Chapter 32
Chapter 32
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 32
Chapter Title: Modern Magic Lecture (1)
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Oh Myungtae kept blinking in disbelief at the situation unfolding before him.
"S-so... you're saying it was... ter-terrorism?"
"Yes, you heard that right. Normally, we wouldn't disclose this to outsiders, but since you're not an outsider—you're the center of the incident—I'm telling you."
"......"
The prosecutor emphasized the word center with particular force. His gaze was so piercing it could freeze you solid.
"Mr. Oh Myungtae, it's true that you routinely ordered your colleagues to 'bring you' any beautiful women they spotted, correct?"
"Th-that's..."
"And it's also true that you exploited weak personalities or victims' vulnerabilities to demand sponsorships through coercion and blackmail, targeting our agency's celebrities and victims alike?"
"N-no, that's not... I mean..."
"Stick to the facts. Do you have any idea how many people have been stripped bare by this? Over ten politicians have already had their heads roll in the political sphere—ten. All the big shots you were cozying up to have been ground to dust."
"...N-no, Prosecutor! There's been some misunderstanding...!"
"Misunderstanding be damned—the evidence and testimonies are all in. This terrorism was commissioned by someone with a grudge against you, and the whole nation's eyes are on it now. No matter what you say... you'll pay for your crimes. Maybe for life."
Life imprisonment. That was the prosecutor's minimum estimate for the trial's outcome.
"Aigoo, Prosecutor! I really know nothing about this! Please...!"
"If you're ready for some 'sincere conversation,' we'll talk then. Just so you know, I enjoy using 'coercive methods' on scumbags like criminals."
"...!!?"
Already branded a criminal—or the mastermind behind the terrorism—Oh Myungtae crumpled, his face twisting from woe to utter despair.
I... why me...!
Already nursing injuries in the worst possible places from the blast, Oh Myungtae now felt the heavens themselves crashing down on him.
But the sky wasn't satisfied with that—it was framing him as the terrorism's culprit.
Oh Myungtae felt like he was going mad!
He'd woken from a faint to find himself castrated, his CEO vanished without a trace.
He wished it was all just a nightmare.
But he wasn't the only one who had to pay for his sins.
It might offer cold comfort that the other DM employees guilty of crimes on par with his were in the exact same boat.
Oh Myungtae and 67 other DM staffers had their faces plastered nationwide, paying dearly for abandoning conscience and morality.
-(...And now, the next story. Yesterday around 6:30 p.m., a terrorist attack struck DM Entertainment, the well-known celebrity agency. Thankfully, no fatalities, but the building collapsed as if bombed. Several people were found with serious injuries or wounds.)
-(The shocking part is that this was a revenge attack fueled by grudges. Police uncovered records of illegal sponsorships, naming political heavyweights and chaebol chairmen tied to it.)
-(What should have been buried without issue was astutely handled by the perpetrator. They've already exposed every illegal deed and personal detail about DM across the internet and major overseas communities.)
-(The international embarrassment and diplomatic fallout for Korea is beyond measure...-)
Beep.
"...Well, at least we got the fire lit successfully."
"You've been through a lot. Take a break."
"......Go easy so you don't get caught. Easy."
She called it "hacking practice," but Aram treated probing corporate network defenses as just that.
Normally, he'd never allow it, but she'd worked overtime this time.
Hack DM's info net, gather data, secure evidence, smuggle files overseas dozens of times...!
Finally, the spotlight locked onto the "DM Gate" scandal as intended. Mirni pulled off her everyday victim cosplay flawlessly, slipping away unscathed.
"That was a close one."
Sacrificing DM's crew as scapegoats? No regrets there.
Even if the Fly King's magic stoked their desires, they chose to act on his orders.
If they went wild with lust, paying the price was only fair. Yuseong just sneered at their on-screen outrage, wiping them from memory.
"That crap's irrelevant anyway."
Political bigwigs, chaebol heirs...? Meaningless to him.
His own stability and peace came first—always.
So...!
"Why don't you quit bugging me and just scram?"
"......"
"...I'm tired, you rotten bastards."
"......"
Leon and the others stared at Yuseong with burdensome intensity. He massaged his temples wearily.
Mana.
A remnant of memories he'd thought severed—like ties he could no longer see.
He'd convinced himself he'd let go without lingering regrets, but seeing it now flipped that notion on its head.
"...H-hey..."
"Don't demand answers from me."
"......"
"You eyeing me right now, punk?"
"N-no, it's not that...!"
"Then what? Interrogating me? In front of these guys...? Even beasts know gratitude for shelter, but you're turning on your host? Damn it! That's why they say never take in black-haired beasts...!!"
"W-well, excluding Sylvia and Valian, we're not all black-haired?"
"Mirni!? A-are you selling me out?!"
"Just stating facts, facts."
"Shut up, all of you!"
"......"
"......"
They listened... but kept staring at Yuseong, pleading silently for answers like devotees at prayer.
...Now with an extra nosy pushover making his head throb.
"...Can you just stay quiet for once? Getting involved with you always gives me headaches... "
Io pouted openly, looking hurt and sulky at her treatment.
Then, soon...
"Done? Already?"
"......Finally earning your keep."
Io cautiously wondered if her treatment would worsen had she failed this time.
The remnant soul left by the Fly King.
Yuseong had collected it and handed it to Io for analysis.
If Luxy could use magic, he'd have tasked her, but since she couldn't, he had to roll the goddess instead.
Io proved surprisingly capable.
Or rather, motivated—she was determined to deliver.
Having mostly taken or burdened him until now, she seemed eager to help this once.
Guess a goddess was still a goddess.
In under half a day, she produced results, successfully reading the Fly King's memories.
"What do you mean?"
"Nah, not really..."
"No, seriously, no thoughts on it..."
Even as Yuseong spoke truth, Io persisted with her pitying misunderstanding. He shrugged it off without correcting her.
No point—more talk would just annoy him.
Io took his hand and continued.
"Mind letting go?"
"......What?"
The sudden Demon King mention froze everyone.
Leon's pupils quivered wildly, Valian couldn't stifle a groan, Sylvia's hands trembled.
Alicia and Luxy seemed composed, but faint spasms betrayed them. Mirni hugged herself, terror plain as day.
These battle-hardened veterans—who could replace an army—succumbed to fear in unison.
The Demon King.
Not odd they'd react so if they'd faced him.
Even Yuseong's face stiffened oddly. He shot back at Io.
"The Demon King... knew about Earth?"
"...Why think that?"
This "final battle" meant their last clash with Beelzebub in Midgard—not the agency beatdown.
Memory-Beelzebub desperately wanted to live.
Brimming with intent to kill Leon's crew somehow, it planned a brief retreat to its Hell domain—but erred, warping to recorded soul coordinates instead.
And those wrong coordinates were none other than...
"Here?"
"...Makes sense."
The Demon King: named for ruling demons, but also symbolizing his other kingship.
[King of Magic.]
Midgard's greatest mage, reducing all others to trash.
Even the five goddesses couldn't dismiss his spells—evaluated as beyond humanity's reach.
Reading past, present, future: "irregular monster" fell short.
Even in death, that bastard torments people...
Yuseong shook off a sigh rather than a tongue-click, refocusing on Io.
"Yeah, whatever on that. One more question. So... other demon scum could be here too? Even... that Demon King bastard?"
"Why?"
With Beelzebub as precedent?
"True..."
Thus, no more special demon incursions to this world...
—Io's conclusion.
"......"
He trusted her, but unease lingered for Yuseong.
Life teaches predictions rarely pan out...
Especially with the Demon King involved—doubly nagging.
If demons really show up again, it won't end smoothly like today.
Yuseong glanced back at the six gaping idiots and sighed.
Yeah, maybe even dog shit turns medicinal if applied right...
"...Sigh, what a fate..."
Chewing over massive regret at ever tangling with these fools—Yuseong.