Chapter 8
Chapter 8
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 8
Chapter Title: Twin Vampires (2)
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* * *
He walked down the corridor, turned right, and descended the stairs.
Laughter from people echoed over, but Seonal had no business there.
Following the blue smoke trailing outside led him to the garden.
A faint voice came from behind a statue disguised to avoid prying eyes.
“…No. This should be enough already. Just how far do you expect me to go?”
It was a woman.
Shh.
Seonal pressed a finger to his lips for Loren, who had followed him.
Loren nodded, and Seonal pointed at the floor.
Stay here.
Loren clutched the hem of Seonal’s clothes, mouthing the words.
His eyes asked if it wasn’t dangerous, but Seonal just smiled and approached slowly.
“I… I can’t do this anymore. This isn’t right. Dragging the kids into this is wrong from the start. So now, I…”
She turned her head.
The ground vibrated against her skin.
“Wait a minute. I’ll… call you later.”
Her pupils sharpened as she spotted Seonal.
Sssss.
Her lower body’s tail shook violently, producing a faint rattle.
The snake-human woman pocketed her cellphone, eyed Seonal warily, and flicked out her long tongue, but Seonal calmly presented his civil servant ID.
“Hello. I’m from the Interspecies Complaint Resolution Special Department.”
At the mention of the Complaint Department, she lowered her tail and examined the ID.
“Oh, sorry. I thought you were an intruder in the mansion. I’ve already heard about you. Hello. Are you lost by any chance?”
She retracted her long tongue and smiled.
The sharp, cold impression unique to snake-humans made even her smile seem somewhat eerie.
“We detected a surveillance device inside a magic tool and were pursuing it. We’d appreciate your cooperation.”
“Cooperation…?”
She hesitated, slowly scanning her surroundings.
Seonal opened his ear to show his earring. The red earring connecting his earlobe and helix made the snake-human’s pupils tremble.
A mage, of all people.
Her fingertips grew even colder.
“The sticker placed in the room. I assume you know about it even without me telling you.”
“No. I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
Her voice was already shaking.
Seonal simply applied steady pressure.
“We also know there’s an accomplice. I kindly ask for your full cooperation.”
Cooperation.
The obligation weighing on every citizen of Hillzo to cooperate with the Complaint Department sharpened her pupils with anxiety.
“I don’t know anything about that sticker. An accomplice? I have no clue what you’re saying.”
As she tried to slip away, Seonal stomped his foot.
Thud thud.
The ground rose briefly where she had aimed to go.
She froze, then scowled fiercely at Seonal.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
“I’m a mage. You know I wouldn’t come here without solid certainty.”
“Certainty or not, don’t touch me anymore. I’m not feeling well today—I haven’t eaten anything. If you’re from the Complaint Department, you know what that means.”
“I do.”
Seonal nodded.
‣Voracious appetite.
He recalled the snake-human traits.
They had an even stronger appetite than other races, with additional characteristics.
‣Becomes violent when hungry.
It was innate to the race, so Seonal had memorized it firmly.
Every race had its quirks.
“But that’s irrelevant right now. Why did you plant the surveillance device?”
“You keep provoking me like this, and I don’t know what I’ll do. I might lose my reason to hunger.”
Beyond her hunger, Seonal saw her as simply babbling in panic.
Desperately racking her brain to escape or salvage the situation, but with no way out in sight.
“That’s why the ‘Racial Special Act’ requires snake-humans to carry emergency rations. We’ll wait until you eat.”
The Racial Special Act covered things like snake-humans carrying emergency rations or forcing medusa-folk to wear glasses—laws tied to specific races, with violations usually resulting in administrative penalties.
Of course, criminal charges were possible in some cases.
“I don’t want to. Why should I eat in front of a stranger?”
Seonal noticed scales creeping up her face— a sign she was preparing to attack.
“Do you realize you’re infringing on my freedom right now? Just because you’re a civil servant, do you think you can oppress me like this?”
As sharpness seeped into her voice, Seonal regarded her impassively.
In such cases, when facts were exposed, there were usually two reactions.
Begging.
Or attacking.
Seonal figured it was the latter.
“Unfortunately, personal freedom must not harm public freedom. So…”
“Tell me already.”
She startled at Loren interrupting Seonal.
“…Y-Young master?”
“I heard everything. If you can’t do it, then don’t. Just stop the bad stuff.”
Seonal held Loren back as he tried to approach.
“Step back.”
“But she was nice to me. You heard it too, right, Seonal? I know her name. It’s Lina, isn’t it?”
Loren stopped, fidgeting with his fingers.
“Bad things keep happening. There was a note in Sis’s locker today. It had mean words all over it, and it made me so upset.”
“Young master, I…”
Lina trailed off, gazing at Loren. Her face twisted.
Seeing her genuinely worried for Loren, Seonal softened his expression and tone slightly.
“We know there’s an accomplice. Whether for a moment or not, you want to hand it off to them, do something unforgivable, and escape this. But delays will only cause greater harm.”
This small incident was like a spark.
A tiny ember devours paper, then becomes a blaze that engulfs a mountain—this case could follow the same path.
Lina had gotten involved in what seemed like a scheme to dupe naive upper-class kids for a quick profit.
But it could spiral into a major plot to slander the elite.
Wanted or not, Lina had pushed Loren and Keron into it, leaving the children stranded at the heart of the bigger mess.
“…”
The scales faded from Lina’s face. Her gaze toward Loren slowly filled with regret.
“It’s okay. I just want Lina to tell the truth.”
Loren beamed and cautiously approached Lina.
Flash.
Seonal spotted a sudden glint and cast a spell without hesitation.
Unsure what magic it was, he reinforced it with incantation.
[Block it.]
A black curtain like the night sky draped before everyone, including Lina.
Boom!
A beam of light targeted Lina but failed to pierce Seonal’s barrier.
“Please.”
Seonal stroked the startled Loren and made a brief request to Lina.
The curtain parted like drapes, and one of Seonal’s eyes blazed red.
[Scan.]
He seized the mana thread from the recent shot and cast the next spell.
[Track.]
Whoosh.
Fierce red mana surged.
[Wind, gather.]
Wind swirled at Seonal’s feet, propelling him forward without pause.
Thud.
In one step, he vaulted the garden wall and fiddled with the tiny body cam on his civil servant ID.
Shrunk for cases where complainants felt uneasy and refused cooperation during handling, it was a magic tool stabilized against shakes.
It auto-activated to protect both handler and complainant when deployed on-site, though it could feel burdensome at times.
So he’d modified it himself. Extra stabilization, and manual on/off.
‘There was no rule against tinkering.’
Few others would touch magic tools anyway—not that they couldn’t, but it risked ruining the magic circle.
‘…Anyway, it should have recorded fine.’
As red mana traced downward, Seonal stood atop the wall, staring at whoever had just cast the spell.
He hesitated to leap in immediately with so many people around.
Calculating a distance safe from harming bystanders, he lunged forward to catch the culprit.
Whoosh.
Wind whistled past his ears, whipping his hair.
The fleeing culprit turned without looking back.
Heh.
Human or other race unclear, but grinning while clutching something.
Seonal’s eyes widened at the mana swelling in the culprit’s grip.
‘It’ll explode.’
Before landing, Seonal clenched his fist and yanked as if seizing something.
Clank.
Iron chains rose from the ground.
The first magic manifested upon learning was called one’s unique spell.
Cast without circles or words, it was mana’s blessing to the mage—a lifelong companion.
This nation had discarded unique spells; he had kept his.
The chains obeyed his will, snaring the culprit’s legs and snatching the object.
No time to identify it before enveloping it fully.
[Envelop and seal.]
As Seonal descended, his spell summoned black cloth that wrapped tight, allowing no gaps.
Tap!
He landed lightly with wind’s aid amid murmurs.
As people reached for phones, an explosion erupted from the cloth, sending them screaming in flight.
Boom!
‘…He really set off a bomb?’
Seonal stood firm.
His magic had blocked it, but a faint breeze carried the acrid stench of gunpowder.
He scanned around. Those who hadn’t fled or paused to stare.
Their gazes weren’t friendly.
Without context, it looked like he’d caused the blast.
Snap.
He snapped his fingers, mana gathering around him.
It disrupted electromagnetic waves—any recordings would distort him alone.
Bad for it to spread online or by word of mouth.
Seonal approached the man.
The dazed grinner suddenly clawed for his throat.
Smack.
Seonal swatted the hand away and spoke calmly.
“Interspecies Complaint Resolution Special Department, Ha Seonal. You’ve not only obstructed official duties but attempted to harm a complainant. To ensure complainant safety and smooth handling, I invoke emergency suppression authority. In such cases, ability use is permitted for Complaint Department personnel.”
Seonal warned him.
The department lacked police arrest powers but could use force against obstructions.
Why else choose it?
Crunch.
The man’s nails sharpened; Seonal identified his race.
Wolfkin.
Thud.
The man backed away slyly, then lunged, claws like blades aimed for Seonal’s throat.
The raw killing intent in that simple attack showed he meant to kill.
Before the claws reached, Seonal yanked the man’s feet hard with chains.
Bang!
Yanked midair, off-balance, he face-planted.
‘Tough as nails.’
Even in human form, wolfkin shrugged off such impacts.
No choice to subdue one like this.
“Resisting like this leaves me no option. Excuse me.”
Seonal placed a hand on the man’s shoulder.
Thud.
Shaking the body’s mana flipped the man’s eyes back; he convulsed then slumped.
‘…This is insane.’
Seonal’s face twisted.
Had he targeted Lina from the start? Or switched hastily when Seonal intervened?
‘Or was it Loren and Keron?’
Seonal pulled out his cellphone.
This case probably needed police linkage.
“Chief.”
He called Edenal.
[Yes, Seonal?]
“Near bomb terror incident.”
* * *
“…Are you alright?”
Seonal had confirmed Loren and Keron’s safety, checked for more surveillance devices, then entered the room where Lina was restrained.
“They targeted me. I saw it clearly.”
Lina clutched her hair. Trembling in fear, she huddled in the corner, tail coiled around her body.
“You’re safe. Don’t worry.”
“R-Right. The y-young master and lady—are they okay?”
“Both are fine.”
Seonal recalled the remarkably composed Keron and Loren.
“No additional surveillance devices found. Any more?”
“There shouldn’t be. Just the sticker. That mage… is the mage caught?”
“Rest assured. He’s not a mage. He’s detained and being handed to police.”
Seonal sat.
The situation had shifted suddenly, chasing Lina’s attacker, but his job remained.
Complainants Keron and Loren faced discrimination over money, stalking, and threats.
He’d come to resolve it: grill Lina for her accomplice, track the mage who made the magic tool with the bug.
First, the man who attacked Lina and tried bomb terror was under enchantment.
And enchantment was dream demon race power.
‘Vampires and dream demons on bad terms, sure.’
Before the war, dream demons were vampires’ subjugates.
Vampires as overlords, dream demons as servants.
Even now preaching equality and harmony, old grudges didn’t vanish overnight.
The subjugated naturally harbored resentment.
‘Hope it’s just a simple case.’
Lina, the mage, dream demon. Praying no connection, Seonal eyed her.
“Who’s the accomplice? You need to tell us now.”