A Veteran of Infinite Buffs - Chapter 34

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 34

We arrived safely at Lis Village.
Now I understood why the village appeared so sparsely populated.
The only people visible were NPCs.
The occasional user we encountered either hadn’t been kidnapped yet or was in league with the Crime Organization.
I doubted the Crime Den was limited to just the Cabin Complex.
“We’re not safe yet. Don’t let your guard down, and follow close behind me quietly.”
“Y-yes…”
Fortunately, there were no additional recruiters around the Fountain.
It was fortunate, since there was no guarantee that other locations didn’t have Crime Dens.
Whether I should call this fortunate as well, I wasn’t sure, but Lis Village’s night was eerily silent.
“Phew. Fortunately, I don’t see any other users. We’ll proceed directly into City Hall.”
The City Hall in the game operated similarly to our country’s.
This was the time when most Bureaucrats had left for the day.
However, the security guard and the on-duty staff member should still be present.
“W-wait? What is this…?”
“This is an emergency. We’ve discovered a Crime Den that specializes in kidnapping foreigners, and these are the people we rescued from there.”
“All City Hall staff have already left for the day. Please return tomorrow according to proper procedure…”
He wasn’t wrong.
The newcomers weren’t in critical condition, and formal response measures would be handled during business hours.
But if I went along with their schedule, I’d lose any right to call myself a troublemaker.
“Tell me—are you a discriminator against foreigners?”
To begin with, the Belhard Kingdom was one that pursued a foreigner-friendly policy.
While some kingdoms were hostile to foreigners, those kingdoms weren’t assigned Beginner Villages at all.
This was precisely why I could frame the guard as a foreigner discriminator.
“Or are you in cahoots with the Crime Organization?”
“How dare you!”
“Then you must let us in. Don’t you see these newcomers are starving? They’re people who will contribute to the development of not just Lis Village, but the entire Belhard Royal Family.”
“Ugh!”
The guard’s patience was finally wearing thin.
I needed to push just enough while mixing in unconventional tactics.
“Do you know who I am?”
“How would I know that!”
“I’m Kael. The same Kael who exposed the criminal organization in Boa Village. The Royal Court knows me—surely you’re not unaware?”
“Hmm? I’ve heard rumors about what happened in Boa Village, but was the name Kael?”
Doubt began to flicker in the guard’s eyes.
But this doubt wasn’t directed at me—it was directed at himself.
“You’re quite behind on the news. If today’s work happens after sunrise, we’ll be late. Then word of the Crime Den being raided will spread first, and all the truly dangerous criminals will escape.”
“Hmm.”
“Do you think you bear no responsibility simply by following procedure? The moment a solvable problem becomes a difficult one, whose responsibility does it become?”
The question of responsibility was one that had never been absent from thousands of years of world history.
For an ordinary bureaucrat to shoulder such a massive incident alone was impossible, and if they were medieval, they had to be even more cautious.
“Since I’ve already revealed my name, I’ll ask in return. What is your name?”
“I-I apologize. Please, come in.”
I had secured the gatekeeper’s surrender.
We successfully made our way inside City Hall.
Inside, there were only three Bureaucrat NPCs who appeared to be on night duty.
It was certainly a better situation than Boa Village.
“Hmm? What brings you here?”
“Crimes targeting foreigners have been occurring in Lis Village. All these people were trapped in the Crime Den.”
“What? Wait a moment. What is the name of the person reporting this?”
Unlike the gatekeeper outside, the internal staff certainly had the air of bureaucrats.
The moment they caught the scent of a major incident, they quickly asked my name and began assessing the situation.
“I’m Kael. I came through a teleport gate from Boa Village.”
“What? Wait… Could it be…?”
The Bureaucrat NPC, who had been frantically shuffling through documents, suddenly jumped from his seat and rushed toward what appeared to be a superior.
Soon, the panic began to spread to all the Bureaucrat NPCs.
“Something like this was happening in Lis?”
“Department Head! What should we do? Should we contact the Mayor?”
“No! The Mayor won’t do. The fact that we knew nothing about this means there’s an accomplice within our own ranks.”
“Then isn’t this serious? Our heads could roll! Shouldn’t the Department Head teleport to the Royal Capital right now…?”
“No. Wait.”
Soon, all the night duty staff’s attention turned toward me.
It was something I had experienced countless times at the company.
Until now, Sung-chul had taken on all the responsibility.
But I had no intention of bearing all the responsibility myself.
“I don’t wish to remain in such a dangerous village. Shouldn’t you report this to the Royal Court?”
“Pardon?”
“The 3rd Knight Order was even dispatched to Boa Village. There are still plenty of knight orders available. I believe the entire Beginner Village of the Belhard Kingdom should have knight orders dispatched.”
“Listen here! Foreigner! You can’t put Boa and Lis on the same level!”
“Can’t I?”
Of course, there was a significant difference between Boa Village and Lis Village.
Boa Village had its NPCs neutralized to the point of village dysfunction, while Lis Village was the opposite.
The Crime Organization here likely had close connections with the upper-level NPCs of the village.
“What can you do? It’s only natural for a weak foreigner to rely on the powerful Royal Court. Are you perhaps denying the Royal Court?”
“Absolutely not!”
“I don’t even need to report it—I can contact the Belhard Royal Family directly. They’ve already made me an offer to transfer.”
While the Royal Court certainly holds authority over users, the bureaucrat before me is a citizen of the Kingdom, not the Royal Court itself.
That means I can place myself on equal footing as a fellow Kingdom citizen, and if the Royal Court gets betrayed, so be it.
This was the essence of what I was communicating.
“Let’s proceed according to protocol.”
“Heh.”
“And please ensure the victims here are properly protected. Unlike me, they’re foreigners to Lis Village.”
“…Of course, that’s our responsibility. Though they haven’t officially been confirmed as foreigners to Lis yet.”
“Ah, then we should identify these people first according to procedure. You’re not thinking of saying it’s outside business hours, are you? This is an emergency situation.”
“My apologies. I’ll handle it promptly.”
“The troops will need to be mobilized even faster.”
“Of course. Emil, contact the Training Ground instructors right away. We’re sealing off the village immediately.”
“Yes!”
I considered this a reasonably gentle way to handle the situation.
From now on, they would likely approach village problems with greater vigilance and thoroughness.
“We’ll begin identity verification now. Victims, please line up here and wait your turn.”
The formal identification process had commenced.
Having planted seeds of positive sentiment in the village, my duties as a mere user were essentially complete.
Now it was time to attend to my personal agenda.
“Excuse me. Would it be alright if I had another matter to attend to?”
“…Please, go ahead.”
The man before me was the Department Head, the highest-ranking official on duty.
“You’ll be using the teleport gate, correct? While you’re processing things, could I ask to use it as well?”
Since I’d mentioned teleportation earlier, I’d deduced there was an on-duty mage stationed at the teleport gate.
With the village now having entry screening and the situation being far from entirely peaceful, there was no issue with using teleportation immediately.
It was a situation where I could also save on gold, which was even better.
As a bonus, I’d conserve my funds.
“…You said your name was Kael?”
“Yes. I’m Kael, under observation by the Belhard Royal Family. I’m currently affiliated with the Meriam Kingdom, but I’m viewing defection positively.”
Thanks to my thorough introduction, I could sense the Department Head’s eagerness to end this conversation quickly.
This was precisely what I’d aimed for.
“Ahem. Please feel free to use it. Are you heading to the Royal Capital as well, Kael?”
“No. I’m going to Liam.”
“…You mean Liam in the Meriam Kingdom?”
“Yes. I have people to recruit. It’s a confidential matter, so I’m afraid I can’t discuss the details.”
“Ah, I see. Then I’ll only note that you’re heading to Liam.”
“Thank you for understanding.”
And now for the final negotiation—the moment I’d been waiting for.
It was time to somehow reduce the 15 million gold teleportation fee.
“About the cost—how should I handle payment? I came to City Hall in a rush without funds.”
“Given the urgency, I’ll make an exception. Please use it free of charge.”
“I’m indebted to you. I’m grateful for your thoughtful consideration.”
Even the teleportation fee had become free this way.
After that, there was no further conversation.
The Department Head had much on his mind, and so did I.
“We will ensure that the foreign victims Kael brought to us can return to their normal lives. Additionally, the Crime Den you mentioned, as well as all the foreign criminals, will be dealt with in the near future.”
Regardless, the normalization of Lis Village was now assured.
Since this was the second Crime Organization discovered after Boa Village, the Belhard Kingdom would strengthen its surveillance of foreigners even further.
“Good. Let’s depart first.”
“Yes. I’ll be going then.”
“Thank you for your efforts.”
The Department Head vanished in a flash of light without another word.
He must have had much to worry about as well.
This was a matter that required reporting to the King—not something a mere manager or representative could handle alone.
Krag, the Training Instructor of Boa Village and the Belhard Kingdom’s former Sword Demon, had also teleported directly to the Royal Capital just like the Department Head.
The functional paralysis of the Beginner Village had been that serious of an issue.
“Kael, the teleportation is ready. This way, please.”
“Yes.”
Now it was my turn.
I was returning earlier than planned.
The amount of money I’d earned was the problem—it was far too much.
‘I never expected to earn this much money. Once I get back, I should get a decent wallet and exchange the currency. While I’m at it, I should meet up with Sung-chul.’
The teleportation gate to Liam opened.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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