On My First Day Undercover, the Organization Collapsed - Chapter 430

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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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First Day of Infiltration, The Organization Was Destroyed — Episode 430
Guests from the Eastern Region (2)
The guests from the Eastern Region weren’t limited to the Kundel Family that Amos led.
Beginning with the Kundel Family, all the renowned Houses of the Eastern Region had flocked here.
And the Family Heads came in person!
They’d traveled a distance that would take twice as long as the journey from the Eastern Region to the Capital.
“You’ve brought quite a quantity of materials.”
“Yes. I heard the Territory was undergoing reconstruction, so I thought many supplies would be needed.”
The volume of gifts the Eastern Houses had brought was truly staggering.
Everything from various food supplies and seeds to all manner of materials and, most critically, the labor the Territory needed most right now.
But when Ziel saw those gifts, he startled Amos with his response.
“I cannot accept these.”
“Pardon? This is merely a gift, after all.”
“A gift without obligation. I have done nothing to warrant it from the Eastern Region.”
…….
Amos was somewhat taken aback, but he grasped the hidden meaning in Ziel’s words at once.
‘Ah. In a situation where all eyes are fixed upon him, he’s deliberately avoiding giving them justification. It doesn’t seem to be about him belonging to the Western Region and therefore refusing Eastern gifts….’
In plain terms, it was a common misunderstanding.
Ziel simply wouldn’t accept because it didn’t align with his principles.
“Then let us arrange it this way. I shall ask for your assistance another time. There are many places in the Eastern Region that could use your help. Especially troublesome are the growing numbers of followers of the New Cult.”
“What makes them troublesome?”
“They deceive people and make them surrender all their wealth to the cause. I hear they’re expanding their ranks at an alarming pace lately.”
Ziel recalled the Solaris Sect.
‘Is it something similar?’
Though he wasn’t certain, if it were similar, it might be possible to absorb them into the Solaris Sect.
“Very well. Then I shall accept this debt for now.”
“You don’t leave any openings, do you? Haha. Truly, Teacher Ziel—or should I say, Family Head Steelheart.”
Amos thought that managing Ziel must give him a real headache.
Right now countless nobles were scrambling to form connections with him, and maintaining balance amid all that jockeying required political acumen beyond what most possessed.
And from a historical perspective, whenever a single noble’s power grew too great, it inevitably invited restraint—specifically from the Imperial Family.
‘Now that he’s become a Family Head, the Imperial Family won’t simply shower him with favor….’
“I’ll visit the Eastern Region during next semester’s practical training. We’re planning to hold the training there, as it happens.”
“Pardon? Weren’t you stepping away from the Academy?”
“No. I am an official Teacher at the Academy.”
……?
Amos was taken aback far more than before.
“The House has been restored, and a Territory Lord must naturally remain in his Territory to ensure its security and development—yet you mean to return to the Academy?”
“Yes.”
“But… surely a Territory Lord must keep his post for the Territory’s safety and progress to be possible, is that not so?”
“Is there such a law?”
…….
There wasn’t.
But by custom, by convention, and historically, that was what everyone did.
It was taken as a given.
“I’ve arranged things so that the Territory runs well without me.”
Ah….
The old Ziel—back when he’d first taken the post and hadn’t yet built bonds with his students—might have set aside his teaching without much deliberation.
But things were different now.
Something had emerged that mattered every bit as much as the security of his status.
“As long as I have students to teach, I have no reason to step down.”
Amos felt something—
A profound emotion that words could scarcely capture.
‘A true educator.’
Nine times out of ten, anyone would choose the Territory and abandon the teaching post in this situation.
What position could be more important than that?
Even if it were a post that dispensed gold without end, the answer would be the same.
Territory Lords didn’t leave their lands without good reason.
Vacate your seat and administration falters, the people’s trust crumbles, and the damage flows back to your House in full.
Yet Ziel was accepting all that burden and declaring he’d remain until his current students graduated!
Of course, Ziel hadn’t accepted those burdens at all.
I’m working to make sure that doesn’t happen.
“Family Head—or rather, Teacher. I must say… I truly admire you.”
“Is that so.”
“Yes, I mean it sincerely.”
In the moving atmosphere, Amos asked as if he’d just thought of something.
“By the way, since we’re on the subject of students… is there anything going on with our son lately?”
“What do you mean?”
“He wanted to stay and train during the last break too, and now this break as well… I didn’t expect him to not come home again.”
“As far as I know, he’s training.”
“Hmm. How much stronger does he want to become…?”
Amos let it pass without much suspicion for now.
“Ah, and this time I’ve brought some of our Knight Order Members who wish to be assigned to the Western Region. As you know, Sir Gunter is one of them.”
“…….”
“Teacher Ziel?”
“Ah. Yes. My head aches a little.”
“My, you must be exhausted from so many duties.”
But something even more tiring had just come up.
“So, if it’s all right with you, could we station some of our Knight Order Members here for a few months as a gift?”
It was a shocking proposal.
“Since the Security Guard numbers seem insufficient, we could provide some training for your guards, handle some of the public safety if needed, and assist with anything else you might require……”
“That won’t be necessary.”
“I beg your pardon?”
“We have sufficient numbers.”
“But surely our Knight Order Members could be of great help with things like initial patrol zone assignments and such……”
Ziel was desperate.
It was right as he was about to refuse again.
A vacant position that had been left open flashed through Ziel’s mind.
“Then perhaps one could be assigned as the director of the Consultation Office. That would work well.”
“……Pardon?”
Ziel was a cold man!
And an efficient one at that.
Terrible though it was, if there was a place to put that ability to good use, it seemed worthwhile.
“It’s a place where the people of the territory can have their concerns resolved.”
“Ah… such a place exists?”
“Yes. We’re creating it.”
Construction had actually begun and was progressing rapidly.
He’d been wondering who to place there once it opened, and it turned out the perfect candidate had just appeared.
“Sir Gunter seems suitable. We can assign one of the territorial people as his assistant, and once Sir Gunter’s assignment concludes, that person can take over.”
“…….”
Had Amos ever imagined such a thing?
But this was an opportunity!
‘If I cooperate fully… there’s a chance for the Eastern Region too.’
Why else would the Family Head have made this long journey in person?
Out of gratitude as a parent?
No.
It was for the sake of the family.
Strange as the request was, there was no reason to refuse it.
“Understood. We’ll do it that way.”
In their perfectly aligned interests, Gunter was thus suddenly elevated to the position of Consultation Office director.
And on the day the consultation office finally opened for business.
“Haha, I actually prefer this much more! I love talking, you see! So there I was, and wouldn’t you know it, someone came to me complaining that ducks keep disappearing and asking for a solution? But as we talked—can you believe it?—this person also enjoys adding honey to hot water and drinking it! Turns out they were quite a successful merchant who’d been swindled and fled all the way here. So what I did was……”
Gunter seemed far more pleased with his assigned duty than one might have expected.
It was truly a fortunate turn of events.
“How on earth does he never run out of things to say? I suspect his mouth will be chattering even after he’s dead.”
Had this been the usual Ziel, he would have firmly countered with something like “the dead can’t speak,” but this time he couldn’t.
Ziel emphatically agreed.
“Mm. I can understand that sentiment. But Gilbert.”
“Yes, Boss.”
“Why did you run away when you saw Sir Gunter? Why abandon me?”
“…….”
Gilbert, who had been unusually quiet, slipped away without a word.
Just as I was considering whether to go after him, Gibson appeared at the door.
“Master, you have a visitor. From the Berte Trading Company, he says…….”
“Very well. Show him in.”
A guest who had come all the way from the Capital.
* * *
Berte was nervous.
‘So this is the Steelheart Territory that Dark Ghost has been watching and means to swallow whole……!’
Steelheart Territory.
The very place Dark Ghost had taken such a keen interest in!
Previously, Dark Ghost had instructed him to examine this Steelheart Territory carefully and assess the situation thoroughly.
Which meant nothing less than this: subdue the Empire’s hero Ziel Steelheart completely and bring everything under his dominion!
He had essentially walked into enemy territory.
“This way, please.”
“Ah, yes, well. Of course. I understand.”
Berte steadied himself.
‘I mustn’t let anxiety show.’
Dark Ghost had given no special instructions since then.
But his wishes were abundantly clear.
‘Since I’ve come this far, I’ll uncover everything.’
And finally, he came face to face with Ziel Steelheart.
“Good day to you, Trading Company Head Berte.”
“Ah, yes. It is truly an honor to meet you!”
Indeed.
The mere sight of Ziel Steelheart was overwhelming.
A presence similar to Dark Ghost!
‘So it’s true—powerful men carry a different aura entirely.’
Berte, speaking to Ziel who was also a Dark Ghost, asked him directly.
“To be summoned by you is an infinite honor. It makes me happy simply to stand before the Empire’s hero. But I understand there is work you wish me to do here…….”
“Yes. I would like you to establish an educational facility for the children.”
“An educational facility…….”
It seemed he had heard rumors about the construction of an educational facility in the Slum District.
But this was the first time he had encountered such a request.
“What scale did you have in mind?”
“I would like a facility capable of educating at least one hundred students, ideally five hundred or more.”
“My…….”
Regardless of who he was dealing with, Berte expressed genuine admiration.
“It is exceedingly rare for a single territory to construct an educational facility of this scope. At most, we see only security guard training centers or knight order facilities. If I may ask—what is your reason for this?”
“I do it because I wish to.”
“Ah.”
Hmm.
He had heard this manner of speaking somewhere before.
‘Where was it?’
Unable to recall, Berte posed another question.
“Then what, precisely, is the purpose of this facility?”
“A place for the territory’s people to receive education. A place to cultivate talent.”
“Cultivating talent…….”
It was certainly different.
In most other territories, the common people simply farmed and worked.
They were, after all, the means by which taxes were collected and the foundation of a noble house’s power was sustained.
And typically, nobles had little desire to see people of lower station grow too clever.
But this man was different.
‘Is that why Dark Ghost wants him so badly?’
If Dark Ghost did not intend to kill Ziel Steelheart, he would surely wish to bring him under his command.
Which meant…….
‘Since he will eventually become Dark Ghost’s property anyway, I should give this my utmost effort.’
His course was clear.
“My trading company will commit all available resources and personnel to this. I will construct a facility of the finest quality!”
“Mm.”
He seemed satisfied, giving an approving nod.
After the meeting drew to a close, Berte found himself lost in thought.
‘When will Dark Ghost visit again, I wonder? I should tell him the Mystics have left…….’
Berte had no way of knowing how much Dark Ghost missed him.
He had no idea that the person he’d just met was Dark Ghost, or that those Mystics had found permanent employment here.

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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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