WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Dionysus
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ The Newbie Civil Servant Hunts Villains Before Going Home ◈
Chapter 9: I Know That Face
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“Poison King...?”
Hyeonyul, the one who had received the recruitment offer, remained calm.
If anything, he looked as though he had no idea who that was.
“You don’t know who the Poison King is...?”
Haeryeon looked flustered.
“Even if I was employed there, I wouldn’t know. I was only a company employee.”
He killed villains.
When the boss ordered someone dead, he checked whether the target was a civilian or not, then simply killed them.
The dead could not speak. Perhaps Hyeonyul had been even less interested because some of the people who had experimented on him might have been among them.
‘Will she think I’m incompetent because I don’t know the Poison King?’
Hyeonyul looked at Haeryeon.
Not knowing was as much a sin as incompetence.
“Oh, then that makes sense. It might be embarrassing to introduce yourself by saying, ‘I’m the Poison King,’ right?”
Haeryeon laughed as though it were no big deal.
Thinking about it, it was rather funny.
“If you tell me, I’ll be sure to learn it for next time.”
Hyeonyul lowered his head, conveniently presenting his face to be struck.
Haeryeon, who had been laughing, froze.
“...Did someone hit you for not knowing?”
“Yes.”
“Hyeonyul?”
“If it keeps me from getting fired, I can put up with that much.”
“Hyeonyul, who brought me Shin Daeho’s head?”
“Shin Daeho crossed a line I could not tolerate.”
Haeryeon brushed back her hair.
How was one supposed to respond to that?
“I hope it never happens again. Ask if you don’t know something. Ask if you don’t understand. No one on our team is irrational enough to hit you because they couldn’t explain one little thing.”
“...Understood.”
Hyeonyul raised his head as he answered.
For some reason, his judgment felt hazy.
“The Poison King is the nickname of a major villain who has killed countless people with poison.”
“Did they earn it by enjoying killing people with poison-coated business cards?”
Was that how people recognized them?
Hyeonyul asked.
“That’s right. They became famous after killing members of corporate-owner families one after another that way. We don’t know their real name. Maybe Hyeonyul has even seen the Poison King before.”
“Then where did Shin Daeho stand?”
The Poison King’s subordinate had clearly called Shin Daeho trash.
Yet Shin Daeho had been the chairman of a company.
They had even been on a wanted list.
“Shin Daeho was a major player too.”
“A major player? That bastard?”
“They may not have had any special abilities, so it might not have seemed that way. But they had good connections, didn’t they?”
“Yes. I saw many villains. Very many.”
“We considered Shin Daeho a major player because they had contact with many high-profile villains. That’s why there was no nickname. They were just Shin Daeho.”
You could not exactly call them the King of Connections just because they were well connected.
That was almost a compliment.
“Even with a bounty on them, they kept slipping away thanks to those connections. They even casually changed the company’s brand.”
Listening to Haeryeon, Hyeonyul understood the situation.
He had brought in the head of Shin Daeho, who had escaped countless times like a lizard shedding its tail.
‘So I did accomplish something pretty big.’
Only then did Hyeonyul understand why he had received a special hire despite having worked for a villain-run company.
“Ah. We’ve been talking for a while, but we’re also investigating the company Shin Daeho operated. I should tell you that too. Hyeonyul brought us such valuable information, after all.”
Haeryeon grinned.
Things had begun to fall into place smoothly after Hyeonyul’s arrival, like water rushing through a broken dam, and she was in a good mood.
“Team Leader.”
“Hmm?”
“I have a proposal.”
“...You don’t, do you?”
Haeryeon narrowed her eyes.
She had naturally assumed Hyeonyul would reject the Poison King’s recruitment offer.
But given the mood, what she was about to say was obvious.
“That’s right.”
“Hyeonyul. This is Black Eagle. We don’t assign work like that in the first place. If a separate investigation is needed, the managers will handle it, not you. You should understand that there’s a reason the two organizations are kept firmly separate.”
From those words, Haeryeon understood that Hyeonyul had been treated not as a person, but as a means to an end.
That made it even more important not to permit him to be used as a tool again.
“Then are you planning to let the Poison King go?”
“I don’t know what misunderstanding you have, Hyeonyul. I said I don’t see you as a tool, not that I intend to give up on the Poison King.”
Haeryeon made it clear.
But Hyeonyul did not believe her.
He had heard the same words countless times at his former company.
He simply could not understand.
Haeryeon had agreed to investigate incidents inside Black Eagle, so why was the Poison King’s case treated differently?
‘Either way, they’re using me in the same way.’
Hyeonyul had made the offer knowing Black Eagle could never give up on the Poison King.
But seeing Haeryeon’s firm expression, what else could he do?
‘I'll back down once.’
No one wanted to play the villain.
Only villains did it without hesitation.
How much worse must it be for Haeryeon?
She was Black Eagle’s team leader.
“I fully understand your situation, Team Leader.”
“Hyeonyul. It isn’t about understanding. This is dangerous.”
“I know. But if I approach the Poison King, it’ll be easier to determine whether villains have reached into Black Eagle. Furthermore, if we capture the Poison King, we could save many lives, couldn’t we?”
‘How hard did his previous company work him that he’s this serious about taking down villains?’
Haeryeon could not help but hesitate.
Hyeonyul had joined only two days ago.
He was still on probation.
“Internal opposition was strong enough to have prompted a revote. People won’t look kindly on you contacting the Poison King in this situation.”
“I know they may think I’m a spy. If I get caught, that is.”
Hyeonyul’s lips curved into a long smile.
Hah.
A laugh escaped Haeryeon.
In other words, it would be fine as long as he did not get caught.
“You’re telling me to keep quiet?”
“I believe this is about the time people inside begin moving to get rid of me anyway. I’m in a rather urgent position as well. I do not wish to be fired from here.”
‘Clever as anything, except for the lack of a tail.’
Haeryeon held back a laugh.
Should this be called boldness?
Bzzzzzz.
The smartwatches on Haeryeon’s and Hyeonyul’s wrists went off at the same time.
Haeryeon let out a long breath.
She had meant to say that she had learned of a second location from the person she captured last time.
“What is it?”
Haeryeon answered the call.
<Poison gas is leaking somewhere within the city’s company district. It is a powerful poison, making it difficult to get close. It has spread to the surrounding businesses as well. Please provide an antidote quickly.>
“Poison has spread...?”
Hyeonyul looked oddly pleased at those words.
‘Is this good timing, or bad timing?’
Haeryeon could not tell.
Who had poison resistance?
‘Nayun might be our best option.’
Nayun was a sniper.
It was an ability made possible by those rare eyes.
Since Nayun could provide support from a distance, poison would affect her somewhat less.
“Please send a sample of the poison. I’ll make an antidote immediately.”
<It has already been sent. It will arrive in five minutes.>
“Understood.”
Haeryeon furrowed her brow.
Now it was her turn.
She was an alchemist.
“Given the circumstances, I believe the Poison King sent it.”
“Seems that way. The timing is awfully convenient.”
As Haeryeon shrugged, Hyeonyul continued.
“Poison does not affect me.”
“Wait, Hyeonyul. Being too hasty isn’t good either.”
Haeryeon operated her smartwatch.
She needed to ask other teams about the situation.
“Hello, it’s me. Do you have any team members with poison resistance right now... Ah, they’re out on another mission? Yes, yes. Understood.”
Haeryeon pressed her lips together and contacted another team.
But no matter how many calls she made, the response was always the same.
‘Damn it. Why are we this short-staffed?’
Haeryeon let out a long breath.
“Hyeonyul.”
“Yes, Team Leader.”
“Before we reach a conclusion, you are not to face the Poison King. And do nothing dangerous. Don’t forget that you’re still on probation.”
Hyeonyul looked as if he had no idea what that meant, so Haeryeon explained kindly.
“The mission is important, but it means take care of yourself too. Do you understand?”
“...”
A strange change passed over Hyeonyul’s face.
He seemed unsure how to respond.
Realizing their conversation was somehow missing each other, Haeryeon offered the most effective reassurance.
“You will not be fired over this. Never.”
“Understood. I will handle it accordingly.”
Did he really understand?
Hyeonyul answered with a bright smile, but it left Haeryeon feeling uneasy.
It was far too bright for him.
* * *
Haeryeon had said that Hyeonyul would not be fired as long as he did nothing dangerous.
A condition had been set, and Hyeonyul was rather pleased.
‘That’s what I’m best at.’
He was efficient, not reckless.
It was an essential condition for living a long life.
‘Now I just need to adjust to this place...’
Honestly, this place had such a different atmosphere from his former companies that it was somewhat difficult to adjust.
Even considering it had only been two days, there were quite a few mountains to climb.
Sometimes people made things difficult when they could have handled them efficiently, and Hyeonyul did not understand why people who were strangers would stick together so closely.
The unfamiliar policy of a probationary period was interesting too.
‘...No. I probably knew about it before.’
Hyeonyul knew the kind of person he had once been, but after suffering as a experimental subject, most of his memories had been wiped away by all sorts of drugs.
He knew his way of thinking had become strangely twisted as well.
Even now, he was recovering at a hospital, and some things were being suppressed with medication.
Yesterday, he had even bought a book in hopes of closing that gap.
Its title was 101 Ways to a Smooth Office Life.
Hyeonyul checked the time.
12:32 PM.
Nayun had taken a while getting things ready before departure.
“...Are you listening?”
Hyeonyul finally came to his senses at Nayun’s words in his ear and nodded.
“I shoot well up close, but I shoot well from far away too.”
Nayun had casually slung on a bag larger than her own body.
It looked heavier than Hyeonyul’s bag, since it held all her ammunition and weapons.
But Nayun said it was fine because it had been enchanted with weight-reduction magic.
“If there weren’t poison involved, this would be the perfect chance to show you what I can do. What a shame!”
“Then show me next time.”
“Really? You’ll go on a mission with me next time? Sometimes I go with other teams too, but people don’t really want to go with me. I don’t know why.”
Hyeonyul immediately understood why.
Nayun talked far too much.
After traveling there by eagle, Hyeonyul continued walking while listening to Nayun chatter.
Her mouth never seemed to get a moment’s rest.
As he passed a convenience store, Hyeonyul stopped walking.
“Put it on.”
“Huh? We’re not in the affected area yet.”
Nayun looked at her smartwatch.
She was not within the poison’s affected radius.
“It has spread.”
At those words, Nayun immediately put on a gas mask, and Hyeonyul did the same.
Poison would not affect him, but Sinu had suggested that it would be better to keep up appearances.
It was a good idea.
“Then I’ll head up to the roof of that building over there.”
Reaching the area where the poison had spread meant the mission had begun.
Nayun pointed to a tall building nearby.
“There probably aren’t any survivors, but if there are, contact me. I’ll join you right away.”
“Understood.”
Hyeonyul replied and walked into the city.
“...Hah.”
He let out a long breath.
He even felt liberated.
He had not done anything yet, but he was already tired.
Hyeonyul steadied his blurring gaze and looked around.
Normally, someone would use colorless, odorless poison, but this poison was as thick as fog.
He checked the surroundings with the map on his smartwatch.
It hovered above the device like a beam projection, making it easy to see.
He had no idea how many corpses he saw as he passed, their faces blackened.
The child in the stroller and the parents holding that child were all dead, their bodies blackened.
It was because of the poison spreading through this area.
Hyeonyul quietly walked on, listening closely to his surroundings.
How far had he gone?
There was something there.
A barrier, perhaps.
Before touching it, he cautiously sent one of his own eyes toward it.
There were people inside.
He had no idea what he was doing in the place where poison had spread.
The mission summary had been full of question marks, so Hyeonyul had not looked into it.
Among the many people, one figure looked particularly familiar.
‘...Where have I seen them before?’
Hyeonyul thought for a moment.
“Ah, good work. You can leave now. I need to speak with my guest.”
He remembered Shin Daeho’s voice, along with the man who had looked at him.
‘Ah.’
Hyeonyul held back a smile.
‘I remember now.’
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