Imperial Guard - Chapter 3



Only Noblemtl

Episode 3

Imperial Special Guard

“The map is clearly here… but is this really the place?”

The special guards who had barely arrived had an uneasy first impression.

First of all, the site was larger than I thought. When looking at it from the front, I couldn’t see the end.

“This is a guard post or a prison.”

Walls taller than a person surrounded the area on all sides, and ominous-looking amulets and religious prayers were plastered all over the place.

It was an ominous sight even to a passing child.

‘Have you sealed away even the Great Demon?’

Even guards stood guard on the walls at regular intervals.

I was curious as to why they built such a fortress in District 5, which was populated only by beggars and the common people.

As I approached the entrance to the special guard station, the guard guarding the entrance saluted me and spoke to me.

“Thank you for your hard work. Are you the captain of the 3rd Guards?”

“Yeah. Is this the special guard?”

I secretly hoped it wasn’t here.

But the guard was cold.

“Yes. I’ve been waiting. Just follow me.”

Squeak-

As I opened the tightly closed door, a strong magical power burst out.

I squinted my eyes slightly at the powerful magic I felt after a long time.

An invisible energy that weighed on my body and mind clung tightly around me.

‘It’s a seal after all.’

Just getting through one door gives me this much energy.

I was almost scared of what was in there.

I spoke to the soldier to get information.

“Are you also a member of the special guard?”

“No. We are the outer guard of the capital. We only guard the entrance to the special guard unit as we go around.”

“Aha… Really? You must have had a hard time.”

Although they can’t compare to the Special Guard, the Capital Outskirts Guard is also a Hellbo job.

Because public security is not good, there is a lot to do.

“No. By the way, we barely managed to get used to it after going back and forth a few times… Captain Lael, it’s really amazing that you were able to walk properly from the beginning. Knock knock. Knock knock.”

“okay?”

“Yes. The reason we are here is to guide the new transfers.”

I tilted my head.

It’s a little uncomfortable, but not that bad.

As I went further in, I didn’t get any stronger, and it was just a little uncomfortable to walk.

“··· Rael. Are you okay?”

After about three minutes, the soldier ahead spoke to me.

His face was noticeably red.

“Huh? Just walk.”

“Oh, is that so? Sorry. The pressure is so intense today that I don’t think I can go any further than this. Hehe, just keep going down this road.”

The soldier saluted and then staggered back the way he had come.

I shook my head at the sight.

“I’m falling for it… When I was a patrolman, I never imagined that I would turn back first while the captain was walking. Oh my.”

It’s a little hard to breathe, but it’s not something to overdo.

If it had been my direct guard, I would have given them a hard time, but since it was a different unit, I didn’t really care.

‘Now that I think about it, it was a build-up to run away from the moment I coughed?’

In the Middle Ages, that was considered quite a lot of brains.

I erased the thought of the soldier and walked away.

Fortunately, there was only one road so there was no confusion.

“Is that it?”

After walking for a few more minutes, a huge building came into view.

From the outside, it looked pretty good. You could almost believe it was a villa where a nobleman lived.

However, I was curious as to why there was only one building in this large branch.

As I got closer to the building, I began to sense a presence, and soon I spotted three people.

First of all, a man who is 1.5 times bigger than me.

He was squatting in the garden, tending to the crops.

As expected from a world filled with magic, various types of fruit were growing in the small garden.

‘First of all, there’s something abnormal.’

And there was someone wearing something like sunglasses and lying in a hammock, and looking at her slender body, she looked like a woman.

‘Abnormal Two.’

One of the remaining women seemed to have spotted me and was coming towards me.

At least this one was normal.

‘One normal out of two abnormal ones… But it seems like a normal person can’t control the abnormal ones.’

It’s fucked.

Just by looking at the unit members, you can predict how the unit will run.

The only good thing is that work seems easy… Then why are the soldiers going crazy?

‘Are you going to drive me crazy by pestering me so much?’

The more comfortable a place is, the more absurd it becomes.

This world isn’t that abundant, so there won’t be any musical instruments… Are you telling me to throw the grapes I’m growing in my garden into the sky and find the Dragon Ball?

Don’t let your guard down just because two out of three are women.

In my experience, women are better at discreetly bullying than men.

I walked towards the woman who was approaching me nervously.

“Mr. Rael, is that right?”

Oh, come to think of it, I wasn’t a new recruit, I was a captain of the guard.

This is not a position to be ignored.

I don’t have time to deal with things like musical instruments.

“Ahem. Yes. This is Rael. Please take care of me.”

“My name is Yuri. Those two over there… Well, you’ll get used to it slowly.”

Yuri smiled awkwardly as she watched the two of them not reacting at all to her arrival.

Even I, the ace of the guard, can see that the order is a mess.

“Okay, Yuri. I haven’t received any information about the work, so what should I do first?”

“First, you need to get used to it. Please wait until you get used to the mana flow in this area.”

“Uh… yes. Okay, I understand.”

I didn’t understand what he meant by ‘adapting to the mana flow of this area’, but I nodded.

Because I was convinced that I could get some honey if I just stayed here.

‘Wait a minute. But this guy···.’

However, what bothered me more than sucking the honey was the woman in front of me, Yuri.

I stared at Yuri’s face.

Shiny blond hair, un-medieval white skin, and blue eyes.

At first glance, he had the air of a nobleman, but he was not a commoner.

Of course, it is not strange for nobles to be part of the guard.

But my senses read a little more information.

‘··· Royal family?’

Her deep eyes held a majesty and dignity that was difficult to describe.

The gaze of a ruler born with the destiny to stand above others.

It was exactly the same look in the Emperor’s eyes that I had seen only once at an event in the capital.

‘Why is the royal family in a place like this… Wait a minute, your name was Yuri.’

As soon as I thought about her being royalty, my thoughts quickly expanded.

After becoming a guard, I quickly looked over the original story that I had thrown into a corner of my head.

There are currently three people standing in line for the empire’s succession.

The first prince who claims legitimacy, the second prince who enjoys the prestige of nobility, and the first princess who has outstanding personal abilities.

‘But the person who actually becomes the emperor···.’

I know the next emperor of the empire.

2nd Princess. Uriel von Grandia.

She quietly grew in size, ascended to the throne as empress with overwhelming force, and took control of the empire in an instant.

‘If the Saint is Bitcoin… then who will be the next Emperor?’

An emperor who leads the greatest revival of the empire and a character of first-class importance comparable to a saint.

Uriel von Grandia.

She was right in front of me now.

*

The Imperial Special Guard is a symbol of fear to the guards.

A place where you can enter however you want, but when you leave you have no choice but to go crazy.

Because it was such a place, strange rumors were rampant.

The Empire has hidden a monster!

The Empire is conducting human experiments!

Feed your soul to the secret weapon raised by the Empire!

Anyway, it’s been two weeks since I started working at the special guard unit.

I survived two weeks in the Imperial Special Guard, the hell of guards.

There is only one thing I have felt so far.

‘Is it okay to suck honey like this?’

I really didn’t do anything.

I heard it’s called an adaptation period… and it lasts at least a month.

It is said that this rule has been applied to all personnel so far.

‘··· I guess I didn’t go crazy after doing nothing for a month.’

Since nothing really happened, I had all sorts of thoughts.

To be honest, I was really scared at first.

It was surprising that the next Emperor, Uriel, was in the special guard called Hell, but the people next to him were also not ordinary.

‘Gent, the disgrace of the giants, and Reina, the traitor of the elves.’

Each was a close associate of the Second Princess Yuriel and a symbol of her power.

It was amazing to see such monsters tending the garden and lying in hammocks.

“If you’re really bored, why don’t you go for a walk? Just don’t leave the grounds. There were a lot of other people who were gardening like Mr. Gent.”

Yuri, the real power behind the special guards, recommended the garden to me when I said I was bored.

I turned my head and saw Gent hoeing in the garden.

“So that’s why there’s a garden there.”

“Yes. After all, it’s not easy to roll around every day like Reina-san.”

I nodded my head as I looked at Reina lying under the big tree.

If you ask what’s difficult about rolling around, I’d like to tell you that there are no smartphones in this world.

At first, I thought I could do it too and rolled around hard for about a week, but I couldn’t keep up with Reina.

She spent most of her days lying in a hammock doing nothing. It was truly a great talent.

Eventually, I couldn’t stand the boredom and ended up squatting in front of the garden.

“··· I didn’t know tomatoes would grow this well.”

I looked at the red tomato, which had grown much larger than my fist, in wonder.

“Tomatoes are plants that grow well anywhere as long as there is sunlight. In particular, tomatoes that have absorbed the magic of this place taste very good.”

The big guy answering my questions next to me is Gent.

He is one of the abnormals of the special guard.

I always thought he was a little taller than me because he was always squatting, but when he stood up a few days ago, he was twice as tall as me. He really was a giant.

Talk-

“Here, try it. It’s ripe, so it’ll be very sweet.”

I opened my eyes wide, biting into the tomato Gent had handed me.

“Oh, wow. Sweet as an apple? I’ve never had tomatoes like this before.”

“This is the mystery of nature. Small beings like us will never understand it.”

Despite his size, Ghent loved and respected nature.

Most giants were stupid and instinct-driven, but he was definitely different from other giants.

I surprisingly became close with Ghent quickly.

“If crops that have absorbed magic are this delicious, why haven’t they been studied until now? They must have been often served on the tables of nobles.”

“This breed has not yet spread to the human world. It is a magical breed that absorbs magical power and transforms it into sugar and savory flavor.”

“Ohh···.”

Yuri seemed too busy to bother me, and Reina tended to ignore me when I spoke to her.

But Ghent answered every time I spoke to him, so we quickly became close.

“Human. What is your name?”

It’s been about a week since I felt the wonders of nature in the small garden. It’s been over three weeks since I came to the special guard unit.

A few days had passed since I thought I had become close with Gent, but he suddenly said something out of the blue.

“··· I think I said Rael three times.”

“I see. From now on, I will remember your name.”

It feels like I’ve finally been recognized as a real friend.

No, then what has this kid been doing to me until now?

I frowned and glared at Gent’s face.

“Rael. You are different from the weak humans I have met so far. No human has adapted to the magic of this place as quickly as you have.”

“··· What’s the difference between here and outside?”

I asked the question with an indifferent expression.

It seemed like we would finally get a proper answer about the special guard.

“The flow of magical power here is distorted due to strong magic and ghostly energy. Ordinary creatures cannot use their power. If we have to compare, it has the same characteristics as Alheim.”

“Alheim?”

A forbidden land in the north of the empire.

A territory of demons and devils where even breathing will cause your soul to be eaten away because of the magic that permeates the air.

It’s a place I thought I would never have any connection with.

“Yes. In order to adapt to the magic here, you need to have an adaptation period of one month, like Alheim. However… Since you have already adapted, I can now entrust you with the work.”

“what?”

As soon as Gent finished speaking, he shook the dirt off his body and stood up.

And then he went inside the building without even listening to my answer.

“··· Oh dear, did we become close for no reason?”

I thought you were a loser because you spent all day tending to the garden, but you recognized a talented person like me.

It appears that Ghent was the hidden ace of the special guard.

“I got this iron rice bowl somehow, now look at me giving it up.”

Even if you are caught in a tiger’s den, you can survive as long as you keep your wits about you.

Moreover, not only does he have an iron rice bowl, he also has the next emperor of the empire.

It’s a situation where you can’t give up even if you want to.

It’s finally time to experience the hell of special guard duty.

I picked up the tomato again and ate it with that thought.

*

Gent thought of Rael’s face, with which he had just been talking.

‘It’s stronger than I imagined.’

Ghent has seen many humans so far.

Most humans were weak enough that he could subdue them with one hand.

But Rael was different.

I’ve been talking to Rael for the past week trying to gauge his momentum, but I’ve never gotten anywhere.

What’s even more surprising is that he is a prosecutor.

The true value of an inspector is revealed when he holds a sword.

Ghent has yet to see his true colors.

‘A human like Rael could easily share the work of a special guard.’

Gent walked confidently towards Yuri’s room.

She holds the authority to make decisions about the special guard.

“You still do stupid things.”

At that moment, a loud voice called out to Ghent.

When he turned his head, he saw an elf with a disgruntled expression leaning against the wall of the building, glaring at him.

“Raina?”

“I don’t like giving affection to someone who’s going to die anyway, but is there really a need to rush his orders?”

Reina crossed her arms with a frustrated expression.

Since I overheard Gent and Rael’s conversation from outside, I can guess what this stupid giant is thinking.

Gent is one of the smartest giants, but he can’t help but feel hot when he sees a great warrior.

“Isn’t that better than not saying a word at all, saying he’s going to die?”

“Ha, that’s because I have a very affectionate personality. If you just suddenly die after telling me something nice, I’ll feel bad.”

Ghent swallowed his saliva.

Actually, Reina didn’t show this attitude from the beginning.

As every human who came died, her reactions gradually changed.

The reason she’s blocking Ghent now is probably because she doesn’t want to see Rael die.

However, Ghent thinks differently.

“Rael will survive the encounter with that monster. This time, he has a good feeling.”

“Huh. All the guys you said felt good about were gone, right? The guy who came last time said that he would be okay if he had a long adjustment period, so he played around for half a year and then went back to work. But what was the result?”

“It’s different from before. The human who came this time, Rael, is really strong.”

“No. Unless you’ve been blessed since childhood like Yuri, normal humans can’t withstand the soul contamination here. That’s my conclusion as an elf. If you’re confident, make a bet.”

Reina was an elf, a race blessed by the World Tree.

He was almost an expert when it came to blessings and curses.

“Okay. If I lose, I’ll treat you like my older sister.”

But this time, Ghent was confident too.

Rael’s reactions, observed over a week, were genuine.

His breathing was steady, his mind was unwavering, and his senses were intact, as evidenced by the taste of the magical tomatoes.

He has definitely adapted to magic.

“Oh? Really? Then I will treat you as my brother.”

“I am already older than you, so it is not a fair bet. You would rather serve Rael than me.”

“Do whatever you want. He’s going to leave soon anyway.”

Reina shook her head and turned away.

This is why I can’t communicate with those stupid giants.

‘If I win the bet, you’ll have to fan me while I’m lying down.’

I was sick of farming all year round.

I never imagined losing the bet.

Because a normal human’s soul would be destroyed as soon as they encounter that monster.