The Foreigner on the Periphery

The enemy’s attack was, as always, a surprise.  

The tax audit notice clearly stated that it would start in a week, but it was the very next day that Minjun was called.  

The excuses were no different than usual. There was a changed schedule due to internal circumstances of the command.  

Because of Sue’s clear intentions, Minjun postponed the interview with the princess and answered the command’s call first.  

‘According to the law, advance notice is required, so it is a common technique to send a bill, but to attack without giving time to prepare.'  

He headed to Boramae Park early in the morning. He opened the door to the furnishings warehouse, just like he did when he was meeting with the doctor a few weeks ago.  

Ching! Avoiding all the eyes of CCTV and nearby passers-by, he stepped into the cognitive distortion barrier. “Nice to meet you.”

Inside, a normal-looking human was waiting. Of course, one didn't know what the real race was. It was common for those who came out as investigators to hide all races and abilities.  

When he introduced that he was serving as the 2nd company commander of the headquarters’ offshore tax evasion tracking team, he reached out his hand.  

"Since I'm here on Earth, I should say hello in the Earth way, right?"  

The obvious intention was to lower the hurdles of the heart. He grunted inwardly and reluctantly grabbed his hand and waved it. Of course, this was all without expressing it.  

"Sit comfortably. The last tax audit was 500 years ago, right? The procedure has hardly changed."  

"Yes, all records are already in the committee database."  

Therefore, the way this survey was conducted was bound to be different from that of the Earth. This meant that there was no constant harassment, such as finding and submitting old materials that did not exist, or asking them to resubmit existing data in an easy-to-view form.  

“Yes. The first review was over before the notice flew. Today is a question-and-answer session for the parts we saw and wondered about. You just need to answer honestly and honestly. Take it easy."  

Peace of mind was indeed a bitch. If they got caught, they would send an assassination squad right away. No matter how much Minjun flew and crawled, there was no way for him to survive in front of an army where the committee was moving.

If one had the power to do that in the first place, he wouldn’t have been arrested. There was no memory left, but Minjun thought so all the same.

"Shall we begin?" The man asked in a calm tone.  

"When you were dispatched to Dimension #91-002, you were tasked with escorting the Imperial Prince. Apart from the compensation of the committee, I was paid wages in talents from the imperial government. However, if you look at the data here, the deposited talents are much less than the contracted talents from 198 to 203 of the Imperial Year. Can you explain?"  

"It was absolutely not stolen from a borrowed-name account. Then that bastard… Hmm, hmmm. When the thunder-naked prince tried to teach me black magic, he ignored me, and he cut the king’s wages arbitrarily. The Belbev are only women and are the oldest, so his mother, sister, and finance minister are still alive. Interview yourself for a deeper conceptualization. You'll end up testifying just like me."  

"In dimension #33-411, you were very close to the head of the corporate state. It is illegal to deposit talents in an account in the name of a country or organization over which the prisoner has de facto control without the approval of the Commission."  

"The old man just said he wanted to adopt me, but the adoption did not take place. Therefore, I have never inherited a single share of that corporate state, nor have I ever participated in governance. Please see document 660-19-91811 for details."  

"Is the dragon you interacted with before being dispatched here your current employer?"  

"There was no corruption or tax evasion in the process. He chose the district not because of my request or recommendation, but because the district’s immigration process is so easy and lax. FYI, he also got permission from the commission before signing with him. Please check this document."  

"The talent balance in your prisoner account has increased rapidly in recent years. What do you think is the reason?"

"This is because there have been a lot of incidents like this on Earth these days, especially in Korea, which is my district. No, to be precise, it is my employer's jurisdiction."  

As he said the last words, he felt a little suspicious.  

‘Come to think of it, all the incidents these days are at a level that shakes up that friend's position, isn't it? Like a heavy one-two punch.'  

The story of the incident was not completely covered up, so the Red Dragon was under so much stress that it began to devour meat for the first time in several hundred years. As the company commander immediately moved on to the next question, Minjun’s thoughts did not stay on the subject for long.  

"Then, the next one is…"  

After spending a full day like that…

"Today’s interview ends here. We will contact you if an additional interview is required. Please note that even if the tax investigation ends without charges, the inmates will not be notified."  

Minjun then opened the creaking iron door and came out mentally exhausted. The spring sunset was exceptionally red. The last time he came, the cherry blossoms were just starting to bloom, but now they were completely gone and the green leaves proved to be dense.  

How many times was this the first spring you see on Earth? Each day passed quickly, but the accumulated time was heavy and tiring. He could remember a conversation he had after walking for a while.  

‘What the hell did you start doing this for?'

The company commander’s question was close to taunting. Such was a question anyone could raise, but it was something that could be easily refuted. He could only see it as a waste of time.  

‘He doesn't even ask questions about what I'm worried about.'  

Could Dell and Jenkinson's proposal be considered tax evasion? He hadn’t even touched that part.  

‘Are you just here to threaten me?'  

When he arrived home, thinking about this and that, an unexpected banquet was set up.  

"What is all this?"  

When Cathy asked to have dinner at home, she said yes, and she came to Lakefield, Dongcheol, and Jeongpal. However, the dish spread out on the table was not unusual.  

‘Even the emperor of the Ming dynasty would not have eaten so luxuriously.'  

Quantity was far too much. "Mr. Minjun! Why are you here so late?"  

"Come on, sit down and eat, brother. All of this was made by Cathy."

At this Minjun's pupils trembled. "Cash?"  

“Woooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo…!”  

When he heard a strange sound and turned my eyes, Dong-cheol was crying like a chicken's sounds.

"Why are you crying again?"  

“You… so… my heart… Sobbing.”  

It seemed as if he was forcing himself to eat because he was afraid of getting angry. Minjun clicked his tongue inwardly.  

Then, Cathy recommended him again. “What are you doing? Please sit down

"I'm sorry, but I don't have much appetite today…"  

"This is all made with that frying pan."  

At this, Minjun sat quietly in front of the table. Bradley’s death, his tax audit, and Princess Vermi's head were so full that he forgot to lend him a frying pan. Without further refusal, he took a bite of the roasted sirloin and had no choice but to tremble at the omnipotence of the frying pan.  

He felt the power of the divine that saved even Cathy's nonexistent skills. ‘How dare you discontinue such a luxury product!'

If you don’t have enough savings to pay the survival tax later… If there was a so-called ‘breakup,' you can sell it to make up for it.  

‘Anyway, there's only one left in the universe, so a premium will be added.'  

The conversation topics at the table were not much different from usual. CasCathysie complained that the immigration office was strangely chaotic these days and everyone was on the verge, Lakefield recommended a new book by her favorite dwarf writer, but Minjun trembled at the explanation that the main character was going to jail.  

Dongcheol, who had stopped tears of emotion, laughed and ate as if he understood half of the story and half did not understand. On the other hand, Jeongpal expressed concern that the Ghosts were gathering in groups these days, and the behavior they show with the help of volunteers was unusual.

As he listened to the conversation blankly, Minjun suddenly thought about it. How far could this relationship go? It had traveled through seven worlds in the past 800 years, and would soon reach 100 years on Earth.  

Statistically speaking, it would not be strange to say that we would receive an order to move within the next few decades. At that time, would the identity of Ye Minjun be treated as missing or as death? How would those who knew him react when that happened?  

After all, in a single-lived society like human beings, it was common for people to leave their acquaintances first because of their longevity, but leaving them behind was another thing.  

With a disguised identity, he continued a relationship that may be cut off regardless of his will. That was the life he had been through for the past hour.  

‘A lot of things will be resolved if I get freedom anyway.’  

His relationship spanned seven dimensions, and some of the people he knew were still alive. There were many people who wanted to meet again once they find freedom and the right to move between dimensions at will.  

Of course, it wouldn't happen right away. If they were given freedom today, wouldn’t they stay on Earth for a while?  

He vaguely thought of that. Thinking to focus on the present, where he was now sitting, Minjun drank a beer.  

***  

It is often said that the most ideal boss was the smart and lazy type. Conversely, the worst was the stupid and diligent type.  

"Dotes," an alien working at the committee's core organization, thought this. His new boss, who has just been hired, was neither the best nor the worst. If he had to ask, would he have to say that he was a smart and diligent type?  

He read down every single line of the periodic report that Dotes had floated in the air, meticulously, but very quickly. He also did not forget to ask sharp questions in the middle. Tess didn’t slow down his tension, even though he knew from the first meeting that he would be ripped off if he wasn’t fully prepared in advance.  

“Well?” The boss pointed out one item. “This · · ·"  

The title was: – Report on tax investigation results for prisoner ‘Asif-666'.

The boss was the middle member of the committee. It was also one of his duties to review the materials to be sent to the delegates in advance. When a human expressesd his appearance, brown hair was all over his body.

It could be described as a long-covered snake. However, the part where the head was attached was rolled up like a cochlea.  

He murmured, "Is Asif-666 still alive?"  

The last time he heard the news was about a hundred years ago. It wasn’t his jurisdiction back then, so he didn’t really care. He thought that he would soon be disposed of, given the living tax and severance pay that had been set, and soon erased it from his mind.  

However, the name was now reported and posted in the data. "Why did you suddenly conduct a tax audit?"  

He finished reading the papers without waiting for an answer. The answer you were looking for was right on the next page.  

- · · ·(omitted) Therefore, the command dispatched the best mental response ability among the military personnel and contacted the target at a short distance for 14 hours on a local basis. Deep-level psychoanalysis was impossible due to the nature of the prisoners, but as a result of a detailed analysis of the mental waves, it was confirmed that the restoration of identity-related memories did not proceed. Future plans are as follows. First… (omitted.)  

The boss, who was reading through the document, understood the situation.  

"It was ordered directly by one of the members."

He was directed to go straight down to the headquarters without going through him. He could have done that, thought about who the target was.  

The material explained it this way. It was confirmed that the prisoner had contact with the princess of Endelion, and a member of the commissioner said that his account balance suddenly increased several times.  

It was about whether the memories that had been erased had been restored and had an effect. After finishing the speed reading, the boss said in a tone that he did not understand.  

"Even though the law should be fairly enforced, it was a mistake to punish even such a dangerous person with the correctional labor sentence. Do you not think so?"  

Dotes, unable to grasp the intent of the question, hesitated to answer. The boss then made a gesture encouraging him to relax.  

"Are you in favor of the current labor reform system?"  

"A junior employee like me has nothing to say, doesn't it? Since the system already exists, I can only guess that there must be a reason for making it this way."  

It was quite the ambiguous answer. "You don't know very well. In fact, it was less than a thousand years ago that the correctional labor punishment was fixed in its present form. This means that there is still a lot of room for improvement. This system was born out of discussions with the ancient races that served as the board executives. The question that came up was this."  

He then spoke in a questioning tone to his subordinates. "Can evil be cured?"  

"Cured?"

The conversation shifted to an unexpected topic, and Dotes began to listen with interest. His boss was one of the ancient races, ‘Kavite’, and knew quite a few secrets that other races didn’t know.  

"After the existence of the soul was proved, we found out. The factors that determine the nature of an intelligent body are more than the chemistry of the brain. The self is created as a result of the synthesis of the nature of the soul, the brain’s computational patterns, the spiritual record, and the brain’s memory."  

“I know.”  

"Then why do people called evil people appear? How can the wicked atone and be regenerated? Now, let’s say we invent a magic pill that can wipe out the evils of the intelligent body. If you feed them, the wicked will become good men, sincerely reflect on the sins they have committed, and after that, only do good things…"

"Are there any such drugs?"  

"Of course not. If there was such a thing, wouldn’t we have replaced the drugs given to prisoners for that?”  

He then went back to the point. "Anyway, if such a drug exists and can cure evil. Does it make sense to have a cured criminal pay extra for their crimes? Has he already become a good man? Is there any reason to harass a being who could contribute to the public good of society if released instead of killed or imprisoned? I wonder if we can find any meaning other than to satisfy our desire for punishment."  

" · · · · ·It is difficult."  

"Since such a drug has not yet been invented, this discussion is only at home. However, a race called Endelion did invent a similar technology. That was about a thousand years ago. It was a technology that temporarily seals the memories of spirit and body."  

"Ah, that's the technology applied to the current labor reform!"  

“Right. But opinions differed on how to use the technology. Endelion, the idealists insisted on sealing the criminal’s memory and then releasing him as a free man.”  

"It sounds very dangerous."  

"There was some logic to it. As a result of releasing it, if it does not harm society, it is to give you a choice to get your memories back, and if you commit a crime, the nature in your soul is evil, so let's take other measures."  

"Well, it makes sense to hear that again."  

"We had different opinions. The standard of evil itself is vague and there is no scientific way to measure the nature of the soul, so criminals should be severely punished. If it is not economical, throw it into the Abyss, and if it is economical, amnestics and slaves until the mind is worn out, and then discarded."  

"Then, the current labor reform system is a compromise between those two opinions."  

"Some of the opinions of extremists like the ‘Todds' were also reflected in the idea that criminals should be mercilessly annihilated. Of course, it’s not a good idea considering the talents consumed when destroying souls. Some souls cannot be completely annihilated by our technology, and what kind of catastrophe can occur when we try to forcibly extinguish such a soul, didn't we all know through the case of ‘Asif-1?'"  

After explaining thus far, the boss finally explained the reason for bringing up this story.  

"I don't know about Asif-666's charges. It can only be viewed by administrators of Evanjul level or higher. All I know is that the survival tax paid regularly is 2,000, and the severance pay is set at 5 million or more, so it is said that they are engaged in black magic. All other records have been deleted or concealed and blocked."  

At this, Dotes’ eyes widened wide. "Are you the creator of black magic? The name of such a person is not well known. But is that a felony worth 5 million?"  

"Didn't Endelion, who invented the recoilless propulsion engine, be punished? Those who abuse it are the problem. Isn’t it the same with black magic? It’s not a crime to create black magic, but it’s a sin to do something terrible with it. Anyway, I can’t even imagine how terrible the crime would be for a severance pay of 5 million. Do you really want to keep this person alive?"  

"…But it can’t be helped. If it is difficult to eradicate the soul."  

“At least I’m wondering if it’s okay to release it ‘freely’ like it is now.”  

He then spoke after a moment’s silence. “And it’s highly unlikely, but if he really has 5 million severance pay, should he release it?”  

At this, Dotes didn’t answer. Then the boss realized that he had taken his subordinate’s time too long.  

"It's been a long talk. You’re busy, but I’ll ask you one more thing. In the future, I hope you will regularly report to me about this prisoner."  

In the end, after talking for a long time with his boss, Dotes, who had only increased his work, left with a grumble. After being left alone in his room, the Carbite boss thought for a moment more.  

‘5 million…'  

Pot! A white crystal of light appeared in front of him.  

It was a substance that was intermediate between the spirit body and the physical body. The committee was created in the wake of the ‘discovery’ of the principles by which it was created.  

The way to handle it properly was the universal currency that only the committee knew. When the bank directly under the committee lends talents to other dimensions, the "real money" did not move. Transactions were implemented only through the movement and alteration of data within the Commission and its dimensional systems. Instead of lending money itself, it lent the right to purchase goods and services equal to its value.  

Therefore, even if the committee were to lend 1 million talents to the earth, the real thing was quietly sleeping in their bank. It was difficult and difficult to handle, so there were few tribes who would withdraw real money.  

‘Asif-666 is probably not an ancient race. Five million is too much for such a person to hold. What will happen if you collect as much money and then withdraw it in real money instead of using it for freedom?’  

Of course, that was very unlikely. However, after receiving the report of Asif-666 today, Carbite felt strangely dazed.

‘I should talk about it at the tribal meeting.'  

He looked at the talent as if possessed for a while, as if he was thinking of putting this matter to the meeting of Carbite, which was operated separately from the committee meeting system.  

As far as he knew, the most beautiful brilliance in the universe was there.