Chapter 143
In the second-floor office of the factory.
As soon as Han Si-hyuk arrived, the supervisor’s face brightened.
He was fully convinced that Han Si-hyuk would help him resolve the situation, believing that the beating he had received would be avenged.
In a cold voice, Han Si-hyuk asked for his name.
“Keir, was it?”
“Yes, that’s right! That crazy bastard just attacked me out of nowhere!”
“You said you were an Academy graduate.”
“And now that I think about it, you’re a senior, right? Hey, you little punk!”
“And which year did you graduate?”
“I’m at least ten years older than you, you little brat!”
“So you got beaten up by someone ten years younger than you.”
“…!”
Natalie, who was sitting across from us, tried to stifle her laughter.
“Pfft.”
But she failed.
“What are you… laughing at? Do you think this is funny?”
“Ahem… ahem.”
Han Si-hyuk quickly covered his mouth. From what I could tell, he was also trying hard not to laugh.
Sitting on the couch, I couldn’t help but taunt Keir.
“To be fair, it is kind of funny.”
“What?”
“Getting smacked around by a kid ten years younger than you with a water bottle… Ouch!”
Smack!
Han Si-hyuk, clearly fed up, smacked me on the back with a file.
“Be quiet, for the love of God.”
Han Si-hyuk looked thoroughly exhausted by the situation.
He had come to the factory to investigate the illegal employment and embezzlement allegations, only to find that I had made a mess of things without any prior notice. No wonder he was irritated.
I couldn’t forget the look on his face when he first saw me—completely ashen, as if he had seen a ghost.
Keir, voice laced with anger, continued to complain to Han Si-hyuk.
“Anyway, it doesn’t matter. Just throw that bastard in jail, Inspector!”
“Hmm.”
“Do you even know how much that life water he spilled is worth? Hey, you little brat! What does your father do, huh? Did you wreck the place because you could afford to pay for the damages?”
At the mention of my father, Han Si-hyuk’s expression soured.
Seeing my hesitation, Keir grew bolder and continued to push me.
“I’m asking if your family can afford to pay, you brainless punk.”
“My father… he works….”
He works the land.
But before I could finish, Keir sneered, thinking he had figured it out.
“What? Does he farm some dirt in the countryside?”
“He… manages land.”
“What?”
Keir froze.
His face took on a rather stupid expression as he processed what that actually meant.
Managing land.
There’s only one type of person who can do that.
“He owns a small piece of land, you could say….”
“So… so you’re a noble?”
Keir was clearly taken aback, but he quickly tried to regain his composure.
The business of monopolizing life water was so profitable that even many nobles couldn’t compete with their wealth.
If I were just a baron from the countryside, Keir likely thought he could still push me around.
Having reassured himself, he resumed his confident demeanor.
“Ha, I see. So you’re just a noble brat showing off. That explains why you were so cocky.”
“I suppose you could say that.”
“Well, where is this land? Is it even big?”
“The Castica estate, most likely.”
Han Si-hyuk answered for me.
“What?”
“The Castica estate. That’s the land this brat’s father manages.”
The term “brat” rubbed me the wrong way, but it was accurate, so I nodded in agreement.
“Ca… Castica?”
The land ruled by the Blood Count.
Finally understanding the gravity of Han Si-hyuk’s words, Keir’s face began to pale.
“Wait, wait a minute. Ca-Castica? Then your father… is the Blood Count?”
“The Blood Count, huh? That’s a badass title. What should I be called in the future? The Brat Count?”
“Th-this can’t be….”
Keir shook his head repeatedly, as if denying reality.
He looked so stunned that I felt compelled to add a few more words.
“You seem worried about whether I can pay, but don’t worry. We can cover it. No need to stress.”
“I-I didn’t mean….”
“Oh, you were really concerned, huh? Don’t worry, I’ll make sure you’re well-compensated.”
Han Si-hyuk frowned at me as if I were the devil incarnate.
But by now, he should be used to my antics.
I grinned at Keir, who looked completely terrified.
Whatever the reason for our fight, attacking the child of a count was practically a death sentence.
Especially when that count was none other than the Blood Count, a founding hero of the Ardel Empire.
At this point, there was only one thing Keir could do.
He fell to his knees.
And then, he slammed his forehead to the floor.
“I-I’m so sorry!”
The man who had been so eager to bully two kids had collapsed completely.
In this moment, his pride was utterly abandoned.
“P-please, please spare my life. I was wrong! I was wrong!”
Not long ago, this man had arrogantly slapped Natalie on the back of the head, and now here he was, groveling.
I couldn’t help but feel disgusted.
This apology would never have been possible if I weren’t a noble.
I turned away, grimacing.
“The apology should be directed over here.”
Natalie’s face was uncharacteristically cold.
She was likely thinking the same things I was.
“I-I’m sorry!”
Natalie, who was usually too kind-hearted to speak up, said nothing as she watched Keir grovel. Her feelings were likely complicated.
I spoke on her behalf.
“It’s hard to feel satisfied with an apology like this.”
“Th-that’s….”
Keir’s face drained of color once again at my words.
His once powerful voice now trembled with fear.
“P-please, I beg you… please spare me.”
He seemed to believe that if I wasn’t satisfied, he was as good as dead.
Indeed, it was true.
If we’re talking about someone like Han Taesu, wiping out an entire factory would be entirely within his power.
If he had seen this scene unfolding before him, he might have killed Keir on the spot.
And that wouldn’t have been any different for other counts, either.
The unshakable status they hold was forged through countless instances of spilled blood.
Everyone knows this, except perhaps for a naïve child.
But to get straight to the point, I had no intention of going that far.
If I killed every single person who crossed me, would there be anyone left alive?
I spoke to Han Si-hyuk with a calm voice.
“Handle it by the law.”
“How many bottles of life water were destroyed?”
“Three… maybe four.”
“…Sigh. I’ll handle the compensation.”
Han Si-hyuk pulled out four gold coins from his coat.
The noble’s son caused the damage, but the investigator was the one paying the compensation.
Keir, despite being terrified, couldn’t help but voice his confusion.
“But… why is the inspector paying…?”
“Because my younger brother caused the damage. I have to pay for it. Can’t just throw him away now, can I?”
“Bro… brother?”
Both Natalie and Keir looked like they were about to faint.
Han Si-hyuk, who had casually dropped a bombshell, handed the four gold coins to Keir and continued.
Keir, trembling, took the coins.
“Now then, let’s proceed with the investigation.”
“W-What?”
“Illegal employment, embezzlement, wage theft. Do you acknowledge these charges?”
Having dealt with one issue, Han Si-hyuk smoothly transitioned to the next.
Keir, who had momentarily regained some composure, once again looked stricken.
“Th-that’s….”
“In the past three years, there have been 23 cases of illegal employment, and the embezzled amount is estimated at a thousand gold. You’ve also withheld wages countless times, and the number of victims isn’t small. According to the newly established laws of the Ardel Empire, the fine is three times the amount embezzled.”
“T-Three times?”
“Yes. For illegal employment, you’ll face imprisonment. And if you don’t prepare three thousand gold by next month, the factory will be confiscated.”
“W-wait, just a moment!”
A thousand gold is about five billion won, so yes, he embezzled a massive amount.
But a fifteen-billion-won fine? That was a serious crackdown.
Han Si-hyuk glanced at the four gold coins in Keir’s hand and smirked.
“That might be all you have left, so take good care of it.”
“I-I-Inspector! Please!”
The investigation was over.
Han Si-hyuk gave me a look that clearly said, “It’s time to go.”
A fine of three thousand gold and the charge of illegal employment.
Even if the Empire was using this as a warning to strip Keir’s family of their monopoly, the blow was devastating. But there was no need to feel sorry for him.
If they hadn’t gotten greedy and resorted to illegal methods, none of this would have happened.
“Inspector!!”
An investigator does what the Empire orders, and the guilty party pays the price.
“Let’s go.”
Natalie seemed shell-shocked by the staggering amount of the fine, and I grabbed her hand and started to leave.
Just as we were about to step out of the tense, heavy atmosphere of the office—
“Oh.”
I remembered something I had almost forgotten.
“Hey, mister.”
“Y-Yes?”
I turned back and stood before the dazed Keir.
Already mentally shattered from the back-to-back blows delivered by Han Si-hyuk and me, Keir looked like he was about to break down completely.
A moment ago, he was on the verge of death, and now he was facing the loss of everything he owned.
But he hadn’t lost everything yet.
“One silver.”
“What?”
I confidently held out my palm.
“You owe me one silver.”
I still needed to get my daily wage.
—
“Even at a time like this… you had to ask for that.”
Han Si-hyuk frowned as he watched me roll the silver coin between my fingers.
“If you’ve never lugged around water bottles, then you should just stay quiet. My back felt like it was going to snap.”
“What?”
“You’re clueless because you spend all your time pushing papers around a desk.”
Ugh.
The delayed muscle pain was starting to kick in.
“I didn’t expect this.”
Damn it.
If I’d known it would be this tough, I wouldn’t have gotten involved.
Though I managed to clear everything up, my body was now paying the price.
At this rate, I’ll be dead by tomorrow.
Ugh.
Just kill me now.
I closed my eyes tightly, trying to ignore the throbbing in my muscles.
Even so, Han Si-hyuk couldn’t help but nag.
“Aren’t you supposed to be a smart guy? And you think beating people up is smart?”
“I’m smart and I’m good at beating people up. Must be a dual-talent thing.”
“….”
“A versatile genius, I guess.”
Han Si-hyuk clicked his tongue in exasperation. In the past, he might have argued back, but after several previous encounters, he seemed to have accepted that he couldn’t outwit me, so he kept his mouth shut.
“Just be grateful. Everything turned out fine, didn’t it?”
Han Si-hyuk had spent months gathering evidence for this investigation.
The suspicions of illegal employment and embezzlement were the key points of the investigation, and despite all the preparation, resistance was expected.
Of course, a magical investigator wouldn’t use force to take over a factory.
Han Si-hyuk had likely been prepared to negotiate or find some peaceful resolution.
But today was different.
Bringing up the Blood Count was a calculated move on Han Si-hyuk’s part.
He capitalized on Keir’s fear, using it to smoothly proceed with the investigation without giving him time to resist.
Thanks to that, everything went smoothly.
Han Si-hyuk raised his eyebrows, still looking a bit uncomfortable, but he couldn’t deny it.
“You’re not wrong.”
“See? I told you.”
“Honestly, this guy….”
I hadn’t realized it before, when he was locked away in the Magic Department’s lab writing research papers that kept getting rejected, but now that I was seeing him in action, he really did seem like an investigator.
I glanced at the stack of files next to Han Si-hyuk and noticed a particularly thick one.
Katablam’s Unresolved Case.
“What’s that about?”
Han Si-hyuk quickly grabbed the file with a startled expression and stashed it away.
“You don’t need to know about that.”
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