Chapter 80
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 80
Chapter Title: Distorted Plan (3)
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Late at night. Before dawn had even broken.
- Rumble rumble rumble...
The vibration from the bed jolted me awake.
"Mm?"
I'd been sleeping soundly. What was this about?
I looked around.
The room was quiet and serene, as if nothing had happened.
'I'm exhausted enough as it is, and now some weird thing wakes me up.'
I closed my eyes again and buried my head in the pillow.
And just as I was about to drift back into dreams,
- Rumble rumble rumble...
The shaking hit again.
Something unknown was vibrating the entire building.
A foreboding thought flashed through my mind.
"Elaine."
Sleep vanished in an instant.
I bolted upright and dashed toward the door.
'Wait a second.'
But something felt off.
The princess's telekinesis was now under control.
Besides, this vibration wasn't just shaking the bed or the building.
- Rumble rumble rumble...
The ground itself was trembling faintly.
"Is this... an earthquake?"
I glanced west out the window.
The volcanic zone in the western continent.
"It's been quiet for a while."
Every few years, lava erupts from the volcanoes there.
An old saying calls it "the day the Red Dragon rages."
The shockwaves from that power always reach the Crossroad Kingdom.
That must be what's happening now.
Not the princess's powers going haywire again.
"Phew..."
The tension slowly eased.
If it's just an earthquake from the west, it's not a big deal.
It's not severe enough for direct impact; it'll just be enough to wake someone up, nothing more.
"Back to sleep."
Unnecessary worry.
I got chewed out by the Minister yesterday, and Elaine practically locked me in the recovery room. I'm beat.
I slowly turned my gaze to the clock.
4 a.m.
Too early to be up, but too late to go back to sleep.
No choice.
I'd have to stay awake until work time.
"Might as well have some tea."
Warm water is best for calming startled nerves.
With that thought, I opened the door.
Or tried to.
- Knock knock knock.
A knock sounded just as I grabbed the handle.
"N-Nathan...? Are you asleep by any chance?"
It was Erzena's voice.
I flung the door open.
- Slam!
"Erzena?"
"Kyaaah!?"
A shrill scream rang out, and someone in front of the door collapsed in place.
There stood Erzena, not in her usual neat attire, but in thin, flowing sleepwear.
Moreover, holy power swirled thickly around her like armor plating her entire body.
As I helped her up, I asked,
"Why are you still up and out here?"
"W-W-W-What about you, Nathan!?"
"I woke up a bit early."
And this is right in front of my room.
Yours is next door.
"Is something the matter?"
"N-No, it's just, um, well..."
I'd never seen Erzena so fidgety.
Her golden eyes darted around restlessly.
Aha.
I get what she's looking for.
I smiled faintly and pointed down the hall the other way.
"The bathroom's in the opposite direction."
"No!"
She yelled in a way that wasn't like her at all.
"Th-The ground... it suddenly started shaking... I-I'm scared..."
"Ah."
Then I remembered something I'd forgotten.
'Erzena hails from the southern continent.'
The southern continent is vast plains meeting endless seas.
Earthquakes are virtually nonexistent there, as far as I recall.
Even for a woman chosen by God, it's normal to fear nature's overwhelming power.
Especially an experience like the ground shaking in the dead of night—hardly pleasant.
I spoke gently.
"Don't worry. It seems there's volcanic activity in the west. The vibrations reached here. It happens occasionally, but it'll stop soon."
"I-I see. Whew..."
Erzena visibly relaxed.
But she was so startled her legs were still trembling.
She hesitantly opened her mouth.
"If it's not too much trouble... c-could we maybe chat for a bit...?"
Her eyes held a small wish for company.
No reason to refuse.
"Of course. I couldn't sleep anyway. Perfect timing."
I stepped back to let her in, and she nodded slightly before entering.
Or trying to.
- An unmarried woman of marriageable age entering a young male civil servant's home—what would people think?
The Minister's words flashed through my mind.
- Grab.
I immediately grabbed her shoulder to stop her.
"W-Wait a moment, Erzena. Hold on."
"Eek! Earthquake!? The earthquake grabbed my shoulder!"
"No, it's me."
She must have been really scared.
"How about the living room? My room might be uncomfortable for you right now."
"Huh? What's wrong with your room? Hanna cleaned it spotless yesterday."
She tilted her head, puzzled.
I didn't answer.
"Nathan? What's wrong? If you don't want me in your room..."
But then she saw my wavering gaze, looked down at her own defenseless attire,
"Ah."
And caught the hidden meaning.
"Eek...!!!"
She spun around hurriedly, clutching her clothes.
Over her swept-back hair, I could see her ears flushed red to the tips.
"Y-Yes! It wouldn't be proper for me to enter your room... Right. Especially at this hour, in this outfit...!"
Her holy power churned wildly, mirroring her mood.
The hallway lit up like daytime, banishing the night's chill in an instant.
Seeing that eased my mind a bit too, so I said,
"I'm glad you're starting to feel at home here."
"That's because you said you'd protect me..."
"Pardon?"
"N-Nothing! Living room, let's go to the living room!"
With an excited voice, Erzena roughly pushed my back.
But the living room had an unexpected guest.
"Yaaawn. Hello, Central Officer siiiir..."
Hanna was yawning lazily while filling the kettle with water.
"Hanna? What are you doing here?"
"The princess woke up from the earthquake... Huh?"
She started to answer but tilted her head upon seeing us.
"You two... why are you coming out of the room together?"
"Ah, no, we didn't—we met in the hallway."
Erzena quickly backed me up.
"I've never experienced an earthquake before, so I got really startled."
But there was one fact we'd momentarily forgotten.
"Hmmm..."
"W-Why are you looking at us like that?"
Hanna was a girl who'd grown up as a palace maid.
In other words, she'd seen all sorts of scheming, deception, political, and psychological maneuvers.
"Central Officer... Saintess... liars."
She grinned mischievously.
"You could've just said you slept together."
"Pardon?"
"Huh?"
Ah.
I thought only the Olfactory Officer and Gustatory Officer were like that.
Turns out we had one more at home.
"It's not like that!"
"N-Not yet, anyway!"
That was when it happened.
- Slam! Bang!
A door on the second floor burst open violently.
Erzena jumped and hid behind my back at the loud noise.
"E-Earthquake!?"
"Erzena. A door opening isn't an earthquake."
This woman gets scared and stays scared.
Someone from upstairs spoke.
"Ughwaa."
A familiar mumble.
To me, it sounded like:
[I heard Nathan's voice.]
The princess, now casually calling me by name, came trudging out.
"Elaine. You woke up from the earthquake too, I see."
[Is it dangerous?]
"You're safe."
That's our greeting these days.
Not normal, I know.
"E-Elaine?"
Elaine, descending to the first floor, peeked out from behind me and locked eyes with Erzena.
"Eh-eh-aa. (= Erzena.)"
"Princess. You're up too."
But instead of replying, the princess stared at us silently.
More precisely, at Erzena, who was practically clinging to my back.
[...]
Elaine subtly pointed at me with her fingertip, then shifted it sideways.
- Whoosh.
"Wh-What?"
An invisible force pushed my body, putting about a meter between me and Erzena.
"Elaine?"
[...I want to drink here too.]
It was a mumble full of resolve.
Five minutes later.
I sat on the sofa, speaking in a very, very troubled voice.
"Um... everyone? The sofa's big enough to sit comfortably."
Erzena on my left scooted even closer at my words.
"What if another earthquake hits? Better to stay as close to my holy power as possible. Don't be scared."
Who was the one screaming earlier?
Elaine on my right stared at me with green eyes like laser beams and mumbled,
[If there's an earthquake, Nathan might get hurt again. No recovery room here.]
That's not what I meant by protection.
"Ha, haha..."
I didn't say it, but our house is earthquake-proofed.
With six layers of protective magic and the Border Guard on 24-hour watch outside—what's there to fear?
Even if the building collapsed, this place would be fine.
'What am I gonna do with these two so scared?'
Too close.
Way too close.
Our knees were almost touching.
I couldn't move an inch with their skin brushing mine at the slightest shift.
A certain elder's words kept echoing.
- In a young male civil servant's home... you madman... what would the world think...
Minister, save me. You might be right.
To break the awkward atmosphere, I forced my mouth open.
"Well... we've got time left. Shall I tell you some short stories from my time as an immigration officer?"
"Stories?"
"Staring at the fireplace like this feels a bit lonely."
Without giving me time to stop, I started recounting tales from my inspections.
Anything to avoid suffocating sandwiched between them.
And soon enough, regular, soft breathing came from both sides.
"Suu..."
"Mmm..."
I paused my endless stories and said,
"Erzena? Elaine?"
"Hnn..."
"...Mm."
Even gentle calls brought only slight stirring.
Erzena leaned her head on my shoulder, sitting demurely with eyes closed.
Elaine gripped my pinky, curled up in sleep.
"Hm. Guess the history of the other-race entry system from the Sixth Millennium era of the ancient Northern Great Forest Elf Republic isn't that entertaining."
This was the best part.
Pushing aside my regret, I silently watched the two.
"Still... I'm glad you've found some peace here."
The border.
A place opened for the oppressed.
And closed against threats.
Just a merciless straight line, yet where worlds meet.
The crossroads, the border, my home.
Watching the two women sleep soundly within it filled my chest with an inexplicable warmth from deep inside.
Was it the warmth of this tea, or something tender from these two women who'd stood up and changed their lives?
I couldn't be sure.
"Phew..."
So I exhaled that warmth in a sigh.
"Get it together, Nathan."
With a self-deprecating smile, I slowly shook my head.
Dawn, having conquered the night, began lighting the sky.
Today of all days, may nothing happen.
The next morning.
- Chatter chatter.
- Bustle bustle.
The moment I arrived at the Immigration Control Office, the bewildering sight greeted me.
"...Am I seeing this wrong?"
The answer came from the crowd packing the office.
"C-Central Officer! Too many people he—hngh!"
"That's the entrants' waiting room! Those exiting, please go to the left corridor!"
"Ow! Who stepped on my tail, you lunatic?!"
Screams from the sensory officers erupted everywhere.
This was unprecedented.
Twice as many departures as arrivals?
From afar, the Auditory Officer—not even a sip of liquor—asked in an exhausted voice,
"Where are you from?"
"We-West. West!"
"Desert folk."
"West!"
And they all hailed from the same place.
The west.
'Even with the earthquake, this ratio is too high.'
Usually, those heading south are northerners, merchants, or locals.
Even including ratkin and harpies.
'All species sensitive to natural disasters.'
A chill crawled up my spine.
Then,
"Ah, you're finally here, Central Officer!"
My direct aide came running with a panicked face.
"Aide. What's going on?"
"I-I don't know. People started flooding in from dawn yesterday. But look at this first."
He handed me something.
- Hum. Hummm.
An orange-glowing crystal orb.
A signal for an emergency meeting.
I entered a private meeting room and activated it.
The face that appeared immediately was utterly unexpected.
- Ah, good, you're here. Not too late.
"Intelligence Director?"
It was Melanie Lacrua.
Instead of her usual confident smirk, she eyed me tensely.
- Wait a sec. Everyone's assembling now. You—no, Central Officer Nathan Kell.
She even used my formal title.
Soon, other faces appeared in the orb one by one.
- Northern Chief, Drin Asqurin reporting.
- What? Second emergency in under two months. Hi, this is the east!
- ...West.
The other border chiefs.
Senior examiners.
"Alright, we're all here. First, this emergency meeting isn't Intelligence Division's solo call—it's on Foreign Affairs Ministry orders."
Melanie spoke stiffly.
- Explain, Director. Serious matter?
- What's going on?
- ...
The seniors demanded answers.
Only Padre Montes, the western chief, stayed silent.
"Effective immediately, raise alert status at all borders to maximum."
Everyone gasped at Melanie's words.
- Director, you joking? What the hell?
- Code Red... Time of trials.
- ...
Maximum alert.
Code Red for short.
Issued only for national terrorism, interstate war, or equivalent disasters.
"Director. Terrorism?"
There'd been incidents lately.
Big enough for something major to blow up.
But Melanie shook her head.
- No. Worse.
She hesitated long, then said,
- The largest active volcano in the west has collapsed.
Worse than terrorism.
Nature itself crumbling.