Chapter 37
Chapter 37
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 37
Chapter Title: Reunion with the Chatterbox
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“Bureau Chief Aleng is such a pitiful guy too. He bawled his eyes out at the funeral, and here the man himself is, alive and kicking. Speaking of which…”
How many hours had passed? Even he, with his acute sense of time, felt dazed by Kalrigo’s nonstop chatter.
He’d known it would be like this, but it had been so long that it was exhausting. He quietly raised a hand to order another round of beer. He’d lost track of how many times he’d done it.
Hahat. Kalrigo let out his signature laugh and finally shut his mouth.
“That’s it. That’s the taste I missed. Strangely, whenever Sir Hurs listens to me, it’s like enjoying a feast—my appetite comes roaring back. Conversation topics just explode out of me. The best part is that you half-listen. Everyone else stares at me with eyes blazing, making me feel like a burden. They need to ignore me just the right amount, but they’re all so desperate about it.”
“How many people could ignore a First-Class Noble to his face?”
“You’re the prime example, Sir Hurs. It’s so refreshing. Do you know how much I missed you? I still remember it vividly. A year and nine months ago. Around 3 p.m. on the 17th. I visited your office and offered you that gift tea…”
It seemed the chatter machine was rebooting. Kalrigo, who had been staring blankly with his mouth half-open, grinned.
“Alright. Let’s call it here for today. If I keep going, you’ll bolt without even handling your business.”
“You still know exactly where my limit is.”
“You’re the only one I ever pay attention to. If I lose my one and only conversation partner, I might get so depressed I’d cry myself into a funk. So please, don’t hate me.”
Kalrigo belatedly reached for some snacks. He wolfed them down and ordered a few dishes.
A glutton like him staying slim despite all that food was surely thanks to his nonstop yapping mouth.
He waited until Kalrigo finished eating.
“Now I feel alive again. Belly full, time to hear about Sir Hurs?”
“Nothing much to tell.”
“Tell me anyway. Anything about you is entertaining to me.”
“Then I’ll start from after the funeral.”
He gave a brief rundown of recent events. The man was sharp enough to piece it all together from fragments.
“I figured as much. I never believed you were dead anyway. Who could kill a monster like you? There were rumors of some chronic illness, but the Sir Hurs I know—no, Mr. Lander—is the type to shrug that off with a grunt.”
“I’m just like everyone else. Catch an incurable disease, and I’d die.”
“Not a chance. You know how I uncover the truth, right? Grab one solid fact and build a tower of inference. The bedrock fact for Mr. Lander is that no one can kill him. Unless his body hits its natural limit according to the laws of nature.”
And here you are, alive to prove it, Kalrigo said with a hahat laugh.
“But I’m glad we met and talked. How did you know I’d come to Dun? Everyone knows the Inspection Team is moving, but my involvement requires pretty high-level security.”
“I heard on the way here. There was an attempt to smuggle Giant Soldier modules. A case like that would pull even the Inspection Team Leader in.”
“It’s embarrassing, like getting caught red-handed. How’d you get that info? Still connected to His Majesty?”
“Nah. Just a lucky find.”
“I see. I’m dying to trace the leak, but reuniting with you is too joyful—I’ll let it slide.”
“Thanks for understanding.”
“No problem. I say that, but I’ll dig it up later. Backtrack your route, comb every village you stayed in, and His Majesty’s hidden strings will show. As you know, I’m not on the Assembly’s side or His Majesty’s. I love digging up their weaknesses, driving a wedge between them, and watching the reactions.”
“I’ve always thought it’s a miracle you’re still alive and not executed.”
“Isn’t meritocracy the empire’s foundation? And no one knows their dirty secrets better than I do. The moment I rip open that cloth hiding the filth, both sides know where it’ll splatter. So they leave a monkey like me alone.”
“His Majesty regrets promoting you to First-Class Noble, or so he says.”
“He knew what he was doing when he did it. That’s why I personally like him. He’ll carve flesh from his own body for the greater good. The empire won’t fracture as long as he holds the throne. Our emperor’s too perfect.”
Kalrigo stretched and said.
“Now, time to hear the reason. Why the Mr. Lander who used to flee at the sight of me waited for me. Oh, but first, there’s someone I want to meet.”
“You mean Guchi?”
“Yeah. The guy traveling with you. I’d like to say hi.”
“Please, no weird talk. And no occupational hazards.”
Kalrigo just smiled without answering. They moved to the inn. They went upstairs, receiving Anthony’s greeting.
“Guchi. You there?”
He knocked and called out. The door opened with a response. Guchi was fiddling with a thin string laid out on the floor.
“A bowstring, huh. Pretty high-end stuff. Spare strings, your outfit—hunter, are you?”
Kalrigo said, eyeing Guchi up and down. Guchi stared at him, demanding an explanation.
He was about to give a suitable one when Kalrigo couldn’t hold back.
“Pleased to meet you, Guchi. I’m Kalrigo, close enough to Lander here to call us soulmates. That look says you’re wondering what I do, huh? Me? I write articles for the ‘Wolf’ paper. Heard of it?”
“Vaguely.”
“What exactly did you hear?”
Kalrigo urged him eagerly. Guchi looked back at Lander, as if asking what this annoyingly cheerful guy was.
“Just say what you heard. He doesn’t mind even the harsh stuff.”
Lander replied.
“The Wolf reporters are all crazy bastards. That’s what I heard.”
“Crazy bastards. What rapturous praise.”
Kalrigo shrugged his shoulders.
“You must be tagging along with Mr. Lander as his partner.”
“Did this guy tell you?”
Guchi glanced at him and asked. He shook his head, lips sealed.
“Mr. Lander hasn’t told me much. He’s too modest to talk about himself. Just that he’s traveling with some guy he met in a village. The rest is my inference.”
Kalrigo extended a hand for a shake. Guchi took it with a reluctant expression.
“You’ve got good instincts, Guchi. Right to be wary of someone like me. Nothing good comes from getting friendly. But don’t hate me too much. I’m human too—being shunned makes me cry.”
During the brief handshake, Kalrigo poured out words like a waterfall. Guchi let go with an exhausted look.
“Alright. Shall we grab a light meal and chat more? Before heading to the inner courtyard.”
Kalrigo hummed as he left the room.
“Just as you said, overly cheerful guy.”
“Bear with him a bit more. I need his help.”
“Is he another ‘old friend’ like Bank? The kind where if I knew, my neck would tingle?”
“Something like that.”
“Guess I’ll have to run from now on. Keep meeting your friends, and my lifespan’ll shorten.”
Come on, Guchi gestured with his chin and left the room.
* * *
“This should suffice. I’ll report to the Captain and come back.”
“No issues on our end, right?”
“Not from what I saw. Goodbye.”
The Inspection Team grabbed their papers and left the office. Sighs erupted everywhere, as if they’d been holding their breath.
“Deputy Director. See? Not our problem. Over this quick proves it.”
“Told you not to worry.”
Walz soothed his subordinates and told them to tidy up the records. Dun’s tension, rivaling wartime, wasn’t from Administrative Bureau issues.
The Giant Soldier module smuggling attempt. A dizzying incident caused by the Giant Soldier Administration Bureau.
“The Giant Soldier Administration Bureau’s in total chaos. Full audit underway. Not just staff—families summoned too.”
Subordinates started murmuring. What mistake did the Bureau make to cause this mess?
Only high-ranking Administrative Bureau officials, including himself, knew of the attempt. His men wouldn’t learn the truth even after it ended.
Walz clapped to settle the disorder.
“Don’t poke into irrelevancies. Finish our work.”
“Yes!”
He slumped into his chair. He’d expected the inspection to pass without issue. It wasn’t their problem.
Still, sharing space with the Special Inspection Team had him sweating bullets. He’d bent rules for favors using his position—not illegal, but…
Luckily, the Special Team weren’t sticklers. They gently noted clerical errors or minor graft and looked the other way.
He felt the camaraderie among public servants. Of course, commit a major blunder, and they’d drag you to hell.
“Deputy Director. What about your field inspection today?”
“Inspection? Oh, right.”
Walz recalled the schedule he’d forgotten amid the inspection. Perfect timing, he thought.
Ideal for venting frustration. Just then, Hanbrus entered, guided by a subordinate.
“Heard the news. Inspection over?”
“Cleared without a hitch, so you can stroll in. What’d I say? Nothing to sweat.”
“Good. Feed this to the men. Gotta treat the hardworking ones.”
Hanbrus offered a basket. Famous bakery treats, he said. He handed it to a nearby subordinate.
“Here, from 3rd Class Aristocrat Hanbrus for you all. Give him a proper thank-you.”
“He took care of us last time too. I respect Sir Hanbrus more than you, Deputy Director.”
“Me too.”
The subordinates joked playfully. Tension gone post-inspection, they relaxed. He told them to rest and eat, then called his direct junior.
“I’ll handle the inner courtyard alone. Hold the fort.”
“Got it.”
“Wrap up and head home. I’ll clock out from there.”
He left the office in his friend’s hands and stepped out.
“Tired? How about drinks with me tonight?”
“Not that tired. But irritated, yeah. Need to blow off steam, and no place like that shop. And who am I? Walz, who keeps his promises.”
“If you’re game.”
His friend grinned happily. Who wanted to flip the fairy’s inner courtyard more than him, after all.
“Let’s go say hi to the uptight chef.”
He turned toward the inner courtyard.
(To be continued in the next installment)