“한동안 얌전하시더니 대체 왜 또 말썽이십니까.”

Summoned to the Magic Department, Gibnen avoided eye contact and fiddled with the water cup in front of him. Then the investigator sighed and began to read the documents.

“Didn’t I tell you repeatedly never to remove the control needle, no matter what?”

“I wanted to keep it in too. But it’s not as easy as you think. Do you know how uncomfortable this is?”

“What’s there to be uncomfortable about? You just need to attach it to your body. There’s no pain or anything, so what’s uncomfortable about it?”

“I feel a foreign body sensation.”

“If you can’t even endure that much discomfort, then I have nothing to say.”

“People have different sensitivities. I’ve told you again and again that I was born with an extremely sensitive nature.”

“That doesn’t mean we can overlook illegal behavior.”

“That’s true.”

“Ruphla, what did you do all the way there? What was your purpose for visiting?”

Gibnen was in a bad mood.

He had agreed to voluntarily attend the investigation at the Magic Department, but the impatient Magic Department investigator had ultimately summoned Gibnen. And that too, early in the morning.

Because of this, there was a delay in fulfilling his promise to “show Riley the Horizon.” Gibnen, who preferred an environment where everything was under control, found the Magic Department’s abrupt summons extremely unpleasant.

“I go where I want to go. Do I have to tell you my private reasons?”

“Your control needle was removed here, and upon checking the magic power meter in Ruphla, there are records of two strong waves. This is enough to harm a person.”

“Are you saying that I used magic to harm someone?”

“That’s not what I’m saying, but you need to explain why you had to remove the control needle and what kind of magic you used for what purpose. It’s not a simple magic, is it?”

Investigations by the Magic Department are always like this.

Coercive, they start by treating people like criminals. Of course, this time, he did break the law.

“I went to Ruphla to meet the woman who will become my wife. It’s not known outside, but we’re currently engaged. I’d like you to keep this from leaking to the outside. It would be troublesome if there’s an article about it.”

“Who is the woman to be your wife?”

“Riley Eadalin, the first daughter of Earl Eadalin. Earl Eadalin is the small lord of the region of Ruphla. Ruphla is part of the Duke of Kiev’s territory; you can verify that.”

“What about the magic? What kind of magic did you use, and for what purpose?”

Gibnen answered with a sly grin.

“Well, I went there for the first time and found the area more backward than I thought. There were no teleporters, only rickshaws and carriages, can you believe it? The road was long, and I wanted to see my wife soon. So what could I do?”

“You used spatial movement magic? The mana waves are large for that.”

“I’ve been suppressing my magic for a long time. Trying to use it after so long, I found it hard to control my mana.”

“It’s hard to believe that someone as skilled as you in mana control from birth would find it difficult.”

“I was under control for a long time. My body got used to that state. The control needle limits 90% of my magic power, so when I removed it, the overflowing power was uncontrollable for a moment. Isn’t that natural?”

“So?”

“I used spatial movement magic, but, you know, it was my first visit there, and the coordinates were set incorrectly, and I ended up in the middle of a forest or something. Oddly, the forest was inhabited by all kinds of beasts and was offlimits to people.”

“…….”

“The beasts there were pretty big. Unfortunately, I ran into two bears the size of a house or something. So what could I do? I had to protect myself. Is my body mine alone? No, I’m a national asset, so I couldn’t be careless with my life.”

“So you used magic?”

“It was selfdefense.”

“Judging by the mana levels, it seems you could have caught a monster, not just a beast, and still had some left over.”
“Then, that bear must have been a magical beast.”

The investigator looked at Gibnen with suspicious eyes before jotting down the statement in the report.

Then, he handed over a new control needle.

“Plug it in.”

“I was hoping to enjoy some freedom for a long time, but this is too much.”

“The fine will be claimed in front of Horizon. We’ll let it go this time as there is no evidence, but it will be difficult if you continue to be uncooperative.”

“I really couldn’t help it this time.”

“The investigation is not over. If there are additional questions, we will call you, so please do not delay and come on time.”

“You know I’m so busy, I’d appreciate it if you knew that I’m doing my best to keep up. I’d like my intention to attend voluntarily to be respected too.”

“……You may leave.”

Gibnen shrugged his shoulders and got up from his seat. Then he offered the most genial smile.

“Take care then.”