The reason Morcan held a prejudice was simple.
He had never cared about the iron mine before.
He did not know why Roman had decided to work, but he could not view Roman's behavior favorably.
"He thinks the work of miners is a joke. We toil every day, shedding blood and sweat, dedicating our lives to this iron mine, yet Roman Dmitri acts as if he is just out for a picnic. If he had gone to the forge with such a mindset, Master Hendrick would have surely given him a good scolding."
Jacob was a reasonable man.
He was not pleased with either Roman's acceptance or his decision to work.
On the first day, Morcan was on edge.
He deliberately worked near the point where Roman was working, keeping an eye on him to see if he would slack off.
However, to his surprise, Roman worked diligently.
He had thought Roman would only pretend to work and waste time, but Roman was as enthusiastic as the other workers, fulfilling his quota.
It was unexpected.
He was truly working hard.
Occasionally, Morcan caught him chatting, but that was not a significant issue.
"Did he really come to help out at the iron mine? Or did Lord Dmitri order him to experience the hardships like us as part of his heir training? I cannot understand the former, and the latter is a side of him I have never seen before. Rodwell Dmitri, the second son of the Dmitri family, has never once shown his face at the iron mine despite enduring various hardships at the forge since childhood. If even a prominent heir has never done this, what could be the reason for Roman Dmitri to do so now?"
It was strange, no matter how he thought about it.
It seemed like a purposeless endeavor.
Initially, he thought it was simply heir training, but that did not completely resolve his doubts.
Then one day, Morcan heard a shocking statement.
"I heard from a servant working at the estate that Lord Dmitri never ordered Roman Dmitri to work at the iron mine. I don't know why Roman is putting himself through this, but it seems it is not due to any external pressure."
The words of those around him were shocking.
Not due to external pressure.
Until now, he had viewed Roman through a lens of prejudice, but upon hearing that, Roman's image changed in his eyes.
"…What on earth."
A week passed.
Roman was indeed diligent.
He mingled well with the workers, and not a single person had any complaints about his work attitude.
The grievances expressed on the first day faded away in an instant.
By lowering his status, eating the same food, and working just like everyone else, it was impossible not to like him if there was no malice involved.
His reputation changed.
People began to say that Roman Dmitri was better than they had expected.
Whenever they gathered in groups, they would glance at Roman and their attitudes gradually became more favorable.
In such a situation, Morcan could not suppress his curiosity.
Among the three heirs of the Dmitri family, he wanted to find out what purpose and thoughts Roman Dmitri had for visiting the iron mine.
So, he approached Roman for the first time.
"May I ask you one thing?" A question about his purpose.
Roman looked at Morcan and replied, "What would you like to hear, the ideal answer or the realistic one?" It was an unexpected response.
Morcan had thought he would explain his reasons in detail, but Roman's choice left him in thought.
Ideal and reality.
Morcan wanted to know everything.
"Can't you tell me both?" "Then let me start with the ideal answer."
Ideal.
As he had told Hans, it was a sweet word.
"Dmitri is a city of mining. Just as the people of Lawrence make a living through agriculture, the people of Dmitri take work in the iron mine as their livelihood. So, I wanted to experience people's daily lives firsthand. I wanted to understand what it means to live as a person of Dmitri. Understanding people through dead knowledge known only from afar is not enough; I wanted to know the reality by working alongside them."
"…Is it really necessary?" "It is necessary. As long as my surname is Dmitri, it is something I must do."
Roman's answer was ideal.
It was exactly what a leader should say, and in that moment, Morcan felt his wariness towards Roman completely dissolve.
Then what was the realistic answer?
"The realistic reason stems from the fact that I am not the master of Dmitri. Even if Dmitri has amassed great wealth, it is not mine; it belongs to my father. Therefore, I intend to find out how much wealth Dmitri has accumulated, exactly how the work is done, and what I, as the firstborn of Dmitri, can do in that process."
"What do you mean? If your father is the master of Dmitri, then this land ultimately belongs to you, does it not?" "No."
Father and son.
Blood relations.
However, that does not mean inheriting everything from the father.
The previous Heavenly Demon had twelve children.
While he passed on the background of being a descendant of the Heavenly Demon to his son, to achieve something, it had to be earned directly.
At that moment, he realized that even between father and son, they were ultimately still others.
To take as much as he wanted from his father, a fair price was necessary.
"I will ask you. If I were to demand hundreds of gold from my father right now, how do you think the lord of Dmitri would react?" "Of course, he would ask for a reason. Hundreds of gold is certainly not a small amount."
"That is the reason I came to the iron mine. If I can find something I can do for Dmitri in the daily life of Dmitri, I will have the right to justly demand 'my share' from my father. That is both a privilege as a son and a way to claim my rights. I will need a lot of money and people for the things I plan to do in the future. Rather than cultivating it one by one from scratch, I believe it is wise to utilize my father's background and wealth."
It was an exceedingly honest answer.
Ideals were just ideals.
Roman clearly stated that he had a purpose.
Truly, it was an absurdly bold answer, and Morcan could not help but laugh.
"Hahaha, so that was the reason. To justly demand what belongs to your father, you must pay a price. I never expected that. I simply thought young master Roman came to the iron mine for heir training, but I could not comprehend your deeper intentions."
He laughed heartily, exposing his throat.
Roman's answer could have been displeasing.
After all, it meant he intended to use the work at the iron mine, but Morcan interpreted Roman's words differently.
"Young master Roman came to the iron mine to do work for Dmitri. That means the work we miners do is that important, and he must have thought it worthwhile to get dirty and work hard. Good. If that is the case, there is no reason to stop him."
Recognizing their value was enough for the miners.
They sought acknowledgment from others.
Unbeknownst to them, grievances about discrimination had built up, and it all erupted upon meeting Roman.
However, Roman acknowledged the value of the iron mine and intended to utilize it.
How pleasing it was to hear such words.
For this reason, Morcan was more than willing to be used.
Morcan said, "So what are you curious about? I will answer everything to the best of my knowledge."
From the first day until now, it was the first moment Morcan, who had been consistently hostile, lowered his guard.
From then on, the conversation flowed smoothly.
Roman asked many questions.
The amount of iron ore deposits, daily production, and the methods of production and distribution, and so on.
Morcan answered diligently to the endless questions.
"People say Dmitri's iron mine is the largest in the kingdom. But in reality, it is not just that; it could be called the largest on the continent. The Cairo Kingdom is located in the northeast of the continent, and Dmitri lies at the very northeastern edge of it.
People refer to Dmitri as the end of the continent, but that is not the case. The numerous mountain ranges beyond the northeast do not allow people to tread, and thus, people had no choice but to draw borders based on Dmitri. And those mountain ranges are the source of Dmitri's wealth.
It is an unknown world, so it has not been developed recklessly, but according to what I have learned, there are still dozens of iron mines that have not yet been developed."
It was astonishing information.
Beyond the northeast.
That endless mountain range could truly be said to be the source that created present-day Dmitri.
Countless iron mines, top-grade iron ore, and even the technology to process it.
Dmitri had all the conditions to amass wealth.
He understood that the scale of wealth was tremendous.
But this was beyond imagination.
"The great tycoons of the northeastern region. People say Dmitri's wealth is endless, but it seems they have not fully grasped Dmitri's potential. If I present a justifiable reason and price, it means my father has the ability to support it fully."
Morcan's words did not end there.
When asked about the daily production, he replied, "In fact, compared to the conditions we have, the production is not very high. That is why we do not sell iron ore; the working environment is too dangerous. In trying to work safely, it is only natural that the speed slows down, which directly results in decreased production."
"From my experience, I think we have sufficient safety facilities."
"That is correct. Lord Dmitri has provided a lot of support to ensure we work as safely as possible, but mining is still dangerous. The mountain ranges in the northeast occasionally experience earthquakes. Each time, the tunnels might collapse, so we cannot go too deep, and if an accident occurs, we have no choice but to halt work for days. However, this is not a problem that can be solved easily. How can mere humans prevent natural disasters?"
It was a realistic problem.
Despite having the best conditions, Dmitri could not fully utilize them due to safety issues.
And that was the kind of answer Roman had been waiting for.
Safety issues.
An attractive point.
Roman asked, "If we were to solve the safety issues, how much profit could Dmitri gain?"
"I cannot say for certain, but I am confident that production could increase by at least 50% compared to now. The reason we do not deploy excessive personnel in the iron mine is that we cannot ensure safety. We send only as many people as we can manage into the tunnels, and because we always have to be careful for safety, production has not been able to keep up with the deposits. In that regard, Lord Dmitri is truly remarkable. Even when there are tangible benefits in front of him, he prioritizes the safety of the workers."
As Morcan said, Baron Romero was a good man.
If he were a wicked lord, he would push workers into the tunnels regardless of whether they died in unforeseen accidents.
However, Baron Romero was different.
He did not covet excessive wealth.
He was content with reality and valued his people.
The miners, like Morcan, understood the dangers of their work, yet they did not express their grievances due to minor discrimination from the blacksmiths, and the reason they continued to work without complaint was gratitude towards Baron Romero.
"I have found it. The work I can do for Dmitri."
If the chronic problems of the iron mine could be solved, Dmitri could gain considerable benefits.
At that moment, a loud crash echoed.
Bang! A rumbling sound came from somewhere.
The harbinger of disaster.
The meaning of the sound made Morcan's expression turn pale.