NOVEL NEXT After Resignation, I Refuse the Obsession from the Male Leads
Chapter 16
Carlyle wondered about his impulsive actions just a moment ago.
But he quickly shook his head. ‘Finally, decent juniors have joined, and I couldn’t risk losing them over something strange.’ And now it was time to calm his excited heart. ‘If we don’t solve the kidnapping case quickly.’ He frowned when he thought of the kidnapping cases currently occurring in and around the capital. ‘There are twelve children who have disappeared so far.’ Since all the kidnapped children were commoners, it took too long for the BM-RP Department to get started. However, there were traces of ‘black magic’ left in the places where these people had disappeared. ‘The mark of the black crescent moon… it’s identical to the trace left on Yuriana Crosswell’s core.’ So, if they catch the culprit behind the kidnappings, they’ll also uncover who’s responsible for that rampage incident. And he’ll also find a clue about the one who put a curse on the Lupesque family… * * * When I got to the office, the mastermind was nowhere to be seen—probably off at the morning meeting. However, the male lead’s enthusiastic explanation completely filled the gap left by the mastermind’s absence. “From now on, Finley will accompany me to the scene of the black magic investigations. Lowell, you will handle support and communication from here.” The male lead handed each of us—Seamus and me—a file. When I lifted the file cover, I saw the word ‘confidential’ stamped on it. <Kidnapping Incidents in the Capital and Surrounding Areas> ‘This was the first major incident in the original story.’ I remembered the biggest problem of this case. ‘Ha…This case…didn’t there happen to be any deaths?’ They barely catch the kidnapper, but he ends up taking his own life at the scene. Even in the hideout they managed to uncover, it was already too late for several of them… and the children who were rescued couldn’t remember anything. ‘What kind of experiment were they trying to do on the kids?’ At that moment, the male lead lightly cleared his throat. “Lowell. Are you listening?” “Yes? Ah, yes.” “You stay here, while Finley and I will conduct the investigation at the scene. If the situation turns into an emergency, we must respond together.” “What should I do?” “I’ve requested an artifact from the Magic Knights Department to connect this place and the scene.” Aha. I realized I was an idiot after asking. ‘Hmm, but that team doesn’t have a good relationship with the BM-RP Department.’ I looked at the organization chart that was set up. ‘The Artifact Production Team under the Magic Knight Department… This is it.’ The head of the production team is Arthur Featherstone. His title is Viscount. In an instant, the episodes that had triggered my PTSD and bothered the female lead came to mind. 【”Do you think we only handle BM-RP department work? Come back next time.” “Right now, we’re short on staff due to other work. Come back next time.”】 In the end, it was only after the overwhelmingly authoritative male lead said a word that we could finally start working, making him a typical example of someone who uses strong and weak tactics interchangeably. ‘I guess there’s no chance they’d cut me some slack either, right?’ Since the secret of my birth hasn’t been revealed yet, I still appear to others as a commoner. And when I actually met them, their gaze was far from pleasant. Arthur Featherston, a middle-aged man with red hair that was almost orange, flattered the male protagonist when he introduced me. “Of course I should, Young Grand Duke Lupesque!” “Please address me by my title, Team Leader Featherton.” “Yes, yes. Team Leader Lupesque.” A few days later. When I came alone to greet him, Team Leader Featherton looked me up and down. “Hello, Team Leader Featherton. I’m Layla Lowell, and I greeted you last time. About the artifact…” “Did you oversleep?” “Yes?” “You must have overslept since you didn’t even wear any survival makeup.” “….” “Isn’t makeup essential for marrying into a noble family?” Oh, there’s a dirty mouth that’s the opposite gender of Allison. But I had to be the one to ask the disappointing question, putting on a brave face and asking. “I came to ask when the completion date for the artifact our team requested might be.” “Oh, don’t bother me. I’ll send it when it’s ready!” “Excuse me, the due date is…” “We’re in peak season right now! Is your department the only one that’s busy?” He acts like that, fully aware that the BM-RP department has taken over the kidnapping case. ‘They’re so relaxed because only commoners were kidnapped.’ I can’t pressure him more when I’m in a powerless position, even when he’s insisting that he’s busy. However, just as I was leaving after saying hello, I heard Featherston shouting at his subordinate. “Hey, over there!” “Yes, Team Leader!” “Open the window! The stench from the sewer is driving me crazy.” And then laughter erupted. I know they’re laughing loudly on purpose so I can hear them. Just so you know, it didn’t have any impact. I twitched my ear as I left. “Phew, I remember the way the female lead crushed you.” It was an embezzlement. ‘You need to buy materials to make an artifact.’ However, Featherson and a few team members inflated the amount needed and sold the excess materials. And at a wicked price! ‘Should I handle this with the male lead’s aura?’ It should be fine. It’s an artifact that I need to use in an urgent situation. ‘But then, what if those guys blame me later?’ I want to leave quickly, but I also want to avoid drawing resentment from the nobles if I wish to live quietly in the future. ‘I’ve already been branded by the nobles because of the Allison incident.’ In that case, I had to hide behind another department and handle things. I was getting a little annoyed. ‘I’m wasting my time on useless politics.’ I don’t want to be in the BM-RP department any longer, so I need to disband it as soon as possible. ‘To do that, I need to remember the dates, locations, and details of the incidents more thoroughly.’ I didn’t know enough about the major incidents. I needed more detailed information! As I pondered over this, I stepped into the office of the BM-RP Department, and a swirl of purple hair floated before my eyes. “Why are you wandering around like that?” “Huh, Seamus?” Seamus was looking at me with a thoroughly sulky expression. There was no reason for him to be upset with me like that. Ah, could it be… “Can’t you eat lunch alone?” “What…?” “No, if that’s the case, you should have said something. So, were you waiting for me?” “Of course.” Seamus didn’t blush… at all. Instead, he frowned like an idiot asking an obvious question. “I told you. I’m watching you.” “Ah, yes…” It seems that today’s observation of the next Lord of the Wizard Tower’s monster-like humans is going splendidly. However, seeing that face, a light went on in my head. “Seamus. You, you’re the best in Wizard Tower, right?” “What…? Hmm…yeah.” “Then, do you know about a magic that allows you to recall things you’ve seen in the past in great detail?” “What…?” “Please, tell me you know!” I tried hard to focus my eyes for the first time in a long while. As soon as I did that, the grape-haired boy turned his head away as if he had seen something he shouldn’t have. “You, your eyes won’t shine even if you do that.” “Damn it.” “Anyway, there is a way…”“Heuk, as expected!” Indeed, love among peers is love for the country. Seamus Finley is the genius of the Wizard Tower who answers any question you ask! But before I could praise him, Seamus looked at me with a pouting look. “But there’s a condition.” I would greatly appreciate your continued support by leaving a positive rating on NU so I can continue translating this novel. Thank you.
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