Chapter 38

Chapter 037

After handing over the business card to Maljuk, I immediately transformed into a spirit and climbed up the wall of the official residence, taking advantage of the darkness, heading towards my destination.

Creak.

"Did you come? You've worked hard... huh?!"

I opened the window, entered, closed it, and immediately subdued the supervisor.

[Treason?]

"W-What are you talking about?!"

[The place I went to attack, a man named Maljuk from the Hwalbin Party appeared. What's going on?]

"Hwalbin Party? Wait, I really don't understand the situation at all?!"

The supervisor seemed genuinely surprised.

But this could also be an act, so I didn't release her.

[There are three possibilities in my mind. One is that it was a mere coincidence that two forces attacked the same place at the same time. Another is that the Hwalbin Party followed you while you were gathering information. And the last one is...]

"That I betrayed you? There's no way...! I would die as a member of the Order!"

[If that's the case, was it just a coincidence that our paths crossed? I don't think so.]

Maljuk appeared right after I destroyed the facility and dealt with the demon.

Unless he timed his appearance, there's no way he could have shown up at such a convenient time.

[I don't believe in coincidences. Especially not in this situation.]

"I really feel wronged...!"

[Are you serious?]

"Yes! I just followed the orders from above!"

[Then there's only one possibility left.]

I felt a bit annoyed.

[...Who gave you the initial order to carry out this mission and gather information?]

"What? You can't possibly think there's a traitor in the Order?"

[Answer me.]

The information had leaked.

If the supervisor wasn't the traitor, it was likely that something had gone wrong in her chain of command.

[Asking about this within the Order is a breach of etiquette, but which legion do you belong to?]

"Kunggi Legion! I belong to Kunggi-sama!"

[Which team in the Kunggi Legion? The Byeongyeokchoi Team? Or the Jujak Team? Phoenix Team?]

"...Raven. Ugh, revealing even this much..."

For an intelligence officer to reveal their affiliation is like admitting to their own 'dismissal.'

Just like how intelligence agents don't disclose their specific affiliations, members of the Order naturally don't reveal their detailed information.

But by saying this much, it means that the supervisor, in her own way, is asserting her innocence.

Revealing her affiliation to someone from another team is like putting her life on the line.

That's how it works in the Order.

[Alright. I believe you. But I can't trust your superiors.]

"That's impossible. Raven is a direct subordinate of Kunggi-sama. There's no way Raven would betray the Order."

[Hmm.]

Transformation canceled.

"Let's see, I'll call the person in charge and confirm the details."

I put on the hotel gown I had instructed to prepare, tied the waistband, and put the Taeguk Watch back on my wrist.

"Are you going to call the Raven team leader?"

"No."

I pointed upwards with my finger.

"When something goes wrong, Koreans don't just touch the person in charge; they go for the higher-ups."

"...You can't be serious?"

Beep.

The phone rang about three times.

[Ah, hello!]

"Hello, Director."

[Ah, Director? Yes, that's right. I'm on the line now.]

The supervisor's expression turned to shock.

Perhaps it was because the 'Director's' voice was completely different from what she usually heard.

"I just encountered a strange situation while on a mission with someone from the Raven team."

[......What?]

Unlike the cheerful voice from before, the voice turned cold, and the supervisor's expression changed as well.

"The situation is roughly like this."

I recounted the situation I had experienced without missing a single word.

[Can you switch the call?]

"You can speak now. She's right next to me."

[Full name and rank.]

"Attention! I am Celestia, a deputy from the second generation of the Raven team!!"

The supervisor, whose name is not at all supervisor-like.

[Celestia... Celestia... Hmm, I see. Director, can you give me 3 minutes? I'll check it right away.]

"It's fine if it takes a bit longer."

[Just stay on the line. I'll check... it's done.]

The Director chuckled.

[It seems there's someone in the Raven team who wants to join the Hwalbin Party. They've lost their mind. They're messing with a demon.]

"Is this woman unrelated?"

[She was unfortunately used. If you want, I can send someone else.]

"That's not necessary. If there's any fault, it's that I didn't notice my superior's sinister plan. Or... there are still many people in the Order who don't like me.]

[No, that's not true! Director, how capable and excellent you are!]

"That's why I'm saying this."

Who would really like someone who climbed from a low-ranking officer to a direct subordinate of the leader in just six months?

Especially when they don't belong to any specific team and act alone like an independent agent.

"Anyway, be careful. There are many people under the Director who are from this country, so there might be others who leaked the information. Whether it's through family ties, teacher-student relationships, hometown connections, or school connections."

[I understand. I can't suddenly cut everyone's heads off, but I'll look into it step by step. And you, Celestia.]

"Yes, Director!"

Celestia straightened up, her voice full of discipline.

[Keep working as you have been. Don't refuse any sudden tasks or orders.]

"Huh?"

[After all, you contacting a demon won't make the demon betray and go elsewhere.]

That's true.

I have no reason to betray the Order, and I have no intention to.

Even if they offered me three times as much.

[But I can't tolerate using the Order's internal information network to continuously pull the demon to their side. So, accept all the instructions, whether they come through Raven or indirectly through other teams.]

"By any chance... if something like this happens again, will you handle it yourself, Director?"

[Oh, me personally? I'm not that idle. The personnel team will take care of it.]

I mouthed the interpretation of that statement to the supervisor.

It means they will deal with it directly.

[Director, please don't tell the other Directors about this. Especially that creepy one.]

"Of course. I have no intention of causing trouble for you, Director. By the way, it's a bit awkward to chat casually during a mission."

I reached out to stop the supervisor, then composed my voice and lightly kissed the Taeguk Watch.

[...Huh?]

"Thank you, Director. Thanks to you, I was able to clear up the misunderstanding."

[O-Oh, y-yes...! It's natural to resolve unpleasant incidents in our team! If anything happens again, contact me. H-Hang up!]

Click.

The call ended.

I turned off the screen of the Taeguk Watch and stood up, formally apologizing to the supervisor.

"I'm sorry. I thought you were a traitor in the Order who had colluded with the Hwalbin Party."

"Oh, no, it's fine."

"Act as casually as you did before the mission. Knowing your identity doesn't change what you have to do."

"Ah, yeah, I understand... But... um..."

The supervisor seemed a bit more relaxed, pointing at my Taeguk Watch and asking cautiously.

"Kunggi-sama...?"

"Yeah."

"Are you... close with Kunggi-sama?"

"Director-level... 'Four Major Officers' have direct lines to each other. We rarely call, though."

I can call, but they can't call me directly.

By the leader's order.

"Since I overstepped, I hope we can work well together in the future. I had to be a bit desperate to hide my identity."

"Ah, yeah, it's fine. It was my mistake for accepting the order from above without properly verifying the source. Is... everything okay...?"

I was the one who subdued her by bending her arm, but the supervisor was clearly worried and looking at me.

"Let's have a drink to make up for it and clear the misunderstanding."

To celebrate the successful completion of the mission.

To cleanse the heat from killing various corrupt beings.

"Chicken and beer, how about it?"

"...Ah."

The supervisor's face lit up with a smile, but then—

"......I just finished my beer."

Her expression immediately turned stiff.

"Can't be helped. Supervisor."

I pointed at the supervisor's Taeguk Watch.

"Order delivery."

"Ah."

"There are places that sell late-night snacks and beer even at this hour. I'll take a shower in the meantime."

"Got it. I'll order right away, so take your time to shower. But... can I just ask one thing? You don't have to answer if you don't want to."

"What is it?"

"Kunggi-sama... what's your relationship with her?"

"......"

A bit complicated.

"You might think Kunggi is extremely cold and ruthless, but to me, she's the warmest person of all."

"Wow...."

That's true.

Kunggi.

She really has a warm heart.

"After I shower, let's have some chicken and talk for a bit. It's not particularly important to me who gives you your missions or what they are."

"Then...?"

"Missions related to demons."

It was fortunate that my first mission was exactly what I was looking for.

"From now on, if you receive any missions related to demons, demon seeds, or anything demon-related, accept them even if they seem suspicious. Especially... Pandemonium."

The massive organization where all the named demons gather.

"Because all demons must be eliminated."

For the peace of the world, and for the smooth global conquest of our Order.

That's how it went.

I dealt with the 'first' demon seed.