Becoming a Mage of the Special Unit in Another World

Chapter 6 – Honestly, Tuesdays aren’t that different. (2)

“……?”
Sunal was momentarily taken aback. Not only the girl, but also the boy looked like they were about to cry.
“You must wait your turn. Since your number is 20, it’s right to head over there.”
“I-I want to consult with you.”
The girl tightly gripped the number slip with both hands.
“Me too. Me too.”
The boy got off the chair, pressed himself close to the desk, and looked at Sunal with a desperate expression.
“I’m sorry, but no one can break the order.”
“How much will it take? I have a lot of money.”
The girl took out her wallet from her pocket. When she pulled out a black card, Sunal’s eyes widened slightly.
‘…No way. It couldn’t be. There’s no way it’s an actual black card, right?’
The black card, a card used by the truly wealthy, was a symbol of unlimited spending.
“I’m sorry, but government officials cannot accept money or goods.”
Sunal reached out his hand and shook his head.
“Why not? Other officials accepted it gladly. They really liked it.”
The girl’s eyes widened in innocence, and despite her words, her gaze was so sincere that Sunal inwardly doubted as he gave a simple answer.
“Accepting money from citizens while performing official duties is a bad thing. You’ll go straight to prison.”
“They didn’t.”
“If reported, they will go to prison.”
“But I offered to give it.”
“The person who accepted it is still at fault.”
“Why isn’t it allowed? I was told that people move because of money.”
“Who on earth told you that?”
Who could have fed such absurd ideas to a child like this? While it was true that people could be moved by money, there was no need for her to know that yet.
“Grandfather said it.”
“Yeah, Grandfather said that.”
As the girl blinked, the boy also opened his eyes wide.
Sunal hesitated slightly.
Interfering in another family’s affairs wasn’t something he should be doing.
“…It’s possible your grandfather might have said that. But the important thing is, you cannot offer money to a government official.”
“Then, how can I make you consult with me?”
The girl pointed to the number 20 slip she held tightly, her voice filled with earnestness.
“Perhaps you could ask the next person in line for their understanding and make a request.”
At Sunal’s response, the girl smiled brightly and clenched her fists.
“Wait for me, okay? You must wait.”
“I’ll be here, sis.”
“You’re such a good boy.”
The girl patted the boy’s head and walked toward where the people were gathered. Her steps were anything but ordinary.
Since he couldn’t hear what she was saying outside, Sunal asked the boy, “Why did you come to me?”
“That.”
The boy pointed to the badge hanging around Sunal’s neck and smiled brightly.
“I saw your name and came here.”
The boy sat on the chair, swinging his legs.
Since it was a magical chair that automatically adjusted in height and width according to the person, Sunal was now at eye level with the boy.
“Oh, my name is Loren. My sister’s name is Keron.”
“Nice to meet you.”
“I saw you at the Wizards’ Association.”
Loren didn’t stop smiling, his expression as bright as sunshine.
‘More people are recognizing me all of a sudden.’
Earlier, someone had mentioned seeing him during the interethnic grievance related to the Medusa species.
Was it because his hair color stood out too much? Maybe he should start wearing a hat.
“Your hair color is unique! I knew right away!”
Sure enough, the same comment came out of Loren’s mouth.
‘No matter how much I try to dye it, it won’t take. What should I do with it?’
In the past, when he was “Lineal,” he had dedicated his entire life to becoming a wizard through magic. Now, because of that magic, he had achieved his dream of becoming a wizard.
The only side effect from that time was this hair.
No matter how hard he tried to dye it, the color wouldn’t change. He had heard countless comments about it from various people, including his grandfather.
“You look just like Grandfather!”
When Loren laughed, Sunal couldn’t help but laugh along with him. He had already expected this comment to come.
“Did you come to see me just because of my hair?”
“No.”
Loren shook his head. Despite the bright smile on his face, there was a strange sharpness in his gaze.
“I don’t trust wizards.”
It was an oddly dangerous statement for a child who seemed to be of elementary school age. However, Sunal inwardly agreed.
The place where Sunal had once been as Lineal was a nation of wizards.
From birth, they were exposed to magic and studied it until death.
They had cast off the old ways, studying more efficient methods for mana and wizards, and had been educated to understand and care for those who weren’t wizards.
From Sunal’s perspective, the wizards here seemed full of nothing but vanity.
They were like fat pigs, more concerned with finding ways to squeeze more money than advancing magic.
“Now, press it.”
Keron approached Sunal and made a demand. She held the number slip with “21” written on it.
Seeing her face filled with pride and the satisfaction of success, Sunal couldn’t refuse to press the button.
After all, preserving the innocence of children was important too.
Ding.
When the number “21” appeared on the display board, both Keron and Loren’s eyes sparkled as if they were watching fireworks.
“Wow.”
Loren marveled and looked at Keron.
“Sis, we did it. We got the number.”
“You and I did it together.”
Keron smiled faintly and then handed the number slip to Sunal.
“We need someone to appraise a magical tool. It’s urgent.”
“I’m sorry, but for that, you’ll need to go to the Wizards’ Association.”
Sunal immediately refused Keron’s request.
He understood that she had worked hard, but this was beyond what he could allow.
“Can’t you appraise magical tools?”
“I can.”
“Then why can’t you do it?”
Keron pursed her lips and lightly clenched her fists.
“I’m not a member of the Wizards’ Association. I belong to the Interethnic Grievance Resolution Special Unit. I’m not allowed to use my power for anything other than resolving complaints.”
This was where the difference between government-employed wizards and those affiliated with the Wizards’ Association became clear.
The reason Wizards’ Association members enjoyed greater privileges was precisely because they were allowed to use magic to some extent outside of work.
They could research and experiment on their own.
But for Sunal, who was a government wizard, things were different.
Why would someone like him, who could create a teleportation spell, still have to take the subway and bus?
If he could just connect his home and workplace with a portal, he could commute in one minute. But instead, he found himself grumbling every morning during his long commute.
For government-employed wizards, the only power they were allowed to use outside of work was the right to self-defense.
“But aren’t you working right now?”
Keron bit her lip slightly. She hadn’t expected to be refused. She took out her wallet and began fidgeting with it. Slowly, tears started welling up in her eyes.
“Yes, I’m on duty. But would you like to take a look at this?”
Sunal pulled out an informational notice and pointed at it.
• No personal consultations allowed. (e.g., “I’m sad because my friendship fell apart,” “I’ve developed a crush,” etc.)
“Personal matters are not allowed. This is one of the rules of the Special Unit.”
“P-personal matters? Does that mean if someone else is involved, it’s fine?”
“There needs to be a deep connection or the situation has to persist over several days. For example, if someone comes in because they were insulted by another species, we’d usually advise them to go to the police station. But if that insult wasn’t just a spur-of-the-moment incident and continued the next day, we would step in. Do you understand the difference?”
“Yes, I understand!”
Keron nodded repeatedly, her soft, reddish-brown hair bouncing along with her head.
“They forced me to buy useless things just because I have a lot of money. It’s been over three months now.”
“That’s right, more than three months,” Loren chimed in beside her, his voice filled with determination.
From their expressions alone, it was clear how much they had endured.
“They forced you to buy things?”
Sunal’s expression shifted.
Even though it was coming from a child, it was something he needed to investigate further.
“I’m still young, so I didn’t fully understand what the adults were saying, but they told me that I needed to buy this item to truly awaken as a real vampire and become a respectable adult.”
‘They really did force these kids to buy things.’
Sunal was stunned.
No matter how wealthy these children might be, forcing sales on them was outrageous.
“It felt a bit strange, but I could afford to buy anything I wanted. After all, I want to become a respectable adult.”
Keron’s fingers fidgeted, and although she tried to act indifferent, her cheeks were turning slightly red with embarrassment.
“However, I still think it’s better to go to the police station first for this.”
Forcing someone to buy goods was a crime, especially when it involved children.
‘If they go to the police station and report this…’
“Why do you think I didn’t go to the police?”
Keron revealed her frustration as she asked the question, pursing her lips.
Sunal’s brow furrowed briefly before returning to normal.
Unlike the police station, which was primarily focused on processing complaints, his unit’s first step was always to listen to the stories of the people involved.
“They didn’t listen to us because we’re children. No one takes us seriously.”
“That’s right. They told us to bring proof. They also said to leave it to the adults. But you, Sunal, you’ve listened to us the most.”
Loren, equally dejected, rested his face on the desk.
“Grandfather is busy. He’s too busy, and I don’t want to bother him with things like this.”
“Do you have anyone else you can turn to besides your grandfather?”
“We do,” Keron’s gaze dropped slightly.
“But… we are proud vampires. If we spoke up about something like this, people would only look at us strangely.”
“That’s wrong.”
Sunal’s firm tone startled Keron.
“Pride is good. But children, regardless of their race, should be protected and have someone to rely on.”
Sunal beamed at both Keron and Loren. He then rummaged through his bag and pulled out two lollipops.
The children’s eyes lit up instantly.
“…Didn’t you say it’s not allowed to give or receive things while on duty?”
Unlike Loren, who immediately reached for the candy, Keron hesitated.
“Receiving is not allowed, but giving is fine. Besides, lollipops are just a little service for clients.”
“But I was told that eating candy will rot my teeth, and if my teeth rot…”
“Well then…”
“If you brush your teeth well, they won’t rot. Also, it’s rude to refuse someone’s kindness! Give it to me!”
Keron quickly extended her hand, and Sunal handed over the lollipop.
After accepting it, Keron shyly muttered, “…Thank you.”
She then turned her gaze to Loren, who was already unwrapping and eating his candy. Her expression immediately grew cold.
“Loren, what did I tell you to say when receiving a gift?”
“Thank you.”
Loren quickly realized his mistake and bowed his head toward Sunal.
“I’ll listen to your story. You can speak slowly if you want.”
Sunal thought it would be best to hear them out properly now.
“After I brought the magical tool that I bought to become a respectable adult into the house, strange things started happening.”
Keron, still holding the lollipop, spoke up.
“Strange things?”
“Yes. Strangers started following me, I got strange messages, and even at school, I could feel people watching me.”
“…Wait a moment.”
Sunal stopped smiling.
The situation was more serious than he initially thought. This sounded like stalking.
“Are you asking me to check if the magical tool has a listening device in it?”
“That’s right. I came to ask you to find the, um, the bug… in it.”
“Did you go to the Wizards’ Association?”
As much as he disliked the Wizards’ Association, the truth was that it was the only place specializing in matters like this.
“We did. We went to several branches. But instead of helping us, they just offered us more magical tools to buy. We bought them all, but they were useless.”
Keron pulled a crumpled piece of paper out of her pocket.
“This was stuck in my locker today.”
“Vampire brats, how does it taste like sucking other people’s blood? If you suck our blood, do you spit out gold?”
Sunal silently stared at the note.
Vampires had truly been nobles before the war, and even after the war, they had used their wealth to become even richer.
Money had become a social status symbol, but this went beyond that.
It was outright discrimination.
Sunal’s brow furrowed.