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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Mod7
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“This is insane! Why is this happening to us?!”
The Death Meteor incident hadn’t only caused significant damage to Mirinae Academy.
In fact, one could argue that the Portal Management Office suffered even greater losses than the academy.
While the academy could eventually repair and reinforce its damaged structures…
The Portal Management Office faced a potential international diplomatic crisis.
Clients expecting to arrive at their chosen destinations were instead scattered across unknown locations, experiencing untold hardships.
It was fortunate no one had died; otherwise, the compensation payouts could have bankrupted the entire office.
“This is so unfair! It’s just not fair!”
Kim Deok-jun, the office manager, lamented his situation. He’d paid his taxes diligently, provided generous employee benefits, and conducted his portal business with utmost fairness, or so he believed.
To have such a disaster befall him so suddenly was beyond mere bad luck.
While portals were operated by the nation, their management was privatized.
Kim Deok-jun, having poured his heart and soul into securing the portal management contract, now felt like he was bleeding money.
The standard compensation for incorrect portal transfers was thirty times the portal fee.
But this was just the baseline; in special circumstances, the payouts could skyrocket.
And right now, Kim Deok-jun was facing a crisis far exceeding those potential payouts.
He could handle monetary losses.
No matter the amount, he could eventually earn it back; temporary financial hardship was manageable.
But what was about to unfold was on an entirely different level.
“…It’s your turn, sir.”
The door opened, revealing an employee with a haunted expression.
His trembling pupils, shaking legs, and the constant stream of cold sweat spoke volumes about the ordeal he’d just endured.
‘Why did it have to be the White Blade?!’
During the investigation of the illegal gambling den incident, connections to certain nobles had surfaced.
As a result, the White Blade, the knight order with the authority to punish even nobles, had been called in. And as if cursed by misfortune, the Death Meteor incident occurred right afterward.
This meant the White Blade, originally scheduled for a brief investigation before moving on, had instead shifted their focus to the Portal Management Office.
It wasn’t so much an investigation as a coercive interrogation, demanding information and subjecting employees to relentless questioning for three days straight.
And now, it was finally Kim Deok-jun’s turn.
Whoever had reported the illegal gambling den had impeccable timing.
He wondered who they were, and why they wanted to ruin his life so completely, choosing to involve the White Blade of all organizations.
“Alright.”
He pushed his complaints aside. Acting even slightly suspicious would likely lead to an even more aggressive interrogation.
Gulp.
Kim Deok-jun prayed for a smooth resolution as he entered the interrogation room.
This year must be his unlucky year.
He considered making offerings at a temple once this whole ordeal was over.
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“Hmm, I don’t see anything particularly suspicious. He caught the demons, and these guys… they seem genuinely clueless.”
“We still have to investigate. There’s one victim left.”
“Ah, right. I almost forgot.”
Inside the makeshift interrogation room at the Portal Management Office.
The atmosphere was surprisingly relaxed, a stark contrast to the icy tension outside.
It was like a dog catcher calmly handling dogs while the dogs themselves trembled in fear.
“Kim Deok-jun… he’s been cooperative throughout the investigation, claiming he worked his way up honestly. He seems genuinely baffled by all this.”
To prevent collusion, the White Blade typically isolated the head of an organization while simultaneously interrogating subordinates.
They would then secretly observe the leader, waiting for any suspicious behavior, ready to apprehend them if necessary.
This method had allowed the White Blade to solve countless cases with impeccable efficiency, and they took great pride in their work.
“No connection to the illegal gambling den, Sweet Dessert. His records are surprisingly clean.”
Before even beginning Kim Deok-jun’s interrogation, the White Blade had already pieced together the events.
That a demon had infiltrated the Portal Management Office, manipulating portal coordinates, and calmly observing the resulting chaos.
That the other employees were genuinely ignorant of the demon’s actions and hadn’t colluded with them.
Despite this, they continued to investigate Kim Deok-jun for one nagging reason.
“We still need to follow procedure. And we have to interview the last victim.”
“Understood.”
At the captain’s command, the officer stood and prepared to leave.
The captain’s words always carried weight; there was invariably a reason for his instructions. They would conduct the interrogation elsewhere.
‘The academy student connection keeps bothering me.’
The captain carefully reviewed the last victim’s file.
‘Lee Seok-hyun, Mirinae Academy first-year student, commoner.’
Being a Mirinae Academy student explained why he could afford the premium portal fee.
But the idea of a commoner who’d never used a portal before suddenly opting for a premium portal seemed unlikely.
While youthful impulsiveness could explain such a choice, the recent incident of a forged Mirinae Academy student ID used at the illegal gambling den kept nagging at him.
‘What if Lee Seok-hyun hit the jackpot at Sweet Dessert and then used the premium portal a week later to launder the money?’
It was an outlandish theory.
Yet, the captain couldn’t shake the suspicion.
‘Only someone connected to Mirinae Academy could forge a student ID. And there’s no guarantee that connection isn’t a student.’
Someone with inside knowledge could create a convincing forgery and generate a fake name that wouldn’t raise any red flags.
With Lee Seok-hyun’s reputation for competence growing rapidly, the White Blade had quickly gathered information about him.
But the more they investigated, the more suspicious things became.
‘There’s no record of him for the past ten years. No, not just the past ten years—there’s no record of his birth anywhere. All we know is that he’s a commoner.’
Someone appearing out of nowhere, enrolling in the academy, delivering the representative speech, and becoming Class S president? It was unheard of.
Captain Carmel was convinced Lee Seok-hyun was hiding something.
That’s why he was dragging out the investigation, hoping Lee Seok-hyun would show up.
‘To come demanding compensation for the portal incident right after the Death Meteor attack… to treat it so casually… It’s just… odd.’
A level of meticulous planning unheard of in a 17-year-old.
Carmel sensed something was amiss.
Of course, he knew how far-fetched his suspicions were, how much he was grasping at straws.
But if he assumed Lee Seok-hyun was the culprit behind the Sweet Dessert robbery, everything clicked into place.
‘Why haven’t we been able to catch the Sweet Dessert robber? No one used a portal to leave the city.’
Because the culprit hadn’t left the city at all.
They were likely hiding somewhere safe, waiting for the perfect moment to launder the money.
And where would be safer than Mirinae Academy? If Lee Seok-hyun was the culprit…
The timing of the Sweet Dessert robbery and Lee Seok-hyun’s weekend outing aligned perfectly.
‘Lee Seok-hyun is the victim in the portal incident, but the perpetrator in the gambling den robbery.’
He not only stole money that should have been returned to the nation but also impersonated a noble.
Carmel prayed fervently that his suspicions were correct, that Lee Seok-hyun would appear.
His prayers were answered.
“Lee Seok-hyun is here.”
At the officer’s words, Carmel rose and looked out the window.
‘He came alone.’
The Sweet Dessert robber had also acted alone.
And now, Lee Seok-hyun was alone.
‘It’s not conclusive, but I can’t ignore the possibility.’
The more capable Lee Seok-hyun proved to be, the more likely it was that he was the culprit.
Being young, he would surely crack under pressure and confess.
Carmel smiled, preparing for the interrogation.
‘The portal victim is the gambling den robber.’
What a peculiar story.
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‘It’s the White Blade.’
On my way to the Portal Management Office, I sensed their presence. Three behind me, two in front, one to the side.
They weren’t specifically monitoring me, but rather patrolling the area around the office due to the Death Meteor incident.
‘If the White Blade investigated the Death Meteor incident after the Sweet Dessert robbery…’
There was a minuscule chance they might suspect me.
After all, the “academy student” connection kept popping up, and I was the only academy student involved in both incidents.
They would naturally try to connect the dots, no matter how far-fetched it seemed.
If Bellos had been involved, he would have been lauded as a brilliant Imperial elite. But I was different.
A 17-year-old commoner acting too competently would inevitably raise suspicion.
‘Being too methodical and strategic would make them even more suspicious.’
I needed to act like a naive, angry kid who’d been wronged by the faulty portal, nothing more.
‘Let’s see what you’ve got, White Blade.’
The moment I opened the door to the Portal Management Office, dozens of eyes were on me.
The game of cat and mouse was about to begin.
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