I’m an Immigration Officer!

Silence.
A suffocating silence weighed down on the space around me and the Saintess.
"Answer me, Chief Inspector."

The warm, friendly atmosphere from just moments ago had vanished without a trace. Now, she was looking at me with cold, piercing eyes.
The golden halo that had been shining as brilliantly as the sun was now dimming, flickering like a dying ember.
"..."

But I said nothing.
No, to be precise, I couldn’t say anything.
It was because what I had just heard was so shocking that my mind was in complete disarray.

— Don’t intervene, Moahim. That’s an order.
The name of the Holy Knight standing behind Erzhena with a stern expression.
Moahim Espirence.

I shifted my gaze to the elderly knight with a large scar running across one of his eyes.
And only then did I realize who he was.
The Commander of the First Holy Knights Division of the Holy Order.

Even someone like me, who had zero interest in religious matters, had at least heard his name.
"A monster that only appears when there’s a war in the Order. What the hell is he doing here?"
The First Holy Knights Division was also known as "The Relentless Blade."

They were notorious for never involving themselves in external affairs unless it was to exterminate heretics, perform internal purges, or participate in a Holy War.
Just a few years ago, during the Great Southern War, they had been responsible for what was practically a one-sided massacre.
"And now the commander of such a unit is accompanying a pilgrimage?"
The more I thought about it, the stranger it seemed.

The Order never allowed these people to be seen in public.
It was all due to the symbolism of their name.
Sending out the First Holy Knights Division was effectively the same as declaring a death sentence.

Yet now, right in front of my eyes, a whole line of knights stood behind Moahim, as if the entire unit had been deployed here.
The biological war machines, once called living weapons, were now supposedly here to "protect" the pilgrims on their northern holy pilgrimage.
It was a ridiculously contradictory scene.

Their terrifying reputation did not match the role of "bodyguards" they were playing right now.
I turned my gaze back to the Saintess.
"But… when you think about it, it’s not entirely without reason."

Moahim was one of the strongest knights in the Order.
It wasn’t strange to use a powerful person to protect someone as important as the Saintess.
Having "The Relentless Blade" as an escort effectively meant that the Order itself was represented by this pilgrimage.

Absolute protection. That must be it.
"I was just overthinking it."
I dismissed my doubts.

The Order was simply being thorough in ensuring the safety of their people.
After all, the world was in chaos these days. It made sense that they would send so many fighters.
I shook my head slightly, as if to clear my mind of unnecessary thoughts.

And that was when the Saintess lost her patience and slammed her hand on the desk.
"Chief Inspector."
"Ah, yes."
"I believe I’ve given you more than enough time to think."
Ah, right.

I still hadn’t answered.
Realizing that I had been lost in thought for so long that it could be considered rude, I immediately straightened my posture.
"My apologies. The question was not something I could easily answer, so…"

I briefly gazed into the Saintess’s eyes, then slowly opened my mouth.
"May I first ask what you meant by that question?"
"I just want to hear your answer. As the person in charge of the borders, you must have seen a lot, haven’t you?"
Lies. I could tell by her expression.

Obvious hostility.
I had no idea what had made her suddenly hate me so much, but there was definitely something going on.
"Why all of a sudden?"

Cold sweat ran down my back.
What did I do wrong?
This was just too strange.

When she first learned that I was the Chief Inspector, she practically moaned in delight, acting as if she was ready to hand me her heart and soul.
But now, after asking a couple of questions, she was glaring at me as if I were her mortal enemy.
"I answered her properly! What’s the problem!?"

When someone asks, "Are you competent at your job?" in a formal setting, the typical answer is, "Oh, not really. I just do my best."
If I had said, "Haha! I’m a total badass!" that would’ve made me a crazy person.
Especially in a formal setting.

As for the question about subduing a fire spirit barehanded... Well, technically, I did. Thanks to the combined power of a stone inn gift certificate and some free charcoal.
"I didn’t lie."
In other words, there was nothing she could hold against me. At least, that’s what I thought.

"Then what the hell is going on?"
And then, a sudden realization flashed through my mind.
"Wait… is she trying to convert me?"

From the Saintess’s perspective, our Kingdom of Crossroads was a melting pot of countless races, cultures, and religions.
It was the perfect mission field for the Holy Order.
Unlike the southern continent, the Order’s influence here was minimal.

"She doesn’t see me as a believer, so she’s targeting me first!"
It all made sense now.
In her eyes, I must look like a lost sheep.

And her sharp, scrutinizing gaze was that of a shepherd eyeing a stray lamb.
I was an immigration officer. The first point of contact for anyone entering or leaving the kingdom.
If she could convert me, it would greatly assist the Order in future missionary activities.

In other words, that look on her face wasn’t hostility — it was ambition.
"So, the Saintess didn’t just get her position by luck, huh?"
Even though she must’ve been exhausted from the long pilgrimage, even though she was in the middle of a formal inspection, she immediately saw an opportunity and pounced on it.

First, she loosened my guard with innocent questions, then struck with a blade-like question: "Do you believe in God?"
A cunning woman.
— Chief Inspector, silence is not an answer.

I took a deep breath.
— You asked if I believe in God, correct?
If she’s asking again, it means she’s dead set on converting me.

But I had the perfect answer for situations like this.
— To be honest… yes. I do.
Her eyes gleamed with confidence.

— Then you-...
But I wasn’t finished.
— However, it’s not the God of the Holy Order.

— What?
Her face stiffened.
The perfect tactic for warding off religious zealots — "I already have a religion."

The Saintess’s eyes narrowed dangerously.
— I see… May I ask which God you worship?
I put on the most apologetic expression I could muster.

— I’m sorry, but I must remain silent on that matter.
In the Kingdom of Crossroads, there is a strict policy of neutrality.
Immigration officers are prohibited from revealing their religious or political affiliations.

— I’m sorry.
Not telling.
— Revealing that would go against the oath of the immigration officer.

If you have a problem with that, go ahead and file a complaint under the laws of the Kingdom of Crossroads.
The Saintess’s eyes narrowed even further.
Oh, Great Day of Safety, 297 days without incidents…

The One whose very name is indescribably beautiful.
Please look down upon our Immigration Office with blessings of bonuses and paid vacations.
Seeing the devout expression that had suddenly appeared on my face, the Saintess let out a dry, sarcastic laugh.

"Quite bold of you to reveal yourself so openly, Chief Inspector. I thought you’d keep evading until the end."
"How could I lie before the Saintess, the voice of the Lord?"
I finished my response with an added layer of flattery.
"Thank you for respecting my faith. I also wish nothing but grace and glory for the Holy Order."

Ah, even I have to admit — that was a perfect answer.
Maybe I should consider a career as a diplomat.
"You... you really are shameless beyond belief…"

Then why did the Saintess’s face twist like that?
"If it weren’t for my promise to Moahim, you would have been—"
Erzhena was practically spitting her words out like venom when, finally, my lifeline arrived.

"Apologies for the delay, Inspector. Here’s the seal."
"Ah, just in time. Excellent. Hand it over right now."
The aide who had just appeared was someone who could have been anywhere and doing anything — his disheveled appearance said it all.
I quickly snatched the seal from his hand.

And with a bright, almost exaggeratedly cheerful voice, I said:
"Thank you for your patience, Saintess. It seems that our meeting has finally come to an end."
"...Don’t think this is over, Chief Inspector."
What the hell is this woman’s problem?

Let’s just stamp the Entry Permit and send her on her way.
I’m about to drop dead from nerves here.
Pissing off a big shot like her only means trouble for me.

However, the aide didn’t just bring the seal.
"Chief Inspector, please take a look at this as well."
He handed me a thick stack of documents.

"What’s this?"
"It’s the cargo manifest."
"And why are you handing this to me…?"
I handle people, not cargo.
This should have gone to the Tactile or Gustatory Inspector, not me.

The aide explained:
"The Tactile Inspector was reviewing it until just now, but he asked me to pass it to you, Chief Inspector."
"Hmm. I see. But first, let me finish the Saintess’s inspection."
VIPs come first, after all.

Documents can be dealt with anytime.
I pushed the papers aside and turned back to face Erzhena.
She was glaring at me with a vicious expression.

"Saintess, welcome to the Kingdom of Crossroads."
I moved to stamp the document.
But just as the seal was about to press down —

— Whoosh. Flutter, flutter.
A gust of wind blew through the open gate, flipping several pages of the document stack.
And because of that, my gaze naturally fell on the papers.

Lines and lines of items, hundreds, no, thousands of entries filled the pages.
"Ugh. Just looking at it makes me dizzy."
I was about to close the stack when something caught my eye.

"Huh?"
Scattered throughout the lists were numerous red circles drawn with a marker.
I quickly scanned through them.

"Wait. These circles… they’re all for weapons and armaments."
Weapons of every kind, tools of war, and medical supplies.
The problem was that nearly every page was filled with red markings.

And on the last page, in the corner, there was a hastily scrawled note:
[Total Armaments: 12,910 items. Too many! Something’s wrong!!!]
[Some of the supply wagons are sealed! They claim they contain holy relics, but we heard the sound of metal clanking inside!!]
The underlines and exclamation marks screamed urgency. It was definitely the Tactile Inspector’s handwriting.

"What… Why the hell is there so much? And what’s this about sealed wagons?"
I quickly ran through the situation in my head.
The pilgrimage group consisted of 3,374 people. Out of those, about 400 were Holy Knights.

The rest were civilians, merchants, and onlookers.
But the number of armaments exceeded 10,000 items.
"That makes no sense."

It was far too much.
Three times the number of people.
In that instant, all the pieces that had been nagging at the back of my mind fell into place.

An unprecedented pilgrimage by the Saintess.
The escort of the First Knights Division.
An excessive amount of supplies and weaponry.
Individually, none of these things seemed problematic.
The Saintess’s pilgrimage could just be a display of piety or a personal challenge.

The knights’ escort could simply be for her protection.
The abundance of supplies could be to aid the northern region’s poor and struggling residents.
Each motive was spotless.

But when considered together...
The Holy Order’s most elite knight division is accompanying the Saintess with an absurd amount of weaponry, all heading to the North.
The meaning changed entirely.

I quietly closed the file.
Then, in a calm, measured voice, I said:
"This isn’t a pilgrimage, is {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} it?"

Both Erzhena’s and Moahim’s faces hardened.
Slowly, I set the seal down.
"Before you enter, I must ask you one final question, Saintess."

Erzhena did not respond.
"..."
Instead, she clenched her fists so tightly that her knuckles turned white.

I met her gaze head-on and, instead of reaching for the seal, I extended my hand toward the hourglass beside me.
"It’s a simple question."
Five minutes.

A process that could have ended smoothly, without a hitch.
A procedure that could have passed without a single problem.
I turned it back.

"What is your true purpose for going to the North?"
The sand began to fall once more.