Reborn: Imperial Officer Promotion Guide

The guard lounge in Kraken City.

"...Ah...I'm so sleepy."

Rag Yum got up and put on his armor while yawning loudly.

I used my hands as a comb to forcefully smooth down my brown hair that had become curled up after sleeping.

Looking up at the ceiling, the bricks on top were full of cracks, as if they were about to collapse.

"If it collapses... I'm afraid I'll be crushed to death." Muttering something ominous, Rag Yum took his spear and prepared to go out to guard the gate.

As expected...I'm still very sleepy...and a little hungry...

I sleep until noon to save a meal, as there is not much surplus food in the city now.

It is basically impossible for any robbers to visit here because there is nothing to steal.

At the same time, basically no one comes to the city of Kraken. As a castle guard, Rag Youm's usual job is very boring. He just stands at the door and yawns.

"Good afternoon, Rag!"

In the corridor, a clear voice like a lark came from behind.

That is Cersei, the only maid and housekeeper in the castle.

She walked slowly towards me, shaking her golden ponytail and showing a sunflower-like smile.

The smile on her face exudes a cuteness that can mesmerize anyone.

"Well... good afternoon. Miss Cerseiel is still as energetic as always."

After hearing her voice, my mind, which had been a little unclear due to low blood pressure, finally returned to normal.

"Today is such a good day! Toot-tut ...

"what……"

The two walked side by side towards the castle gate.

Rag looked at the beautiful girl with ponytail humming a tune in a nasal voice and sighed.

Having known Cersei for many years, Rag understood that her energetic state was definitely not due to her health, but because she had been here for a long time and part of her brain had been damaged.

If I hadn't comforted myself, or even hypnotized myself, I would have fallen into complete despair about my current life long ago.

"Oh, by the way, a letter came yesterday." The maid Cersei poked Rag's shoulder with her finger.

"A letter... It's so rare. Someone would actually send a letter to such a deserted place... What's in the letter?"

"I heard that the new lord is coming." The maid Cersei smiled happily.

"Alas... I don't know what kind of lord we will welcome next."

The Kraken area is a typical waste collection room, and basically the lords sent there are not normal guys.

Rag, who was born in this land and served as the guard of Hanshi City for several years, has seen too many strange lords.

A "lazy lord" who lives in a muddle every day and doesn't care about government affairs.

A "hedonistic lord" who likes to bully his subjects at will and look for fun everywhere.

He always brags about his past glory to the guards and maids, saying "I used to be a very powerful lord."

Occasionally, a noble would rise up and implement good governance.

But soon they find that this barren land is simply not enough to make ends meet and they give up in despair.

This "escapist lord" also disappeared a few days ago. He should have escaped.

"This time the person must be a good person!" Miss Cersei is always full of hope for the new lord.

But Lager had already seen the reality.

No normal noble would come to the Kraken area.

"Alas... I really envy Lady Cersei's innocence. So, when will the new Lord arrive?"

"Today!"

"Ah!? The letter came just yesterday, and it's here today? Isn't that too fast?!"

Fortunately, Rag only slept until noon today and got up early. If he was caught by the new lord, he would probably be severely punished.

Who made him the only guard of this castle?

"Hehe...I forgot to say that!" Cersei stuck out his tongue and gently hit his head with his hand.

"Oh..." Raghu sighed.

I am really convinced. This kind of thing is not something to be joked about.

As the guard of Hanshi City, on the first day when the new lord arrives, Rag normally has to gather the people in the territory a few kilometers outside the town to welcome him. This is also his job.

Even if the person who came was most likely not a good person, it was not an excuse for him to neglect his duties.

Just then the castle gate was pushed open.

A man and a woman with black hair and wearing aristocratic clothes have entered the castle.

No matter how you look at it, it seems that the lord has already entered!

"Look, isn't it already here?!"

Rag was very frightened and should have gone out of the city to welcome them. Now he cannot escape the crime of dereliction of duty.

"Wow~~" Cersei raised his right hand with a smile.

"Wow what wow!"

Rag was very familiar with Cersei. This girl had been acting silly for a long time, so he couldn't care less about her now.

Raghu now has only two choices.

The former quickly ran over to apologize for his rudeness.

The latter just pretended nothing had happened and responded normally.

Anyway, going out of the city to welcome is just a tradition, and there are many nobles who do not stick to traditional customs.

If you're lucky, it won't be a big problem to fool around.

“…That’s it!”

After careful consideration, Raghu chose the latter.

Then, perhaps because they heard Rag's encouraging voice, or because they heard Cersei's voice, the black-haired man and woman at the gate looked over together.

The male black-haired noble had a pair of sharp eyes, his expression looked indifferent and calm, his facial features were relatively regular but not showing much emotion, giving him the feeling of a strategist.

The black-haired girl next to her was about ten years old. She was very cute, especially her eyes, which were as lively as the deep sea.

The black-haired young noble walked straight towards Rag, looking up and down at Rag's outfit.

"You are the guard of this Hanshi City, right?"

"Yes Yes!"

Several meters away, Rag straightened his body and responded quickly.

Normally, as a subordinate, it is the guard who should greet the lord. How can the lord ask first?!

Ugh…that’s too bad.

"Tell me, what are you guarding?"

The words of the black-haired young nobleman made Rag stunned.

"what?"

"You are a guard, so I am asking you, what are you guarding?"

"That, that..."

Raghu really didn't know how to answer.

Hanshi City has no lord, and the property in the castle has basically been plundered by the previous generations of lords. There is no property that needs to be guarded.

There is no need to protect this poor city at all, because even robbers and thieves will not visit here.

Rag has to stand guard at the castle gate every day just because of his job and duties.

But Rag had never really thought about what its specific use was.

Rag hesitated, and the black-haired young noble sighed.

"…Think it over carefully after you go down. Don't start thinking about the answer only when you are asked. If you just stand there and do nothing, just plant a scarecrow at the door."

"terribly sorry..."

Rag hurriedly bowed to apologize. The black-haired young nobleman did not even look at him, but just walked over and his eyes stayed on Cersei who was beside Rag.

"how about you?"

"Yes! I am the maid and housekeeper here. My name is Cerseiel Ripper. Please take good care of me, sir."

"…Hello. I am Helheim, the new Lord of Hanshi City. This lovely lady, unlike the impolite guards, knows how to greet people. Very good."

Heer turned around and glanced at Raghu behind him.

"terribly sorry……"

"Hehehe... Rag, did you hear that? I was praised by the Lord!"

Cersei didn't try to hide her joy and smiled brightly.

Although Rag apologized, he was still very unhappy, especially because he was being troubled right after waking up.

In fact, if Cersei hadn't given me a sudden notice, I would have gathered my people out of the city to welcome him, and I wouldn't have to bow and apologize here.

"Saluting the lord and foreign nobles is the basic etiquette of a castle guard. I hope you can learn from Cersei."

"Yes...I'm so sorry." Raghu's shoulders narrowed and his voice became smaller and smaller.

"So, Cersei, what does your job entail?"

"Yes! As the maid and housekeeper of Hanshi Castle, I am responsible for cleaning the rooms in the castle and preparing meals for the lord!"

“Is… Really? It’s a little loud, but I’ll trouble you later.”

"Yes!"

For some reason, the black-haired young noble showed a somewhat tired expression and turned to look at Rag.

"What about you? What's your name?"

"Yes! My name is Rag Yum."

"So...Rag, you show me around the castle right now."

"what!?"

After coming all the way here, are you going to go straight to the castle without taking a rest or having a meal?

Rag has been working as a guard in Hanshi City for more than five years, and this is the first time he has seen this.

I don’t know what this lord is thinking.

It feels completely different from the nobles I've met before.

This is a type of lord that has never appeared in Rag so far.

In any case, since the lord has given the order, Rag can only do as he is told and walk in front to guide the new lord.

"..."

"..."

The four of them walked without saying a word, and the only sound in the empty castle was their footsteps.

The silence was deafening, and Rag was getting a little impatient.

No one knew what the new lord was thinking. He didn't say a word the whole time and just followed Rag.

Finally, Raghu spoke first, hoping to break the awkward atmosphere.

"Um... Lord, is the noble lady next to you your father's daughter?"

"Not at all!" The black-haired noble girl glared at Rag with a serious expression.

"Is... is that so? I'm so sorry..." Rag bowed his head and apologized again.

The black-haired noble girl seemed easier to get along with than the lord, and she quickly waved her hand when she heard Rag's apology.

"Um...Mr. Rag, you'd better be careful."

"Wha...what?"

"This guy is a pure devil. I advise you not to provoke him, otherwise the consequences will be disastrous."

Evil...demon?!

Rag looked at the black-haired young noble next to him. Indeed, from the beginning, Rag felt a very strange atmosphere from the other party.

Don't be fooled by Rag's timid appearance. To be frank, he is the strongest magician in the entire Kraken area.

No...if he is more confident, he should be the strongest magician in the entire West Territory.

From a magician's perspective, the Lord of Helheim is indeed not like an ordinary person.

The fluctuations of magic power on his body were so strong that even Rag himself felt inferior to him.