I’ve Been Exiled, But I’m Alive and Well - Chapter 81

We walked to the patrol guard station and was greeted by Mr. Beaumont.

“Good morning, Mr. Beaumont.”

“Ohh, good morning!”

Mr. Beaumont greeted us with a smile, but immediately went inside. The other guards seemed to be in a hurry.

I wondered why they were in a flurry.

“What’s the rush about, I wonder?”

Ten minutes later, Mr. Beaumont returned, perhaps having calmed down a bit. If it was urgent, we could come later.

“About the back alleys…”

“Oh, you came to inquire about the installation of a surveillance magic tools?”

It seemed that there were other people who came to ask about it, probably because there was quite a commotion. I wanted to know what was going on, so I answered, "Yes," and Mr. Beaumont smiled.

“I'm not sure why, but the government told us to set it up first thing in the morning.”

"The government did?”

“I don't know what the government is thinking, but they told us to install it. Thanks to that, we've been very busy.”

Even though nothing had happened until yesterday. Why did the country suddenly give such orders? I looked at Giselle and she tilted her head. She apparently had no idea either.

In a small voice, Mr. Beaumont muttered, "It's good that we're getting paid properly this time, though.”

According to Giselle, the guards weren't getting paid properly. So they must not have been motivated to work.

And yet, today, everyone seemed to be fully motivated. I wonder what had happened.

“I wonder why the sudden interest in the neglected back alleys…”

“Was that also an order from the higher-ups?”

“We were told to increase the patrols in the back alleys as much as possi… ah, well. That was supposed to be a secret!”

Is this fellow alright?

“Why were you suddenly instructed to pay attention to the alleyways?”

“As I said before, there's no way for us low-level people to know what the government is thinking.”

It's true that asking the people in the patrol guards won't get us anywhere with this problem. We can't keep Mr. Beaumont busy any longer.

“Thank you for telling us.”

"It’s nothing. If you need anything else, just ask.”

An empty laugh escaped from Mr. Beaumont, who was smiling cheerfully as if he were a different person from a few days ago.

When I looked at Giselle as we left the station, she had her hand on her chin and seemed to be thinking about something. When our eyes met, she asked me, "Isn't this strange?” and I nodded.

There will be no more insect incidents, so there’s no need for the three of us to be on guard anymore. The matter of the back alleys had been solved.

What I don't understand is why the government suddenly moved.

“It’s definitely strange for the country to suddenly act like this.”

“Indeed. It’s too sudden.”

The memory of last night came back to me.

That suspicious person who was eavesdropping on my and Giselle's conversation. I wondered if they were involved or not.

A lot of things remained a mystery as the insect incident came to an end.