I Became a Civil Servant Who Can Use Magic

“Can I just rest under a tree?”

Thwack!
Loen’s flick hit Psyche’s forehead as she uttered such nonsense.

“Ouch.”
“Instead of resting, we should first find out why they charged at us with swords drawn.”
“So that means?”
“It’s a bit awkward in the middle of the road. See that clearing over there?”

An expression of ‘You can’t be serious?’ appeared on Psyche’s face. As she expected, Loen pointed to a small clearing glimpsed between the trees and said.

“Move all the people sprawled on the road over there.”

Since Shock Wave wasn’t a lethal spell, everyone was just unconscious except for those whose necks broke in the process of falling off their horses.

“By myself?”

At Psyche’s question, Loen nodded. Just as complaints were about to burst out, Loen added a word.

“I have something to think about.”

In fact, there was no such thing.
It’s just an excuse.

Loen, who instructed to tie them up after moving them, leaned against a nearby tree and watched Psyche.

‘Senior.. might be quite good?’

It’s so comfortable having Psyche do the work I should be doing myself.

“Loen.. I didn’t think you were that kind of person.. Isn’t this too much? Would it hurt to move them together?”

Grumbling sounds came from Psyche’s mouth as she went back and forth between the clearing and the road. However, Loen let it slide without much concern.

“Ah, it’s so frustrating!”

In the meantime, Psyche suddenly threw off the artifact that hid her horns and tail.
It was actually uncomfortable, and it was also her own small act of rebellion.

As the artifact’s effect disappeared, a dragon’s tail popped out from under her gray robe. Goat horns reappeared on her head.

Of course, Loen didn’t bat an eye.

Psyche’s quite temperamental too, huh.
Loen smiled silently.

To be precise, should we say she’s the type that expresses joy, sorrow, and anger as they are because she’s so emotionally rich? Anyway, there’s never a dull moment when watching her.

“Phew. I’ve finished everything you instructed.”
“Already? That’s impressive~”
“Hmph, I may not look it, but I’m a dragon, you know? It’s just troublesome, moving people is nothing.”

Psyche wagging her tail, her mood improved again after being praised.
Really, she’s so easy to handle.

Loen stood up.

“Then shall we start the interrogation?”

The first subject of interrogation was the blonde female knight.

Loen dragged her to a secluded place. When she sent mana flowing into her body to shock her, the woman opened her eyes wide and exhaled roughly.

Huh!

Soon, Loen’s and the female knight’s eyes met. Seeing Loen’s fierce expression, she immediately understood the situation.

The female knight’s first words that followed.

“Ugh.. Kill me!”

A hint of desperation was felt on the female knight’s face. Thinking that she wouldn’t listen to reason, Loen immediately pulled out her identification badge from her bosom.

“I’m a tax inspector dispatched from the Ministry of Finance. What’s the reason for attacking without warning?”
“…?”

The disguised identity prepared in advance before the inspection dispatch, tax inspector.

If asked why she disguised her identity,

Because the Land Beyond the Barrier is a closed-off region, if her identity as an inspector is exposed, rumors will spread in an instant. Then it would attract the attention of nobles. The probability of getting involved in troublesome matters would also increase.

As Loen dislikes troublesome things, she planned to quietly visit the Count’s city, investigate tax fraud, deliver a warning, and return to the Inspection Headquarters.

That’s why she prepared a suitable disguised identity as a tax inspector. Of course, she brought separate attire as well.

“In-Inspector?”

The female knight, unable to hide her bewilderment, alternately stared at Loen and the identification badge.

Looking closely at the identification badge, it was certainly real. To begin with, there wouldn’t be any crazy person impersonating an imperial official within imperial territory.

Her attitude changed to be respectful.

“But why did you attack us..”
“Because you showed intent to attack first.”
“Ah..”

The female knight thought about it.
It seems like we drew our swords first?

Of course, it was because they misunderstood her as an enemy when Loen suddenly raised her staff. Nevertheless, it was true that they tried to attack an imperial official.

“Let’s put that aside for now. Would you like to explain the situation first? What’s the reason for rushing down the road with knights mobilized?”

Loen said, looking at the black-armored knights stacked neatly in the distance.

“The Bamor Knight Order!?”
“..Weren’t they on the same side?”

The female knight began explaining the situation.

In the Land Beyond the Barrier, which people living here simply call ‘The Barrier’, there are two factions.

The Reformist Faction.
Let’s accept new technologies and seek development to keep up with the rapidly changing times! We’ll be left behind at this rate!

The Traditionalist Faction.
What nonsense is that! We’re living well, sucking the commoners dry among ourselves, why bother?

‘Oh, this is completely?’

Countries from Earth came to Loen’s mind.
Regardless, the female knight’s words continued.

“Most nobles within the Barrier belong to the Traditionalist Faction. Including the Lidyte Count’s family. However, the previous Count proclaimed reform, turned his back on the Traditionalist Faction, and declared himself the leader of the Reformist Faction, after which the situation rapidly changedㅡ”
“Wait! The conclusion first.”

Loen put on the brakes as her words seemed to be getting longer.

“A year ago, the Traditionalist Faction started a war against the Reformist Faction led by Count Lidyte.”

“A month ago, when the Count’s city Brinut finally fell, the war effectively ended in victory for the Traditionalist Faction…”

“While fleeing after escaping the city with the Count, we misunderstood the Inspector as an enemy…”

Loen put her hand to her forehead.

‘To think the first person we encountered was Count Lidyte.’

Even more surprising is the fact that he, the subject of investigation, has been defeated in war and driven out.

“For now, you can rest.”

She made the female knight unconscious again.
Next is Count Lidyte’s turn for interrogation.

Since they could lie, Loen decided to interrogate several people and compare their statements.

She brought the Count and woke him up.
And immediately showed her identification badge and said.

“I’m a tax inspector. You are Count Lidyte, correct?”
“Yes, I am.”

The Count’s eyeballs rolled.
That mage from earlier? But an inspector, what is this.

“I’ll ask you a few questions first.”

The interrogation continued afterwards.
The Count responded to the interrogation with a sincere attitude.

Even a count cannot treat a tax inspector working in the central government carelessly.
Though not as much as inspectors, they are also influential officials.

Moreover, she was also a mage who swept away dozens of elite troops in an instant. The Count couldn’t help but be polite.

The Count’s interrogation ended.

“I’ve heard enough.”

With that, the Count was made unconscious again.

“Psyche! Can you bring the person who was holding the flag among the knights over there?”
“Yes!”

The interrogations continued for a while after that.

Loen completed grasping the situation by interrogating Count Lidyte and the knight order of the Traditionalist Faction pursuing him,
all of them.

“Loen, how did the interrogation go?”

Psyche approached Loen, who was sitting leaning against a tree, and asked.

“Whether Count Lidyte is driven out or not doesn’t matter to us, right? It’s just a matter of going to the noble who newly took the Lidyte Count title and warning them to pay the omitted taxes.”

Count Lidyte not only lost the war but also had his city and title taken away by Bamor, the leader of the Traditionalist Faction.

For reference, this was possible because Bamor, the leader of the Traditionalist Faction, was the Count’s uncle, that is, his father’s younger brother.

Being from the Lidyte family, he had sufficient grounds to claim the title.

In summary, you can see it as the uncle pushing out his nephew and seizing power.

“That’s true. It doesn’t matter to us whether they fight or not.”
“…. But, it seems the leader of the Traditionalist Faction is a dark mage.”
“Eek? A dark mage? A mage who made a contract with a demon?”
“Yes.”

Testimony that Bamor was a dark mage flowed from Count Lidyte’s mouth. Although the word ‘circumstantially’ was attached.

Based on his testimony, as a result of interrogating the Bamor Knight Order members, Bamor was indeed a dark mage.
However, it wasn’t to the level of demon forces intervening.

It was just Bamor personally making deals with demons by offering living people as sacrifices of his own volition.

‘Whether demons intervened or he made deals with demons by offering sacrifices…. Isn’t it the same thing?’

Or did he think it would be overlooked because it’s a frontier the Imperial Family doesn’t care about?

Anyway, the Traditionalist Faction nobles who turned a blind eye to this fact….
Is power that good?

In Loen’s view, it was absolutely not an issue to be taken lightly.

Bamor, who became a 4-star dark mage by offering sacrifices to demons. It’s said that he’s still kidnapping people from various places in the Barrier to offer as sacrifices.

Moreover, since he even won the war, it was obvious that his evil deeds would worsen.

‘If only I didn’t know, I would have quietly let it pass. Now that I know the truth, it’s too unsettling to just let it go.’

After long deliberation, Loen decided to intervene in the conflict between the two factions.

Psyche suddenly brightened her eyes and said.

“Then now, is it time for purging!”
“Calm down for now.”
“Eh?”

Loen shook her head and calmed Psyche down.

“It’s just a frontier anyway. Aren’t two 4-star ability users enough? Moreover, Loen, you’re actually at the level of a 5-star.”
“Still, you never know. Just Bamor alone is a 4-star mage, and the Traditionalist Faction is said to firmly support him.”

It’s isolated as it’s the most remote place even among frontiers. As a result, the level of military power is significantly lower compared to the center of the empire.

A considerable number of high-level combat personnel were also lost during the year-long war.

Nevertheless, there are still over a hundred 3-star knights belonging to the Traditionalist Faction. Not to mention the rest. I even heard there are several mages.

“We should also gather the scattered Reformist Faction forces again.”
“Don’t tell me.. war?”
“What war? It’s just nobles taking sides and having large-scale territory battles divided into Reformist and Traditionalist Factions. We’re just planning to intervene there briefly.”
“Anything is fine with me! As long as we fight!”
“Are you perhaps addicted to dopamine?”
“What’s that?”
“Never mind. Pretend you didn’t hear that.”

Loen decided to move quickly now that she had made a decision.
She has no intention whatsoever of being held up for a long time like in the duchy.

She immediately ran to the clearing and woke up Count Lidyte and his troops.

Then she expressed her intention to help the Count.

“You’ll lend your strength to the Reformist Faction.. is that really true?”

The Count spoke as if he couldn’t believe it.

“No, more than that.. are you saying you’re a 4-star mage?”

The Count’s attitude became even more polite.
No wonder Veronica, the 3-star swordswoman, was knocked out so easily!

Loen nodded.

“For your reference, my adjutant standing next to me is also a 3.. 4-star.”
“I’m Psyche!”
“Gasp.”

In Psyche’s case, she was about to lower it to 3-star but decided to just be honest since it would be revealed anyway. Then the Count almost fainted.

The Count’s troops gathered around also had similar reactions.
The same went for the blonde female knight Veronica.

At this point, even Loen started to feel burdened.

‘Isn’t the reaction too much.. Someone might think this is a different continent, not a frontier.’

Thud! Thud! Thud! Grooar!

At that moment, an unidentified roar was heard from inside the forest.

“This sound, could it be?”
“Everyone prepare for battle!”
“What’s that sound?”

The Count’s troops moved busily to form a semicircular formation. The Count explained the situation to the bewildered Loen and her party.

“It’s an ogre!”
“An ogre?”

Psyche and Loen were taken aback.
So it was true that monsters appear?

Moreover, not a tiny monster but suddenly an ogre appears, so they couldn’t help but be surprised.

Thud! Thud!

Eventually, the ogre revealed itself.
It had a huge height and body approaching 5m and a hideous appearance with two faces.

“A Twin-Headed Ogre!”

The atmosphere around became serious.
The Count issued a warning to Loen.

“Inspector. You need to steel yourself. The Twin-Headed Ogre is a rare specimen with very high magic resistance.”

Twin-Headed Ogre.
A powerful monster that can barely be defeated by combining the strength of one 4-star and more than twenty 3-star knights.

Due to its body being altered by mana, it has extremely high magic resistance and is also called the natural enemy of mages.
Of course, this is by the standards within the Barrier.

The Count provided additional explanation.

“To take it down, you’ll need to prepare powerful magic. We’ll step forward and try to buy as much time as possible! Veronica, let’s go!”

Immediately after, the Count and Veronica, along with his guard troops, charged towards the ogre.

Boom! Haaah!

The Twin-Headed Ogre swinging its giant fists and the Count’s party facing against it.
Their tearful struggle continued.

“What are you going to do, Loen?”
“For now, I’m going to check how much magic resistance it has with Magic Cannon.”
“Yes!”

Loen started casting magic.
Psyche just stood blankly next to Loen, watching.

“What are you doing? While I’m casting, you should go help those people.”
“I think the situation will end with one of Loen’s spells.”
“..”

Loen, who was about to instruct her to go help immediately, also closed her mouth, thinking ‘could it be’. Then she focused on casting.

Originally, she should have imbued half light and half dark attributes, but this time she imbued more strongly the power of ‘annihilation’ derived from the dark attribute.

Magic resistance is ultimately a characteristic derived from mana.

So she judged that annihilation, which has the property of decomposing the opponent’s mana, would be more effective against the ogre.

“Magic Cannon”

A black beam of light burst forth vigorously from Loen’s staff.

As expected.
As the beam gradually diminished and completely disappeared, Psyche quietly murmured.

“I knew this would happen.”