WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Dionysus
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ The Newbie Civil Servant Hunts Villains Before Going Home ◈
Chapter 23: Found You
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* * *
“What did the Poison King order you to move, and where?”
Hyeonyul asked the CEO again.
Bzzzz.
The phone rang.
Oh Haeryeon.
Only then did Hyeonyul remember not having reported in.
“Ah, please wait a moment. It’s an urgent call.”
After asking for understanding, Hyeonyul answered the phone.
The CEO’s face plainly showed their disbelief at this absurdity.
“Yes, Team Leader.”
<Are you taking good care of the children?>
“...That was quite a difficult mission.”
<It is, isn’t it? I knew it would be, so I sent Jihwan with you. Jihwan really likes children. You can take a short break.>
“Did something happen?”
Hyeonyul did not think Haeryeon would call simply to tell him to rest.
<It’s about the festival security companies.>
Just as expected.
Hyeonyul looked at the CEO and spoke.
“Yes, please continue.”
<I narrowed them down to a few. I thought it would be good for you to remember them, just in case. Is now a good time?>
“Please list them.”
When Hyeonyul extended a finger, darkness moved and examined the CEO’s laptop.
The CEO’s eyes widened as though they would pop out.
What kind of power was that?
Something like black smoke writhed over the keyboard as it typed.
<SAS Security, STS Security, DCD Security...>
Hyeonyul smiled faintly at each company name.
STS Security.
There happened to be a proposal on the laptop to send goods there.
What had the CEO said earlier?
“Hurry up! Do you know how angry the Poison King is? Move all the children we got our hands on, now!”
The Poison King was waiting for something, and the CEO had been moving it.
Was it not a perfectly fitting theory that what they had been moving was children, and their destination was STS Security?
Perhaps STS Security was not the Poison King’s base.
But the current situation pointed to one thing.
‘So you’re there now, Poison King.’
Hyeonyul looked at the CEO.
The CEO flinched.
“Team Leader.”
<Yes?>
“I found where the Poison King is.”
<...What? All of a sudden?>
“STS Security.”
The moment that name left Hyeonyul’s mouth, the CEO’s lips trembled.
This was it.
“It’s there.”
With the corners of his mouth raised, Hyeonyul slit the CEO’s throat.
There was no more information to get.
<H-Hyeonyul. What are you doing right now? Where are you? Weren’t you at the kindergarten?>
Haeryeon’s flustered voice followed.
“I pursued someone attempting to kidnap children as part of my mission, and that place was a company run by the Poison King. And didn’t you just tell me where the Poison King was, Team Leader?”
<I did...? I only told you that I narrowed down the festival security companies. Even after narrowing them down, there are still four.>
“You narrowed it down to four. I just secured a proposal through the CEO’s laptop. Of course, it does not directly state that the goods are kidnapped children. They are merely listed as merchandise.”
Even Villains wrote proposals in the proper format.
Because they cared about outside scrutiny, they mixed in company terminology as a disguise.
When Hyeonyul reached toward the laptop, a power like black smoke rose from beneath it and carried it away.
“Team Leader, I’ll hand over the laptop later.”
Hyeonyul checked the time.
Jihwan had said he needed five minutes to destroy this building.
Four minutes had passed.
Hyeonyul seemed to fall backward, then sank into the floor.
When he sprang forward again, the location had changed.
It was an underground parking garage.
The truck carrying the children had not departed yet.
Hyeonyul found it.
“Team Leader, I’ll continue the mission. The kindergarten kidnapping case is not over yet.”
<Will you be all right? This counts as overtime.>
“If we let him get away now, it will become quite a headache. Besides, this is not overtime. We do not classify connected cases that way.”
<That’s a relief, but the Poison King is a major player who uses poison. Don’t you need backup?>
“Yes. Poison is not a problem, but moving the captured children alone will be difficult. I need backup.”
<Jihwan is beside you, isn’t he?>
“No, he is some distance away. I intend to move with him. I am still in my probationary period.”
Of course, Hyeonyul intended to keep some distance from him.
At a glance, Jihwan did not appear to have poison resistance.
<That’s not what I mean. Jihwan might have a hard time because he has no poison resistance. He can block it with magic, but if there is no antidote, tell him to wait as far away as possible.>
“Understood. Then, may I kill the Poison King?”
<You cannot, Hyeonyul. We have to shut down everywhere the Poison King has reached. We need to deal with the money and products already distributed, as well as the people inside.>
“Since he may resist, is it enough if he is left in a condition where he can speak?”
<...Um, he has to be able to speak, and we have to be able to recognize that he is the Poison King.>
“If that is all, I am confident I can manage it.”
Hyeonyul spoke with confidence.
Sounding unconvinced, Haeryeon only drew out an “Um.”
“I’ll be going.”
Hyeonyul did not care what Haeryeon was feeling.
The only thing in sight was whatever that truck was carrying.
The children had to be in there.
<I’ll send Nayun or Sinu your way if I can.>
“No, please do not. We do not know what poison the Poison King has, so keeping the team on standby is the way to keep them safe.”
Why else would he be called the Poison King?
He had to prevent the team’s combat strength from being lost to something as trivial as poison.
Even if they came, the poison would keep them from being helpful.
<...Hyeonyul, you sometimes say things that are really difficult to hear.>
“I apologize.”
<That’s not what I meant! You are right, but as the team leader, it is also something that bothers me... Never mind. I’ll explain later. Focus on the mission for now and go.>
“Thank you for granting permission.”
After politely saying goodbye, Hyeonyul ended the call.
He assessed the number of people around the truck.
‘Eight.’
There was no need to confront them directly.
Hyeonyul contacted Jihwan through the smartwatch and touched the wireless earphone.
[Blow it up.]
The voice was sent as text.
Hyeonyul sank beneath the shadow and stopped directly under the truck.
Countless hands made of darkness reached for the truck, grasping and wrapping around it tightly.
“...What is this?”
The Villain smoking in front of the truck reacted to the strange power.
He immediately dropped the cigarette in his mouth and leaped away.
“What the hell is this?”
“How would I know...”
The words cut off there.
Boom!
Something crashed into the building.
‘He’s here.’
Hyeonyul immediately knew it was magic.
The sound was loud enough to be heard clearly in the underground garage, and everyone covered their ears in shock.
Whoooosh.
A wind quietly welled up from below before changing into scorching heat.
The cars began to bubble as though everything would melt the instant it was touched.
“Aaaaaagh!”
The area filled with screams, but they no longer reached Hyeonyul.
Hyeonyul sank into silent darkness, and every sound died away.
* * *
Knock, knock.
A knock sounded.
“Come in.”
The door opened.
As the smell of blood rushed in, the man sitting and smoking a cigarette turned his head.
The man wore a mask covering only the upper half of his face.
Countless corpses lay scattered in Hyeonyul’s wake, yet there was not a drop of blood anywhere on Hyeonyul’s body.
“Greetings.”
Hyeonyul greeted the Poison King at last.
It was something about the feeling around him. He was different from the rabble.
“Black Eagle?”
“That is correct.”
“You’re quite something.”
The Poison King looked rather pleased.
Hoo.
A sweet scent filled the room along with the long stream of smoke he exhaled.
Hyeonyul smelled it through the helmet and immediately recognized it as poison.
“I killed them beforehand in case they became troublesome. Had I known you would be this disappointed, perhaps I should have left one alive.”
“No, it’s fine. They would only be troublesome if they were here. In the end, they would only die anyway.”
The Poison King tapped ash into the ashtray and shook his crossed leg.
“So, why have you come?”
“Why do you think I came?”
“There could be several reasons.”
The Poison King smiled slyly as he asked.
Hyeonyul had no interest at all in what was inside that man’s head.
“Do you want to kill me?”
“I came to capture you.”
“You could kill me.”
“I can. I want to kill you too.”
Hyeonyul approached and sat down.
How nice it would be to drive a blade into that throat right now.
“But my team leader told me I could not.”
“I like that kind of leisure.”
The Poison King could not lower the corners of his mouth, as though he liked Hyeonyul.
Though Hyeonyul was Black Eagle, the scent of one of his own kind was strangely strong.
At least, the Black Eagles he knew did not do things like this.
“Have you no intention of coming over to this side?”
Hyeonyul nearly laughed at the Poison King’s offer.
Hyeonyul extended a hand as if for a handshake. Then the Poison King’s mask split in half and dropped to the floor.
A dagger was already in Hyeonyul’s hand.
‘Ah.’
The instant Hyeonyul saw the Poison King’s face, the corners of his mouth rose.
With the helmet on, Hyeonyul could smile even wider and brighter.
‘I’ve seen him before.’
Only now did Hyeonyul realize how extensive Shin Daeho’s connections were.
Hyeonyul remembered that face perfectly.
How could anyone easily forget a face covered in swollen boils, perhaps from the aftereffects of poison?
The Poison King’s expression hardened rapidly as he looked at Hyeonyul.
It became vicious, as though he would kill Hyeonyul at once.
“I was curious what face you wore beneath that mask, so I committed a discourtesy. By the way, why hide such a splendidly villainous face?”
Hyeonyul smiled, and the Poison King clenched his fist.
The disappearance of his smile meant he had lost his composure.
“If it displeases you, you should try it too. If you can.”
Hyeonyul provoked the Poison King.
There was a powerful confidence that nothing could reach him.
“You have an insolent talent.”
At the Poison King’s words, wherever his hand touched slowly melted away.
Dark red poison dripped from his grasp, and even the hard floor melted in an instant.
‘What vicious poison.’
Hyeonyul thought lightly.
Anyone without poison resistance would have been busy dying here just by breathing, no, even by holding their breath. It would seep through their skin.
Hyeonyul simply was not anyone.
“What did you intend to do with the experimental subjects?”
Hyeonyul asked a bored question.
There was no expectation that he would answer.
Even so, Hyeonyul had to ask.
He wanted to know everything: who had experimented on him, for what purpose, and who he had been in the past.
“Ah, it seems you have a misunderstanding. I stopped dealing in that sort of thing long ago. No one could withstand the poison. It was boring.”
The Poison King’s eyes curved.
“Yet you had a truck full of children. That contradicts what you said.”
When Hyeonyul opened the rescued truck, it had indeed been full of children asleep from drugs.
Serin’s friend might have been among them, but this was not the time to check.
Hyeonyul left them to Jihwan and came here.
The children had been protected, and now they had to capture the Poison King who had kidnapped them.
“Ah, you saw that?”
The Poison King asked as though it did not matter.
“Why do you think I came?”
“Because they make money.”
The Poison King laughed loudly.
What was so amusing?
“Why not be honest too?”
“About what?”
“They say each child brings in tens of billions or more. Of course you have to catch them and deliver them, right?”
“That is why you are being captured today. We cannot let a beast roam the streets, can we?”
“I am honored. There could be no greater compliment for me.”
The Poison King stood and looked at Hyeonyul.
He appeared to be considering how to kill that bastard.
“But it is such a shame. The person who praised me will disappear today.”
Hyeonyul nearly laughed at that.
Would a beast with all its teeth pulled be frightening simply because it howled?
Something could be heard bubbling below.
Viscous poison flowed like a river from the Poison King’s legs, melting the chair and sofa.
Poisonous gas rose whenever it melted something, advancing as though threatening Hyeonyul, but it was only strong-smelling.
The poison could not even melt Hyeonyul’s shoes.
“Does it hurt? Can’t you even speak?”
‘...What is he doing?’
Hyeonyul narrowed his eyes.
It was an action that would normally work, but to Hyeonyul, he merely looked like he was dancing.
He had no strength and had risen to the rank of a major player by relying only on poison.
‘Then I could become a major Villain too.’
Hyeonyul scoffed.
“I am disappointed.”
The moment the words left Hyeonyul’s mouth, he appeared before the Poison King.
A faint mist swirled around Hyeonyul’s body.
He reached out and seized the Poison King by the throat.
Squeeze.
“...?”
Unable to withstand the force, the Poison King was shoved all the way to the wall.
Thud.
The sound was rather loud.
“This is a major player?”
With irritation, Hyeonyul drove the dagger into the Poison King’s shoulder.
Liquid-like blood flowed out and melted the floor.
“...You, why are you not dead?”
Swallowing back a rising scream, the Poison King asked.
“Why would I be dead?”
“You... What are you?”
The Poison King wavered.
His poison could melt people.
It could kill hundreds of people in three seconds through scent alone.
Was that all?
This poison, nearly plastered over all his skin, was a deadly toxin that killed everything it touched.
Not only did Hyeonyul endure it, he was gripping his throat.
The sight of himself dangling in the air was unbearably humiliating.
“What are you...!”
The Poison King denied reality.
Someone immune to his poison.
How could such a person exist?
“Did you desire Shin Daeho’s influence that badly?”
“...”
At Hyeonyul’s words, the Poison King suddenly stopped resisting and smiled brightly.
“...It was you.”
“Thank you for the offer, but I do not think I can join your company. I have already found employment.”
Hyeonyul raised the corners of his mouth.
“You... made the worst choice.”
Of all the places to choose, Hyeonyul chose to become the Empire’s dog.
“Whether it was the worst choice is for me to decide. Now, quietly lose consciousness.”
As Hyeonyul tightened his grip around his throat, the Poison King seized Hyeonyul’s hand.
“Do you know why Black Eagle was creat...?”
Before the Poison King could finish, Hyeonyul practically drove the dagger through the back of his hand.
Stab!
“Where do you think you are touching me? It is filthy.”
More than why Black Eagle had been created, Hyeonyul was irritated that the Poison King had touched him.
Had he not just said himself that those filthy hands had made experimental subjects?
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