Chapter 11: The Inspector’s Ordeal
The Weimar Royal Capital.
It was the largest city in the Weimar Kingdom, home to the Royal Castle where the Royal Family resided. Due to its significance, inspections were conducted at the city’s entrances for security, unlike the neighboring towns and villages.
On that day, the inspectors of the Weimar Royal Capital were carrying out their duties as usual.
The inspector’s job was to examine people and goods entering and leaving the capital, preventing dangerous individuals or items from infiltrating and ensuring that sensitive information did not leak out.
It was just another day on the job.
That routine was shattered shortly after they began their work.
“…Aaaahhh!”
“Huh?”
The inspector looked up from the baggage he was inspecting at the sound of a voice.
“Did you just say something?”
“No? I didn’t say anything… but I heard something just now too.”
When he questioned the person in front of him, they claimed they had also heard a voice, though it wasn’t theirs.
Both of them began to glance around, noticing that others nearby were also looking around in confusion.
It dawned on them that they weren’t the only ones who had noticed the mysterious voice.
This meant that the voice they had heard had clearly come from someone else.
Could it be that there was an illegal immigrant or someone trying to escape the capital hidden among the baggage?
The other inspectors also caught on to this possibility and were about to launch a thorough search of the luggage when it happened.
“AAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!”
A man fell from the sky, shouting loudly.
“Wha—?!”
The bizarre sight left not only the inspectors but also the civilians undergoing inspection wide-eyed in shock.
A man was plummeting straight down towards them.
At this rate, he would crash into the ground and be flattened.
Yet, there was nothing they could do.
At the very least, it was their duty to evacuate the civilians to avoid any casualties.
Just as the inspector was about to guide the citizens away, the man’s descent suddenly slowed.
“…Huh? What?”
Another inexplicable event unfolded before their eyes.
Faced with two surreal occurrences, everyone present stood there, mouths agape, watching the descending man.
As he got closer, they realized that he wasn’t alone; another man was with him.
The man who had been screaming was bound hand and foot.
What on earth was going on?
In a state of utter confusion, no one could move. The man carrying the bound individual approached the inspector and presented a wanted poster.
“Hey, I need to get in touch with the person who wrote this. Can you guide me?”
“Wait! You can’t just say it like that!”
“Shut up, just be quiet.”
It was clear that this was a conversation between a superior and a subordinate, but the superior’s attitude was incredibly arrogant.
After all, they had to wait in a long line to get here, yet he had the audacity to drop in from the sky.
Annoyed, the inspector decided to respond firmly to the man.
“That’s a wanted poster issued by the Royal Family. There’s no way I can guide you. You’re the most suspicious person I’ve ever seen. Seize him immediately!”
As the inspector declared this, the soldiers on guard sprang into action.
The man glanced at the soldiers, let out a small sigh, and suddenly released a wave of Magic Power.
It was a dense, terrifying Magic Power that even the Demon Tribe had never encountered before.
Everyone present found themselves frozen in place, unable to move.
“A-a-a…”
“Enough of that. Go ask the person who wrote this. The fact that they issued such a wanted poster means…”
The man’s demeanor shifted from nonchalant to menacing as he glared at the Royal Castle.
“You’re declaring war on me, right?”
The moment those words left his mouth, everyone around, including the inspector, felt their knees buckle.
This guy is dangerous.
He absolutely must not be allowed into the capital.
We have to stop him!
The inspector thought this, but despite his mind racing, his body was paralyzed with fear, refusing to budge.
The same went for the others around him, some even losing control of their bladders.
Seeing this, the man let out another small sigh and ceased his release of Magic Power.
“Alright, now you can move. Someone hurry and go ask the Royal Castle about my question.”
“…”
Even after hearing his words, no one moved.
Then…
“Move it, now!!”
The man shouted, and one of the soldiers hurriedly mounted his horse and rode off towards the Royal Castle.
After witnessing this, the man turned to the civilians who were still frozen in fear.
“Hey, you all should get out of the capital while you can. Because…”
He grinned.
“The capital is about to be obliterated.”
Hearing those words, the civilians recalled the dense Magic Power from earlier and, despite their fear, began to crawl away from the capital.
The inspectors also wished they could flee, but as guardians of the capital’s gates, they managed to hold their ground, clinging to their pride.
“Well, you’ve got some guts after all.”
The man said with amusement, but to the inspectors, there was nothing amusing about the situation.
As they waited for a response from the Royal Castle, they found the silence painfully unbearable.
During this tense time, the inspector couldn’t help but wonder.
What could possibly motivate this man to say something so absurd as declaring war on the kingdom?
“Uh, can I ask you something?”
“Huh? What is it?”
The curt response nearly broke the inspector’s spirit, but he steeled himself to ask.
“Why are you talking about war with the kingdom? What does that wanted poster say?”
Upon hearing the inspector’s question, the man glanced at the wanted poster before handing it over.
The inspector took the poster and read the contents written on it.
“…Wait, this. This was issued by the Royal Family?”
“Yeah. Ridiculous, right? I actually spoke with both Princesses here. And yet, this is how they treat me. It’s like the Royal Family is declaring war on me. And when the Royal Family declares war… well, it means war, doesn’t it?”
The inspector couldn’t deny the man’s words.
The fact that he was being sought after meant that the man before him was a criminal.
There would be no legal issues with capturing or killing this man.
After all, he was wanted.
However, the mention of capturing this man’s lover was unacceptable.
Publicly declaring the intention to take an innocent person hostage was beyond the pale.
The inspector couldn’t believe that the Royal Family had issued such a wanted poster.
“It must be some kind of mistake…”
“You’re going to find out, aren’t you? Oh, speak of the devil, looks like they’re here.”
“Huh?”
Following the man’s gaze, the inspector initially saw nothing, but gradually realized that a carriage belonging to the Royal Family was speeding towards them.
“What?! Why…”
The inspector’s words were cut off as the man remained silent, having been watching the Royal carriage intently.
The carriage slowed down and came to a stop right in front of them, and a woman burst out with incredible speed.
“Haah! Haah!”
The first princess of the Weimar Kingdom, Victoria, emerged from the carriage, breathless as if she had been desperately trying to hold herself up inside.
Normally, a princess would not exit a carriage without the escort of attendants, but there was no time for such formalities as she rushed out in a manner unbecoming of a lady.
The inspectors, witnessing such an unbelievable sight, were momentarily stunned before hurriedly bowing in respect.
However, the man beside them showed no such deference.
On the contrary…
“Hey, Princess-sama. I came to collect on the fight you started.”
He waved the wanted poster mockingly at Princess Victoria.
The behavior of this man was utterly unfathomable to the subjects of the Weimar Kingdom, but what happened next left the inspectors even more bewildered.
Because…
“N-no! That’s not it! Please, listen to me!!”
She clung to the man, sounding like a woman caught in an affair.
The inspector could only stand by, listening to the sound of his own values crumbling as he watched the exchange between the man and the princess unfold.