Chapter 33
Chapter 33
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 33
Chapter Title: Charging Straight In (3)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
* * *
Toon briefly crossed her mind, but the vibe he gave off—looking fierce like a loan shark—was worlds apart from the executive director's aura.
Seonal spoke up next.
"Good day. We're from the Special Division for Handling Otherworldly Species Complaints."
Irang promptly flashed her civil servant badge as well.
"Yes. We've been expecting you."
The executive director smiled softly.
Seonal wasn't fooled by the smile and pressed on.
"I'd like to ask what kind of contact you received."
"We heard there was a mistake on our end. They said two team members would be coming soon to resolve the incident. Your team leader, that is."
Edinal's call had clearly carried serious weight.
Reading the executive director's demeanor, Seonal cut in firmly to avoid losing the initiative.
"Executive Director, I won't take up too much of your time. The matter at hand is clear-cut."
"Have a seat first."
The executive director gestured graciously to the chairs.
Once Seonal and Irang were seated, he continued.
"Deputy Sindel is full of enthusiasm. But that enthusiasm crossed a line. Enough to bring you all here. My deepest apologies for that..."
"Executive Director, it seems you view this as just a case of Sindel getting carried away with her zeal."
At Seonal's words, the executive director shifted his gaze from him to Irang.
"You're a goblin, aren't you."
"That's right."
"Then you must understand a little. Goblins are known for their empathy, aren't they? You get what I mean by 'overly enthusiastic,' right? They're the race most overflowing with zeal in social interactions."
"......"
Irang wavered for a moment at his words.
They teetered on the edge of discriminatory, yet not quite, leaving her quietly pursing her lips.
Forcing down her discomfort, Irang managed a smile.
"Not everyone is like that. And neither am I. I'm not sure we can simply dismiss this incident as 'overly enthusiastic,' as Seonal said."
"Ah, my apologies. I only meant to lighten the mood since you both seemed so tense."
The executive director smiled lightly, expressing regret.
He then pointed to himself with a hand.
"I'm a slime, after all. No one understands discrimination better than I do. You two must know better than anyone how this country treats slimes."
"Just to confirm: Are you aware of how far this situation has escalated?"
Seonal was deeply curious about the executive director's intentions.
He couldn't be sure which side he was on just yet.
"Of course. If I didn't, I wouldn't deserve to be in this position."
"So those remarks earlier were made with full knowledge of the situation?"
"Does that count as lack of cooperation?"
As the executive director's lips curved slightly upward, Seonal chuckled lightly in return.
"Ah, I haven't said it yet. We kindly request your full cooperation, Executive Director."
"Your attitude feels a bit overbearing."
"Would it? We're just carrying out our duties. Is there something about my demeanor that offends you?"
"Right now..."
"We've come straight from the construction site, you know. Please forgive any sharpness from the delayed resolution, Executive Director."
Amid the sharpening tension between the executive director and Seonal, Irang interjected while releasing a calming floral scent.
She didn't like the executive director much herself, but Seonal had no fear whatsoever. None at all. He was on the verge of outright picking a fight.
'Seonal... I never pegged you for this, but you're a total walking time bomb?'
Irang finally understood why Edinal had sent her and what her role was.
'Right. Blocking this is part of teamwork too. Good thing I brought plenty of herbs.'
Irang resolved to use every herb she had if needed to calm Seonal down.
"Ah. I understand. The conversation nearly veered off track there."
The executive director inhaled the floral scent and backed off a step.
But Seonal immediately sharpened his edge again, jabbing at him. Floral scent or not, Seonal repelled Irang's mana with his own, shrugging off the calming effect.
This was a time to heighten his senses.
"No. It's not off track. You might think we're just loaches here to muck up your construction business."
Unlike the composed Seonal, Irang's mouth fell slightly open. Her hand fumbled toward the pouch of herbs.
"I'd appreciate it if you acknowledged my cooperation, Seonal."
As the executive director's eyebrow twitched and he let out a long breath, Seonal finally beamed.
"That's a relief. You don't see us as loaches. I thought you called us here to warn us off like Sindel did. Wonder who she learned that from."
"No..."
"Good. Then, as I said earlier, I won't waste your time."
You said we're not enemies, so prove it.
Seonal pushed forward with those unspoken words.
"Sindel violated the Otherworldly Species Anti-Discrimination Act."
"You realize you're accountable for that statement...?"
"It's not just a violation—we confirmed it's become routine at the site. A quick check of the construction site's CCTV will show it plainly."
With the flow shifting in his favor, Seonal seized control without hesitation, driving his words home like planting a flag.
"And if you think ordering the CCTV destroyed will help, think again. I'm a mage."
Seonal flashed his red earring, his eyes gleaming, while the executive director's fingertips trembled.
"Your chain of command must not be great. I even kindly warned Sindel myself."
Crackle.
A faint spark sounded somewhere near Seonal's ear.
Seonal pushed up his glasses with his middle finger.
"If you're planning to film us, edit clips deceptively, and spread them around, I'd advise against it."
Seonal had noticed it upon entering.
The office was brimming with mana, far more than normal for a standard workspace.
In war, force might matter, but in this era, image was far more crucial.
Tarnishing an image was simple: dress up false rumors as plausible "gossip."
"I'm a mage, after all."
Even in the executive director's lair, Seonal had neutralized all electronic devices the moment he walked in.
Except for the body cams.
Why they couldn't take warnings seriously. Why they treated mage civil servants so lightly. He had no idea.
"After the Otherworldly Species Anti-Discrimination Act, it's rare for a major corporation like yours to pull something like this behind the scenes. Things are going to get noisy for a while."
Weaponless, the executive director faltered, while Seonal danced verbal blades without pause.
"By any common sense, a single deputy couldn't pull all this off alone. Firing just her won't cut it anymore. How far up do you plan to chop, Executive Director?"
Seonal slowly tapped his knee with a finger.
"Isn't that called a threat in other words?"
The executive director smiled leisurely, baring his teeth.
But Seonal saw the shake in him. The sheen on his skin had faded.
"Then allow me to request politely. Please cooperate so we can resolve this case."
"Excuse me."
At that moment, Irang asked permission from both Seonal and the executive director while waving her phone.
"Ah, the team leader?"
As Seonal grinned and asked, Irang nodded and called Edinal right there.
"Team Leader. Sorry, but could you send over the body cam footage?"
Seonal glanced at his watch and added.
"Around 11:30. Mine."
"Yes, yes, Team Leader. Around 11:30. Seonal's footage."
As Irang repeated it, Seonal finally turned to the executive director.
"All sorts of discrimination inside the site got caught on my body cam, intentionally or not. I'm pondering what to do with it. What do you think, Executive Director?"
"I don't understand why you're being so sharp."
The executive director leaned forward slightly, detaching from the backrest.
His gaze softened.
"I truly regret this incident. I'm prepared to cooperate fully. And provide any support needed, of course."
Let's wrap this up nicely.
That's how it sounded to Seonal.
He clicked his tongue inwardly.
'Too late.'
The executive director was confident now.
The fallout noise if this spread would be trouble, but he seemed to have all loose ends severed cleanly.
Had rumors spread that their district's Complaints Division was ruthless? Why was he so quick?
'No. He's just cutting disposable pawns. Probably prepped them perfectly for sacrifice from the start.'
Seonal nearly laughed, vividly recalling Sindel's smug jaw movements.
"You'll cooperate and support us no matter the investigation's outcome?"
But Seonal didn't forget to probe.
Such promises weren't given lightly; he had to secure what he could.
"Naturally."
"Excellent."
Seonal pulled documents from his bag.
"Hanul Construction will now enter the 'Warning' phase. This document agrees to unannounced access to any of your sites."
Anyone could make verbal promises.
He could spout them endlessly too, so they had to be on paper.
While the executive director read the documents Seonal offered, Irang seized the silence to pocket her phone—still pretending to be on the call—and sneakily messaged Edinal.
[The vibe is insane. It's chilling? Executive Director and Seonal are in a real nerve war.]
[Ultimate Team Leader: That's why your role is crucial, Irang. Teamwork, right?]
[I have social anxiety, you know? Feels like I'm dying.]
[Ultimate Team Leader: That's why you're pumped today?]
[...The one pumped is you, Team Leader?]
As the executive director pulled a pen from his pocket, Irang hurriedly set her phone down.
"I promise right here to fire Deputy Sindel. It's essential for everyone who suffered discrimination under her."
"Thank you."
Even though he planned to anyway.
Seonal was irked at having to thank him for this farce and casually remarked as the executive director signed.
"With such cooperation, I must pass this along."
The executive director's gaze lifted. Irang, anxious, gripped her herbs, ready to release the floral scent anytime.
"Did you know there's a major issue at the site Sindel oversees?"
"...What kind of major issue?"
The executive director froze mid-signature. What could be bigger than the discrimination problem now?
"Sindel's so competent she ignored the Anti-Discrimination Act and everything to boost efficiency. No wonder something's missing midway through the building."
Despite Seonal's heavy sarcasm, the executive director was only curious about what came next.
Whatever it was, the guy shaking him up so boldly couldn't be lying.
"Please tell me."
"After you sign. Then I'll..."
Scribble scribble.
The executive director handed the signed paper to Seonal.
"You're in a hurry?"
"Don't you know, being here?"
"Fine. I don't want bad blood with you either, Executive Director."
Seonal stowed the paper in his bag and cleared his throat.
"I'm no expert, so terms might escape me, but you need to halt construction. They're using magic to hold up the collapsed framework and force a rebuild. Casualties could happen anytime."
"...Hah."
The executive director's form wavered briefly.
Emotional turmoil made maintaining shape difficult.
Rage filled his eyes.
"It will definitely collapse."
Seonal's words flowed out like a curse.
The executive director wiped his mouth and narrowed his eyes.
What just happened was one thing; this was far more critical.
Sindel had stabbed him in the back. How much had she siphoned off?
"I'll go back and reassemble the magic to buy you time. But you must stop. It won't hold beyond three days."
He could extend it further but saw no reason to bother.
"Tha...nk you."
The pen in the executive director's hand slowly melted. Like slime digestive fluid secreting.
Proof of how furious and shocked he was.
"Then, we'll be going."
Seonal rose without hesitation, goals achieved.
"Farewell."
Irang, who wanted out more than anyone, bowed to the executive director and headed out first.
Fatigue washed over Seonal as he turned to leave, pausing to glance out the scenic window.
Clouds drifted lazily into view.
"Executive Director. Maybe it's my imagination, but there were no slimes at that site. Did you order it?"
"No one hates discrimination more than I do. That's the honest truth."
The executive director set down his pen and stood. Perhaps because Seonal had just helped him, his tone softened slightly.
"One discriminated slime is enough for me."
"Farewell."
"Take care. I won't forget your help."
Seonal walked to the door, listening.
'Hates discrimination more than anyone because he's discriminated against, yet limits it to slimes.'
Grabbing the doorknob, Seonal smirked faintly on one side.
'What nonsense.'
Favoring one race was discrimination too, and discrimination bred more, like today's mess.
All of it was nonsense.
* * *
"...Seonal."
Cusman rushed over the moment she saw him.
"You were really waiting?"
"Yes. I was."
"What outcome did you hope for?"
"No telling if it'll come true, whatever you wish."
"If not in three days, come find me. I have a line on a gift."
Seonal had secured some insurance.
A reporter bold enough to confront Hanul Construction seemed trustworthy.
"Alright."
Seonal gave a light nod and followed Irang, who had already flagged a taxi.
Now it was time to catch that arrogant skeleton bastard.