was his intention, he should have done it long ago. Until now, he has only cared for the blacksmiths while neglecting us miners. The three heirs of Dmitri learned how to handle iron in the forge since they were children, but they have never once learned how to work in the iron mine. This attitude is proof that Lord Dmitri discriminates against us."
"Isn't that a bit of an exaggeration?"
"Exaggeration? The very foundation of Dmitri is the iron mine, yet all the glory goes to the blacksmiths!"
Morcan had pent-up feelings about this.
The city known for mining, Dmitri, was clearly dominated by miners, yet only the blacksmiths were recognized for their value.
Of course, it wasn't that Baron Romero completely neglected them.
He did create a work environment suitable for miners, but he showed a somewhat discriminatory attitude when it came to the heirs.
The iron mine and the forge were both roots of Dmitri, yet the decision to send the heirs only to the forge did not sit well with him.
"Roman Dmitri may have been forced to come here against his will, but I have no intention of treating him well just because he is the young master of Dmitri. You all should remember this. The value of our work is determined by our attitude. So don’t just bow your heads blindly; show Roman Dmitri how hard and exhausting work in the iron mine can be. Only then will our voices reach higher up."
"I understand."
"Morcan is right. Let's show the young master of Dmitri what we can do."
Hendrick's thoughts were correct.
The miners were not welcoming of Roman's presence.
Early in the morning, Roman dressed and headed to the iron mine.
There was no welcoming ceremony for him.
Everyone was busy yawning from lack of sleep, and with tired faces, they donned their helmets and lined up.
It was a scene typical of the iron mine.
After a brief warm-up, the miners followed the orders of Jacob, the master of the iron mine.
"Always remember. Safety is our top priority in the iron mine. We come here today to earn money, suppressing our fatigue. I will do my utmost to ensure you all return home safely, so I hope you will follow the rules."
"Yes!"
"Understood!"
After the morning assembly, the miners moved busily.
Roman thought he would be mining iron like everyone else, but Jacob called him aside and said,
"Young master, please follow the transport team and help carry dirt and iron ore. This is not a special privilege. We cannot assign the task of mining to a beginner like you, so you can help with this simple task. If you try to overexert yourself just to avoid the gazes of others and get hurt, it would be troublesome for us as well. So please, work safely and carefully."
Jacob was not particularly pleased either.
He had to ask Roman to work, but even while speaking, he could not hide his anxious expression.
Roman complied with the order without complaint.
Here, as Jacob said, he was just a beginner.
Roman followed the others, and after descending for a while through the tunnels, he finally reached his destination.
"Come on, move quickly."
"If we want to meet our quota, we need to work diligently."
Creaking sounds echoed as the senior miners began to load dirt and iron ore into carts.
Roman quietly assisted them.
He approached first to help move the dirt and iron ore, and when the cart was full, he pulled it outside.
From then on, it was a repetitive cycle of simple tasks.
At first, those who felt burdened by working alongside Roman soon focused on their own tasks as he dedicated himself to work.
'The system is definitely well-organized.'
The mining city was not just a hollow title.
People swiftly transported the continuously pouring dirt and iron ore, distinguishing between those who loaded and those who moved.
Outside, they organized what had been brought in and transported it to other locations.
The division of labor was clear, and while working, Roman observed the tunnels and found the safety measures to be quite good.
Iron and wooden pillars were set up everywhere to prevent collapses, and there were rails on the ground for the carts to move along.
Decades of history.
This was a place where the legacy of Dmitri had accumulated.
Even while working, Roman organized what he saw and heard in his mind.
'To plan for the future, I need to understand the land I live on.
How do the people of Dmitri live? What kind of power does Dmitri possess? And what can I do in this land? Experiencing the daily life of Dmitri will surely help me.'
Experiencing daily life was Roman's way.
Others might not understand why he acted this way, but Roman believed this process was necessary.
On the first day, he could not learn much.
As he worked up a sweat, the sun began to set, and thus, a day in the iron mine came to an end.
On the third day, Roman received an explanation about iron ore from a miner.
"The reason Dmitri iron is highly regarded is not simply because it is well processed in the forge. The quality of the iron ore itself is top-notch, so when the people of the Cairo Kingdom hear 'Dmitri iron,' they recognize its value. Furthermore, Dmitri does not trade iron ore. All iron ore from the mine is processed and sold directly by Dmitri. Usually, significant losses occur in the distribution process of obtaining iron ore, but since Dmitri handles both mining and processing with its own workforce, it can only lead to high profits. That’s why they call your family wealthy."
The miner's voice was filled with pride.
What he said was information Roman already knew.
However, hearing the explanation from a miner working on-site made him think that the scale might be larger than he had imagined.
'To handle the entire process of obtaining and distributing materials with the territory's workforce.
Moreover, with the premium of top-quality iron ore processed by Dmitri's blacksmiths, Dmitri iron commands a higher price than others.
The wealth accumulated over decades could be more impressive than I expected.
But Dmitri's wealth is not mine.
As the heir of the family, there is a limit to the money I can receive, so I need to find what I can do for this land.'
It felt like a past life.
Baek Jung-hyeok had used his status and background as the successor of the Demon Cult to gain power and eventually rise to the position of the Heavenly Demon.
It was no different now.
Rather than waiting for scraps to fall as a mere successor, he intended to find what he could obtain directly.
To do this, he came to the iron mine.
The daily life of Dmitri would provide Roman with solutions, and with the results obtained, he planned to create his own 'power.'
Something separate from the family.
Although it originated from the family, struggling alone with a significant background would be a foolish decision.
There were many questions.
How much iron ore is buried? What is the daily production? Roman wanted to ask the miner more questions, but Morcan, passing nearby, showed an uncomfortable expression.
"Young master. This is not a place for idle chatter. If you want to work, then work; if you don’t, please don’t disturb others and leave. We need to work diligently to meet our daily quota."
"Cough."
At Morcan's reprimand, the miner who had been talking to Roman left with an awkward expression.
Morcan, thinking Roman would be angry, glared at him defiantly.
However,
"I'm sorry. I'll focus on work."
Roman took a step back.
Perhaps it was because of his unexpected reaction.
Morcan couldn't take his eyes off Roman for a while as he returned to focusing on his work.
A week had passed since he started working.
Every day, sweating profusely, Roman worked alongside the miners of Dmitri and was able to see and hear many things in the process.
Yet, it still felt insufficient.
In fact, it was a problem that could be solved through conversations with other miners, but no one was willing to approach him.
'Is this the territorialism of this field?'
From the first day, Roman realized he was being ostracized.
The miners intentionally distanced themselves from him, and even if they exchanged a few words, as Morcan pointed out, others would interfere.
Whether it was territorialism or some other special reason, he did not bother to find out.
No matter how much it was their territory, if they dared to ostracize the heir of Dmitri on Dmitri's land, he thought it was not a problem that could be solved through conversation.
He simply endured.
Since he had entered first to work, Roman chose to bow his head and cooperate rather than hold his head high as the heir.
Beep!
"Lunch time! Everyone, come outside!"
The break was like a knife.
Baron Romero, being of commoner origin, understood the hardships of the workers and perfectly guaranteed their breaks and quitting time.
At the sound announcing the break, people stopped their work and immediately went outside.
Roman did the same.
Instead of bringing along the luxurious food he had at home, he sat down on the dirt floor without a care and filled his stomach with plain bread and soup.
At first, everyone looked at him with curiosity.
Even though the food was somewhat barren for a noble young master, Roman ate it all without a single grimace.
'This is enough.'
In his past life, Roman had experienced worse situations.
During the training of the Demon Cult, there was a trial called the Trial of the Hungry Ghost, where one had to endure a month without food, and during that time, he had eaten everything he could find, including bugs and snakes.
Bread and soup? There was nothing better to fill his stomach.
Roman stuffed food into his mouth, and soon the soup was gone.
At that moment, just as he was finishing up, someone plopped down in front of him.
"May I ask you one question?"
It was none other than Morcan.
When Roman nodded, Morcan, who had been looking at him with discontent for a week, finally asked a personal question.
"I now understand your sincerity, young master. But why are you working here?"
Over the past few days, Morcan had no choice but to acknowledge that Roman was different from what he had thought.