Chapter 03
Imperial Special Guard (3)Imperial Special Guard (3)
“The map definitely shows this place... Is this really the right place?”
The special guard that finally arrived looked uneasy from the start.
For one thing, the grounds were larger than I expected. You couldn't see the end of it from the front.
“Is this a guard post or a prison?”
Walls taller than a person surrounded the place, covered with ominous talismans and prayer texts from the church.
It was a sight that even a passing child would find unsettling.
‘Are they sealing a great demon or something?’
There were guards stationed at regular intervals along the walls.
I was curious why they built such a fortress in a district that only has beggars and commoners.
As I approached the entrance of the special guard post, the guard on duty saluted me and spoke.
“Welcome. Are you Captain of the Third Guard?”
“Yes, is this the special guard post?”
I was secretly hoping it wasn’t.
But the guard was cold.
“Yes, we’ve been expecting you. Please follow me.”
Creak-
When the tightly closed door opened, a strong magical energy burst out.
I squinted slightly at the powerful energy I hadn’t felt in a long time.
An invisible force pressed on my body and mind, clinging to me.
‘It is indeed a seal.’
Just crossing one door and feeling this kind of energy made me fear what might be inside.
I spoke to the soldier to gather information.
“Are you part of the special guard too?”
“No, we’re from the outskirts guard. We take turns guarding the entrance to the special guard post.”
“Ah... I see. Must be tough.”
Though not as much as the special guard, the outskirts guard is also a tough post.
There’s a lot to do because of the poor security.
“No, not at all. By the way, we’ve barely gotten used to it after several visits... It’s amazing that Captain Rael can walk properly from the start. Cough, cough.”
“Really?”
“Yes, we’re here to guide new transfers like yourself.”
I tilted my head in confusion.
It’s a bit uncomfortable, but not that bad.
As I went further inside, the pressure didn’t intensify, it was just a bit uncomfortable to walk.
“...Captain Rael. Are you alright?”
After about three minutes, the soldier ahead spoke to me.
His face was noticeably red.
“Huh? I’m fine.”
“Is that so? I’m sorry. The pressure is too strong today, so I can’t go any further. Ugh, just follow this path.”
The soldier saluted and staggered back the way he came.
I shook my head as I watched him go.
“Pathetic... Back in my guard days, I couldn’t imagine leaving while the captain was walking. Ugh.”
It’s a bit hard to breathe, but it’s not something to overreact about.
If he were in my guard unit, I would have scolded him, but since he’s from another unit, I didn’t care much.
‘Now that I think about it, he was building up to leave with those coughs.’
That’s pretty clever for medieval times.
I erased thoughts about the soldier and continued walking.
Thankfully, there was only one path, so there was no chance of getting lost.
“Is that it?”
After walking for a few more minutes, I saw a large building.
It looked quite decent from the outside. It could be mistaken for a noble’s villa.
However, I wondered why there was only one building in this vast area.
As I got closer to the building, I sensed people, and soon I saw three people.
First, a man about 1.5 times my size.
He was squatting in a garden, tending to plants.
True to a world with magic, various kinds of fruits were growing in a small garden.
‘One abnormal person.’
Then there was someone lying in a hammock wearing something like sunglasses. From the slender figure, it seemed to be a woman.
‘Two abnormal people.’
The last woman seemed to have noticed me and was coming this way.
At least she seemed normal.
‘Two abnormal, one normal... But the normal one can’t control the abnormal ones.’
I’m screwed.
You can tell how a unit runs just by looking at its members.
The only consolation is that the work seems relaxed... So why are the soldiers going crazy?
‘Could it be they drive them mad by being overly strict?’
The easier a place is, the more severe the misconduct tends to be.
This world isn’t affluent, so there shouldn’t be any sadistic hazing... Are they making people play find-the-dragon-ball by tossing grapes from that garden into the sky?
I can’t let my guard down just because two of them are women.
In my experience, women are better at subtle torment than men.
I approached the woman walking towards me with caution.
“Are you Captain Rael?”
Oh, right. I’m not a rookie, I’m a captain.
I’m not in a position to be ignored.
“Ahem. Yes, I’m Rael. Nice to meet you.”
“My name is Yuri. Those two... Well, you’ll get used to them slowly.”
Yuri laughed awkwardly as she looked at the two who didn’t react to my arrival.
Even as the ace of the guard, I could see that discipline was in shambles.
“Understood, Yuri. I haven’t been briefed on my duties. What should I start with?”
“First, you need to adapt. Until you get used to the mana flow in this area, just wait.”
“Uh... Okay, understood.”
I nodded, even though I didn’t understand what she meant by “adapting to the mana flow.”
I was sure that staying still here would be an easy way to slack off.
‘Wait a minute. But this woman...’
However, what caught my attention more than slacking off was the woman in front of me, Yuri.
I stared at Yuri’s face.
Glossy blonde hair and pale skin unlike a medieval person. And blue eyes.
She obviously wasn’t a commoner, with the aura of nobility.
Of course, it’s not unusual for nobles to be in the guard.
But my senses picked up more information.
‘... Royalty?’
Her deep eyes contained an indescribable dignity and grace.
The gaze of a ruler destined to stand above others.
The same gaze I had seen in the emperor’s eyes once at a capital event.
‘Why is royalty in a place like this... Wait, did she say her name was Yuri?’
As soon as I thought she might be royalty, my mind quickly expanded.
I quickly reviewed the original story that I had pushed to the back of my mind since becoming a guard.
There are three people in the current imperial succession line.
The first prince, who claims legitimacy, the second prince, backed by the nobility, and the first princess, who has outstanding personal abilities.
‘But the one who actually becomes the emperor is...’
I know the next emperor of the empire.
Second princess, Yuriel von Grandia.
She quietly grows in power and ascends to the throne with overwhelming force, quickly taking control of the empire.
‘If the saintess is Bitcoin... what’s the next emperor?’
The emperor who leads the empire to its greatest prosperity and is as important as the saintess, a top-tier character.
Yuriel von Grandia.
She was right in front of me.
**
The imperial special guard is a symbol of fear for guards.
It’s a place where you can enter freely, but you can only leave insane.
Such a place is bound to have numerous scary rumors.
The empire hides monsters!
The empire conducts human experiments!
The empire feeds souls to secret weapons!
Anyway, it’s been two weeks since I started working at the special guard post.
I’ve survived for two weeks in the imperial special guard, known as the guards’ hell.
The only thing I’ve felt so far is this:
‘Is it okay to be this idle?’
I’ve done absolutely nothing.
I heard it’s an adaptation period... which lasts at least a month.
This rule has applied to everyone so far.
‘... Is it because of doing nothing for a month that they go insane?’
With no incidents at all, I had all sorts of thoughts.
To be honest, I was very scared at first.
It was surprising enough to find the future emperor Yuriel in the special guard, known as hell, but those around her were no ordinary people either.
‘Giant tribe’s disgrace Gant and elf traitor Reina.’
They were respectively the second princess Yuriel’s close aides and symbols of her military power.
Seeing such monsters tending a garden and lying in hammocks was truly surprising.
“If you’re really bored, why not take a walk? As long as you don’t leave the premises, you’ll be fine. Many others, like Gant, tend to gardens.”
Yuri, the real power in the special guard, recommended gardening when I said I was bored.
When I turned my head, I saw Gant hoeing in the garden.
“So that’s why there’s a garden here.”
“Yes. It’s not easy to laze around like Reina every day.”
I nodded as I looked at Reina lying under a big tree.
If someone asks what’s hard about lazing around, I’d tell them there are no smartphones in this world.
At first, I thought I could do it too, and tried to laze around diligently for a week, but I couldn’t keep up with Reina.
She spent most of her day doing absolutely nothing, just lying in the hammock. It was a real talent.
Eventually, unable to bear the boredom, I squatted in front of the garden.
“... I didn’t expect tomatoes to grow this well.”
I looked at the red tomato, much larger than my fist, with amazement.
“Tomatoes grow well anywhere as long as there’s sunlight. Especially the tomatoes here, soaked in mana, are very tasty.”
The one answering next to me was Gant, one of the unusual members of the special guard.
He was always squatting, so I thought he was just a bit taller than me, but when he stood up a few days ago, he was twice my height. He was indeed a giant.
Plop-
“Here, try it. It’s well-ripened, so it should be very sweet.”
I bit into the tomato Gant handed me and opened my eyes wide.
“Oh, wow. It’s as sweet as an apple. I’ve never had a tomato like this.”
“This is the wonder of nature. Small beings like us could never fully understand it.”
Gant, despite his size, loved and respected nature.
Most giants were stupid and followed their instincts, but he was clearly different.
I quickly became friends with Gant.
“If crops absorbing mana taste this good, why haven’t they been studied before? They would have been popular on noble tables.”
“This variety hasn’t spread to the human world yet. It’s a unique variety that absorbs mana and converts it into sugar and umami.”
“Ooh...”
Yuri seemed too busy to be disturbed, and Reina ignored me whenever I tried to talk to her.
But Gant answered whenever I spoke, so we quickly became friends.
“What’s your name, human?”
It had been about a week since I marveled at the wonders of nature in the small garden. It’s been over three weeks since I joined the special guard.
A few days after I thought I had gotten quite friendly with Gant, he suddenly asked a random question.
“... I think I’ve told you three times, it’s Rael.”
“I see. I will remember your name from now on.”
I felt like I had finally been recognized as a true friend.
Wait, what did this guy consider me until now?
I frowned and glared at Gant.
“Rael. You are different from the weak humans I’ve met before. No human has adapted to this place’s mana as quickly as you.”
“...What’s different about here compared to outside?”
I asked with a nonchalant expression.
I finally felt I would get a proper answer about the special guard.
“This place’s mana is distorted by strong demonic and ghostly energies. Ordinary beings can’t use their power here. It’s similar to Alheim.”
“Alheim?”
The forbidden land in the north of the empire.
A land of demons and devils where the demonic energy infests the air, eating away at souls just by breathing.
I thought it would never be relevant to me.
“Yes. To adapt to the mana here, you need an adaptation period of a month, like in Alheim. But... since you’ve already adapted, you can start working now.”
“What?”
As soon as Gant finished speaking, he brushed the dirt off his body and stood up.
Then, without waiting for my reply, he went inside the building.
“... Damn it, was it a mistake to get close to him?”
I thought he was a useless layabout tending to the garden all day, but recognizing a talent like me means he was the hidden ace of the special guard.
“No way I’m giving up this cushy job.”
Even in a tiger’s den, you can survive if you stay alert.
Moreover, it’s not just a cushy job, but the future emperor is here too.
It’s a situation where giving up isn’t an option.
The time had come to finally experience the duties of the special guard, known as the guards’ hell.
I thought about this as I picked up the tomato and took another bite.
**
Gant recalled Rael’s face from their recent conversation.
‘He’s stronger than I imagined.’
Gant had seen countless humans.
Most humans were weak enough for him to subdue with one hand.
But Rael was different.
Over the past week, he tried to gauge Rael’s spirit through their conversations but couldn’t find the end.
What was even more surprising was that he was a swordsman.
A swordsman’s true worth shows when he wields his sword.
Gant hadn’t yet seen Rael’s full potential.
‘A human like Rael could definitely share the special guard’s duties.’
With confidence, Gant walked towards Yuri’s room.
Yuri held the decision-making authority in the special guard.
“You’re still doing foolish things.”
A sharp voice called out to Gant.
When he turned his head, an elf with a disgruntled expression was leaning against the building wall, glaring at him.
“Reina?”
“I already dislike you getting attached to someone doomed to die, but there’s no need to rush his death.”
Reina crossed her arms with an exasperated look.
Having eavesdropped on Gant and Rael’s conversation, she could guess the foolish giant’s intentions.
Gant was one of the smarter giants, but it seemed he couldn’t help getting excited when he saw a promising warrior.
“It’s better than not saying anything to someone doomed to die.”
“Hmph. I’m just being compassionate. It’s worse when they die right after I’ve given them hope.”
Gant swallowed his words.
In reality, Reina didn’t always have this attitude.
She gradually changed as every new person died.
The reason she was stopping Gant now was also that she didn’t want to see Rael die.
But Gant thought differently.
“Rael will survive even if he faces that monster. I have a good feeling this time.”
“Hah. The ones you had a good feeling about all died, remember? The last one you thought would be fine with a long adaptation period ended up spending half a year doing nothing. What was the result?”
“This time is different. Rael is truly strong.”
“No. Unless he’s been blessed like Yuri from a young age, no ordinary human can withstand this place’s soul contamination. That’s my conclusion as an elf. Want to bet?”
Reina was an elf, a race blessed by the World Tree.
She was an expert in blessings and curses.
“Fine. If I lose, I’ll serve you as my superior.”
But Gant was confident this time.
Rael’s responses over the past week were genuine.
His breathing was steady, his mind was stable, and his senses were intact, as evidenced by tasting the mana-infused tomatoes.
He had definitely adapted to the demonic energy.
“Oh? Really? Then I’ll serve you as my superior.”
“Instead of me, serve Rael.”
“Do as you please. He’ll be gone soon anyway.”
Reina shook her head and turned away.
This is why she couldn’t communicate with this dumb giant.
‘I’ll make him fan me while I lie down if I win the bet.’
She was tired of seeing him farm all year round.
She couldn’t imagine losing the bet.
Ordinary humans would have their souls shattered as soon as they faced that monster.