Illusion Sword Master

＜ Inspector’s Gaze (1) ﹥

It’s been four days since I regained consciousness after collapsing from exhaustion. The battle had ended, and I had completed my mission perfectly with the 13th Division. The survivors were sent to the 6th Corps for treatment.

“Phew… it’s peaceful.”

I was able to indulge in a rare moment of leisure, cooped up in the high-ranking officer’s quarters of the 6th Corps’ headquarters.

Of course, my body was in terrible shape due to the intense training I had undergone with the 13th Division, but I was grateful for it. It meant I could be exempt from all other duties.

“I can definitely get stronger. I have to.”

I recalled the sensation of my body being like a sharp sword, which was surely a clue to taking my magic skills to the next level.

“If I can just overcome the side effects of my body getting battered every time I use it, even beheading the Orc King won’t be a problem.”

Right now, my arm was in a cast, and every movement caused pain in my bones and muscles.

Although my body had become stronger through training, it was still insufficient to be used as a direct medium for magic.

If I were another knight or mage, I would have felt an immense sense of accomplishment at finding a way to get stronger, but for some reason, I felt stifled.

I wanted to live a peaceful life where my biggest concern was what to eat for dinner, not worrying about how to get stronger to behead the Orc King.

“Ugh.”

Anyway, I had to do what I had to do. I had to survive, after all.

As I was brainstorming new training methods and scribbling notes on paper, a fragrant aroma tickled my nose.

“Inspector, I’ve prepared some tea for you. There’s a good batch of tea leaves at headquarters.”

My loyal aide, Ollek, had brought me tea.

“Thank you. In many ways.”

I expressed my gratitude sincerely. Ollek had become my shield, and I had been able to survive the bombing thanks to him.

But somehow, Ollek seemed more robust than me, even though he had taken the brunt of the bombing instead of me.

It was a good thing, but I still felt guilty for using him as a shield.

“How’s your body?”

“It’s fine, sir. I’m confident in my physical strength. It’s all thanks to you, Inspector.”

Ollek seemed to remember things differently.

“Do you really not remember what happened back then?”

“Honestly, it’s a bit fuzzy… but I remember you pulling me into a ditch just before the bombing hit, Inspector.”

His clear, innocent eyes pricked my conscience.

“That’s actually… I used you as a shield. Of course, I believed in your remarkable endurance, but even now, I should apologize…”

“Inspector, I know you’re trying not to burden me, but you’re not good at lying. You wouldn’t do that, Inspector.”

Ollek already had an image of me as a “perfectly loyal imperial subject” etched in his mind, so no matter what I said, it was pointless.

“… Ah, okay. I’m grateful you think that way.”

Instead of revealing the truth, I decided to take good care of this loyal aide from now on.

“But, Inspector, wouldn’t it be good to take a walk? It would be beneficial for your rehabilitation to get some exercise.”

“Hmm…”

I had been using my injuries as an excuse to reject all visitors and stay cooped up in my quarters.

Thanks to that, I was able to enjoy the peaceful life I had longed for, but after four days, I was starting to feel a bit stifled.

“Alright. I’ll take a walk.”

#

I walked around the 6th Division’s barracks, wearing the Imperial Army uniform instead of the inspector’s attire.

Thanks to the miraculous victory in the 13th Battalion, the 6th Division, which had been in a gloomy mood, was now bustling with energy.

The 6th Division Commander, Krenek, was thrilled and had a grand feast prepared for the soldiers, who were enjoying themselves, sitting around and chatting.

“Do you guys know who Imperial Inspector Edan is?”

My story was being told among the soldiers, who were chatting and laughing.

“Ah, I remember his face. Mus, Luni, Giermo, or something… He’s the one who rescued us, the isolated soldiers of the 13th Battalion, during the battle.”

They were telling tales of heroism to the soldiers from other units.

“And then, Inspector Edan came to our unit and beheaded the battalion commander in just thirty minutes!”

“Hey, isn’t that an exaggeration? Even an inspector has to follow procedures…”

When another soldier expressed skepticism, the 13th Battalion soldiers burst out laughing.

“Haha, our Inspector Edan is not someone who gets tangled up in petty rules. He took the battalion commander to the command room and finished him off in just a few minutes!”

“We were worried we’d get punished, but instead, he gave us the beer and cigarettes the battalion commander had hoarded.”

“Yeah, our Inspector Edan is a true soldier who’s strict with officers but kind to soldiers!”

I understood the situation.

The 13th Battalion was also known as the “Punishment Unit.” Until recently, they were discriminated against by other units because of their criminal backgrounds.

With their reputation boosted by their miraculous victory, they wanted to brag about everything that had happened recently.

“When we were surrounded by the orcs, we really thought we were done for. We thought we’d die for sure.”

“But then, suddenly, a sword came flying in and swept them all away! When we looked up, Inspector Edan was flying in the sky!”

“What were you thinking at that moment? Ah! We’re definitely making history! Even if we die, we’ll leave our names behind!”

It was more painful than I thought to see my reputation spreading.

“Ugh, goosebumps.”

I turned away from the soldiers and quickened my pace, leaving them behind.

Belam was also showing off to people from other units. As someone who was essentially the deputy commander of the battalion, he was mostly talking to lower-ranking officers.

“Hey, did you guys know that Inspector Edan uses mysterious magic?”

“I heard it from the guys in my unit. They call it ‘agic swordsmanship’? He, like, shoots out dozens of swords like a storm!”

“Actually, there’s more to it. That’s what led us to victory in this battle.”

Do I know how to do something besides magic swordsmanship?

I watched Belam’s performance, wondering what he was going to say.

“This is it. The secret to Inspector Edan’s victory.”

Belam pulled out a rock.

Just a rock.

“Is that just a rock?”

“Well, wouldn’t you know if it had magical powers? This rock contains ancient magic that Inspector Edan learned. He gave one to each soldier before the battle, and when we fought with it, we felt an incredible power surge!”

Of course, I had no memory of that.

“Does that make sense? It’s just a rock…”

“Then how do you explain how a single battalion held off thousands of orc troops, including the dark wizard Boushaku? The one who can take down knights with a single blow?”

“… Well, that’s true, but…”

“Don’t you think, as a soldier, you’d develop a sense of intuition? This looks like the eyes of a liar.”

Bellam thrust his childish face forward.

“What, yeah. That’s right. Why are you telling us this?”

“You’re unbelievable. You want to brag about being on the same boat as us? You think you can just give us ten cigarettes and we’ll be grateful?”

Perhaps Bellam wouldn’t have been framed even if he hadn’t been accused of fraud, but he might have been dragged to the 13th Division anyway.

It was like this everywhere.

The soldiers of the 13th Division, like all soldiers, exaggerated their heroic tales. Inevitably, my achievements were also inflated.

Someone said I spread my wings and shot beams from my eyes, and another said I shouted and revived dying soldiers.

One devout soldier even claimed I was a goddess sent by heaven.

Of course, as an ordinary person, I couldn’t listen to such conversations with a straight face.

“Hmm, let’s just go back.”

I shook my head and quickly left the scene.

#

The next day, my mind was still uneasy.

“Ah, you! Your injury has improved a lot, hasn’t it?”

It was due to the 6th Corps Commander, Krenek, who had arrived at the barracks since morning.

Unusually, he was wearing clean armor and had a lively face I had never seen before.

“Yes, Commander. You seem to be in a good mood today?”

“Haha! It’s all thanks to you! I did ask for your help, but I didn’t think you’d do it this well!”

The 13th Division’s victory had a significant impact on the entire western front.

The elite unit that had targeted our flank had been annihilated, and even their leader, Bushakuma, had failed to take down a single division and died in vain. The enemy’s plan to encircle the 6th Corps’ main base had been foiled.

“How did you correct those problematic soldiers? They almost worship you now.”

“Hahaha… What have I done? I just awakened the loyalty that was dormant within the soldiers.”

“Too much humility can be toxic. But it’s not bad. By the way, I promised to introduce you to my daughter, didn’t I? Wait a moment, and I’ll bring her portrait right away.”

“No, I’m not thinking of dating yet…”

“What’s dating? You need to get married. Ah, is it because of the Duke of Zephir’s daughter? I heard you two were very close recently?”

That was also a misunderstanding, but I kept my mouth shut. Fortunately, I was able to avoid meeting the corps commander’s daughter.

“It’s not good to get involved with a woman who has a scary father.”

The corps commander’s face turned serious, and he continued.

“Anyway, thanks to you, we have time to reorganize our unit. The 6th Corps will prepare for the Umbral retrieval operation from now on. We’ll avenge our past humiliation.”

The corps commander’s eyes blazed with determination as he thought of reclaiming their lost base. I responded with a cliché.

“I’m glad to hear that. I’ll support you from afar.”

“Huh? Why support from afar? What do you mean?”

“Of course, my heart will be with you. It’s just that the distance between here and the capital is quite far, isn’t it?”

“Are you saying you want to go to the capital? You still have work to do here. When you have some spare time, I’d like you to inspect the military discipline of other units.”

I exercised patience. I couldn’t afford to curse the corps commander to his face.

“Isn’t my mission over? I thought I was called here to normalize the 13th Division…”

“That was then, and this is now. We have different tasks now.”

I had completed my task perfectly. And what’s more? I had almost died dozens of times in a single day due to the orcs’ attacks.

Humanly speaking, I had done enough to be sent back to the capital. Why should I stay in this wretched orc-infested land?

I rolled my head, trying to get this thought out of my mouth without cursing.

“It’s because I want to help, but I can’t move without the Emperor’s approval, after all…”

“Hmm, that’s true. Go report to the Emperor.”

The commander-in-chief looked annoyed, but as a loyal subject of the Empire, he didn’t dare to show disrespect in front of the Emperor’s name.

#

“_Well done. Finish your mission and come back._”

I regretted expecting the Emperor to be on my side, even if only for a moment.

“Ah, Your Highness, is it okay? I know there are many things the Empire’s inspector should do besides the western front.”

“_I understand your concerns for the Empire. In fact, there are many things I want you to help me with._”

“That’s right. I’ll go to the capital and stand by the Emperor’s side…”

“_I won’t hold you back, nor will I hinder your progress. I’m also working hard, and you can leave the rest to other loyal subjects._”

“Actually, I got injured during the last battle…”

“_I’ve sent good medicine, and it will arrive soon. The commander-in-chief has also promised to provide all the necessary personnel for your task, so don’t overexert yourself._”

This person was impossible to reason with.

“_Receiving the commander’s welcome and being given full authority is unprecedented in the history of the Empire’s inspector system._”

The Emperor smiled brightly. For some reason, whenever he smiled, I felt like crying.

“_I’m proud of you, Ethan. And thank you. I’ll give you a great reward, so do your job well and come back. Let’s look forward to the day we can drink together._”

─ Tiek.

After the communication ended, I looked around with a hollow feeling.

“Hahahahaha! It’s done! It’s really done!”

The commander-in-chief was laughing like a madman.

“Hahahahaha! That’s right!”

I also laughed like a madman.

＜ The Inspector is Watching (1) ﹥ End