Hard Work Will Never Betray Me - CH 87

Next day. Iris and I, who had enjoyed our day off, had come to the Special Division’s garrison. We had been so excited yesterday and the night before, but from this day on, things were back to normal.

“Hey, our hero, the Imperial Knight, has arrived!

“Good morning, Jet. Thanks for letting us take a day off yesterday.”

I also received a day off to celebrate my Knighting in the past. The most common reason for this is the fact that the our divisions have more decorated knights than any other divisions. There is nothing to worry about.”

“I see.”

That’s quite a cool thing to do. The special division is totally different from the other division .

But from today on, you’ll be working hard!　And you will be taking on a new mission right away.”

“What kind of mission?”

A top-secret investigation of a certain territory. General Eulenberg will tell you the details.

Just as Jet was saying this, General Eulenberg entered the room. He was not dressed in his usual , but was dressed like an adventurer who could be found anywhere

General Eulenberg?　What’s with your outfit?”

Good morning. Second Lieutenant Halt, Sergeant Steinfeldt. This is related to our mission.

The general said so with a friendly expression on his face. Incidentally, the general was now calling me “second lieutenant,” but I had been promoted to the rank of second lieutenant after my recent appointment as a knight of the Imperial Guard. I was very lucky to have been get two ranks so soon after starting my duties.

The mission this time is to make a field investigation in the Cassandra territory, which is under the direct control of the imperial family. We have received information that the local government officials there are under suspicion of illegal activities. This time, we are going undercover as an escort for the merchants who is heading to Cassandra.

Illegal ,activities huh?

Even though it is in a remote area, there should normally be some comings and goings of the territory’s citizens and adventurers who have gone out to work. ……

“Yes, there is definitely something fishy ”

“Even that elven territory has a little more comings and goings.

It seems that the situation is more complicated than expected.

Less people than the elves?　That’s a surprise. Are all the people in that area are hermits or something?

“Or is it some kind of new cult?”

Iris says something quite black humorous.

However, the founding legend of the empire is based on folk beliefs that have been passed down from generation to generation and is a deification of historical facts that are said to have actually existed, so the reality is that most people living in the empire, regardless of race, or faith in the myth. It would not be an exaggeration to say that more than 90% of the people of the country believe in it. That’s how big the influence of the first hero, who played a leading role in the founding of the country, is.

I’m sure they are strictly controlling people’s comings and goings. They don’t want people spreading rumors about their territory.

“The territory is a like prison for the people who suffer from bad government.”

General Eulenberg continued.

What is particularly suspicious is that despite the lack of proper management of the territory, there has been no change in the amount of trade on the books of the guilds of trade. Even in the tax reports submitted to the center, on the surface, the territory is perfectly fine. That’s why I didn’t notice it until it was too late.”

“That’s quite a trick.”

Yes. That’s where we, the Special Magic Division, come in.

“The trade guilds didn’t say anything about it?”

“It is possible that our own people were involved in illegal activities . Normally, I would think they would be trying to cover it up.”

“I think they didn’t want to make a negative impression on the center at any cost. They were willing to cooperate with us. They didn’t want to ruin the reputation of the guild because of their own personal problems, and they were as if they were saying that their organization had a self-cleansing function.”

“I see. So that’s why we were put in charge of the guards.”

“That’s right.”

I heard that the merchant did not hire adventurers, but rather contracted with an exclusive escort. This is probably because they didn’t want the public to see their illegal dealings as much as possible. The original escort is currently being held and questioned in a guild.

“What about the merchant guild, the suspect?”

“I heard that they are taking a dare and letting them escape. It is the central government’s policy to catch the people who are involved in illicit transactions in the act.”

I see.”

Well, it’s easier to arrest someone on the spot than to investigate and confront them with evidence.

The Cassandra territory, which is the place of destination, is about 400 kilometers from north of the imperial capital. It is at the northern end of the territory directly under the imperial family. Since it is outside of the main roads, there are very few people coming in and going out from the location itself. Even so, the population is about 10,000 people in the entire territory, so we need consider the worst case scenario.”

“Understood.”

The worst-case scenario here is, in , the possibility of an all-out war. If there are 10,000 people, it would take several hundred to nearly 1,000 soldiers just to keep them under control. If they were taxed heavily and their forces were well prepared, they were sure to be a very troublesome enemy.

, “At any rate, let us make as much preparation as possible before we head out. The people might be starving or injured, and we need to gather supplies such as recovery potions and food. We have a substantial budget from the division, so let’s talk to the Transportation Department and ask them to prepare it for us.”

After this, Jet gave his final instructions.

The departure is planned for early tomorrow morning. We will spend tonight at the garrison, and tomorrow morning we will all head to the north gate where the meeting will take place. We have prepared some clothes that will make us look like adventurers, so please change into those. Please put your supplies in Second Lieutenant Halt’s inventory and prepare a bag to camouflage yourself so that the merchants will not question you. Any questions?”

“No, no questions”.

“Me too.”

Then let’s get to work.

“Roger .”

After receiving the mission, we immediately headed to the Transportation Department’s facility in the garrison.