Chapter 10
Chapter 10
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 10
Chapter Title: If the Chicken Eaten the Day Before Goes Bad
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* * *
“You were waiting for me?”
Seonal’s gaze toward the old man wasn’t exactly friendly.
“Don’t you know how famous you are among mages?”
“Well.”
“I still can’t forget it. Your magic was revolutionary.”
“What are you trying to say?”
Unlike when Loren had praised his magic, Seonal felt an unsettling greed emanating from the old man.
Seonal glanced at his wristwatch.
The sun was setting, and quitting time was approaching.
“You might not know this, but there’s a rumor among vampires that drinking the blood of your own kind makes you younger and stronger.”
“I don’t see what that has to do with the current situation.”
“What I’m saying is that the internal conflicts are bigger than you think, compared to you working in the Civil Complaints Office and helping one person at a time. There are still plenty who believe that ridiculous rumor.”
“I know that much. I’ve come too far to harbor any ideals.”
The old man pointed at himself after hearing Seonal’s response.
“I’m the one who was chased out by the vampire clan and had my blood drained. Can you help me?”
“……?”
Seonal couldn’t believe his ears.
Vampires chasing out one of their own? Vampires who valued face so much—how could they do this to their kin?
“Let me tell you a little about why this happened to me.”
The old man chuckled at Seonal’s hesitation to respond.
It was a natural reaction.
This was a story that would never be revealed to the world, one that would never be known.
It felt unfair that he alone knew the full brutality of the vampires, who covered it up with money, power, and more cover-ups.
“It’s because I left the vampire race and became a mage.”
Seonal clenched his fingers the moment he heard that.
Vampires hated mages, probably largely due to the war.
They had nearly dominated this country, only to lose it to the mages’ attacks—why wouldn’t they hold a grudge?
“That doesn’t make sense. Even if the vampire clan hates mages, for them to do this to one of their own who became a mage……”
“They weren’t purebloods. They were half-breeds with mixed blood. So they could never truly become vampires.”
“What does that mean?”
Seonal struggled to understand the old man’s words. Among humans, there were various races, but they were all human.
Of course, he knew there were tensions between purebloods and half-breeds within the vampire clan, but he hadn’t realized the hatred ran deep enough to infringe on personal freedoms.
The old man pointed at Seonal with his finger.
“I’m a pureblood, and to the vampire clan, that makes me a deviant stain, just like you.”
Seonal now understood that the unspoken rules within the clan ran deeper than he’d thought, all because this pureblood had stepped outside their boundaries to become a mage.
A desperate plea flickered in the old man’s eyes as he looked at Seonal.
But Seonal couldn’t quite grasp what that gaze meant.
“So I’ve been watching you ever since you appeared at the Mage Association. I even prayed you wouldn’t end up like me.”
The old man set down his teacup and smiled faintly.
“Thank you.”
There was no emotion mixed in those words besides genuine gratitude.
Seonal found it strange, and the uncertainty of how to handle it made him glance around restlessly.
“I decided to look into what I could do myself.”
“You planted a listening device and threatened a child. That alone is reason enough for me to be here. No more excuses.”
“I even went to the police and reported what happened to me. But without evidence, nothing came of it.”
“I may not know about that evidence, but there’s plenty proving what you did. Matching the mana you emitted with the mana embedded in the magic tool will reveal it immediately.”
Seonal and the old man traded words.
Seonal figured listening further would just let the old man manipulate him.
So he had no choice but to push hard.
“I went to the Mage Association. They’d already fired me for all sorts of reasons and turned their backs. The vampire clan must have pulled strings. So guess where I went next.”
“I think we’re done with unnecessary talk. Please cooperate.”
Seonal gave the old man a final warning, then carefully probed the magic tools that had been bothering him, using his own mana.
As his mana touched the tools, he slowly deciphered the magic patterns woven into the magic circles.
Seonal’s eyes widened in an instant.
‘…It explodes?’
The tool he’d just checked was essentially a bomb.
‘No way… all of them?’
Seonal tried to pinpoint the locations of the magic tools.
“I went to the Civil Complaints Office.”
But at those words from the old man, Seonal froze, his thoughts and actions halting completely.
“Oh, not the one where you work.”
“You went there… so why are you doing this?”
Seonal’s voice rose a bit.
He’d thought that if the old man had gone to the Civil Complaints Office, it might not be about revenge but something else.
“Not everyone was like you. My petition was ignored.”
The old man sipped his tea and smiled slowly.
Who could it have been?
It was as if he were asking that very question.
“With everything I had torn away, what choice did I have? I had no option but to burn my life away screaming.”
Seonal coated his fingers with mana at the old man’s dangerous words.
“Honestly, I didn’t expect you to come. But when I found out midway, I waited happily.”
The old man set down his teacup.
“I just wanted to let someone know one last time. Thank you for hearing my final words.”
And with a smile, the old man reached into his pocket for something.
But with a gesture from Seonal, his unique magic activated, iron chains snatching the magic tool away.
There was no time to determine if it was an explosive tool or one that would cause mana to go berserk.
Seonal just wanted to stop everything.
[Reveal yourselves!]
Magic circles appeared on the magic tools in the house. The old man’s hand paused midway, stunned by the impossible sight.
Seonal cast his spell downward.
There was only one clean way to minimize damage.
[O beams of light, pierce through the magic circles.]
As he invoked the magic, fourteen beams of light materialized in the air, diving straight toward every magic circle.
Crack!
As the magic circles shattered, the old man’s eyes widened.
It was fast.
Incredibly fast.
Just revealing the circles was fantastical enough, but the beams from the sky felt like judgment descending upon him.
Seeing that revolutionary magic from the first time right before his eyes, the old man felt an oddly calming peace settle in his heart.
Something began to stir slowly in his previously resigned mind.
“No! This kind of death would be meaningless! No one would know, and you’d just become someone’s laughingstock.”
Seonal denied everything about the old man, raising his voice slightly before continuing.
“If you’re angry, come back to me as a petitioner with that same resolve.”
The old man stared at Seonal in a daze.
“Then, I’ll handle your petition with everything I’ve got.”
When Seonal had entered this place, his eyes had been weary and indifferent to everything. Now, they burned straight and true.
The old man’s lips trembled.
Wasn’t this the gaze igniting hope in someone like him who wanted to give up on everything?
The old man bowed his head deeply.
“…Thank you.”
Perhaps it was the one thing he’d wanted to hear most.
* * *
Police car sirens blared, and Seonal watched as the old man was arrested.
Gratitude filled the old man’s eyes.
Seonal grabbed the police officer.
“No external pressure whatsoever.”
“Of course.”
The officer replied offhandedly and got into the police car.
―You’re probably right. I just wanted to spark something. To pit the upper class against the lower class even more.
Seonal recalled the old man’s words and hesitated before contacting Edinal.
―Don’t think I’m the first. The surface war is over, but the internal one rages on. I truly support you. Just don’t become their target.
‘…Their.’
Seonal brushed back his hair.
Lina and the old man.
The incubus clan’s seductive power that had intervened between those two incidents, driving the werewolf mad.
‘Is that incubus one of them too?’
He’d often seen divisions into upper and lower classes centered around money, lower classes committing crimes out of anger at the upper, or upper classes crushing the lower with crimes.
But today was different. Or maybe he was finally hearing voices he hadn’t listened to before.
‘Listening… is really hard.’
Seonal gazed at his smartphone with weary eyes. He was about to press the call button but let out a small sigh.
Edinal was a vampire too. He hesitated over how she might react.
Bzzz.
The screen lit up with “Team Leader.”
‘Speak of the devil.’
Seonal answered.
[You okay, Seonal?]
“Why the sudden worry?”
[Sudden? I’ve been concerned the whole time?]
“Have you clocked out?”
[Yep.]
Seonal couldn’t hold back a laugh at Edinal’s bold response.
Quitting time even now—classic Edinal.
[But I was ready to head out.]
“That mage was from the vampire clan.”
Seonal erected a mana barrier around him and lowered his voice.
[Wait… he was a vampire?]
“I heard a lot. I’m confused, so could you answer some questions?”
[Go ahead.]
“There’s talk among vampires that drinking kin’s blood makes you stronger and younger. Is that true?”
[Crazy bastards!]
Edinal’s immediate outburst made Seonal’s eyes widen.
[It’s been scientifically debunked ages ago, and it’s something the vampire community despises.]
“The captured perp was a victim of that.”
[…What?]
“I knew about conflicts between pureblood and half vampires, but is there some unspoken rule purebloods have to follow?”
Edinal fell silent at Seonal’s question.
Then, with a belated sigh, she answered, her voice oddly deflated.
[Yeah. A truly shitty rule.]
“He suffered all sorts of things just for becoming a mage as a pureblood. He sought help multiple times before committing crimes, but it was all blocked.”
[Okay, that makes sense.]
Unlike before, Seonal sensed growing anger in Edinal’s voice.
[Those worthless scum escalated this.]
“…Worthless scum?”
Seonal couldn’t gauge Edinal’s exact position from her casual phrasing.
[Pureblood brats who strut around relying on their parents’ power.]
“I’m not defending crime. But I think the truth from the past needs to come out, without any external pressure.”
[Seonal.]
“Yes.”
[Not sure how this’ll sound, but that’s why I joined the Civil Complaints Office. I hate those worthless scum. I was waiting for something to snag them on anyway. Perfect.]
Seonal stopped at a crosswalk while walking.
Staring at the rush-hour traffic, he exhaled slowly.
[Remember what I said when I scouted you?]
“…I do.”
―The work’s filthy with overtime like it’s a meal, but it’s rewarding, you feel like you’re changing something. If you’re okay with noise, come join us.
The absurd words had stuck in his memory.
[Keep that in mind. It’s gonna get noisier.]
“Hate that. I wanna clock out on time.”
[Busy means you’re doing great, Seonal.]
“Even your nice, heartwarming words feel annoying after hearing you clocked out. What now?”
[Y-You need to clock out too, Seonal!]
“So, Team Leader. Tomorrow……”
Beep beep.
Edinal hung up.
“…Ha.”
Damn it.
Bzzz.
[Team Leader: A precious gift from Team Leader has arrived.]
[Team Leader: Chicken. Eat up! My treat!]
‘Okay, chicken’s a win.’
Seonal glanced around.
‘Home in one go……’
Bzzz.
[Team Leader: Seonal. Take a taxi, no excuses. Bill it.]
[Got it.]
Seonal replied, then grimaced and waved wildly at a taxi.
Ha.
‘Back to work tomorrow.’
Seonal slid into the taxi pulling up.
Thinking of tomorrow made it the perfect shitty day for some chicken.