Chapter 10

Chapter 9

Academy Entrance - 4

Despite the sad fact that Karl and Erich could engage in mutual mental attacks, the school bell rang as they approached the main building, and the students' eyes had to be avoided. The students, who were occasionally seen, had completely disappeared, and only through the windows could the ongoing classes be glimpsed.

The result of avoiding the students' eyes was as Karl had wanted, but the cause of this result was far from ideal. If he hadn't turned back, he could have had some time to drink tea in the principal's office.

'Is it catnip, not capybara?'

Perhaps Louise is a pink capybara at the catnip door. The blonde man who changed his path as soon as he noticed me is one of the only three people of interest in the country, along with the three who sneaked in from abroad. Prince Ainter Libnom, the Third Prince.

Wow, the Third Prince appears there. Is there really something that twists people?

In that vast academy, Ainter was found near Louise at that exact time. It was impossible not to feel a chill at that moment. Ainter himself is a problem, but the fact that he was observed near Louise suggests that the other three could also be involved.

Forced participation in a meeting of all the people of interest on the first day of deployment? I absolutely don't want to. If they force me to, they'll have to offer me an open Welch's bottle.

I imagined myself in a place where four continentally important figures had gathered. The mental energy consumed by imagining something that even a foreign minister might not experience was so great that I sat on a nearby bench and stared blankly into space.

Feeling like a student waiting for the university shuttle bus, but there is no such thing as a shuttle bus at the academy, and I am not a student. It's hard to believe that the only thing I can do is dredge up the memories of my college days from before the possession.

I held my throbbing forehead. The sixth sense honed by four years of civil service had been steadily warning me that life from the moment of deployment would be extremely difficult. The problem was that there was no way to avoid it even if I heeded the warning.

It felt like a punch was coming right at me, but my body wouldn't move, and I just got hit. Both my reason and instinct opposed the deployment, but the power of public authority from above made it possible. The most terrifying power in the world is public authority...

I clicked my tongue and got up from the bench, retracing my steps. Since there were no students wandering around, it was time to finish the original purpose of understanding the structure.

Given that it is an educational institution for many blue-bloods, I examined the large and splendid buildings. When I occasionally saw students moving to other buildings or taking a break outside, I naturally passed by. During the school entry time, the attention was so intense that I felt like an animal in a zoo, but not now. After all, I won't be avoiding students for the rest of my stay at the academy.

'I need to introduce myself as an inspector by tomorrow.'

It's not feasible to greet everyone I meet with, "Hello, I'm an inspector. I'm here on official business."

I roamed around, storing the overall layout of the academy in my mind, then checked my surroundings and took out the communication device. Since I had finished my immediate tasks, I needed to handle them before I forgot.

I contacted the deputy with the communication device I took out from my pocket. After a few vibrations, the deputy's face appeared.

- It's been a while, Chief. Did you arrive at the academy safely?

"Yeah, I arrived this morning but had to do some other things, so I'm contacting you now."

- I'm glad to hear that there are no major issues.

In fact, problems immediately piled up as soon as I arrived. The protagonist Louise, Erich, who seemed to be on the verge of a 'You're a good friend' ending, and Ainter, who was drawn to the catnip door. However, there was no need to add such details to worry the deputy. Honestly, the deputy couldn't provide much help with this deployment. I quietly kept the names of Louise and the other two in my mind.

"Anyway, I saw something strange on the way here."

- Please tell me.

"There must have been a budget allocated for road maintenance leading to the academy. But the road was in a mess."

Track it down and clean it up.

The deputy nodded without any objections, as if I had asked him to buy some items from the market. The name of the local official, who had been on the top line of the hit list in the carriage, was thus decided to be dealt with.

This was the last gift for the special carriage of the Ministry of Finance, with which I had shared a small friendship during a long and arduous journey. The friendship was kept, and the special carriage...

- I will handle it and report back. Do you have any other instructions?

"No. Oh, is everything okay there?"

- Yes, everything is fine.

Fortunately, it seems the section chiefs are staying quiet. The relief made my expression relax a bit. Since the deputy hadn't contacted me separately, it seemed no trouble had erupted, but I couldn't help feeling uneasy. Hearing directly that there were no problems was a relief.

"Good. Thanks for your hard work. Contact me if anything happens."

- Understood.

With no further business, I ended the call with a final reminder to the deputy. It was a great relief to know that the deputy was still in the office. If even the deputy were absent, the antics of the section chiefs, unchecked, would pile up without limit, and the end result would be the disintegration of the inspection department by an enraged minister.

'Might it be better?'

If the department were to be dismantled by the minister, I would have to take responsibility and retire as the chief. Of course, the minister would likely create a new department and place me there, like a punishment squad.

But imagining the possibility of retirement, even briefly, made me feel a bit better. I put the communication device back and walked with a lighter step.

After confirming that Karl's face had disappeared as the communication ended, the deputy put the device back in his pocket and opened the door behind him. The room was quite chaotic, so he had stepped out for a moment to contact the chief.

When he opened the door and re-entered the chaotic environment, a grand party was in full swing.

"Section Chief 3's all-out performance! I'll show you something!"

"Hehe, hehehehe."

"Hey, hey! Chief, your glass is empty!"

The uniquely loud Section Chief 2 among the three troublemakers. He was even looking for the chief where the chief wasn't. The deputy's gaze fell on a human-sized doll placed in the chief's seat, with Karl's portrait attached to the doll's face. Section Chief 2, slightly swaying, walked over and poured a full glass of alcohol into the glass in front of the doll, then splashed it on the portrait.

"Chief, you drink well!"

Section Chief 2 giggled and refilled the empty glass. The doll, roughly placed to create an atmosphere, was gradually becoming the real chief in Section Chief 2's mind.

Compared to the mad scene, the cause of the event was surprisingly trivial. The carefully prepared banners and the plan for a party to celebrate Karl's departure to the academy were torn to shreds and scattered by Karl's rage.

However, as section chiefs of the inspection department, they wouldn't give up on their plans due to such a minor setback. Section Chief 1's suggestion that if they couldn't have a party for Karl's departure, they could have one for his arrival, resonated with Section Chiefs 2 and 3.

After postponing or advancing their departmental tasks to clear the morning, the section chiefs personally prepared for the party.

"Is this size about right for the chief?"

"Wow, the portrait is quite a beautification."

Since the real Karl wasn't there, the idea to place a doll with Karl's portrait in the chief's seat was approved. The banner that Karl had torn to shreds was somehow retrieved and reattached above the doll.

[ Ah! The beautiful 20s of academy life! ]

Unnecessary characters were discarded, and the banner was patched together like a rag. For inspection department officials, reassembling damaged items was a basic skill. A rough restoration was no big deal.

The ragged banner, born from the original sin of being torn but not burned by Karl, proudly displayed its presence. The deputy's gaze moved downward.

His eyes fell on Section Chief 3, who was doing a handstand in front of the doll as a performance for the chief, and Section Chief 2, who was splashing alcohol on the portrait again. When Section Chief 1 saw the deputy enter the room, he offered a glass of alcohol.

"Deputy, have a drink!"

The deputy, who had already had six glasses with the section chiefs before contacting Karl, took the glass without hesitation and drank it in one gulp.

"Is everything okay there?"

The words Karl had spoken with anxiety and unease during their earlier conversation. The deputy confidently replied that everything was fine. In a way, it could be seen as a false report to a superior, but...

'They're not causing trouble, so I'm actually worried.'

Ironically, the deputy was thinking that the section chiefs were not causing trouble. What Karl hadn't anticipated was that the deputy's standard for "trouble" was extremely lenient. The deputy didn't care as long as the trouble didn't spill out. He knew that if he tried to forcefully contain it, it would create a mess outside.

Until now, the section chiefs had been careful to let the trouble spill out appropriately while keeping an eye on Karl, so this aspect of the deputy's personality hadn't been revealed. Unfortunately, Karl wasn't there.

As the deputy watched Section Chief 1 pouring alcohol into his glass with a smile, his eyes met those of Section Chief 5, who was quietly in the corner. They both nodded, and then they casually drained their glasses. It didn't matter now; they would sober up by the time they had to start work in the afternoon.

Thus, the party for Karl, who was not there, continued merrily.

Author's Note:

This is the appearance of the inspection department without Karl, who acts as the reins. Karl would be moved by the sight of the section chiefs not causing trouble...

I wrote Chapter 9 in the morning, so I'll try to complete Chapter 10 in the afternoon. It feels like I'm just getting to the starting line on the fourth day of the contest. If Chapter 10 is only posted tomorrow, it would be quite embarrassing.

Anyway, thank you for your attention and for reading this imperfect novel!