episode_0001

Five years have already passed since a gate opened in the Peren Empire and monsters poured out. As the chief gatekeeper at the gate management headquarters, I was bestowed with great honor and money.

The reason was simple. As soon as the gate monster attack broke out, I trained disciples. Afterwards, many of the students I taught spread out across the country and began closing gates with me.

After about three years, the mana of all gates in the Peren Empire was destroyed, and thanks to this, gates existed but monsters no longer came out of them.

How to destroy the mana of the gate. The reason I knew this was because I was the possessed person in this novel. To be precise, it is because of the characteristics acquired through possession.

◈Legendary Gatekeeper [EX]: The mana of the gate once defeated can be sealed.

‘Still, I’m glad I have this trait.’

The disciples who believed in me and followed me even though they suffered so much with their bare bodies. And I felt infinite gratitude to the empire that helped me subdue all the gates that existed within the Peren Empire. If it weren’t for them, the subjugation of the Gate would have been impossible.

I sacrificed myself for the empire for three years, and for the next two years, I devoted myself as if I was dedicating my whole body to the nation, worrying whether a new gate would appear.

However, what came back to me was dismissal due to false reporting.

[trot! It was revealed that Gatekeeper Leos is currently under investigation by the investigative headquarters due to allegations of sexual harassment among his students…]

One of the students I taught reported me, saying I had sexually harassed her. Of course I wasn’t worried. This was because I had no doubt that countless people, most of all the empire and the people, would come forward to help me, who had devoted myself to the country.

But what came back to me was a cruel reality.

[Wow, haha, didn’t I tell you that all the gatekeepers are scoundrels?]

[Jerk the. They didn’t do anything while sucking up the national budget, but now that they can afford it, they do things like sexual harassment and other things~]

[It’s already been two years since no monsters came out of the gate. How much money have you wasted in two years? Just replace everything!]

[The final manager of Gatekeeper was a sexual harasser, so why maintain that department? Just shut it down. Fuck, I should have gone in and sucked on some honey.]

[Guys, there hasn’t been any evidence yet, so shouldn’t we put it in neutral gear?]

[What is neutral gear? Didn’t you see the interview with the victim? And even if there is no evidence, Leos is already at the end of his life haha. How are you going to prove it?]

[Neutral gear is alpha, so we can just burn it down. This is it~]

Numerous posts and comments mocking me began to appear in the community in the Peren Empire.

I muttered, looking blankly at the community connector.

“How could you do this to me…?”

devoted himself to the country. He took down the gate for people whose names he did not know and risked his life to protect them. But how can they assume and frame me as a criminal based solely on the words of a girl without any evidence? How could I dismiss all my accomplishments as if they had never happened?

“Defendant. Stay focused.”

I lifted my head and looked ahead in a daze. The judge of the Peren Empire. They started passing judgment on me.

“Although the defendant committed a heinous crime, he denied the fact and did not submit evidence that he was not the criminal. Because the methods and behavior of those who pressured students, led by those in powerful positions, are so vicious, the defendant is sentenced to three years in prison.”

bang!

I jumped up from my seat and shouted.

“Why…Why do I have to bring proof that I am not the criminal? Common sense tells me that the person who says I am the culprit should bring evidence that I am the culprit, right? Innocent. I’m innocent, so what evidence do I have to prove this? What on earth!”

The judge asked me a question.

“So are you saying that the victim innocently reported you without any reason? Why on earth? There is no reason for that, is there? The victim has been giving consistent statements from the beginning and there is no gain in reporting you. They say they couldn’t provide evidence because the situation was urgent, so how can they blame the victim?”

“How could I know such a thing! I’m going crazy too! I am also a victim.”

He cried out of injustice, but it seems that it upset the judge.

“Decided that conversation was no longer possible. I will conclude by sentencing the defendant to three years in prison.”

My legs gave out and I fell to the ground. Belin was from afar. The person who handed me over to the imperial court grinned and left the courtroom so that only I could see him.

“How could that be a victim…smiling…smiling, damn it…”

Those were my last words before I went to jail.

*

“Belin. The result came out as I wanted. But why did you report Leos? That person didn’t even touch you.”

“Oh my, didn’t I tell you?”

A-rank gatekeeper Kozaric nodded.

“Yes. I only helped you because you wanted to.”

“As expected, Kozaric is nice. They listen to anything I say.”

As Velin looked at Kozarick with moved eyes, the man scratched his nose and his cheeks blushed. Belin looked at him and answered belatedly.

“Reason for reporting? It’s simple. An order came from the upper reaches of the empire.”

“From the top? To you?”

“Uh. The Empire asked me to destroy the social reputation and perception of Gatekeeper Manager Leos. I want to get rid of the entire department, but public opinion is too good to just get rid of it.”

“There were no special instructions for me…”

“Of course. Although we are both dispatched from the Empire, there is no one better than me to ruin the perception of Leos’ dedication to the Empire. She’s pretty, has a nice body, and is someone that everyone would find attractive, right?”

“It’s true, but…what do you mean you’re the right one?”

“It becomes more plausible. It’s not enough for a pretty girl like me to report sexual harassment without any benefit, what if people find and check my photos? This gives credibility to what I say. Even a man like Leos who devoted himself to his country would be worthy of attention. I have that kind of thought. Have you seen Community? Look at the comments. There is no evidence, but you are spreading my photo and saying that Leos must be the culprit.”

“It’s huge. Belin, you are truly amazing.”

“How amazing.”

Belin took out a communication artifact and contacted the upper levels of the empire.

“As you said, I confirmed the work, so you know the compensation as I said before, right?”

“Yes. I’ll send it to you right away.”

Finally, Belin asked with concerned eyes.

“I ordered it and did it, but is this okay? Leos was largely responsible for destroying all the gates. There is no point saying this when I sent you to the abyss, but if monsters pour out of the gate again, it will be extremely difficult.”

The man on the other end of the phone laughed and spoke.

“Don’t worry. It’s been 3 years since the gate closed. Investigation results also showed that there will be no more monsters.”

“Well…I’ll believe it anyway. Please send the goods quickly. You know it’s urgent. I have to use it right away.”

“Sure. I’ll send you 3 more elixirs, one more bottle than I promised.”

“Yes, thank you.”

Afterwards, Belin quietly looked at the sky.

“Well, I might feel a little sorry.”

Kozaric asked her a question.

“What did you say, Belin?”

“I didn’t say anything. Let’s go.”

A lot of time has passed since Velin and Kozaric left.

As spring, summer, fall, and winter repeated over and over again, the day for Leos to be released from prison arrived.

“Ha…”

After being released from prison, Leos looked blankly at the sky.

I wish it was all a dream. I would rather the world perish. That’s when I was thinking that.

Tsk tsk… tsk tsk…

The air began to split, and red gates began to appear in an instant, unlike the blue gates seen earlier. People who did not know what this phenomenon meant were walking down the street normally. Several people pointed to the reddening sky and talked.

“Why is the sky like that? Has some kind of yellow dust started?”

Most people dismissed it as a natural phenomenon or nothing special, but Leos, who knew what this phenomenon was a precursor to, continued to watch the sky without even being able to breathe properly. It wasn’t long before the man was convinced that this was the phenomenon he was thinking about.

‘Fuck…Red Gate…Red Gate is coming back.’

After gathering his thoughts, Leos went straight to the bomb shelter used by the gatekeepers in the past.

I ran towards the place that was now abandoned.

First day of release.

A new gate has begun to be created in the Peren Empire.