LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 27 - Why Can't I? (3)
Chapter 27 – Why Can’t I? (3)
“…Wow. It feels like a party.”
As Tutoon laughed brightly, the sound of the camera clicking was rather aggressive.
Edina held up her phone and eagerly took pictures of the carefully arranged food.
Click.
Holding his chopsticks, Sunal glanced at Edina, while Tutoon shook his legs, resting his hand on his stomach, staring at the food.
He nearly drooled but held his mouth shut.
“Team Leader.”
“Just a second. Just a second, Sunal.”
Click.
“My black bean noodles….”
“Sunal, it’ll only take 3 seconds.”
Edina gave Sunal a steady look.
“Go ahead and take the picture.”
That gaze was oddly sharp, so Sunal smiled in response, but his eyes were still fixed on the black bean noodles.
It wasn’t like she was going to post it on social media, so why was she taking so many pictures?
Black bean noodles were best eaten right away.
“Sunal.”
When Tutoon spoke up, Sunal fiddled with his chopsticks as he replied.
“Yes?”
“Can I really get my house back?”
The expectation in Tutoon’s eyes was overwhelming.
It was completely different from the expression he had when they were wandering around searching for his home.
His face was glowing, brimming with vitality.
“That’s right.”
Sunal also smiled, genuinely happy.
After all that hard work, how frustrating would it have been if nothing had been resolved?
Solving grievances was always a welcome task.
“Do you remember checking your ID earlier?”
“I remember.”
Tutoon nodded. His slightly misshapen fingers wiggled a little.
“Thanks to your cooperation, we confirmed the land you own. It’s about three pyeong of land in front of the community center.”
While Sunal was dealing with the succubus Nella outside, Edina had found this information.
According to her, a high-ranking werewolf official under Nella’s influence had tried to erase even the trace of this, but they managed to get help from someone they knew.
Sunal didn’t ask further.
They had found the documents proving the land ownership, so the matter was essentially resolved.
Tutoon’s claims were true.
“…No, it wasn’t my cooperation, it’s because Sunal believed in me.”
Tutoon smiled shyly, his cheeks adorned with flower patterns.
(❁´▽`❁).
“Sunal was the only one who believed in me.”
Tutoon knew well.
How cold the stares were, simply because he was a slime.
“No one… no one else believed me.”
He had gone to the police station and told them, but no one had believed him.
No one.
“When I said I had land, they all laughed at me.”
Tutoon allowed himself to feel a little sad. Today was the day he got his house back, after all.
How much better would it have been if he’d met Sunal a bit sooner?
“No, our whole team at the Interethnic Grievance Resolution Special Unit believed in you.”
At Sunal’s calm, weighty words, Tutoon lifted his head and looked at him.
“Soon, the chairs in that place will be gone, and new trees will be planted there. What kind of tree would you like?”
“I don’t have any money…”
“You don’t need any money.”
Edina lowered her phone as she spoke.
“It’s finally over…”
“This happened at the community center, so they’ve agreed to cover all the costs. Don’t worry about the money.”
Edina cut off Sunal’s words and smiled at Tutoon.
She looked at him like one might look at a cute child.
“I like anything, but I’d prefer a flowering tree.”
“Got it. A flowering tree it is. So, what kind of flowers do you like?”
At Edina’s question, Tutoon looked at Sunal.
Sunal, still staring intently at the black bean noodles, was fidgeting with his chopsticks.
Tutoon laughed when he heard him muttering, “It’s a good thing I didn’t order spicy noodles.”
“Sunal.”
“Yes?”
“What kind of flowers do you like?”
“Red plum blossoms. But why….”
“I’ll go with red plum blossoms.”
When Tutoon spoke while looking directly at Edina, she turned her head, trying to stifle her laughter.
“Whatever is fine, so can we eat now? Please?”
When Sunal’s eyebrows twitched, Edina awkwardly rubbed her shoulder and let out a small, awkward laugh.
The noodles looked like they had already gone soggy.
“Sunal, can’t you use magic to….”
“That would be improper.”
“Well then, shall we eat?”
“…Let’s eat.”
Sunal slightly adjusted his glasses and finally moved his chopsticks.
Edina’s gaze followed his movements.
‘Wow. It’s still amazingly delicious, even when soggy.’
Sunal chewed on the black bean noodles, and it was as if he couldn’t be happier.
—
While Tutoon lingered near the trees around the community center, contemplating where to live, Sunal was preparing to leave. At the same time, he reported the information he had uncovered to Edina.
“The mana of that succubus went out of control.”
“…Are you talking about Nella?”
Edina paused in the middle of gathering her documents, stopping her actions altogether. Wasn’t this information something the police hadn’t told them?
“Yes. It appears to be a case of a mana outburst.”
Sunal’s eyes narrowed briefly.
“Team Leader, I think we should press the police for more information about this case. After all, I’ve done quite a lot.”
A mana outburst. There had been times when he wanted to handle such cases, but since he’d transferred departments, that was no longer possible. Now, he was simply curious. Why did something like this even happen?
“To be honest, I’m curious about why the succubus caused that incident at the hospital. Even if they say it was accidental, I still want to know.”
“I feel the same. I’m really curious.”
Edina voiced her thoughts, then smiled confidently.
“Don’t worry about it. From what I hear, the case you resolved seems to be connected to another one the police have been working on.”
“…Wait. You’ve already found that out?”
“In this field, information is everything.”
Edina grinned slyly. That smile alone made it seem like she had planted a few people in the police station.
‘…No way.’ Even though vampires had the power to create subordinates, it was illegal now.
‘The Team Leader just has a lot of connections, right?’
Sunal sniffed.
“Well done, Sunal. This will allow us to put a little more pressure on the police!”
‘And then?’ Sunal felt a sense of anticipation. With Tutoon’s issue resolved, the Messtos Hospital case wrapped up, and even the recent police cases settled, shouldn’t there be something in return?
“I’ll go get us some vacation time and bonuses. Though, you know it won’t be more than two days, right?”
“Of course. Thank you so much.”
Sunal chuckled at the mention of vacation and bonuses. Time off and money were always welcome.
“And Sunal, you should aim for a promotion. There are plenty of good cases to leverage for it, like this one and the Wizards’ Association incident. If you keep up the good work, a promotion is definitely possible! Though the Association case might take a bit more time.”
“I know how big the Association is, but… already? I just transferred to this department, is that even possible?”
“Why wouldn’t it be? That’s what a team leader is for. You need to rise in rank. The higher you go, the more respect you’ll command.”
Edina puffed up with pride as she looked at Sunal. But for some reason, her attitude didn’t bother Sunal at all.
The fact that a mage had become a civil servant had been such big news that it caused quite a stir. Of course, since he had used magic to prevent people from taking pictures of his face, no photos ever circulated.
He wasn’t the only mage working as a public official, but there was one big reason for the commotion. His combat certification (magic). He was the only civil servant who held such a certification.
In fact, the combat certification (magic) hadn’t been designed with public officials in mind in the first place.
“Thank you, Team Leader.”
“Of course, you know this case won’t immediately get you promoted, right?”
“I understand that.”
Sunal was currently a ninth-class civil servant in the 12-level system. In the system, it started from the first class, and employees were often called by names based on the Chinese zodiac signs. But in the department where he worked, ranks weren’t really that important.
It was the same in the Interethnic Grievance Resolution Special Unit. People were usually just called by their names, so ranks weren’t a big deal.
Sunal had been drifting around in the civil service for about four years. He had shortened the usual 15-year promotion process to just three.
He had simply worked like a dog.
“I wasn’t really thinking about trying to get promoted quickly…”
Sunal showed a more exhausted expression than before. It felt like unpleasant memories were about to resurface.
“But stumbling upon something like this is even better, isn’t it? Besides, this case was worth it. Thanks to you, we solved it quickly and minimized the number of victims.”
Edina lightly patted Sunal on the shoulder.
“Have some confidence, Sunal.”
Bzzzzt.
Just then, Sunal’s phone buzzed, and Edina stepped back, nodding for him to answer it.
[Maeve Trian: “Sunal, I’m sorry to bother you this late. But we have the results…”]
Sunal glanced at his phone.
“It’s Maeve Trian. You know, the succubus from Messtos Hospital who spread the Allure Power.”
“Oh, right. Wasn’t there a werewolf in the twin case who had also been under the influence of Allure Power? We were checking if that was connected to this case, weren’t we?”
“That’s correct.”
Sunal read the message that came through.
[Maeve Trian: “Sunal, I’m sorry to bother you this late, but the results came in. To put it simply, there’s a discrepancy. The Allure Powers are different.”]
[Sunal: “Is that really true?” ]
[Maeve Trian: “You reply so fast…”]
[Maeve Trian: “Anyway, has this helped?” ]
[Sunal: “It was definitely helpful.” ]
[Maeve Trian: “Then come to the hospital tomorrow. Please.” ]
‘…Huh?’
Sunal’s mind seemed to freeze for a moment.
[Maeve Trian: “Have a good night.” ]
“What’s wrong? Did something big happen?”
Edina glanced at Sunal’s expression. The stiffness in his face didn’t seem like good news.
“They say this case isn’t connected.”
“Well, that’s a relief, isn’t it? At least it’s not the same culprit… But come to think of it, why haven’t they told us who the succubus controlling that werewolf was? Enough time has passed to figure that out. It’s strange. I’ll have to ask tomorrow.”
“…And I have to go to the hospital tomorrow.”
Sunal glanced at the trash can. A small beer can was crushed inside it.
“Gotcha. I told you not to drink, didn’t I, Sunal?”
Edina let out a loud laugh.
“…I’ll be heading out now.”
As Sunal stepped outside, feeling drained, he found Lee Rang standing there with dark circles under his eyes. He blinked in surprise, but it took him three seconds to realize.
“Have you been working overtime?”
Lee Rang asked with a weak smile.
“Yeah. Three days straight.”
Just talking about it made him feel incredibly annoyed. Sunal sighed, wondering when he would ever escape this hell of endless overtime.
‘Someone, please apply to the Interethnic Grievance Resolution Special Unit.’
He knew exactly why no one wanted to apply, but he couldn’t help but think the staffing shortage was serious. He still couldn’t forget how desperately they’d welcomed him when he first joined, practically hanging a wreath around his neck.
“Three days… in a row?”
“Yes.”
Lee Rang’s eyes wavered for a moment, and then he gave Sunal a sympathetic look.
“Well, tomorrow will definitely be different, Sunal. And the weekend is just around the corner.”
‘…What? Why is his reaction so weird?’
Sunal’s brow furrowed as he was about to say something, but Lee Rang spoke first.
“By the way, is the Team Leader still inside? I need to submit a report.”
Although Lee Rang’s earlier reaction bothered him, Sunal knew it wasn’t particularly unusual. He could tell just by reading the reports in the morning.
The major cases usually fell to him, while the rest went to Terisha and Lee Rang. It wasn’t uncommon for their desks to pile up with four or five reports a day.
“Hurry up and catch her. She looks like she’s trying to sneak off.”
When Sunal turned around, Edina, who had been about to melt into the shadows, smiled brightly. That wasn’t magic, but rather a trait of the vampire race.
‣ Vampires can blend into the darkness.
“…Sunal?”
Edina bit her lip before speaking again.
“I’m heading out. Good luck, Team Leader, and you too, Lee Rang.”
Sunal waved his hand cheerfully as he left. After all, wasn’t the one leaving work the true winner?
He walked away with pride.
‘…Well. I took my meds, so I should be fine.’
Sunal got out of the taxi and walked toward his apartment. Everything felt like a chore after work. Even breathing felt a little overwhelming.
‘Wow, look at the moonlight. It’s amazing.’
For some reason, everything seemed beautiful after work.
As he walked forward, he glanced back for a moment.
‘Nothing tonight?’
For the past few days, he’d felt someone watching him. It had started right after he solved the vampire twins’ grievance.
―I can’t say for sure when, but I have a feeling an unexpected guest might come looking for you, Sunal. For personal reasons.
Edina had warned him, so he hadn’t let his guard down completely. But he hadn’t expected them to show up so soon.
Since they had only been watching from afar, Sunal hadn’t thought about making the first move.
Back when he was Lineal, mages were above the law, but times had changed. Now, he had to make good use of self-defense laws.
‘Still, quiet is better.’
Edina must’ve taken care of it for him. How nice of her.
Sunal took a few more steps forward, but suddenly, a loud noise came from behind him, and he glanced back.
Boom!
It didn’t come from his apartment but somewhere nearby.
He wasn’t sure if it was a fight or if someone had subdued a criminal, but it was definitely the sound of something breaking.
In the past, he would have rushed over immediately, but not anymore.
He had clocked out, and now all he wanted was to melt into his sofa.
‘Well, sometimes things get noisy.’
Sunal sniffled as he put in his wireless earbuds.
“I hate Mondays. I hate Tuesdays. I hate Wednesdays. I hate going to work the most.”
A soft melody played in his ears.