Chapter 59
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 59
Chapter Title: Friend (2)
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"Th-this is..."
A flustered voice.
Her eyes scanned the surroundings.
Slightly tense faces.
"What in the world is all this?"
My voice echoed across the open space in front of the Immigration Control Office.
Three days after Operation E-I-E-I-O wrapped up successfully.
The southern border had finally regained its peace after so long.
'The pilgrimage group left, Black Hand's been dealt with, and no other international incidents.'
Ah, sweet peace.
I'd missed this routine of just stamping papers without a single thought or worry.
After all the hardship over the past few days, didn't I deserve a little break?
And today wasn't even my shift.
'So I thought I could wrap up neatly and head home.'
Why, at the very last minute of quitting time, did a massive luxury transport carriage—three meters tall—show up?
It was nearly as big as one of the Border Guard golems.
'Are they delivering a dragon egg or something?'
The sheer size exuded an intimidating pressure.
I asked the girl standing in front of the carriage.
"You're saying you're handling exit procedures for this huge carriage all by yourself?"
"Yes!"
A girl with a large witch's hat pulled low over her head, her freckles quite cute, beamed brightly.
"The Mage Academy's excavating a deep ruin on the southern coast!"
She handed me a thick bundle of documents she'd been hugging.
"We started last year, and they think they've found something big this time! So we're taking extra equipment!"
Extra equipment.
That meant this had happened before.
I racked my brain for a moment.
'Come to think of it, about a year ago, the Mage Excavation Department crossed the border once.'
I vaguely remembered.
Dozens of people towing several large carriages—I'd pulled an all-nighter on paperwork that day.
'Not a fond memory.'
With a short sigh, I turned to the documents.
[Ancient Intelligence Core Excavation Project: Southern Coastal Deep Ruins.]
[Estimated duration: 1-2 years.]
[Current excavation of deep ruins has damaged existing equipment; requesting additional support.]
[Approved by the Royal Mage Academy and Mage Excavation Department.]
It matched my memory.
"Royal Mage Academy and Mage Excavation Department, huh."
The institutions infamous for devouring the kingdom's largest budgets.
Sure enough, the cargo manifest on the next page was extravagantly listed.
"Mana detectors: 9, deep-sea breathing gear: 29, modified defensive magic tools: 12, protective scrolls: 50..."
Expensive artifacts and magic devices poured out endlessly.
Each one worth more than two months of a commoner's living expenses.
'I knew the Mage Academy had money, but not this much.'
The value crammed into that single carriage even surpassed my family's entire merchant group.
Keeping that in mind, I asked her.
"But you're transporting all these valuables in one carriage? Isn't that dangerous?"
For merchants, the riskiest cases fell into two categories.
1. Overkill guards and every defensive spell imaginable.
2. No guards at all, just a lone carriage.
The first screamed "high-value cargo here" to any big bandit group.
The second was just a money bag rolling down the road.
Normally, you'd use 2-3 carriages with a small escort.
To me, this was squarely number 2. Textbook case.
"If you'd like, I can connect you with a reliable mercenary band."
It felt more precarious than leaving a baby by the water.
Sending off a young girl like this alone would give me nightmares.
But she giggled, picked up a pebble from the ground.
"The Academy Chairman cast defensive magic himself, so it's fine!"
Then hurled it at the carriage.
- Crackle!
A massive bolt of lightning shot from the carriage, pulverizing the pebble.
"..."
"Hehe, pretty awesome, right?"
A moment of silence.
I quietly drew an X on the documents.
"Stability failed. No exit approval."
"Whaaat!?"
With valuables like these, of course the Academy had precautions.
That wasn't the issue.
The power was.
"Per entry-exit regulations, magic on vehicles can't be lethal. What I just saw qualifies as lethal."
Shattering a rock with lightning? No need to spell out what it'd do to a person.
The young witch exclaimed in shock.
"This is defensive magic! De-fen-sive! It blocks things! Like a shield!"
"Shields can kill too. Magic this powerful has plenty of misuse potential."
Magic was more dangerous than weapons.
Especially installed spells, not cast-on-demand.
Invisible to the eye, with unimaginable destructive power.
I needed assurance it was purely defensive—from someone credible.
Someone from the Academy besides this witch.
"I need Mage Academy certification that it's defensive, or documents proving the carriage's harmlessness. Do you have them?"
"N-no... I didn't know about that..."
"Or someone knowledgeable about this spell to vouch for it?"
Caught off-guard, the young witch pouted.
"The Chairman cast it himself... I can't go back to the capital now..."
That was when.
"Oh? From the Mage Academy?"
The Auditory Officer, having processed the last entrant, approached us.
"Y-yes. From the Royal Mage Academy."
Her teary reply made the elf's blue eyes sparkle. She spoke in a gravely serious tone I'd never heard.
"What intake?"
"Huh?"
"What intake?"
The girl's face flushed with confusion.
"2... 2091st intake!"
"Oh my."
The Auditory Officer straightened up, smug.
"801st intake. Nice to meet you, junior~."
"8... 801st!?"
A shriek, and the young witch bowed exactly 90 degrees.
"S-s-s-s-senior! It's an honor!"
Only then did I realize the Auditory Officer had been in the Academy.
"Auditory Officer, weren't you with the Mage Academy before becoming an examiner?"
"Yep. If not for Director Haillin, I'd still be there~."
Giggling, she asked her junior.
"Who's the chairman now?"
"Daika Ren, ma'am!"
"Daika, Daika... Don't know him. What intake?"
"I-I think 1447th!"
"...'Th'?"
"Th!"
No more beaming or fidgeting girl.
Just a Mage Academy member squeezing her eyes shut, screaming.
"Hmm... Guess they don't teach deference by intake anymore?"
Her voice slithered like a snake, sinister.
The Auditory Officer narrowed her eyes, grinning wickedly at me.
"Central Officer? Mind if I take over here~? I'll inspect the cargo too."
"Huh? Why the sudden interest?"
She, who always bolted for drinks at quitting time, now this?
A first-time request.
Under my suspicious gaze, she shrugged.
"Haven't seen a Mage Academy junior in ages. Want to catch up."
"Ah, got it."
No reason to refuse.
As a former member, she could streamline things.
Inspecting those artifacts would take forever anyway.
I wanted to clock out.
"N-nooo..."
Only the young witch shook her head desperately.
The Auditory Officer sealed it.
"The spell on this carriage is [React Lightning], purely for self-defense. I guarantee it~."
Exactly what I needed.
A former Academy member vouched for the spell.
I ignored the girl's pleading eyes with a soft smile.
"You two have fun. I'm heading out."
And that was that.
"So, which intake did they drop deference?"
The junior could only tremble before her towering senior.
"That concludes today's business. Good work, everyone."
"Good work!"
"Ughhh!"
Ten minutes later, after declaring end of shift.
I sat at my desk and opened the bottom drawer.
- Scraaaape.
It was stuffed full of letters from the princess.
I stared at them silently.
'No letters lately.'
Already two days.
The daily letters had suddenly stopped two days ago.
Leaning back, lost in thought.
'Got bored?'
She'd sent them daily, waiting for replies.
Honestly, it was burdensome.
Emergency deliveries of massive stacks every time.
At least after I requested better readability, she added spacing and context—but still messy.
'Our recent chats weren't exactly riveting.'
My daily life. Rambling confessions about how it felt to make a friend.
Disjointed, contextless, trivial stuff.
She seemed oddly fascinated by my routine.
I described an examiner's duties, and she found it thrilling.
'Anyway, exchanging letters like this was novel for me too. Kinda fun.'
Elaine's last words lingered.
[I'm so happy to be your friend. I hope we meet again someday.]
Who knows.
'Meeting you means facing the royals again.'
King Leo Castor and Queen Helena Castor.
People I absolutely didn't want to see right now.
'Someday, maybe.'
Not now.
Not until the Holy Church mess sorted and the king's movements surfaced.
I had to stay cautious—Intelligence warned me twice, for reasons unknown.
With that, I turned to Erzena.
"Erzena. Early out today—dinner at that place?"
The restaurant-cum-pub we'd hit before.
Whatever brewed in the capital, we just minded the southern border.
Busy lately, no celebrating Black Hand's end—perfect excuse for a meal out.
She, humming against the wall, smiled.
"Sure. Then a quick market run."
"Market? Running low on essentials?"
Shouldn't be that fast.
But Erzena shook her head seriously.
"Gonna clean the house."
Bolt from the blue.
Clean?
"...Pardon?"
"Got some free time now—time to tidy up."
Oh my god.
Wasting golden rest on that?
How could she utter such horror?
I scrambled for excuses.
"Erzena, I'm beat today..."
"I'll pray holy power for you. Good?"
Blocked.
"No, it's mental fatigue, not physical..."
"You've been in high spirits with no incidents lately, right?"
Blocked again.
"..."
She clutched a list of cleaning supplies for the market.
"We live together now—time to keep it clean."
Her golden eyes blazed with zeal.
Irrefutable logic.
She's my guest—my protectee. Can't keep her in filth.
I hung my head.
"...You're right. Let's clean."
The Olfactory and Gustatory Officers whispered again.
"Already whipped like that—future's set."
"Mom said the lady of the house needs to be sharp."
Too tired to care.
"Alright, clocking out. Good work today."
As I declared end of shift amid the banter.
- Creeeak.
The Immigration Control Office door opened.
A small figure in a deep hood.
"Is... is this the Immigration Control Office?"
She anxiously looked around.
"Yes, welcome to Southern Border Immigration Control. But official business ended today. Sorry, but exit procedures resume tomorrow at 6 a.m."
My gentle reply: past hours, come back tomorrow unless emergency.
"..."
Silence.
She froze at the entrance, stock-still.
Something off.
'No luggage.'
Exiters always carry something.
Nearest village: half-day run.
Yet she came empty-handed, face hidden in robe.
Like hiding something.
"If waiting for an entrant, all are processed—try the plaza."
"..."
No response.
Then.
"...!! Hold on."
The Olfactory Officer snapped his head up, sniffing.
"...Blood."
The werewolf growled low, glaring.
Faces hardened.
"Central Officer. Erzena. Step back."
He slowly passed us, confronting her.
- Step, step.
Unmasked wariness.
"State your business."
She craned her neck—his height dwarfed hers.
Eyed his claws and fangs, then spoke.
"Are you the Central Officer?"
Sensory Officers' gazes locked.
No one turned to me.
Instead, they prepared quietly for the unexpected.
Olfactory Officer again.
"Business first."
"I have words only for the Central Officer."
"No identity, no talk."
"It's urgent."
"Your problem."
The werewolf snarled.
"Remove the hood. Reveal yourself. Or no answers."
Firm warning.
Empty office, hidden identity, seeking me.
No reason for kindness.
Too many incidents lately.
"..."
Inevitable.
Long silence, then she slowly lifted the hood.
"...Now?"
Her face emerged.
A girl, still childish.
And...
"My god."
"This..."
"Heavens."
Erzena covered her mouth.
Gustatory and Tactile Officers froze; even Olfactory widened his eyes.
"...Who did this to you."
The werewolf knelt on one knee, eye-level.
A chill ran down my spine.
I saw the wrongness on her face.
And sighed too.
"This is insane..."
Her dark-red stained cheek wasn't from shyness.
Split lip: no accident.
Neck bruises: no fall.
Swollen left eye: no excuse.
"..."
"..."
"..."
Silence.
No need to explain.
We all knew.
"Which bastard."
Olfactory growled differently now.
Anger and pity in his eyes.
"Which fucking dog does this to a kid like you."
The girl replied.
"Central Officer."
Calling me.
Despite not knowing me, by name.
Voice strained, enduring—for one message.
She extended a torn letter scrap clutched in her hand to the Olfactory Officer.
"...Help my friend."
Her final words choked with sobs.