Chapter 72
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 72
Chapter Title: No Issues at the Southern Border (5)
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- Crunch! Grind!
With a harsh noise, the other attendants began prying up the underside of the wagon with their tools.
And what emerged was...
- Thud.
A long, heavy rectangular box.
"Hmm."
I gazed down at it slowly.
"You clearly stated that your cargo consisted solely of twelve barrels of fish."
Cargo that didn't match the declaration.
This was clear evidence.
"What's inside this box?"
"..."
Crane didn't answer.
He just clamped his mouth shut and tried to mask his expression as best he could.
"Were you aware that this box was loaded onto the wagon?"
"..."
Silence, then.
Not a common tactic, but a rather annoying one nonetheless.
"Very well. Even if you won't say, there are ways to check."
With that, I turned to the attendant beside me.
"Request support from the Magic Academy. We need the procedure for safely inspecting unauthorized items."
"Yes, sir."
I had no idea what was inside.
But I couldn't just open it willy-nilly.
It could be a bomb, an unauthorized creature, a cursed relic—who knew?
It might even be a magic tool that activated at the slightest touch.
I had to consider every possibility.
Smugglers tried to bring in all sorts of outlandish things.
These had to be inspected under protective spells with the Magic Academy's support.
'Items that violate regulations always cause incidents.'
If I touched it rashly, it could drag not just me but everyone else into danger.
And these fools had brazenly brought that risk right to the border.
They would pay the price.
I raised my voice so everyone could hear.
"You are caught in the act of smuggling. All future actions will be regarded as threats against the Crossroad Kingdom, and every word you say may be used against you. Disarm immediately."
"Kuh...!"
Crane ground his teeth, glaring at me.
I met his gaze head-on and repeated myself.
"Disarm. This is your second warning."
- Clank.
Right behind them, the Border Guard deliberately clicked as it adjusted its sword.
All their cards were exposed.
They had nowhere left to run.
"D-Damn it..."
Crane's face fell as he slowly unbuckled his sword from his waist.
The moment he moved to set it on the ground,
"Fuck, this is why I said we should be careful!"
"Matthew?"
The anxious-looking man standing behind Crane suddenly pulled something from his bosom.
A fist-sized metallic sphere in the shape of a capsule.
Covered in dense geometric patterns, it emitted a faint bluish glow.
As if mana dwelled within it.
"...!!!"
I knew exactly what that was.
"An unauthorized artifact...!"
An illegally modified magic tool.
The most dangerous category of contraband.
More powerful than a bomb, and utterly inscrutable in intent—the worst kind.
And now it was in that man's hand.
Crane shouted in shock as well.
"You bastard, when did you swipe that!?"
"Your overconfidence is the problem, you damned fool!"
A voice laced with panic.
The golem reacted instantly to the faint mana.
Threat detected. Non-compliance detected. Suppression commencing.
Without hesitation, it swung its greatsword at Matthew.
For the border's safety, that threat had to be eliminated as quickly as possible.
- Vwooom!!
But it was too late.
Matthew's finger had already pressed the activation button on the artifact—
That was when it happened.
- Crack!
Suddenly, Matthew's thumb twisted in an unnatural direction.
"Gaaaaah!! My hand, my hand!!"
Matthew collapsed to the ground, unable to bear the pain.
"W-What... is this...?"
Crane's bewildered voice captured everyone's shock at the abrupt turn of events.
It wasn't the Border Guard's sword.
That massive blade would have cleaved through his torso, not just a finger.
Not magic either. No mana had been felt.
An artifact side effect?
'No. If so, all of us here would be dead.'
His arm had snapped before the button was even pressed. As if struck by an invisible force.
'Then what the hell...'
A sinister thought flashed through my mind.
An invisible force.
Only one person here could wield it.
I slowly turned my head.
'Please, no.'
I prayed desperately.
At the end of my gaze.
About twenty paces away.
Elaine stood with her green eyes wide, one hand outstretched.
Her fist clenched as if gripping something, trembling violently.
Her robe had been pushed back by the telekinetic wind, revealing her face as the princess tried to snap Matthew's arm.
[Don't... touch my friend.]
Oh, hell.
Trauma.
That brutal reality was unfolding once more.
"Elaine, stop—"
Elaine exerted force again.
- Snap. Crunch!
"Gaaaaah!!! My arm, my arm!!!"
A scream. And the sound of bone breaking.
I averted my eyes.
- Roll, roll, roll.
The last sound was the artifact tumbling across the stone floor, finally freed from his loosened grip.
"..."
"..."
"..."
Silence descended over the entire clearing.
A dreadfully heavy, ominous hush pressed down on everyone.
No one spoke.
An accident had erupted with all eyes on them.
In this grotesque, visceral display of violence, everyone was frozen in shock.
Immigrants, inspectors, mercenaries—even the golem stood rigid.
In the suffocating quiet, someone finally spoke.
"T-Terror...?"
Damn it.
I scanned the surroundings.
Whispers were starting to grow among the crowd.
Terror-stricken faces flashed by.
'If this continues, the situation will spiral out of control.'
Fear breeds chaos, and chaos breeds disorder.
And disorder at the border was as good as death.
'I can't let that happen.'
I took a deep breath and shouted immediately.
"Did you see that? That's the punishment for defying a lawful order and resisting!"
"...What?"
"Those who dare sow chaos at the border will face the iron fist of justice. Remember it well!"
I had to take control of the situation.
Before these witnesses could make sense of it.
Before they could identify Elaine.
Before the fact of the princess's presence in the south became public knowledge.
Strike first.
The method was simple...
"Well done, Border Guard Captain."
Layer lies over the truth.
Telekinesis is an invisible force.
Meaning no one could tell where or who it came from.
'In other words, I could pin it on anyone.'
Exploit that to the fullest.
"I heard you installed suppression magic in the mana core recently. Its effect is truly outstanding. As expected of the Border Guard."
I approached the golem, feigning nonchalance, and it tilted its head slightly.
Situation unclear. No magic installed in golem core—
"Well done! Well. Done. I. Said!"
Shut up.
Just shut up.
Just go along with it.
Even a thick-headed rock should have some sense.
I mouthed curses at the captain while glaring.
[...]
The golem fell silent upon seeing my muted obscenities.
It slowly raised one hand to the crowd and spoke.
[...Golem magic is supreme. Border disruptors suppressed.]
With that absurd victory declaration, all eyes shifted from Elaine to the golem.
The quick-witted attendants, blending into the crowd, shouted.
"Woo-hoo!"
"The Guard took down the villains!"
"The border's safe now!"
- Clap clap clap clap clap.
The faint sound of an attendant's applause pierced the silence.
"Huh, what? That's what happened?"
"Golem magic, apparently."
"Taking down a mercenary like that in one go— the Guard lives up to its name."
Bit by bit, cheers and applause spread like contagion.
"Awesome, Guard!"
Soon, whistles joined the attendants', and the area grew lively.
The fear ebbed away.
'Good.'
The situation was back under control.
Now, just remove the mercenaries from sight and return to normalcy.
I sighed and said,
"Border Guard Captain. Escort these smugglers away. I'll interrogate them personally later."
Arrest order confirmed. Complying. Additionally, regarding the coerced lie just now—
"You. Did. Great!"
[...Expressing doubts about Central Officer's unreasonable attitude.]
Ugh, fine. I'll explain later.
I waved it off with a smile, urging it to hurry, and the golem scratched its head before approaching the mercenaries.
As it did, I turned to the Gustatory Officer.
"Gustatory Officer. Handle the cleanup here."
She startled out of her daze, where she'd been blankly clapping along with the crowd, oblivious.
"Y-Yes? Oh, yes! Leave it to me! Everyone immigrating, please step back for a moment!"
She sprang into action.
The immigrants began complying one by one.
The clearing slowly returned to its routine inspection rhythm.
I, too, gradually regained my composure.
"Good."
Now, the only thing left was...
"Elaine."
"..."
The one woman frozen in shock despite causing it herself.
I rushed to her, gently pulling down the hand she still had outstretched.
"Calm down. Everything's fine."
[I-I... was afraid you'd get hurt... I-I had no choice...]
Her words stuttered so badly even my ability struggled to parse them. Ragged breaths.
Her trembling eyes churned with every emotion imaginable.
Yet oddly, it brought me relief.
'Minimizing her telekinesis to just breaking an arm was impressive.'
The princess's power was impulsive.
Easily swayed by emotion, amplifying its ferocity.
If she'd unleashed the full force that once shook the palace, that mercenary would've been obliterated without a trace.
Yet she'd focused enough to limit the damage drastically.
To just one arm.
'Progress.'
Fortune in misfortune, as they say.
In some way, she'd controlled her ability.
I spoke as softly as possible.
"I'm fine. Thanks to you, we're all safe. So..."
I pulled her robe back down to hide her eye color from notice.
"Let's head inside."
"..."
Elaine nodded quietly, her expression conflicted.
Stability was what she needed now.
Leading her through the crowd, I murmured,
"I'm sorry, Elaine."
I never wanted to introduce you to the world like this.
Amid the thunderous cheers, Elaine barely whispered,
[...I'm sorry.]