The Precious Demon King - Chapter 4

WeTried Translations

Translator: Yasi

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ The Precious Demon King

Chapter 4: Reunion

< You ordered a murder. >

< "Instigation of Murder" is placed on the Scale of Chaos. >

Clink.

A black orb landed on the dragon pan. The scale tilted.

< You eliminated an evildoer. >

< "Judgment" is placed on the Scale of Order. >

Clink.

"Oh."

A fairly large white orb dropped onto the turtle pan. The balance tilted back into equilibrium.

< You saved a citizen exposed to crime. >

< "Salvation" is placed on the Scale of Order. >

Clink.

An even larger white orb landed on the turtle pan. The scale leaned heavily toward order.

"Interesting."

The seesawing scale was intriguing. It measured good and evil deeds.

The familiar's deed had nothing to do with Kim Junyong. Had it been applied directly, the scale would have measured him for "Murder," not "Instigation of Murder."

So, unless I give direct orders, Remi's evil deeds aren't attributed to me?

As long as he had a knight escort, he likely wouldn't have to worry about getting into trouble.

Saving someone outweighs punishing evil.

He was starting to understand what the Scale of Order valued. But when would the settlement happen?

< It will be settled at sunset. >

"Ah."

It was already well past midnight. Did he have to wait until sunrise and sunset?

He would look into the settlement later.

"Remi."

"..."

After beheading the rapist, Remi, still in the form of a schoolgirl, stood completely still. The shock must have been great.

"Get back inside."

"..."

Flash.

The schoolgirl Remi vanished without a word.

In the quiet residential parking lot, all that remained were a headless corpse, Kim Junyong, and a schoolgirl who had narrowly escaped a terrible fate.

"Mmph, mmph."

"Oh, right."

Kim Junyong walked over and peeled the tape from the girl's mouth and limbs.

"Hic, hup!"

Terrified, she crawled backward, distancing herself from the corpse. Glancing nervously at Kim Junyong, she held back tears.

"You should go home."

"Hic!"

Fearing he might change his mind, the girl hurried away. Then, she stopped abruptly, turned around, and bowed 90 degrees toward the parking lot.

"Th-Thank you!"

"Ah, sure!"

When Kim Junyong even gave her a wave, she darted off with a pale face.

"What is this...this sense of satisfaction?"

Kim Junyong let out a small laugh and walked off.

"Let's eat."

Everything he did was ultimately for survival. As he strolled away, he circled back to search the rapist's body.

"It would be unfair if I racked up evil deeds for dining and dashing."

Inside the wallet were two ten-thousand won bills. He pocketed them and resumed his walk.

Why not enjoy himself? He could go wherever he wanted, eat whatever he liked, and do whatever he felt like doing.

* * *

Incheon Metropolitan Police.

Back at the Narcotics Division, Kang Dusik was leading his team.

"Ugh, this is exhausting."

"Come on, you wrapped the case up nicely. What's the problem?"

"There's more. There has to be more, but the trail's been cut too cleanly."

Someone was supplying demonic drugs. There must be a force on par with a guild. The 8th-9th rank hunters were just errand boys.

The commissioner would probably be happy to end it here and show off the results, but...Kang Dusik couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. He glanced at his junior, Detective Kim.

"What are you doing?"

"Ah, checking the hospital's CCTV footage."

"Ha, like that's going to show anything."

"Well, it's worth a shot, right?"

"And what do you expect to find?"

It was a textbook move, sure, but likely fruitless.

That guy is no civilian.

A non-awaken? Not a chance.

He was a hunter. He had somehow used a power that was undetectable by standard awakening scanners.

If someone like that escaped with intent, there was no way he would leave a trace.

Maybe he had already returned to his hideout. Or, was he some kind of cleaner?

Perhaps he came to tie up loose ends when the investigation got too close.

But then why did he fall from the sky?

There was something sloppy about this. Kang Dusik ran a hand over his face.

If he had at least gotten a word out of him, he might have had something more concrete to work with. Since Kim Junyong was found, he had slept for three days straight and bolted the instant he woke up.

He was clearly suspicious, and something about him felt off. However, there was nothing they could pin on him.

"Ugh, there's definitely something here..."

Seated at his desk, Kang Dusik clicked his mouse. Kim Junyong's profile appeared on the screen. Family background checks were basic procedures.

"Parents deceased. One older sister."

Kim Jangmi, age 47.

"A seven-year age gap..."

It was a pretty wide difference.

"Should I call her or not..."

After a brief hesitation, Kang Dusik pressed the number.

"Yes, hello. This is the Incheon Metropolitan Police, Narcotics..."

[ I'm on my way. ]

"Sorry? To where?"

[ I'm on my way to the station! ]

"...Sorry?"

[ Let's talk when I arrive! ]

Beep–

"...?"

Kang Dusik stared blankly at his phone.

"Squad Leader? What happened?"

"Uh...Kim Jangmi says she's coming here."

"Wait, when did we call her to tell her about the situation?"

"We didn't."

"Then who did?"

"Beats me."

Detective Kim looked baffled. Kang Dusik was no less dumbfounded.

"Maybe she thought it was a scam call and wanted to verify?"

As Kang Dusik considered redialing, he snapped at Detective Kim instead.

"Is that so...? Anyway, what are you doing right now?"

"Ah, I'm working."

"Cut the noise. Any results?"

"Why are you snapping at me?"

"What did you say, punk?"

"N-No, that's not what I meant. Huh?"

"What? Now what?"

Detective Kim exclaimed as he stared at his monitor.

"I found him."

"What?"

Detective Kim, who had been mechanically scrubbing through the CCTV footage, widened his eyes. So did Kang Dusik as both of them locked onto the monitor.

"That's him. That's Kim Junyong, right?"

"Yeah."

"Wow, it's the big guy himself. He's not even trying to disguise himself. Look at that walk. Anyone watching would think he's on a sightseeing tour."

Kim Junyong appeared on camera, walking barefoot in a hospital gown.

"Where's he headed?"

"No idea. Man, he's so damn relaxed. I'm switching views."

Detective Kim switched to the next camera view. It was a wide-angle shot of the entire street. The distance made it difficult to see clearly, but Kim Junyong's distinctive outfit made him easy to spot.

Each time they adjusted the time or camera angle, he showed up again.

"Wow. What is with this guy?"

"..."

"He's got guts, I'll give him that."

"Quiet. Track his route."

"On it."

As they traced Kim Junyong's route on a map, their eyes widened in disbelief.

"Shit."

"If we hadn't gone back and had just canvassed the area right away, we could've caught him."

"So where is he now?"

"He disappeared in this last frame."

Kang Dusik replayed the final footage of Kim Junyong that had been captured on screen. Kim Junyong was standing still when he suddenly sprinted out of the frame.

"Would we be too late if we checked now?"

"...Ah!"

"What?"

Raising a hand to quiet the question, Kang Dusik grabbed the phone.

"Hello, this is Investigator Kang Dusik from Incheon Metro Narcotics. Have you received any witness reports in the last hour? Description: barefoot in a hospital gown...Yes? Really? Yes. Yes? Got it."

Kang Dusik's face changed color several times during the call. When he hung up, Detective Kim asked.

"Ah! Did we get a witness tip or something?"

"Fourteen reports."

"Wow, this is crazy."

"Let's go to the Michuhol Precinct."

"Why there?"

"They caught Kim Junyong."

"What?!"

Detective Kim ran after the impatient squad leader and got into the car.

"Jeez, you're killing me here. Just tell me what's going on."

"Hahh, how should I know? We'll find out when we get there."

Vroom.

Incheon Michuhol Police Station.

Kang Dusik instantly recognized Kim Junyong in the holding cell.

"He's sleeping, seriously?"

"...Excuse me."

Kang Dusik quickly grabbed a passing detective.

"Who are you?"

"Kang Dusik, Investigator from the Incheon Metropolitan Police, Narcotics Division."

"Lee Junsup, Violent Crimes Division. What brings Narcotics here...?"

"What's the deal with Kim Junyong?"

"Ah, that guy."

Lee Junsup laughed briefly before answering.

"We received a report of an attempted rape."

"What?! He tried to...?"

"Ah, no. The victim, a schoolgirl, reported it. It was actually him who saved her."

"...?"

Kang Dusik and Detective Kim didn't quite understand.

"Then why is he in custody?"

"He killed the rapist."

"...!"

"Whoa."

Kang Dusik's eyes widened. Detective Kim was impressed.

"Where did you catch him?"

"He was having a meal at a nearby hangover soup joint."

"Did he just let you take him in?"

"We had twelve officers. Maybe he knew he couldn't escape, so he just gave up."

It wasn't surrender. Kim Junyong had allowed himself to be captured.

"Any other oddities during the arrest?"

"Oh yeah. He said he only had 8,000 won left and that it wasn't even enough for a place to stay. He just let us cuff him. He mumbled something about the cost of living."

"..."

What was this guy even? Kang Dusik sighed, ran a hand over his face, and got to the point.

"We're transferring him to our team."

"Narcotics? No way, that won't work."

"It's not about credit. He's connected to our ongoing case..."

"Goodness, no, that's not it. He's not in our hands anymore."

"What do you mean?"

"Someone from the Hunter Management Bureau is on their way."

"The Hunter Management Bureau? Ah!"

This was the person Lee Mina from the Special Investigation Unit had her eye on. Seeing Kang Dusik's disappointment, Lee Junsup guided him to his desk.

"Take a look at this CCTV footage."

The footage showed the ground-floor parking lot of an ordinary villa. Soon, the rapist appeared, dragging the schoolgirl, followed shortly by Kim Junyong entering the frame. A black mass he summoned took shape beside him and formed into a person who immediately slashed the rapist's throat with a sword.

Then, Kim Junyong freed the girl and even waved at her cheerfully.

"...!"

"See? Direct orders from the bureau director of the Hunter Management Bureau."

Lee Junsup smiled kindly.

"I don't know what case you're working on, but just let this one go."

"...Understood."

Having accepted it, Kang Dusik asked the question that had been on his mind.

"Have you contacted his family?"

"Yes. His guardian came up in the records, so we followed protocol...Looks like she's here."

He pointed to the entrance.

"Junyong!"

A middle-aged woman, visibly flustered at first glance, entered and shouted.

"Junyong! Please, someone tell me something...Junyong!"

Kim Jangmi quickly spoke to a nearby officer, trying to stay composed. But when she saw the cell the officer indicated, she rushed over and clung to the bars.

"Hnng."

She pressed her lips tightly together. Tears threatened to spill, and she struggled to speak. She barely managed to say his name.

"...Junyong."

He looked exactly the same. He looked just like he did before he went missing. He hadn't aged a day.

"Junyong."

At her trembling voice, Kim Junyong sat up from the bench.

Kim Jangmi met her younger brother's eyes. His gaze was filled with confusion. The tears she had been holding back burst forth. Did he not recognize her? How could he look at her so indifferently?

"What now..."

Twenty years. It had been twenty long years.

Mother, your son, your precious, longed-for son, has finally come home! Father, Junyong is back!

If only they were still alive...

"Junyong! It's me! Don't you recognize me?"

"...I don't."

"Hhng!"

His calm reply made her break down.

"Hnnng."

What happened to him? What hardships did he endure during his disappearance?

"Lady, why are you crying after seeing me? Do I know you?"

"Aaaugh!"