I’m an Immigration Officer!

— CRACK! SNAP!
Rough sounds tore through the clearing as the other officers approached with tools, prying apart the bottom of the wagon.

What emerged was—
— THUD.
A long, rectangular, heavy crate.

“Hm.”
I slowly looked down at it.
“If I recall correctly, your declared cargo consisted solely of twelve barrels of fish.”

Cargo inconsistent with the declaration.
That alone was damning evidence.
“What’s inside that crate?”

“…”
Crane stayed silent.
Jaw clenched, doing his best to keep his expression neutral.

“Were you aware this crate was loaded onto your wagon?”
“…”
The classic silent treatment.

Rarely used, but irritatingly effective in situations like this.
“Very well. You don’t need to answer. There are other ways to verify.”
I turned to the officer beside me.

“Request support from the Royal Magic Society. We’ll need an unauthorized goods safety inspection.”
“Yes, sir.”
I didn’t know exactly what was inside the crate.
But we couldn’t just crack it open recklessly.

For all I knew, it could be a bomb, a prohibited organism, or a cursed relic.
It could be an artifact that activates on contact.
Every possibility had to be accounted for.

Smugglers brought in the most absurd, dangerous things imaginable.
Verification like this required protective spells from the Royal Magic Society.
Unauthorized items always cause incidents.

Touching them blindly could endanger not just me, but everyone nearby.
And these bastards had dragged that risk right to the border.
They’d face the consequences.

I raised my voice, letting everyone hear.
“You are being apprehended in the act of smuggling. Every action you take from this moment may be considered a threat against the Cross-Line Kingdom. Any statement you make may be used against you. Disarm immediately.”
“Tch…!”

Crane grit his teeth, glaring daggers at me.
I held his gaze, unflinching, and repeated myself.
“Disarm. I won’t ask again.”

— CLACK.
Behind them, the border guards deliberately adjusted their swords, the metal scraping loudly.
All their cards were on the table.

They had nowhere left to run.
“D-Damn it…”
With a bitter expression, Crane reluctantly started to unbuckle the sword at his waist.

But the moment he lowered it to the ground—
“You bastard! I told you we should’ve been more careful!”
“…Matthew?”

A nervous-looking man standing behind Crane suddenly pulled something from his coat.
A fist-sized, capsule-like metal sphere, covered in intricate geometric engravings that shimmered with a faint blue glow—
Like condensed mana.

“…!!!”
I recognized it instantly.
“Unauthorized artifact…!”

An illegally modified magical device.
One of the most dangerous categories of contraband.
More dangerous than a bomb — its purpose utterly unknown — the worst kind of smuggled item.

And now it was in that man’s hand.
Crane shouted in disbelief.
“When the fuck did you pocket that?!”

“Your cocky attitude is what got us here, asshole!”
Panic in his voice.
A faint surge of mana made the golem react immediately.

[Threat detected. Noncompliance confirmed. Commencing suppression.]
Without hesitation, the golem swung its massive sword toward Matthew.
Border safety demanded eliminating threats swiftly.

— VROOOOM!
But it was too late.
Matthew’s finger had already pressed the artifact’s activation switch—

And then—
— SNAP!
His thumb bent violently in an unnatural direction.

“AAARRRGHH!! MY HAND! MY HAND!!”
Matthew collapsed, writhing in pain on the ground.
“W-What the hell…?”

Crane’s bewildered voice mirrored everyone’s reaction.
The golem’s sword hadn’t touched him.
That oversized blade would've taken his entire torso, not just a finger.

It wasn’t magic either—there was no mana signature.
Artifact malfunction?
No… if that were the case, we'd all be dead right now.

His arm broke before he could even activate it.
As if struck by some invisible force.
Then… no… don’t tell me…

The realization crept into my mind like a cold chill.
Invisible force.
Only one person here could do that.

I slowly turned my head.
Please, no.
I prayed.

Begged.
And there she was.
A short distance away—

Elaine, eyes wide with fury, emerald irises glowing faintly, her hand outstretched.
Her fingers clenched into a trembling fist, as if crushing something unseen.
Her robe had slipped back, blown aside by residual telekinetic wind, revealing her face—

The princess was using her powers, trying to break Matthew’s arm.
[Don’t… touch… my friend.]
Her voice trembled, words forced past the suppression, /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ ragged and strained.

Shit.
The trauma was resurfacing.
That brutal, uncontrollable power—happening again.

“Elaine, stop—”
But she squeezed harder.
— SNAP. CRUNCH!

“AAARRRGHH!! MY ARM!! MY ARM!!!”
His screams echoed, bone shattering with sickening finality.
I looked away.

— Clatter.
The artifact slipped from his limp, mangled hand, rolling across the stone floor.
“…”
“…”
“…”

Silence engulfed the clearing.
A suffocating, ominous silence that pressed down on everyone present.
No one spoke.

The sudden, brutal incident had frozen everyone in shock.
The travelers. The inspectors. The mercenaries.
Even the golem.

In that crushing quiet, a trembling voice finally broke through.
“…T-Terrorist…?”
Damn it.

I scanned the crowd.
Murmurs were spreading rapidly.
Fear contorted their faces.

If this spirals out of control…
Fear breeds chaos.
Chaos breeds disorder.

And disorder at the border means death.
I won’t let that happen.
Drawing in a sharp breath, I barked loudly—

“You saw it, didn’t you?! This is what happens when you resist lawful authority!”
“…What?”
“Those who dare to sow chaos at the border will face the hammer of justice! Remember that well!”

I had to control the narrative.
Before anyone pieced together what really happened.
Before they recognized Elaine.

Before the whole kingdom learned the exiled princess was here at the Southern Border.
I had to act first.
Lie over truth.

Telekinesis is invisible.
No one can see who wields it.
Meaning, anyone could claim credit.

I’d milk that fact for all it was worth.
“Well done, Defense Captain.”
Layer the lie atop the truth.

Feigning casual praise, I approached the golem.
The golem tilted its head slightly, voice rumbling—
[Unable to comprehend situation. No suppression magic installed in golem core—]

“You did well! Excellent work!”
Shut up.
Just play along.

Even a rock-brained automaton should understand social cues.
I glared at the golem, mouthing curses as clearly as possible.
[…]

The golem hesitated for a moment, staring silently.
Then it raised one hand toward the crowd.
[…Golem magic is powerful. Border threat neutralized.]

With that ridiculous declaration of victory, all eyes shifted away from Elaine, locking onto the golem.
Quick-witted officers hidden among the crowd began shouting—
“Woooah!”
“The Defense Captain took down the bad guys!”
“The border’s safe now!”

— Clap, clap, clap, clap.
Scattered applause echoed in the tense silence.
“…Huh? That’s what happened?”
“They said it’s suppression magic.”
“Taking down mercenaries like that… the Defense Force earns their reputation.”

The cheers and claps spread, building momentum.
“Yeah! Way to go, Defense Captain!”
Whistles joined the rising excitement.

The fear dissipated.
Good.
The situation was under control again.

Now, the final step — removing the mercenaries from public view and restoring normal operations.
Sighing in relief, I issued the order—
“Defense Captain. Escort these smugglers away. I’ll conduct the interrogation personally.”

[Arrest order confirmed. Complying. Additionally, regarding your earlier forced deception—]
“You. Did. A. Good. Job.”
[…Expressing concern over Mid-level Officer’s unreasonable conduct.]

We’ll talk later.
I gestured, maintaining a pleasant expression. The golem scratched its head awkwardly, lumbering toward the mercenaries.
Turning away, I called to the Gustatory Officer—

“Gustatory Officer. Secure the scene.”
Still clapping absentmindedly with the crowd, the nomad girl startled, then snapped to attention.
“Eh? Oh, yes! Leave it to me! Travelers, please step back for your safety!”

She got to work immediately, clearing the area.
The travelers began to move in orderly fashion.
The clearing gradually reverted to its usual inspection site atmosphere.

My heartbeat finally settled.
“Good.”
Only one thing remained.

“Elaine.”
“…”
The girl who had frozen, horrified by her own actions.

I rushed over, gently lowering her trembling hand.
“Calm down. Everything’s alright.”
[I-I… I didn’t… I couldn’t let… you… get hurt…]

Her words faltered, barely coherent, breaths shallow and ragged.
Her eyes shook violently, emotions boiling over.
But seeing her like that…

I felt relieved.
She held back… only broke his arm…
Elaine’s power was volatile.

The stronger her emotions, the more destructive her telekinesis became.
Last time, she nearly tore the palace apart.
Had she unleashed that same force here, the mercenary wouldn’t even have left behind dust.

But she controlled it.
Minimized the damage, focused the force — just an arm.
Progress.

Fortune within misfortune.
One way or another, she had restrained her ability.
Lowering my voice, I spoke gently—

“I’m fine. Thanks to you, I’m safe. So…”
I pulled her robe back into place, hiding her eyes.
“Let’s head back inside.”

“…”
Elaine gave a faint, reluctant nod.
What she needed now was stability.

Guiding her through the dispersing crowd, I whispered—
“I’m sorry, Elaine.”
I never wanted to show you this side of the world like this.

Beneath the roaring cheers, she finally mumbled—
[…I’m sorry too.]