BCST 31

chapter 31

The day after Director Frida visited.

When the two suns were heading toward their zenith, I dressed in uniform and made my way to the hearing hall.

A massive building, reminiscent of the Parthenon.

At its entrance stood a colossal statue, seemingly symbolizing the guardian deity of the empire.

The statue gazed at the empire’s horizon with an expression that looked down upon the world.

I stood before it, feet together, in a solemn posture. Slowly, I lifted my head to look up at the statue, placing my left hand over my right chest.

“For the prosperity and perpetuity of the Glorian Empire!”

The moment my voice left my mouth, a magnificent light poured from the statue, enveloping me.

Then the statue slowly moved.

As if permitting my passage, it lowered its spear and opened the way.

[To you who fights for the justice of the empire, I, the Guardian of Gloria, grant entry.]

A majestic voice flowed from the statue.

Simultaneously, the massive doors of the hearing hall slowly opened.

Taking a deep breath, I stepped forward.

Hundreds of lenses that had been waiting suddenly shone at once.

• “Inspector Blood, please look this way.”

• “Inspector, could you give us a word about your resolve regarding the hearing?”

• “What do you think about the Econova incident?”

The reporters’ shouts rang in my ears.

I paused briefly and addressed them.

“I will speak nothing but the truth, without a shred of falsehood. And I promise to build a better empire through that truth.”

The flashes of magical stones erupted frantically.

Ignoring the light, I walked into the hearing hall.

There, nine high-ranking elders of the Glorian Empire looked down at me from their elevated dais.

In truth, attending the hearing was not strictly obligatory.

As a political spectacle, one could avoid it with a reasonable excuse that preserved their dignity—such as illness. No extraordinary creativity required.

But there was no real need to avoid it.

‘I have things I want to say.’

I settled into the prepared seat, and a low, majestic voice came from the dais.

“We shall commence the hearing for Zeo Blood, Inspector of the Capital Defense Force, First Class.”

I raised my head and looked at each committee member.

• Vice Director of the Imperial Magic Tower: Shiren Elizabeth

• President of the Imperial Royal University: Dr. Hermann Wilhelm

• Minister of Finance of the Empire: Lucius Crawford

• Commander of the 1st Battalion of the National Defense Force: General Maximilian von Eisenhower

• Chief Justice of the Empire’s Supreme Court: Tiberius Prima

• Chair of the Imperial Senate: Augus von Reichenbach

• Director of the Imperial Academy of Sciences: Alexander Novak

And beside them, a blonde man with a magnificent longsword at his side, gazing at me as if judging the world.

• Captain of the Royal Knights: Leo Parax

Figures whose names alone would leave anyone in awe, seated with dignity atop the dais.

One seat, however, remained empty.

• “Not showing up again?”

• “He rarely attends anyway.”

The audience murmured as they noticed the vacant seat. Five hundred attendees, selected by lottery, filled the surrounding seats.

I placed my hand on the book on my seat and recited the prepared oath of truth.

A magical binding swept across my body. Should I utter falsehoods, the book would levitate, transforming into glowing chains that bound my wrists and ankles. Only when the truth was spoken would it release, and the longer the oath persisted, the greater the pain. The mechanics were standard.

As the oath ended, a pale woman, whose expression was unreadable as she gracefully grasped the armrest of her chair, spoke.

It was Shiren, Vice Director of the Imperial Magic Tower.

Flipping through documents, she read aloud for all to hear.

“Zeo Blood, First-Class Inspector of the Capital Defense Force… hmm, an unusual history. Your parents died due to a monster outbreak, and wandering from place to place, you never received the empire’s formal education.”

An orphan raised without parents.

That was me, Zeo Blood.

Sympathetic glances from the audience.

But it didn’t hurt.

‘It’s not real.’

One of the scenes recorded like data when I fell into the Glorian Empire: a child loved dearly, whose parents were killed by monsters, wandering alone through the mountains until rescued and living in seclusion.

Input memory.

It felt like watching someone else’s life as if in a film.

Whether real or fabricated, I didn’t know.

All I remembered clearly was the elderly man who first appeared before me upon arriving in the Glorian Empire.

Shiren continued.

“Instead, it’s recorded that you received direct guidance from Sir Arandil Drotein… hmm? Arandil Drotein? …The Dragon Knight Arandil, correct?”

Her lavender eyes fixed on me.

Arandil Drotein. The empire’s greatest hero who repelled the dragon invasion centuries ago. Still legendary.

Why then was Shiren questioning me with such suspicion?

“Arandil last accepted a student a generation ago.”

He was a recluse—a hero with an uncertain age and identity. Suddenly appearing to save the empire from dragons, training numerous disciples, and then disappearing. He was my master.

The hall murmured.

• “Arandil? Really?”

Whispers spread.

• “Doesn’t he have strict standards for disciples?”

• “Strict? More like eccentric. First requirement: magic overabundance.”

• “Ah… that explains why even the royal family’s discipleship was refused.”

• “So the inspector has magic overabundance?”

• “Do you believe it? Does a mark of Arandil’s disciples exist?”

…Seems the whole empire knows our master’s peculiar tastes.

Shiren’s voice silenced the murmurs.

“Inspector Zeo Blood, are there errors in these records?”
“No. My master was indeed Sir Arandil Drotein.”

A firm, low reply. Silence spread as the book remained still.

Augus, Chair of the Imperial Senate, spoke in a voice like metal scraping.

“How was Arandil? Still eccentric as ever?”

His silvery eyes bore into me.

“Yes. Making me climb waterfalls barehanded for three days… eccentric, indeed.”

A stifled laugh escaped the audience. Climbing waterfalls barehanded wasn’t impossible.

But only the Senate Chair fixed his gaze on me.

“Of course, without using magic?”
“Yes. Master Arandil strictly prohibited magic during training.”

Low gasps ran through the audience. Three days, ascending waterfalls with only physical strength.

‘What a perverted old man…’

‘Wait, how does the Senate Chair know this?’

I looked up, surprised. A faint smile spread across his face.

“You too had to steal an egg from a Basilisk’s nest. No magic, naturally.”

Ah… the ~200-year-old Chair had been Arandil’s student too.

‘We share the same pain…’

“Shall we exchange the marks of disciples, after so long?”

He drew a magical diagram in the air, lines and circles intersecting. Strange symbols appeared.

Symbols only Arandil’s disciples could interpret.

The entire hall stared, bewildered.

I hesitated.

“Uh… may I reveal the Chair’s nickname?”
“Hahaha, it was Master’s gift. And yours?”

A bat-shaped symbol appeared in the air.

‘Showing my nickname… tricky.’

I focused inward, clenching and unclenching my fist.

Blue currents sparked between my fingers, moving like living creatures, growing brighter.

The hall glowed with a mystical blue light.

Gasps echoed.

The currents formed a symbol, then dissipated. A majestic dragon appeared, alive and towering, gazing down at the hall.

“…!!!”

“Master gave this to you?”

The Senate Chair pointed at the symbol I drew.

The nickname and symbol were directly bestowed by Master Arandil.

Though just a current drawing, only his disciples could display it in the empire. I alone held the “form” of this mark.

Committee members’ eyes shone.

The Chair rose, voice trembling with excitement.

“You truly are Arandil’s disciple! To see the mark only he could display, again in my lifetime.”

Shiren’s calm, low voice tempered his excitement.

“Inspector Zeo Blood, thank you for verifying your past record.”

“Ha… hmm.”

The Chair cleared his throat, regaining composure.

“Thanks to your courageous deeds, the citizens of Clovan City survived. On behalf of the committee, I express our gratitude.”

He seemed on the verge of collapse but recovered his authoritative tone. All eyes fixed on him.

The cure development had outpaced Miko’s prediction. Three days after identifying the virus prototype, a cure was ready and distributed.

Chairman Demison would manage intermediate distribution. A rainbow I prepared for him—a gift for enduring the storm silently.

It was said that the market cap of Red Corporation, his company, dropped 28% that day due to my press conference.

“Thank you, Chair.”

I nodded. Alexander, Director of the Imperial Academy of Sciences, brought the mic close.

“Inspector Blood, your investigative insight aligns with magical scientific methodology. I hope for opportunities to learn from your experience in forensic science.”

He had to stand on his chair to reach the mic—a poor consideration for a dwarf.

“Yes, of course.”

I glanced at him sympathetically, dangling from the mic.

‘How long do I have to sit through this dull talk?’

The committee members competed to offer compliments. Probably due to Arandil’s halo.

Then Leo Parax, Captain of the Royal Knights, spoke.

“His Majesty also highly evaluates Inspector Blood’s achievements and is considering awarding a medal personally.”

A royal medal—the greatest honor for a Glorian citizen.

The hall buzzed.

• “The emperor himself…?”

• “The youngest recipient in history?”

• “Unprecedented at such a young age!”

• “Saved 200 million citizens; he deserves a medal!”

The Captain continued solemnly.

“Inspector Blood, do you know the extent of the damage caused by the Monster Disease?”

The original purpose of the hearing revealed. I knew better than anyone.

350,000 dead. 2.6 million hospitalized. 1.5% of Clovan City’s citizens directly affected. Indirect victims even more.

Severe, horrifying, desperate. Responsibility must be assigned. Likely, they wanted to pin blame on me.

Instead of citing numbers, I spoke from the heart.

“My deepest condolences. I apologize to the deceased, their families, and those still suffering.”

General Maximilian von Eisenhower, Commander of the 1st Battalion, spoke.

“The Capital Defense Force’s duty is safety and crime prevention. Yet, as countless citizens perished, what did you do?”

The attack began.

The Supreme Court Justice continued.

“When a private company colluded with high-ranking officials to experiment in secret and harm citizens, where was the inspector?”

I recalled the oath of the Capital Defense Force inspector:

‘The Capital Defense Force inspector, as a public representative, is bound to loyalty, safety of citizens, crime prevention, and apprehension of criminals.’

They attacked me with righteous logic.

They knew: oversight of corruption was not my duty; safety was shared; facilities managed by respective ministries.

Yet to defend myself with these points would be petty.

One must counter with reason.

I brought the mic forward.

“Yes, safety is our priority. But consider this: why are we here? For the empire’s safety, or merely to assign blame?”

The hall stirred.

“Econova Industries. The mastermind behind the Monster Disease. But how could they be so closely linked to the Minister of Environment? A fledgling company, nothing more.”

I paused, then met everyone’s gaze.

“Justice, do you know who was listed as an external director of Econova?”

He looked down at me, answering:

“The judiciary does not track individual businessmen closely.”

A reasonable answer. Then.

I projected the corporate registry of Econova via hologram.

“Then do you know this name?”

The Justice stiffened. His son’s name.

“Your son was listed as an external director. Could he have been the bridge between politics and business?”

Anger and shock flashed in his eyes. I ignored him and turned.

“And when citizens suffered from the Monster Disease, where was the National Defense Force?”

The 1st Battalion Commander flinched.

“We focused on closing Goblin settlements in Scrap Ville. Meanwhile, criminals roamed freely while the National Defense Force was distracted by baseless rumors. Was that truly for citizens’ safety?”

“Suspicion without evidence against a vigilant force… beware, Inspector Blood!”

Red energy shimmered within him.

“Yes, I wish to believe that. But someone bought lands around the Green Energy Park. Speculators will naturally flock. What bothers them? The Goblin settlements.”

The Commander’s anger was obvious.

“The only obstacle for speculators is Scrap Ville, the Goblin settlement. Remove them, build fine structures, and profits soar. Correct, Commander?”

Ignoring him, I projected “Ryan Surrant” transaction records.

• “He bought all the land?”

• “Who’s Ryan Surrant?”

Gasps. From a year before the Green Energy Park, all lands were acquired. Ryan Surrant didn’t exist. A proxy transaction.

“As inspector, I will investigate Ryan Surrant thoroughly, leaving no evidence overlooked, bringing all involved to justice.”

I stared at the Commander.

“Especially those behind him, perhaps National Defense Force officials.”

The hall fell silent. The Commander paled.

Shiren spoke.

“Inspector, your claim is serious. Smelly, filthy… but is there evidence?”

I nodded.

“Yes. We will investigate fully and bring them to trial.”

The hall murmured again. Shiren’s eyes glinted with interest.

“I rise under the mission to protect citizens. Certainly, the Capital Defense Force bears great responsibility.”

The committee, silent.

“But is the responsibility theirs alone? Or mine alone? Every high-ranking official shares this duty. Are you sure you are free from it?”

I slowly scanned the committee. Complex emotions showed on their faces.

“When citizens are in danger, we must discuss how to make the empire safer, not search for scapegoats. Constructive plans, not fruitless blame, lead to real change!”

I sat, swallowing much I wanted to say, observing those who may become my investigation targets.

The hall’s tension was cold yet oddly vibrant.

Suddenly, the massive doors opened, and a ray of light entered.

All eyes focused on Terrion, walking in slowly, wearing a rescue uniform.

• “It’s Terrion!”

• “The hero of Clovan City.”

• “Why is he going to Inspector Blood?”

• “Do they know each other?”

He ignored the chatter, approaching me with a smile and handshake.

“Apologies for being late. I heard everything, esteemed Inspector Zeo Blood.”

As I grasped his hand, murmurs escalated, then applause.

Clap. Clap. Clap.

One, two, more, until the hall erupted in applause.

Terrion handed me a ring set with a teal stone.

“A token of promise. In times of peril, the power of the plains will aid you.”

He gave me the ring and walked to the chair at the center dais, sitting.

“The leader of the Centaur and highest councilor of Clovan City, Sir Terrion, is seated. The hearing resumes.”

The hearing continued, soon drowned in mundane and unnecessary talk.