Chapter 767 – #162_A Field Trip To The Mortal Realm (6)
#767
1.
The police precinct was bustling when the patrol car arrived.
“Hey, officer! Isn’t this attempted murder?”
“No, why do you keep talking about other things when I’m asking for your ID? Are you drunk? Do you want to spend some time in the lockup?”
“Is that what you say to a victim of assault?”
“He’s just drunk. We didn’t really fight. It was a one-sided assault.”
“Look! Look at this! My nose is still bleeding.”
“So, who hit first?”
“That pretty boy sitting over there hit me first!”
I’m the victim, that guy’s a killer.
I was hit first, no, he hit me first.
Detective Jo sighed deeply, watching the usual chaos of the precinct’s guests.
Having given up on a promotion to superintendent and instead accumulating experience at the precinct, Detective Jo could see the picture clearly.
None of the thugs who came to the police station in a pack like that had a proper head on their shoulders.
“Officer Kim, go calm them down. This isn’t their living room. Those punks, tsk tsk.”
“Yes, sir.”
Detective Jo clicked his tongue a couple of times and continued the conversation that had been interrupted by the commotion.
“Let’s see…”
But even for him, a seasoned veteran, this case was a bit unusual.
A trivial assault case.
The fact that he was taking charge of the statements himself, instead of just instructing the patrol officers, was because of this peculiarity.
“So, you’re a first-class secretary, meaning… a diplomat?”
Detective Jo looked back and forth between the pink-haired foreigner’s diplomatic ID and her appearance.
The ID, with its anti-counterfeiting features, showed a woman so beautiful it was hard to believe, and in person, she was even more so.
“That’s right.”
“Then… the gentleman next to you?”
“He’s my husband.”
“Can I see his name and resident registration number? Or some form of ID?”
“He’s American.”
“And you don’t have a passport?”
“Not at the moment.”
Detective Jo scratched his head.
Diplomats and their families generally have immunity and are not subject to arrest.
Of course, this kind of scuffle wouldn’t lead to an arrest, but…
There was no manual for dealing with a diplomat’s husband being involved in an assault case when there was no way to verify his identity.
“This is a headache…”
He did consider the possibility that the ID might be fake.
Because the woman in front of him didn’t look 33 years old as stated on the ID, but rather much younger.
And with that face, she should be an actress, not a diplomat.
Could this be one of those trendy YouTube things? A prank that his son had mentioned?
“Miss, if this is a forged document, you’ll be severely punished.”
Detective Jo threatened, regardless of whether the pink-haired woman, who was clearly a foreigner, could be punished for forgery.
The pink-haired woman calmly replied.
“It’s not a forgery. You can verify it.”
“We’re going through the procedures, but…”
But when you actually talked to her, you naturally felt a sense of authority, like she was someone of higher rank.
This was the source of the cognitive dissonance that Detective Jo had been feeling for a while.
Was it experience, or was his brain being scrambled by the fact that he was facing a diplomat for the first time?
Every time he met her eyes, which shone beautifully like she was wearing colored contacts, he felt intimidated.
She seemed so upright and honest, as if she could see right through him.
Even though he was being spoken to informally by a woman more than twenty years younger than him, he didn’t bother to correct her.
He didn’t even feel any humiliation from it.
Detective Jo tapped the table with his fingertips and asked in a more cautious tone.
“Can you just leave your contact information and go home?”
“I will.”
As Elroa got up from her seat, the precinct door burst open.
The person who rushed in was an old man wearing an expensive-looking suit.
Despite his white hair, he had a piercing gaze and an aura of vitality.
“What brings you here…?”
Officer Kim, who had been dealing with the thugs, approached the old man, who was looking around with a pale face, and couldn’t help but gape.
He looked familiar, even though he was seeing him for the first time.
He had found the badge with the words ‘National Assembly’ shining on the collar of his suit.
“S-salute!”
The person in front of him was none other than Kim Jun-beop, a six-term member of the National Assembly and the Speaker of the National Assembly.
He was a veteran politician that anyone who watched the news would have seen at least once, even if they weren’t particularly interested in politics.
“Oppa, doesn’t that grandpa look familiar?”
“I think I’ve seen him on TV… Is he a celebrity?”
Even the street thugs were saying that.
“Salute!”
Detective Jo, who had been trying to get rid of this troublesome case as quickly as possible, also jumped up from his seat and saluted.
His mouth suddenly went dry.
It was easy to overlook because the character of ‘politician’ was often trivialized and consumed humorously in various media, but politicians were the apex of the system that supported society.
And Detective Jo, who was at the bottom of that system, felt that power much more closely than the average person.
Someone who had not only served six terms but had also been the party leader and the Speaker of the National Assembly was a figure so high up that even the Commissioner General of the National Police Agency, who was Detective Jo’s superior, would have to be careful around him.
Why was such a person at a place like the precinct at this hour?
While his thoughts were still jumbled, he saw Assemblyman Kim Jun-beop, disregarding his dignity, quickly approaching someone.
“Oh my, what is all this about?”
“It’s been a while, Assemblyman Kim.”
“I rushed here after hearing from Elder Sua. I sincerely apologize for this unfortunate incident when you have graced us with your precious presence.”
“Don’t worry about it.”
The destination was none other than the woman who called herself a first-class secretary.
Assemblyman Kim was repeatedly bowing and fussing over the woman who looked like she could be his granddaughter.
Detective Jo blinked, watching the scene.
He had heard that a phone call had been made, but why was the Speaker of the National Assembly here?
The Speaker of the National Assembly was second in the order of precedence, right below the President, wasn’t he?
Had the power of a first-class secretary at the US Embassy in Korea skyrocketed without Detective Jo knowing?
Even if he met an ambassador, he wouldn’t be this nervous.
Assemblyman Kim Jun-beop, who had been bowing repeatedly, said to Detective Jo.
“You’re working hard day and night. Is there a place where we can talk quietly?”
2.
The existence of witches is kept top secret from the public.
Therefore, most humans are unaware of the existence of homunculi or witches.
However, a politician with the stature of Assemblyman Kim was a big shot who had access to top-secret information.
Assemblyman Kim Jun-beop was also the person who had met and coordinated with the Tiferet Duchess during the COEX massacre and the rainwater tunnel incident.
Therefore, he knew very well who the Tiferet Duchess was.
She was one of the witches who had the greatest influence on the mortal realm.
She was a pro-human witch who established the Location Points to promote the coexistence of witches and humans, and a close friend of Elder Sua, who was practically the guardian deity of Korea.
The title of first-class secretary was just a facade.
If it hadn’t been for her help recently, a terrifying monster would have been rampaging through Seoul, causing a massacre.
Moreover, the witch society was in complete chaos recently.
She was an important figure with whom the government had to maintain a friendly relationship, as it was directly related to national security.
She was someone who had already given them a great favor, and someone whose help was indispensable in the future.
The unprecedented situation of her being harassed by street thugs and ending up at the precinct was a more serious matter than any diplomatic discourtesy.
Sitting in the conference room, he wiped the sweat flowing down his face with a handkerchief, trying to make amends.
“I didn’t know you were in Korea. If you had contacted me, Kim, beforehand, I would have treated you as a state guest.”
“It’s alright. I’m not worried about it at all. However, I would like this matter to be handled fairly.”
“Of course. But may I ask exactly what happened?”
Elroa answered Assemblyman Kim, who asked cautiously.
“I was harassed by those thugs, and they insulted my disciple. My disciple took action befitting their rudeness.”
Harassed? And they insulted her disciple?
Assemblyman Kim spoke each word with emphasis, feeling like he wanted to foam at the mouth.
“I will make sure to handle this properly.”
“I trust you will.”
It was a relief that the Duchess herself didn’t seem to care much.
Then, Assemblyman Kim’s gaze turned to Siwoo.
“Are you by any chance… Mr. Shin Siwoo?”
Tiferet’s disciple, the first male witch in history, and his skills were at the level of a great witch.
He couldn’t not know the person who had caused such a stir in the entire witch society.
Moreover, if he was of Korean descent, he was someone they had to recruit.
“Yes, that’s me.”
“It’s a great honor to meet you.”
Siwoo, who didn’t expect to be included in the conversation, replied awkwardly.
“The fact that the first male magician in history came from our Korea is truly amazing. I think this is what it means to enhance national prestige. I would love to have a meal with you sometime. If you contact me when you have time, I will come running right away. And if you have any difficulties, please contact me immediately.”
Siwoo received a golden handshake, a handshake, and even a business card.
Elroa, who received the high-quality whiskey that Assemblyman Kim had brought in a hurry, was in a good mood.
The two of them left the precinct to return to Gehenna as originally planned.
“Whew…”
Assemblyman Kim, who was left alone in the conference room, sighed deeply.
Judging by the atmosphere, it seemed to have been resolved smoothly, and he felt like he could face Elder Sua.
Fortunately, the fire had been extinguished before it turned into a major blaze.
But he still had work to do.
Elroa had requested a fair resolution.
Given her personality, she wasn’t trying to rely on power, but rather, she thought that if the one-sided harassment was later treated as a mutual assault, it could be covered up without much fuss.
However, Assemblyman Kim had no intention of letting this matter slide.
He called in his secretary, who had been listening to the situation from the detective outside.
“Hey, Choi Jin-kyung.”
“Yes, Assemblyman.”
“Those thugs outside, shake them down for every last bit of dust in their pockets and report directly to me.”
A few days later.
A large-scale crackdown on illegal hold’em pubs took place in Seoul, and the owners of the illegal establishments were caught like a string of dried fish and handed over to the prosecution on charges of gambling mediation.
