Becoming a Mage of the Special Unit in Another World

Chapter 10 – Last Night’s Chicken Was Pretty Bad

“You were waiting for me?”
Sunal’s gaze toward the old man wasn’t kind.
“Do you not know how famous you are among the wizards?”
“I’m not sure.”
“I still can’t forget it. Your magic was revolutionary.”
“What are you trying to say?”
Unlike when Loren had praised his magic, Sunal felt a certain desire emanating from the old man, making him uncomfortable. Sunal glanced at his wristwatch. The sun was setting, and it was approaching time to leave work.
“There’s a rumor within the vampire species. If one covets the blood of their own kind, they become younger and stronger.”
“I don’t see how that relates to the current situation.”
“I wanted to let you know that the conflicts within the vampires are far more significant than you might realize. Instead of saving one person at a time through your work with the Interethnic Grievance Resolution Special Unit, know that many still believe in that absurd rumor.”
“I’m aware. I’ve come too far to hold onto ideals now.”
The old man pointed to himself.
“I am one who was expelled from the vampire species and had my blood sucked dry. Can you save me?”
“……?”
Sunal couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Vampires expelling vampires? How could a species so focused on appearances do that to one of their own?
“Let me tell you why this happened.”
The old man chuckled at Sunal, who couldn’t find the right words to respond. It was a natural reaction. This was a story that would never be revealed to the world, and never should be. The vampires had been covering it up with money and power, over and over again, and the old man was bitter that he was the only one who knew the truth about their brutality.
“I was cast out because I left the vampire species and became a wizard.”
As soon as Sunal heard this, he clenched his fingers. The vampires’ hatred for wizards stemmed from the war. They had nearly taken over this country, but the wizards’ attacks had thwarted their plans. It made sense that they wouldn’t be fond of wizards.
“That doesn’t make sense. Even if vampires hate wizards, there are still some among them who…”
“They’re not purebloods. They’re half-bloods, with mixed blood. They can never truly be vampires.”
“What are you talking about?”
Sunal found it hard to grasp the old man’s words. Among humans, there were many different races, but they were all still human. While Sunal knew there were significant tensions between purebloods and half-bloods within the vampires, he hadn’t realized the hatred ran deep enough to infringe on personal freedom.
The old man pointed at Sunal with his finger.
“I am a pureblood, and just like you, I’m a mutant—a stain on the vampire species.”
Upon hearing that his current condition was due to becoming a wizard despite being a pureblood, Sunal realized that the unspoken customs within the vampire species ran deeper than he had imagined.
There was a sense of desperation in the old man’s gaze as he looked at Sunal. But Sunal couldn’t quite understand what that gaze meant.
“That’s why I’ve been watching you ever since you appeared in the Wizards’ Association. I’ve even hoped that you wouldn’t end up like me.”
The old man put down the teacup he had been holding and slowly smiled.
“Thank you.”
There was no emotion in his words other than gratitude. Sunal found the situation odd—so odd, in fact, that he couldn’t figure out how to handle it and kept glancing around nervously.
“I decided to look for what I could still do.”
“You planted a listening device and threatened a child. That alone is reason enough for me to be here. Don’t bother making excuses.”
“I even went to the police to report what happened to me. But without evidence, nothing came of it.”
“Even if you don’t have evidence, there’s plenty of proof of what you’ve done. Comparing the mana you’re emitting with the mana embedded in the magical tools will reveal everything.”
Sunal and the old man each shared their stories.
Sunal felt that continuing to listen to the old man’s story would only allow himself to be swayed. So, he had no choice but to respond firmly.
“I went to the Wizards’ Association. They gave me every reason to dismiss and ignore me. It seems the vampires had a hand in it. So, guess where I went after that.”
“I don’t think any more words are necessary. Please, cooperate.”
Leaving a final warning, Sunal cautiously began touching each of the magic tools that had been bothering him for a while, using his mana to investigate them. As soon as his mana came into contact with the magic tools, the magic circles and symbols started to slowly reveal themselves.
Sunal’s eyes widened in that instant.
‘…Will it explode?’
The magic tool he had just examined was essentially a bomb.
‘Could it be… all of these?’
Sunal attempted to pinpoint the exact locations of all the magic tools.
“I went to the Interethnic Grievance Resolution Special Unit.”
At that moment, all of Sunal’s thoughts and actions came to a halt at the old man’s words.
“Oh, not the unit where you worked, of course.”
“You went there… so why are you doing this?” Sunal’s voice rose slightly.
If the old man had gone to the Special Unit, Sunal had thought there might be some other motive than revenge.
“Not everyone there was like you. My grievances were ignored.”
The old man chuckled as he held his teacup. His laugh seemed to ask, “Who do you think did that?”
“What can I do, when everything I had was torn apart? All I can do is burn my life and cry out.”
Hearing the old man’s dangerous tone, Sunal let mana seep into his fingertips.
“To be honest, I didn’t really expect you to come. But once I realized you were on your way, I was pleased to wait for you.”
The old man set down his teacup.
“I just wanted to tell someone in the end. Thank you so much for listening to my last words.”
Then, with a smile, the old man reached inside his robes for something.
However, with a flick of Sunal’s hand, his unique magic activated, and chains snatched the magic tool away from the old man. There wasn’t time to determine whether it was a bomb or a device designed to cause a mana rampage.
All Sunal could do was block everything.
[Reveal!]
Magic circles appeared on all the magic tools in the room. The old man’s hand was about to reach somewhere, but he froze, momentarily stunned by the unbelievable sight before him.
Sunal continued to cast his spell.
There was only one clean way to eliminate everything with minimal damage.
[Pierce through the magic circles, beams of light.]
As soon as Sunal activated the spell, 14 beams of light shot from the air, precisely striking each of the magic circles.
Crash!
The magic circles shattered, and the old man’s eyes widened.
It had been fast. Far too fast.
The mere act of exposing the magic circles had been stunning, but the beams of light descending from the sky felt as though they had come to judge him.
The magic he had once witnessed, the magic he had considered revolutionary, now unfolded before his very eyes. Somehow, this calmed the old man in an odd way.
Deep within, something that he had long given up on slowly began to stir again.
“No! This kind of death is meaningless! No one will recognize it, and I’ll just be a laughingstock for someone.”
Sunal, denying the old man’s every word, raised his voice slightly and spoke again.
“If you feel such resentment, then come see me again as a formal complainant.”
The old man stared blankly at Sunal.
“At that time, I will handle your complaint to the best of my ability.”
When Sunal first entered the room, his eyes had been filled with laziness and indifference. But now, they were sharp and resolute.
The old man’s lips trembled.
Wasn’t this the kind of hope he had longed for, even as he had given up on everything?
The old man bowed his head deeply.
“…Thank you.”
Perhaps, this was the very thing he had wanted to hear most.

The police car’s sirens blared as Sunal watched the old man being arrested. The gratitude was still evident in the old man’s eyes.
Sunal approached one of the officers and spoke firmly.
“There must be no external pressure applied.”
“Of course.”
The officer replied absentmindedly before climbing into the police car.
―Perhaps… you are right. I merely wanted to ignite a spark. To further divide the upper and lower classes, to push them into greater conflict.
Sunal recalled the old man’s words and hesitated before trying to contact Edina.
―Do not think I am the first. Though the visible war has ended, the internal war is far from over. I sincerely support you. Please, don’t become their target.
‘…Them, huh.’
Sunal ran a hand through his hair.
Lina and the old man.
Between these two cases, there was the werewolf enchanted by the succubus species’ seductive power.
‘Could that succubus also be part of them?’
Sunal had seen countless examples of society divided into upper and lower classes, with the lower committing crimes out of anger and the upper committing crimes to suppress them. It was a familiar sight. But what he saw today felt different. Or perhaps, he was hearing voices now that he hadn’t been able to hear back then.
‘Listening to stories… it’s harder than I thought.’
Sunal stared at his phone with tired eyes. He was about to press the call button when he paused and sighed.
Edina was a vampire too. He hesitated, unsure how she would react.
Bzzzz
The phone vibrated, and the name “Team Leader” appeared on the screen.
‘Speak of the devil.’
Sunal answered the call.
“Are you okay, Sunal?”
“Why are you asking all of a sudden?”
“What do you mean, ‘all of a sudden’? I’ve been worried all along.”
“Did you finish work?”
“Yes, I did.”
Sunal couldn’t help but smile at Edina’s confident tone.
Even in the midst of all this, she was talking about getting off work. It was so typical of Edina.
“But I was getting ready to head out.”
“The wizard turned out to be a vampire.”
Sunal lowered his voice and cast a mana barrier around himself to ensure the conversation was private.
“Wait… a vampire, you said?”
“I’ve heard quite a lot today, and I’m a bit confused. Can you answer some questions for me?”
“Ask away.”
“There’s a rumor circulating within the vampire community that drinking the blood of their own kind makes them stronger and younger. Is that true?”
“Those crazy bastards!”
Edina’s immediate outburst raised Sunal’s eyebrows in surprise.
“That rumor was scientifically debunked long ago, and it’s something that even the vampire community utterly despises.”
“The vampire who was caught as the criminal is actually a victim of that.”
“…What?”
“There’s tension between pureblood vampires and half-bloods, but are there any unspoken rules imposed on purebloods?”
Edina fell silent for a moment in response to Sunal’s question. When she finally spoke again, her voice sounded weary, laced with a heavy sigh.
“There are. And they’re absolute garbage.”
“The pureblood vampire suffered greatly just because he became a wizard. He asked for help many times before he committed any crimes, but every attempt was blocked.”

Edina’s voice had shifted, now tinged with growing anger compared to just a moment ago.

“…Worthless people?” Sunal didn’t quite understand Edina’s casual comment. He couldn’t get a clear grasp of her position.

“I’m not defending the crime, but I do believe the truth of the past needs to come out, without any external pressures.”

“Yes?”

Sunal stopped walking as he reached the road, staring at the busy cars rushing home from work. He exhaled slowly.

“…I remember.”
―There’s a ton of work, and overtime is basically your daily routine, but it’s rewarding. You can feel like you’re making a difference. If you’re okay with the noise, you can come join us.
It was such an absurd thing to say that it stuck in his memory.

“Ugh, I hate it. I just want to leave work on time.”

“No matter how nicely you put it, ever since you mentioned you already left work, everything feels off. What should I do about that?”

“So, Team Leader… about tomorrow…”
Beep, beep, beep.
Edina hung up.
“…Ha.”
Damn it.
Bzzz
[Team Leader: A special gift has arrived from your team leader.]
[Team Leader: It’s chicken. Eat up! It’s on me!]
“Well, I can’t say no to chicken.”
Sunal glanced around his surroundings.
‘Might as well go straight home…’
Bzzz
[Team Leader: Sunal, make sure to take a taxi home. Charge it to me.]
[Yes, yes.]
After responding, Sunal scrunched up his face and waved vigorously for a taxi.
Sigh.
‘Back to work tomorrow.’
He settled into the taxi that pulled up in front of him.
As he thought about the day ahead, he realized that it was shaping up to be one of those awful days, despite the fact that he’d be eating chicken.