Becoming a Mage of the Special Unit in Another World

Chapter 14 – It’s Too Late To Do This (2)

“…W-wait a moment! Please don’t run!”
As Sunal ran, an employee tried to stop him.
Sunal showed the official ID hanging around his neck.
“This is urgent. Please cooperate.”
By the time the employee froze, Sunal had already started striding up the stairs.
With his lacking stamina, just climbing one floor made his legs feel tight.
‘This is why I need to work out.’
He always thought about it, but now that he was physically exerting himself, the reality hit hard.
Mages varied, but Sunal wasn’t particularly strong physically.
It would have been much easier to use magic, so why was he climbing the stairs with his bare body?
‘I thought climbing to the third floor would be a piece of cake.’
He grabbed the stair railing and paused for a moment to catch his breath.
―…Well. I don’t know how this might sound, but honestly, I really didn’t know until this situation blew up.
At the director’s sudden words that crossed his mind, Sunal couldn’t help but scoff.
If the director didn’t know the situation at the hospital, who else would?
―Suddenly, patients started flooding in… It was then that I found out. Even though we checked with the measurement device during the chaos, it never exceeded the regulated levels, so I thought it was a curse or something. And since there aren’t many succubus doctors, we obviously checked all of them, but we still don’t know who the culprit is.
Sunal somewhat understood the director’s complaint.
Honestly, it would have been hard to catch anyone in a situation where the measurement device wasn’t effective, especially since he wasn’t a mage.
The Wizards’ Association must have rejected their request as well.
‘…Then who the hell did it?’
A question kept lingering in Sunal’s mind.
Hoo.
Sunal let out a deep breath, shook his head, and raised his upper body, supporting himself on the handrail with tightly gripping arms.
‘No. Figuring out the culprit isn’t my job; that’s for the police to handle.’
He belonged to the Interethnic Grievance Resolution Special Unit.
His focus wasn’t on identifying the culprit, but on resolving the situation and helping the involved mixed-race individuals reintegrate into society, which was the primary goal of the Special Unit.
‘…Still, I am curious about who the culprit is.’
Sunal couldn’t help but want to know why someone caused such chaos at the hospital, but he pushed aside his lingering curiosity and moved on.

“What’s wrong?”
A nurse asked, and the doctor adjusted his round glasses as he answered.
“No, just look over there.”
The doctor pointed toward the ceiling.
It wasn’t an insect, but something white was stuck to the ceiling.
“Ahhhh!”
The nurse recoiled in shock, stepping back, and the doctor, finding her reaction cute, clenched his fist confidently.
“Don’t worry, I’ll catch it.”
From a small opening near the doctor’s back, something began to grow out.
Black, bat-like wings with patterns resembling butterfly markings emerged.
As the wings flapped and the doctor rose toward the high ceiling, a voice suddenly reached his ears. He flinched in surprise, his body swaying slightly, but he didn’t fall.
“Hello.”
A breathless voice came from behind.
A man, wearing glasses with a cold and tired-looking face, was wiping sweat despite it being late autumn.
There were so many mixed-race individuals with all sorts of hair colors, but the color of this man’s hair still stood out as strangely unique.
“Isn’t that almost white hair?”
“Hello.”
The doctor greeted in response. Since he was wearing a mask, only his eyes crinkled into a deep smile.
“Um, are you okay? How about catching your breath for a moment?”
“Thank you.”
After briefly catching his breath, Sunal looked at the succubus he had seen through the Chop-Chop. Despite being the one who had caused this mess at the hospital, she wore an expression of complete ignorance.
‘Is she acting, or is it genuine?’
Sunal sharpened his suspicion before speaking in a clear voice.
“I’m Hae Sunal from the Interethnic Grievance Resolution Special Unit.”
“Oh… So, you’re from the Special Unit, right?”
The doctor gently flapped his wings and smiled softly with his eyes.
“Yes. Excuse me, but I need to ask for a bit of your time.”
“My time? Oh, are you talking to me?”
“Yes.”
“I’m sorry, but I have other patients to attend to. Something urgent came up at the hospital… I’m a bit busy.”
“That’s right. Our doctor is very busy, so please make an appointment for later.”
The nurse, who was trembling while clutching the doctor’s sleeve, spoke up. Judging by the scales on her face, it was clear she was of the mermaid race.
Her gaze kept drifting toward the ceiling, as if she was hoping someone would deal with that “bug” up there.
“We’ve received a complaint that the power of allure has spread throughout the hospital. We’re trying to resolve the situation before it worsens for the succubus race, so please cooperate with us.”
As Sunal spoke, he noticed the succubus doctor’s face stiffen.
But instead of focusing on her reaction, Sunal glanced down at the doctor’s badge hanging from her coat.
“So… Maeve Trian, is that correct?”
“I’m sorry, but we’ve already checked several times.”
Maeve’s previously soft tone turned slightly sharp.
Her expression shifted to one of irritation, as if she had dealt with this too many times before.
“How many more times do we have to confirm the power of allure? We checked yesterday, too. Do you think we only checked yesterday? How long are we going to be doubted?”
Maeve’s voice, filled with frustration, suddenly lashed out at Sunal. He recalled the typical behavior of the succubus race.
‣ Due to the image associated with the succubus race, most react sensitively to mentions of allure power.
Sunal understood that.
However, he didn’t particularly appreciate the fact that Maeve’s irritation was suddenly directed at him.
“I wouldn’t know, as this is my first time here.”
“First time.”
Maeve flinched at his words.
She realized she had lashed out unnecessarily.
“If you’re a doctor, why does it make you so angry to check for allure power today, or even yesterday, for the sake of your patients?”
Sunal believed that, just as he was here as a member of the Special Unit, Maeve was standing here as a doctor.
It was noted in the files that she was sensitive and required careful handling, but he thought her attitude should change depending on the situation.
Therefore, Sunal had no intention of indulging her childish behavior.
“You know better than I do how dangerous allure power can be, don’t you, Miss Maeve?”
As his cold yet tired gaze met hers, Maeve’s eyes began to waver.
“Are you still angry?”
Something about Sunal’s piercing remark caused Maeve’s ears to slowly turn red.
“I’m from the Special Unit. I can assure you that I’m not here to make baseless accusations.”
Sunal once again showed his official ID hanging around his neck, trying to persuade Maeve.
“I don’t know what kind of experiences you’ve had before, but if you’ve suffered an injustice, please come to the Interethnic Grievance Resolution Special Unit. I will help you to the best of my ability.”
Maeve, caught by Sunal’s earnest gaze, found herself lowering her head involuntarily.
She felt embarrassed for having jumped to conclusions.
What must he think of her now?
Unable to say anything, Maeve bit her lip, trembling slightly. Seeing this, Sunal lowered the hand that had been holding his official ID.
“Now, can we have a conversation? There’s something important I need to tell you.”
Sunal’s voice had softened slightly, and Maeve quietly answered, “Yes.”

“…Sigh.”
Maeve began to speak while fiddling with a crumpled paper cup.
“…I’m sorry.”
Mumbling, she lowered her head again, biting the rim of the cup. Her earlier embarrassment made her feel like she wanted to bury her head in the ground.
Her curly, fluffy hair slid down, touching the table.
Her ears were still flushed red.
“It’s nothing. If you’ve experienced misunderstandings like this often, it makes sense you’d feel that way. Don’t be too upset. Perceptions aren’t something that change overnight. Even I find it frustrating at times.”
It was a reasonable response, but Maeve found the words oddly unfamiliar. She lifted her head.
This man was a civil servant, wasn’t he? And not just any civil servant—he worked in the Special Unit for handling complaints.
Usually, they came with the kind of lines like, “We’re doing our best,” but Sunal’s response was different.
“You don’t sugarcoat your words, do you?”
Maeve, startled by her own remark, quickly covered her mouth.
The words had slipped out, born from the accumulated frustration of past experiences that had angered her.
It probably sounded like sarcasm.
“S-sorry!”
“No need to apologize.”
Sunal laughed lightly.
As Maeve continued to stare at him in surprise, Sunal added, “I understand the anger you’re feeling. I can’t prevent things that make you upset from happening, but I do try to handle them properly when they do occur—especially in cases like today.”
“…Really?”
Sunal’s next words sounded a bit like the usual reassuring statements, but for some reason, Maeve found herself drawn in. Perhaps it was because she realized he was different.
“Of course.”
Sunal smiled, though there was a trace of weariness in his expression.
Was he unwell? Maeve examined his complexion carefully.
“I won’t take up much of your time. You’re busy, after all.”
“…That’s true.”
“At the moment, the allure power has spread outside the building.”
“But the measurement device still shows it’s within the legal limit. In situations like this… I’ve heard it all before.”
Maeve crumpled the paper cup slightly, speaking with a calm tone. She wasn’t keen on going through another embarrassing incident.
“Maeve.”
“Yes?”
“Please stay calm and listen.”
Sunal’s serious words made Maeve glance at him with a bit of tension on her face.
“The primary cause is you.”
At those words, Maeve’s eyes widened.
“Primary cause.” There was no way she could misunderstand what that meant.
‘…It’s me again?’
Her shoulders slumped. She had thought things would be different this time.
Just as a wave of disappointment and some indescribable frustration swept over her, Sunal rummaged through his bag and pulled out a spray.
“I don’t know what kind of medication you’re taking, but stop using it for now and apply this spray to your body regularly. It will significantly reduce your allure power.”
“…Excuse me?”
“Here’s the ingredient list. The materials are similar to those found in regular sprays that reduce allure power, but the magic is different. I crafted this magic myself.”
Sunal handed her a piece of paper with the ingredients listed on it.
“…You’re a mage?”
Maeve, now holding the paper Sunal had handed her, looked at him with eyes full of curiosity.
A mage who was also a civil servant. It seemed incredibly rare to her.
“I’m going to use magic now. Don’t be alarmed.”
“Yes, I won’t be surprised.”
Maeve’s wings fluttered. She wondered what kind of magic he would use.
Although she wasn’t particularly fond of magic, she found it fascinating that a civil servant was using it, and she could hardly suppress her curiosity.
Sunal activated his Mana Circle.
“[Explore].”
At that single word, one of Sunal’s eyes flared a bright red.
“[Scan].”
As beams of light emerged and scanned Maeve’s body, she was so shocked by the scene, something she had never witnessed before, that she immediately stood up.
But the magic didn’t stop. The grid-like pattern spread across her body, moving through her like a gentle wave.
When Maeve looked down at herself, Sunal’s eyebrow twitched slightly.
“T-this… is magic?”
Even though Maeve stammered out her question, Sunal, used to such reactions, simply ignored it.
He knew from the start that telling her not to be surprised was likely pointless.
“Maeve, have you recently been around a place where a lot of mages gathered, or passed through while magic was being cast?”
“Why… do you ask?”
Maeve was puzzled by Sunal’s sharp gaze and the magical scene replaying in her head. She was curious about his intentions behind that question.
“I’ve confirmed that the flow of your allure power has changed.”
Sunal had identified traces of someone interfering with Maeve.
Whether human or non-human, all beings carried mana to some extent, and naturally, that mana could be manipulated.
Just like how he had asked her earlier, when non-mages are exposed to surrounding mana without realigning their own flow, it can twist and transform like hers had. Such interference could result from a variety of causes.
It could happen if someone was struck by magical attacks or targeted by someone who harbored a grudge, slowly altering their mana flow over time. The possibilities were numerous, and Sunal didn’t try to guess which one was the correct answer just yet.
“I don’t know what you mean. My allure power has changed? How is that even possible…?”
“It’s entirely possible. There are many reasons why it could change, so I can’t give you a definitive answer.”
The only way to know for sure would be to conduct a detailed analysis of the mana that had touched Maeve, but even then, pinpointing which mana had influenced her would be difficult.
They would have to rely on Maeve’s own memory, but it seemed she wasn’t even aware that her allure power had changed.
Sunal decided to ask, just in case.
“You’ve been taking medication to suppress your allure power, haven’t you?”
“Yes, of course, I have.”
“Even though you’ve been taking it, have you ever noticed anything unusual? Maybe something felt different or off?”
At his question, Maeve paused. Although Sunal hadn’t fully explained what he was getting at, she caught on immediately.
“N-no. I haven’t felt anything like that.”
Maeve’s eyes shook violently, and her ears flushed red again.
It was clear that she really hadn’t noticed. If her allure power had increased, she should have sensed some change, but not realizing this made her feel deeply embarrassed.
“I see.”
It seemed that she was used to attracting attention even if she hadn’t been involved in this incident.
‘In that case, figuring out where the mana flow was disrupted will be difficult,’ Sunal thought.
As he rifled through his bag with a neutral expression, Maeve, after some hesitation, spoke up.
“But… when you’re born a succubus, it’s just something that comes with the territory.”
Popularity.
Attention.
Countless gazes.
“This isn’t something unique to me. Every succubus goes through this.”
Maeve felt frustrated. What could she do about the circumstances she was born into as a member of her race?
Sunal blinked at her words.
It seemed he had misunderstood something.
He wasn’t concerned in the slightest about whether Maeve had always been popular or not. That wasn’t what he was focused on.