Becoming a Mage of the Special Unit in Another World

Chapter 23 – Let’s Look From Another Angle (2)

“…Crazy.”

Sunal’s mind was in turmoil.

“Is this for real?”

Sunal felt a cold sensation spreading through his body as if he were trembling all over.

At that moment, he couldn’t verify whether the seductive power that had affected the Lizardman was the same as Maeve’s unstable charm.

He just had a throbbing headache.

Throb.

His insides churned.

“It’s my mistake.”

Sunal gritted his teeth.

The reason Edina had planned to send him to Mestos Hospital from the beginning was because he was a mage.

To stop the case before it escalated.

Knowing that if the situation spiraled out of control, it would be hard to predict what might happen, she had sent him, someone who could grasp more than others at the scene and handle it.

“Sunal? Are you okay?”

“Just a moment, Mr. Tutoon.”

Now wasn’t the time to dwell on this.

Sunal needed to quickly report to Edina that the case had taken an unexpected turn.

First, he sent her a photo and then attempted to call.

“Team leader.”

Sunal’s voice was heavy.

Edina’s voice also grew a bit more serious in response.

“I just found a widespread force of seduction while searching for the bones. The person wielding that power was on a bus, and I took a photo of the bus with my phone.”

“Team leader. I need one more thing.”

“The power of seduction coming from that bus was the same as the one that affected the Lizardman at Mestos Hospital. We need to verify this right away as well.”

“I’ll head to the community center right now.”

Sunal hung up the phone and wiped the sweat from his face.

When Sunal looked at Tutoon slowly, his gaze was so cold that Tutoon flinched.

“Are you mad at me?”

“No. It’s just that the case has taken a bit of a… strange turn. Sorry. I think I need to head back to the center immediately.”

“I’ve already requested cooperation from both the hospital and the police. We can leave whenever… no, wait.”

Edina got up from her seat. Sunal’s usually tidy hair was disheveled and messy.

“Team leader. Could you hand over the materials Mr. Tutoon researched? And Mr. Tutoon.”

“Uh… yes?”

Tutoon answered, slightly startled. Sunal’s gaze was still cold.

“I’m sorry, but could you check if the person who kicked you out is here?”

“Mr. Sunal. How about taking a drink of water and calming down for a moment?”

“The documents come first. I don’t plan to waste time unnecessarily.”

Edina furrowed her brows for a moment, then handed the papers to Tutoon. They weren’t confidential anyway, and they had already been shown to Tutoon, so they were mostly just photographs.

“Now, you can at least take a sip of water, right?”

Edina poured water and handed a paper cup to Sunal. Drops of water, mixed with irritation, splashed slightly on her fingers.

Sunal lowered his head slightly and took the cup.

Once a sip of water went down his throat, the sharp edge he had felt seemed to fade away.

“Right. This situation might not be as big as I thought.”

Sunal forced himself to shake off the fatigue creeping in.

After exhaling a short breath, Sunal spoke again.

“Since Mr. Tutoon is here, I came by to ask a few questions as well.”

“Wait, Mr. Sunal.”

At Edina’s heavy words, Sunal looked up to meet her gaze.

“Calm down.”

“I am calm.”

“You don’t look calm at all, Mr. Sunal. The matter you’re handling right now isn’t a case.”

“…Ah.”

Sunal finally realized where he was and gave a sheepish smile.

“It’s just a habit. If I don’t hurry, something big might happen.”

“I understand you’re worried about Mr. Tutoon, but wouldn’t it be better to focus on the urgent matter first? The immediate issue is the power of seduction, isn’t it?”

“This is fine. I’m used to it. Now, could you explain what happened with the bus?”

Edina hesitated for a moment at Sunal’s firm, unwavering gaze.

His eyes seemed to hold a thousand thoughts, none of which she could read.

After staring at him in silence, Edina finally spoke again.

“Mr. Sunal.”

“…Yes?”

Sunal stopped the thoughts swirling in his head.

Habits were strange things. They didn’t disappear, and they became deeply ingrained like calluses.

Even after becoming Sunal, he couldn’t shake off the memory of being Lineal, begging and groveling to someone, clinging desperately and pathetically in his quest to become a mage.

The misery he had trained his entire body to endure back then still lived on inside him. Even now, he obsessed over every tiny piece of information, tightening his grip like a screw, and grasped at every possibility he saw in front of him.

That unease that started with the thought, “If I let my guard down just a little,” had probably become a callus too.

“Relax. You’re in the Interethnic Grievance Resolution Special Unit.”

Edina’s voice was soft.

But Sunal couldn’t relax. He didn’t want to let go of this tension that kept him sharp.

“…I’ll relax a little, then.”

Sunal adjusted his glasses and drank more water.

Seeing his still-rigid posture, Edina shook her head.

“Stubborn, aren’t you?”

There was no choice.

She would have to match his stubbornness.

“About the bus…”

“This is the person!”

Tutoon’s voice suddenly burst out, startling both Edina and Sunal.

“Are you sure?”

Sunal asked, and Tutoon nodded repeatedly, holding back tears.
“Yes! This is the person who kicked me out!”

Sunal hadn’t expected to find the person so quickly, but he reached out for the documents in Tutoon’s hand.

However, the emotional trauma Tutoon had suffered seemed greater than Sunal had anticipated. Tutoon’s hand, holding the papers, began to tremble, and his usually sluggish voice grew frantic.

“I didn’t do anything wrong!”

“Wait, Mr. Tutoon. Please calm down.”

Sunal, seeing Tutoon’s increasingly unstable form, tried to soothe him.

“It’s true! I was just sitting in a tree, and I only tried to help someone who was about to fall!”

The form of Tutoon, who usually had the appearance of a child, began to dissolve, and the floral patterns on his body deepened.

“I’m not bad!”

With a shout that burst out like long-repressed emotions, Tutoon’s body stretched up towards the ceiling as if it would touch it.

‘He’s too agitated.’

Sunal rummaged through his bag and threw some powder—more effective than the spray typically used by their unit.

Whoosh.

“I’m not bad….”

As soon as the powder hit him, Tutoon shrank back into his familiar form, a round, plump slime resembling a bun.

Blinking dazedly, Tutoon looked around in confusion.

“Mr. Tutoon, are you feeling calm now?”

Sunal still held the pouch of powder.

As the anxiety and anger faded away, Tutoon slowly looked down at the slightly melted papers in his hands.

“…I’m sorry.”

Tears welled up in Tutoon’s eyes as he regained his shape.

“I’m sorry.”

“Mr. Tutoon, please eat this and don’t cry.”

Edina, who had briefly stood up to fetch some snacks that Tutoon had enjoyed earlier that morning, returned, and Sunal took the documents that Tutoon handed him.

The person in question was a werewolf.

Civil servant, rank 5—quite high, considering the ranking system went up to 12.

He was a high-ranking government official, no doubt.

‘This person kicked Mr. Tutoon out? Why…?’

Sunal couldn’t quite understand.

He couldn’t grasp any reason why a high-ranking official would feel the need to expel Tutoon.

‘This is suspicious.’

His instincts told him that this was no trivial matter.

Sunal calmly asked Tutoon a question.

“Are you saying this person misunderstood your attempt to help someone and then kicked you out because of that?”

“I didn’t do anything! Someone just suddenly collapsed, and that person called me a murderer.”

Tutoon clutched the snack Edina had handed him, tears streaming down his face.

The tears, which fell like droplets, pooled on the ground, resembling soft, gelatinous liquid.

Tutoon was overwhelmed with frustration.

All he had done was ask if the person was okay.

All he had done was lightly touch them with his finger.

“I was so scared that I ran away, but when I came back, there was a chair there. That person destroyed the tree I used to live in. Then they told me I couldn’t come back here.”

‘What on earth…’

Sunal was at a loss for words over this situation, which had escalated beyond mere abuse of power into outright property theft.

No one had the right to take away someone’s personal belongings.

But this werewolf official had falsely accused Tutoon and seized his home.

“I’ve lost my home. That tree was mine. That land was really mine. My father gave it to me.”

Tutoon’s tears flowed relentlessly, as if his sadness had finally reached its breaking point.

Losing land passed down from one’s parents must have been an especially devastating blow.

The slime species was known to be exceptionally attached to their children.

But there was no one beside Tutoon.

“Mr. Tutoon.”

Sunal looked at him intently.

“No one can arbitrarily take away the land you own.”

“…But they kept chasing me away. They kept saying I couldn’t come back unless I wanted to be called a murderer.”

“What this person did to expel you makes no sense.”

That werewolf was a high-ranking government official. Any misstep in his actions could carry severe penalties.

“There might be some misunderstanding involved here.”

Sunal paused to consider the direction this case was heading.

From the beginning, neither Edina, Terisha, nor even Lee Rang had known that Tutoon was living in a tree near the community center.

Tutoon had likely lived so quietly and out of sight that no one had noticed him.

If someone had stumbled upon a slime living in a tree under such circumstances, what would they think?

It seemed likely that they had looked at Tutoon with the same skewed perception that had followed him when he was trying to find a place to stay.

“Another damned slime leeching off.”

“Team leader, I want to meet this person. I have to meet them. As soon as possible.”

“That’s not happening.”

“Why not?”

When Edina firmly rejected his request, Sunal’s eyes narrowed slightly. Wasn’t resolving complaints his job?

As Edina glanced at the documents Sunal handed over, her expression hardened.

“You’re really fearless, aren’t you, Mr. Sunal? Most people would be trembling just by seeing their rank.”

“Well, that’s why a ‘secure job’ is called a secure job, right?”

Sunal’s voice slipped out lazily, but his eyes were full of unwavering confidence.

“They can’t fire me easily from above. You know why, don’t you?”

Sunal pointed to his earring, one of the reasons he was untouchable.

Mages wanting to become civil servants were extremely rare.

Among them, a mage who excelled in magic, like himself, was even rarer. And surely Edina knew that.

“I know, but don’t make unnecessary enemies. Trust me. I have the information you’re after.”

Edina smiled confidently.

“You, team leader?”

“Yes.”

“How?”

Sunal’s eyes showed a hint of curiosity.

No matter how capable Edina was, how could she know this much?

“Well, I heard about it.”

“A rumor?”

“No. From someone who was actually there. And don’t try to find out who it was. You’ll get into serious trouble.”

“I’m not interested in that. Just give me the information I want.”

Sunal cut her off firmly.

The person Edina was referring to didn’t matter at all. It was obvious that it was a higher-ranking official than this werewolf.

“There was a time when the moon hadn’t risen, but the werewolf suddenly transformed. It caused a big uproar, though I’m sure no rumors spread.”

“They must’ve silenced it through sheer force.”

“Exactly. But that’s not the main point I’m trying to make. There’s a power that can forcibly awaken a werewolf’s strength. You know about that, right?”

Edina’s lips curled up into a smile.

“The Vampire species’ power of allure, isn’t it?”

As Sunal responded, Edina’s sharp fangs gleamed, as if she was showing off the vampire’s power of allure.

Even Tutoon, who had been crying, stopped to stare at her.

“And also, the Succubus species’ charm.”

“Which one is it?”

Sunal’s lips also curved into a smile.

Just from that statement, he could already hear the connection between the Lizardman and Tutoon’s cases and sense the deepening complexity of the matter.

“As you guessed, it’s the latter.”

Edina’s response gave Sunal certainty.

The case had taken a turn.

The power of seduction had appeared at different times. Were these separate incidents just the result of the same seductive power? Could there really be no connection at all?

Sunal felt that something very intriguing was unfolding.

And there was one thing he was sure of.

“Which hospital did that werewolf receive treatment at?”

“Conveniently, it was Mestos Hospital. You know how the treatment for seductive power works, don’t you, Mr. Sunal?”

“I do.”

There were two methods to remove the power of seduction.

One was for a mage to directly move mana to expel the remaining seductive power from the body.

The other was to draw blood, allowing it to circulate, forcing the mana to move.

Most opted for the latter method due to its lower cost and as a precaution against being affected by seductive power in the future.

Since the power of seduction lingered in the blood, it could be both treated and preserved at the same time.

“Are you referring to the blood samples stored at the hospital, team leader?”

“Exactly. We can compare it with the Lizardman’s blood. Fortunately, the Lizardman is also being treated there.”

“Even if these two incidents are unrelated, we still need to catch the Succubus who spread the power of seduction on the bus.”

“Is there a specific reason for that?”

Edina casually asked as she pulled out her phone.

“Rare though it is, when mana control is lost and the species’ innate power goes out of control, it’s called a ‘power surge’ or ‘mana rampage’ event.”

“I’ve heard of that.”

“Honestly, no sane person would spread seductive power on a moving bus, right?”

“Why does that even happen?”

“We don’t know the cause yet. The symptoms vary as well. It’s all just speculation, to be honest. Once we get to the hospital, everything will be revealed.”

Bzzzzzz.

Edina’s phone vibrated.

“Looks like the police are already at the hospital with them.”

Edina glanced at her phone and smiled slightly, her gaze shifting upwards.

It seemed the news had just arrived.

Sunal thought it was about time to get up and looked over at Tutoon.

“Mr. Tutoon, please stay here quietly. And don’t cry anymore.”

“Where are you going?”

Tutoon wiped away his tears and asked.

“To resolve the complaint, of course.”

Sunal pulled a handkerchief from his bag and handed it to Tutoon.

Now that a complainant was involved, this wasn’t just a police matter anymore.

“Team leader, please take care of Mr. Tutoon.”