I’m an Immigration Officer!

About 5 minutes ago.
Pffft!

Shahal’s foot struck the inspector’s chin with perfect precision.
“Kkh-eck!”
He crumpled to the floor of the carriage, his body sprawling helplessly as he lost consciousness immediately.

That was the end for him.
The man who had been called Nadan Kelir was now lying flat on the ground, unconscious.
“Haa... Haa...”

It had been a clean strike, but Shahal was panting heavily.
She had never been this surprised before.
One question kept circling in her mind.

“How...?”
Everything had been going smoothly, as planned.
The potion given to her by ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) the employer was a specially concocted mutating elixir made by witches with great care.

After the Saintess drank it, she had transformed into a perfect, mindless little pig.
Moreover, by some twist of fate, even the holy power the Saintess had once boasted of had completely vanished.
No one would ever recognize her true identity now.

The plan had seemed so simple: kidnap the Saintess's body. But had it been the real Saintess, it would have been much harder. Her face was famous, known all over the world.
But now, transformed into a pig with no energy or aura, she was nothing but a small beast in the eyes of others.
"Even the cult members didn’t notice when they walked right past her."

She had even stolen a livestock transport cart from a simple country boy. It was the perfect disguise.
No one had suspected her. How could they?
Even the Holy Knights, who had been guarding the pilgrimage camp, had thought of her only as a “poor, hardworking boy trying his best.”
Everything was going so well.

And now, even the final hurdle, the Immigration Officer from the Kingdom of Crossroads, had appeared alone without his usual aide.
She had been sure that this final checkpoint would pass without issue.
But then the man touched the Saintess’s body and muttered just one word:

“S... Saintess?”
“How did he know?!”
It didn’t make sense.

She had made sure the pig would appear just as it should.
No holy power, no suspicion. No reason for anyone to doubt.
“I closed every possible loophole... how did he figure it out?”

But panic didn’t last long.
Instead, her instincts as an assassin kicked in.
“This man is dangerous.”

This wasn’t a mission where she could afford any doubts or attention.
And now, this inspector had already figured out what had happened to the Saintess.
The only thing she could be thankful for was that even though he’d shouted “emergency,” the sound had been lost in the muffled noises of the carriage and the pig’s squeals.

Of course, the situation was still far from ideal.
“Once he wakes up, this will be a problem.”
Now that he had begun to suspect, the witness would have to remain silent.

Without hesitation, Shahal drew a dagger.
This man was dangerous.
Slow to react, but dangerous nonetheless.

The fact that the Saintess had been kidnapped could never be allowed to come to light. Not yet.
Skrshhh!
She moved towards him slowly, ignoring the pig’s cries. It wouldn’t matter how much the pig screamed; no one would hear it from outside.

This was a secluded space. She could deal with it here and quietly slip away.
Kneeling, she raised the dagger high, aiming straight at his heart.
“Ugh...”

His eyelids fluttered. He was starting to regain consciousness.
Time was running out.
As she gathered all her strength to drive the dagger down—

Thud.
A sudden sound reverberated through the carriage, causing it to shake.
“…!”

She quickly looked up, turning her head toward the door. She pressed her ear to it, but all she could hear was light chatter from outside.
There weren’t many people in the open area outside the immigration office either.
The staff seemed to be busy with something inside, and only about three or four were lazily wandering around the area, their posture relaxed.

"That idiot werewolf had said something about a ‘censorship period’... probably why it’s quieter than usual."
The fact that her carriage was the last to be processed meant that people weren’t paying much attention to it.
So, it wasn’t a sound she expected from outside.

Thud.
The sound came again.
It was a heavy, blunt impact.

Shahal slowly turned her head, her eyes widening in shock as she looked at the Saintess.
Thud.
The chained pig slammed its head into the side of the carriage wall.

Thud.
“Enough.”
The carriage was sealed tight.

No matter how much she screamed, it wouldn’t be heard.
And because of that, even the Saintess’s desperate cries for help had been for nothing.
Even if anyone heard, they would just think it was a pig crying.

But the repetitive, loud impact sounded different. It could be felt through the walls and would certainly attract attention if it continued.
Shahal quickly glanced outside.
The conversations happening outside had quieted down.

This was dangerous.
Thud.
The pig slammed its head harder into the carriage wall, blood trickling from its forehead.

Thud!
The sound grew even louder.
With a grimace of pain, but still, she struck harder.

The chatter outside stopped.
In a hurry, Shahal yanked at the pig’s chains, pulling them harshly.
“I told you to stop.”

Squeal!
Yet, the Saintess continued to struggle, pushing her head against the wall with all her might.
The pig before her stopped squealing.

It didn’t freeze in fear or tremble.
Instead, as though having made a decision, it gritted its teeth, broke free from Shahal’s grasp, and threw itself forcefully against the wall.
Thud!!

It was as if the pig was hoping someone outside would hear.
As if it was praying for the death of the Immigration Officer to be averted.
Realizing this, Shahal spoke sharply.

“If you don’t stop right now, I’ll tear this man apart in front of you, alive.”
Threats were an effective means of control.
It was Shahal's specialty—getting what she wanted with ease.

But that only worked on frightened and surprised targets.
And the Saintess, hearing Shahal’s words, only grew more enraged, slamming her head into the wall again.
Thud!!

The wound on her head worsened, and the sound grew louder.
If this noise reached the outside one more time, it would undoubtedly attract attention.
And once that happened, there would be no going back.

If she ended up killing them, it would only be a matter of time before the kingdom itself hunted her down.
Given that she was dragging a pig around, this would be close to suicide.
The situation was disadvantageous for Shahal.

In the end, it was Shahal who had to back down first.
“Fine, fine! Damn it, you don’t have to kill him, just stop!”
With a curse, she tucked her dagger back into her coat.

Only then did the pig’s thrashing stop.
The violet eyes glared at the Saintess with a murderous intent.
And then, unexpectedly, it made a proposal.

“I’ll spare this man. But in return, you go quietly. How about it?”
The only leverage Shahal had was in negotiation.
This realization filled her with frustration and anger.

'If I hadn’t been ordered to bring him back alive, I would’ve sliced his tendons and torn out his tongue by now.'
But unfortunately for Shahal, there wasn’t much choice or time left.
Having already been exposed, she had to hurry, even if it meant giving up a lot.

She couldn’t afford to stay here much longer.
“I’ll spare him, but in return, you stop resisting and follow me quietly. Got it?”
This was the only cowardly deal she could make.

The Saintess glared at her for a moment before responding briefly.
"...Fine."
That was it.

“Ughh…”
A soft groan escaped the man’s lips.
It wouldn’t be long before he woke up.

Shahal wasted no time.
Swish.
She swiftly cut a few strands of hair from the inspector’s head and rummaged through his pockets to retrieve a piece of paper and a stamp.

She pressed the stamp, which read [Immigration Approval], onto Sota’s documents.
Then, leaning her head out of the carriage, she shouted like a little boy.
“Thank you, Inspector!”

The idle chatter outside resumed.
A sense of laxity quickly dissolved any lingering suspicions.
Without missing the opportunity, Shahal quickly steered the carriage toward the far end of the immigration office’s open space.

She then threw the inspector’s limp body into a secluded corner where no one could see.
Thud!
The sound was a dull thump as the body disappeared into the shadows.

'This spot should delay discovery.'
But not long after, the immigration office door swung open, and the werewolf she had seen yesterday ran out from afar.
“The Chief Inspector’s blood is coming from over here!”

There was no time to relax.
“Damn it.”
Shahal cracked the whip, and the carriage shot off, swiftly turning around the corner, finally escaping the immigration office.

“At this point... the only way is to get through Kingdom of Crossroads as quickly as possible.”
She realized that this mission was no longer a simple task.
Now, it was a race against time.

Before the man woke up and began chasing her, she needed to get out of this damned kingdom faster than he could follow.
For the first time in a while, she felt a sense of tension.
A tension she had forgotten about: the fear of failure.

“Still, there are plenty of carriages in this country. I have time before I get caught. If I hurry...”
There was a solution.
Even if they chased after the carriage, she could switch to something else.

Since she was going to throw away the boy’s body, the only trace they could follow would be the “pig.”
And if she mingled with another convoy of livestock or in the crowd, it would be harder for them to find her.
But there was one thing she overlooked.

When she threw the inspector’s body out of the carriage, she hadn’t wiped away the bloodstains from his chin that had splattered onto the pig’s skin.
The blood from Nadan had mixed with the blood from the Saintess’s forehead and was slowly drying on the pig’s hide.
And the scent of blood was strong, lingering for a long time.

Anyone with a keen sense of smell would recognize it immediately.