◈ Episode 172

A cold silence fell like frost.

Gemma had been holding Chelsea's wrist for some time. The way she looked at Chelsea was different from the way a mother would look at her own daughter.

There is not a single penny of affection shown. There is no regret or shame.

It was a desperate attitude, but he didn't think Chelsea would refuse. He was like a creditor demanding a debt. The words he had just uttered clearly expressed her feelings.

'Can you come find me?'

It's not a request. It's not a favor.

He speaks as if he is simply asserting his natural rights.

Her mother's gaze caught Chelsea's attention. A thousand thoughts came rushing back to her. The past came rushing back like a wave, taking her breath away.

Her mother was much thinner than she remembered. On the other hand, Chelsea had grown. Not only physically, but also mentally, through many hardships.

'But why.'

It must be different from the past. The time when we were abused… no, the time when we had to endure it without even knowing it was abuse, we are so different from each other, but why?

Why can't I get rid of this flabby arm?

─Ouch!

The sound of clapping hands broke the silence.

"Okay, calm down."

It was just a single word. That alone cleared the fog in my head and allowed me to regain control of my body. Chelsea pushed away the arm that was holding my wrist and took a step back without realizing it.

"...."

Gemma didn't bother to get any closer, but her lips twisted subtly. Chelsea couldn't help but shudder at that unpleasant reaction.

At that moment, Chelsea felt a hand guiding her.

Not soft, but rough, but with a lot of warmth.

"Chelsea, sit down."

It went back to the previous situation again.

But the attitudes of the three changed little by little.

"Honestly, I didn't want to interfere. It's someone else's family matter."

"…Yes, that's right. It's, it's something we talk about among family."

"I heard it was a bit of a dangerous problem."

Kim Lee-hyun was smiling kindly. It was a rare sight. He is polite when meeting clients, but he rarely smiles, but he is smiling now.

Somehow it looked more ominous to Chelsea.

"Let's be honest."

He put his arm around my thigh and interlocked his fingers.

"I think I know why you wanted this position."

"Is this the kind of place it is?"

"The mother-daughter relationship is a bit tense, so they probably needed some buffering."

Gemma hadn't seen Chelsea in years. She had even received threats at the end. She must have been worried that Chelsea might get so angry that she would shoot her in the face.

A safeguard was needed to prevent that from happening.

Someone who can limit Chelsea's actions.

"I'm not saying that I feel bad, I'm just trying to do my best. If you think of it as a kind of employee benefit, then yes. Chelsea is a subordinate I cherish."

As the name suggests, it is an employee benefit.

If Gemma and Chelsea have different wishes.

It's obvious which way it will tilt further.

"Let's sort out the problem first."

Kim Lee-hyun spoke in an extremely natural tone.

"Brandon Furty and Sarah Furty are missing. Is that correct?"

The fact-checking questions were shocking.

Gemma had not yet revealed the details. The names of her husband and young daughter, whom she had never mentioned before, came out of Kim Yi-hyun's mouth. It was as if he had known about it.

"...president?"

This time, even Chelsea couldn't help but be surprised.

Kim Yi-hyeon finds out about the existence of her younger sibling that she didn't even know about.

How on earth?

And since when did you know?

Kim Hyun-ah glanced at Chelsea and then looked at Gemma again. Her gaze was urging her to answer.

"Oh, that's right. Yes."

"When did you disappear?"

"So, the 17th, no, the 22nd. The 19th…?"

"Let's say it's been about three weeks."

I guess he's not in his right mind. I think I need to find out more.

"What happened? He wouldn't have suddenly disappeared from his home, right?"

"Hey, hey, he went out to work. He hasn't come back since then."

"What is it? Is it your usual construction site work?"

"…How do you, ah, know that?"

"Because it's in a place where you can find it."

I said it in a deliberately cut-off tone because it wasn't important. Chelsea will need to be supplemented later, but Gemma won't. There's no reason to convince her.

"Please answer. What is it?"

"Why should I, why should I…."

"If it's inconvenient, I'll leave. You two can talk it out."

As he said that, he leaned back and crossed his arms.

"I think you're starting to get the hang of it. Gemma Putty, we have more power than you think. After I leave this room, even if gunfire rings out here, it won't hurt us at all."

Here is one example.

"A mentally ill person on the verge of becoming an outlaw came to the company of his estranged child. He caused a ruckus with a weapon, so we had no choice but to act in self-defense. It was a regrettable situation."

"Tongue, are you threatening me right now?"

"It's just an example. There was a technical error at the time and the CCTV footage was not there, but for some reason the police said they received the evidence without any problems. It was just a mistake by the person in charge."

"That's nonsense…."

Gemma's eyes trembled without mercy.

"You see, we are the ones who can create the most incredible coincidences. Do you understand now? What a great kindness I am doing you right now."

Added after disconnecting once.

"Tell me when you listen. Be honest."

Kim Lee-hyun was still smiling.

* * *

Gemma rambled on for a while.

Because I tried to gloss over the parts that I thought were disadvantageous, my logic didn't make sense, and because my mental state was unstable, my speech was incoherent. Although he was a difficult person to talk to, it wasn't difficult to deal with him.

'Are there just a few guys like this?'

Dustborn are mercenaries to the outside world, but within Cilicia, they are somewhat different in terms of their group nature. They are closer to problem solvers or detectives. They accept requests from the state and also from the private sector.

As is often the case in these professions, your sense of humanity gradually diminishes as you work.

'Rather, it's rare to find a normal client.'

A guy who committed a crime and is trying to blame it on someone else. A spy from somewhere trying to investigate Dustborn. A foolish rich kid who thinks he's better than everyone else...

Of course, Kim Yi-Hyeon doesn't do much of the work himself, since he's always out and about. But he does receive reports. There's almost always some kind of plot involved in requests that come with a big payout.

Sometimes, the client is sent to the police in reverse, but this is Sadam. Compared to such special requests, this case wasn't that complicated.

After sending Gemma away, I went up to the rooftop with Chelsea. Her hair was blowing in the wind. It would have been nice to have a cigarette, but unfortunately, neither of them were smokers.

"What should I say…."

"You don't have to be considerate."

"Yeah. They're crazy kids."

The incident seemed simpler than expected.

Without Chelsea, the Putty family was short on money. It was because of debt. When asked how she got into debt, Gemma answered vaguely, but you could tell the situation just by looking at her attitude.

So Brandon Furty was looking for a high-paying job. Here, five or six out of ten would have gone down an illegal path. In normal times, Brandon Furty would have likely done the same.

If it were normal times.

"The world has changed a lot. Jobs like that have emerged."

"Can you call that a job?"

Something new has happened in Cilicia.

High pay is guaranteed, but it is not illegal.

A job that doesn't even require connections or qualifications.

"It's a purification operation. It's necessary."

A small disaster occurred near Cilicia a year ago. Several boulders of unknown material were confirmed to have fallen. There were no casualties, except for a few vagrants and outlaws.

But that was only a primary problem.

The area became a contaminated area. From the broken pieces of rock, strange creatures were born. Larvae with bright blue fluorescent shells scattered in all directions.

Some are coming over to Cilicia, slowly but surely.

By shedding fine particles that increase the pollution index in the surrounding area.

The larva itself can be dealt with by anyone. It is smaller than a finger and has no attack ability. It can be killed by simply kicking it without a weapon.

'The problem is that they spread pollutants and die.'

Since they cannot be brought into the city, they must be disposed of outside. In Cilicia, 'septic tanks' are periodically sent out to eradicate the larvae in the area.

"I don't know. I think a spellcaster can take care of them all."

"It's not easy. Especially in a place like Cilicia."

"Why Cilicia?"

"It's a city that treats you according to your abilities."

They are a rare and valuable human resource. Furthermore, spellcasters are not immune to contamination, but are highly resistant to it. It is impossible for them to be free of psychological burden.

"Forcing someone to work isn't something I've done once or twice."

In a country that advocates meritocracy and individual freedom, we cannot treat people with ability like dogs. If people with ability are dissatisfied, it will be difficult to use them in truly dangerous situations.

"I'll pay you a salary, but it's becoming increasingly difficult to move forward with money alone."

Rather than throwing money away and getting cursed at, it's better to just throw money away.

Instead of the already well-off, to the poor for whom every penny is precious.

Most of the applicants for the septic tank are poor.

Brandon Furty just so happens to be one of them.

And Gemma Putty requested a search.

In Dustborne, not the police force, using his two daughters.

"I'm telling you this just in case there's any misunderstanding, but I just found out about it recently."

"What is it?"

"Sarah Putty."

Chelsea flinched.

"Actually, I've heard about your family relationship before."

I received various materials through Kabak a while ago. Various records of people from Cilicia. I know not only Chelsea, but also Bryce's family relations.

Rather than conducting a separate background check, there are circumstances.

"The Johanna Feltner case. That's when we came out into the open. Of course, there were various procedures. What if there had been a heinous criminal among the family members of a key member of our company?"

As a result, it was revealed that there were no sensitive issues.

That's why the council brought Dustborn into the open.

"But what do you mean by you found out recently?"

"They said they didn't report the birth."

Chelsea, who was looking down the street, suddenly turned her head. Her eyes staring at Kim Yi-hyun were filled with an emotion of disbelief.

"Didn't you say you were six?"

"It's not like our country provides subsidies for having children."

"Then why did you suddenly register as a citizen…."

"In a way, isn't the intention really transparent?"

They want to get more money, even if it means taking the kid with them.

"Is that legally possible?"

"I don't know. But I heard that he actually took her."

They were a great couple in many ways.

Chelsea was laughing in vain. She had already kicked out her parents. Her only feelings toward her family were disillusionment, but it seemed she had now moved beyond that stage.

'The things they do are disgusting.'

Gemma Putty must have had some idea of ​​what kind of group Dustborne was. She didn't have any commission, but she had a daughter who worked for Dustborne, so she tried to get involved somehow.

And the request was still on hold.

"I don't think it's something I should decide."

Kim Lee-hyun looked at Chelsea in agony.

"Think about what you want to do. I will help you in any way possible."

Whatever decision you make, I'll help you.

Chelsea picked up on the nuance hidden in the kind words.

If you want to show mercy, that's fine too.

It meant that he would cooperate even if it meant getting covered in blood.

After a moment of silence, Chelsea said.

"…I think I should meet him first."

I felt like I would know something that way.