The Auditor in the Storm
Gratitude (2) Gratitude. For the meaning of supervision and inspection to be fulfilled, something must come first. Secrecy! If word got out about when, where, and who would be conducting the audit, how could any real supervision or inspection possibly take place? To properly turn everything upside down, one must never give them time to prepare in advance. ‘At this rate, no one will recognize who I am. Heh heh.’ The new official assigned to this task was overflowing with enthusiasm—perhaps even excessively so. ‘Though he may be a convict, the lord seems to take quite an interest in him……’ If he performed well on this assignment and caught the lord’s eye, his career as an official would be set for smooth sailing. ‘If only there were some solid evidence to uncover.’ If that exiled wizard truly had been scamming the children with dreams, the lord would be furious, and the one who exposed the den of corruption would rise swiftly through the ranks! ‘Perfect!’
Splash— “Aaaah!” “Seriously. I told you to hold on properly. The boat’s small, so it flips in an instant.” “A-ah, I’m sorry……” Sniffle. Why did his nose have to run at a time like this? “The wind’s stronger than usual today…… Hoo— If a typhoon hits, we’re in trouble.” “What? A typhoon?” “The wind’s been acting strange since last night. Is this your first time at the coast, young sir?” “Yes……” At the fisherman’s words, the new official blinked and answered. “This season’s always like that. It can be calm one moment, then suddenly whip up like a storm with heavy rain. Happens several times every summer.” “Then…… we’ll still be able to go out tomorrow, right?” “Who knows?” “Excuse me?” “If it’s just a small squall, it’ll rage for a day or two and then die down. But if a big one comes and wrecks the harbor, we might not be able to launch a boat for a whole week.” “Huh? That won’t do!” “Then what? Go back? Even if you do, I’m not refunding the fare you already paid.” “B-but…… Yes, I understand.”
The new official’s face fell, his spirit instantly crushed. For a brief moment he considered returning now and trying again once the storm passed, but— —Dunbrook Island? It’s awkwardly far, and there’s not much worth trading for once you get there…… —Try Oren Merchant Group. They’ve got pretty much the only regular trade going with that island village. They send a boat out about once a week. —O-once a week? —I saw them launch one the day before yesterday, so you’d have to wait around ten days. If you need lodging, just say the word. My place runs an inn. After barely managing to arrange a boat that would drop him off on its way to fish nearby, he couldn’t turn back. There was no guarantee he’d find another boat once the storm passed. ‘It’s fine. How often can a storm that big really come? The village chief will let me stay a day or two.’ A convict with a high nose, strong pride, and pretentious attitude—surely even the simple villagers had long since grown tired of him. If someone exposed his corruption and reported it to the lord, wouldn’t they at least slaughter a chicken in thanks? ‘Maybe I’ll get to taste meat for the first time in a while.’ Once his thoughts started rolling in a pleasant direction, the new official decided a little wind and rain was hardly worth worrying about.
***
“What? A typhoon?” “Yes. It could start as early as tonight, or at latest tomorrow the winds will begin to pick up, so you’d best prepare thoroughly. Our island is especially affected by strong winds.” “Ah…… I understand. Thank you, Village Chief.” The weather had been sweltering, but this morning it felt cooler with more clouds, making him wonder if the worst heat had passed—until he heard the chief’s words and realized there was a reason. “You really must be careful. The houses and storehouses have all been repaired, so there’s nothing to worry about in particular, but……” The Village Chief looked uncharacteristically uneasy. “When the winds are at their strongest, you mustn’t go outside, sir! Your house is far from the village, so if something happens we won’t be able to reach you right away.” “Don’t worry. I’ll stay inside the whole time. Haha.” “No, why don’t you stay at my house for a while? If that’s uncomfortable, there’s also the village hall……” “It’s fine. While the typhoon passes, I’ll finally catch up on some research I’ve been putting off, so there’s no need to worry.” Hearing the chief’s concern, Patrick realized the island must have suffered flooding from storms before. ‘Well, once you’ve lived through a big typhoon, it’s only natural to start taping up windows the moment you hear another one’s coming.’ He could understand—after all, he’d once taped newspaper to windows and put up X-shaped tape himself back in his younger days. “I should move the food supplies into the storehouse ahead of time.” After the Village Chief left, Patrick began his own preparations, not entirely ignoring the nagging. ‘But what about those guys? I can’t just leave them outside.’ While moving ingredients from the storehouse, Patrick’s eyes fell on the quacking duck, the chicken dozing on its perch, and the goat leisurely grazing behind them. “Hoo—” If the chief was this worried, he’d have to do something for the animals too. They were still using the ramshackle Indian-tent-style chicken coop the kids had thrown together. ‘That thing’s definitely going to fly away if the wind gets strong.’ He’d tried reinforcing it by tying ropes to nearby trees, but it still looked flimsy. The chickens were manageable at least. The duck didn’t even have a proper house—just a rough pen marked out with stakes and boards near the spring. ‘I heard foreigners used to live with their livestock back in the old days……’ Setting aside the whole soul-identity issue, his appearance was already that of a foreigner, so maybe he could just bring them all inside? His heart leaned halfway toward the idea, but the moment he glanced at his spotless white bed, he abandoned it. “Absolutely not.” In the end, the animals’ new home was decided: the storehouse! Quack quack quack! Cock-a-doodle-doo, cluck cluck cluck! Meee— The animals, suddenly deprived of their freedom and locked inside, voiced their complaints in unison, but Patrick decided to ignore them. He’d kept them safe from being blown away; the least they could do was be grateful.
At that moment, the official who had come looking for Patrick finally arrived at the village after much difficulty. “You came…… to gather medicinal herbs?” “Y-yes. There’s a mushroom His Lordship ordered me to find. I heard it was recently discovered on this island.” When the new official showed the badge proving he belonged to the lord’s castle, the suspicion in the chief’s eyes faded. “Ah, you mean the Hermit’s Mushroom. You’ve come to the right place, haha. But you seem to be in a hurry? A typhoon’s about to hit.” “I was rather anxious……” The new official carefully concealed the true nature of his mission. ‘If there happens to be a villager in league with that wizard, they might notice something before I can find proof of corruption.’ No one had ever ordered him to go this far. If anything, it was simply the new official’s own zeal. Plip, plop. Plip, plip— Whoosh—! At that moment, raindrops began to fall one by one, and in an instant the wind grew fierce. “Ugh! What’s happening all of a sudden……!” “Our island is like that. Typhoons hit us especially hard. Let’s head to the village hall for now. You can unpack there, and once the storm passes, you can search for the mushroom then……” “No. It’s still manageable at this level, so I’ll just check the forest’s location and come right back.” “Goodness, it’s dangerous, my lord. The weather can change in an instant even when it seems fine……” “I won’t go deep into the forest, so don’t worry too much. I’ll be back soon!” “My lord, my lord!” Ignoring the chief’s protests, the official smiled and left the village. ‘What’s this village hall?’ Some kind of fishing cooperative warehouse? With that thought, his destination came into view—the house beyond the hill visible even from the village. ‘So that’s the wizard’s house?’ The weather was foul, but that actually worked in his favor. No one would expect an official to come on a day like this, so the target would be completely unguarded. For the sake of his promotion, that wizard’s house had better be filled with all sorts of luxuries.
“Magic is the refinement and materialization of forces that exist in nature…… Ugh.” Though night was still far off, the sky was growing darker by the minute, and the ominous weather made Patrick abandon his plan to study quietly in bed while reading the magic book Robin had sent. Or rather, he had tried to. “Why did he have to write something so obvious in such excruciating detail?” Robin’s notes were thorough, but to Patrick—who preferred the “three-line summary”—they felt excessively long-winded. “So magic comes from nature, not something artificially created?” Maybe he should just give up and go gather more lime powder for experiments instead. It felt like time to learn other magic too. Rattle, rattle— Whoosh! “What kind of wind……” He hadn’t been lying down reading for long when serious sounds began coming from outside. ‘I should close the shutters.’ After shutting the bedroom window shutters, Patrick stepped out to close the ones in the kitchen and living room when— Flash! Rumble— BOOM! Lightning struck, followed moments later by the sound of thunder. “……!” Patrick collapsed on the spot. He couldn’t even scream. When the shock is too great, the voice fails to come out. “……Hic! Hic!” He nearly lost consciousness, but barely managed to endure. After fainting several times in quick succession, he’d learned to bite the soft flesh inside his mouth to stay awake. The thought that this was a skill most people would never need in their entire lives brought a twinge of self-loathing even as he succeeded in not fainting. “E-excuse me…… C-could you open the door, please……!” The reason Patrick had nearly collapsed was standing right there. “N-not a ghost, then.” It wasn’t a familiar face, so it wasn’t a villager. Whoosh— Flash! As if the storm was finally beginning in earnest, sheets of rain poured down while lightning flashed continuously across the sky. “P-please, the door……!” The sight of the stranger huddled under the eaves, begging for the door to be opened, was utterly pitiful. A guest soaked to the skin and looking like a drowned rat was exactly the sort to stir sympathy—but after the fright he’d just had, Patrick wasn’t about to be swayed so easily. “Who are you?” “I’m an herb gatherer sent from the lord’s castle! The rain came so suddenly…… If you could just let me take shelter for a moment……” “Do you have proof?” “Pardon?” “Proof that you’re from the lord’s castle. These days the world’s too dangerous—I need to be able to trust you.” “Here, this badge shows I work for the lord’s castle……” “I don’t know anything about that.” “Excuse me?” “I said I don’t know.” “P-please, just for a little while, let me get out of the rain……!” Patrick decided to ignore him completely and reached to close the shutter. If the person wasn’t someone who could exercise official authority like a soldier, there was no reason to accommodate them. But Patrick’s plan to shut the shutter and return to his studies failed. “……What is that?” Patrick’s eyes widened as he looked out the window. Something impossible had appeared. His house sat on a hill overlooking the island. The uphill walk made his calves burn every time he went to the village, but it had one clear advantage: the view. Beyond the garden, the beautiful blue sea stretched out in plain sight. “Excuse me.” “……Yes.” By now, Patrick and the official were staring blankly at each other through the window. “Is the sea around here always like that?” “……Shouldn’t that be something someone who lives on this island would know?” “I haven’t been in exile here for very long.” Through that exchange, Patrick became certain. The sea before them was abnormal even by this world’s standards. In the waters off the island, as seen through Patrick’s eyes, more than a dozen whirlpools twisted and writhed like the playthings of some mythical monster.