Won't You Submit a Petition With Me?

Translator : Elizabeth

Finding out the hospital room where Charles was, I shook off the nurse who tried to stop me and headed there.

Even if she has better basic physical abilities than me because she is a cat beastkin, Charles is still closer to a civilian, yet the poor thing got swept up in the battle.

As I entered her hospital room, I saw Charles with scrapes and wounds here and there.

Seeing her with band-aids all over her face and even a cast on her arm made me feel very bad.

If only I hadn't made Lily and Yukino angry, innocent Charles wouldn't have ended up like that...

Seeing me coming to her bedside, Charles welcomed me with an expression where surprise and gladness coexisted.

"S-Senior! Welcome... No, why did you come?! Is your body fully healed, Senior? You bled so much from your buttock..."

Although I couldn't see my situation back then, somehow I kept feeling like I showed everyone an unsightly appearance.

Avoiding her gaze slightly out of embarrassment, I called Charles.

"Charles, did you happen to hear while I was unconscious that Lily and Yukino will be transferred to the Special Management Bureau?"

At that, Charles pricked up her cat ears and ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠nodded her head diligently.

"I heard! Those people, they deserve it! How dare they attack Senior, and especially that person named Yukino even shot an arrow into your buttock... What if our Senior can't go to the bathroom alone anymore... Then there's no choice but for me to take care of Senior by your side..."

"No, it just lodged in the buttock flesh, not the anus. There won't be any problem with that, so you don't need to worry..."

"Tch..."

Did I hear wrong?

I feel like I heard a strange sound, perhaps due to my mood, but I didn't come to say useless things to Charles, so I brought up the main topic immediately.

"Oh right, Charles. The reason I came here is none other than because there's something I really want to ask of you."

Then Charles suddenly pricked up her ears, fluttered them, and her eyes sparkled.

Even her tail was wagging, showing she was in quite a good mood.

"Heheh, a favor? Senior asking me for a favor? You've finally realized the value of this cute, lovely, and reliable junior!"

"Uh... let's just say so."

"Heheh, good! Since Senior is asking me directly for a favor, I have to listen even out of curiosity! What should I do for you?"

I stared at Charles's tail moving back and forth frantically for a moment, then spoke.

"Won't you submit a petition for Lily and Yukino with me? Since the people known as the biggest victims are you and me, if we both submit a petition saying we don't want punishment, the higher-ups will also take it into consideration! I'll try to persuade the Search Team Hunters who suffered on site too! Please!"

The tail that was swinging woosh woosh stopped abruptly.

And she stared at me quietly with eyes that had become quite sharp and asked.

"So... the favor you wanted to ask me was to prevent those two transferees from being punished?"

"Yeah, that's how it is... I know it's really shameless to ask this of you who got completely swept up in the fight! But instead, I'll grant a favor you want too, so can't you forgive those two just once? Please, I beg you!"

I grabbed Charles's hands and bowed my head.

Someone might say it's unsightly for a senior to bow his head to a junior, but such face wasn't important at all.

My wives are about to be sent to the Special Management Bureau of all places, so what does face matter?

Since Charles was silent for a while, I lifted my head slightly and looked at her.

Charles's tail, which had been wagging, had stopped as it was, and her expression, which had been smiling brightly, was also stiffened, showing she was very displeased.

Charles, who was glaring at me, opened her eyes fiercely and shouted in anger.

"Hiss! It's just a request you'd make to a victim who was at that scene, not a request to 'me'! If it was someone who was at that spot, it wouldn't matter who it was!"

"Huh? No, naturally, I'm asking you because you're ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the victim who got swept up back then, why all of a sudden..."

"Senior, you're the worst! I won't help you! Please get out!"

"Ch-Charles? Why are you angry..."

"Get out!!!"

Because Charles started throwing pillows at me, I hurriedly fled out of the hospital room to avoid the disaster of getting hit by a pillow on the buttock again and having the wound burst.

Of course, she ended up hospitalized because she got swept up in the fight between Lily and Yukino, so asking her to petition for the two people who were the cause would be displeasing, but...

But why was she angry not because I asked for a petition, but because it wasn't a request to 'her'?

If it was the former reason, I would have understood quickly, but I couldn't understand why Charles was angry at all.

Since obtaining Charles's cooperation failed, I guess I have no choice but to negotiate with the higher-ups myself.

Grabbing my throbbing buttock, I went to find Director Lee Hyo-jong of the Interdimensional Transfer Countermeasures Headquarters, my superior, and knocked on his office door.

"Director, it's Jung Hyun-soo."

"Come in."

I opened the door immediately and went inside.

Director Lee Hyo-jong, glancing at me sitting on the chair awkwardly due to buttock pain, turned his eyes back to the documents and asked.

"Did they say you can move already?"

"No, the nurse told me to rest and stabilize a bit more, but I dropped by briefly because there's something I absolutely must tell the Director."

"What is it?"

"I heard that the interdimensional transferee Lily, who came in last time, and Yukino, whom we contacted today, will be sent to the Special Management Bureau."

"That is what will happen."

'Tsk...'

I felt anxious inwardly.

The Special Management Bureau was a kind of correctional facility where people who severely opposed the assimilation and socialization processes provided by the Interdimensional Transfer Countermeasures Headquarters, or who caused severe conflict or discord, were sent.

People who enter the Special Management Bureau have no freedom to come outside the designated place, cannot have decent jobs, and must live a life doing only labor ordered by the Management Bureau.

It is said there were many cases of rebellion due to dissatisfaction with the treatment, but since very powerful Hunters are always monitoring that place, they have never succeeded.

Although it was a severe violation of human rights, ultimately, the side with the initiative in this world was the one originally living here, and since not all transferees had strong abilities like Lily or Yukino, there was no improvement.

Since I returned to Korea and the Interdimensional Transferee Settlement Support Division was newly established and I took that position, not a single person has been sent to the Special Management Bureau, but I knew its notoriety well by hearing.

It was questionable whether Lily and Yukino would obediently enter there in the first place, but even such discussion taking place itself was unbearable.

Why do my wives, who haven't done anything particularly wrong, have to go to such a place?

Of course, it was wrong to fight to the extent that Charles, a powerless civilian, got swept up! But that is absolutely not something to go to the Special Management Bureau for.

I attempted to negotiate with Director Lee Hyo-jong.

"Director, those two people are people I met in their respective worlds when I was interdimensionally transported before. I can dare guarantee that they are absolutely not people to go to the Special Management Bureau. Can't you reconsider the decision just once?"

"I don't know how they were in the previous worlds, but here, they are nothing more than parties who caused a major accident."

"It's not like anyone died or significant property damage occurred."

"Instead, quite a few people were injured."

"I am the most seriously injured person, but even if I write a petition saying I don't want punishment, it won't work?"

"Are you the only one injured? Right now, your junior Charles was injured, and the Search Team Hunters also suffered injuries big and small. It's not a problem that can be solved with a petition from you alone. The two ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠will be sent to the Special Management Bureau after being referred to the disciplinary committee for acts of attack against Settlement Support Division employees and Search Team Hunters.

This is not my arbitrary decision but in accordance with the legal procedures established after the interdimensional transfer phenomenon, so don't say useless things."

Damn it, the damn old man usually dumps all the work on me and Charles while playing and eating, but only talks logic at times like this.

Since I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠had no means to refute those words right now, I had no choice but to bow my head to Director Lee Hyo-jong.

"Excuse me for making a useless request."

"You may leave."

Leaving the Director's office, I sighed and continued to worry if there was any other way to save my wives.

I absolutely cannot let those two be sent to the Special Management Bureau...

But if the two start resisting with force, then a really bigger problem will occur...

'Think, think! To prevent a punishment decision from coming out of the disciplinary committee for the two... Hmm?'

Just then, I recalled what Director Lee Hyo-jong said.

— It's not a problem that can be solved with a petition from you alone.

'I think there's an answer?'

Holding my throbbing buttock, I waddled back to the medical room and called the nurse at the desk.

"Section Chief Jung Hyun-soo? Is there something you need?"

"All the Search Team Hunters injured due to the fight between interdimensional transferees in Cheonan this time are hospitalized here, right? Could you tell me what room numbers they are in?"

Having received the patient list, I waddled again to my accommodation within the headquarters, rummaged through the drawer, and took out a certain item I had cherished.

Several pills inside a glass bottle.

The Central Plains (Murim), the place where I was last before returning to our world.

It was a miraculous pill formulated with a secret method known only to some craftsmen of the Demonic Cult, using herbs that grow only in the Southern Hundred Thousand Great Mountains (Nam-man Sip-man-dae-san) far away from there.

When my wife I met in the fourth world almost certainly regained the position of Heavenly Demon that she had lost, they gave it to me, who would become her husband, meaning 'please look after us well.'

Sadly, for me whose mana, spiritual power, and internal energy all almost disappeared after coming here, it was meaningless to eat, but the medicinal effect must be valid.

If a petition from me alone won't work, then more petitions will do!

Bribery and persuasion! That is the foundation that makes modern society go round!