Chapter 16
Chapter 16
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 016
Chapter Title: Special Reward
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"S-Situation terminated."
At the report from the monitoring officer, a heavy silence blanketed the command center.
It was that shocking. The scene broadcast from the bodycam had stolen everyone's words.
Whatever it was, the chimeras getting swept away like fallen autumn leaves was more than enough to leave them speechless.
"Wh-What the hell is that guy?"
"He ended the situation again without backup?"
"What was that just now? Magic?"
"I-I don't know."
"Last time he took down that witch, and now even the alchemists..."
"Heard that? They say that prisoner's nickname is Mafia Butcher."
"Heh, Butcher, huh."
"Whatever it is, looks like we've got one hell of a guy on our hands..."
Amid the murmuring officers, Joseph stared at the monitor with excited eyes.
'As expected, Magic Tower folks never disappoint...!'
When the helicopter went down, he'd wondered if it was all over.
But Kyle Clark had once again exceeded every expectation.
'Rumors say the Magic Tower has all sorts of unheard-of spells...'
He hadn't expected it to be this impressive.
To his untrained eyes, it just looked bizarre.
'He blew away the chimeras, so maybe some application of telekinesis?'
Or perhaps wind. The bodycam on his chest limited what they could see.
'If so, he might be a wind-attribute mage.'
Whatever it was, it was fine by him. It was like a stroke of pure luck dropping right into his lap.
'I almost want to recruit him to the Special Forces.'
The 8th Special District Police Department had always struggled with budget and manpower shortages, being little more than an abandoned city's police force.
Their Special Forces' quality inevitably lagged behind the Investigation Bureau's elite teams or other departments' squads.
Things had improved lately with the city's redevelopment plan restarting, but time constraints still held them back.
'Still a long way to go.'
Come next year, City Hall would start buying up land for mine development in earnest.
They needed to stabilize the 8th Special District at least somewhat before then.
'No more just defending.'
Now they had to proactively wipe out the gangs disrupting order and cement public authority.
Otherwise, it'd just be endless whack-a-mole.
Of course, they hadn't been idle. There was the Moonlit Path incident before, and this time...
They'd caught the tail of the Al Kimia Alliance, the alchemists' cabal, through an informant they'd turned. But his cover got blown, sparking this mess.
"Captain! Alpha Team's moving in to secure the site!"
"...Tell them to report back once they've recovered the informant's data."
"Yes, sir!"
Just then, Joseph's phone rang. He checked the caller and picked up immediately.
"Yes, Inspector. Where are you?"
"Out in the Central Administrative District right now. Got some business to handle."
Lyn Yenitz spun the leather wheel lightly as she drove her sleek pink compact car.
[Central Administrative District... Did something come up from City Hall?]
"No, nothing like that. Just... had an appointment come up."
[I see.]
She pulled up at a traffic light and asked,
"Heard something went wrong with the Al Kimia op. What's the situation now?"
[Just wrapped up.]
"Already?"
Joseph let out a small chuckle over the speaker.
[43471. That guy's done it again.]
"43471... Kyle Clark, right?"
[Who else?]
"......"
Lyn Yenitz's expression turned complicated.
A nagging suspicion had been bothering her lately.
As if eager to change the subject, she pivoted.
"Ahem, what about the informant?"
[Unfortunately, he's dead.]
"Damn..."
She let out a soft sigh.
"The body?"
[We'll secure it soon. Planning to recover the neural data chip too.]
"Good. We have to get that chip. Otherwise, all our efforts so far will be for nothing."
Since the 8th Special District's security stabilization project launched, their biggest hurdle had been a severe lack of intel.
Having left the district as a lawless pit for so long, even grasping the criminal underworld's dynamics was no easy feat.
Especially the major crime syndicates' structures, main operations, key members—everything was a blind spot.
'And then there are terrorists like Moonlit Path...'
A real headache. Rubbing her smooth brow, she said,
"Anyway, handle the scene cleanup well. See you back at base soon."
[Yes. Talk later.]
She hung up and pulled into a small parking lot.
After killing the engine and stepping out, Yenitz headed to a modest alleyway restaurant.
With a jingle-!, she entered, and a kindly-eyed waiter approached.
"Lyn Yenitz?"
"...Yes."
"Your guest is waiting in the back."
"......"
The restaurant interior was eerily quiet, like someone had rented out the whole place.
Following the waiter deeper in, she was led to a private room.
"This way."
Swallowing hard, Yenitz opened the door. Inside waited an elderly man in a fine suit.
"Ah, there you are, Inspector Yenitz."
His gaze made her tense up.
He was the head butler of the renowned Marshall Family.
The Marshall Family—close allies of the Luther Family, who had held the mayoral seat for generations. Calling them one of Dun City's founding contributors wasn't an exaggeration.
Their members or those backed by them still wielded influence across politics and business, their reach permeating society.
A rare house comparable to the Rockton Family that dominated the city council—even their head butler was no one to dismiss lightly.
"Must have been a long trip."
"No, not really..."
"Please, have a seat."
The butler gestured warmly, a soft smile on his face.
But to Yenitz, it felt uncomfortable.
She couldn't read the intent behind that smile.
"Something to drink?"
"...Sorry, I already ate."
"Ah, I see. Coffee, then?"
She nodded, and he ordered from the waiter.
"Two blends, please."
"Right away."
As the waiter departed, silence fell briefly.
Unable to bear it, Yenitz spoke first.
"So... what business does the Marshall Family's head butler have with a mere inspector like me?"
"Oh, so direct. Why not enjoy the coffee first?"
"......"
"Hm."
The butler raised a white eyebrow.
"I've made you uncomfortable, haven't I, Inspector?"
Yenitz swallowed a small sigh.
"Can't help it in a setting like this."
"Because I'm the Marshall Family butler?"
"I won't deny it."
The old man chuckled.
"You're not one for politics, Inspector."
"I'm no politician."
"Fair enough. Straight to business, then."
He elegantly stirred sugar into his coffee as the waiter served it.
"Inspector, personally speaking... I'm quite interested in the Security Stabilization Unit you're overseeing."
"Interested?"
"More precisely... yes."
He glanced at her cautiously.
"In a certain prisoner in the 141 Unit."
"Pardon?"
"Ring a bell if I say prisoner number 43471?"
"...!!"
Her reaction narrowed his eyes.
'Just as Young Master said—he's clearly different from the other prisoners.'
Otherwise, why would an inspector memorize some disposable prisoner's number?
Yenitz was shocked for another reason.
'Why would the Marshall Family, Luther's allies, be interested in Kyle Clark...?'
Her eyes trembled.
'No way?'
"If possible, I'd like to sponsor him—donate him to the unit, essentially. Could you perhaps assist, Inspector?"
She swallowed involuntarily.
He kept stressing "personally," but even she could tell this was the Marshall Family's will, with him as proxy.
"Sp-Sponsorship?"
"Yes. If he needs gear or supplies, I'd like to provide them."
"If it's not too rude... may I ask why?"
"Just... personal reasons."
"......"
The butler smiled brightly.
'Like hell it's personal.'
Yenitz felt a headache coming on.
'He's basically telling me not to pry...'
She hadn't expected the Marshall Family to back him like this.
'43471. Who the hell are you?'
Really anti-magic constitution? The Luther Family's bastard child?
With a small groan, she looked up.
'Whatever. No point antagonizing the Marshall Family.'
She had no choice but to comply. She asked,
"Specifically... how can I help?"
The old man smiled.
On the helicopter ride back to the prison, I was a bit excited by an unexpected discovery.
'Even without skill points, skills can be acquired if proficiency rises somehow.'
That meant dying the same way on-site wasn't pointless.
It was a huge revelation, but it had one flaw.
'If I want to focus on fire magic, I can't choose the deployment site.'
In this 8th Special District, crime scenes were like random loot boxes.
I couldn't guarantee a fire mage would be there just because I wanted to die to fire magic.
Then, a clever idea flashed through my mind.
'Wait. That alchemist didn't actually use fire magic directly.'
He'd used a gem inscribed with magic.
In other words, borrowing the power of a magic artifact, not casting himself.
'Which means...'
I blinked.
'If I get one of those artifacts and use it on myself, I can raise the skill tree I want?'
For example, blow myself up with a lightning magic gem to boost lightning proficiency.
I stroked my chin unconsciously.
'...Worth testing.'
But there was another issue.
'How do I get a magic artifact?'
From what I knew, inscribed gems were insanely expensive. Not something you pick up at a store.
'And I'm a prisoner right now...'
Even with money, acquiring one was tricky.
'...Ask Captain Joseph?'
I glanced at the three people strapped to stretchers beside me.
Walter and the other inmates.
They'd all passed out from the final firestorm's shockwave.
'Luckily, no serious injuries.'
[Arrival in 2 minutes!]
The tall guard spoke into his comms toward me.
[Prepare to disembark, 43471.]
As I stood, I felt eyes on me and turned.
The guard was staring openly.
"Uh... something you need?"
He chuckled and shook his head.
[No, nothing. Just...]
He looked out at the hatch.
[Thanks to you drawing the alchemists' attention, our comrades' bodies weren't desecrated by the chimeras. Appreciate it.]
"......"
His unexpected gratitude caught me off guard.
The guard cleared his throat awkwardly, as if surprised himself to thank a prisoner.
[Rest up, then head to Captain Joseph's office after dinner. Probably good news.]
I blinked.
"Good news?"
[Yeah.]
He shook his head in disbelief.
[Never thought I'd see the day this unit issues outing passes with my own eyes.]
"!!"
Meanwhile, at the 8th Special District Police's special detention center.
In the A-rank cell for heretical mages, Ron Dito—Moonlit Path executive, fully restrained— was imprisoned.
A strange shadow fell over him.
A mustachioed correctional officer checked his awareness and spoke.
"Mr. Dito."
"...You're here."
Dito looked up as the officer wiped his face, revealing a young woman's.
Ron Dito asked,
"What happened after that?"
"Not good. Negotiations with the Bruno Family fell through, and Gerald—that wolf bastard who promised to help—vanished."
Her face twisted.
"If he'd just done his part, none of this would've happened. How could you suffer this humiliation with him around? The Baal Cult must be mocking us."
"No."
Dito shook his head.
"This isn't the Baal Cult's doing."
"Pardon? What do you...?"
His face hardened.
"...Would you believe me if I said someone in the police subdued Gerald Hudson in an instant?"
"...Huh???"
"Wolves tuck tail and hide before overwhelming strength. That's why Gerald vanished."
Dito swallowed, recalling that day.
"I saw it. The chilling eyes of the man who tamed the wolf."
The moment their gazes met...
His vision went black.
He had no idea what hit him.
By the time he came to, he'd already been captured.
"...Dun City's been raising a monster in the 8th Special District."
"!!"
"Tell our comrades: Moonlit Path isn't ready yet."
Not until they knew who that monster was—and the nature of his power.
Ron Dito's face warped in humiliation.
"Full-scale entry into the 8th Special District... postpone for now...!"
The sudden message froze me mid-dinner.
I gulped down my rice, mouth agape.
"?????"