Chapter 15 – Golden Shield (2)
Although there was a minor accident, today’s shift went smoothly.
The team members, who were sweating in unfamiliar tasks, sighed in relief as soon as the Hunters returned.
For them, who lacked legal knowledge, it was quite difficult to deal with the case sent by the police.
“However, it ended well.”
“Does it really just have to follow this administrative system?”
“That’s right. Don’t worry and do what the system tells you to do. Do you do anything weird?”
“It’s not like that. Rather, I was surprised that it worked so well.”
The administrative system Lee Seo-woo pointed out was the Oracle.
To be precise, the result of Yeriel’s legal knowledge supplemented in addition to some of the Oracle’s functions.
In fact, it is the same as Yeriel, who is working from home, giving work orders remotely.
Of course, everyone knows the identity except Lee Seo-woo and Seo Ji-yu.
The level of perfection was considerable, and Lee Seo-woo, a former police officer, could not find any flaws.
‘I thought Yeriel would be properly threading this side as well.’
While I was admiring it inwardly, the lobby staff suddenly came up with something.
A large paper box was full of fruit.
“Hmm? What is this?”
“It’s a present. The co-workers of the last kidnapping victim sent it. You can eat it with confidence because the examination is over.”
“Oh, and all these things… “
I received the gift with a sense of resentment.
In fact, the kidnapped victims in the Yoo Si-hyeon case also took drugs, so it’s hard to say they’re completely innocent…
As a result of the investigation, it was very strongly revealed that he was tricked into taking the medicine or was forced to take it.
There was also the opinion of the hunters, so they prioritized treatment over punishment.
‘Anyway, if you’re addicted to drugs, you’re sure to have a hard time. I hope you overcome well.’
Working hours must have ended long ago, and I was preparing to leave work.
Seo Ji-yu, who was wearing a coat, asked me cautiously.
She, who had only run errands for coffee all day, seemed unable to hold back her curiosity.
“Come to think of it, the team leader is a newlywed? What does it feel like to be Yeriel Frost’s spouse…”
Kim Jeong-tae gave Seo Ji-yu a terrifying look, but… I smiled, thinking it was a possible question.
Questions like that will be asked by other people later.
“I’m so busy with work, I don’t know yet… I haven’t even gone on my honeymoon yet.”
“Oh, really? You started working in the Special Investigation Unit almost as soon as you announced your marriage?”
“Actually, we never announced it. We only registered our marriage, but the media just revealed it at will.”
“Eh…”
As I was once again burning my hostility toward the Hunter Department reporters, Lee Seo-woo laughed bitterly.
The other team members were also secretly showing exciting reactions.
Seo Ji-yu continued to ask questions thanks to such an atmosphere.
“Have you known your wife before?”
“That’s right. I was a bit surprised that he proposed to me at the retirement ceremony, but…”
It didn’t make much sense to say that we met for the first time and went straight to marriage, so we decided on a scenario where we met several times in the past.
Considering his activities as Green Dust, it’s not a complete lie either.
“Once you’ve sent all the notices to the witnesses, let’s get off work soon. Everyone did a good job today.”
“Ah, boss. One more thing!”
“Aren’t you all going home?”
I really have a lot of questions.
But. Yeriel’s status in Korea is at the level of a living goddess, so that’s understandable.
Seo Ji-yu quickly followed me after picking up the brand bag that I had thrown away in the last operation.
“Is there anything unexpected about living with your wife?”
“It was unexpected? Of course it is.”
“What is it?”
“He laughed better than I thought.”
“Really? That ice saint?”
Alice, who had been complaining from a distance, couldn’t bear to deny my words.
I quickly went down to the parking lot and clicked my tongue inwardly.
‘The question is more detailed than expected… I’ll have to cut it out moderately next time.’
As I got behind the wheel, Alice made her way naturally to the back seat of hers.
The seat diagonally behind the driver… This is the place commonly referred to as the ‘Chairman’s Seat’.
It’s only natural that he didn’t want to sit next to me, so I started the engine, but he suddenly looked at me and asked,
“You’ve never gone on a date with your sister, have you?”
“There is one person who would be frightened if he did that.”
“…”
Knowing that she was talking about herself, Alice frowned.
The guy sucks. She groaned and swallowed her drool.
“You’re right.”
“What?”
“She said her sister definitely had a good laugh. She’ll admit that.”
“… I see. Thank you for recognizing it. It really helps me a lot.”
I laughed, even though I was slightly sarcastic.
It would be fortunate if even Alice could say that.
But then, a familiar voice came from the car’s radio.
This is not a smartphone, but confidential communication using an oracle.
[Master. Are you all right?]
“I have Alice, but tell me.”
Han Ye-jin was silent for a moment in response to my answer and chose her words.
[The date of the regular meeting for this year has been decided. Exactly 30 days later.]
“Really? Faster than expected. Okay.”
Pop.
Alice asked, leaning forward as soon as her communication ended.
“A regular meeting?”
“It’s a company event. Once a year, all three Masters gather to discuss Oracle’s operation and development direction.”
“Hmm… I can’t be absent, can I?”
“Never.”
I still have the weakest voice among the oracle masters, and if I can’t attend an important event like this, I can’t handle it.
Oracle is at the heart of all my activities.
Attendance at regular meetings is compulsory.
Entering her newlywed home with Alice, I was greeted by Yeriel.
“You worked hard today too.”
“You did all the hard work. Have you ever been to the house?”
“The house?”
“Yes. I thought it would be suitable for our honeymoon.”
When I said that, Alice quickly caught up with me.
“Was your regular meeting in the house?”
“Okay.”
“I like it.”
After hearing her rough nuances, Yeriel readily agreed.
I called and informed Han Ye-jin.
“Yeriel will also attend the regular meeting.”
[Ah, I see, Master!]
Yeriel must have had his eye on the oracle from before, so this would be good.
By the way, Alice had one more drink at her own will.
“Isn’t it okay to recommend my sister as a master?”
“To become a Master, you must have the skills essential to the operation and completion of the Oracle. Not in the case of Yeriel.”
“Umm…”
It’s true that Yeriel is definitely a strong hunter, but she’s not much help on that side.
In fact, for her part, even allowing her to attend her meetings is taking her at a considerable risk.
As if Yeriel knew it, she restrained her Alice and headed for her kitchen.
Anyway, the honeymoon location and date are confirmed here.
I still have room, so I don’t have to worry about it right now.
Alice said cautiously as she ate dinner with us.
“By the way, why don’t you get along with the other guild members?
“I’m sorry, but I can’t do that right now.”
“Why?”
“That’s because I’m a special investigator.”
I answered in place of the perplexed Yeriel.
Watch me, the Special Investigator, hang out with the Winter Kingdom guild members.
You will immediately be suspected of corruption.
No matter how residential and commercial, living in a guild building is actually quite dangerous.
“Ah, so… So what about me?”
“You spoke well. From now on, I think you should keep your distance.”
“Profit…”
Of course, Alice is excluded because she is a member of the special investigation unit’s inspection team.
We chatted moderately and went to bed quickly for tomorrow.
The next morning.
The office of the Special Investigation Unit was flooded with people who sent in requests to appear yesterday.
Yesterday most of them were suspects, but today most of them are references.
Alice asked me as if she didn’t quite understand the difference.
“What’s the difference between the two?”
“Simply put, a suspect is a person who is suspected of being the culprit. And a reference person is a person called out for reference as the name suggests.”
“Aha.”
In fact, the suspect and the reference person are concepts that cannot be separated as I explained earlier.
If you believe that the suspect will most likely not respond to the subpoena…
This is because prosecutors often use the method of summoning them as witnesses and then converting them into suspects.
Even if they are simply called out as witnesses, there are often cases in which they are suspected of being suspects during the investigation process.
“I don’t use it that way, though.”
“Why?”
“If you are summoned as a witness but converted to a suspect, you just have to refuse to testify and that’s it. There is no coercion in a witness investigation anyway.”
Besides, even if you refuse to summon the suspect, there are plenty of ways to deal with it later.
“For your reference, if you refuse to summon a suspect at will, a warrant will come out later.”
“I see. So, what happened today? Most of them seem to belong to the Golden Shield guild.”
Alice recognizes the faces of the references like an active hunter.
Before I could explain anything, the victim’s family came up to me and said.
“Oh, Prosecutor. Please find my son!”
“I’ll do as much as I can.”
Yes.
This case is also an active hunter missing case.
I distributed the references to the team members and explained them.
“In the hunter industry, there are a lot of disappearance cases. If you just pick a dungeon or gate and throw a body there, no one will find it.”
“Then this victim…”
“Everyone must have seen the file, but this victim has been missing for quite some time. The prosecution hasn’t properly investigated until now. It’s a pity, but it’s highly likely that he’s already dead. Still, we’re going to do What we can. Everyone knows, right?”
“Yes, chief!”
“Okay, everybody move.”
As I took on the role of one of the witnesses and started the investigation, Seo Ji-yu came towards me.
I said without even looking at her.
“Jiyu, coffee.”
“Yes…”
Seo Ji-yu runs errands for coffee today with a sullen expression.
The witness sitting in front of me looked at her and smiled.
“Your team members are really beautiful.”
“I will. I didn’t pick it based on the face.”
“Haha. Member of the Golden Shield Guild, A-Rank Hunter Saint rate. It is an honor to meet the hero of the Big Dipper Incident.”
“You must be busy, but thank you for responding to the summons, Mr. Seong-yul.”
I felt my face heat up as I was greeted.
To be the hero of the Big Dipper incident, I am full of spirits.
Seong-yul nodded to Alice, who was sitting next to me, and answered my question.
“You were a work colleague with the missing person, Ahn Taeyang, right?”
“Yes, they belonged to the same team. Taeyang and that friend disappeared, so we were all worried. It’s really good that the investigation has started now.”
“Did Taeyang show any strange behavior before he went missing?”
“I don’t think I’ve ever felt that way.”
I clicked my tongue inwardly at the slightly defensive tone.
This man… Something is suspicious.
There is nothing special about the content, but the tone is too strategic.
The crime of perjury is not established in the reference investigation in Korea.
Lying in the investigation of a suspect or a witness is not perjury, but a false statement… It can be said that there is no case of being punished just for this.
Even if you lie, if you consistently state something like ‘I remembered that time…’, It won’t even be a false statement.
But now, the tone of this nobleman is exactly that.
Of course, maybe I’m being too sensitive.
It is natural for people to become defensive when they are suddenly summoned to an investigative agency and investigated.
However, the number of saints in front of me did not stutter or even show signs of worrying about such a topic.
Being an active hunter, he’s much bolder than others… It’s a bit strange to say.
‘I’m a little suspicious. Let’s take a look…’
“Then what were you doing on the day Taeyang went missing? Oh, this is a ceremonial question, so you don’t have to worry too much.”
“I remember that day clearly. My favorite game came out on the day Taeyang went missing.”
“Oh, a computer game?”
“Yes. I don’t know if you would know the name, but it’s Warhammer Green Tide…”
“Ah! I know that.”
Warhammer… Is it coming out of here!
My heart was overflowing with the joy of meeting a comrade.
Maybe that’s why I got it wrong.
A virtuous Warhammer fan was behind the disappearance. It’s nonsense.
However, the testimony that followed cooled my beating heart.
“You know the investigator too? Green Tide is a really good game.
“I see. I understand. If you don’t remember anything else in particular, we’ll do the research here. Thank you again for taking the time out of your busy schedule.”
“Oh, no. You are looking for our guild members, so I have to do something. If you need anything, please call me again. Then…”
Seong-yul shook my hand lightly and left the office without delay.
I gave her order to her while accepting the coffee Seo Ji-yu gave her.
“Mr. Jiyu.”
“Your boss.”
“Mr. Seong-yul, who just left, use an administrative program to dig into the back.”
“Yes? Is something suspicious?”
Not only Seo Ji-yu, but Alice also had a puzzled face.
I nodded slightly.
“There’s something about him.”
“Where the hell are you looking?”
“The Green Tide that he said he was holding on to on the release date… It’s a shit game. Most Warhammer franchise games are garbage.”
I immediately probed his account his using Oracle.
Just as expected. The blatant lie was immediately exposed.
[Green Tide play time: 103 hours]
“What, did you play properly?”
“No. Look closely. None of the achievements have been broken. This was just a game that was turned on. It doesn’t make sense that I played this garbage game for over 100 hours in the first place.”
“Ah… Do you? I know that very well.”
“Mr. Jiyu, go ahead and start investigating.”
“All right.”
Seo Ji-yu, who finally took over her proper job, rushed to her seat her.
I tried my best to pretend nothing was wrong and called out the next reference.
