Ch.191191. Daegu Front (2)

Governor Heo Jin-ho didn’t want the newly appointed inspector to get away with doing nothing for such minimal achievements.

So he immediately summoned the inspector and his subordinates who had been released from prison. Gathered in one place, the inspector and his men, now wearing the uniforms of agents directly under the Daegu Governor that Serabeol had provided, stared at Heo Jin-ho with tired expressions.

Naturally, what these people needed after being freed from prison and magic-sealing handcuffs was warm rest, not hard labor.

“I’ll be using you as guerrilla forces. You know what your mission is, right?”

However, Heo Jin-ho, still unable to fully trust the inspector, gave him a kind of test.

“No, I have no idea… Alright, alright. I’m just joking, so please relax, friend. Yes. I need to eliminate the undead in the outskirts of Daegu while catching those vermin bothering Daegu. Something like that, right?”

The inspector pretended not to know because he was tired and wanted to get back at Heo Jin-ho for summoning him, but when Heo Jin-ho’s expression quickly turned fierce, he immediately changed his attitude and began explaining what they needed to do as guerrilla forces in the current Daegu situation.

While he described it as eliminating undead in the outskirts of Daegu and dealing with “vermin,” it actually meant suppressing raiders who were essentially warlords.

Both tasks were necessary for Daegu’s security and were the most dangerous external missions, to the point where almost no one in Daegu volunteered for them.

The inspector spoke with an exaggerated tone of complaint about being assigned such dangerous missions, but Heo Jin-ho nodded slightly, seemingly pleased with this show of reluctance, and continued speaking.

“You know but pretend not to. Stop testing me.”

“Sorry about that. I might not know Jin A-yeon, but I still find it difficult to trust Governor Heo Jin-ho enough.”

Though warned not to test him again, the inspector bluntly stated that he couldn’t yet trust Heo Jin-ho’s abilities.

The truth was that it wasn’t Heo Jin-ho who had defeated him, but Jin A-yeon’s martial prowess, and since that was a fact, Heo Jin-ho had no rebuttal.

If Jin A-yeon hadn’t voluntarily stepped forward, the flow of the Daegu recapture operation might have been very different, and Heo Jin-ho’s operation could well have ended in failure.

Moreover…

“Even with a leash around my neck, if Governor Heo Jin-ho’s command abilities are terrible, it’s as good as dying together. So please consider this kind of test as just light advice.”

From the inspector’s perspective, he was truly risking his life on this mission.

If the commander’s leadership was poor, the freedom he had just gained could be lost meaninglessly, so he needed to take somewhat aggressive and risky actions.

That would significantly increase his chances of survival.

Of course, Heo Jin-ho’s impression of him might have worsened, but he judged that he could always improve that by proving his abilities.

“So. What about now?”

“Well, it seems you’re planning to give us real autonomy, so I’ll follow you. Now, are there any principles I absolutely must not violate?”

Heo Jin-ho, thinking the inspector’s attitude had some merit, decided to let this matter slide, and seeing this, the inspector acknowledged Heo Jin-ho as governor and said he would follow him.

Then, saying he would abide by the rules set by Heo Jin-ho, he asked about the principles he must not violate.

“Principles? Yes. Looting is strictly forbidden, and you must abandon your raider mentality immediately. Also, secretly stealing supplied provisions is strictly prohibited.”

“Of course, having risen in a faction, I should naturally abandon that. By the way, there are people who secretly skim military supplies, huh?”

“Yes.”

Naturally, in any human society, there would be those who tampered with military supplies, both in Daegu and Serabeol.

Human greed knows no bounds, and crimes like military supply corruption—siphoning off supplies meant for frontline troops—never ceased.

Of course, while both Serabeol and Daegu were aware of this, they lacked the administrative capacity to address each instance.

So for now, they needed to control the inspector and his unit, who could be regulated by contract, to prevent them from secretly diverting military supplies.

“By the way, will you provide us with equipment?”

“Yes, we’ll provide equipment. However, we can’t distribute Bahamut Bullets right now.”

At least they weren’t being sent to die, as the inspector’s unit, now directly under the governor, could receive quality equipment first under Heo Jin-ho’s supervision.

Of course, it was disappointing that they couldn’t immediately receive Serabeol’s prized magical equipment.

“A trust issue, I see. Fair enough—even I would think it unconscionable to demand loyalty from prisoners who’ve just been released. Then… if my loyalty to Serabeol is proven?”

“Then I can supply Bahamut Bullets at my discretion. Depending on your achievements. I can also provide compensation.”

The inspector expressed disappointment but nodded in understanding, and received a promise that he could get supplies if his loyalty to Heo Jin-ho was proven.

And the fact that he could receive compensation despite essentially being a slave was enough to boost the inspector’s motivation.

“Don’t forget those words.”

Yes, that’s enough for now.

The inspector reminded Heo Jin-ho not to forget his promise, then received his mission and headed to the outskirts of Daegu.

The outskirts of Daegu had long been devastated by continuous battles, and seeing the brutal landscape, the inspector’s subordinates, who couldn’t argue with Heo Jin-ho…

“B-Boss. We signed the contract as you said, but… is this really okay?”

…expressed concern about the state of Daegu’s outskirts.

While the interior of Daegu was still somewhat habitable, the outskirts had become a complete frontline of undead and raiders, making it uninhabitable.

The ground was scorched, and a foul stench rising from the earth assaulted their nostrils.

It was enough to make them nauseous, as if warning them to retreat immediately if they valued their lives.

“Absolutely. Don’t you remember the magical energy you felt when we made the contract?”

“B-But it could be a bluff…”

“A bluff? Don’t be ridiculous. These people created powerful and mysterious items like the Bahamut Bullet. Such a force could easily create a contract with magical binding.”

The inspector quietly warned a subordinate who seemed ready to break the contract and flee.

Firmly and with a strong tone, he carefully explained the powerful mystical effects that magical items could have, saying that implementing magical binding would be easy for Serabeol, which had created the Bahamut Bullet.

Most of the inspector’s subordinates nodded and accepted this plausible explanation, though some doubt remained in their minds.

Seeing this, the inspector declared, as if delivering a final blow:

“Besides, weaker contracts are already used by civilians. Without a doubt, this is real. What they used on us isn’t something from the civilian sector. It’s a more powerful military-grade item.”

“If that’s the case…”

“As long as we keep the contract, there won’t be any problems. But if we break it, even I can’t protect you.”

Hearing that even civilians in Serabeol used these contracts, the subordinate bowed his head in resignation.

However, as if to comfort his subordinate, the inspector said that there would be no problem as long as they kept the contract, but warned that if they broke it, even he couldn’t help them.

In essence, the inspector was saying that he was in the same boat as them.

“Are you saying we must give absolute loyalty to the governor?”

“That’s right? Ah, rather than the governor, pledge loyalty to the absolute ruler in Serabeol, the Dragon Priestess. Then you will gain the freedom the Dragon Priestess has promised… that should be enough for us.”

The subordinate asked if they were being told to pledge loyalty to Governor Heo Jin-ho, but the inspector advised pledging loyalty to Serabeol rather than the governor.

After all, it was Serabeol, not Heo Jin-ho, who had actually made the contract, and Heo Jin-ho was just one of Serabeol’s governors.

The force they should be most concerned about was not Heo Jin-ho, but Serabeol’s will, which held their life and death, and Serabeol’s decision would determine their freedom.

“Besides, even if we resist here, everything ends if Jin A-yeon is deployed.”

Moreover, escape was not permitted.

For those who still had doubts, the inspector mentioned his trump card: Jin A-yeon.

Yes, that overwhelming martial prowess where Jin A-yeon alone had charged into the government building where the inspector was holed up during the Daegu recapture operation, subduing them all.

“Eek!?”

“J-Jin A-yeon!?”

There was no way they could forget that.

When Jin A-yeon’s name left the inspector’s lips, they all began trembling with fearful expressions.

Jin A-yeon was essentially imprinted in their minds as a trauma, no different from a grim reaper from hell.

“Now then, to avoid Jin A-yeon’s clutches, let’s carry out our mission without complaints. It’s time to make Serabeol recognize our value.”

So, to avoid that judgment, they needed achievements right now to prove their value.

Although one might think it would be difficult to find even a single raider in the barren outskirts of Daegu, the inspector had been a raider before becoming a warlord.

This meant he understood raider psychology better than anyone and had likely mastered their methods to some extent.

As expected…

“Now, attack!”

The inspector used his knowledge and still-existing connections to identify locations where raider groups were operating in Daegu, and began turning the raiders who had infiltrated Daegu into achievement points for his own advancement.

“I-Inspector!? You’re alive?!”

“Thanks to that! From now on, you’ll be our achievement!”

Considering that he had needed to absorb similar raider groups to grow into a warlord before, he was essentially doing what he had always been good at.

The raider groups living near Daegu reacted with disbelief that the inspector was brazenly attacking them, asking if he was really alive.

It was difficult to explain logically why someone captured by Serabeol was here and why he was attacking them.

Moreover, what did he mean by “achievement”?

“A-Achievement!? What are you—?!”

“Just die!”

The raider wanted to ask what achievement a raider like him was talking about, but the inspector’s answer was simply, “Just die.”

He needed to neutralize them and transport them to Heo Jin-ho in Daegu for his own achievements, and it was more efficient to capture them first and think later than to waste time arguing.

After quickly capturing the raider group…

“D-Damn it.”

“Boss, we’ve captured them all.”

“Ah, is that so? Then, let’s use this guy’s network to catch others too.”

He used the communication network that the raiders had established to gather information about raiders in other areas.

As a former raider, the inspector knew that raiders maintained networks for various transactions and information exchanges, and he intended to use these captured raiders to access that network.

Quickly using their network to identify raider groups established in Daegu, the inspector…

“Here. I’ve captured all the ones we could right now. How about it? This proves it, right?”

…succeeded in occupying and eliminating dozens of raider groups in just a few days.

He captured them all and presented them to Governor Heo Jin-ho, organized all the items the raiders had looted in one place, and neatly compiled them into a list which he handed over.

“Ha. Your abilities remain impressive.”

As the raiders who had been causing trouble were captured by the inspector in just a few days, Heo Jin-ho thought he was capable but couldn’t let his guard down.

While thinking that the inspector would surely betray him someday, he began examining the well-organized list, trying to find fault with the inspector’s achievements.

‘Compare all you want. I can’t even lie because of the Geass.’

‘Damn it. Where did your raider instincts go?’

However, the inspector, bound by the Geass Scroll covenant, had properly organized the looted items into a list and presented them to the governor without secretly diverting anything.

No matter how much Heo Jin-ho wanted to find fault, the inspector was confident there was absolutely nothing to criticize.

“Now. This should be enough to prove my loyalty. So, please provide good equipment for my men, Governor.”

With such confidence, he began demanding what he wanted.

It was an extremely calculated move, believing that achievements of this level would be sufficient.

“…Very well.”

Heo Jin-ho sighed but agreed to the suspicious warlord’s demands.

No matter how much he wanted to find fault, there was nothing to criticize, and for achievements of this level, basic human decency required him to accept such requests.

‘Someday I’ll definitely find fault with you! I’ll find evidence of betrayal and use you well before discarding you without complications!’

‘Afraid I’ll find your weakness? I’ll definitely be recognized as Serabeol’s loyal dog! You’re just a governor anyway!’

But deep down, both were engaged in an internal struggle to somehow find the other’s weakness and bring about their downfall, which was frustrating.

…But by apocalyptic standards, this was probably just healthy competition.

…Probably?