NOVEL NEXT Chapter 31 - Pushy Beggar
Chapter 31 – Pushy Beggar
“The matter that occurred internally was really minor and personal, we wouldn’t have come if that was the case. We’ve only come here because it’s a serious matter.”
Sunal returned the manager’s words without hesitation.
For a moment, the dark, swirling smoke in the manager’s eye sockets seemed to darken slightly, but Sunal didn’t care.
‘So what if he gets angry?’
The manager had spoken rudely first, so it was only natural for Sunal to respond in kind.
However, Lee Rang’s expression was different. His eyes widened slightly as if he was taken aback.
With an awkward expression, he spoke up.
“We are from the Interethnic Grievance Resolution Special Unit.”
“…Ah, you’re from the grievance unit?”
Hearing the slightly softened tone of the manager, Sunal thought of one thing.
‘It seems the staff already informed him that we were just some civil servants.’
If they were regular civil servants, he might have thought they were here to cause trouble, but since they were from the grievance unit, the manager seemed to view them differently.
“I am the chief manager of this construction site, Sindel.”
The manager pulled a business card from the inside pocket of his suit.
A bony hand could be seen peeking out from his sleeve.
However, Sunal’s gaze briefly shifted to the manager’s clothing. Despite being at a construction site, he wasn’t wearing any safety gear. In fact, there wasn’t even any sign that he had worn any.
“Looks like managers these days don’t bother following safety regulations.”
Sunal sarcastically remarked as he took the business card, but Sindel, still eager to show how polite he was, happily moved his jawbone.
“Ah. I had been at another location when I got the call, so I rushed over without grabbing my safety gear. I hope you’ll understand.”
“That’s understandable.”
Hanul Construction.
Head Office Assistant Manager. Sindel.
‘So, he’s from the headquarters.’
As Sunal glanced at the business card and stepped back slightly, Lee Rang, sensing his cue, began to speak.
“A grievance was filed regarding discrimination against other races at this site.”
“That’s impossible.”
Sindel immediately rejected Lee Rang’s words with a smirk.
“We are more compliant with the Anti-Racial Discrimination Act than anyone else. I’m not unaware of where that complaint originated, but if you take a closer look, you’ll see it’s not the case.”
At that response, Sunal gave Lee Rang a tired look.
See, I told you. He’s going to deny it no matter what.
Sunal covered his mouth and laughed mockingly before asking Sindel a question.
“So, you’re suggesting we just take a quick look and leave?”
“What a hurtful thing to say. I never said that.”
“Then this is perfect. In order to resolve this grievance, we need to understand why such a situation occurred, so I hope you’ll cooperate with us.”
Sunal’s eyes narrowed into a smile.
As Sindel hesitated, Sunal continued speaking smoothly.
“First, please gather the people in charge here. The grievance we received mentions more than four individuals by name.”
“Well…”
“We also have evidence, and the claims are so specific that we have no choice but to investigate. Please provide us with the CCTV footage from yesterday and arrange for us to meet with the staff involved. Set it up for us.”
“Excuse me.”
“Yes? Is there something you’d like to say?”
“The more I listen, the more this feels off. Why should I obediently follow your orders?”
Sindel’s gaze shifted downward, eyeing Sunal’s civil servant badge.
“So, then…”
Raising his gaze again, Sindel opened his jaw slightly toward Sunal.
“Sunal.”
Hanul, a top-tier conglomerate.
And the assistant manager of the construction division from the headquarters.
As a Skeleton, a species with a high unemployment rate like Slimes, reaching that position must have been something he was proud of.
Sunal thought that part was quite impressive.
“Sunal. And Lee Rang. It’s good to be diligent in your duties, but don’t make this situation bigger than it needs to be. Let’s just handle this quietly and smoothly. Wouldn’t that be best for both of us?”
Sindel scratched his brow, finally revealing his true intentions.
Sunal found his words laughable.
How could someone be this stupid?
“Is this why you ended up here?”
“…Sunal?”
Lee Rang had been reaching for his phone but stopped mid-action. It was clear to anyone that this was turning into a fight.
“He’s just a little rough around the edges and doesn’t know any better. As public servants, we need to be patient in front of the citizens.”
Sunal nearly burst into laughter. While it might have sounded like Lee Rang was trying to reprimand him, it also felt like he was defending him.
But Sunal had no intention of holding back.
“I don’t know who gave you the title of ‘assistant manager,’ but seeing as you’ve come from the headquarters to play the role of manager here, isn’t it obvious?”
You’ve been demoted, haven’t you?
When Sunal jabbed at him like that, Sindel’s body trembled.
“What do you mean by that?”
The smoke in his eye sockets swirled even more violently. Since Skeletons had no pupils, one way to gauge their emotions was through the movement of that smoke.
“I’m sorry. I’ll apologize.”
“Well, I don’t see why you need to apologize. Wasn’t it Mr. Sindel who spoke rudely first?”
As the contrast between Lee Rang’s apologetic tone and Sunal’s nonchalant response became more apparent, Sindel clenched his bony fingers tightly.
“…Fine. I admit my words weren’t kind. But even if you dig into this case, it won’t be good for you either. I was trying to help you.”
“There seem to be an unusual number of mages around here.”
Sunal casually tucked his hair behind his ear, as if to stop the nonsense from Sindel. Upon seeing Sunal’s red earring, the smoke within Sindel’s eye sockets trembled.
“What I want to say to Mr. Sindel is simple. Please cooperate.”
With Sunal’s request, which was more of a threat, Sindel slowly unclenched his bony fingers.
“Ah, that was a bit disappointing. I was almost swayed for a moment. But the effect wasn’t strong enough, I suppose.”
In any case, mages were abundant here.
It was a little surprising that a civil servant was a mage, but so what?
If this matter escalated, it would only disadvantage Sindel.
“I have no intention of cooperating. This is an internal issue, and I believe it should be handled according to internal rules.”
“Sunal.”
Lee Rang sighed and shook his phone.
“Yes, it seems you had the same thought as me.”
Sunal responded warmly, and Lee Rang nodded.
“I can see we’re starting to get some teamwork here. In any case, since it appears Mr. Sindel has no intention of cooperating, I’ll inform the team leader that we’ll need to head to the main office directly.”
“Then let’s go.”
Without hesitation, Sunal stood up.
They had planned to visit the headquarters anyway.
“…Wait a minute. The main office?”
Sindel also stood up abruptly.
It was a bit unexpected, but this wasn’t something he could afford to ignore.
“Oh, and you asked earlier why you should follow our orders, right?”
Sunal kindly explained, for the idiot who still hadn’t grasped the situation.
“The Interethnic Grievance Resolution Special Unit holds investigative authority, and citizens are obligated to cooperate. This isn’t a suggestion; it’s a formal request based on a legal obligation.”
“And to add, you’ve broken the law by refusing.”
Lee Rang, who had also stood up, glanced at Sindel before heading toward the door.
Sunal, bowing his head slightly, looked at the stiffened expression on Sindel’s face and suppressed a laugh, instead offering a quiet, mocking smile.
“Then, we’ll go get formal permission from headquarters. At that point, you’ll have to cooperate.”
He pulled out the crumpled business card, looked at it, and mentioned Sindel’s name.
“So… Mr. Sindel.”
As Sunal’s smile widened, Sindel’s finger bones began to tremble.
“Sunal. This won’t end well for you. I’ve given you a clear warning.”
Ignoring Sindel’s nonsense, Sunal walked out.
“…This is driving me crazy!”
Just as the door was closing, they heard what sounded like Sindel’s near-scream.
He was probably scrambling to figure out how to report this situation to his superiors.
‘Whatever he does, it’ll be hard to stop us.’
“…Ah, yes, yes, Team Leader.”
Sunal briefly glanced around as he saw Lee Rang already on the phone with Edina.
Feeling displeased, Sunal felt the urge to pick on something, anything.
The thought that under someone like Sindel, the Anti-Racial Discrimination Act couldn’t possibly be properly enforced loomed large in his mind.
If something came up now, they wouldn’t even have to go to headquarters.
‘Let’s get one thing done before we leave.’
Sindel was definitely going to tamper with the CCTV footage. That much was clear.
Sunal told Lee Rang, “Just a moment,” and stopped one of the passing employees.
“Excuse me.”
He fidgeted with his civil servant badge to make sure it was clearly visible.
“…Yes?”
At first, the man appeared to be a Werewolf, but no—his scent, his eyes—he was just human.
“Do you know where the CCTV control room is?”
“Over there…”
“Sorry, but could you show me the way?”
“…No.”
The man hesitated, glanced around nervously, and then seemed surprised by something.
“I have to work, I’m sorry.”
The man quickly bowed his head and ran off somewhere, leaving Sunal to follow his gaze.
‘Did he look at the CCTV…?’
Why?
Sunal began walking slowly, scanning his surroundings again.
People were moving about, but the flow was off.
Some were busy, while others seemed relaxed, creating an odd, unsettling atmosphere.
Sunal headed toward the CCTV area and cast a spell on himself.
“[Fade.]”
It was a spell that briefly erased his presence. It reduced his existence to something like a tree or a pebble on the street—perfect for observing unnoticed.
As his presence diminished, he could feel the gazes on him start to disappear, one by one.
Sunal simply walked, his eyes scanning as he blended into the scene.
“…Hey, you bastard. How many times have I told you to clean this up?”
A man, who appeared to be human, cursed as he struck a giant species in the ribs.
It looked ridiculous—seeing a man half or even a third the size of the giant hitting him like that—but Sunal knew why this was happening.
“With your size, how much are you earning? Don’t you want to make money? Who else is going to hire you with that bulk? What will you do if you leave here? You think you can even fit in an elevator?”
Pfft.
A blatant sneer aimed at the giant species came from a Snake-man passing by.
Soon, others around them joined in the sneering, but no one stepped in to help.
Even the giant, accustomed to this treatment, only responded quietly, speaking as if he was at fault.
“I’ll do better.”
It was obvious at a glance—the giant species were a minority here. While they excelled in physical labor, that was as far as their usefulness went.
There was even talk about how it would be more efficient to employ multiple humans instead of a single giant, to the point where people would say, “Why bother with giants when you can just hire humans?”
The main reason the giant species were often discriminated against was their large size, which made them seem incapable of detailed, careful work.
‘For giants, this is probably their only job opportunity, and these guys are just flexing their seniority.’
Sunal didn’t intervene.
If intervening would solve the issue, he would’ve gladly done so. But this was a problem that couldn’t be solved by merely stepping in. Unless the root cause that allowed this kind of behavior was dealt with, it would just keep happening.
Sunal briefly turned toward the scene.
Everything was being recorded by his body camera.
“All species are equal.”
That was the first line of the Anti-Racial Discrimination Act.
While keeping his hands out of view of the body camera, Sunal cast a spell and began walking again.
[Wind, rise.]
Though he had decided not to intervene, it didn’t mean he liked what was happening.
A gust of wind swirled around the human who was bullying the giant species.
Sometimes, a sudden gust of wind just happens. Nature is mysterious that way.
As Sunal chuckled quietly to himself at the startled reactions, his gaze shifted to where the CCTV was likely recording.
It was obvious. The building, likely a modified container, had a thick concentration of mana around it, confirming that this was the storage area.
‘We requested cooperation, but since they refused, there’s nothing else I can do.’
Sunal’s only concern now was to protect the CCTV footage.
‘The person in charge… seems to have fled?’
It looked like the manager had been frightened off by the windstorm and left, as the door was left ajar. Inside, it was completely empty.
‘Perfect.’
There was a security spell cast, but Sunal didn’t bother messing with it.
He simply layered his own spell over it.
Crackle.
As static electricity crackled and he manipulated the CCTV, Sunal pressed his mana-laden hand against it.
As soon as the magic circle appeared, Sunal raised an eyebrow.
Despite being the most crucial security spell, the size of the magic circle was only about as large as his torso.
The contents were so poorly structured that if disturbed even slightly, it could fall apart. He had no words for how sloppy it was.
[Enclose this magic circle.]
Sunal’s spell activated.
A transparent mana box large enough to surround the magic circle appeared and closed over it.
Click.
At the sound of it locking, Sunal moved his fingers.
[Only my hand can open it.]
He set a lock on the mana box.
It was a simple locking spell, one he had used countless times when he was with Lineal, but he hadn’t seen it used much in this place.
Even during the incident at Mestos Hospital, Sunal had been able to break through other people’s magic circles easily because they hadn’t used locking spells.
Without releasing the lock, no one could tamper with the magic circle or the spells it contained. It was considered an essential spell for any mage.
‘Alright. Now, no one can open this unless I come back.’
In order to undo the spell, they’d have to touch the magic circle. But since it was locked, they wouldn’t be able to, and Sunal was quite pleased with that.
He quickly left before any mages or managers could show up.
“…Where have you been?”
As soon as the call ended, Lee Rang immediately asked when he saw Sunal.
“I went to prevent the CCTV from being erased.”
Lee Rang froze for a moment, struggling to process the casual comment.
‘There should’ve been someone guarding that area, right? Wait… wasn’t there a windstorm earlier?’
As his thoughts began to connect, Lee Rang asked with a hint of disbelief.
It couldn’t have been a coincidence that a windstorm suddenly blew.
“How… exactly?”
As his gaze wavered, Sunal answered as if it were the most obvious thing.
“I used magic to block it.”
“You didn’t… cause any trouble, right? I saw the windstorm.”
“Oh, that?”
Sunal’s lips curled upward, and Lee Rang swallowed nervously.
“H-how badly were they hurt?”
“No one got hurt. I don’t harm people easily. Don’t worry.”
“I can handle things from here. Just, don’t panic.”
‘It’s clear who’s panicking here—Lee Rang. Hmm, should I keep watching to see how far he takes this?’
Sunal sniffed.
“What did the team leader say?”
Speaking in a slightly slower tone, Sunal walked ahead, and Lee Rang, shaking off his thoughts, hurried after him.
“They said this is what they expected and to head to the main office as soon as possible.”
“How far can we go with this?”
“How far… what do you mean? Like asking if the team leader or manager should handle this?”
“Exactly. It’s easier when the person in charge is high-ranking.”
“I find it uncomfortable. Whenever I meet someone in a high position, I get this social… anxiety. It’s like a disease.”
“Well, what are we going to do? This situation could escalate.”
Depending on Hanul Construction’s reaction, it would either remain a minor issue like a branch office of the Wizards’ Association or turn into something much bigger.