Chapter 15
What is essential for human survival?
It's not really something to ponder over.
Ask anyone, and most would probably give the same answer.
Clothing, food, shelter.
Otherwise known as clothing-food-shelter.
The three essential elements that guarantee at least a minimal human existence.
But I think differently.
If there's one single element that encompasses clothing, food, and shelter…
It's none other than…
“…Bounty?”
Gold.
Money, that is.
"You've dealt with a total of 32 wanted individuals, it seems."
What, that many died?
I didn't even kill them in the first place.
'No wait, I killed the True Ancestor, so it *is* me who killed them, right?'
Come to think of it, that's true.
They died because of me, regardless of the process.
So, there’s no need to explain myself.
There’s no reason to refuse free money.
"The total amount calculated… ah, it's 10,000 Imperial Gold Coins."
*Gulp.*
10,000 gold coins is enough to buy at least three mansions in the Imperial Capital.
"And this is…"
The official in his formal attire fumbled and pulled something out.
What he presented was a gold-plated badge.
"Your appointment as Imperial Special Inspector. From now on, maintaining public order and inspections throughout Blackmore will fall under your jurisdiction."
The gold badge symbolizing a Regional Administrator.
Among them, those who manage particularly dangerous regions are called Special Inspectors.
The special insignia symbolizing a Special Inspector.
I was abruptly dispatched to Blackmore and left in a hurry without receiving a proper appointment letter, but it seems the formal procedures have finally been completed.
"That concludes the delivery."
The official and his entourage bowed politely and boarded their carriages.
After the carriages departed, I organized the gold coins received as bounty and returned to my office. This is the present.
“Hmm.”
I sat down on the sofa, lost in thought.
Imperial Special Inspector.
Those who manage special regions teeming with all sorts of bizarre terrain and environments, as well as Monstrous Beasts.
And among them, the official who single-handedly manages Blackmore, the Empire’s most dangerous Magical Boundary.
That's me.
It could be considered a promotion, but considering my isolated situation in the middle of a Magical Boundary, it's not entirely something to celebrate.
The basic principle for Special Inspectors is to be dispatched to their assigned regions.
From the moment they are dispatched, they are obligated to manage and supervise the area and are granted authority to maintain public order and conduct inspections.
In the case of particularly dangerous regions, the Special Inspector has the discretion to exercise some extrajudicial force. In a way, it's like gaining all the power over Blackmore.
That is to say…
As a Regional Administrator, and more specifically, appointed as a Special Inspector, I've become a pseudo-lord of Blackmore.
That doesn’t mean I can cross the line, but conversely, it means the Imperial Family won’t interfere as long as I stay within the lines.
The reason why such special positions were created, if I remember correctly, is partly because the world of the original novel I've been transmigrated into has some dark fantasy elements.
Conflicts between hostile forces, outbreaks of war, overflowing Monstrous Beasts, Seeds of the End…
The continent has been hurtling toward destruction for hundreds of years, and with unexplored regions scattered throughout the continent, even the Imperial Family, known as The Sun of the Empire, is bound to reach its limits.
As a result, the Imperial Family’s organizational structure has undergone numerous changes, and one of the special positions created was 'Special Inspector'.
Dispatched to unexplored regions abandoned even by the Imperial Family, with extrajudicial authority limited to their jurisdiction.
Naturally, it's not a position that can be held by an ordinary official.
That's why the appointment of a Special Inspector requires the Emperor’s approval…
“…Why me?”
Luke Richter.
The bastard of the Richter Family, and at the same time, a low-ranking official who just entered the Imperial Palace.
“…This is definitely strange.”
Where did it all go wrong?
The Imperial Family wouldn’t appoint me as a Special Inspector for no reason.
But I’m just a nobody extra, aren't I?
“I don't get it anymore.”
Even if I asked, I doubt they’d tell me.
And the assigned personnel appointment won't be canceled.
What’s important now is somehow surviving in this Magical Boundary.
This is a Magical Boundary.
A land of death where civilization doesn't exist, all sorts of Strange beings swarm, and the value of life is trivial… where surviving is harder than dying.
I have to endure five years in this place.
The chances of me surviving for five years at my current level?
Slim, of course.
Even with Rudine and Adina in my party, it's the same.
Or rather, I haven’t fully recruited them yet.
To be precise, it's more like a time bomb waiting to explode.
“…The biggest problem is Rudine.”
My train of thought led to Rudine.
Her soul, bearing the Seeds of the End, is closer to pure evil than anything else.
The Heavenly Star of Slaughter isn't something that can be fixed.
Naturally, the option of rehabilitation doesn't exist.
The moment the end within her germinates, she will transform into an avatar of carnage and threaten the continent.
Of course, there is a way.
Having read the original, I know quite a few turning points.
Among them is Rudine's socialization.
'In the original, it was definitely...'
The depths of Blackmore.
There, the roots of a giant tree grown from the blood of elves take hold.
'...Yggdrasil.'
Yggdrasil.
The ancient tree imbued with primordial Mana, a corrupted World Tree that craves blood and madness.
'No helping it.'
I clicked my tongue and broke free from my thoughts.
The priorities were set.
Rudine's socialization, and the exploration of Yggdrasil.
That's first.
****
Enforcement agency 'Arcana.'
A military organization affiliated with the Great Lord Arkan's Council.
Even within the Lord Council, which worships power, these self-proclaimed investigators possess considerable strength.
Enough to be worthy of the title of the Lord Council’s elite.
Balkan Kast, the Chief Enforcement Officer of Arcana, was no exception.
The mere sight of his investigator badge drew admiring glances, and his personal strength was among the top within the Lord Council.
Such a man was summoned to Headquarters.
The one who summoned him was none other than Great Lord Arkan.
Occupying one of the Six Heavens’ seats, she was the de facto king and absolute ruler of the Lord Council.
It wasn’t just Balkan.
Most of Arcana’s personnel were summoned to Headquarters along with him.
The number exceeded twenty.
Something was amiss.
Even for Balkan, the Chief Enforcement Officer, it was the first time the Great Lord had personally mobilized personnel like this.
Having gone there full of anticipation…
The order they received was:
“Go on a five-year dispatch.”
“…Pardon?”
“Didn’t you hear? I said go somewhere for five years.”
…Nothing less than a dispatch mission.
For a period of five years, no less.
The details were even more absurd.
The Arkan Monarch Society owed a large debt to a certain man, and as payment, he demanded personnel from Headquarters.
The mission they were assigned…
“Just think of it as being an errand boy. Easy, right?”
“Pardon?!”
“Behave yourselves for five years. Report anything unusual. It's best not to have any funny ideas. The moment there's even a slight complaint from him, I’ll have to intervene personally.”
“…Understood.”
“Yeah, yeah. Just treat him like you treat me. He's not an easygoing person, so be careful.”
“…”
A total of twenty-three people were selected.
Unbelievable.
It was undoubtedly an unprecedented mission in Arcana’s history.
“…Just what kind of person is he?”
But the Great Lord's command was absolute.
They couldn’t, and shouldn’t, dare to rebel.
Of course, that aside, they couldn’t understand this situation at all.
They moved to the designated location.
It was none other than the entrance to Blackmore, a section adjacent to Kalbaron, the Cliff of Death.
And that brings us to the present.
“Oh, you’re here.”
A man approached and greeted them.
“Arkan sent you, right?”
“…Yes, I am Chief Enforcement Officer Balkan.”
“Enforcement Officer… so you're from Arcana? She really sent the best.”
Brief greetings were exchanged.
The man's casual attitude toward the Great Lord, addressing her as if she were a friend, was highly uncomfortable, but they didn’t show it.
“Sorry to ask this of someone who just arrived, but I need to step out for a bit.”
“Is that so?”
“So, I was wondering if I could ask you to do a little work, even though this is our first meeting.”
“Of course.”
The man led them to an office.
Then, he handed them a bundle containing unidentifiable signs.
“…What is this?”
Signs? How utterly random.
The content was even more baffling.
[ Are you a good swimmer? ]
[ Are you good at catching Monstrous Beasts? ]
[ What color is a hamburger? ]
[ Burgundy ]
[ Hahahahahahahaha ]
...
...
...
“???”
What is this?
And after giving them this, he says…
“Just walk around and stick these in places along the road where people might die. Easy, right?”
“Pardon?”
Luke Richter.
This man is definitely seriously messed up.