What is the essential element for human survival?
Actually, it’s not a problem that requires much deliberation.
If you ask anyone, most would likely give the same answer.
Clothes, food, shelter.
Otherwise known as the necessities of life.
The three essential elements that guarantee a minimally decent human life.
But I think differently.
If there is one element that encompasses clothing, food, and shelter…
It is none other than…
“…Bounties?”
Money.
That’s right, cash.
“A total of 32 wanted criminals have been dealt with, I hear.”
What? Did that many really die?
Besides, technically, it wasn’t me who killed them.
‘Or is it? Since I did kill Jinjo… does that make them my kills?’
Come to think of it, that’s right.
Even if the process was different, they still died because of me, didn’t they?
So there’s no need to explain.
There’s no reason to refuse when they’re offering money for nothing.
“The total amount settled… Ah, it comes to ten thousand imperial gold coins.”
I gulped.
Ten thousand gold coins is an amount that would allow you to buy at least three mansions in the capital.
“And this is…”
The official in the uniform carefully took something out.
He handed over a badge plated with gold.
“This is the appointment as a Royal Special Inspector. From now on, the maintenance and surveillance of law and order throughout Blackmore will be entirely under your jurisdiction.”
The gold badge symbolizing a regional administrator.
Among them, those who manage high-risk special zones are called Special Inspectors.
The special insignia representing a Special Inspector.
I had been dispatched to Blackmore abruptly and didn’t even receive a proper appointment letter before leaving in a rush. It seems that now the formal procedures have finally been completed.
“That concludes what I have to deliver.”
The official and his entourage bowed politely before boarding the carriage.
So, after the carriages left, I returned to the office after organizing the gold coins I had received as bounties.
“Hmm…”
I sat on the sofa and lost myself in thought.
A Royal Special Inspector.
The ones who manage zones filled with bizarre landscapes, environments, and Demon Beasts.
Among them, the overseer solely responsible for the imperial premier Magic Realm, Blackmore.
That’s me.
While one might consider it a promotion, given that I’m stranded in the middle of a Magic Realm, it’s not something to rejoice about entirely.
The basic principle of a Special Inspector is that they are dispatched to their jurisdiction.
As soon as they are posted to their jurisdiction, they have the obligation to oversee it, and the authority for maintaining law and order and surveillance is granted.
In the case of high-risk special zones, Special Inspectors have certain supra-legal enforcement powers at their discretion, which essentially grants them all the power over “Blackmore.”
That means,
I, appointed as a Special Inspector over the jurisdictional region, can now perform quasi-lord duties within Blackmore.
Of course, that doesn’t mean you can cross certain lines, but conversely, as long as you stay within them, the Imperial Court doesn’t interfere regardless of what you do.
I believe these special positions exist because the world of the original story where I reincarnated leans towards dark fantasy to some extent.
Conflict between hostile forces, outbreaks of war, swarms of Demon Beasts, Seeds of Doom…
The continent has already been hurtling towards destruction for hundreds of years, and with so much unexplored territory scattered across it, even the Imperial Court, referred to as the “Sun of the Empire,” has its limits.
Thus, the Imperial system had to go through several changes, and one of the special roles that emerged was the ‘Special Inspector.’
A Special Inspector is dispatched to unexplored territories abandoned by the Imperial Court and has supra-legal authority within the jurisdiction’s limits.
Of course, an ordinary administrator wouldn’t be able to handle such a role.
That’s why the appointment of a Special Inspector cannot be signed off without the Emperor’s approval…
“…Why me?”
Luke Richter.
The illegitimate son of the Richter Viscount family, and simultaneously, a junior official who just entered the royal palace.
“…Still strange.”
What went wrong exactly?
The Imperial Court mustn’t have gone crazy to appoint me as a Special Inspector for no reason.
But I’m really just a nameless extra.
“By now, I don’t even know.”
Even if I ask for clarification, it’s unlikely anyone will provide it.
An appointment is an appointment, and it won’t be canceled.
What’s immediately important is how to survive in this Magic Realm.
This is a Magic Realm.
A place where civilization doesn’t exist, where all kinds of bizarre beings thrive, and where the value of life is insignificant—a place where surviving is harder than dying, indeed a land of death.
Somehow, I have to endure here for five years.
Do I have any chance of surviving for five years at my current level?
Of course, the odds are slim.
Even with Rudine and Adina on my side, it makes little difference.
Actually, I haven’t completely recruited them yet.
To be precise, they’re more like ticking time bombs ready to blow at any moment.
“…The biggest problem is Rudine.”
My thoughts shifted to Rudine.
Her soul, which holds the Seeds of Doom, is closest to pure evil.
The essence of a Heavenly Kill Star isn’t something that can simply be corrected.
Naturally, there’s no question of reformation.
The moment the end within her awakens, she will transform into an embodiment of massacre that threatens the continent.
Of course, it’s not without a solution.
Being familiar with the original story, I know quite a few turning points.
Among them is Rudine’s socialization.
“In the original story, it was definitely…”
The deep reaches of Blackmore.
There lies the roots of a great tree grown from the blood of the elves.
“…Mirckdrasil.”
Mirckdrasil.
A primordial tree imbued with magic, and yet a corrupted world tree that thirsts for blood and madness.
‘There’s no way out of this.’
I sighed and returned from my contemplation.
My priorities are now clear.
Rudine’s socialization, and the exploration of Mirckdrasil.
For now, that’s the priority.
The enforcement agency ‘Arkana.’
An armed organization under the Council of Arkhan Lords who revere power.
These inspectors within the power-oriented Council of Lords certainly wield considerable strength.
Worthy of their reputation as the elite of the Council of Lords.
Balkhan Kast, the lead executioner of Arkana, is no exception.
Simply showing his investigative medal draws admiring glances, while his personal combat strength ranks among the top in the Council of Lords.
Even this esteemed lead executioner was summoned.
By none other than the Grand Lord Arkhan.
One of the Six Heavens, she is the de facto monarch and absolute ruler of the Council of Lords.
Not just Balkhan—most of Arkana’s personnel were summoned alongside him.
A total number exceeding twenty.
This is unusual.
Even Balkhan, the lead executioner, had never encountered a case where the Grand Lord herself directly mobilized personnel.
Naturally, he went with great expectations.
The order they received was.
“Go on a 5-year assignment.”
“…Excuse me?”
“Didn’t you hear me? Go on a little trip for 5 years.”
And unsurprisingly, the content was breathtaking.
Apparently, the Council of Arkhan Lords owed a significant debt to a man who demanded personnel from the headquarters as a way of settling the debt.
And thus, their mission became.
“Just think of yourself as hired help. Easy enough?”
“What?!”
“Listen, just follow orders, report anything unusual, and don’t get any weird ideas. If he has an ounce of dissatisfaction, I’ll have to intervene personally.”
“…Understood.”
“Sure, sure. Just treat me the way you treat me. He’s not someone you can push around, so you’d better be careful.”
“…”
That’s how twenty-three personnel were mobilized.
It was unbelievable.
Without a doubt, it was an unprecedented mission in the history of Arkana.
“…Who is this guy?”
But the Grand Lord’s command was absolute.
None could or should resist it.
That said, none of them understood the current situation.
They moved to the designated location.
It was none other than the edge of Blackmore, the Death Cliff of Calvaron.
That’s the current state in which they’ve arrived at the destination.
“Ah, you’re here.”
A man approached and greeted them.
“You were sent by Arkhan?”
“…Yes, I’m Chief Executioner Balkhan.”
“Are you with the enforcement division? Nice to see such talented individuals have been sent.”
They exchanged casual greetings.
The casual attitude of referring to the Grand Lord as a friend was unsettling, but they didn’t show it.
“The one who just arrived might forgive me, but I have to leave for a little while.”
“Is that so?”
“Which is why… Can I ask you a favor just after meeting you?”
“Certainly.”
The man led them to his office.
Then he handed over a bundle containing placards with unreadable contents.
“…What are these?”
Placards? Completely out of the blue!
Moreover, the contents are even more bizarre.
[ Do you swim well? ]
[ Do you capture demons well? ]
[ What is the color of a hamburger? ]
[ Burgundy ]
[ HAHAHAHAHAHA ]
…
…
…
“???”
What is this?
And what’s more, the instruction given to them after handing over these items…
“Go around and stick these on all the dangerous paths where someone might die. Easy enough?”
“Excuse me?”
Luke Richter.
There’s no doubt he’s a person who’s fundamentally wrong in some way.
