Becoming a Mage of the Special Unit in Another World

Chapter 22 – Let’s Look From Another Angle

“…This much food?”

At first, Tutoon was surprised by the sheer number of dishes filling the table. But soon, he rubbed his stomach and closed his eyes slightly, a satisfied expression spreading across his face.

(*╰╯˘).

‘The next place is…’

Sunal sipped his water as he checked the current time and the next destination.

“Wow. Sunal! For the first time today, I know what it feels like to be full!”

Tutoon, who had finally put his spoon down, had a face full of joy.

It seemed as if his entire form was about to melt away with it.

“Tutoon, please maintain your form.”

“Ah, sorry. It’s been a while since I kept it like this for so long.”

Even though it seemed like he wasn’t really being scolded, Tutoon’s expression continued to melt away, until suddenly his eyes widened.

“But Sunal.”

“Yes?”

“Why aren’t you eating much?”

“I’ve got heartburn.”

Sunal shook the medicine he had just taken out. It had the word “lunch” written on it.

His expression darkened with frustration.

He had thought he could eat to his heart’s content, but after realizing he had gastritis, it suddenly seemed like the pain was worse.

‘The day after tomorrow. It’s my hospital visit, right?’

― Yes. No drinking. It’s easy to tell.

Maeve, a succubus and his doctor, had said those words, and they came to mind.

Looking at the medicine, a wave of sorrow washed over him. Every time he drank alcohol, something made him hesitate now.

What used to be a joyful evening…

The only pleasure after work…

“Are you in a lot of pain?”

“It’s stress-induced gastritis.”

Because of someone.

No. Who could it be? Because of everything that kept him from leaving work on time.

“Coffee is bad for you too.”

“That’s a healing potion. I’ll die if I don’t drink it.”

“I’ve heard that too. Then, make it sweet.”

“No. Make it yourself.”

Sunal, grinding his teeth quietly, packed his bag while thinking of Tutoon emerging from the mug earlier.

“If you’re finished, should we head out?”

“Sunal.”

“Yes?”

“There’s something I want to say. Can I?”

“You’ve already been saying whatever you wanted.”

Feeling something stir, Sunal, with only his bag slung over his shoulder, looked at Tutoon.

“About those slimes earlier. I saw them when I lived on the walls of Mesthos Hospital. One of them seemed to be the leader.”

Sunal knew that by “leader,” Tutoon wasn’t simply referring to the head of a group.

The slime species still had remnants of a tribal structure.

Various things used to be centered around a single chieftain.

Perhaps the leader Tutoon mentioned was actually a chieftain.

‘Officially, all that should have disappeared by now.’

After the war ended, all species had signed a peace treaty, and the caste systems were abolished.

The chieftain who led the slimes had also stepped down.

“What kind of slime are you talking about?”

In any case, it was better to know than not, so Sunal took out his phone.

“A black slime with white stripes.”

›Black base with white stripes – the leader of the nearby slimes.

He noted it down in his memo.

“And Sunal.”

“Yes?”

“It doesn’t have to be my home, but I like this place too.”

“Then, I’ll go ask.”

One slime incident had just been resolved. If they could also find the skeleton’s bones and help Tutoon find a home, how great would that be?

It was separate from Edina’s task of finding the one who had kicked Tutoon out. That had to be resolved as well, since it had happened right in front of the community center.

‘It’s only the second week, but things are already packed.’

Sunal walked over to the shop owner, deciding not to eavesdrop on the conversations around him.

He should have gotten rid of that habit when he switched departments.

Sunal hid his government ID and spoke to the shopkeeper.

He noticed a snake tail at the end of the counter. Could the shopkeeper be from the snake-people species?

“Excuse me.”

“Yes, how can I help you?”

The shopkeeper smiled gently.

“If it’s alright, could we ask if a slime could stay here for a while?”

Honestly, a slime staying around wouldn’t cause any harm.

In fact, it had been scientifically proven, and even broadcast on TV, that slimes consumed floating dust and various harmful substances, purifying the air around them.

“I’m sorry. When I signed the lease for this shop, the landlord specifically asked me not to let any slimes in.”

‘Well, appearance-wise, it’s understandable.’

Sunal smiled.

In the end, landlords had all the power.

“No problem. Thank you for considering it.”

Sunal hesitated for a moment when he saw the hopeful glimmer in Tutoon’s eyes. He looked so full of expectation.

‘Even though I’ve eaten, it doesn’t feel like it. I don’t feel energized.’

Maybe it was because tomorrow wasn’t Friday.

“Let’s go.”

“To where?”

“To the next task.”

“I guess I can’t live here… It was pretty, though.”

Tutoon gazed wistfully out the window for a moment, his eyes filled with longing. However, as if used to it, he quickly stood up without hesitation.

Seeing this, Sunal rummaged through his bag and handed Tutoon a piece of candy.

“Thank you!”

“Let’s go.”

As Sunal stood up, Tutoon put the candy in his pocket and followed behind him.

Chop chop.

Tutoon’s footsteps sounded rather light and cheerful.

“…I can’t take it anymore. That slime hanging on my wall is already driving me insane. I keep reporting it to the police, again and again, but it keeps coming back. And now what? You’re asking me to take more in?”

The shopkeeper’s expression, filled with frustration, made Sunal take a step back.

It seemed like he was about to throw a bucket of water at him.

“…Are you kidding me right now?”

At the next shop, the moment the words “we can’t accept any slimes” were uttered, anger flared up immediately.

“Should I throw salt to get rid of them?”

It was clear the shopkeeper had dealt with this many times before, as the moment the word “slime” was mentioned, a deep-seated hatred emerged.

“I see. I apologize for asking a needless question.”

Sunal bowed slightly and exited the shop.

‘Not here either.’

How many rejections had it been already?

Since he was only asking along the way, it didn’t affect him much, but for Tutoon, it was different. He was trying to find a place to live, and every rejection made Sunal glance back at him.

Each time, Tutoon’s expression didn’t change much.

It was as if he was used to it. He didn’t show any resentment or sadness.

‘I should’ve just told him to stay at the grievance unit from the start.’

Sunal thought it was wrong for people to assume slimes had to cling somewhere without a home.

They just lived differently than other species.

However, the reality was that many people felt uncomfortable with slimes staying on the streets or attached to walls, reinforcing a negative image of them. Due to the high unemployment rate, many slimes were eventually driven back onto the streets.

When would this vicious cycle ever end?

‘People need to recognize what they’re sacrificing just to address this.’

Slimes worked mainly in dirty, polluted places that no one else wanted to deal with.

The liquid slimes excreted, which could dissolve substances, was sometimes used for negative purposes. Still, it also had a mysterious purifying property.

The government placed slimes in areas where this could be maximized and gave them several benefits.

For example, they offered lower interest rates on home loans and additional points for various programs.

‘…But slimes don’t even prefer apartments. Where did things go so wrong?’

Sunal pushed his glasses back up, feeling a wave of fatigue.

Just thinking about it for a moment had made him tired.

‘It’s complicated, as expected.’

Sunal glanced at his phone.

They were nearing the area where the skeleton had reportedly lost his bones.

They would probably arrive in about two minutes.

“We’ll stop here for today. Is that alright?”

Sunal looked over at Tutoon.

Holding the candy in his hand, Tutoon gave a wide smile.

“It’s okay. I didn’t expect to find a place right away. I can sleep anywhere.”

It would have been easier if he had shown some sadness.

Sunal tried his best not to feel pity for him. He knew all too well that mixing emotions wouldn’t help in this situation.

If he had only given in to emotions when he was still Lineal and despaired over not growing his mana circle, he wouldn’t be where he was now as Sunal, able to use magic.

“But, Tutoon, why did you say earlier that you hurt someone?”

Sunal approached the matter rationally.

He needed to get information from Tutoon to speed up what Edina was investigating.

There was also the chance that a similar case could come in as a grievance.

More than anything, stealing someone’s home was a serious crime and made him feel sick to his stomach.

“…I thought you didn’t hear it because the motorcycle passed by, but you caught it, huh?”

The lollipop slipped from Tutoon’s grip, and Sunal picked it up.

“I did hear it. But I’m not forcing you. If you don’t want to talk about it, you don’t have to. I’m always ready to listen, though.”

“…Really?”

“Of course.”

Sunal handed the lollipop back, and Tutoon smiled bashfully.

“Then, I’ll start working now.”

“Yeah, got it.”

After hearing Tutoon’s reply, Sunal glanced at his phone.

They had arrived at the spot where a skeleton from the Skeleton species had reportedly dropped his bone.

Sunal pocketed his phone and scanned the area.

‘…Of all places, it had to be on the street.’

Many people were passing by. No wonder it had gone unnoticed.

‘No, wait… the police… They must’ve passed it on to the grievance unit again.’

Sunal clenched and then opened his fist. People usually reported lost items to the police.

But if the police walked around a busy street like this, it would only make citizens uneasy.

‘…Team leader.’

Sunal finally understood why Edina had even handed over her access card.

‘Damn it.’

Closing his eyes deeply, he exhaled and looked ahead.

There was no other choice.

To make it clear that he was on official duty, Sunal adjusted his government ID badge and swept his hair back to reveal his ears, ensuring that people could easily recognize him as a mage and avoid panic.

[Explore.]

He activated his magic.

One of his eyes flared red, revealing the flow of countless mana streams.

Sudden bursts of information made his head and eyes burn, bringing on a throbbing headache. It felt as though his eyes were about to burst, and a metallic taste rose from his throat to his nose. But calmly, before approaching the scene, Sunal took out the bone fragment he had received from the petitioner.

‘I’ve been using this magic a lot lately.’

He had thought he wouldn’t need to use it once he transferred to another department.

[Engrave.]

Sunal cast another spell as he looked at the bone fragment.

He filtered out most of the overwhelming information, leaving only what he needed to see.

With the bone fragment glowing blue inside the plastic bag, the mana traces left on the ground shimmered as if mimicking footprints.

[Track.]

Sunal cast another spell as he followed the mana flow on the ground.

The flame burning in his eye calmed down, lingering in his pupil.

Suddenly, his surroundings turned black and white, and a faint blue mist appeared.

Sunal followed the trail of the mist.

Straight ahead.

When he reached the end, the mist pulled back.

‘Just like the report mentioned, this is where it collided with a centaur.’

Sunal examined the split mist, focusing on the weaker, thinner trail.

It was obvious the mana in the shinbone area would be weaker than that in the body.

‘It’s over there.’

Sunal followed the mist as it led him upwards. His eyes followed the trail, and soon, he furrowed his brows.

‘Well, look at that. It’s stuck behind a sign.’

No wonder no one noticed it.

‘To get it out…’

Sunal considered using magic, but then he noticed Tutoon bumping his head against his thigh.

‘Of course, a slime is perfect for this.’

Sunal wiped the magic from his eyes that he had just cast.

As he was about to dispel the remaining magic, not wanting to attract too much attention, he suddenly flinched.

‘…It’s the power of allure.’

It was intense.

The power was growing stronger, coming closer.

Whoever was recklessly emitting such a strong charm was a fool.

Sunal rushed forward, realizing that the crowd had instinctively gathered, drawn by the alluring force.

‘This is bad.’

The closer he pushed through the crowd, the more overwhelming the allure became, triggering a thought in Sunal’s mind.

‘This feels familiar…?’

He had encountered this type of allure recently, hadn’t he?

He had suspected it once.

But that was as far as it went, since his role wasn’t about catching criminals.

Sunal stopped and took a deep breath. A bus was passing by.

Someone on that bus was emitting the powerful allure.

Click.

Without thinking, Sunal took a photo of the bus.

“Sunal! What’s going on?”

Tutoon ran up from behind, asking, but Sunal was too out of breath to answer.

“There’s such a sweet smell here, don’t you think?”

Hearing Tutoon’s comment, Sunal bit his lip and cast another spell.

[Wind, disperse.]

The only way to break the allure’s influence was to scatter it with wind.

Wind gusted outward from Sunal.

‘…Right. It was that guy who brought it up in the first place.’

― If you hadn’t messed with Maeve, I wouldn’t have had to do this! I have to protect Maeve! I have to! I must protect her…!

‘That lizardman…’

It was the lizardman who had first mentioned Maeve. Naturally, Sunal assumed he had fallen under Maeve’s charm. He hadn’t investigated further.

But that wasn’t the case.

‘I was fooled.’

Sunal’s expression twisted as his hair fluttered in the wind.

‘I misunderstood from the start.’

The lizardman had been under the influence of another succubus’s charm from the beginning.

He had been moving according to what that succubus told him, pretending to be under Maeve’s spell.

All for that succubus.