I’m an Immigration Officer!

Late afternoon, the next day.

For the past several days, an ominous rumor had been circling through the Southern Border Immigration Office.
That the inspectors had turned into zombies.
“Uuuuugh…”
“Leeeeeave wooork…”

And the rumors were accurate.
Four zombies were dragging their feet through the office.
Each one with hollow eyes and slumped shoulders—immigration inspectors slowly rotting in real time.

The Auditory Inspector, seated in front of an entrant, croaked out a desiccated voice:
“E-e-e-entry… ap-p-prooooved…”
Six empty liquor bottles were already piled at her desk.

She didn’t even have the strength to go out and buy more.
Squelch.
Even the stamp—which should’ve come down firm and decisive—barely managed to leave an ink smear.

This was Day Three.
Ordinarily, it took five inspectors barely managing to keep the immigration process afloat at the Southern Border.
But now, only four remained—pulling consecutive night shifts and extended hours for three days straight.

All because of a Royal Decree.
One inspector had been summoned to the capital by order of the King.
Even though the Pilgrimage Delegation had passed through, the immigration workload hadn’t eased.

Now the four remaining inspectors had to manage that burden on their own—nonstop, day and night.
The result: the once-lively inspectors had become hollowed-out husks, looking half-possessed.
Even the Tactile Inspector’s tentacles had lost their sheen—every time she moved, flakes crumbled off like dried fish skin.
The werewolf zombie slammed his head into the wall and groaned.

“When’s that guy getting back…? Please, please let it be today…”
He didn’t name anyone specifically, but all five Senses Inspectors thought of the same person.
The nomadic girl zombie replied.

“No news… maybe he was executed already…”
The black-eyed man who’d left with the King’s representative.
The fact that there had been no word from the capital told them all they needed to know.

“Should I just quit? …Ah right, there's no supervisor left to accept my resignation.”
And then—
Creeeeeak.

The silence was broken by the sound of the door opening.
The Gustatory Inspector, slumped over her desk, didn’t even raise her head as she droned out automatically:
“The Chief Inspector is currently absent, so please direct any inquiries to the Olfactory Inspector over there…”

“Oh dear, that’s troublesome. The Chief is absent, you say?”
A familiar voice.
“Huh?”

The Gustatory Inspector whipped her head up.
Then muttered, almost in disbelief:
“C-Chief Inspector…?”

At those words, the other Senses Inspectors perked up—fur, ears, and tentacles all bristling.
“What was that?”
“What?”
“Did I hear that right?”
All eyes turned toward the door.

They widened.
“Has everyone been well?”
A man stood at the doorway, dressed in the Immigration Officer’s uniform.

Calm. A little tired. His face curled into a small smile.
“I’m back.”
The Chief Inspector had returned.

 
****
After three long days of nonstop proceedings, I finally came back to the Immigration Office.

I hadn’t thought much while I was still in the carriage, but the moment I saw the sign reading Southern Border Immigration Office, something hit me.
So I just smiled slightly—and said it, simply:
“I’m back.”

The reaction was explosive.
“Chieeeef Inspectooooooor!! Waaahhh!!”
“You actually came back alive?!”
“Wait—is this a dream? Hey Gustatory, check his eye color—is it purple?”
“D-Does that mean he was declared innocent?! They ruled innocent—after trying a royal?!”
The Gustatory Inspector clung to my leg, wailing uncontrollably.

The Auditory Inspector subtly shoved her liquor bottles aside and approached as if nothing had happened.
The Olfactory Inspector was howling like a dog—even though it wasn’t a full moon.
Even the Tactile Inspector was starting to regain her moisture and tentacle bounce.

“Whoa, whoa—everyone, calm yourselves. Yes, it’s me.”
I held up my hands to steady them.
“Nathan Kell, Chief Inspector. Your direct superior. Returned with a verdict of dismissal.”

“D-Dismissal…?”
“By Royal Decree. The entire case was nullified.”
There was no more business for me at the capital.

The trial was over. I’d visited Renee’s grave. Now all that remained was to return to my post.
No matter what had happened—
—I was, at the end of the day, an immigration officer.

My job was here: processing entrants, handling the paperwork at the Southern Border.
This is where I belong.
And truthfully… this is where I feel most at peace.

Seeing their familiar faces again, I felt my own expression loosen without even meaning to.
It felt like coming home.
The Senses Inspectors let out sighs of relief, realizing I had truly returned.

“Phew… I really didn’t want to have to break in a new Chief.”
“Congratulations. You really went through hell.”
“Chuuuujuuuuugaaaniiiimmm!! Waaaahhh!! I thought you were deeeead!!”
The Gustatory Inspector’s tears were soaking my right leg.
But among them, there was one person who wasn’t exactly thrilled to see me.

“Prove it. I don’t believe you.”
The Olfactory Inspector stared me down with a face full of distrust.
“Show proof that you’re really the Chief Inspector.”

“Olfactory Inspector, I am the Chief.”
“How do I know you’re not that shapeshifter bitch again? Should I punch you like last time and check?”
“You’re not seriously holding a grudge over me doubting you before, are you?”

“…Doesn’t matter. I still don’t believe you.”
This damn mutt.
Sure, suspicion is a core trait of an inspector—but I’m your boss.

Even when I glared at him, he didn’t flinch.
I had no choice but to say it low and quiet:
“If you’re so eager to take night shift during the next full moon, by all means keep doubting. I’m sure your Grandmother will be thrilled you skipped the family gathering.”

I subtly invoked his werewolf instincts—and the most powerful elder in his clan.
He twitched, then instantly dropped to the floor and bowed deeply.
“There was never a shred of doubt in my heart, Chief Inspector. Welcome home, lawful commander of the Southern Border.”

“Since you’ve been through hell these last three days, I’ll overlook this one.”
I pulled him up by the arm.
As he stood up, scratching his head, I asked:

“Nothing major happened at the office while I was away?”
“Plenty did.”
I didn’t ask what.

Their zombie-like faces already told me everything I needed to know.
They’d been ground down by overwork.
“…Any incidents?”

“Ah, no. None of those.”
“Then that’s good. Also… I brought a guest.”
“A guest?”

The Senses Inspectors tilted their heads.
“Did someone come back with you?”
I turned my head toward the doorway and called out.

“You may come in, Erzena.”
“Okay. Coming.”
A woman stepped [N O V E L I G H T] in hesitantly, a little awkward.

Sky-blue hair. Golden eyes. Erzena entered the room.
And with her, a radiant wave of divine energy filled the Immigration Office.
“Ah, hello everyone.”

Once an enemy—now an ally—she waved with a gentle smile.
The Senses Inspectors turned and stared at one another, faces visibly shaken.
“Saintess Erzena? Why is the Saintess here?”

“Ahaha… I’m not a Saintess anymore. Just Erzena is fine.”
“Huh? What do you mean…?”
They looked even more confused.

Their faces clearly said they didn’t understand what the hell was going on.
So I stepped in.
“I’ll explain.”

I briefly outlined everything that had happened.
How the Saintess had become my witness, just as we’d planned.
How the King had exploded with rage.
How the Pilgrimage Delegation had been ordered to leave under expulsion.
The Senses Inspectors listened, mouths agape.

“…And that’s how it happened.”
“Holy…”
“My god.”
At last, when I finished, the Tactile and Auditory Inspectors folded their arms with grim expressions.

“Then… there’ll be changes at the capital soon. If His Majesty starts moving again…”
“And someone’s definitely going to come after Erzena—sorry, just Erzena—again. We need to prepare for that.”
“The Pilgrimage Delegation will return eventually. We’ll have to coordinate with the Border Defense again.”
True to their reputations as the smart ones, the Tactile and Auditory Inspectors immediately leaned in and began calmly discussing what measures the Immigration Office needed to take.
Meanwhile, the two idiots.

“Oh my, oh my, look at this, Olfactory Inspector. They’re not even trying to hide it anymore. Temporary asylum? Might as well call it a romantic midnight escape.”
“Temporary asylum, huh… Hey, check the applicant name. Was it Erzena Seraff or Erzena Kell?”
Fixated on nonsense, whispering like gossipmongers.
I ignored them cleanly and said:

“In any case, I’ll be resuming my official duties starting tomorrow.”
“What about today?”
“Today, I’ll be escorting Erzena to her assigned residence and introducing her to the safe house.”

That was the priority—ensuring Erzena had a secure place to stay.
I vaguely remembered that there was a single property in the Southern Border officially designated as a safe house.
This is our first time actually processing a temporary asylum case, but thankfully I’m familiar with the protocols.

If I could secure her safety and return to my regular duties, everything would be in order.
But then the Gustatory Inspector hesitated and spoke up.
“Ah, um… about that safe house. It’s under renovation.”

“What? Why?”
Caught off guard, I asked—frowning.
She answered:

“You remember that building, Chief Inspector? The one where the shapeshifter made her last stand?”
“Yes. I remember.”
The three-story structure we had sealed off and surrounded completely.

“Olfactory Inspector went wild and smashed the place up. Almost nothing left but the frame.”
“Right. But what does that have to—”
Then a chilling realization crept into my mind.

“No. No way.”
No. Surely not.
This couldn’t be.

I shook my head.
“Don’t joke with me. I’m exhausted.”
But the Gustatory Inspector nodded seriously.

“That was the safe house.”
…Son of a—
I froze. Screaming internally.

What kind of cosmic joke was this?
Erzena, sensing the weight behind the Gustatory Inspector’s words, asked with unease in her voice:
“I… If the safe house is under construction… then what do we do?”

“Let me… think for a moment.”
You can’t just assign an asylum applicant to an inn.
Someone whose life may be under threat can’t be placed in a house with zero protection.

It needs to have at least basic defensive spells, an emergency hiding room, and close access to our office.
And it had to be somewhere the Immigration Office could respond to instantly.
Where the hell was I going to find a place like that right now?

There were just too many conditions.
I need to solve this before nightfall.
I racked my brain.

Then the Tactile Inspector—deep in thought—suddenly raised her left tentacle high.
“How about the Chief Inspector’s house?”
“What!?”

“Whaaat!?”
Erzena and I shouted in unison.
What the hell kind of insane idea was that?

“Your house is five minutes from here, right? It’s two stories, too. Sounds perfect.”
“Y-yes, but why my house of all places?”
“Because it’s a high-ranking official’s residence—it has protective enchantments. And you only sleep there anyway, right? Don’t you have a bunch of food stockpiled too?”

She laid it out point by point, disturbingly rational.
“Honestly, Chief, it meets all the criteria for a perfect safe house.”
And… she wasn’t wrong.

My house was a two-story property assigned by the Capital itself.
As the chief officer of a national border, my home was triple-layered with defensive magic.
It was five minutes from the office—within immediate response range.

“No, no, this is impossible! How could a woman possibly stay alone in a man’s house…?”
What about public perception?
One man and one woman, under the same roof—even if nothing happened, rumors would fly.

And she’d be the one facing the scrutiny, not me.
Even if she wasn’t a Saintess anymore, people would never let it go.
This was completely inappropriate. Absolutely not.

“My house is not an option. Under no circumstances—”
And that was when Erzena spoke, her voice calm and resolute.
“I’ll stay there.”

“E-Erzena!?”
What the hell is wrong with this woman?
Startled, I turned to look—and saw her standing firm, divine power pulsing from her like a heartbeat, golden energy flickering around her like firelight.

“You said you’d assign me a residence. You said you’d ensure my safety.”
“I meant the safe house. As in, a house designated for safety—”
She cut me off, her face a bit flushed.

“Right now, the safest place for me is near you.”
Hearing that, the Olfactory and Gustatory Inspectors immediately leaned in and whispered again.
“Did you hear that, Olfactory Inspector?”
“I heard it, Gustatory Inspector. Sounds like newlyweds. What do you think, Auditory?”

“Ah~ Erzena moves boldly. This is what we call a direct attack strategy. Simple, but highly effective.”
Now even the Auditory Inspector had caught the contagion of perverted commentary.
“The three of you, shut it.”

Lunatics. All of them.
I turned hastily to Erzena and said:
“Erzena. I—I’ll find another place for you to stay. Somehow. So please avoid making statements like that.”

I tried to defuse the situation.
But her answer came back, unhesitating and painfully honest:
“Chief Inspector… do you not want me to stay?”

Golden eyes looked up at me, just barely.
And that was when the Auditory Inspector shouted, wild with excitement:
“Ah! The upward glance with hesitation! That’s impossible to resist!!”

SLAM.
I shut the door in that damned elf’s face.
Any longer and I’d lose what little sanity I had left.

“…”
“….”
Silence again.
At the edge of my vision, the divine energy shimmered faintly.

She wasn’t backing down—at all.
That alone was proof she meant it.
I took a breath, then asked quietly:

“…Are you certain about this?”
“I am.”
“I can’t stop the rumors.”

“I’m used to rumors.”
“This could be used against you.”
“Then either you’ll block it—or I will.”

No escape routes left.
Every reason I’d had to refuse—blocked.
Every condition—met.

In the end, there was only one answer left for me to give.
“…Very well. I’ll escort you to my residence.”
“Thank you. Please do.”

Erzena smiled—bright and beaming.
How the hell did it come to this…