Ch.139Side Episode – Handle Personal Information with Care

I returned from my assignment only to find a large sum of money had been spent.

The cost of the custom-tailored suit from the tailor shop was roughly one million won in Korean currency. Depending on one’s income, this might be a significant amount for some, or conversely, a small sum for others.

In my case, it was the latter.

No matter how many allowances an intelligence agency provides, a civil servant’s salary is what it is. It’s not exactly a profession that makes you rich.

Still, I was living comfortably enough since I didn’t have a wife and kids to support.

But I did have one dependent.

“Hey. We’ve got a problem.”

-‘Fred, who are you calling ‘hey’? Your sister? Want to die?’

“Aila used my card without permission.”

-‘Where are you?’

That dependent was my younger sister.

Side Episode – Handle Personal Information with Care

Aila Nostrum.

Aila, the second daughter and youngest child of the Nostrum family, is a mage.

Given the family’s limited connections to martial arts, magic, commerce, or politics, Aila’s existence might seem out of place, but honestly, she wasn’t particularly unusual.

There had been a mage among her maternal ancestors.

Of course, her mother’s family wasn’t a prestigious magical house like the Ranieri family, but considering that over the past few decades, the magical academic community has generally accepted that “magical abilities are inherited genetic traits passed down through generations, except in special cases,” it was clear that Aila had strongly inherited the blood of her distinguished maternal lineage with magical ancestry.

Perhaps thanks to her good ancestry, Aila had high magical aptitude and was quite intelligent.

As a result, she excelled at school and the academy, eventually entering a prestigious university. She did well there too, joining an exclusive social club that only admitted high achievers or those with good backgrounds.

She was even invited to join a research lab by professors who recognized her talent, so it would be fair to say that Aila was a promising talent in her own right.

Currently, however, Aila’s occupation is “unemployed.”

And not just any unemployed person—she’s completely idle, not studying, not working, not even doing part-time jobs.

It’s puzzling why a mage who graduated from a prestigious university and would be welcomed anywhere would live like this, but no one knows the reason. Not even her family.

She’s a fire-attribute daughter who constantly worries her parents, but being their flesh and blood, her parents hadn’t cut ties with her. At least not until last year.

From what I heard from my brother, our mother kicked her out saying, “Don’t even think about coming home until you find a job.” Since I haven’t heard about her returning to the family home, she must still be unemployed.

Of course, Aila wasn’t thrown out on the street completely penniless. She’s been living between the townhouse in the capital and the homes of our older brother and sister, and she also receives support from sympathetic grandparents on both sides of the family. Plus, my brother Jerry, my sister Adela, and I give her money for living expenses.

But this little shit touched my bank account while I was away.

Without needing to investigate further, I summoned my informants using my authority as an intelligence officer.

“You’re here.”

“Fred!”

At 1:30 AM, when humans are said to be at their most cruel, I arrived at the townhouse in the capital of Abas. Though I’d been drinking heavily, my insomnia kept my mind clear.

My brother Jerry and sister Adela had arrived before me. They were waiting for me at the main entrance.

“Where’s Aila?”

“Hey, hey, Fred. Calm down. You look like you’re about to kill someone right now.”

“Never mind that. Where is Aili?”

Jerry placed his hand on my shoulder and gently tried to reason with me.

“We haven’t seen each other in three years, and this is how you act? Just calm down first.”

Adela, who was leaning against the entrance with an indifferent expression, spoke up.

“Hey, who are you glaring at? Fix that expression.”

“Could you keep a straight face if you were in my position?”

“You little… Look at him glaring at his brother and sister. I must be an idiot for raising this kid.”

“Mom raised me, not you. You just babysat me occasionally for pocket money, and you’re still bragging about it?”

“Look at him attacking me with facts. How cowardly.”

Jerry and Adela held me back while spouting nonsense. More precisely, they were blocking the door.

A Finance Ministry official, a Foreign Ministry official, and a Defense Ministry official were facing off over a single door.

The first to speak was my brother Jerry, who works at the Finance Ministry.

“Fred. I understand you’re angry, but please calm down and listen. Okay?”

“I’m not angry.”

“Then why are you clenching your fists?”

I wanted to say “Just to hit her once,” but the situation was a bit more serious than that. I felt like I needed to give her at least 30 flicks to the forehead, if not 3,000, to feel satisfied.

My sister Adela, the Foreign Ministry official who had been quietly observing the situation, snickered.

“Leave him be. Remember when that brat Aila went on a shopping spree in the city with Fred’s card? When he was a lieutenant, wasn’t it?”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

Aila wasn’t a first-time offender. When I was a lieutenant serving as a platoon leader on the front lines, she had spent money I’d been saving to buy a car.

The roads near the demilitarized zone were terrible, so I was saving up for a used SUV for commuting, but she spent it all, probably on socializing at her club. And in just one night.

Thanks to her, I had to walk to and from work every day.

Jerry, who had his hand on my shoulder, suddenly remembered something and smacked his forehead.

“Right. Come to think of it, the youngest used my card to buy alcohol back then too.”

“Jerry, are you finding this funny?”

Adela jabbed Jerry in the side, telling him to read the room.

“She asked me for pocket money that day, saying she was going out. I bet she didn’t spend it on drinking at her social club but lost it gambling.”

“How do you know she was gambling?”

“She was hanging out with a friend of mine. They were alumni from the same school.”

This is ridiculous.

As you can see, Aila was worse than an animal. She may not have taken out private loans, but there’s no worse financial parasite than her.

Anyway, that’s not what’s important right now.

What matters is that Aila drained my wallet.

“Where is that unemployed brat? Bring her out now.”

Like a loan shark hunting down a debtor who borrowed money and ran, I demanded they hand over Aila. I’ll half-kill her for using the card I gave her for food to get a tailored suit.

I don’t have a mirror, so I’m not sure what I look like right now, but I doubt it’s a pleasant expression.

Adela glanced at me and then fled, saying it was cold and she was going inside first.

I watched her retreating back before turning my gaze to my brother, who was standing there with an awkward smile.

“So, what is she doing now?”

“Hmm… This isn’t a conversation for outside. Let’s talk inside.”

Jerry scratched the back of his head as he opened the door. Leading the way, he casually dropped a bombshell.

“The youngest got a job.”

*

The Nostrum family is a fairly established baronial house.

Although we haven’t built up prestige over hundreds of years like other noble families, and we don’t have particular expertise in commerce, politics, arts, law, finance, or magic, we have produced civil servants for generations.

Of course, we haven’t only produced civil servants. If you search through our family records, you’ll find some high-ranking officials, university professors, clergy, lawyers, actors, and politicians too.

But even such a family couldn’t afford a mansion in the capital, due to the murderous real estate prices in this area. The safer the land, the more astronomical the prices. People with money secured residences on islands, in the capital, or at strategic points where the military is stationed—places where monsters never appear. Thanks to the struggle for survival, real estate prices continue to break records daily.

The reason the Nostrum family has a townhouse in the prime real estate area of Abas capital is entirely due to my mother’s family.

“Did Mother return from the royal palace?”

“How can a royal lady-in-waiting have time off? She always has to stay by the Queen’s side.”

This society still maintains a class system, and my mother’s family is one of the few noble houses that prosper within it.

My mother, who works as a lady-in-waiting at the royal court, is a perfect example.

Unlike maids who do menial tasks, ladies-in-waiting who serve as attendants are selected only from families trusted by the royal family—so-called families with “proper lineage.” My mother’s family is one of those families with proper lineage.

I wonder why my mother married my father, coming from such a family, but they had a love marriage rather than an arranged one, so I have nothing to say about it.

I sat in the living room of the old-fashioned townhouse owned by my mother’s family and questioned my brother and sister.

“So, Aila got a job?”

“Yes.”

“The unemployed person who’s been lounging at home for years?”

Jerry nodded.

“That’s what I’m saying. The youngest is now employed and working.”

This news about Aila, which I was hearing after three years, was truly unbelievable.

“You’re not lying, are you?”

“Hey, would I lie to you about something like this?”

Ignoring Jerry, who was grumbling in frustration, I looked at Adela.

“Is it true?”

Adela answered briefly.

“Yeah.”

“You two aren’t conspiring to mess with me, are you?”

“Me? With him?”

Adela frowned deeply, pointing at Jerry.

“That’s too ridiculous.”

“How dare you speak to your older brother like that?”

“Brother, my ass. I never had a brother like you.”

“This family is in such great shape.”

I ignored the two siblings who were bickering as usual and sank into thought.

The unemployed person who had been lounging around for years has found a job. The same younger sister who was still living at home doing nothing when I was dispatched to the academy. It’s an unbelievable story.

Around the time Adela was pushing Jerry with her foot, complaining the sofa was too cramped, and Jerry was lifting her feet high saying they smelled, I asked them a question.

“But why is someone who got a job using my money to get a tailored suit?”

“A suit?”

“The youngest got a tailored suit?”

Both Adela, who was pushing Jerry with her foot, and Jerry, who was shoving her feet away, looked at me simultaneously.

I showed them the mail I had brought.

“It’s true!”

Adela muttered as she examined the bill.

“Why would Aila need a tailored suit? Where does she work?”

While a tailored suit might be something anyone with money can get in 21st century South Korea, that wasn’t the case here.

First of all, suit prices are a bit higher than in South Korea, but more importantly, due to the class system and social environment, different workplaces require different attire. It’s similar to how only mages wear hooded clothing. And my sister is a mage.

I asked Jerry a question.

“Brother, did Aila perhaps get a job somewhere other than in magic?”

Jerry carefully examined each letter of the bill, then stroked his chin and leaned back on the sofa.

“I’m not sure how to explain this, but it seems she got a job at a private company.”

“A private company?”

“Yes. I think it’s a company that develops and exports magical items.”

The Finance Ministry official discussed my sister’s workplace.

“I looked into it a bit, and there don’t seem to be any major issues. The corporate registration, office location, owned buildings and factories all checked out. The financial statements and accounting books were normal too.”

“She’s not involved in anything criminal, is she?”

“No, nothing like that. I checked with contacts in the Interior and Justice Ministries, and everything was clean.”

He says he investigated through friends in the police and prosecution, and there wasn’t a speck of dirt.

I glanced sideways.

“What? Why are you looking at me?”

“I was wondering if you knew anything, sister.”

“I’m not a private detective…”

The Foreign Ministry official, who had been lying around idly, whined briefly.

“I took a quick look, and there’s nothing wrong. It’s just an ordinary trading company.”

“Really?”

I never thought I’d see this day. That unemployed person finally got a job.

I recalled my younger sister who used to come to my official residence and use it like her own apartment until a few years ago, and felt a strange emotion. To think that the day would come when I could barge into her place and mess it up. I’m deeply moved.

My brother and sister continued to share a few more pieces of information.

“The company the youngest works for is in the provinces. It’s in a safe area.”

“The registered company name is Pax. They develop various things including magical items, but that’s still in the early stages. They basically make a living by exporting raw materials.”

“It’s a small to medium-sized company with overseas branches. It’s not large in scale, but it seems quite solid.”

“They’ve dealt with both the Foreign and Finance Ministries, and they’re also working on several projects with the Trade Promotion Corporation and the International Investment Cooperation Agency. Nothing special though.”

“The youngest has been in the provinces for several months, but I think she’ll be coming up to the capital soon.”

After listening to all this for a while, I couldn’t help but laugh in disbelief.

“Seriously? Some people are working hard abroad, but you’re treating the youngest like she’s made of porcelain?”

“Your news is all over the place whenever I turn on the TV.”

Adela showed me a newspaper she had picked up.

“Look. You’ve become so famous that reporters are trying to interview us too. This one even has the addresses of our family home and the townhouse.”

“That’s crazy. Is there any problem?”

“Other than the police camping outside the house, not really?”

Anyway, everyone seems to be doing well so far.

I glanced at the clock and saw it was already past 3 AM. The last train would have departed by now. Planning to stay overnight here for the first time in a while, I prepared to go upstairs.

“I’m going to sleep here tonight. What about you two?”

“We don’t have a car.”

“Who’s taking the big room?”

“Me!”

Adela jumped up from the sofa, claiming the largest room for herself. As always, she doesn’t act her age.

Leaving my bickering brother and sister behind, I took out a bottle of whiskey from the cupboard.

“I’m off duty tomorrow, so don’t wake me up.”

“Off duty?”

“Yeah. The company told me to stay home and rest.”

“Okay, got it. Should I prepare breakfast before I leave for work?”

“No need.”

I waved my hand and started climbing the stairs, but stopped halfway.

“Oh, right. Let me know as soon as Aila comes up from the provinces.”

“Why?”

I answered Jerry, who was looking at me with a strange expression.

“I need to get my money back.”

I still haven’t been paid back.

*

As the scent of alcohol enveloped my nostrils and drowsiness began to set in, someone came to my room.

“Hey.”

It was Adela.

“What?”

“When are you coming back home? You haven’t visited the family home in three years.”

I was about to lie down when I glanced at my sister, then turned my head away again. The bed felt incomparably softer than the one in my official residence.

Burying my face in the fluffy pillow, I answered.

“I’ll go later. Don’t worry.”

“When is ‘later’?”

“When the situation is resolved.”

“…”

“I’ll go when I’m ready, so stop worrying. Am I a child?”

Adela didn’t respond. She just leaned against the doorframe, gazing at me silently.

After a long silence, Adela finally broke it with a casual remark.

“Mom and Dad are worried.”

“…”

“If you’re on leave, at least visit home, you jerk.”

There were no more words after that. With a small sigh, her footsteps faded away, and as they became faint, I heard the sound of the door closing.

I turned over to look at the doorway where my sister had left, then shifted my gaze to the ceiling.

I stared at the ceiling.

I stared at it intently.

I stared at it for a long time, but sleep wouldn’t come.

*

When you fall asleep completely drunk, you always wake up with a hazy mind. Opening your eyes with a parched mouth, you detect a faint scent of alcohol.

-Ding dong.

Looking at the clock with bleary eyes, I saw it was already 8:57 AM. A sense of anxiety washed over me thinking I was late, but then I remembered that thanks to an unofficial disciplinary action, I was confined to my quarters for the time being. Who had said that? Charnoi or Clebins?

Looking around, the 10-pyeong official residence was nowhere to be seen, replaced by a spacious and clean room. Right, this wasn’t my quarters.

As that thought registered, I burrowed into the blanket like a caterpillar. The inside of the blanket is safe today too.

-Ding dong.

Sniff.

My voice sounded nasal, as if I’d slept with the window open. Through the slightly parted blanket, I could see the door was open. Right, Adela left without closing it yesterday.

-Ding dong.

“Ah, damn it, who is it?”

I threw off the blanket and got up. I was already annoyed because of my sister, and now I wanted to see who was disturbing my sleep on my day off.

Going down the stairs and looking around, I saw that Jerry and Adela had already left for work. Breakfast covered with cloth was placed on the dining table.

Meanwhile, the doorbell continued to ring incessantly.

“Who the hell is ringing the doorbell during work hours—”

I was about to unleash a stream of curses when I froze awkwardly, hand on the front door.

Familiar faces were looking at me from the doorstep.

“Hello!”

“…Camilla?”

“Yes!”

“Why are you all here…?”

“We saw the newspaper and came!”

“…”

Side Episode – Handle Personal Information with Care – END –