Chapter 22
Chapter 22
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 22
Chapter Title: Let's Think Backwards Again
-----------------------------------------------------------------
* * *
“…This much?”
Toon, who had been startled by the sheer number of dishes that filled the table at first, was now rubbing his belly with his eyes slightly closed, a satisfied look on his face.
( *˘╰╯˘*).
‘Next place…….’
Sernal took a sip of water and checked the current time and their next destination.
“Wow. Sernal! I finally know what it feels like to have a full belly for the first time today.”
Toon finally set down his spoon, his face melting with joy.
His form seemed ready to melt away along with it.
“Mr. Toon. Please fix your form.”
“Ahh. Sorryy. It’s been so long since I’ve maintained it this longg.”
Toon didn’t seem scolded at all as his face continued to melt, but soon his eyes went wide and round.
“By the way, Sernal.”
“Yes?”
“Why aren’t you eating muchh?”
“My stomach hurts.”
Sernal shook out his medicine just then. It was labeled for lunchtime.
A look of grievance crossed his face.
He’d thought he could eat his fill, but now that he was aware of his gastritis, it somehow hurt even more.
‘Tomorrow’s the hospital day, right?’
―Yes. No alcohol. It shows right away.
He recalled the voice of Maeve, the dream demon and doctor.
Looking at the medicine made him feel needlessly sad. Every time he drank, something made him hesitate now.
The enjoyable evenings.
His one joy after work.
“Does it hurt a lottt?”
“Stress-induced gastritis.”
Because of who?
No, who else? Because of everything that didn’t let him leave on time.
“They said coffee’s bad for you tooo.”
“That’s a healing potion. I’ll die without it.”
“I heard that tooo. Then make it sweett.”
“No. Brew it yourself.”
Sernal thought of Toon coming out of the mug and quietly ground his teeth inside as he grabbed his bag.
“If you’re done eating, shall we go?”
“Sernal.”
“Yes?”
“I have something I want to sayy. Can I?”
“You’ve been saying whatever you want this whole time.”
For some reason, Sernal just shouldered his bag and looked at Toon.
“Those slimes earlier. I saw them when I was living on the walls of Mestus Hospital tooo. One of them must be the boss or somethingg.”
Sernal knew the “boss” Toon meant wasn’t just a simple group leader.
The slime species still retained remnants of a tribal system.
Things often revolved around a single chieftain.
The “boss” Toon mentioned might mean their chieftain.
‘On the surface, they’re all gone now, though.’
After the war ended and all species signed peace accords, the class systems were wiped out.
The chieftain who led the slimes had stepped down too.
“What slime are you talking about?”
In any case, knowing was better than not, so Sernal pulled out his phone.
“A black one with white stripes yaa.”
›Black base with white stripes – Boss of the slimes around here.
One note was added.
“And Sernal.”
“Yes?”
“It doesn’t have to be my house. I like it here tooo.”
“Then I’ll ask.”
The slime incident from earlier would be resolved, and if he could find the skeleton’s bones and Toon’s house along with it, how great would that be.
This was separate from finding whoever Edinal had said chased Toon out. It had happened right in front of the community center, so it had to be investigated.
‘It’s only been two weeks, and it’s already this hectic.’
Sernal walked to the shop owner, trying to tune his ear to what people were saying, then stopped.
He should have broken this habit when he changed departments.
Sernal hid his civil servant ID and opened his mouth to the shop owner.
A snake tail was visible at the end of the counter. Probably a snakefolk.
“Excuse me.”
“Yes, what is it?”
The owner smiled faintly.
“If it’s not too much trouble, would you allow a slime to stay here?”
Truth be told, having a slime around didn’t cause any harm.
In fact, it had been scientifically proven that slimes ate floating dust and harmful substances in the air, purifying it—and TV had been buzzing about it excitedly.
“Sorry. When I signed the lease for this shop, they specifically begged me not to let slimes gather here.”
‘Well, the shop’s exterior isn’t the best.’
Sernal smiled.
Landlords were always the best.
“No, thank you for even listening.”
Sernal paused briefly at Toon’s sparkling eyes, full of expectation.
‘He ate, but doesn’t look like he did. No energy.’
Maybe because tomorrow wasn’t Friday.
“Let’s go.”
“Where to?”
“To the next task.”
“Can’t live here huhh. It was pretty thoughh.”
Toon gazed at the window briefly, his eyes full of longing.
But as if used to it, he hopped up briskly.
At that, Sernal rummaged in his bag and handed Toon a candy.
“Thanks!”
“Let’s go.”
As Sernal stood, Toon pocketed the candy in his hand and followed behind.
Chomp chomp.
Toon’s footsteps sounded surprisingly lively.
* * *
“…No more. I’m already going insane because of that slime stuck to my wall. I keep reporting it to the police, and they come, but now what? Take on more?”
Sernal stepped back from the shop owner’s utterly fed-up expression.
He looked ready to splash water.
“…Are you kidding me right now?”
The next shop outright snapped at the mention of “no slimes allowed.”
“Should I sprinkle salt to snap out of it?”
He had clearly suffered a lot; his deep disgust showed the moment slimes were mentioned.
“No. Sorry for the pointless question.”
Sernal bowed his head slightly and went outside.
‘Not here either.’
He’d lost count of the rejections.
He’d asked on the way there, so he didn’t mind, but it was different for Toon. Every rejection made Sernal glance at him.
Yet Toon’s expression didn’t change much each time.
As if it was all familiar. No resentment or sadness showed.
‘Should’ve just told him to stay in Complaints.’
He’d thought from the start that the perception of slimes freeloading without a home was wrong.
They just lived differently from other species.
But in reality, many people found slimes lingering on streets or walls inconvenient, cementing their negative image—which led to high unemployment even now, forcing them onto the streets.
When would this vicious cycle break?
‘To appreciate that alone, we need to recognize their sacrifices.’
Slimes mostly worked dirty, polluted jobs no one else would touch.
The liquid they secreted could melt things and be used badly depending on the purpose, but it also had mysterious purifying properties.
The country shoved slimes into places to maximize that, offering benefits in return.
Like low-interest mortgages or extra points when buying homes.
‘…Slimes don’t even like apartments to begin with. Where did it all go wrong?’
Sernal pushed up his slipping glasses, revealing fatigue.
Just a brief thought, and exhaustion flooded in.
‘It’s tough after all.’
Sernal looked at his phone.
He was nearing the spot where the skeleton said he’d lost his bone.
Two minutes, and he’d be there.
“We’ll call it here for today. That alright?”
Sernal looked at Toon.
He was beaming, clutching his last candy.
“Fineee. I didn’t think we’d find it right awayy. I can sleep anywheree.”
Better if he’d just been sad.
Sernal tried not to pity him anymore. He knew well that mixing emotions here wouldn’t help.
When he was Rinell, if he’d despaired at the cycle’s stagnation and let emotions take over, he couldn’t have become Sernal now, or used magic.
“But Mr. Toon. Why did you say earlier that you hurt someone?”
So Sernal approached rationally.
To get info from Toon faster than Edinal, for cases that might come in as complaints.
Above all, stealing someone’s livelihood was a serious crime, malicious—and it bothered him.
“…I thought you missed it since the motorcycle brushed by, but you heard huhh.”
Sernal caught the lollipop slipping from Toon’s loosening grip.
“I heard. But no pressure. If you don’t want to say, don’t. I’m ready to listen anytime.”
“…Really?”
“Of course.”
Sernal handed over the candy, and Toon grinned wide.
“Then let’s get to work.”
“Yeah. Got ittt.”
After the reply, Sernal looked at his phone.
A few steps later, they reached the spot where the skeleton said he’d dropped his bone.
He pocketed his phone and scanned around.
‘…Of all places, the street.’
Lots of people passing by. No wonder it was missed.
‘No. Police… passed it to Complaints again.’
Sernal clenched and unclenched his fist briefly. Lost items were reported to police first.
But cops patrolling crowded streets would just alarm citizens.
‘…Team Leader.’
Sernal finally understood why Edinal had passed even the card.
‘Damn it.’
He closed his eyes deeply, exhaled, then looked ahead.
No choice.
To clearly show he was on duty, he adjusted his civil servant ID, and to avoid panic, cleverly positioned his ears to show he was a mage.
[Search.]
Sernal cast the spell right there.
One eye blazed red. Countless mana flows appeared at once.
The sudden info burned his eyes and head, throbbing quickly. Felt like his eye would pop, bitter taste rose in his nose and throat, but Sernal calmly took out the bone fragment from the complainant before arriving.
‘Lately, I’m using this spell weirdly often.’
He’d thought he wouldn’t after the department change.
[Engrave.]
Sernal cast on the bone fragment.
He filtered the info flood to show only some.
The greenish-glowing fragment in the ziplock and the mana trail like footprints on the ground shimmered together.
[Track.]
Sernal cast again, following the ground mana.
The flame in his eye calmed, settling in his pupil.
Then the surroundings turned black-and-white, revealing blue-tinged mist.
Sernal followed it.
Straight ahead.
At the end, the mist receded backward.
‘Here, he bumped into the centaur like the complaint said.’
Sernal checked the fainter, weaker split mist.
Body mana would be stronger, so shinbone’s would be weaker—obvious.
‘That way.’
Sernal followed the mist’s direction.
It went upward. His pupil tracked it.
At the end, Sernal’s brow furrowed naturally.
‘Damn. Fell behind the sign.’
No wonder.
‘To get that out…….’
Magic? But Sernal looked at Toon, who’d headbutted his thigh.
‘Slime’s perfect for this.’
Sernal erased the magic he’d just engraved in his eye.
As eyes strained from search drew stares, and he went to erase the rest—his body jolted hard.
‘…Charm power.’
Intense.
It drew closer.
Some idiot openly emitting this immense power.
Sernal dashed urgently.
People instinctively swarmed there from the charm.
‘This.’
The more he pushed through, the stronger it felt, making Sernal think one thing.
‘Feels familiar……?’
Hadn’t he recently seen this charm trait somewhere.
He’d suspected once.
But that was it. His role wasn’t catching criminals.
Sernal stopped abruptly, breathing ragged. A bus passed.
An idiot spreading charm power was inside.
Click.
Sernal stopped thinking and snapped a photo of the bus first.
“Sernal! What’s wrongg?”
Toon ran up asking, but Sernal was too breathless to answer.
“There’s such a sweet smell heree?”
At Toon’s words, Sernal bit his lip and cast.
[Wind, disperse.]
To shake off charm, spread and split it far.
Wind rose centered on Sernal.
‘…Right. The one who first mentioned her was that guy.’
―If you hadn’t messed with Maeve, I wouldn’t have to do this? I have to protect Maeve! Me! I have to protect her……!
‘That lizardman…….’
The lizardman mentioned Maeve first. So naturally, Sernal thought he was charmed by Maeve’s power and didn’t dig further.
But no.
‘Fooled.’
His distorted expression showed through wind-tossed hair.
‘The premise was wrong from the start.’
The lizardman had been charmed by another dream demon’s power from the beginning.
He’d moved as that dream demon said, pretending to be charmed by Maeve’s.
All for that dream demon alone.