Chapter 12
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 12
Chapter Title: Who Examines the Examiner? (1)
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The shock and horror didn't last long.
As immigration officers, panic was strictly off-limits.
We were the frontline representatives who shaped the nation's first impression, so we had to maintain our composure no matter the situation.
"Ahem, ahem!"
In just two seconds, I straightened my expression and spoke as casually as if I'd been expecting her.
"Greetings, Saintess. It's truly an honor to meet you in person. The journey must have been long— I hope the fatigue hasn't worn on you too much."
Of course, my inner thoughts were a different story.
'Kyaahahahahaha!!!'
Behind my smile, I screamed in silent agony.
Oh, God.
What in the world was happening?
Why was the Saintess here right now, of all places—standing first in my line?
'This isn't protocol!'
VIPs and nobles visiting the border always received special treatment.
They didn't have to wait in the general line; they'd meet an officer right away, or we'd process their entire entourage in one go for swift entry.
We couldn't skip the inspection entirely, but we'd accommodate them in every other way possible.
'That's the bare minimum for treating them like honored guests.'
They expected such treatment as a matter of course, so everything went smoothly.
That's why VIPs usually sent envoys ahead with details and arrived fashionably late—never earlier than an hour past the appointed time.
It was a finicky custom, but nobles arriving late was one way to assert their authority.
And honestly, it made things easier for us.
The Saintess should have done the same. Her status outranked any national dignitary.
She was the living symbol of the Holy Church, after all.
And yet...
"Haha, not at all. Our brothers and sisters in the north are waiting, so I couldn't afford to dawdle."
Why was she standing right in front of me?
"...I see. That's truly admirable resolve."
With my smile still fixed in place, I glanced at the paladins standing directly behind her.
"With the knights safeguarding the pilgrimage, you must have had no worries along the way. I sincerely hope your journey remains peaceful in the Crossroad Kingdom as well."
Pleasant well-wishes and praise for their hard work.
Of course, the subtext was entirely different.
'You know the protocol. What the hell is this situation?'
I was smilingly implying: What were you doing letting this woman bulldoze through procedure all the way to the front? Didn't you try to stop her?
You're making our jobs impossible here. Get it?
In response, the eldest-looking paladin—with a scar over one eye—replied in a low voice.
"We merely followed His will."
A rote response in a stiff tone.
But his expression said it all.
'What could we do?'
It was the exact same face I'd made when getting chewed out by the Foreign Affairs Minister.
Exhaustion, embarrassment, and resignation.
Ah.
Right.
These guys were just like me—people who had no choice but to follow orders.
My anger evaporated in an instant. Yeah, I got it. I really did.
How do you argue with a superior who was dead set on something? You just prayed nothing went wrong.
They'd clearly been dragged to the front against their will by the Saintess's stubborn refusal to listen.
Sympathy born of shared suffering.
Being stuck in the middle was always the hardest position.
'You've got my condolences.'
'Thank you for understanding. We had no choice.'
I gave a subtle nod of empathy, and he bowed his head slightly in apology.
Just like that, an inexplicable camaraderie formed between strangers.
Then the Saintess spoke up.
"It's my first time going through an inspection in the Crossroad Kingdom. I'm a little nervous. What if I say something wrong?"
"Oh, uh, that's fine."
Her sudden pivot to the main topic snapped me back to reality, leaving no room for a breather.
The Saintess was still just an entrant seeking to cross into our kingdom.
And every entrant had to go through our inspection. No exceptions.
Race, status, gender, age, origin, beliefs—none of it mattered.
The Immigration Control Office's ironclad rule had to be upheld.
So who enforced that rule?
The immigration examiner.
And who was standing in front of her right now?
Who else?
'...Me.'
Reality hit me like a brick, and I spoke up.
"I-I'm truly sorry, but could you give me just a moment?"
I needed to take a deep breath.
Handling an ultra-high-profile figure like the Saintess right out of the gate was too much. Bad for the heart.
I needed time to mentally prepare.
Besides, she wasn't alone.
"Ooh, the Saintess is stepping up for us...!"
"Who's that punk holding his head high in front of our Saintess?"
"Why's he blocking us at the border? Is he some heretic scum?"
"Heretic? Where!?"
Dozens of followers lined up behind her glared at me with eyes burning not just with faith, but near-mad fervor.
One slip-up, and this wouldn't end in a diplomatic incident—I'd be grabbed by the hair and dragged away.
As the head of southern border operations, there was only one thing to do in a pinch like this.
Sacrifice a pawn.
"Olfactory Officer. Something urgent came up for me—could you take over here?"
Sorry, Olfactory Officer.
But wouldn't it help the office more if I survived?
Please sacrifice yourself for me, my trusted left hand and most reliable subordinate.
But the dependable werewolf who should have been at my left was nowhere to be seen.
"...Olfactory Officer?"
Instead, a familiar voice rang out from far off.
"Come on over here! Line up this way for quick processing!"
That damn wolf had already started inspections far down the line, herding people along.
The gates had barely opened, and he'd already formed a new queue.
"Hey, Olfactory Officer, hold on, I need to talk to—"
"Pilgrimage group to the right! General entrants to the left! Two lines, please! Swift and accurate processing is this Olfactory Officer's specialty!"
The bastard was grinding his teeth, deliberately avoiding my gaze.
Ignoring my calls just to stay out of this mess.
'Damn, his instincts are too sharp.'
But personnel inspections weren't a solo act.
'Good thing I stationed an extra one just in case.'
I had an ace up my sleeve.
A seasoned veteran, unflappable in any crisis.
The pride of our southern border and my trusty right hand!
A beauty elf of sublime elegance!
"Auditory Officer. I can trust you to handle this—"
"Oh my, from the Mahalan Kingdom? Their flour bread is just divine~."
The 500-year-old alcoholic elf was already on the opposite side from the Olfactory Officer, magically drawing in a crowd and slamming entry stamps down.
It felt like both my arms had been lopped off.
She had her back completely turned to me, bustling about the exact opposite of her usual laid-back demeanor.
"...I know you can hear everything. Don't ignore me."
"Ohohoho. Of course. Elves love bread too, you know."
"Hey, pointy-ears."
"Next, please~."
The woman who could hear a butterfly's wings on the horizon was pretending not to hear words right next to her.
'They say you can't trust anyone in this world...'
After all I'd done for them, this was how they repaid me?
Dad was right.
In this line of work—no, in this world—there were no eternal allies or enemies.
"Looks like everyone else has already started..."
As I ground my teeth in silence, the Saintess glanced around and spoke up.
Shh-shh-shh.
Before her death-sentence words even finished, her attendants scattered like cockroaches.
In less than a second, only me and my direct aide remained before her.
"Shall we get started then, examiner?"
She beamed radiantly, and I was chosen.
'Ah. I wanna go home.'
Why was I suddenly homesick today of all days?
Vowing bloody revenge on those two later, I forced my lips into a smile.
"...Yes. Sorry to keep you waiting. This way, please."
In the end, the biggest fish fell to me.
"Phew, good. That's almost everything."
At the man's words, Erzena Selaph glanced at the hourglass on the table.
The sand hadn't even flowed halfway yet.
-Please state your name, origin, and purpose of entry. You have five minutes.
The questions were all rote formalities. Boring, even.
No follow-ups or suspicions.
'Of course not.'
They would've already received all the necessary details in writing via envoy.
Now they'd just cross-check the paperwork, inspect her belongings if needed, and wave her through.
Doubting a Saintess was absurd to begin with.
'Still, it was pretty entertaining to watch.'
Erzena tapped the table with her fingertips and shifted her gaze to the man skimming the registry.
"Let's see... Er... Erze... Ah, there it is."
Slight dark circles from fatigue.
Black eyes scanning left to right like clockwork.
Soft hands without a single callus, as if he'd never trained in martial arts.
And a decently handsome face that looked about her age.
His expression when the gates opened had been quite the sight.
In those two short seconds, he'd cycled through shock, horror, despair, resignation, and acceptance at warp speed—enough to make her chuckle unwittingly.
A rare glimpse of raw, honest emotion from someone else.
'He looked at me like I'd risen from the grave.'
Not awe, jealousy, or unease, but pure, unfiltered feeling.
Her mood had lifted a bit because of it.
Watching him desperately try to foist her off had even been fun.
Treating her like a venomous toxin one wrong touch from death.
Amid the ever-serious Mohaim, the overly polite paladins, and the devotees who treated any word from her like divine grace, this reception felt novel—thrilling, even.
Which was why Erzena eyed him steadily, curiosity and suspicion mingling in her gaze.
'Is this man the Central Officer?'
She couldn't be sure.
According to Mohaim, the Central Officer was the youngest high-ranking examiner, but the girl who'd gone to inspect cargo earlier had looked far younger.
'If it's the youngest, it should be that Gustatory Officer girl.'
But that didn't quite fit either.
Someone examining a Saintess should be the highest-ranking officer available—that was protocol for dignitaries.
Meaning the man before her was the top examiner at this southern border.
Or at least, the highest among those present right now.
Yet that contradicted the "youngest" detail.
Erzena frowned at the inconsistency.
'Should I just ask outright?'
There was still time left.
And he'd finished his questions.
Now would be fine for a bit of casual chat.
Are you the Central Officer? The words itched at her tongue.
But then she recalled her promise with Mohaim from yesterday.
'Saintess, don't forget—our visit to the Crossroad Kingdom isn't about the talent awakener.'
'Can't I just check while we're passing through?'
'No. You can verify the rumors later if you wish. Focus on the northern expedition for now.'
'What if I happen to run into him?'
'This isn't the time to—'
'Aaaah! What if, just what if, by some uuuultra-coincidental chance I meet this Central Officer guy? Then I can check, right? Huh? Yeah?'
'Sigh, fine. If it really happens, go ahead once.'
The pilgrimage's goal was the northern expedition.
Confirming rumors about the Central Officer being a talent awakener was just her personal curiosity.
Poking into it could raise suspicions and expose their true aim of purging the Evil God Cult.
'Right. Mohaim's correct. I'll ask after the expedition. It won't be too late.'
It was disappointing, but the time would come—and once the noble task was done, no one could stop her.
Just then, the examiner finished the paperwork and spoke.
"Erzena Selaph."
"Yes."
"Your statement has been verified correct, and your identity confirmed. In my judgment, there are no grounds for denying entry."
The final stage of processing.
A faint smile.
Subtle relief washed over his face—the joy of finally escaping her.
Erzena chuckled inwardly again.
'He's cute.'
He thought he'd hidden it, but it showed.
As he vigorously stamped the entry seal on the documents, he said,
"Welcome to the Crossroad Kingdom."
Thud.
Something was off.
Despite the stamp, no "[Entry Permitted]" appeared on the paper.
"Hm?"
The examiner tilted his head, checked the stamp, and said,
"Ah, darn. Sorry about this. The ink in the entry stamp has dried up completely."
"No problem. We still have time."
She brushed it off lightly and turned to look at Mohaim.
'I kept my promise.'
'Good job holding back. Let's keep it that way.'
They both gave thumbs-up simultaneously.
Everything was going smoothly.
Without a hitch.
"Thank you for your patience. I'll handle it right away. Aide?"
At the examiner's call, his aide hurried over.
"Yes. I'll fetch a new one immediately, Central Officer."
Central Officer.
Erzena's head whipped around.
Mohaim jolted forward in alarm at the same moment.
"Central Officer?"
"You're the Central Officer?"
For the first time, the Saintess's voice rose.
Her lips quivered, barely suppressing a grin.
She screamed inwardly.
'Found you!'
And Mohaim...
'Oh God.'
...Felt the heavens crash down.