Royal Capital Etre (2)

Not long ago.

The Inspection Bureau Director’s group arrived at the mansion.

‘Isn’t this too many?’

Though they said it was a protocol befitting a hero.

The scale was a large-scale escort that would be assigned to ordinary royalty.

“Is it alright if I have companions?”

“Of course.”

He decided to bring the children along to show them the capital while he was at it.

He asked others for their intentions too.

The Douglan exploration team politely declined.

“Thanks for the offer, but maybe it’s because we’re getting old, the travel fatigue hasn’t worn off yet.”

“We’d like to rest comfortably for a while.”

So they passed.

Teacher Yuria went to study at the city library.

Sir Rashid also remained, saying he wanted to focus on training.

‘What wind blew for everyone to be like this?’

But Ethan didn’t say much.

As the children’s capabilities were developing day by day.

The teachers teaching the children needed to develop too.

Thinking he should buy them a gift or something on the way back.

He also dropped by the servants.

They all shook their heads, saying they had to take care of the mansion.

But Meri and Anna naturally pushed Hwalin’s back.

“Eh?”

“Go with them. We’ll be taking care of the work.”

“B-But.”

Anna kept winking one eye.

‘Go and do well!’

Hwalin’s face turned bright red as she realized the meaning.

That’s how the group heading to Etre was arranged.

A total of nine people including Ethan, seven wards, and Hwalin.

‘Nothing should happen.’

Thinking so, he got on the carriage.

But.

They encountered a small obstacle from the start.

“It’s truly a pleasure to meet you again!”

The Inspection Bureau Director, who was assigned to exclusively take care of him, rode in the same carriage as Ethan.

Ethan found Tom, who was speaking to him with a subtly respectful tone, quite burdensome.

Moreover, it would take a few more days to reach Etre.

“Are you uncomfortable anywhere?”

“No.”

He wanted to say ‘You are the most uncomfortable’, but.

It was an inappropriate expression to say to the Inspection Bureau Director who looked old enough to be his father.

So Ethan decided to keep his mouth shut.

If he made a slip of the tongue to such a high-ranking person, it was obvious things would become troublesome.

Of course, the Inspection Bureau Director interpreted this differently.

‘Did I offend him somehow?’

As he was a person he needed to draw in as an ally this time, he wanted to build friendship.

So he organized a luxurious escort even if it was a bit excessive.

He hoped he would like it.

And inwardly hoped he would repay the royal side’s sincerity.

But it seemed he had misunderstood.

He didn’t particularly want to converse.

He just looked at the scenery outside as if bored.

So on the second day after departing for Etre.

Tom spoke first.

“I’ve heard well about your recent exploits.”

“Ah, yes.”

“You single-handedly destroyed three monster colonies and then even killed a demon worshipper?”

“The rumors are quite exaggerated. I didn’t handle it with just my own strength.”

‘How humble.’

Of course, he knew it wasn’t so even with the information the Inspection Bureau had obtained.

But Tom said so with the intention of praising Ethan and probing him a little.

However, unlike someone who had taken over Serdin’s underworld, there was no boasting or exaggeration in Ethan’s words at all.

‘I’ll know how much is true if I check.’

He put his hand in his pocket and.

Slightly activated an artifact.

It was an artifact that could distinguish the presence of lies in the other person’s words.

“Ethan-ssi. Though His Majesty highly praised your achievements, the Inspection Bureau is keeping a close eye on you.”

“…Pardon?”

“Please tell me honestly. Was it you who drove Baron Roan out of Serdin?”

“No.”

The artifact judged it as truth.

“Was it your doing that the underworld organization members who invaded Serdin were brutally murdered?”

“Of course not.”

This was also true.

“Is it your plan to conquer Serdin and Etre’s underworld and take the entire kingdom in your grasp?”

“No. Is this perhaps some kind of joke I don’t know about?”

Another truth.

‘It wasn’t this young man’s doing?’

Circumstantially, all these events happened along with the appearance of this Ethan person.

No matter how you look at it, it was certain he was the culprit.

Thinking the artifact might be broken, he asked himself questions and recited lies, but.

An electric signal indicating it was a lie immediately zapped Tom’s hand.

‘What is this…’

The experienced Inspection Bureau Director didn’t get flustered and smiled awkwardly.

“Hahaha, of course it’s a joke. I tried my best, but it seems you didn’t find it funny.”

“I was a bit taken aback because you asked so seriously. I’ve been quite worried lately as I ended up catching a demon worshipper by chance, and now I’m being revered as a hero or whatever because of it.”

This was also true.

‘So he did defeat the demon worshipper, but he’s not the trash controlling the underworld?’

If so, it was right to recruit him.

“I said something unnecessary. I’m sorry. If you ever need help, please tell me anytime. You are the Inspection Bureau’s eternal friend.”

“Ah, in that case, perhaps…”

Does he need help?

It might be a golden opportunity to put him in debt.

Ethan took out a map from his bag.

It wasn’t an ordinary map.

Strong mana could be felt from the paper.

“A servant went missing in Etre. Could the Inspection Bureau help?”

“Finding people is the Inspection Bureau’s specialty. But that paper…”

“It’s a map with the missing person’s location marked using search magic. It says here, in the underground of Bake family’s alley, do you know the location?”

Though it was surprising that he attached search magic to a map.

Tom focused on the familiar geography.

“Ah.”

Tom, whose mind became clear.

Unfolded the directive without caring about the outsider in front of him.

The directive written when dispatching field agents to monitor the underworld’s movements.

For some reason, the place they headed matched the one on Ethan’s map.

“I know the place.”

“Is that so? That’s fortunate. May I trouble you?”

“Of course. Before Ethan-ssi has an audience with His Majesty and receives a reward, the Inspection Bureau will cleanly resolve this.”

With luck, the agents might be able to rescue the kidnapped servant.

Even if a little unlucky, they would return with information.

‘Things are going well.’

Give help and firmly build friendship with Ethan.

It seemed he had taken one step closer to that goal.

The next day.

It was so until an urgent report flew in.

[Contact lost with field agents, new threat element estimated to have appeared in the black market underground.]

Perhaps the one who needs help.

Might be the Inspection Bureau, he thought.

“Phew. Fuck.”

Tom lit his tobacco.

Inspector Rudy blankly looked at the children and.

Recalled what happened yesterday.

-Me?

-Yes, you. Is there any other Inspection Bureau personnel here besides you?

-No, but we had our team operation…

-This is more important than the operation. I’m asking you!

‘Showing the kids around the capital?’

The group arrived in Etre yesterday.

It had been nearly 100 years since a demon worshipper was defeated.

They were inexperienced in preparing for the event.

The royal family said they would prepare as quickly as possible, and instead ordered to take utmost care of the guests.

But Tom, who was in charge, returned to the Inspection Bureau saying urgent business came up.

-If they need anything, accommodate them as much as possible.

So when he asked.

-I’d like to show the children around Etre. Is that possible?

It wasn’t a difficult task.

Lively and lovely-looking children.

He heard they were all Ethan’s wards.

Among them, there was a child who particularly left an impression on Rudy.

A squirrel-like girl who packed three bags of desserts at the dessert shop and still stuffed her cheeks full with sample desserts.

‘High-purity mana is leaking from her whole body. Is she a child born with magical talent?’

It was Borka.

She didn’t look like she would burn mana tobacco at a glance.

Nor did she have the stale smell unique to smokers.

‘No, she’s a child. Of course she wouldn’t smoke.’

Rudy felt his own thoughts were pathetic.

But the girl didn’t carry around heavy mana stones strung in her robe either.

The flow of mana visible to Rudy’s eyes flowed out from inside the girl’s body.

Glance.

The girl noticed Rudy’s gaze.

And looked at Rudy in the same way.

“?”

“?”

They both thought in their hearts ‘Why is this person looking at me?’

After a subtle battle of nerves, the two entered into a staring contest.

Soon after.

The girl’s eyes seemed to hurt as she trembled around her eyes.

But her mouth kept chewing continuously.

At this, Rudy was sure of victory.

But.

‘Oh, look at this guy?’

He quickly surrounded his two eyes with mana to minimize the invasion of foreign substances and air.

Wasn’t he using the trick of even activating healing magic to reduce eye fatigue?

In the end, Rudy blinked first.

“Are you a mage?”

“No?”

It was an obvious lie to anyone.

To act so shamelessly after moving mana in front of a mage.

Rudy laughed emptily and said.

“Uncle is a mage.”

“So?”

“And I’m also an inspector who catches people who lie.”

“!”

It was a prank that worked quite well on children.

To inspectors who catch and investigate bad people.

They have an image of mysterious agents who are both mystical and frightening.

In fact, underworld organization members were sometimes dragged to torture rooms and investigated (physically), so it wasn’t wrong.

The girl seemed a bit scared and turned her gaze away.

Then the curly-haired girl next to her intervened.

“It’s okay, Borka. It says ‘Etrion Kingdom inspectors investigate corruption of upper nobles and crack down on illegal organizations engaged in unlawful activities.’ But we didn’t do anything illegal, right?”

“Is that so?”

“That’s right. Have you ever killed someone with magic?”

“…No.”

“Then it’s fine.”

‘Did she just hesitate for a moment?’

With Kenny joining, the children’s team acquired adult-like logic and.

Turned the WWE Rudy had set up into UFC.

‘Are these really children?’

One was using magic without a single mana stone on her body.

One knew exactly what the kingdom’s Inspection Bureau does.

The rest were the same.

They only looked like children, but the contents were almost adults.

And.

“You seem to be thinking a lot?”

A girl with impressive silver hair and red pupils spoke as if she could see all his thoughts.

“Does it look that way? I’m sorry. It seems I showed an expression I shouldn’t in front of children, not being very adult-like.”

“Don’t worry. We are not enemies of the kingdom and the Inspection Bureau.”

“!”

Rudy was flustered when his intentions were hit.

“What do you mean…”

“We just came to receive a reward from the royal family for Ethan-nim and to rescue a missing servant.”

Some unknown energy was felt from the girl.

A subtle but very powerful and dark energy.

“So please don’t be too wary?”

“…Alright.”

“Then would you like to count the children?”

“Why suddenly count…”

One, two, three… six.

One is missing.

“One person is gone. Does anyone know who’s missing?”

“Greg is gone!”

“I told everyone to hold hands. It’s dangerous for a child to wander alone on the streets.”

Rudy retraced the path he had come with the children.

Clothing store.

Luxurious clothes were displayed in abundance.

Especially on wooden mannequins, a male tuxedo and a female dress were each worn.

Greg was blankly staring at the blue dress on the right.

‘Pretty.’

But in one corner of his mind, this scolding was heard.

-Absolutely! Not allowed!

-No matter what happens!

-For the republic!

The master’s stubbornness was unyielding.

It shouldn’t be revealed until the goal was achieved.

It was a bit regrettable, but.

That was the contract between Greg and the master, so it couldn’t be helped.

So since he saw it while passing by.

He tried to familiarize himself with it for a long, long time.

Even if he couldn’t wear it, he could at least recall it in his mind.

If he paid close attention, he might be able to walk around a ballroom wearing a blue dress in his dreams.

“What a pretty. Young lady.”

There were many people around, but.

Greg realized that those words were directed solely at him.

He had that feeling.

When he turned his head.

A woman wearing a black parasol and wide-brimmed hat slowly approached Greg.

“Your innate. Fate. Is very beautiful.”

As she got closer, beyond the thick veil covering her face.

The woman’s face could be seen.

“Tangled and tangled. Beautifully. Changed.”

Two pitch-black eyes that looked creepy were staring at Greg.

It was the same as the man called Targan he had seen in the abandoned mine last time.

“Let’s go. Together.”