Chapter 44
Chapter 44
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 44
Chapter Title: It's Useless (2)
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* * *
“…Thank you. I’ll never forget this kindness.”
The mere sight of the owner bowing his head to Seonal sent a wave of murmurs rippling through the crowd.
“No, no. If anything, I’m the one who’s grateful for you running such a wonderful place. It really is great.”
“Well, um, I didn’t realize you were a mage, and I worry I said some… overly bold things.”
The owner’s gaze kept drifting to Seonal’s earring.
“It’s fine. Does it matter if I’m a mage or not?”
She said it lightly, but reality was far different. No one wanted to get on a mage’s bad side—there was nothing good in it—so everyone handled them with kid gloves, offering the best treatment possible.
Seonal wore a faint smile.
“Now that the complaint’s resolved, I’ll be on my way. Thanks for your cooperation.”
“Take care.”
“Yes, thank you.”
“…Oh, wait. Ms. Haseonal.”
The owner shot to his feet, making Seonal’s hair sway.
“Yes?”
“Here’s my business card.”
Seeing the card cradled reverently in both palms, Seonal couldn’t help but look puzzled.
‘Why’s he giving me his business card?’
As if reading her mind or catching her stare, the owner grinned warmly.
“It’s the first time.”
“First time for what?”
“For someone to help like this.”
Seonal simply gazed at the owner’s beaming face.
Perhaps her stare was too intense, because he dipped his head slightly, casting a shadow over his features.
“Truth is, no one… ever came. Even after the Complaints Division was created, with so many complaints piling up, I started doubting if it was real. I did everything I could… to protect my staff, but it still didn’t work out. Seeing you handle something so simple, so straightforward, today—it makes me wonder why it took so long.”
“No, you’ve already done more than enough. You’re great at it.”
It was true.
These small acts of consideration built up, inching closer to solving bigger problems.
Seonal smiled with her eyes.
“If you ever need my help, feel free to contact me anytime, Ms. Haseonal.”
“Then, if you need mine, please come by the Complaints Division.”
The owner and Seonal exchanged bows, and she turned to leave first.
Her heart felt light.
Back in the Special Task Force, every gaze had carried resentment.
‘I made the right call switching departments.’
Seonal pulled out her phone and reported to Edinal.
[One down. The owner here is really impressive.]
Bzzz.
The reply came instantly.
[Team Leader: What? Seonal giving out compliments like that? You haven’t been… hacked, have you? Shake a carrot if you have.]
[I’m allergic to carrots.]
[Team Leader: Don’t lie.]
[Caught me?]
[Team Leader: You seem pretty relaxed today? Gonna knock out three complaints easy?]
Seonal hesitated, then sent a carrot-shaking emoji.
Bzzz.
She didn’t check the reply, which was probably a string of ‘lololol’s.
Something worse was surely coming, so she hurried away.
* * *
‘…Sky’s getting cloudy.’
Heading to the second complaint site, Seonal glanced up at the sky, heavy with impending rain, and her lips curved.
Rain made it tough for harpies to fly. Not impossible, but for non-logistics harpies, it was too risky and thus banned.
With weather like this, resolving the third complaint would be tricky.
‘Not that I planned it.’
Feeling a bit lighter, Seonal pressed on—then squinted.
A harpy and a middle-aged woman were locked in a shouting match.
‘This isn’t my complaint, is it?’
Seonal muted her presence with magic and approached.
“…What did you just say?”
The harpy scowled, her voice sharp.
Her wings, extending from her arms beyond her sleeves, trembled, feathers fluffing out in agitation.
It was a clear sign of fury, signaling she was ready to strike.
“I asked how many of my kind have died crushed by rocks you drop from the sky. Why?”
The middle-aged woman snarled back at the harpy woman.
“No, you didn’t just say that. You called me a ‘murderer.’ Said I was ‘flying around to kill someone’!”
“When did I?”
“…Ha. This old hag. You picked a fight the second I tried to take off. Out of nowhere!”
“Look at that arrogance, still thinking the sky belongs to them. Should’ve plucked every feather and deep-fried the lot.”
‘…She matches the complaint perfectly.’
The aura of exhaustion radiating from her made Seonal exhale sharply, then squeeze her eyes shut.
“…Excuse me.”
Seonal had her type pegged already.
‘One of those who thinks peace is a mistake.’
The war had ended just over thirty years ago.
Plenty of veterans still lived.
Even twenty years back, revulsion toward this nation—forged by a dramatic peace treaty—had sparked a coup.
Old mindsets hadn’t vanished entirely.
Seonal was born after the war, but she could empathize.
As Rinell, she’d appeared suddenly amid tensions between mages and non-mages, experiencing conflict firsthand.
Even as an indirect witness in her later years, it had been horrific. How much worse must interspecies war have been?
“Who’re you to butt in?”
The middle-aged woman eyed Seonal up and down.
A wolfkin, Seonal guessed.
“No one can discriminate against another race.”
Seonal spoke clearly, deliberately.
But regardless of those feelings, venting that day’s horrors on individuals wasn’t right. Their grievances belonged to the state.
“What race are you? Huh?”
“Doesn’t matter.”
“Crazy. Of course it does. Speak up. Wolfkin? Human? Or… some worthless half-breed?”
“Hello.”
“Funny. Would you be saying hello?”
Whatever rubbed her wrong, the woman glared with pure irritation.
“I’m Haseonal from the Hetero-Species Complaints Resolution Special Division.”
“Complaints Division?”
Pfft.
She snorted, mocking Seonal anew at the mention.
“Here comes a dog licking the government’s boots, selling out pride and honor for petty cash. What, gonna arrest me? Go ahead. I’ll be out in no time. Did I kill anyone? I’m just saying what I want. Why?”
“Repeated discriminatory remarks against other races are making citizens uncomfortable.”
“Bullshit.”
She laughed mockingly again.
“You’re lashing out ‘cause it hit home. Can’t you see their ugly mugs?”
“Anyway, please leave. Don’t worry about the rest.”
Ignoring the wolfkin’s barbs, Seonal addressed the harpy.
“…Thank you.”
Still fuming, her face twisted like she’d stepped in something foul, she spread her wings wide and flapped hard, soaring into the sky.
“You psycho, why run! Murderer!”
The middle-aged woman stomped after her, bellowing.
“Enough.”
“What?”
“You’ve been making one-sided discriminatory remarks, per the complaint.”
“So arrest me already? Fine, I’m going.”
“So you admit to discriminating against other races?”
“Yeah.”
Her cocky admission eased Seonal’s expression.
The body cam had caught her harassing the harpy anyway—evidence secured. Now, just resolution.
“Understood. Please wait a moment.”
Seonal pulled out her phone. She could investigate, but arrest wasn’t her authority.
‘Easier than I thought.’
Too soon to head back; she could swing by the third complainant’s spot, then kill time at a café.
‘Might get off early today?’
112.
She hit the button and answered immediately.
“Yes, Haseonal from Complaints here. Someone’s violated the Hetero-Species Discrimination Ban Act—need you to come by. Yes, yes. Thanks.”
“…What the hell did you just do?”
Her earlier smugness gone, her eyes sharpened like she’d growl any second.
“Called the police. You admitted to breaking the Hetero-Species Discrimination Ban Act yourself. I’m just following procedure.”
“Go on. I’ll be out soon enough.”
“Afraid not this time.”
Seonal corrected her.
People were shocked by Complaints Division visits, even top Mage Association brass showed up—there were reasons.
Complaints and Special Task Force were the government’s public face.
It signaled hard commitment to interspecies equality and harmony. When Complaints called police, they couldn’t easily refuse.
Meaning: investigation proceeded, no matter what.
“Multiple complaints already piled up, police visited several times—plenty of warnings. Plus, you’ve confessed. Even with leniency, it won’t be like before.”
“You threatening me?”
“Of course not. Just informing a citizen who’s misinformed about the accurate details and your current situation.”
Kindly.
As Seonal’s lips curved, the woman ground her teeth.
Even in human form, her sharp fangs gleamed, the grinding audible.
“You filthy government dog!”
“That’s public servants for you. Even non-civils pretend loyalty to whoever pays.”
“You ruined everything!”
“Don’t know what you think we ruined, but you standing here ruining everyone’s mood and hurting others’ feelings—that’s on you, wolfkin. Don’t think you’re alone. You’re tarnishing your entire race’s honor…”
Kwaaang!
She roared, swinging freshly manicured claws at Seonal’s neck.
The move was clean, but it never reached.
Ting!
The ever-present barrier around Seonal blocked it.
‣Aggressive to the point fists speak before words.
Recalling wolfkin traits, Seonal warned her.
“Violence using racial traits brings heavier penalties.”
“You dare tarnish our race’s honor? You, a filthy government dog!”
Ting!
Her follow-up kick, a perfect sneak attack, also failed to connect.
‘Speak for yourself, dog.’
Seonal exhaled sharply, then cast.
Public servant defense rights sufficed.
[Crush down.]
Kwang!
Magic slammed her body to the ground.
Tough as a lizardman among races, her skin didn’t even scrape.
Sure, some shock, but it was purely for restraint.
“The era has changed.”
Seonal looked down.
“Violence solves nothing.”
“You… filthy…”
“Why keep slandering other races here? Care to explain?”
“Shut up!”
She thrashed, but escaping Seonal’s magic seemed unlikely.
“Fine. Even if I get your motive, what changes with this behavior?”
Light scuffle, yet eyes gathered slowly.
No chance for a quick EMP burst on electronics. Seonal seized the lightning attribute in the ambient mana.
Mana was bundled threads of attributes, like a rope of varied strands.
[Surge.]
Gripping lightning, Seonal cast, spreading static.
It held until nearby mana stirred.
Her own mana snagged the floating stuff, of course.
‘Predictably, they’ll film me in this pinch. No fool leaves it be.’
Preemptively jamming all electronics, Seonal layered another.
[Envelop me.]
For any unjammed by EM, she split some static magic, boosting interference around her face.
It shimmered like sunlight—no one noticed.
“Nothing changes.”
She giggled.
“Back in the war, one mission meant a unit wiped out—or survived.”
Flat on her belly, she trembled.
“So… now?”
Fingers twitching like reaching for something, Seonal felt unease.
What’s she planning?
Seonal scanned around.
“What are you trying to say?”
“Forgot where you are?”
At that, Seonal’s eyes slowly scanned. People surged, phones out—like they’d anticipated this.
Eager to film and post to SNS, a threat in itself.
The woman smirked in triumph; the phone-holders mirrored her.
Seeing the clumsy act, Seonal nearly snorted.
‘…Ah. Got it.’
The complainant hadn’t lied this time.
Just a slight shift in target.
The real liar had appeared.
‘This was fresh.’
Turns out, her blatant street rants against other races were bait—for Complaints.
A ploy to tarnish the image of the hated “government dogs.”
“Don’t expect anything.”
Seonal stated firmly, lips curving.
No matter what happened here, Complaints wouldn’t budge.
“It’s all useless anyway.”
She addressed the woman, then glanced around.
The phones they’d waved excitedly now seemed broken, owners futilely tapping dead screens in their pockets.