I’m an Immigration Officer!

"Saintess!"
Moahim realized the shift in the atmosphere too late.
The once warm and comforting air suddenly turned dense, heavy, like a suffocating swamp.

"Ugh...!"
His breath caught in his throat.
It felt as if he was sinking into a pit of mud, the slimy, oppressive sensation pressing against him from all sides.

"How arrogant. Do they really think they can refuse me, someone even the Empire dares not deny?"
The golden glow that had once radiated softly from the Saintess began to darken, flickering ominously.
"Those faithless wretches, who don't even know the will of our Lord..."

Her voice dropped, and the tent seemed to groan as though it would collapse under the weight of her words.
"Gahk...! C-can't... breathe...!"
One of the maids standing near her crumpled to the ground, gasping for air, unable to withstand the corrupted divine power that had started to seep into the surroundings.

Before the Saintess could be further consumed by her darkening emotions and crush the maid beneath her power, Moahim quickly changed the subject.
"Th-there is one person, in particular, whom the Saintess should be wary of."
"...Me?"
"Yes. A man known as the Chief Inspector. He is the one in charge of the southern border."
"Chief Inspector... What a weird name. Sounds like a heretic."
"There are rumors that he is a Talent Manifestor."
The Saintess's eyes, which had been dark and narrowed, suddenly widened in surprise.

"Huh? A Talent Manifestor? Really?"
"It is only a rumor, but given that he became the highest-ranking inspector at such a young age, there is some credibility to it."
"If that’s true, there’s no way we wouldn’t know about it."
She was right.
If the Church was verifying Talent Manifestors, the information would undoubtedly make its way to the religious order.

But as far as Erjena knew, there was only one Talent Manifestor in the Kingdom of Crossroads — and she was a woman.
'A male Talent Manifestor in the Kingdom of Crossroads? I've never heard of that.'
Moahim continued, reading the Saintess’s expression.
"It is possible that the information was withheld for some reason, or it could simply be a baseless rumor."
"...Fine. Do we know what his talent is?"
"Unfortunately, there have been no specific reports. However, a few days ago, he supposedly calmed a wrathful Fire Spirit by himself."
"By himself? Alone?"

Erjena tilted her head in confusion.
The only ones capable of controlling enraged spirits were Spiritists.
Without them, the spirits would usually run wild until they either exhausted themselves or were exterminated.

She had never heard of anyone capable of pacifying a natural disaster. Especially a Fire Spirit.
"Is that even possible...? Oh, did he perhaps pour water on it?"
At her question, Moahim’s face turned grim.

"If he did, the one pouring would have been burned to ashes."
"Then it’s probably just another exaggerated rumor. Rumors always get blown out of proportion."
"I would like to think so too. But the testimonies from the witnesses were all consistent. It didn't seem like a lie."
Erjena’s brows knitted together again.
But this time, it wasn't out of anger. It was curiosity.

'A mere man with no Spiritist training calmed a spirit? The only plausible explanation would be Talent Manifestation.'
There were various types of Talent Manifestation.
If his talent involved calming spirits, it was most likely connected to mana manipulation or a spirit contract.

But that raised a significant contradiction.
"Hmmm... Can a heretic even become a Talent Manifestor?"
"According to doctrine, it is impossible. Talents are the blessings bestowed by the Great One."
Occasionally, the Great One would grant a gift imbued with divine love to those who truly devoted themselves to Him.

Numerous miracles, mysterious phenomena, and sacred relics were such gifts.
And among these, the most unique form of divine love was Talent Manifestation.
It was love directly bestowed upon a person rather than an object or event.

It was a tremendous blessing, reserved only for those who were most devout and loyal to the Great One.
In other words, a non-believer could never receive such a gift. It was irrefutable proof that the person was a devout follower of the Church.
"Then he must be one of our believers! Ha, all that worry for nothing!"

Finally reaching a conclusion, Erjena's expression softened.
Simultaneously, the oppressive air that had been weighing down on everyone instantly returned to its previous warm, gentle state.
"If he's not a heretic, then it’s fine. If he's a follower of the Great One, then he’s on our side. Once he sees me, he’ll understand our purpose immediately."

Caught off guard by her sudden shift in mood, Moahim asked, "S-Saintess? What do you mean by that...?"
"Talent Manifestation is a blessing given only to the most devout believers. If that’s the case, he’s one of us. He'll definitely support our mission to beat the living daylights out of the Cult of the Evil God-,"
Moahim’s face twisted in disapproval, and she quickly corrected herself.
"-I mean, to eradicate them. And besides, I’m not lying, am I? We’re heading north to encourage our allies."
"That is true, but..."
"Our poor Paladin Commander worries too much. Everything will work out. Who knows, maybe this is all part of the Great One’s divine plan!"

Moahim looked at her, a childlike innocence returning to her features. He opened his mouth to say something but then let out a sigh.
"If the Saintess says it will be fine, then it will be fine."
"Exactly!"
Well, when you think about it, he was just an immigration officer.

'There's no way a mere civil servant would dare to oppose the Church’s international influence.'
No one in their right mind would jeopardize their position by defying the Church, especially when the Church could escalate the matter to an international conflict.
Even if he decided to act crazy and refuse entry, they could always lodge a formal complaint and force the Kingdom of Crossroads to open the border.

Delays of a few days were expected, but ultimately inevitable.
No one person could stand in the way of the Church’s grand mission.
If everything was connected to the Great One’s will, it was bound to go smoothly.

"Just one promise, Saintess. No matter what, please maintain that we are here to encourage our northern allies, as I mentioned."
There was no need to stir up unnecessary trouble.
Seeing the Paladin Commander’s desperate plea, Erjena sighed and nodded.

"Fine, fine. You’re such a worrywart. I won’t go out of my way to stir the pot. Happy now?"
That was enough for Moahim. Finally getting the confirmation he wanted, he moved quickly to leave the tent before she could change her mood again.
"I will head out now. It’s time to meet with the envoys who will be sent ahead to the border."
"Perfect timing. I wanted some alone time anyway. Let me know when it’s time to leave."
"T-Then, I will take my leave as well..."

The maid, sensing the change in atmosphere, hurriedly followed Moahim out of the tent.
Erjena waved them off until they were completely gone. Once the tent was silent again, she sank into the sofa, sprawling her limbs out.
"Phew. Finally, they’re gone. Moahim worries way too much."

That old commander always thinks of the worst-case scenario. With the ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) Great One watching over them, what was there to fear?
Not wanting to dwell on it any longer, Erjena shook her head, her thoughts returning to the man Moahim had mentioned earlier.
"Chief Inspector, huh..."

"Weird name. Probably not a real name, more like a title."
She spoke with a faint smile.
"How fascinating. To think we'd meet under such circumstances."

A Talent Manifestor.
A person blessed with such a rare gift serving as an immigration officer?
Now that was some good news.

To Erjena, it almost felt like a divine revelation.
"In a country we must pass through, in a place that could potentially block our way, there's a person drenched in the Lord's love. And that person just so happens to be the highest-ranking immigration officer. Could this really be a coincidence?"
Too perfect to be mere coincidence. It was almost too poetic.

Perhaps the Great One had planned it all, placing this person right in her path.
After all, He often bestowed blessings in the most unexpected places and through the most unexpected people.
"But what if... all of this is just a coincidence? A lie?"

However, exceptions and elaborate schemes always existed.
Erjena was not naive enough to blindly believe in such a conveniently orchestrated fate.
Throughout history, there had always been those who dared to blaspheme by pretending to be blessed by the Great One.

This so-called Chief Inspector could very well be one of them.
It was also possible that he was a heretic planted by the Cult of the Evil God.
"Those heretics have always tried to corrupt us by the most insidious means. This could be part of their scheme too."

With that thought in mind, the Saintess recited a phrase she had chanted so many times it was almost ingrained in her soul:
"Doubt leads to distrust, but it also opens the path to certainty."
Reaching her hand slowly toward the sky, she whispered:

"Could he be a non-believer? A heretic? Or perhaps a corrupt official taking bribes from the Cult of the Evil God?"
The possibilities were endless.
Until she met this Chief Inspector face-to-face, his true nature would remain a mystery.

And she had plenty of methods to deal with people like him.
Either way, it didn't matter to Erjena.
If the rumors were false, then he was a heretic, and there was no need to feel guilt or show respect to a non-believer.

On the contrary, she could simply nail him to a cross for the sin of impersonating a Talent Manifestor and claiming a divine blessing.
"But even if he truly is a Talent Manifestor, that’s still fine."
In that case, the Chief Inspector would be someone chosen by the Great One.

If he was a believer, there was no way he could refuse her.
After all, she was the voice of the Lord. His representative.
"I’ll find out for myself soon enough."

In the end, the only way to confirm anything was to see this man called the Chief Inspector with her own eyes.
Erjena clenched her hand tight, as if crushing the neck of a deceitful snake.
In the distance, the sound of drums echoed, signaling the departure of the envoys.

 
****
"Alright, let’s deal the cards."

Day three of the immigration management meeting.
I and the Sense Masters were about to start our 298th round of the card game.
"Wait a second."
The long ears of the Hearing Master twitched.

She glanced toward the south and set her cards down.
"Hmm. I think you should get ready, Chief Inspector."
"Huh? Ready for what?"
"Some very noisy guests are coming. In about two days."
Noisy guests? Who could that be?

"Could it be the pilgrimage?"
But no, that was unlikely. Pilgrims usually prayed in silence.
I shrugged and turned my attention back to the game.

"Two days means we still have time. Let’s finish this game first. This is the final round, right?"
"The loser here will be dead last."
Right now, that’s all that mattered.
Tonight’s shift was on the line.

"Good. Let’s do this. It’s the final round, so let’s focus."
At my signal, the Smell Master nodded and started shuffling the cards skillfully, then dealt them out.
"Alright, everyone, stay sharp. First card goes to the Chief Inspector, next to the Taste Master, and then to the Touch Ma—"
"Hold it."

— Grab. —
Just before the last card reached the Touch Master, I grabbed the werewolf’s wrist.
That damn mutt was trying to cheat again.

"Smell Master, are you really trying to pull that trick again?"
"Gah! How did you...!"
Congratulations, buddy. You just earned yourself the night shift.