Reset Life – Chapter 87

Chapter 87: You, Become a Big Shot (4)

She occasionally uses a variety of fearsome techniques during sparring. Thanks to that, my eye has also been trained to a certain extent.

Although not perfect, I can even imitate the techniques she used. As expected, learning martial arts is faster when you learn by getting hit. (In other words, I’ve been hit a lot.)

“However, you still have a habit of recklessly trying to use techniques that are beyond your capabilities. Your eyes have become discerning, but your ability hasn’t caught up.”

“Hmm, that’s like people who can’t afford it needlessly obsessing over luxury goods? Then they end up taking out loans and their lives go downhill.”

“Similar.”

“No. Not similar at all.”

Even so, those two get along well. Well, they grew up like brothers in the same town for nearly 20 years, so it would be troublesome if they didn’t get along.

Unexpectedly, Lucy, Al, and I got along well.

Lucy and Al have extremely bright and dark personalities, but perhaps because I’m in the middle, we’re quite balanced.

As a result, we sometimes act foolishly, but isn’t that an indispensable part of the fun in life?

Oh dear. Isn’t this Lucy’s usual way of speaking?

“Alright! Let’s eat!”

“Hmm.”

“Agreed.”

Morning time, after we finish training, we have a light meal. Breakfast is bread, solid soup boiled in water, and fruit. Thanks to stopping by Lotuan, we have plenty of supplies.

Lucy said while biting into half an apple.

“We’ll arrive in Senrestart today, right?”

“Around lunchtime.”

“Hmm. Risel, and when will you leave?”

“Well, first I need to find out where they went. Also, I have my superficial mission, so I need to look into that.”

“You said you’re an Imperial Irregular Secret Inspector? What exactly does that job entail?”

I soaked the dry bread in the soup and fell into thought. Come to think of it, the director of the Inspectorate said this:

“A snitch.”

“Huh?”

“Your role is to examine the territory and report to His Majesty the Emperor, ‘This person did this, that person did that.’ It’s an institutional device to care for those who can’t directly appeal for various reasons.”

“Hmph. The rulers would hate it.”

“Mostly, yes.”

A ruler with a clear conscience would be confident whether an inspector or a tax official came. The Emperor’s eyes don’t even go to such places.

And naturally, the more corrupt people are, the more they dislike inspectors like me coming. Because if they’re caught, it doesn’t end with just a report.

Above all, the Imperial Irregular Secret Inspector has the authority to arbitrarily dismiss up to the highest Count.

Of course, I don’t barge into the lord’s residence and shout,”Secret Inspector here!”It’s a cold paperwork process with no room for such dramatic elements.

The procedure is simple. I write the reason for dismissal and send it to the Imperial government, and a dismissal order is issued without a confirmation process. The end.

In terms of authority, it’s the strongest authority after the Emperor. Even a Duke must obey the secret orders issued by an inspector.

However, this position isn’t very popular.

Why, you ask?

“Even though the authority is strong, people would hate it, wouldn’t they? No one knows who did the good deeds, right? Because a Secret Inspector can’t go around revealing their name. And you have to travel around all the time, so you’re far from the center. Isn’t that, by any chance, generally classified as a remote post?”

“Correct. But I find the part about being able to travel around appealing. Of course, I want to slap those who are secretly accumulating wealth illegally.”

Last month, I wrote a regular report.

Right before entering Restart, I lightly submitted a report requesting the dismissal and punishment of a city mayor who was committing fraud in a construction project.

Even without evidence, it was easier than I thought since I only needed to secure testimony. The rest is up to the Security Bureau or the Tax Office. They’ll find everything if they investigate.

“So, does that mean the lord of Senrestart is accumulating wealth illegally?”

Al – it seems like a habit – asked with shining eyes. I smiled slightly and shook my head.

“The ruler of Senrestart, Duke Restart, has become a good lord who has been enacting the best policies since retiring from central politics. And the Inspector’s duties don’t include giving rewards to good lords.”

“Then why are you going?”

“Sorry. That’s a secret.”

“Tsk! Aren’t you hiding too much?”

Lucy stuffed the remaining half of the apple into her mouth and grumbled. I grinned and avoided answering.

The current Duke Restart is someone my father says even he has a lot to learn from. And my father is a good ruler who receives absolute support in Orknesia.

There’s no need for a Secret Inspector to go to someone who even such a father admires.

To put it bluntly, I’m not going to find fault with him. I’m just going because there’s something I need to confirm.

Al swallowed the bread he was chewing and said.

“Well, if a good ruler who handles disasters and droughts well is dismissed, the Imperial citizens within the territory would rise up.”

“Ah, right. I heard that story too. During the drought 10 years ago and the plague outbreak 12 years ago, Duke Restart’s proactive measures were excellent, minimizing the damage, right? As expected, not just anyone can be a Duke.”

I nodded at their words. Duke Restart has mainly demonstrated his ability to cope with external projects and disasters.

This is an excellent aspect of being a ruler, and many people come to learn from it.

Of course, if this was all there was to it, I wouldn’t even consider meeting him. I have no intention of bothering the ruler of a region that’s functioning well without any problems.

The problem is that the Duke Restart before I died was the highest Chief of the Imperial Security Bureau.

Until I died, that old man was famous for refusing to step down from his position even after he was over seventy years old.

Moreover, he was a corrupt noble who used methods beyond common sense when it came to his greed for power and illegal wealth accumulation, to the point where I almost felt respect for him.

But after I died and came back to life, I heard that he suddenly announced his resignation 20 years ago and is ruling his hometown.

And he’s handling things skillfully, as if he already knew what would happen in the future.

What could this possibly mean?

I’ve been observing the Empire’s trends for nearly three years.

I’ve been carefully observing how the world works without getting too involved outside the capital. My goal is to find people like me who have experienced a ‘Reset’.

Duke Restart was one of the candidates.

He’s someone who has been ‘Reset’.

Ah, I decided to call the phenomenon of dying and coming back to life as your past self a ‘Reset’.

Anyway, I’m going to meet him first. I don’t have any particular intention of joining forces with him or probing his intentions. I’m just curious because he’s the second person I’ve met who’s like me, after Lime-hyung.

“Alright, let’s eat and move. I don’t plan on staying in one place for too long.”

I finished my meal quickly and urged my companions. And after the meal, I was tempted to stuff about 108 cigarettes into Lucy’s mouth, who was rambling about longevity.

Senrestart is the only city on the continent directly ruled by a Duke.

It’s famous for having a ruler who enacts the best policies, and it’s a city with a very high level of life satisfaction.

The city was filled with a peaceful atmosphere. It feels vaguely like I’m looking at the capital as it was before I died.

I don’t know who said it, but it seems that people are kind when the level of life satisfaction is high.

When we asked about a good inn, others chimed in and had a serious discussion about ‘Which inn is the best for travelers?’

We accepted the well-intentioned conclusion reached by those who had nothing to do with the innkeeping business without a word. It was a level of goodwill that was scary to ignore.

Suddenly, I feel like settling down in a place like this.

“Indeed, it’s excellent.”

“It’s excellent in aspects other than the pretty waitresses.”

Lucy, who was praising the waitress who passed by with a polite bow, scratched his head at my remark.

We unpacked our luggage in a comfortable room with a good view and prepared to wash up. Lucy was lying on the bed, enjoying its softness, and Al went somewhere, saying he had something to do.

“Will Al be able to return safely?”

“Hmm. The probability of him getting lost is about 120%? It’s alright. Even if he gets lost, Al will always return within the day if he’s in the city. He always sets a clear direction before moving towards his destination.”

I nodded, recalling the straight line that was crooked but somehow headed east.

“Lucy, if you don’t mind, could you find out where that group we saw before went?”

“Sure. I have nothing to do, and I’m curious too. After all, there’s nothing more entertaining than watching someone else’s love life, oof!”

“Go die. Damn you.”

I shoved a pillow into his greasy face.

I washed myself in the bathhouse located in the basement and took out a suit from my luggage to get dressed.

When I had just been Reset, there was an awkwardness to wearing these clothes, but now, a year after my coming-of-age ceremony, they suit me quite well.

I wore tight-fitting navy blue pants, black shoes, a white shirt, and a navy blue vest embroidered with vine patterns in gold thread.

I slicked my hair back with oil and finished it off with rose-scented perfume.

The appearance of a fine gentleman who would be treated well wherever he went.

I shoved a pillow into Lucy’s face again after he shouted,”Swallow!”and got into the rented carriage arranged by the employee.

“To the lord’s manor.”

“Yes, sir.”

A soft seat. Much better quality than the rented carriages in Nek.

Why is this place more developed than Nek?

This texture is definitely that of the new material that was widely spread in the capital three years before I died.

Even then, the starting point was a workshop in Restart, but now it’s been supplied four years earlier than I remember.

Considering this and the appearance of Senrestart’s cityscape passing by outside the window, Duke Restart Ecoshian Uck Daylight is definitely a person who has experienced a Reset.

He’s using the power of the future to change his territory.

To be honest, this part is a bit puzzling.

If he knew history, and if he came back to life 20 years ago, he could have become a central figure in politics.

Even I’m living a completely different present than before I died, aren’t I?

Ecoshian was an ambitious and greedy Duke.

For him to change like this, when he consistently maintained that appearance until I died……

Of course, people’s thoughts change after experiencing a Reset.

Few people would want to live the exact same life they’ve already lived once.

Even I have many regrets.

In that sense, Duke Ecoshian’s actions are quite interesting.

“We’ve arrived, sir. It’s 12 silver coins.”

“Good work.”

The lord’s manor was modest compared to the city’s appearance.

It emphasized practicality over artistry. It borrowed the appearance of a fortress that could accommodate many people and serve as a defensive stronghold in times of emergency.

“Shall we go then?”

The lord’s manor served as a government office, so there were no restrictions on entry.

The footsteps of residents coming to file complaints were busy. Generally, lords only formally set up complaint counters, but it seems that Senrestart has a well-established welfare system for its residents.

I fiddled with the iron plate in my left pocket.

It’s a symbol of the Secret Inspector that most Imperial officials would recognize.

If I showed this and said I wanted to meet the lord, I could meet him directly without any troublesome procedures.

But…… seeing the busy complaint counter, I don’t want to interrupt.

I can’t bother them unnecessarily when they’re working hard, right?

I stroked my chin and looked at the internal guide map hanging on the wall.

Usually, the areas accessible to residents were up to the third floor, and the lord’s office was on the fifth floor.

How can I meet Duke Ecoshian quietly?

I pondered in front of it for a moment. Then, the guide at the entrance spoke to a man passing by.

“Secretary Dorn, the lord is looking for you.”

“Oh, alright.”

Goddess of Fortune, thank you.

The person called Secretary Dorn was a middle-aged man with salt-and-pepper hair who looked more like a butler than a secretary. His brown skin and disciplined expression suited him well.

I stepped slightly in front of him as he walked forward. And I smiled brightly, making eye contact with him.

Secretary Dorn looked puzzled but soon gave a polite smile and said.

“How may I help you?”

“I’d like to meet the lord.”

Secretary Dorn tilted his head and pulled out one of the documents he was carrying under his arm and glanced at it. It seems like a schedule.

“Do you have an appointment?”

“No. But this should be enough.”

I subtly showed him the Inspector’s plate.

Secretary Dorn’s movements froze for a moment.

Even the experienced secretary couldn’t hide his surprise at the sight of the Imperial Irregular Secret Inspector’s iron plate.

“Th-this is……”

“Now, please guide me to the lord.”

“Uhm, alright. Please follow me this way.”

Secretary Dorn had a complicated expression.

The Inspector’s role doesn’t include giving gifts to good lords. Naturally, the Inspector’s role is to punish corrupt rulers. But a Secret Inspector visiting a lord known for his good governance?

He must be confused, undoubtedly believing that he serves a respected superior.

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