Seoul Central Prosecutor’s Office.
Number of prosecutors: 234.
It’s the largest local prosecutor’s office in the country, and all significant political and economic cases fall under its jurisdiction.
The prosecutor’s office is often described as a quiet battlefield.
Compared to the events shaking the Republic of Korea, the inside is as silent as a grave.
Sure, there’s not much shouting, but when you look more closely, it’s because highly purified mana circulates within the walls, providing near-perfect soundproofing.
“What’s all this noise? Is there an event today?”
“Well, I haven’t received any such notice.”
Other prosecutors following behind the deputy chief prosecutor merely tilt their heads in confusion.
A dozen security personnel were waiting in front of the elevator.
The deputy chief pressed the button for the 13th floor without knowing the reason, but their destination was the same.
“You young folks shouldn’t have any business on the 13th floor.”
The 13th floor, where the prosecutors’ office and deputy prosecutors’ office are located, typically sees no visitors except those from the general affairs department.
“Oh…! The chief prosecutor called for us.”
“Oh really? Why?”
After being bombarded by the media for so long, he thought this fellow must finally have lost his marbles.
[13th floor.]
As the elevator doors opened with a cheerful chime, dozens of security personnel stood in lines, like soldiers on parade.
One might think someone had kicked the bucket given how tense the atmosphere felt.
‘Is this a prosecutor’s office or some mob hideout?’
Out of curiosity, he peered in front of the prosecutor’s office, widened his eyes, and then turned his steps back.
“Whoa…! Someone’s definitely getting whacked today…! Why’s he even here?”
*
“Ugh…!”
Prosecutor Cheon Jeong-ho struggled, moving piles of documents one by one.
These were confidential documents. He was unsure whether he should even be showing them to outsiders, but what could he do?
Unlike Professor Cheon, he didn’t want anyone with extraterritorial rights strutting around freely.
“You look unhappy.”
“No way! I’m just glad to see you after so long!”
“Is this all the data?”
“Ugh… Ugh… um. This is all I can access. Is that enough?”
“Thanks for your hard work. Why not take a seat?”
‘When was the last time I was worked like a dog?’
Prosecutor Cheon’s eyes widened in frustration, but patience was key at this moment.
“What can I get you, some Bacchus and Sikhye?”
“Could you first close the door?”
His voice carried an aura that felt more like a threat than a request, making the man’s body move obediently.
Click-
Sitting across from Professor Cheon Kyu-jin, his younger brother glanced anxiously.
After not seeing each other for a long time, the passage of time was evident; there were more white hairs than black.
From a distance, it was almost gray. Plus, he still insisted on wearing a suit.
“What’s going on anyway? It’s better to get hurt early, right…? Why’s a guy who hasn’t contacted me in 20 years suddenly bringing up that incident from 7 years ago? Has he lost it?”
Kyungho was in a panic, feeling trapped.
Professor Cheon lowered the file he was reading, clasped his hands, and spoke.
“The survivor of the Valpurgis incident. You knew, right?”
The low-voiced revelation startled Prosecutor Cheon.
“How did you know that…?”
“Ah… Jeong-ho.”
“Why bother standing up? I can explain everything! And do you know how many eyes are watching outside?”
Prosecutor Cheon clenched his teeth, restraining the brother trying to stand. That was why he had stationed security personnel outside.
Even if they couldn’t protect him, at least they could act as human surveillance cameras.
“Cheon Sae-min is babysitting at our place. I need to get home quickly, so let’s wrap it up early today. Please.”
“Sae-min? Why isn’t that kid studying? Wait, what? A daughter?”
‘Did I just mishear that?’
Two words, no—three words that shouldn’t be combined like mint chocolate pizza.
Jeong-ho doubted his own ears and asked again.
“NoName. That’s the name of our brave friend who became our daughter a few months ago.”
“…”
An unforgettable, unique name.
It was confirmation.
“What were you doing last year?”
Professor Cheon pulled out a Light Transmutation Circle Inscriber from his sleeve.
The object had grown to the length of a wand, and when he slammed it into the ground, mana resonated and spread throughout the prosecutor’s office.
In a flash, a gigantic magic circle unfolded like a carpet.
[Cast: Local Solidification]
[Unique Magic: Ice Flower]
A chilling cold began to rise.
Every breath Prosecutor Cheon took turned to ice, falling helplessly to the ground.
Turning to check the magic circle, Prosecutor Cheon’s face went pale.
Thousands of ice spikes floated in the air, all aimed at his neck.
“Ha ha…”
Prosecutor Cheon forced a smile, looking at his brother with horror in his eyes.
Regardless, Professor Cheon pointed his wand at Prosecutor Cheon’s mouth and pressed him.
“You better answer truthfully.”
The wizard’s eyes, glaring at the prosecutor, still glowed ominously blue.
*
The story takes us back to June of last year.
“Are you the guardian?”
“I’m not a guardian, but somewhat similar. Where’s the child?”
“I’ll guide you.”
On the day NoName was rescued, Prosecutor Cheon rushed to Asan Hospital to confirm his identity.
Seeing the girl in the hospital room, he had to ask the doctor again; her appearance was far more different than he’d anticipated.
She looked no more than five years old. Too young to be a survivor of the Valpurgis incident.
“How old is this child?”
“Um… are you the guardian?”
“I’m Prosecutor Cheon Jeong-ho from Seoul Central Prosecutor’s Office. It’s related to an ongoing matter; I’d appreciate your cooperation.”
“Ah… Yes…”
She’s exactly 7 years old, standing at 103 cm and weighing 15.8 kg.
Her limbs had nothing but bones left, and her belly was slightly swollen.
Prosecutor Cheon, who occasionally donated to UNICEF, couldn’t deny that this showed severe malnutrition.
According to Detective Ma Beom-il, mana had been continuously leaking from the capsule for an unknown reason, allowing her to survive this long.
While the news of survival was cause for joy, he fell into gloom when considering the child’s precarious condition.
“Is the child’s condition really bad?”
“Well, we need her to regain consciousness and undergo a detailed examination.”
“What does the doctor think right now?”
“Um… if we disregard the AI diagnosis, it’s likely Lennox-Gastaut syndrome; it’s somewhat similar to muscular dystrophy… that’s my opinion, either EDMD or CMD, and also the combined onset of Restakyah syndrome… well, it’s… really tough. Even surviving a month would be a miracle, and even if a miracle occurs, she likely wouldn’t last more than a year.”
“Exactly where is she hurting?”
“It seems she struggles to even maintain her posture, and I think the biggest problem is likely with the Aura Heart. If she’s been continuously exposed to that environment, the Aura Heart might adapt, making it hard for her to survive in such conditions. To put it simply, it’s like moving from a clean river to a lake filled with algae.”
“So she would die because there’s no breathable oxygen?”
“That too depends on how well the patient adapts.”
If only she’d been rescued just a year earlier…
Prosecutor Cheon couldn’t hide his conflicted feelings.
He wandered the Asan Hospital lobby, continuously lost in thought.
Prosecutor Cheon Jeong-ho had managed to rise to the position of Deputy Chief Prosecutor at Seoul Central Prosecutor’s Office by thoroughly uncovering the wrongdoings of Valpurgis agents while working at the Jeju Prosecutor’s Office.
Since then, he had served as the chief prosecutor in various regions, ultimately securing a position in the Seoul Central Prosecutor’s Office.
His contributions extended the precarious regime by five years, catching the eyes of the ruling party, and now he was positioned to even aim for the next Prosecutor General.
‘If I reveal right now that the child is a survivor of Valpurgis, it could be a significant achievement.’
The inability to rescue hostages had always been a thorn in the government’s side.
In other words, this was an opportunity to erase even the ruling party’s only blemish.
‘Is this truly the right thing to do…?’
She was the only survivor of the incident.
In other words, whether the ruling or opposition party, all politicians would swarm to her like hungry wolves.
The ruling party would use the child to legitimize the military operations launched at that time, claiming they had rescued hostages,
Meanwhile, the opposition would push forward using the horrific experiences the child faced, justifying calls for a re-investigation of the case.
Especially in a volatile political climate where support was split down the middle, it was clear they would charge in with their eyes blazing.
No matter which way it went, the child’s path couldn’t be peaceful.
“Ha ah… how unfortunate, how very unfortunate.”
It’s cruelly harsh to drag a child destined for a short life into a life like this.
After spending an entire sleepless day mulling over his thoughts, Prosecutor Cheon ultimately decided to bury the incident and hide the child.
In today’s world, lacking a Korean nationality wouldn’t create severe problems for the child.
“Hello. Is this your first visit to Merlin Orphanage?”
“Ah, yes. I’m not here to see the kids… I was planning to make a donation.”
“May the Lord’s grace be upon you! Would you come this way? Are you looking to sponsor a child?”
“No, I can’t do that due to my circumstances. I want to donate to fix up the old facilities and such.”
“Ah, I see! Do you have a particular amount in mind?”
“Um…”
As he reached for a few checkbooks worth a million won from his wallet, the man hesitated.
His desire to avoid anything directly related to NoName stemmed from self-preservation and selfishness.
Feeling uneasy, Prosecutor Cheon put his wallet in his back pocket and stated.
“200 million won. That should help out a little for a year’s operation, right?”
*
Prosecutor Cheon couldn’t help but exclaim in surprise.
“Wow… this little one has grown so much…!”
Professor Cheon showed him a photo taken on the day NoName and the academy entrance ceremony.
He was astounded, seeing her looking so entirely different from how she had been.
After putting his phone back in his pocket, Professor Cheon conveyed NoName’s thoughts.
However, Prosecutor Cheon crossed his legs, visibly displeased.
“So, it was all planned long before? When did it become known that radical factions in the progressive camp were spreading rumors? Do you want to join me in being charged with conspiracy?”
In fact, spies had come to stir discord between the UN troops and Korea under directives from North Korea up until recently.
“I trust NoName. She’s not a child who would say such things thoughtlessly.”
“This guy’s personality has become a bit too lenient with age. Haven’t you seen those crying for a re-investigation at the memorial every year? Not a single family member is there! Well, if you dig deeply, one may come up. In the end, they’re all just opportunists from the political world!”
This was an already concluded case; they couldn’t waste investigative resources on it.
To suddenly blame the UN troops now was akin to going against the turbulent international dynamics.
“What NoName wants.”
“Oh my, you really are a doting father. That won’t happen, but hypothetically if that’s true, you know I wouldn’t get the prosecutor position, right? Given my position, I can’t help with that. That’s a reality I’m not too pleased with.”
That said, Prosecutor Cheon wasn’t an ambitious man.
Though once demoted to the Jeju Prosecutor’s office, he clawed his way back up and was praised as a living success story within the Prosecutor’s ranks.
If NoName’s words turned out true, he couldn’t gauge where the people who had brought him here would get cut off.
It was guaranteed he’d be demoted to somewhere irrelevant, like a legal research council.
“The case records can only be viewed here. Absolutely no external circulation. Even for you, Byeong-ho.”
That was the last favor Prosecutor Cheon could extend to his brother.
Ding—
Professor Cheon’s phone rang softly.
It was a message from NoName.
[Professor Cheon, may I take a week off from the academy? I suddenly have a lot of things to deal with.]
“Who is it? Your daughter?”
“Yep. She’s complaining about not wanting to go to the academy. What should I do in situations like this?”
“That’s the age to do that.”
“Raising kids is really tough.”
“Did you think it would be easy? Even raising just Sae-min was a huge pain.”
Prosecutor Cheon nodded.
“Jeong-ho.”
“Are you leaving now? Please hurry up… after years of absence, why is this happening? Damn, I’m all out of wood.”
“You’ve worked hard. So let’s just have a single fight today.”
“Why… why? I’ve done everything you asked!”
“NoName said she had a hard time because of you.”
“Damn… he really hasn’t lost his touch! Who would’ve thought that doctor was a quack!”
That evening, when he saw his supervisor’s swollen face, Secretary Kim felt a sense of relief going home.
Prosecutor Cheon had to go to the hospital alone since it was already time for employees to leave.
“These damn alpha generation kids… My boss hasn’t left yet, but they’re clocking out on time? These kids today are so clueless.”
He couldn’t accept the rapidly changing world.
