Ch.137Episode 8 – Say Hello To My Little Friend

# Like Fantasy Games, This World Has Various Races

Just like in any fantasy game, this world is home to a diverse array of races.

From the all-too-familiar orcs, elves, and dwarves that bring a sense of comfort in their familiarity, to the furry beast-folk that furries would adore, the kemonomimi with only animal ears and tails that otaku love, and even demon folk.

This world truly has a remarkable variety of races living in it.

Occasionally, differences arising from biological uniqueness and social, cultural, or religious backgrounds create various social issues.

For example, races like goblins or orcs are treated as suspicious individuals just for breathing and subjected to police spot checks, while beast-folk get away with mischief because they’re considered cute as long as they don’t commit outright crimes.

Some are oppressed and despised for looking scary, while others become objects of affection for looking cute, despite being divisive. Elves even receive different treatment based on skin color—generally, the darker the skin, the more preferred they are. The pale elves stuck in the great forests spend their days committing acts of terrorism, while dark elves have been friendly with various races for centuries due to their continental trade networks.

Anyway, this world truly has diverse races living together. Occasionally there are incidents—defoliants sprayed over the great forests, goblins shot dead for drug trafficking, orcs beating their human bosses to death over unpaid wages—but everyone manages to get by somehow. Probably.

For reference, I’ve met other races a few times, and the experience felt quite similar to meeting overseas compatriots.

They have their own communities where they elect chairpersons and leaders, engage in social activities with help from political and business figures, and sometimes live clustered together like Koreatown or Chinatown. I know this well from my overseas assignments where I had plenty of contact with them.

So I thought I knew quite a bit about the races in this neighborhood.

But then…

“Who are you?”

“Th-the way you speak…! How dare you use informal language during an internal audit…! This is a challenge to the authority of the Inspection Office!”

What is this thing?

## Episode 8 – Say Hello To My Little Friend

While waiting for the auditor in the conference room, I encountered a peculiar creature. I felt like a conquistador meeting indigenous people of the New World for the first time.

Fluffy, curly hair like sheep’s wool. Hair color best described as reddish rather than orange. Height reaching just below my chest. Bright, alert eyes and porcelain-white skin. The most distinctive feature: ears. Triangular, pointed ears protruding through the hair.

At first glance, it looked like an elf, but upon closer inspection, it wasn’t. After all, pointed ears aren’t exclusive to elves. They’re a biological characteristic shared by creatures belonging to the fairy family.

Despite priding myself on having met many races in my life, this was my first encounter with such a being.

The small creature that entered the conference room introduced itself:

“I am Charnoi, a nymph of stream waters, working at the Inspection Office!”

Never heard of it. Was such a race even in this neighborhood?

“…A nymph?”

“Could it be that you don’t know what a nymph is…?”

As I muttered to myself and tilted my head, the one who introduced himself as Charnoi from the Inspection Office showed an expression of shock.

“Not knowing what a nymph is…. How did such an ignorant person become a military intelligence officer…? I am deeply concerned about the future of the Military Intelligence Bureau!”

Charnoi seemed genuinely shocked.

What a peculiar talent, making someone feel embarrassed with a face showing no malice.

“Yes, nice to meet you. But when is the auditor coming?”

“What nonsense is that…? Do I not look like an auditor to you…?”

“Wait, are you saying that you’re the auditor?”

I slowly looked over the nymph claiming to be the auditor.

He was wearing the drab khaki uniform issued to Military Intelligence Bureau employees. An ID badge for identification was attached to his chest, and something was visibly protruding from his upper pocket.

“Wh-what are you staring at…? Such nymph-phobic eyes…! No matter how much you stare, I won’t hand over my limited-edition honey candy!”

Charnoi covered whatever was in his pocket with his hand while uttering incomprehensible words.

I watched this scene and then rushed out of the conference room to find the Inspection Office. Clearly, there must be some mistake.

But the Inspection Office’s answer was surprisingly simple:

“Yes, how can I help you?”

“Um… I think my assigned auditor hasn’t arrived yet. Please tell them to come quickly and take away this nymph or whatever it is from the conference room.”

“Nymph? Oh, you mean Charnoi? He just left to interview an internal audit subject.”

“What?”

“Are you Major Frederick Nostrim who recently worked at the Magic Tower? Then Charnoi is indeed your assigned auditor.”

I felt like I’d been hit with a hammer.

I stared blankly into space, and the nymph who appeared at the end of the corridor came running and shouted something.

“Where do you think you’re going without permission…! This is clearly nymph-phobic behavior…! I will personally ensure you face the disciplinary committee!”

Is this really my auditor? A nymph?

I stared at the noisy nymph with blank eyes.

“……”

I want to go home.

*

About three days have passed since meeting my assigned auditor. It’s been three days since my bizarre encounter with a nymph I’d never seen before in my life.

The strange meeting with the nymph continued, as he was indeed the auditor in charge of my internal audit.

I’ve learned a few new facts during this time, mostly about nymphs.

First, nymphs are an extremely rare race. Nymphs, belonging to the fairy family, are a long-lived species like elves or dragons, but their population is very small. According to official data from the Abas Biological Society, the number of nymphs or similar species across the entire continent is among the lowest of all races.

Second, nymphs are crazy about sweets. This isn’t limited to Charnoi; loving sweets is a common characteristic of nymphs. However, due to the small sample size slowing research on nymphs, nobody knows why they love sweets so much. There weren’t even any academic papers on it.

Third, nymphs are legally protected from capture and hunting by governments of all countries. This is because they’re an endangered species.

While I understood the endangered species part, I wondered why anyone would hunt nymphs in the first place, but I didn’t bother looking into it. I didn’t want to know.

So my knowledge has expanded.

Of course, besides learning about nymphs, I also discovered a few additional facts—namely, the charges against me (essentially fabricated).

“Here…! It’s clearly written here, so look carefully!”

Charnoi proudly presented a piece of paper.

It was an expense report I had sent to headquarters a few weeks ago.

“Do you know what this is…?”

“…Yes. It’s a receipt. Expenditure details for operational funds given to an informant.”

“A document signed by your own hand…. Can you see the amount written here…? A meal expense of 8,000 dinars at once…! That’s 5,000 more than the 3,000 dinars specified by Military Intelligence Bureau regulations!”

“And?”

“This is clear evidence of embezzlement…! You embezzled public funds under the pretext of dining with an informant!”

Charnoi alleged three charges against me. The first was embezzlement.

Specifically, I had used more than the 3,000 dinars (about 30,000 won) regulated by the Military Intelligence Bureau, and allegedly pocketed the difference.

Intelligence agency budgets have a special nature, so expenditure details aren’t disclosed to the public or even during parliamentary audits. The reason is national security. The moment detailed expenditures are revealed, estimates of the intelligence agency’s investments and information networks become available.

However, intelligence agencies do know where their officers spend their special activity funds. Internal regulations require reporting the amount and purpose of use, and intelligence agencies have their own verification procedures.

Of course, there are unaccounted funds that can be used quickly in emergencies without questioning the purpose, and there are employees who pocket activity funds through various routes, but intelligence agencies are aware of that too. They just turn a blind eye because they know their employees work hard for civil servant wages.

In that context, Charnoi’s allegation was hardly embezzlement. After all, I really did spend 8,000 dinars on meals.

“Auditor. How can I calculate the exact amount in the field every time? If an informant wants to eat something expensive, I can’t refuse. If they get upset and the operation falls apart…”

Of course, embezzlement wasn’t my only charge.

“Then how do you explain this…. Accessing a Level 2 classified document from the Royal Intelligence Department…!”

“……”

“Explain yourself…!”

The second charge was violation of security regulations.

Charnoi took issue with my unauthorized access to a Level 2 classified document (material related to La Cardenal) produced by the Royal Intelligence Department.

While Leoni, the director of the Royal Intelligence Department, and the representative of the Abas delegation to the Magic Tower had authorized the document access, I had indeed violated internal regulations by not obtaining approval from the security officer and agency head before viewing it.

I had nothing to say about this.

It seemed awkward to ask Leoni to come to the Military Intelligence Bureau’s Inspection Office to testify, and I was clearly in the wrong anyway.

As I kept my mouth shut, Charnoi placed his hands on his hips with a triumphant attitude.

“A violation of internal regulations is a violation…! Save your excuses for the disciplinary committee!”

It wouldn’t matter to me even if it went to the disciplinary committee. But since he seemed to enjoy it, I decided to stay quiet.

Charnoi’s investigation continued after that.

Every morning after clocking in, I would be investigated at the Inspection Office, and after lunch, I would sign handwritten statements.

According to Military Intelligence Bureau internal regulations, when under investigation by the Inspection Office, one is removed from duties and can only be subject to the investigation. After work hours, one must wait at either the official residence or home. So I commuted daily between the Inspection Office and my quarters without meeting anyone.

Considering that this internal audit was being conducted informally, it was practically paid leave, but unfortunately, Charnoi, seemingly unaware of this fact, investigated me zealously.

“Why are yesterday’s and today’s statements identical without a single discrepancy…? Write your handwritten statement properly…!”

“Record every embezzled amount without omission…! What were you planning to do with this money…? If you had set up a military savings account like this Charnoi, you wouldn’t be short on money. Are you saying stock investments have higher returns than military savings accounts…? Now I understand why you embezzled…!”

I didn’t really care since I was only going to receive a formal disciplinary action anyway, but I was curious why he was investigating so diligently.

When I asked, Charnoi answered:

“As a child, I was once caught trying to steal from a church because I was so hungry…. The nun who found me gave me the silver candlestick I was trying to steal and taught me that crime is wrong…. Since then, I’ve lived more diligently than anyone else…!”

“Ah, is that why you joined the Inspection Office?”

“I joined the Inspection Office because I heard promotions come easily…. One good case guarantees rapid promotion…. By the time this Charnoi becomes a nymph of the brook, my pension term will be fulfilled, so I’ll collect my severance pay, retirement allowance, and pension all at once and retire immediately…! Money overflowing in my account even if I eat a jar of honey candy every day…! That’s truly a nymph-friendly retirement life!”

“……”

Something seemed off, but he appeared to be working hard in his military career, so I decided to leave him be.

And so I spent my days with the chattering nymph. Although I couldn’t go anywhere or call outside contacts like Jake, Pippin, Camilla, or my family, it wasn’t a bad life.

Except for one thing.

The final charge. If only it weren’t for that.

*

Silence fell over the previously bustling investigation room. Only the sound of turning pages could be heard.

Rustle, rustle.

I held the file Charnoi had handed me and remained silent.

“……”

Inside that brown file were articles from various magazines and tabloid press.

Unable to look at it with both eyes open, I closed the file and covered my face with my hands.

Charnoi’s voice rang in my ears as he shouted impatiently:

“Why are you hesitating…! Dating a foreign national is clearly against regulations…. There’s plenty of evidence, so quickly admit to the charge!”

“No. No matter what, for an intelligence agency to investigate me based on tabloid rumors about me dating Saint Lucia is a bit…”