Aldo continues mining for ore in the mines today. If only this pickaxe were made from dark spirit materials, it would enhance my physical abilities and make the work easier, he thought briefly.
However, bringing such a dangerous item to work would be out of the question. If someone accidentally used a pickaxe imbued with dark spirit power, it could lead to a catastrophe.
So, he resigned himself to working with an ordinary pickaxe and his usual physical strength. While he toiled, his thoughts drifted to his daughter. After all, today was the first day Clara would be coming to their home. Aldo swung his pickaxe, hoping that Iris and Clara would get along well.
“Clara-san! Teach me magic!”
Iris looked at Clara, who had just arrived at their house, with an eager and admiring gaze. Even though Clara wasn’t actively using light magic, her eyes seemed to shine brilliantly.
“Alright, alright, don’t rush. Before actually casting magic, you need to get used to the power of mana. If you don’t, you might end up getting mana-sick and wobbling around like last time,” Clara said gently.
“Ugh…”
Iris flinched at the comment. She knew she had caused Aldo trouble by suddenly passing out in public after overexerting herself.
“But don’t worry, Iris-chan. They say that mages who experience mana sickness tend to grow stronger in the future!”
“Who says that?”
Iris tilted her head in curiosity, and Clara did the same.
“Um… some great mage from the past?”
“Oh, I see,” Iris replied, her words as airy as Clara’s explanation.
“Well, putting that aside… Focus on the energy around your lower abdomen again,” Clara instructed.
“Yes, Master Clara!”
Iris saluted and then concentrated her efforts, tightening her focus on the area below her navel.
“Hold that state. Even if you feel a little wobbly, try to endure it.”
“E-Endure it? Uh-oh…”
Iris swayed on her feet before collapsing to the ground.
“Are you okay, Iris-chan?”
“I’m fine… Just felt a bit lightheaded.”
“You’re already holding out longer than last time! Keep it up, and you’ll be able to use magic in no time!” Clara clenched her fist encouragingly. Iris blushed, fidgeting shyly behind her back.
“Hey, Clara-san, do you think I can become a mage if I keep practicing like this?”
“Of course, Iris-chan! You’ll become an amazing mage!”
Iris fidgeted even more. Clara couldn’t quite understand why Iris was acting this way, but she found the girl’s behavior endearing.
“Um… If I became a Digger, could I go into dungeons with Dad?”
“Huh?”
Clara scratched her head, caught off guard by Iris’s sudden statement, unsure how to respond.
“Well, um… To become a Digger, you have to join the Digger’s Guild first!”
“Then I’ll join!”
Iris declared without hesitation. Clara let out a sigh.
“Well, here’s the thing, Iris-chan. While there isn’t an age limit to becoming a Digger, you need to be strong enough to be recognized. Even Aldo-san was only accepted because he had the skills to defeat dark spirits.”
Though Aldo’s combat skills barely passed the bar, his aptitude for excavation had significantly boosted his evaluation, allowing him to qualify as a Digger.
Iris, on the other hand, was an ordinary girl with no combat abilities and no natural aptitude for excavation like Aldo. Realistically, it would be a tough path for her.
“Then I’ll just sneak into a dungeon!”
“No way! If someone without Digger certification goes into a dungeon, the guards will arrest them!”
“Ugh…”
Iris pouted in frustration but didn’t seem ready to give up.
“So, if I get stronger, I can become a Digger, right?”
“Uh… Well…”
Clara realized she’d made a mistake. Aldo hadn’t explicitly said anything, but he was almost certainly against Iris becoming a Digger. It wasn’t something Iris should aspire to, but now that she knew there was no age restriction, her determination was unstoppable.
Clara wasn’t good at lying. She couldn’t bring herself to falsely claim there was an age limit to dissuade Iris.
“Right… First, you need to overcome your mana sickness. Let’s start there!” Clara deflected the conversation.
It was true that no Digger suffered from mana sickness. Most Diggers could use magic, and while it wasn’t a strict requirement, being able to wield magic significantly boosted combat capability.
In other words, the ability to use magic was vital for Diggers. No one foolish enough to attempt the role while dealing with mana sickness had ever succeeded.
“Okay, I’ll try harder!”
Iris leaped to her feet and resumed focusing on drawing energy from below her navel.
The mana stored there coursed through her body, helping her attune to the magical capacity she possessed.
“Keep that state for an hour. If you can’t manage that, becoming a Digger will be tough.”
“Got it! I’ll do my best!”
In reality, being ready to cast magic at any moment was an essential skill for dungeon survival, where combat could break out at any time. A mage who couldn’t maintain their focus for even an hour would struggle to succeed as a Digger.
Fifteen minutes later, another change occurred in Iris’s body…
“Ah, I can’t do it anymore…”
Iris wobbled and staggered, finally collapsing to the floor.
“Iris-chan, how about we take a break? If you push yourself too hard, it could backfire.”
“Yeah.”
After a bit of recovery, Iris sat down on the floor, staring intently at Clara.
“Hey, Clara-san, why did you decide to become a Digger?”
“Why… well, I guess it was because there weren’t many other jobs available. You see, I’m strong, after all.”
Clara awkwardly tried to dodge the question, a bit flustered.
“I’ve heard from my dad that you’re strong, Clara-san, but if that’s the case, there should be other jobs you could do.”
In fact, there were many other jobs where strength could be useful, like being a guard or an exorcist, who defeats the evil spirits that the spirits couldn’t seal away in dungeons.
“I felt like the spirits were crying.”
“Huh?”
“I’ve been inside a dungeon before. Of course, at the time, I didn’t have the qualifications to be a Digger, so I really shouldn’t have gone in.”
Clara began to calmly talk about her past. Iris gulped nervously as she listened.
“Luckily, I didn’t encounter any evil spirits, but… I got lost in the dungeon and couldn’t get out.”
“Eh? Isn’t that a big deal?”
“Yeah, it was. It was tough. I wanted to cry, but if I did, the evil spirits might find me, so I couldn’t. I had to hold in my cries and waited, hoping the time would pass.”
Iris felt like she could understand Clara’s feelings. Clara had essentially been trapped in the dungeon. Iris herself had once been confined to her house by Aldo. And both had faced fear, not knowing when that source of fear might appear.
“In the end, a Digger rescued me. It felt like I was in the dungeon for about 10 hours, but it was only an hour in reality. That’s how terrifying it was inside…”
“Why did you want to become a Digger, even though you have such trauma?”
“Yeah… It’s because of the scary experience. I know that the spirits don’t want to be sealed away in dungeons, but they’re sacrificing themselves to protect humans from evil spirits. But being alone in a dungeon must be lonely and frightening. That’s why I want to free the spirits with my own hands.”
Clara’s words carried weight, and Iris felt the contrast. Iris had planned to become a Digger just because she wanted to be with Aldo, a much lighter reason. Compared to Clara’s deep resolve, Iris felt a little ashamed of her own childish motivation.
“Clara-san… I also want to help the spirits. So, I’ll try even harder!”
“Hehe, that’s a good attitude!”
Having experienced the loneliness and fear of being alone, Iris too felt the desire to help the spirits.
