Grace SIDE
After waking up in the morning, I was guided by my family and went straight to the Imperial Palace.
I calmed down and warmly looked at Ian as he saw me off and got into the car.
It felt like I was being dragged to a battlefield.
The car, which moved smoothly, was quiet and filled only with the sound of my heart trembling violently due to tension.
I closed my eyes tightly and tried my best to relax this tension.
I kept telling myself that I was worrying too much and that if many people from my previous life had already come, I would manage them to some extent but not eliminate them.
And then the car stopped.
The door opened and I calmed down and went outside.
The Imperial Palace was filled with huge and splendid buildings, just like the Forbidden City of my previous life.
The man who opened the door was wearing a uniform.
The man told me to follow him and started walking towards a pure white building that was different from the other fancy buildings.
I followed him obediently.
Inside the pure white building, people who looked like researchers were walking around in white lab coats.
It looked like a research lab from my past life, and I, who had never been to a place like this in my past life, followed him while looking around carefully.
After walking deep inside for a while, the man soon reached an iron gate.
On either side of the iron gate, two men wearing uniforms and carrying swords on their waists were standing.
When one of the men reached out without saying anything, the man who guided me took something the size of a business card out of his pocket and handed it to the person who seemed to be a security guard.
The man in uniform looked carefully at the thing that looked like a business card and seemed to be checking something.
After checking for a few seconds, he handed it back to the man who guided me and opened the door.
And the moment I confirmed that the man had returned to his original posture, the man who had guided me stepped aside and spoke to me.
"I'll guide you back when you're done. I'll wait outside until then."
"Yes."
I answered him and went into the room.
And then I felt like I had returned to Earth.
Other places were just strange because of the sense of alienation from my previous life, but this room was different.
Sometimes, the rooms of researchers that I saw on TV were like this. There were various books on the bookshelf, and there were documents, various types of books, and reagents on each desk, as if they were researching something.
And the room was filled with a strange smell that was bitter and salty, tickling my nose.
As I looked around, soaking in the strange perfume, I was able to find a man with black, bushy hair sitting on the floor in the center of the room, reading something.
He smelled like if he hadn't washed for days.
I decided that he was the one who could solve my question and spoke to him.
"Hey....."
As my voice echoed through the room, the man raised his head as if he had finally realized it.
And then he realized that he had come over here, not been born here like me.
The man, who clearly had yellow features, scanned my body with a blank expression and answered casually.
"Wouldn't it be embarrassing to wear something like that?"
"....Huh?"
"Whoa, you're the guy who's coming today. Ugh.... Let's hurry up, I'm not the kind of person who has nothing to do."
"..."
The man who had nothing to say scratched his head and picked up the crystals lying in the corner with the odds and ends, and approached me.
And without saying anything, he held it out to me and shook it nervously as if telling me to pick it up quickly.
I felt embarrassed, but I instinctively placed my hand on the crystal.
Then, a faint light emitted from the crystal once and then completely disappeared.
As soon as the man saw that, he started to examine the crystal.
The man nodded and placed it on the desk, then brought a piece of paper and started to scribble something.
"Ah, what's your name?"
".... Grace."
"Um, um, Grace... Okay, take it. And goodbye. Bye, bye."
The man who put the paper in my hand pushed my back as if he found me annoying, and sent me out, then closed the door.
I stood there blankly, holding the paper in embarrassment.
The man who was waiting outside sighed deeply when he saw me like that and spoke to me.
"It looks like you didn't explain it properly. Haa... Follow me. I'll give you a proper explanation there."
"Yes....."
The man who said that started walking ahead.
I looked back slightly with a bewildered look and followed him.
The man's footsteps stopped only after entering a room.
In that room, a woman with sharp eyes and impressive reddish-brown hair was sitting on a chair, processing various documents.
And as soon as the woman sensed our presence in the room, she raised her head.
"Excuse me, sir. I brought a new stranger with me."
"I see... Thank you for your hard work. Now, please come here. Stranger."
She politely gestured to the chair in front of me.
I sat down on the chair with the documents.
Then the man standing next to me said to me.
"The documents..."
"Ah... yes."
When I handed him the documents, the man immediately handed them to the director.
"... The explanation.... Of course you didn't hear it."
She slowly read the document, glanced at my face, and continued.
"First.... I should explain everything to you."
She lightly touched her forehead and opened her mouth.
It was a term referring to those who came from another world like me, a foreigner.
They said that they came here with various knowledge or special abilities and benefited or confused the world.
However, it is true that they are helpful, and unconditional oppression actually makes the empire dangerous, so I learned from the past, so I could rest assured.
She then asked me if I had technology that was higher than the current era.
Of course I said no, and she nodded, scribbled something on the document, and handed it back to me.
"Please read it slowly."
I nodded at her and started reading from beginning to end.
The document was a contract.
The contract stated that I should not use modern knowledge carelessly, and that if I were to create something using the knowledge, I had to register the copyright and create it under the control of the Empire.
And my unique ability was also written down.
It said that it was an ability called adaptation, and the details were that it was an ability that had not yet been discovered.
As I continued to read, the Empire's policy toward foreigners was basically one of neglect.
They helped them adapt to the current world and helped them find jobs, as if they were accidents.
Even prominent researchers were unable to clearly explain the sudden birth and arrival of foreigners, and there was no way to send them back.
I sighed in relief after reading everything.
The Empire does not persecute foreigners.
After realizing that fact, it felt like a burden had been lifted from my mind.
The director opened his mouth, as if he thought I had read the entire contract.
"Basically, the Empire provides support to foreigners... but have you already decided what you will do?"
"..... I'm thinking of becoming a mercenary."
"I see. Then I'll register you right here and now. Please sign the contract and hand it to me."
"Yes."
I picked up the pen he gave me and signed.
The director looked at me as I received the file and put it away, then spoke.
"Would it be possible to register my... husband as well?"
"Husband?"
"Yes....."
"It doesn't matter. If you tell me his name, I'll register him the same way."
"It's Ian."
"Um, okay. Please wait a moment. I'll process it right away."
The director opened a drawer and took out a few documents, filled in the items with his pen, and handed them to me, asking me to write down Ian and my birthplace and basic physical records.
After I filled in all the items and handed them over, the director checked if anything was missing, stood up, opened the door in the corner of the room, went inside, and after a while, came out holding two bronze medals in his hands.
"Here you are. Grace, and if you're thinking of becoming a mercenary, I recommend the fortress city of Line near the Serpent's Backbone Mountains rather than the capital."
"Thank you...."
"Please give me some guidance."
When the director spoke to the man, the man nodded and said to me.
"I'll guide you. Please follow me."
"Yes."
The director and I bowed slightly to each other and left the room.
I followed his guidance and went outside. I sighed in relief again when I saw the blue sky and returned to the mansion.
When I found Ian, I told him to leave right away and we packed our bags and left the mansion together.
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