Return of the Sword God-Rank Civil Servant-Chapter 193

It had to be someone from within the department—and since he held the highest remaining rank, he was the obvious choice.

No wonder he was feeling good.

The Chief position or even just the Special Investigation Bureau were some of the most influential seats in the Association.

Then—

"Chief?"

"Hm? Oh, Team Leader Na."

His train of thought was interrupted as someone entered his office, holding a stack of documents.

It was Na Do-won, the Team Leader of the Criminal Investigation Bureau's 2nd Unit.

"We finally caught one of the Seodaemun Three you mentioned earlier."

"The Seodaemun Three...? Oh, you mean that pickpocket gang?"

"Yes, sir. The small-time thieves. We’ve detained one in the basement holding cells. Should we begin interrogation?"

"The basement holding cells?"

"Yes, sir."

"Hmm... No, just leave him there."

"...Excuse me?"

"Find some excuse to keep him in holding for a month."

"......Is there a reason?"

"You know how things are right now. Let’s avoid causing any trouble for a while. It’s not like this is urgent."

"......."

Na Do-won frowned slightly.

Baek Joon-seok, noticing his expression, scowled.

"Tsk. Here we go again with that look... What?"

"...Nothing, sir."

"I’m not saying not to arrest them. I’m just saying we can afford to wait. Have I ever not done my job?"

"...No, sir."

"Then focus on paperwork for now. Stay out of sight. You know people are already criticizing the Special Division—we don’t need to add fuel to the fire. Got it?"

"...Understood."

With a heavy nod, Na Do-won left the office.

The Smoking Room

Returning to his desk, Na Do-won sighed.

One of his subordinates, Lee Hyun-seok, leaned in.

"Team Leader. Smoke break?"

"...Yeah."

Lee Hyun-seok—Na Do-won’s right-hand man and the Deputy Team Leader—headed to the vending machine for coffee before the two of them made their way to the Special Division’s private smoking lounge.

As he sat down, Lee Hyun-seok took a deep breath.

"This place is way too empty. The Association really is falling apart, huh?"

"It’s not collapsing. It’s still a government institution."

"Yeah, yeah. Just saying. Anyway, what did the Chief say?"

Lee Hyun-seok was watching Na Do-won carefully.

He already knew from his expression—it wasn’t good news.

Na Do-won took a long drag from his cigarette before speaking.

"He told us to shelve the case and keep the suspect detained for a month."

"...What? Why? We worked our asses off catching that guy. If we wait a whole month, the rest of them will disappear!"

"......."

Na Do-won knew that.

But what could he do?

The Chief’s orders were final.

A month was the legal maximum for holding an uncharged suspect.

Without a choice, he took another drag and stubbed out his cigarette.

"He doesn’t want us drawing attention to ourselves right now."

"...What? That’s ridiculous! We didn’t do anything wrong! It was the Special Investigation Bureau that was corrupt! Why the hell do we have to keep our heads down?!"

Lee Hyun-seok clenched his fists.

"That’s it. I’m going to confront him."

"Sit down. You don’t understand hierarchy?"

"Hierarchy, my ass! If we let this slide, we’re just going to look even worse! And don’t act like you don’t know, Team Leader. Baek Joon-seok is only doing this for his own promotion."

"......."

Na Do-won had no argument.

Because it was true.

Everyone knew why the Chief was acting this way.

But knowing didn’t change the fact that they were powerless.

With the Special Division under scrutiny, anyone who stepped out of line would take the fall.

That was just how politics worked.

Then—

"Well, well. Someone sure sounds frustrated."

The smoking room door opened.

Lee Hyun-seok immediately stood up and saluted.

"Sir!"

A man stepped inside.

It was Kim Won-hu, the Team Leader of the 1st Unit of the Criminal Investigation Bureau—and Na Do-won’s colleague.

The two were of similar background, having awakened around the same time and possessing similar ranks and levels.

The difference between the 1st and 2nd Units was practically meaningless.

They weren’t enemies, but they weren’t close friends either.

Just colleagues.

Still, they had attended each other’s weddings.

Kim Won-hu casually ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) sat next to Na Do-won.

"Got a cigarette?"

"...Get your own."

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

"Come on, I forgot mine. And I’d have to take the elevator to the convenience store—too much work."

"......Tch."

Grumbling, Na Do-won handed him one.

Then—

"Light it for me."

"You’re such a pain in the ass."

Rolling his eyes, Na Do-won handed over his lighter as well.

After taking a few puffs, Kim Won-hu exhaled and turned to Lee Hyun-seok.

"So, Deputy Team Leader. I heard you guys finally caught one of the Seodaemun Three?"

"...Yes, sir."

"Congrats. That must’ve been a lot of work. Now you can interrogate him and round up the rest, right?"

"Well..."

Lee Hyun-seok glanced at Na Do-won.

Na Do-won just stared at the ceiling and placed a new cigarette between his lips.

Seeing that, Lee Hyun-seok sighed.

"...We can’t. Chief rejected the request."

Kim Won-hu raised an eyebrow.

"Rejected?"

"He said... ‘Now isn’t the right time.’"

"......What?"

Lee Hyun-seok’s words made Kim Won-hu furrow his brows in surprise.

Then, turning to Na Do-won, he asked,

"Hey, Team Leader Na. Is this true?"

"Yeah, it’s true."

Kim Won-hu clicked his tongue.

"Damn... You guys have been after the Seodaemun Three for so long, and now this...?"

His face twisted in frustration.

Then, after letting out a long sigh, he continued,

"Hey, Do-won."

"What?"

"Just go ahead with the case."

"...What?"

Both Na Do-won and Lee Hyun-seok turned to stare at Kim Won-hu.

"I said just proceed. You know what kind of organization the Seodaemun Three is. If we don’t take them down now, we’ll have to chase them again later. You really want to go through all that again? If we let them slip away, they’ll just cut off loose ends and scatter."

"I know, but..."

"You’re saying we should lay low because of the current situation? Listen, Do-won. We’re going to get criticized no matter what. It doesn’t matter if we act or stay quiet—people will still hate us. So screw it, let’s just do our job. If someone has a problem with us for actually doing our damn job, they’re the ones in the wrong. Right?"

Kim Won-hu’s firm stance made Na Do-won’s expression shift.

At the same time, Lee Hyun-seok nodded and spoke up,

"1st Team Leader is right. Let’s go through with it, Team Leader. I’ll handle the details quietly. We worked our asses off to track these guys. If we leave them in holding for a month, everything will be for nothing."

"......."

"Team Leader!"

Na Do-won lowered his head, deep in thought.

He wanted to take action.

But if anything went wrong, they wouldn’t just be in trouble for acting on their own—they’d probably face additional disciplinary actions.

If it were just him getting punished, he wouldn’t care.

But his entire team could be affected.

Baek Joon-seok was right about one thing—performance evaluations mean everything for government employees.

Sensing his hesitation, Kim Won-hu spoke again.

"I’ll back you up."

"...How?"

"What do you think? If we’re going to get criticized anyway, I’ll take the hit with you. That way, they can’t just punish you alone. Besides, do you really think this pressure is only coming for your team? My team’s going to be under the same bullshit restrictions."

Na Do-won stared at him for a moment.

Then, he let out a chuckle.

"...Seriously?"

"What? Am I wrong? If we don’t do our jobs now, we’ll be chasing the same damn criminals again in a month. So let’s just do it. Why go through all that extra trouble?"

"1st Team Leader, I respect you."

"Then hand over another cigarette."

"Here you go!"

Overcome with emotion, Lee Hyun-seok immediately offered up his pack.

Kim Won-hu took a cigarette, and Lee Hyun-seok eagerly lit it for him.

"Anyway, let’s move forward with this. I was going to head in and report to Baek Joon-seok myself, but I already know he’d just try to shut me down too. If we’re going to get in trouble, we might as well go all in."

"...I need to think about it."

"Think about what? I’ve known you for years. You’ve already made up your mind. Just let me know your plan so I can get my story straight."

Na Do-won stared at the ceiling for a moment.

Then, he stood up.

"You can read the depths of an ocean, but not a person’s heart. Let’s move. Hyun-seok, you’re coming too."

"Yes, sir!"

"Hey, I just lit my cigarette. You’re leaving me behind?"

"I’m busy. See you later."

As Na Do-won stood, Lee Hyun-seok quickly followed.

Before leaving, he threw a mock salute at Kim Won-hu, who waved him off with a smirk.

Then—

"Ah, wait."

Na Do-won returned to the smoking room and pulled out his cigarette pack.

He tossed it to Kim Won-hu.

"What’s this?"

"Just keep it. Didn’t like the taste."

"Yeah, right. You smoke this all the time. If you’re giving it to me, at least hand over a lighter too."

"You’re asking for too much. Figure it out yourself."

And with that, he left.

Kim Won-hu stared at the pack, shaking his head.

When he opened it, he found a lighter neatly tucked inside.

"Hah... You’re how old, and you’re still embarrassed about this kind of stuff?"

Chuckling, he pocketed the pack.

***

That Night

"Is this the place?"

"Yes, sir."

That night, Criminal Investigation Bureau’s 2nd Unit quietly interrogated their captured suspect and finally uncovered the location of the Seodaemun Three’s hideout.

Their targets were villains.

Even if they specialized in pickpocketing, every one of them was a Player with real combat ability.

So Team 2 arrived fully armed.

After checking their equipment, Lee Hyun-seok activated a mana detection device.

Immediately, multiple mana signatures appeared inside the building.

"Five of them. All strong. This is definitely the place."

The Seodaemun Three had six members—with one already in custody, the remaining five should be inside.

That means we’re in the right spot.

Lee Hyun-seok gave a nod, and Na Do-won issued the command.

"Move in."

The 2nd Unit silently infiltrated the building.

It was an abandoned structure—no security guards, and the entire building was empty.

That meant only their team and the Seodaemun Three were inside.

It was the perfect opportunity to strike.

The team moved up to the fourth floor, where the criminals were hiding.

Then—

BZZZZZZZT!

"AGHHHHH!!"

Suddenly, blue electricity crackled through the air, shocking the entire team.