Chapter 56
Chapter 56
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 56
Chapter Title: Can't Go (2)
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* * *
The heavy weight of Seonal's words made every harpy in the group stare at him, filled with dread at this bizarre situation.
"You all inflicted harm on the slime race. It crossed the line far beyond mere mischief. For a swift resolution, I ask for your full cooperation in the investigation."
Seonal sought their compliance once more, but he sensed a shift in the wind's flow. It was something sharper—artificially stirred by someone.
He glanced toward the rear.
*Scraaaatch.*
"...You. You!"
Rakan shot to his feet, his eyes blazing with fury so intense that his feathers bristled forward like needles, quivering violently.
'Attack stance.'
Seonal anticipated the incoming strike.
*Screeech.*
Rakan raked his talons—protruding from his shoes—across the ground before launching forward in a spin.
*Whoooosh!*
Blessed by the winds as harpies were, his rotation over that short distance spun as fast as a drill.
But Seonal calmly pointed to the sky. As ruler of this domain, he could manifest magic faster than at any other moment.
*Rumble.*
Lightning flashed, a bolt crashing down toward Rakan.
*Crackle!*
The strike pierced straight through him from above, slamming his head to the ground as his body convulsed.
'Drama queen.'
Seonal looked down at Rakan.
Harpies ranked high in lightning resistance among all races except dragons. Soaring through the skies meant frequent strikes, and their feathers shed most of the current.
Of course, it still hurt.
Seonal averted his gaze from Rakan and turned to the other harpies.
He felt their stares—*surely not*—and happily obliged with a flick of his fingers.
What else could it be?
*Rumble.*
A patch of sky darkened once more.
With a languid expression, Seonal invoked his magic.
[Strike down.]
[Strike down.]
He split the bolts evenly between the two groups.
*Boom!*
*Boom!*
Electricity enveloped the entire harpy flock, leaving them flopping like freshly caught fish—a sight to behold.
Seonal strolled to the railing and leaned against it.
'Tired.'
He gazed blankly at the sky for a moment. It was pristine, almost unbelievably blue.
"...Y-you..."
A faint voice drifted up. Seonal looked down.
The man who'd claimed his father ran a siren law firm was glaring at him. How could his eyes still look so punchable?
"Yes?"
"...J-just you w-wait..."
"Just watch me now."
He had no desire to see this guy twice more.
Whether his father ran a law firm or not, Seonal always operated strictly within the law—zero regrets.
He peeled away from the railing and walked slowly forward. At this point, their will to resist him should be gone.
"Mr. Rakan."
Rakan reacted to Seonal's call. His body ached, but his ears still worked.
"What is your true identity?"
Seonal snorted at Rakan's *go screw yourself* glare.
"I saw you earlier. Meeting someone in a hood pulled low over a hat."
"......"
Rakan merely twitched from the lingering current, but his eyes shifted.
"No matter how I rack my brain, it looks like a ploy to spark conflict with the slime race. Am I right?"
It was no longer a simple personal matter once the group got involved.
A group implied a ringleader, and with recruitment posts already up on community boards, this demanded a serious investigation.
"You must be thrilled, thinking this incident will snowball into something bigger—a faction, maybe. With you at the center, of course."
At least the complaint had nipped escalation in the bud.
That amateurishness screamed "just getting started." A real plan wouldn't have played out like this.
"Keep believing that."
*Crackle.*
Seonal fiddled with his body cam briefly.
"I'm requesting assistance from the Special Task Force on this case."
He shattered Rakan's hopes in one blow.
This exceeded the Complaints Department's scope. Handing it to the Special Task Force—with their authority to crush threats outright—was the right call.
Rakan's eyes widened at "Special Task Force."
"...What the hell are you babbling about? It was just a prank! Fine, I admit it got out of hand. But Special Task Force? That's overkill!"
"Afraid not."
Seonal refuted him. He knew, having come from there himself.
Assaulting slimes in a group was a major crime already.
The Complaints Department assessed situations and escalated to Special Task Force if escalation loomed.
The Force didn't investigate independently but mobilized on request, wielding far greater authority for major crimes.
Once handed off, no lenient wrap-up.
"And I'll be re-involved in this case, Mr. Rakan."
Seonal bared his killing intent.
Both departments had "Special" in the name, but the request dynamic differed.
Typically, a Complaints-to-Force request ceded full control to the Force, reducing Complaints to support—handing over files, answering questions like witnesses.
A Force-to-Complaints request allowed equal footing until resolution, borrowing some Force powers.
Rare cases arose for massive incidents or when the Force needed extra hands.
What Seonal outlined to Rakan was both: Complaints requesting Force aid, then Force requesting back from Complaints—a loophole only he, ex-Force, could pull.
He was different, after all.
"Look forward to it."
Seonal turned to the door.
*Knock knock.*
He unlocked it with magic.
As it swung open, police poured out, drawing tools to subdue the harpies.
*Crackle.*
Every weapon hummed with current.
Electricity was the standard non-lethal restraint for harpies. Officers trained in common counters to racial strengths, prioritizing harmony.
Seonal greeted them, then pulled out his phone to call Edinal.
"Team leader."
[Police there?]
"Yes. And Team Leader, I have something to report."
[Hm...]
Edinal's tone stretched, laced with unease.
"For this case, please request Special Task Force cooperation. I'll send the community link they're tied to."
[...What?]
She let out an exasperated sound.
He got it. With ex-Force colleague Yan flipping the department upside down today, another request out of nowhere?
[Seonal. Explain why we need Special Task Force.]
"Best to quash this before it grows. Deploy them to confirm it's truly over."
[And?]
"Just my hunch. Feel free to ignore."
[I'll decide that.]
"Dragons... might be involved."
[Hold on. What did you say?]
Seonal stepped away, repeating it.
"Hope not, but dragons could be linked. We need to check. Either way, we need Force power for all this."
[Hunches won't cut it. Dragon ties need proof.]
"First, they spotted my magic from 3-4 minutes away at harpy speed."
Roughly 15-20 minutes at walking pace.
"Plus, they shoved me off the railing to drop me. Bold despite leaving evidence—means strong backing. Strongest backer? Dragons..."
[Who?]
Edinal's voice plunged deep.
"Pardon...?"
[The punk who shoved you without a care. Name!]
Killing intent crackled through the phone; Seonal raised both brows.
"Name's Rakan."
[Rakan... Got it. I'll handle the request.]
"Thanks. I'm heading out now..."
Seonal trailed off with a sigh.
He'd gotten the video of Rakan's group from Saetbyul—time to check that area.
Confirm if it was just them by asking local slimes. Already dizzying.
Even with Force help, he had to circle back anyway. Better early.
'Tired, seriously.'
Suddenly, he craved clocking out.
Lying on the sofa, watching sunset creep in.
"...Can I check once more and head home?"
[No. Back to the center. You've got work.]
"Irang and Terisha are there. I worked the weekend."
[Better one big win than petty stuff?]
"...Yes."
Seonal eyed the sky, face sour.
Weather was annoyingly perfect, as before.
Should've taken leave.
[Dodo's not with you, right?]
"Waiting downstairs. Don't worry. Too soon to show her this. Why pair her with me anyway?"
Seonal grumbled.
His complaints were minor ones mixed with near-Force-level heavies or complex cases fit for Force.
From Force, it suited him; personality-wise, one big case beat trivia.
[Because... Dodo idolizes Force.]
"Ah. Crush her illusions? Easy.>
Force—what was so special?
"Special Inter-Species Action Unit" sounded flashy, but thugs in uniform?
[No! Not that. You're awful, Seonal.]
"Maybe. Illusions shatter—that's life."
[Dodo watched you more during her dilemma. No thoughts?]
"Irang fits better. Same sorcery line—more to learn."
[After this, I'll pair her with Irang. Hang up and move.]
"Scene's not cleared."
[Whatever else, feed Dodo. Promise.]
"I'm not..."
*Click.*
Call ended; Seonal sighed deeply.
'...Such a hassle.'
He tousled his hair messily and leaned languidly on the railing.
* * *
"...Did I scare you earlier?"
Seonal glanced at navigation, then asked Dodo casually.
"......Y-yeah."
Dodo shuffled, head nearly brushing the ground.
"Dodo was so scared. Police swarmed, Dodo couldn't explain right, kept stuttering—they might not have understood."
"No worries. They got it all. I should've warned you, but get used to it. Calling police happens often. Fights too... hm."
Often?
Seonal pondered.
Come to think, he'd meant to ask Terisha and Irang but always forgot. Irang harped on it post-Hanul exec meeting: first time since.
He'd somehow met twin-vampire grandpa (Tichia CEO), Hanul exec, and Dullahan Bren chairman.
Maybe he just drew rarities.
He switched tack.
"...Fights happen, but maybe not."
"Dodo can fight. Dodo was ruler in the forest."
*Ahem.*
Dodo lifted her head, striding proudly.
"I see."
Her pride deflated at Seonal's flat tone; she stared at the ground, mumbling.
"......It's true."
"Never said I doubted. Looking forward to your real strength."
Just now, he'd seen her unleash spirit power.
Despite probation, he worked solo as ex-Force.
They acknowledged experience but not full status—still irked.
Anyway, Dodo showed raw promise; two months probation could yield huge growth.
Feeling excessive stares from below, Seonal ignored them.
He checked the cafe for Saetbyul, pocketed his phone.
"But, Senior Seonal."
"Yes?"
"How much force is okay? Dodo doesn't know."
"I'll help. Later. When I'm... free."
He left the timing vague.
Committing meant fatigue's abyss.
Shouldering relations, even with faint hope, grew unbearable.
"Thanks!"
Innocent Dodo beamed, clueless.
'...Whenever that is.'
Seonal curbed his wry smile, opened the door.
"Here!"
Saetbyul's voice boomed.
Her volume drew eyes briefly.
Raincoat hid it before, but her twintails gleamed reddish.
"Can Dodo ask who?"
"Key to solving this complaint."
"Wow!"
Seonal sharpened his senses as Dodo bounded ahead eagerly.
Checking for tails, he wove magic with a finger.
[O waves, spread.]
Sound waves rippled from his feet.
*Click.*
His steps birthed new waves.
They became extra vision, scanning wide around the shop.
'No tails.'
Seonal dispelled it, strolling casually to the staring Saetbyul and Dodo.
Saetbyul blinked at his weary gaze.
"Tired?"
"Exhausted. Working stiff's curse."
"...D-does everyone get like this after getting a job?"
Saetbyul whipped her head side to side, then to Dodo.
"Really?"
*Please say no*, her eyes begged.
Dodo hopped onto a prepped cushion, eyes darting. Meeting Saetbyul's persistent gaze, she waved a front paw.
"Dodo?"
"Yeah! Dodo's eyes are so sparkly."
"Dodo's so happy. Loves being with people."
*Grin.*
Dodo smiled wide; Saetbyul bared teeth in kind.
"Right? I love hanging with people too. Working part-time now, but I'll land a job this year for sure."
"Saetbyul."
Seonal cut in before their chat deepened.
Job cheers weren't priority.
"Yes."
"Where was that video you sent today filmed?"
"Of course. Nearby. I'll guide you quick."
Saetbyul thumped her chest proudly.