MTLNOVEL Chapter 1 - I passed?
A bomb dropped on the Duke Franz’s mansion.
The culprit was none other than the heir to the duchy.
It was Lady Loen Franz.
“Father. I’m thinking of giving up the heir position to my younger sibling and going on an adventure.”
Duke Carl Franz tightly closed his eyes.
Duchess Karin Franz sighed heavily as if the ground would sink.
“Oh my…”
Loen was a reincarnator.
One day, she opened her eyes and found herself born as the lady of the Franz family.
Moreover, with her memories from her previous life fully intact.
“Crazy.”
That was the first thing Loen said when she came into this world.
Of course, she was just a newborn at the time, so she only said it inwardly.
From then on, Loen lived the life of a noble.
The new life was quite alright.
Not just any noble,
but the heir to the Franz duchy, one of the ten great noble houses of the empire.
When she was too young to know better, she even thought,
‘Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to inherit the duchy like this?’
However.
Servants attached to her 24 hours a day.
Endless schedules as the heir.
A life in a cage where everything was predetermined.
Living it, it wasn’t okay anymore.
Except for having a warm back and a full stomach, it was suffocating to the point of death.
“I just want to go on an adventure.”
Knock knock.
“We need to leave now if we don’t want to be late for the social gathering.”
“Oh. Alright.”
“We need to move now if we’re to attend the imperial banquet.”
“Okay.”
“The etiquette instructor caught a cold, so today’s lesson might be difficult—”
“Tell them to get plenty of rest.”
“Time for magic training…”
“Time to study imperial studies…”
Argh!
It was clear that living like this would lead to death from mental stress.
From then on, Loen had only one goal.
‘Throw away this heir business and leave for the outside world.’
For this, she never neglected her magic training.
After all, it was a dangerous world for a woman to wander around in.
As time passed.
On the day of her coming-of-age ceremony at 20,
Loen dropped a bombshell on her parents.
She declared that she would give up the heir position to her younger sibling and go on an adventure!
But her parents’ reaction…
It was as if they had expected this.
Duke Carl Franz responded to his daughter’s bombshell declaration.
“Alright. I understand.”
You’re allowing it so easily? What’s going on?
This isn’t like you.
Loen tilted her head in confusion.
“But! There’s one condition.”
“A condition?”
“Yes. It’s nothing much. I managed to secure an interview spot through some connections. I don’t even expect you to pass, just go and take the interview once. For the sake of the duchy’s face, you know.”
Well, if that’s all.
Loen laughed inwardly.
“So I just need to go for the interview? I won’t go back on my word.”
“You’ve become an adult, yet that… manner of speaking remains the same.”
“Oh my…”
Duchess Karin Franz sighed as usual.
Because of this child who just wouldn’t listen, Karin was almost too embarrassed to show her face in social circles these days.
Some other duchess’s young lady is so well-behaved and speaks so prettily.
Why on earth is Loen like this…
The duchess quietly gritted her teeth.
The next day.
Loen arrived at the interview location.
A large building came into view.
People in splendid uniforms were coming and going inside the building.
At the entrance of the building, it was written:
[ Imperial Inspection Team ]
The official name of the Imperial Inspection Team is ‘Emperor’s Direct Imperial Inspection Team.’
Backed by the absolute power of the Emperor, they wield unlimited authority,
punishing rebellious forces against the empire, eliminating those branded as dangerous elements, and sometimes even purging families that have fallen out of the Emperor’s favor.
The prosecutors on Earth?
They’re child’s play compared to the Imperial Inspection Team.
Loen quietly closed her eyes.
To arrange such a precious civil servant position for a child who said she wanted to go on an adventure…
She felt like crying at her parents’ grace.
Not tears of joy, but tears of anger.
To think she’d have to live a life of commuting even in the world she was reincarnated into?
That was absolutely unacceptable.
Now, Loen had a new goal.
It was to fail the interview.
Of course, if she did something obviously strange, the news would reach her father.
She’d have to pretend to try her best.
Loen walked confidently into the building.
The Emperor’s Direct Imperial Inspection Team’s interview consists of three questions and one test.
The first question was about confidentiality.
“As a member of the Imperial Inspection Team, can you absolutely keep secret information confidential and never leak it?”
Loen answered yes to the interviewer’s question.
Giving a strange answer here would clearly be intentional to anyone, so she gave a normal answer.
The second question was about ethical choices.
It was similar to the trolley dilemma she had seen in her previous life.
Two groups are tied up on a road.
One side has 5 people, the other side has 1 person.
Which group would you choose? And why?
Here, she answered honestly and straightforwardly.
“The number of people doesn’t matter to me. Who is more important to me? That’s the only criterion for my judgment. Even if it means killing 100 people, if I can save one precious person, I would gladly do so.”
Perfect.
Now the interviewers would think of her as someone without blood or tears, someone who considers the sacrifice of many for the few as natural.
It felt like she was one step closer to failing the interview.
Loen felt satisfied inwardly.
The female interviewer who heard Loen’s answer,
Deputy Chief Inspector Silina, thought to herself.
That’s right~ Even if thousands or tens of thousands of worthless bugs die,
if we can save a capable talent who can contribute to the glory of the empire.
‘It’s been a while since I’ve seen a child I like?’
In Silina’s view, Loen’s answer was a perfect 100-point answer.
And so the second question passed.
Now it was time for the combat ability test.
Loen planned to make a slight mistake in the test.
She had never neglected her magic training since childhood, so her skills were not ordinary. However, coupled with her title as a duchess, rumors had greatly exaggerated her abilities.
So she planned to show that her skills were overrated on this occasionㅡ
“We usually conduct a simple combat test, but your magical skills are so famous that we’ll skip it.”
These words flowed from the mouth of the male interviewer who had been looking at documents throughout the interview. Silina next to him also nodded at those words.
Loen was simply dumbfounded.
What on earth…
And then came the final, grand question.
“Do you understand what it means to belong to the Emperor’s Direct Imperial Inspection Team?”
“Yes. Doesn’t it mean becoming the Emperor’s hunting dog?”
As soon as the answer was finished, the male interviewer who had taken his eyes off the documents looked directly at Loen.
“So I ask you. If an order comes down for you to willingly give up your life for the Emperor, would you accept it?”
Loen immediately understood that this question was the core of the interview.
It was clearly a question to gauge how much loyalty the interviewee could show to the Emperor.
If she pretended to have some nonsensical belief here,
and gave an odd answer, it would surely result in failing the interview.
Loen smiled inwardly and answered.
“No. Even if it’s the Emperor, I don’t think he has the right to give me such an order.”
She responded firmly.
Even if it’s the Emperor, he has no right to give me an unreasonable order!
She had made such a statement in an interview for the Emperor’s Direct Imperial Inspection Team.
Loen pressed on.
“Following unreasonable orders is not…”
Here, she took a deep breath.
Inhale. Exhale.
“…loyalty, but foolishness.”
You guys in the Inspection Team are foolish dogs who carry out unreasonable orders without hesitation, aren’t you?
She finished with such implications.
Loen was certain.
She would definitely fail the interview. Definitely.
Father, I’m sorry.
I clearly did my best in the interview, but…
I ended up failing inevitably? So now I’ll go on an adventure. When you think of fantasy, it’s all about adventure, right?
In her imagination, Loen was already exploring dungeons, discovering treasures, and bonding with companions around a campfire under the moonlight late at night.
“…”
The male interviewer who heard Loen’s answer.
Imperial Inspection Team Leader Muston’s expression hardened.
Was it because the answer was too absurd? No.
Was it because she dared to use the word ‘foolish’ in front of the Inspection Team Leader? Not that either.
It was because Loen’s spirited answer reminded him of an old memory.
‘Yes. There was a time when I, too, was that spirited.’
A distant memory that has now become faint.
When Muston, as a member of an ordinary noble family, took the Imperial Inspection Team interview.
Muston’s answer to the last question at that time was:
-I’m not stupid enough to follow such an unreasonable order.
It was the opposite answer to those who said they would follow any order! Muston, being quite the character himself, had given such an outrageous answer.
However, the Inspection Team Leader at that time liked his spirited answer and notified him of his acceptance on the spot.
Back to the present.
Muston finally understood how the Inspection Team Leader felt at that time.
It was like finding a pearl in an endless sea of sand grains.
He broke away from the old memory and scanned the interviewee in front of him with his eyes.
Long black hair flowing down to the small of her back, bright red eyes.
A cold face. The naturally flowing haughty atmosphere unique to nobles.
Ability, values, appearance, and spirit.
It all seemed as if she was born to work in the Imperial Inspection Team.
‘I can’t let such talent slip away.’
Muston made his decision.
“It’s been a while since we’ve seen such a spirited one.”
“A talent perfectly suited for the Inspection Department.”
Inspection Team Leader Muston whispered quietly.
Deputy Chief Inspector Silina quietly added a word.
And they nodded at each other.
Muston, with his arms crossed and leaning back in his chair, announced the result.
“Loen Franz, you pass.”
“??”
But why..?
Loen’s expression froze in shock.
She hadn’t expected to pass at all.
Seeing Loen maintaining a frozen expression even after receiving the acceptance notice, Muston and Silina exchanged glances.
To remain expressionless even in this situation. She’s not ordinary.
Muston drove the final nail.
“Be ready to start work within a week. That concludes the interview.”
And so, Loen became a member of the Imperial Inspection Team.