Chapter 109
Chapter 109
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 109
Chapter Title: Unwelcome Visitors from the Management Office
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“Mr. Guchi. Have some of this.”
“Thanks.”
Guchi put the sandwich Deong had given him into his mouth.
“Pulled an all-nighter?”
“I do that every day. You look hollow under your eyes too, Mr. Guchi.”
“Couldn’t sleep well.”
He closed the book he had open and rubbed his eyes. How many days had it been now? He’d lost track of the dates.
“Found anything?”
“Just got a better sense of Silder’s reading tastes. What about you?”
“Nothing on my end either. The underground mages take longer to bring their consciousness back to the surface, they say. So I’m stuck checking the tunnels every day.”
“Waking the mages is that difficult?”
“I don’t know the details. But they say mages who’ve sunk deep into the Imaginary Realm can have their minds broken if not handled delicately. We need information from them, so we can’t just wake them roughly. We’re treating them with the utmost care.”
“How did Lander wake them? He died quick, but there was one mage we could communicate with, right?”
“That’s what’s so amazing. Taking out the knights, smashing through that magically sealed door.”
Deong narrowed his eyes and looked at Guchi. He turned his head to avoid the gaze.
“Even if you stare like that, nothing’s coming out of my mouth.”
“Come on, give me a hint. Who was Lander? What did he do? The Captain’s backing us no questions asked, so he’s no ordinary guy.”
“Didn’t you tell me last time? Curiosity is dangerous. So drop it. I’ll explain when Kalligo gets here.”
“For anything normal, I would’ve dropped it ages ago. Truth is, I’ve been digging into Lander these past few days using my own info network. But nothing comes up. Just one line about military service in Andun. That’s it. Says he was in a rear support unit—ridiculous for someone with those skills.”
“You gonna keep chasing that theory? Don’t say I didn’t warn you if you regret it later.”
Deong chewed and swallowed his sandwich before speaking.
“Like you said, the Captain will sort it out clean when he arrives. But when the hell is that?”
“There’s that messenger, right? Albert, was it? Weird-looking bird. Could use that to exchange news.”
Deong shook his head.
“It’s not some machine running 24/7. It’s a bird that does whatever it wants. You know what a familiar is?”
“Yeah. Magic to befriend animals, right?”
“More like a mutual exploitation deal. You can form a short-term contract and have them run errands, but Albert’s special.
Not a temporary familiar—it’s a permanent one. Maybe because of that, it hates leaving the Captain’s side. When the Captain forces it to deliver messages, it does, but then it vanishes for months sometimes. Sulking or rebelling, who knows.”
“Willful thing.”
“Exactly. A messenger that’s supposed to be swift and reliable moves on its own whims, so you can’t count on it. If Albert had done its job on time, the outcomes of major imperial incidents would’ve been different. Information delivery is that critical.”
“Familiars. Reminds me of the hawks the Roppa folk keep.”
“Those people achieved something greater than magic. Bonding with hawks, becoming friends. You know this? Hawks paired with Roppa live until the Roppa dies. Their lifespan matches a human’s. Amazing, right?”
“Heard it when I traveled with the Roppa. They call it a miracle beyond magic.”
“This world’s still full of unknown powers we haven’t uncovered. Just look at Dianne turning into a monster—proof it’s teeming with bizarre forces. Makes me shudder just thinking about it briefly. If Lander hadn’t stopped her then, I’d be buried in the Holy City cemetery by now.”
“Sounds nice. I’d end up in a ditch.”
“What’s that about bureaucrats having it good? That’s why we do the job.”
Deong, who had been grinning idly, suddenly stood and went to the window.
“What is it?”
“Some awkward guests just arrived.”
“Awkward guests?”
He stood next to Deong. Outside the window were people in gray coats.
“Probably from the Estate Management Office.”
“Fellow bureaucrats. Aren’t they here to help?”
“On the surface, sure.”
Deong went outside. Guchi followed.
“We’re from the Management Office. Name’s Hollek.”
“Deong from the Special Inspectorate.”
The two shook hands. No sharp vibes, so what made it awkward?
Guchi watched their conversation from a step back.
“We got your message. Looks like we’re a bit late.”
“You could’ve taken your time.”
“Can’t do that. Public anxiety is rising. We can’t let it fester, so we’ll handle the cleanup.”
“Well… my job is to preserve the scene as much as possible. What’s the Management Office planning to do with this place?”
“We’ll conduct a thorough internal investigation. And the rumors say bodies of identified knights are in the wrong place. That’s ours to sort too.”
“No need to worry about that. We’ve handled it properly.”
“We know the Special Inspectorate’s skills well. But hand this over to us. You know incidents in the territory during the lord’s absence fall under our jurisdiction.”
Deong smiled as he replied.
“Of course. But the situation here is so unique. Our Captain ordered the scene preserved most emphatically.”
“Captain Kalligo did? Then we’ll have to talk to him. Where is he now?”
Guchi saw a smug smile spread across Hollek’s face. He got a rough sense of the relations between the two groups.
“Well…”
“He’s not here, is he?”
“So…”
“Deong, hand it over. This is procedurally clean. The Special Inspectorate occupying and controlling the place is the odd part. I respect your reputation, but it’s all because of the Captain’s personal authority, right?”
“We’ll compile a detailed report on everything that happened here. So please withdraw for today.”
“Is there any reason for this conversation to drag on? Or does the Special Inspectorate oppose the Council on every matter?”
“We’re not on anyone’s side.”
“Right. The Inspectorate stabs anyone in the back—very impartial. People call you vultures or traitors, but I don’t see it that way.”
Hahaha. Deong’s eye twitched in time with Hollek’s laughter.
“Give us a moment? It’s cold—come in for some tea to warm up.”
“We can do that much. But we won’t wait long.”
Another Inspectorate member led Hollek and the Management Office officials away. Deong dry-washed his face as he watched Hollek go.
“I can guess the situation.”
Guchi said.
“Don’t even start. We’re never welcome anywhere. Especially when tangled with Council-heavy agencies—exhausting. Not like the Emperor’s side treats us warmly either.”
“The Management Office is tied to the Council?”
“Yes. Emperor, Council, rising nobles, mainland nobles. Politics is a tightrope—pick one side for peace. But we poke everywhere, so no one’s happy. At least the Captain has support and blackmail material from both the Emperor and Council elders, so he’s safe.”
“Blackmail and support?”
“He holds embarrassing secrets they don’t want exposed. To both sides, the Captain’s a massive septic tank. Touch it and it bursts on you.”
“Massive septic tank. Kalligo would love hearing that.”
“He said it himself. Crazy, right?”
The Management Office people entered the tent by the mansion. Guchi eyed it and asked.
“What now?”
“Stall as long as possible. If they take over, it’ll be chaos. They’ll flip everything and take all our secured items.”
“No way to block them?”
“When they pull out the rules, we have no grounds. Our power’s in the Captain and official warrants. No Captain, no warrant like now—we’re helpless.”
“You seemed like the type to beat up bureaucrats.”
“We can if we follow procedure, but normally they push us out. Our strength is invading the Emperor’s chambers in limited scenarios—otherwise, we’re weak.”
“Reviled everywhere, pushed around. Tough job.”
“Tell me about it. If I hadn’t fallen for the Captain’s pitch, I’d be in Administration.”
“Too tough? Quit.”
“Can’t. It’s got its fun.”
“Keep talking like that, next time I see you, you’ll be missing a leg.”
Guchi said, eyeing Deong’s ankle. Deong grinned sheepishly.
“Like you said, might lose one next time. Not a job for peaceful desk work.”
Hollek came out of the tent. Smoking and staring their way.
“That’s a ‘get lost’ look.”
“Yeah. Don’t look. Ignoring them buys time.”
“What if we sneak the mages out?”
“Those guys sniff as good as us. They’ll tail us if we move.”
“Headache.”
“No kidding. If I can’t hold here, the Captain’ll chew me out. He only cares about results, not process.”
Blind approached. Looking exhausted too.
“Heard and came, but they’ve already staked claim.”
“They won’t listen. What do we do?”
“Drag it out. We must secure those underground mages somehow.”
Guchi listened, then tapped Blind’s arm.
“How’s Inebil?”
“He’s cooperating with the investigation. Health’s improved. But the mental shock lingers—mood’s off. Coming later?”
“Yeah.”
The wounds of the heart hadn’t healed yet. He recalled Inebil’s brash old self. Better raging like before than groaning in pain.
Watching him mutter and sigh over Silder and Dianne choked him up.
He said he was fine now, but his face said otherwise. Would news from Lander in the Holy City about Silder help?
He clicked his tongue inwardly. Dianne had become a monster too. Silder probably met the same end.
If he heard even Silder was dead, Inebil would collapse. Better he hears nothing until body and mind recover.
“We’ll talk to them and come back.”
“Yeah. I’ll check the study more. Might have to pull out from here.”
“Find anything useful, you know.”
“Smuggling it out’s my specialty. Don’t worry.”
Guchi exchanged glances with the two and entered the mansion.
(To be continued next time.)