The Newbie Civil Servant Hunts Villains Before Going Home - Chapter 25

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Dionysus

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ The Newbie Civil Servant Hunts Villains Before Going Home ◈

Chapter 25: Why Is This Here?

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“Removal List.”

Haeryeon held out the list to Hyeonyul.

“Take it, Hyeonyul.”

For a moment, Hyeonyul felt as though his heart had dropped.

Was this what it felt like to be dizzy with fear?

‘A... Removal List?’

He felt as though he might break into a cold sweat.

“Did I... do something wrong?”

“Huh?”

Haeryeon blinked before lowering her gaze.

“No, no! It’s not that. The incident involving you grew into an internal informant case, remember? This contains what we found through that group chat you handed over to Team Leader Juhyeon. It absolutely isn’t that!”

“...Ah. My apologies.”

Only then did Hyeonyul’s expression return to normal.

‘That was... close.’

The person who ought to be clutching Hyeonyul’s trouser leg and begging him not to leave was Haeryeon herself.

Keeping her expression under control, Haeryeon gave a short summary.

“So far, thirty-four people have been caught, including two from Black Eagle and members of White Sparrow. The White Sparrow side is the one whose identities have been properly uncovered.”

At first, she had thought this was simply caused by resentment toward Hyeonyul, a former Villain.

She had expected that level of backlash.

But this was not such a minor incident.

‘If not for Hyeonyul, we would still be unaware of this.’

Why had they targeted Hyeonyul, of all people?

There had been many theories.

Perhaps Hyeonyul knew the face of a certain Villain, and they had been trying to prevent that from getting out.

Or perhaps they intended to place Hyeonyul at the center and intensify the conflict between Black Eagle and White Sparrow.

Neither reason was acceptable.

“What have you decided to do?”

Hyeonyul asked.

“Officially, we’ll first throw them out for causing internal disruption.”

“There will be a manpower shortage. Will that be all right?”

“We still have to do it. Every team leader agreed.”

Just thinking about the meeting was already giving Haeryeon a headache.

It had been so fierce that she wanted to keep taking vacation days forever.

“Hyeonyul.”

“Yes, Team Leader.”

“Do you know what’s making my head spin right now?”

“The fact that there is an internal informant among the team leaders?”

“That’s right.”

Haeryeon let out a long breath and brushed back her hair.

“To throw out that many people, we had no choice but to expose the internal informant. We took a hit too in getting these results.”

If there was an internal informant among the team leaders, they might have to bury the matter without ever knowing who it was.

That person would make sure not to leave behind any more evidence.

“Even so, I believe we should cut out what needs cutting. The blade we swung this time may not reach the roots, but the same goes for them. Slowly choking them out like this would be fine too. I think they’ll resign within a month at most.”

Hyeonyul spoke while examining the list.

There were two Black Eagle members.

‘It would be dangerous if these people became Villains.’

They had said Hyeonyul was the first person to go from being a Villain to joining Black Eagle.

But the reverse was common.

For Black Eagle’s sake as well, the problem had to be nipped in the bud.

“Team Leader, why has one Black Eagle member’s name been crossed out?”

“They died.”

“They died?”

“There was a murder at a club, and that person was the victim. It was the Black Eagle member we’d been tracking.”

‘Ah... That includes the one I killed last time.’

Hyeonyul nodded, then glanced at Haeryeon.

Was she not suspicious this time either?

“Don’t worry. Nothing like last time will happen. No one suspects you, Hyeonyul.”

“Then who is the remaining Black Eagle member?”

“It was easy enough to identify the White Sparrow members, but tracking down the Black Eagle side was difficult. I suspect it might be one of the team leaders. In any case, Hyeonyul.”

“Yes.”

“I’m sorry.”

At Haeryeon’s apology, Hyeonyul looked at her with a stiff expression.

He grew uneasy.

What was it this time?

“I’m sorry you got caught up in this. When you get swept up in gossip... it wears down your mind and body alike.”

Haeryeon kept clenching and unclenching her fingers as her gaze fell.

Ah.

Only then did Hyeonyul feel relieved.

“I’m always surrounded by rumors, so I’m fine. This is not something I failed to prepare for. Whether people like it or not, my existence will always invite countless comments.”

He was an experimental subject who had survived impossible odds.

It was only natural that this alone would cause an uproar.

Haeryeon’s gaze on Hyeonyul deepened.

He spoke as though it were someone else’s problem.

“I know I may seem strange. In how I speak, how I act, and many other ways.”

Hyeonyul had been about to say something else, but then remembered what Jeongmin had said, as well as the advice in 101 Ways to a Smooth Office Life that misunderstandings were best resolved rather than left alone.

“No. You’re not strange at all.”

Haeryeon shook her head.

That was a lie.

There was no way Hyeonyul was not strange.

“You may have heard this from Doctor Jeongmin, but the aftereffects of the drugs have damaged my thinking, thoughts, and behavior in many ways. I am still receiving treatment. I have a long way to go, but I am trying to become more natural.”

Hyeonyul looked directly at Haeryeon.

He had learned it was better to say such things directly.

“What do you like, Hyeonyul?”

The sudden question made Hyeonyul hesitate.

Questions like this felt unfamiliar.

No one had ever asked him that when he was a Villain. It was the same sort of strange question Jeongmin always asked.

“My senses are sensitive, so I like doing small things.”

“What kind of things?”

Haeryeon merely smiled.

“I like knitting, and I enjoy making accessories. I have always wanted to raise a turtle.”

Even while saying something so ordinary, Hyeonyul looked quite happy.

“They’re all things you do at home.”

Haeryeon found a common point.

“Yes. Since my senses are sensitive, home is comfortable. That does not mean I have difficulty going outside.”

“I know that... Ah. Hyeonyul, have you considered moving?”

“...I have, but I do not have the money to move.”

As though she had expected that answer, Haeryeon pressed her lips together.

A practical worry showed in Hyeonyul’s gray eyes.

“Most of my salary goes toward interest on the money I borrowed for hospital bills and medication, so things are quite tight. I considered taking assassination jobs, but the irregular lifestyle made me decide I would rather go hungry. I must always protect my health.”

Whenever Haeryeon heard that, her heart shook.

It was not as though Hyeonyul had wanted to become an experimental subject.

Villains had made him one, so why did Hyeonyul have to bear all the consequences?

It was a relief that Hyeonyul had remained this sane, and only become this warped.

“I’m glad you’re willing to move, then. I’m thinking of applying for housing assistance for you.”

Hyeonyul’s face filled with shock.

Housing assistance.

Even the bridge of his nose stung.

“Of course, there is something you need to do first.”

“...I will do it.”

Strength entered Hyeonyul’s voice.

He knew it was bait meant to make him work harder, but he had no choice except to bite.

“Hyeonyul.”

“Yes.”

“We need to reissue your ID. Is that all right?”

“Is there a problem with my identity?”

“No.”

Hyeonyul’s registered identity was clear enough.

But based on what Sinu had said about Hyeonyul’s real age differing from his official age, as well as the fact that he had never attended school, it was clearly fabricated.

Judging by that expression, Hyeonyul did not seem to know.

‘That person must have made it.’

Doctor Lee Jeongmin.

Villains preferred people without registered identities, so the Villain side could not have made one for Hyeonyul.

Jeongmin had been with Hyeonyul for a long time.

“When you join Black Eagle, you normally go through this process. You become someone special.”

Haeryeon smiled brightly.

It was not wrong.

Since Hyeonyul was someone the Empire needed to protect, he needed to be registered anew.

“And there are a lot of gaps in your records because you were an experimental subject, right?”

“Yes. There are many.”

He had spent both childhood and adolescence as an experimental subject.

“We’ll record that you were an experimental subject. This way, Hyeonyul, you can receive all the benefits the Empire provides. Is that all right?”

“Will I be officially recognized as one?”

“Not as an experimental subject. As a victim. That is how you will be recognized. You do not have to do it if you do not want to. There are plenty of other ways.”

“...If it is recorded.”

“Yes?”

“Nothing. I will do it.”

“You can choose a home owned by the Empire that is up to eighteen pyeong. If you live there for around three years, you will not have to repay anything.”

“...”

Hyeonyul’s lower lip trembled greatly, and his eyes wavered.

He would not even have to pay it back.

As though the saying that too much kindness made a person uneasy existed for a reason, a sudden doubt rose in Hyeonyul’s mind.

“Why... are you doing so much for me?”

This had not been in the employment contract.

“You have saved countless people, Hyeonyul. And you will save many more.”

Haeryeon grinned.

By catching the Poison King, they had caused one major pillar to collapse.

It was a shame that they could not see with their own eyes just how many people Hyeonyul had saved.

“Honestly, I think you might become a noble one day. How proud would I be then?”

Black Eagle was practically the only path to becoming a noble.

There would be no change in social status, but it would still become a symbol.

“A noble?”

“Oh, I’ve kept you too long.”

Haeryeon checked the time and jumped in surprise.

“You need to stop by Doctor Jeongmin’s, right?”

“Yes. I need to see him before Theory Training.”

She wanted Hyeonyul to rest, but Theory Training was held with everyone present, so they could not skip it.

“Anyway, take your time to think it over and let me know. Oh, Team Leader Juhyeon is checking the Poison King’s phone that you gave us, so I’ll let you know if anything turns up. That’s all.”

Haeryeon made it clear that their business was finished.

But Hyeonyul stood there blankly.

“What is it? Is there something you want to say?”

“There is something I could not tell you yesterday.”

“...Yesterday?”

Haeryeon’s eyes widened as Hyeonyul held out his phone and showed her a photograph.

“The Villain I encountered yesterday is called the Mage of Gravity, or the Red Witch. Shin Daeho called her Ahsan.”

“...?”

Haeryeon stopped breathing for a moment.

The Poison King had barely gone, and now the Red Witch had arrived.

‘Seriously... Is Hyeonyul some kind of Villain catnip?’

She had no idea why he kept running into Villains one after another.

Major figures were not supposed to be so easy to encounter.

Shin Daeho, the Poison King, the Red Witch.

If not for Hyeonyul, no one could have approached that combination.

‘How could this possibly be a coincidence?’

Haeryeon screamed inwardly.

“After encountering that Villain, I wounded her back. I attempted to use one of her subordinates to find out where they had come from, but their loyalty was high enough that they killed themselves.”

Hyeonyul showed regret after making the report.

He had wanted information related to experimental subjects, but that person’s loyalty had been absurdly high.

To think there was someone even more foolish than him.

“Wait. You wounded them?”

Haeryeon was horrified by a different part of the report.

Did Hyeonyul have no fear?

“Yes. I wounded her as a warning. My arm was bent too. A major figure truly is a different kind of being.”

Hyeonyul spoke as though he had discovered something fascinating.

Perhaps thinking his explanation was lacking, he offered supporting reasoning.

“It looked as though she intended to devour the forces left without the Poison King and Shin Daeho. I wounded her to prevent the possibility of those forces growing into something larger. Is there a problem...?”

“There is a problem! You said you weren’t hurt!”

“Yes. I was not hurt. It was merely bent.”

“If it was bent, that means it broke!”

Haeryeon immediately looked at Hyeonyul’s arm.

It appeared strangely fine.

“I am fairly resistant to impacts. I was planning to see the doctor now, so...”

“Go! Go right now!”

For some reason, Haeryeon’s expression had darkened.

Wondering whether he had made some sort of mistake, Hyeonyul walked away with heavy steps.

‘...This is difficult.’

Human emotions were difficult.

Hyeonyul wanted to look back several times.

But afraid of upsetting Haeryeon, he left without doing anything.

After confirming that Hyeonyul had gone, Haeryeon finally slammed her forehead against her desk.

Thud.

‘...He’s insane. Completely insane.’

The team leaders used to joke that in order to kill the Poison King, one had to be immune to poison.

What Hyeonyul had accomplished had caused a huge stir.

Hyeonyul did not seem to recognize it, but it was no different from miraculous luck.

Poison did not work on him.

It sounded simple, but was such a thing even possible?

‘But... he wounded the Red Witch too?’

The Red Witch was a mage.

Who did not know how troublesome mages were?

Simply being a mage earned bonus points within Black Eagle.

‘...Did I set the bar too low?’

Hyeonyul’s ability far exceeded imagination.

There were no data showing how strong experimental subjects were, because no living experimental subjects existed.

‘He’s strong. Far too strong.’

The smile gradually vanished from Haeryeon’s lips. She ran both hands through her hair.

That kind of strength was not good.

An inexplicable bitterness washed over her.

“I like knitting, and I enjoy making accessories. I have always wanted to raise a turtle.”

Everything Hyeonyul had said sounded sincere.

‘...The Villains ruined someone like that.’

If Hyeonyul had not been an experimental subject, perhaps he could have lived as an ordinary person.

* * *

“...Doctor.”

Hyeonyul spoke as he looked at Jeongmin.

Jeongmin’s voice, as he examined the X-ray, was sharp.

“I’m listening.”

“Are you angry?”

“Hyeonyul. What have I always told you since you were little?”

Jeongmin asked while pointing at Hyeonyul’s arm.

“You told me to take care of my body. I have continued to do so even now.”

“And someone who does that joined Black Eagle?”

“Should I answer that again?”

“Ah, forget it. Don’t say another word. My ears hurt.”

Jeongmin recoiled as though he were shuddering.

Perfect benefits and money.

What could he say when Hyeonyul brought that up?

It had been Hyeonyul’s most urgent need.

When he heard there would be medical-cost assistance, he had even thrown both hands in the air and cheered.

“Doctor. I am always careful.”

“This?”

Jeongmin pointed at Hyeonyul’s arm again.

There was a very faint bruise.

To anyone else, it was a scratch that would heal on its own, but not for Hyeonyul.

This had to be taken seriously too.

“My body structure differs from that of others. Even though magic bent my arm, it stopped at a bruise.”

Hyeonyul might have been resistant to impacts, but he had difficulty stopping bleeding and was vulnerable to cuts.

Jeongmin applied medicine to the bruise and wrapped it in a conspicuously thick bandage.

“...Wow, you have become quite articulate. So much that I have no idea who taught you to speak like that.”

“You taught me.”

When Hyeonyul smiled, Jeongmin, who had been sarcastic, puffed up for no reason.

It had already been fourteen years.

Having known Hyeonyul since childhood, Jeongmin had come to see Hyeonyul as far more than just a patient.

“Anyway, what did you want to ask?”

“Doctor. Do people dislike efficiency?”

Pursuing efficiency was Hyeonyul’s way.

In other words, it was the same as asking whether people disliked Hyeonyul.

“Who... who said they dislike you? Who was it?”

Jeongmin raised his voice.

“There have always been many people who disliked me.”

“Their eyes are the problem.”

“Then most people must have bad eyes.”

Jeongmin laughed loudly at Hyeonyul’s sarcastic words.

He could even make jokes now.

How admirable.

“Please answer me.”

“Even if someone prefers efficiency, that preference does not last forever. They might simply be in a bad mood that day.”

“...Ah.”

Only then did Hyeonyul understand.

A fairly notorious Villain had appeared, so of course Haeryeon would have a headache.

She was a team leader.

She already had much to do, and Hyeonyul had added even more work to it.

‘So I gave her more work.’

Only then could Hyeonyul shake off the lingering unease.

“You should come back after training.”

“Have my readings fallen?”

“Yes. You need an injection today.”

“Doctor.”

Jeongmin raised both eyebrows at Hyeonyul’s call.

Hyeonyul hesitated for only a moment.

What was he trying to say?

The uncharacteristic behavior made Jeongmin tense for no reason.

Was he in pain somewhere?

“Now that I can receive medical-cost assistance, I will repay your money first.”

Hyeonyul had fallen into debt because the medical bills were so high. When there was no one left to borrow from, Jeongmin had covered the treatment costs himself.

Hyeonyul had always wanted to repay the debt to Jeongmin, but only now had it become possible.

“...Have you been thinking about that all this time?”

Jeongmin asked in surprise.

“Yes.”

Hyeonyul’s answer made Jeongmin emotional.

“Forget it. I did it because I wanted to, so do not worry about it.”

“Doctor. I earn a large salary now. There is no risk that I will not be paid.”

“Hyeonyul. I earn more here too. Save that money to get a new home and raise a turtle.”

Jeongmin patted Hyeonyul’s arm.

Everyone had said he would die, but Hyeonyul had lived.

He endured.

He had persevered with all his strength and become an adult.