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Fantasy games are just like that; this world is home to a variety of races.

Of course, there are familiar and even amiable Orcs, Elves, and Dwarves, not to mention the furry Beastmen that are loved by Furry enthusiasts, little Beastmen with animal ears and tails adored by anime fans, and even Demons.

Truly, there are all sorts of races living in this world.

Sometimes, the biological peculiarities and social, cultural, and religious backgrounds of these races give rise to various social issues.

For example, Goblins and Orcs often find themselves treated as suspicious individuals just for breathing, getting stopped by the police for random checks, while Beastmen can mess up and still be forgiven as long as they don’t commit outright crimes because they’re considered cute.

Some are oppressed and scorned for their scary looks, while others become objects of affection simply for being cute, even if opinions differ. Elves are treated differently based on skin color, with darker skin typically being preferred. The snow-white elves stuck in the Great Forest tend to cause trouble all the time, but the Dark Elves, trading across continents for centuries, are friendly with numerous races.

Anyway, a really diverse array of races exists in this world. Sometimes Agent Orange gets sprayed above the Great Forest, Goblins die trying to peddle drugs, and an Orc, fed up with unpaid wages, beats a human boss to death, but everyone seems to be getting by somehow. Probably.

By the way, I’ve met a few other races myself, and they felt quite similar to overseas Koreans.

They have their own communities where they elect leaders and receive help from influential figures for social activities. I’ve even seen them living closely together like Koreatown or Chinatown. I got a lot of experience while on assignment abroad.

So I thought I had a decent understanding of the races in this area.

But then…

“Who the heck are you?”

“Y-you dare to speak to me like that…! You, who are under internal review…! This is a blatant challenge to the authority of the Inspection Office…!”

What in the world is this?

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Episode 8 – Say Hello To My Little Friend

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While sitting in the conference room waiting for the auditor, I encountered a peculiar creature. I felt like a conquistador meeting a native of the New World for the first time.

Fluffy, curly hair that resembles wool. Hair that’s more reddish than orange. It stood just slightly below my chest. Bright, sparkling eyes and skin as white as porcelain. The most notable feature? The ears! Sticking out from between the hair, they were triangular and pointy.

At a glance, it looked like an Elf, but upon closer inspection, it was not an Elf. Pointy ears aren’t exclusive to the Elf race. It’s a biological trait shared among creatures in the Fairy family.

I pride myself on having met many races in my life, but I had never encountered one like this.

The small being that appeared in the conference room introduced itself like this:

“I am Charnoy, a nymph from the Inspection Office!”

I’ve never heard of such a race. Does it even exist in this area?

“…Nymph?”

“Surely you know what a nymph is…?”

Muttering to myself with a tilted head seemed to shock the creature claiming to be Charnoy.

“You don’t know what a nymph is? How could such an ignorant person have become a military information officer? I am deeply worried about the future of the Military Intelligence Agency…!”

Charnoy seemed genuinely shocked.

What a strange talent to make someone uncomfortable without any malice.

“Yes, nice to meet you. But when is the auditor coming?”

“What kind of nonsense is that…? Does this Charnoy look like an auditor to you…?”

“No, I mean, are you saying you’re the auditor?”

I slowly scanned the nymph claiming to be the auditor. It wore the drab olive-green uniform that employees of the Military Intelligence Agency received. An identification card for verification was attached to its chest, and something was bulging out of the upper pocket.

“W-what are you staring at…? Nymph-phobic gaze…! No matter how much you stare, I’m not giving away my limited edition honey candy…!”

Charnoy muttered something incomprehensible while trying to hide whatever it held in its pocket.

I watched this scene and stormed out of the conference room to find the Inspection Office. I was sure something was off.

But the response from the Inspection Office was exceedingly simple.

“Yes, how may I help you?”

“Umm… It seems my auditor hasn’t arrived yet. Please tell them to hurry, and also, could you get rid of this nymph or whatever back in the conference room?”

“Nymph? Ah, you mean Charnoy? They just left earlier to conduct interviews for the internal audit.”

“What?”

“Are you, by any chance, Colonel Frederick Nostrim, who worked at the Magic Tower recently? Then Charnoy is indeed the auditor.”

In that moment, I felt like I had been hit by a hammer.

I stared blankly into space, and from the end of the hallway, the nymph came running, shouting something.

“What do you think you’re doing leaving without permission…! This is a blatant nymph-phobic act…! This Charnoy will take responsibility and report you to the Disciplinary Committee…!”

Wait, are you seriously telling me this creature is my auditor? A nymph?!

I looked at the noisy nymph with blank eyes.

“…….”

I just want to go home.

…! Here it’s clearly written, so open your eyes wide and take a good look…!”

Charnoy held out a piece of paper with a proud demeanor.

It was the expense report I had sent to headquarters a few weeks ago.

“Do you recognize what this is…?”

“…Yes. It’s a receipt. The expenditure details for the agent’s expenses.”

“This is a document signed in your own hand…. Do you see the amount written here…? The cost for a meal alone was a staggering 8,000 dinars…! That’s 5,000 more than the designated amount of 3,000 set by the Military Intelligence Agency…!”

“So what?”

“This is clear evidence of embezzlement…! You embezzled public funds under the pretense of dining with an agent…!”

Charnoy accused me of three charges. The first was embezzlement.

Specifically, it was claimed that I had spent more than the 3,000 dinars (around 30,000 won) allowed by the Military Intelligence Agency and secretly pocketed the difference.

The budget for the information agency is of a special nature, so the breakdown of expenditures is not disclosed to the public or even during parliamentary audits due to national security. The moment detailed expenditures are revealed, estimates regarding the facilities invested in and information networks established by the agency emerge.

However, internal regulations require that the information officers report the amounts and purposes of special activity funds, so the agency is well aware of where those funds are spent. There are also unaccounted funds that can be quickly utilized in emergencies without scrutinizing the purpose of use, and some employees do skim activity funds through various routes, but the agency monitors that as well. They just turn a blind eye since I’m just a civil servant working hard for my salary.

In that context, Charnoy’s accusation was awkward to label as embezzlement since I had indeed spent 8,000 dinars on a meal.

“Inspector, how do you expect me to match that amount every time? If an agent wants to eat something expensive today, I can’t just refuse, can I? If they get upset, the mission could fail….”

Of course, my charges did not stop there.

“Oh, then how will you explain this…. Accessing classified documents of the Royal Intelligence Department classified as Level 2…!”

“…….”

“Explain yourself…!”

The second charge was a security regulation violation.

Charnoy took issue with my unauthorized access to Level 2 classified documents (materials related to La Cardenal) produced by the Royal Intelligence Department.

Although Leoni, the director of the Royal Intelligence Department, and the representative from the Abas office of the Magic Tower had given permission to access the documents, I had indeed violated internal regulations that required me to obtain approval from the personnel responsible for handling secrets before accessing them.

Honestly, I didn’t have much to say about that.

I couldn’t ask Leoni to come to the Inspection Office to testify, and I knew I had messed up.

As I kept my mouth tightly shut, Charnoy placed her hands on her hips with a triumphant posture.

“Violating regulations is still a violation…! You will make your excuses to the Disciplinary Committee…!”

It didn’t really matter to me to go to the Disciplinary Committee anyway. She seemed pleased, so I decided to keep quiet.

Charnoy’s investigation continued on without a hitch.

Every morning right after punching in at work, I was interrogated at the Inspection Office, and after lunch, I signed a written statement.

According to the internal regulations of the Military Intelligence Agency, when an investigation is ongoing in the Inspection Office, one is excluded from duties and must solely receive the investigation. After work, one must wait at their residence or accommodation. Therefore, I commuted daily between the Inspection Office and my residence without meeting anyone.

In truth, considering this internal audit was being carried out half-heartedly, it felt almost like a paid vacation; however, Charnoy didn’t seem to know that and zealously continued her investigation of me.

“Why are the contents of yesterday’s statement and today’s statement exactly the same with not a single error…? Write your statement correctly…!”

“Include every detail of the amount embezzled…! But what on earth are you trying to accumulate this money for…? If you had a military savings account like me, you wouldn’t be in need, and isn’t stock investment more profitable than military savings…? Now that I think about it, I understand why you embezzled….”

I didn’t care too much since I was only expecting a ceremonial punishment anyway, but I was curious as to why Charnoy was so diligent in her investigation.

When I asked that question, Charnoy answered like this.

“When I was young, I was so hungry that I was caught stealing from the church…! The nun who caught me and my attempt to steal a silver candlestick taught me the wrongness of crime by giving it to me…. Since then, I have turned my life around and lived more sincerely than anyone else….”

“Oh, so you came to the Inspection Office because…?”

“I heard that you get promoted well in the Inspection Office! If you land just one solid case, a rapid promotion is guaranteed…! By the time this Charnoy becomes a nymph of the stream, my retirement benefits, severance pay, and pension will all be ready, allowing me to retire immediately…! Even if I eat a jar of honey candy every day, there will still be excess cash in my bank account…! It truly is a nymph-friendly retirement life…!”

“…….”

Something felt off, but since she seemed to be doing her job diligently, I decided to let it be.

And so, I spent my days chatting with the cheerful nymph. Even though I couldn’t go anywhere or even communicate with the outside world like Jake or Pippin, Camila, or my family, it wasn’t a bad life.

However, just one thing.

If it weren’t for that last charge.

*

Silence fell over the bustling investigation room. Only the sound of paper rustling echoed.

Rustle, rustle.

I held the file Charnoy handed me and fell silent.

“…….”

Inside that brown file were various magazines and yellow journalism articles.

I couldn’t bear to look at it directly, so I closed the file and covered my face with my hands.

Charnoy’s voice echoed in my ears with frustration.

“What are you hesitating for…! Dating a foreign national is a clear violation of regulations…. There’s plenty of evidence, so admit the charges quickly…!”

“No. No matter how you put it, I’m part of an intelligence agency, and using rumors about me dating Saint Lucia to conduct an investigation is just….”

 

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