Doing Good Deeds Will Bring Blessings¿

It was a considerable insult. The Hunters who heard Yu Hanul’s words all went pale at once. In other words, this meant that Yu Hanul had understood the racist conversation they’d had earlier and that they, too, had understood his Korean.

Han Jaeyeong sneered inwardly at the painfully obvious thoughts written all over the Hunters’ faces. As expected. There’s no way they wouldn’t have brought translators, knowing both Yu Hanul and I were here.

They simply hadn’t used them earlier on purpose, pretending not to understand. In reality, every Hunter in the room was likely wearing a translator. And both Yu Hanul and Han Jaeyeong had guessed that much, which was precisely why they had spoken loudly on purpose, to make sure they were heard.

Han Jaeyeong felt refreshed, but at the same time, a little regretful. Daon should’ve seen this!

If she saw that Yu Hanul had this side to him, maybe people would stop treating Han Jaeyeong like the sole embodiment of malice.

Of course, Yu Hanul was probably being more openly aggressive precisely because Jeong Daon wasn’t here. He tended to act extra well-behaved in front of her, after all.

“Now you’re really asking for it…!”

Since the stage had already been set, Han Jaeyeong felt it would be a shame to let it end there. Smiling smoothly, they cut in, “That was a bit harsh.” The moment the red-faced Hunter turned toward Han Jaeyeong, they drove the final nail in. “Comparing police dogs to Estella’s dogs is rude. Police dogs are far more capable.”

Letting the earlier racist remarks slide would have hurt their pride too much. The utterly humiliated Hunter’s fists trembled. “How dare you talk about the Hunter Association headquarters like that?”

“Watch your wording. You’re the ones who looked down on us first. Ah, I’m so sick of this. Every time I come to New York, what is this nonsense? And the criminal you let slip is running around causing this much trouble. Are the Association President Estella’s dogs only good for licking boots?”

"Hey!"

“At least puppies are actually cute—hm?”

Just as Han Jaeyeong was about to continue their barrage, they stopped, sensing something strange. There was a light, cheerful breathing that didn’t match the tense atmosphere, and then, tap, tap—energetic footsteps pounded against the floor.

"Woof!"

At an absurdly perfect moment, a small puppy came bounding into the room.

The security guards standing by the door looked flustered. “What, why is there a puppy here…?”

“Why now of all times… shh, shh! Go back over there.”

“…Pfft!” Lee Pyeonghwa let out the laugh she’d been holding back.

Given the flow of the conversation, the appearance of a sniffing puppy felt ridiculously comical.

And to certain people, deeply humiliating. The Hunter who had just clashed with Yu Hanul was already drowning in doubled humiliation, and now, thanks to the puppy’s divine timing, his face was so red it looked like he might suffocate from sheer embarrassment.

“Is that a dog the embassy keeps? Don’t let it inside!”

“Wait.”

Han Jaeyeong stopped the staff as they tried to chase the puppy away and stepped forward.

Mottled silver fur. Greenish eyes.

Yu Hanul narrowed his eyes. “This puppy is—”

"I agree." Han Jaeyeong bent down and lifted the small puppy into their arms, examining it. “Why is this one here?”

The puppy was one of Jeong Daon’s familiars. Whether because it was far from its master, or because it was trying not to draw attention, it had shrunk down to about the size of a small dog. But judging by its distinctive mana signature, it was unquestionably the same being.

Cradled in Han Jaeyeong’s arms, the puppy stared up at them intently. Leo, the cat-shaped familiar, was fiercely aggressive, but this wolf-like puppy was comparatively gentle.

Yu Hanul called, “Han Jaeyeong.”

“Yeah. Leave it to me.”

One of Han Jaeyeong’s privileges as a fairy hybrid was the ability to communicate with animals to a certain extent. Of course, that only worked if the animal itself wished to convey its intent.

Han Jaeyeong placed a hand on the puppy’s head and focused. A moment later, a faint smile bloomed at the corner of their lips.

“Follow this pup.”

That message had been imprinted vividly in the puppy’s mind. There was no need to say whose message it was.

As expected, it’s different because it’s a familiar, not a summoned creature.

Summoned creatures were beings contracted and called forth from other worlds, so their bonds were relatively weak. But familiars—beings bound directly to a mage’s very soul—were on a completely different level. No matter how far the physical distance, this puppy would be able to find Jeong Daon.

“All right. No need to waste time here. Let’s move separately.”

“Understood. Let’s go right away.”

“Hey, wait a second!”

All the arguing with the headquarters Hunters had been meant to smooth over the delayed investigation. After all, Han Jaeyeong and Yu Hanul had no information network in New York. But if they could find Jeong Daon through their own route like this, there was no need to cooperate with the headquarters Hunters at all.

“Hey! What are you planning to do if you just leave like this?!”

This way, the headquarters Hunters, who had been puffing up their pride, would end up like dogs chasing chickens.

“What is that puppy anyway? If it has some kind of information, you should explain it to us too—”

“I don’t think we’re obligated to explain anything you didn’t explain yourselves.”

At that, the Hunter clamped his mouth shut. Since they themselves hadn’t shared the investigation status out of petty pride, it was only natural that they had nothing to say. Especially when they’d let personal feelings interfere in a kidnapping case, one where losing the golden hour was unacceptable.

The Hunter seemed to wrestle briefly between pride and reality, then finally grasped the situation and extended a hand. “I made a mistake. I apologize. And it’s a misunderstanding. We weren’t deliberately slowing things down. The coordinates really are strangely tangled, so interpretation is taking time.”

“Ah. I see.”

“Wait, I apologized, so what’s with that attitude…?”

“If an apology fixed everything, why would we need the police?”

There was no reason to accept that apology, and doing so would only waste more time. Han Jaeyeong and Yu Hanul turned away immediately.

“Ah, wait. Still—”

Lee Pyeonghwa, who had been about to follow them out, paused and looked back at the headquarters Hunter.

Maybe because she was the youngest, maybe because she looked soft-hearted, for a brief moment, a flicker of hope crossed the headquarters Hunters’ faces.

Then Lee Pyeonghwa raised her middle finger. “In Korea, we learn English from elementary school. Even if we can’t speak it well, we can understand it.”

“…”

Having exacted her revenge, Lee Pyeonghwa turned around briskly. “All right, let’s go.”

“…You’d get along well with Daon.”

“I think so too.”

And so the Hunters dispatched from the headquarters stood there like dogs who had lost their prey, staring blankly at the three figures walking away—but that was none of Han Jaeyeong’s concern.

***

She prepared more than I expected.

That was my very first thought after being kidnapped.

When Leila Lopez said she was going to kidnap me, I honestly hadn’t taken it very seriously. I had self-defense tools, for one. And no matter how impressive teleportation magic circles were, once they were simplified into a single gemstone like that, the travel distance couldn’t be very long. I figured that if she just left Lobo behind, they’d be able to find me soon enough.

But the woman named Leila wasn’t that simple.

I guessed that the first teleport had covered at most around two kilometers. When you miniaturize high-tier magic like teleportation circles, limitations inevitably show. At that distance, Lobo should’ve been able to catch up without much trouble.

But at the first destination, Leila immediately cast teleportation magic again. It seemed like she’d prepared it in advance to evade pursuit, and this time, it wasn’t a simplified item, but a fully prepared magic circle.

I was planning to look for an opening, attack, and escape.

I considered breaking free right then and there, but… unfortunately, Leila’s casting was faster. To disrupt her magic, I would’ve had to seize control of the mana first, and that risked throwing off the balance between my body and mana again.

While I hesitated, Leila successfully activated another teleportation circle, causing the unpleasant sensation of mana tearing my body apart and then reassembling it. Before I even had time to figure out where I was, I was sent somewhere unknown yet again.

Leila bent over and coughed. Red liquid splattered onto the floor.

She coughed up blood.

Anyone could tell it was a side effect of overusing mana. But what was shocking was that it didn’t end there. Leila didn’t stop. She pulled out a gemstone necklace identical to the one she’d used at the start. Once again, it was an item that miniaturized a teleportation magic circle.

I frowned. She’s going to use teleportation magic again in that condition?

Still, it was effective at evading pursuit. Teleportation was high-tier magic that normally required an enormous amount of mana, so it wasn’t hard to track. But repeating it three times completely scrambled the surrounding mana and spatial coordinates.

At this rate, isn’t she going to die first?

She had already coughed up blood just now. At this point, I couldn’t tell whether she was trying to kidnap me or commit suicide. Transporting a human body, made of both flesh and soul, through mana into another space required far more effort than ordinary magic. And yet she was attempting to use teleportation three times in a row. Even for a high-ranking mage, this was an act that ground down both body and mind.

In the end, I spoke to Leila. “Wait. If you use teleportation magic again here, you’ll—”

“Don’t touch anything!”

Maybe she didn’t even have enough mana left to power the translator. A harsh, metallic sound spilled from Leila’s mouth. Her bloodshot eyes locked onto me as she reached toward her thigh.

Click!

“Don’t even think about running. If you do—”

It was a handgun. The sound was cold and heavy. Not a 3D-printed gun like Lee Arin’s, but a real one.

A Glock 19?

It looked like the same model Jeong Dajeong had shown me and explained at the shooting range. Well, this was America. Since firearms could be legally purchased, it wouldn’t be strange for a Hunter to own one or two.

I shrugged and stepped back. My hands were bound anyway, so I had no real means of resisting. “I was trying to stop you.”

That wasn’t meant for Leila. It was meant for the system.

User “Jeong Daon” will have her abilities restricted if she performs actions that do not meet social standards.

Failing to stop someone from committing what was essentially a suicidal act might not meet those standards either, so I’d spoken up just in case. Better safe than sorry.

Fwoosh!

Regardless, Leila activated another teleportation circle by sheer force of will. After enduring that familiar discomfort unique to teleportation once more, it seemed the kidnapper had finally reached her final destination.

"Cough!"

And once again, she spat a pool of blood onto the floor. It was a deeply ominous, dark red color.

Isn’t she about to die?

Anyone looking at this would think she was the one being kidnapped, not me. Of course, she was still holding the gun, and it was still pointed at me.

“Don't move.”

“I’m not moving.” I slowly looked around.

I have no idea where this is.

The only light came from a single old bulb hanging from the ceiling. The darkness, the damp air, and the dust floating around, combined with the lack of windows, made it seem like a basement.

Leila spoke in a sharp tone. “Stay here. Got it? Stay here.”

Perhaps thinking I couldn’t understand without a translator, she repeated herself several times. Then, still pointing the gun at me, she began to move cautiously, tension evident in every motion.

It was hard to see in the dark, but maybe this was a familiar place to her. With a limp, Leila climbed the stairs in one corner of the room, pushed open a hatch in the ceiling, and disappeared upward. Then came the sound of heavy footsteps and metal chains locking into place.

As I’d guessed, it really was a basement.

Left alone at last, I let out a sigh. “Handcuffs, two teleportation items, one full magic circle, and even a firearm…”

Judging by the level of preparation, it was clear that Leila Lopez had infiltrated the place with the intention of kidnapping me from the start. And on top of that—

The mana is being suppressed.

Mages are beings who can only cast spells by first seizing and controlling the surrounding mana, then channeling it through their mana circuits. In other words, the moment they lose control of ambient mana, they become effectively useless. That’s why the easiest way to neutralize a mage is to block off mana in a designated area, like creating a sterile room. However, because it requires expensive materials and extremely precise magical engraving, it’s not something that can be installed just anywhere. Even this alone showed how much effort had gone into the preparation.

Which only made me more curious. What was her purpose, going this far just to kidnap me?