Chapter 29: Lee Seo-ryeong

The procedure for receiving an Outsider who has transferred to this world is clearly defined.

First are the relatively docile Outsiders. Those classified under the ‘Safe’ rating are moved to a facility prepared by the Association. There, they receive the necessary education to adapt, interact with other Outsiders in the same situation, and prepare to start their new lives.

However, if an Outsider displays hostility or refuses to comply with the Association’s authority immediately after transferring, they are classified as ‘Caution,’ and the procedure changes. Hunters on standby at the scene will immediately subdue the target with force and transport them to an Association quarantine zone. If subsequent dialogue reveals a potential for rehabilitation, they will undergo a separate adaptation process.

So, what about the final category, the ‘Danger’ rating?

If subduing them is possible, they follow a procedure similar to the ‘Caution’ rating.

But if subduing them is deemed impossible…

They are killed on the spot.

This was the social contract established by the hunters and people of this world for their own protection.

Therefore, Seol Yu-wol would first be transported to a private room prepared by the Association. I watched as her unconscious form was loaded into a transport vehicle.

Just then, an Association staff member approached me and handed me a key card.

“Here’s your access card.”

“Thank you.”

I accepted the silver card.

“You may be coming and going quite a lot from now on.”

The staff member’s words were tinged with pity. If she had been deemed ‘Safe,’ I would only have had to visit occasionally, but since she was rated ‘Caution,’ it would be my job to determine if she could be rehabilitated and to oversee the entire process.

Before leaving in a separate vehicle, I thanked the members of my temporary security detail.

“Elice. Thank you for your hard work.”

She’d been a huge help.

Elice waved her hand dismissively and replied calmly, “Not at all. It wasn’t even that hard.”

Then I turned my gaze to Ja Hwa-yeon. She was surrounded by Association staff, undergoing a sort of questioning. Where on earth did she come from? Why did she appear? Things like that, I presumed.

“Hmph. I told you, this one knows her,” annoyance and irritation began to creep into her voice.

“That’s correct. It did seem like they knew each other.”

I stepped in to help her out of the predicament. After I added a brief explanation, the Association staff nodded and backed away.

I then expressed my gratitude to Ja Hwa-yeon as well. Her involvement had been surprising in many ways, but it was true that she had been a great help.

“Thank you for today, Heavenly Demon.”

“It was nothing. I merely followed out of curiosity,” a smirk tugged at Ja Hwa-yeon’s lips as she replied. Then, she looked deep into my eyes and said, “Physician.”

“Yes.”

“You will most certainly meet the Azure Sky Alliance Leader.”

“I see,” I answered calmly.

“I trust that you will not judge another by their appearance alone.”

“Pardon?”

Her words puzzled me, but I soon raised the corners of my lips slightly.

“Do I seem like that kind of person to you, Heavenly Demon?”

“Hahaha!” A laugh burst from Ja Hwa-yeon’s lips at my confident retort. “Of course not. My physician wouldn’t.”

She nodded as if satisfied with my answer, then turned around, making a stylish exit.

“I shall return once things are settled.”

If I had my way, I would have clocked out with Ja Hwa-yeon, but strictly speaking, my work was just beginning.

“…”

It was obviously going to be a long night.

The problem was, there were soft cakes waiting for their owner in my refrigerator. I had made them early this morning, in the predawn hours, and put them in the fridge before being dispatched. It seemed unlikely I could deliver them myself.

Freshly made desserts are best eaten quickly, after all.

I approached Elice and spoke.

“Elice, if you don’t mind, I have a favor to ask.”

“What is it?” Elice asked, her ears twitching.

“If you go to my counseling center, there’s a kitchen next to my office. Inside the refrigerator, you’ll find two cake boxes.” I gestured with my hands, describing the location. “One is a strawberry cake, and the other is a vanilla cake. Could you give the strawberry one to Luna? And… the vanilla cake next to it is for you.”

I had already packaged them, so it should be simple.

At my words, Elice’s red eyes widened in surprise. She might have expected something for Luna, but she clearly hadn’t anticipated that I would have prepared a separate cake for her.

“For me, too…? Really…?” her voice was filled with genuine bewilderment.

“Yes. You can find the counseling center’s location with a search. And here’s the key.”

I took the key to my office from my pocket and placed it in her hand. Elice’s face lit up with joy as she accepted it. Her smile resembled the one I’d seen when she was with the children at the orphanage.

“…I’ll, uh, enjoy it.”

She turned away after leaving that one shy remark.

“…”

I turned my head as well.

It was time to get to work.

*

I took a vehicle to the Association’s facility. From its exterior alone, it was obvious that cutting-edge technology had been used in every detail of the building’s design. But despite its massive scale, it wasn’t located that far from the city center.

I was sitting in a conference room at the Association’s quarantine facility, speaking with the team leader in charge.

“Is she very dangerous?”

“Not necessarily. Her attack seemed to have been provoked. The Heavenly Demon was also at the scene at the time…”

“Ah… that’s true…” the team leader nodded at my words as he sipped his coffee.

While I wasn’t an expert on the politics of a world like Jungwon, based on the dynamics in this world, if she was someone who showed hostility toward the Heavenly Demon, there was a high probability she was from a righteous faction.

“Still, a ‘Caution’ rating is appropriate for now.”

“Yes. That would be best.”

I had no intention of disagreeing with him.

“Team Leader…!”

Just then, the conference room door flew open and a staff member rushed in.

“The Azure Sky Alliance Leader is here in person…!”

“What? Why?” a bewildered look crossed the team leader’s face.

Why would the head of one of the great powers that maintained the balance among Outsiders come all the way to this quarantine facility without any notice?

“She says she’s the mother… the guardian of the Outsider who transferred today, Seol Yu-wol. She’s at the main gate requesting a meeting…”

Outsiders sometimes have the good fortune of having an acquaintance who has already transferred and settled on Earth. The Association refers to these individuals as guardians and actively provides opportunities for them to meet. After all, there is no faster or more effective means of rehabilitation than having someone who has already adapted explain this world to a new Outsider.

At those words, a bright smile bloomed on the team leader’s tense face.

“Is that so? Escort her in immediately!”

I let out an inward sigh of relief and nodded.

This was good.

So that was their relationship… they were mother and daughter.

That was a huge relief.

A moment later, the conference room door opened quietly, and a woman stepped inside. She was a beautiful woman with a youthful face that contrasted with her alluring aura.

The Azure Sky Alliance Leader.

Her gaze went straight to me, as if the other Association staff weren’t even there.

I rose from my seat and bowed my head respectfully.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Alliance Leader. I am Counselor Yoo Seon-woo.”

“Yes, I’ve heard a great deal about you. Divine Physician,” she praised me in a remarkably friendly and gentle voice that belied her status as an Alliance Leader. “I am Lee Seo-ryeong, the Azure Sky Alliance Leader.”

The corners of her eyes curved gently.

As if there was no time to waste, the Azure Sky Alliance Leader began speaking in an urgent tone.

“Yu-wol was my only daughter.” Her voice trembled slightly. “When I had to leave my daughter behind in Jungwon and cross over to this strange world, I was so…”

Her words broke off for a moment. Then she slowly continued, “When I saw Yu-wol in the video, I was so moved, I couldn’t stop crying…”

Lee Seo-ryeong bit her lip hard, as if trying to swallow the emotions threatening to burst forth.

I said nothing. I simply pushed the box of tissues on the table quietly toward her.

I was listening to her story with a slight frown.

Was it because I was moved by her sorrow?

No.

[Lee Seo-ryeong]

[Main Stance]

[She has judged that appearing as a weak mother filled with maternal love, rather than a dignified Alliance Leader, is more suitable for achieving her goals by evoking sympathy.]

Two-faced. The type of person whose inside doesn’t match their outside—the type I despise most.

I couldn’t hide the look on my face.

She glanced at the tissues I had pushed forward before replying quietly, “Thank you…”

She took a tissue, dabbed at her eyes, and asked cautiously, “My Yu-wol… when can I see her?”

She was consistently directing her questions to me. Though it seemed like she had been speaking to everyone since entering the room, her words were ultimately aimed at me. The Association staff were present, but she knew. It felt as if she had known from the start that I held the key to this situation.

I answered calmly, “First, I need to check the Outsider’s condition myself, so a meeting will be possible a little later.”

“Can’t I… just go in with you? I want to see her face, even for just a moment…”

What should I do? Normally, I would have readily agreed. In fact, hesitating here might even seem strange.

But…

Why?

I was feeling an inexplicable sense of revulsion.

“It won’t take long,” I refused her request.

“I see…” Lee Seo-ryeong lowered her head in disappointment.

Then she looked up and spoke once more, her voice now laced with a much deeper sense of desperation.

“But… is there truly… no way?”

“I’m afr—”

Huh?

[Warning: Suggestion (A-Grade) is attempting to disorient you.]

Just then, a red system window popped up before my eyes.

Suggestion? So her pitiful plea just now contained Suggestion?

“Counselor.” Someone grabbed my shoulder. “How about we just let her go in with you?”

It was the Association’s team leader. His eyes were clouded with excessive sympathy, his rational judgment gone. He had already fallen for her Suggestion.

[Status Abnormality: Suggestion (A-Grade) has been detected. Attempting forced removal.]

[Reflecting previous user feedback… presenting response options.]

[A) Counter: Pulverize her mental attack in front of everyone, demonstrating that you resisted her skill.]

[B) Defend: Silently neutralize her mental attack, ensuring she remains unaware that her ability failed.]

[C) Rampage: Grab her by the collar and scream at the top of your lungs, “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”]

Nice.

You’ve improved a lot. Except for C, of course.

I immediately chose B.

Simultaneously, the unpleasant sensation clouding my mind vanished.

I immediately put on a troubled expression.

“Ah… I really wish I could…” I looked back and forth between Lee Seo-ryeong and the team leader, putting on an expression of genuine regret and apology. “My hands are tied. It’s the regulations…”

As if it was truly out of my hands.

-BEEEEEEEEEP!!

It happened at that very moment. A sharp alarm blared from the main monitor on the conference table.

At the sound, the light of reason finally returned to the team leader’s dazed eyes.

“…The Outsider has regained consciousness. Counselor!”

“Right.”

I stood up quickly. Then, I brushed past Lee Seo-ryeong.

I had to find out from Seol Yu-wol the reason for this inexplicable revulsion.

And in the moment I was leaving the room, I saw it.

Her face, reflected in the glass of the conference room.

Our eyes met.

A very faint smile was playing on Lee Seo-ryeong’s lips.

---

Translated By: Meher (RaidenTL)

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