Chapter 41
Chapter 41
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 41
Chapter Title: Why Is Friday the Busiest Day? (2)
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* * *
“So, is that vampire okay?”
Sernal asked urgently.
No matter who they’d killed the incubus to warn, the culprit in the twin vampire case was a pureblood vampire.
The one who’d had their blood drained by another vampire just for becoming a mage, lost everything, and been chased into the slums.
—Probably… you’re right. I was just trying to kindle the spark. I wanted to pit the upper class against the lower class even more.
Sernal recalled the old man’s words as he waited for Edinal’s response.
—Don’t think you’re the first. The overt war may be over, but the internal one rages on. I’ll cheer you on sincerely. Just don’t become their target.
He hoped that vampire’s unsettling words wouldn’t appear on Edinal’s face.
“They’re safe. We responded quickly.”
Ha.
Sernal felt a brief moment of relief at those words before asking again.
“So, the attack did happen?”
“Yeah. There was an attack, but we stopped it. With the Special Task Force—the one you were with while coordinating with the police.”
Edinal tapped her fingers on the desk.
It was full of elements Sernal would like, but she knew he’d refuse. Their parting with the Special Task Force hadn’t been amicable.
“I’ll get this info somehow myself, so do what feels right, Sernal. There’s no penalty for refusing. You know…”
“I’ll go.”
Sernal spoke with a languid expression.
“Go? For real?”
Edinal asked in surprise.
“Yes.”
“…Sernal. You don’t have to push yourself. It’s obviously going to be awkward, so why bother?”
“I didn’t put it in the report since there was no need, but I met some Special Task Force people yesterday.”
“What…?”
Edinal’s shoulders slumped along with her breath.
She soon swept a hand over her forehead and glared intensely at the computer.
Anger surged as a red aura rippled around her, turning her eyes crimson.
“…Team Leader?”
“So the Special Task Force was targeting you from the start? Since that moment you met them? And I was the only one who didn’t know?”
“I didn’t tell you. Irang was considerate of me. I’m sorry.”
As Sernal bowed his head, Edinal quickly released her tension, shaking her head vigorously and even waving her hands.
“No. No, Sernal. I’m not mad about that. I was just worried about you.”
“Thank you, Team Leader.”
Edinal bit her lip hard at Sernal’s smile before forcing one of her own.
Sernal’s gut was probably burning the most right now.
“Then I’ll be off.”
“Yeah, Sernal. Hang in there today.”
Edinal waved until Sernal left.
She soon wiped the smile from her face.
‘So shameless!’
Edinal ground her teeth as she looked at the cooperation request email sent to her.
‘Can’t even protect their own team member.’
Protecting team members was the team leader’s role.
It might seem like a naive ideal, but that’s how Edinal saw it.
What was the point of the title if you couldn’t even protect your team?
When she’d first seen Sernal, he’d shone with a noble light. It was so dazzling she’d been desperate to bring him to Complaints.
But now it was different.
That brilliance was gone, replaced by the dull sheen of a sickly chicken, teetering on the edge of collapse.
‘…And they have the gall to request cooperation from Sernal?’
Remembering the finger pointed squarely at him made her blood boil.
‘At Sernal!’
Thud!
Edinal slammed her fist into the desk, fury reaching the top of her head.
Crash.
The desk split in half instantly, sending the computer, office supplies, and papers flying.
‘You’re the ones who did that to him…!’
Classic tail-cutting.
Sernal had endured that hellish ordeal.
And yet the Special Task Force had abandoned him.
‘I’d never do that. Never! Absolutely not…’
Then, the door opened quietly.
The scattered items floated up into the air one by one.
“Sorry. Was I too loud?”
Edinal brushed her disheveled hair behind her ear and glanced at Sernal.
She felt unnecessarily embarrassed.
“Probably no one else heard. They were all prepping to meet complainants, but I snuck out using brushing my teeth as an excuse. I was gonna zone out for a bit, but then I heard the noise—what can you do?”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
The excuse was so Sernal-like it made her laugh.
“Team Leader.”
“Yeah, Sernal.”
“Let’s call this one field duty off the books.”
“Hmm, Sernal? Can’t do that. We’re swamped today.”
Edinal grinned, and Sernal snorted.
“…Too bad. I thought it’d work.”
As Sernal wiggled his fingers, the broken desk righted itself, and with a sweeping motion, it restored to its original state as if time had rewound.
The papers sorted themselves, the computer turned on and booted up.
“No need to worry about it, Team Leader.”
“That’s impossible, so don’t ask. You’re my team member.”
“The magic’ll hold for about three days, so get a new desk soon. Oh, and should I make you a punching bag for when you’re mad?”
“No. I was about to read Irang’s report. The one about being led by the spirits’ hands all the way to the taxi stand…”
Thud.
Sernal dashed out faster than anyone and slammed the door shut.
“…Pfft, hahaha.”
Edinal finally laughed and pulled out Irang’s report.
It was a work of art every time she read it.
‘Not a report—I want to see it in person.’
Edinal felt a pang of regret.
* * *
Monday sucks. Tuesday sucks. Wednesday sucks too. Going to work sucks the most. ♬
Sernal sighed deeply as the song echoed in his ears.
He was tired.
The thought of tomorrow being Saturday weighed on his shoulders, making his body feel heavy.
Sernal mentally listed the tasks he had to handle today.
‘Three complaints total today, two of which are must-dos…’
One was a bit tricky to resolve right now, so he targeted the two.
‣Fairy species issue.
‘Wage discrimination at the company just for being a fairy, right?’
This wasn’t one he’d received.
They usually handled field duties based on their own complaints, but occasionally they had to resolve others’.
He’d just arrived in front of the company where the complainant worked, the closest location.
‘And…’
‣Werewolf species issue.
This one was his.
‘They come out to the street at specific times and hurl abuse, poking at the species’ sore spots.’
This wasn’t the first time for this complaint, actually.
The first one had been too vague.
It was someone passing by who got offended by the insults—too personal.
The second was from a regular on that street.
He’d checked with the police, but they said it was useless. They only stayed briefly.
—It’s a public street open to everyone, so beyond a warning, there’s no way to stop them. Does that make sense? Hearing it every commute drives me insane, and if it keeps up, I don’t know what I’ll do.
Then yesterday, complaints poured in like a water balloon bursting—two more.
The third and fourth were nearly identical to the second.
Screaming abuse at passing species, enough to drive anyone mad.
With four piling up, it was no longer personal; it required direct verification.
‣Harpy species issue.
‘This one, the slime told me about, right?’
He wasn’t sure if he could handle all three, but the slime said they’d seen harpies intentionally dropping things to knock wall-attached slimes off, and it had happened to them too.
Slimes’ unique elasticity meant they didn’t get hurt from falling, but that didn’t mean they weren’t pissed.
‘This one’s tough to resolve today for real.’
The scope was broad.
No guarantee it’d happen in the same place, making the perp hard to find.
They’d already been rejected by police multiple times for illegally sticking to building walls, and the slime had looked utterly helpless bringing it up.
‘But what can you do? If I took it, I gotta handle it.’
It seemed trivial, but if more harpies joined in for fun, the affected slimes would grow to hate harpies, and if it hit the media—accidentally or not—they’d defend their own, escalating the anger.
Before it blew up, it was his job to listen to the individual voice and nip it.
Sernal closed his heavy eyes and opened them.
Duty aside, the fatigue was real.
With a drowsy expression, Sernal walked into the company lobby for the first complaint.
The fairy complainant worked in mid-sized company admin.
Before flashing his ID, Sernal scanned the surroundings.
Lots of people for the company size, all looking busy.
‘Everyone… looks exhausted.’
Maybe because he felt it so intensely, but the tired faces jumped out first.
‘Enough pointless sentiment. Get to work.’
Slowing his steps, Sernal observed the异種族 present.
Usually biased toward one species—either government corps using slimes’ purification for special purposes or outright discriminators.
‘…This place is fine?’
Seeing various species pass by, Sernal confirmed the company was trying to hire all異種族.
Not common, so a faint smile formed.
Maybe like Mestos University Hospital—a healing spot.
It had incubus doctors and nurses, rare elsewhere.
People feared incubi’s charm, especially patients.
‘That’s why Maeve’s place felt a bit empty when I got examined.’
Sernal paused mid-thought.
Remembering tomorrow’s hospital visit sent chills down his spine, so he hurried to the reception desk.
“Excuse me.”
The incubus species glanced him up and down with an annoyed look.
“What brings you here?”
“Hello.”
Sernal eyed the cosmetics she’d just pulled out and presented his ID.
“From the Special Division for Interspecies Grievance Resolution.”
“…W-Wait. Why’s Complaints here?”
Shock and irritation filled her face.
She soon pointed at herself and shook her head.
“I’m taking my meds fine. Haven’t said anything to other species. O-Of course, I haven’t used my powers…”
She trailed off, sounding guilty.
Sernal had no intention of calling her out.
No relation to interspecies discrimination, so no reason to meddle.
“I’d like to see the president. Could you guide me?”
“Ha… I thought you were here for me.”
“Something wrong?”
“No, not that. But Complaints gives pressure. The interspecies discrimination ban is strict.”
‘Even with harsh penalties, they still do it.’
Sernal recalled the recent incident at Hanul Construction, a major corp.
“If you’ve faced interspecies discrimination, feel free to reach out anytime.”
“Then, can I ask one thing?”
“Go ahead.”
“Why’re you here at our company?”
“I can’t disclose complaint details.”
“I know. Just curious. Our president’s a good guy. Worried he’ll get dragged off.”
‘What…?’
Sernal got goosebumps briefly.
Her earlier blatant annoyance proved it wasn’t lip service.
Loyal employees existed around him too—like Terisha, Irang—but in private companies? Unexpected.
“Why’re you looking at me like I’m some disgrace?”
She raised an eyebrow.
“Nothing. My apologies.”
“Well, I get it’s hard to believe, but it’s true. You can tell just from me sitting at reception.”
Fiddling with her cosmetics, she smiled faintly.
Incubi’s stunning looks suited service industries, but reality differed.
Charm power.
The fear it instilled was huge, so most incubi chose low-profile jobs.
The anxiety that a first impression of “friendly” might be charm-induced.
“I’ll keep striving.”
She looked genuinely surprised at Sernal’s reply.
“Didn’t expect that, but it feels nice.”
Standing, she fluttered her wings happily.
“Follow me. I’ll take you to the president’s office.”
“Thank you.”
“No problem.”
* * *
‘…Huh?’
Sernal was overwhelmed by the door’s size just before it.
The ceiling was unusually high, but the door was enormous too.
‘Is the president a giant species?’
That’s all he could think.
Giants were the largest among異種族.
As Sernal opened the door, a giant stood there. The massive frame’s pressure made his eyebrows twitch.
‘Whoa…’