Although there were some minor incidents, today's work ended without a hitch.
The team members, who had been sweating over the unfamiliar task, breathed a sigh of relief as soon as the hunters returned.
For those who lacked legal knowledge, it was quite burdensome to handle the cases sent to them by the police.
"Still, somehow it ended well."
"Is it really okay to just follow this administrative system?"
"That's right. Don't worry, just do what the system tells you to do. Even if it asks you to do something strange?"
"No, it's not. I'm actually surprised that it went so well."
The administrative system that Lee Seo-woo was referring to was none other than Oracle.
To be precise, it is the result of Ariel supplementing some of Oracle's functions with her legal knowledge.
In effect, it is the same as Yeriel, who is working from home, giving work instructions remotely.
Of course, everyone except Lee Seo-woo and Seo Ji-yu knows his true identity.
The level of perfection was so high that even Lee Seo-woo, a former police officer, couldn't find any fault with it.
'I thought Yeriel would know this too.'
As I was inwardly admiring it, a lobby employee suddenly came up holding something.
The large cardboard box was filled with fruit.
"Hmm? What is this?"
"It's a gift. It was sent to me by the co-workers of the victim in the last kidnapping incident. It's been tested, so you can eat it with confidence."
"Oh my, what is this..."
I received the gift with an awkward feeling.
In fact, the victims who were kidnapped in the Yoo Si-hyun case were also on drugs, so it's difficult to see them as completely innocent...
The investigation results strongly revealed that the patients were deceived into taking the medication or were forced to take it.
Because of the hunters' public opinion, they decided to prioritize treatment over punishment.
"If you're addicted to drugs, you're going to have a tough time anyway. I hope you overcome it."
Working hours must have already ended, I was slowly getting ready to leave work.
Seo Ji-yu, who was putting on her coat, asked me cautiously.
She, who had only run errands for coffee all day, seemed unable to contain her curiosity.
"Come to think of it, Team Leader, you're newlywed. I wonder what it's like to be Ariel Frost's spouse..."
Kim Jeong-tae gave Seo Ji-yu a fierce look, but... I chuckled, thinking it was a possible question.
I'm sure you'll be asked that question by other people later on.
"I'm so busy with work that I don't know yet... I haven't even gone on my honeymoon yet."
"Oh, really? You started working for the special investigation unit almost as soon as you announced your marriage?"
"Actually, we never announced it. We only registered our marriage, and the media just arbitrarily revealed it."
"Ugh..."
As I was once again burning hostility at the Hunter reporters, Lee Seo-woo smiled bitterly.
The other team members were also secretly showing excitement.
Seo Ji-yu continued asking questions, encouraged by that atmosphere.
"Have you known your wife for a long time?"
"Yes. Even so, I was a bit surprised to be proposed to at a retirement celebration..."
It doesn't make sense that they met for the first time and went straight to marriage, so we decided on a scenario where they had met several times before.
Considering his activities as Green Dust, it's not entirely a lie.
"Now that we've distributed the attendance notices to all the witnesses, let's head home. Everyone worked hard today."
"Oh, Team Leader. Just one more thing!"
"Aren't you all going home?"
There are so many things I'm really curious about.
Well, that makes sense, since in Korea, Yeriel's status is that of a living goddess.
Seo Ji-yu, who had picked up the luxury bag that she had so easily stolen during the last operation, quickly followed me.
"Is there anything that surprised you while living with your wife?"
"What was unexpected? Of course there was."
"What is it?"
"You laughed more than I expected."
"Really? That ice saint?"
Even Alice, who had been complaining from afar, couldn't bring herself to deny what I said.
I quickly went down to the parking lot and clicked my tongue inwardly.
'The questions are more detailed than I expected... I guess I'll have to be more concise next time.'
As I took the wheel, Alice naturally headed to the back seat.
The seat diagonally behind the driver... commonly called the 'Chairman's seat'.
It was natural that he didn't want to sit next to me, so I started the car thinking that was natural, but then he suddenly looked at me and asked.
"You've never been on a date with your sister, have you?"
"There's one person who would be terrified if you did something like that."
"..."
Alice frowns, knowing that she is talking about herself.
The guy swallowed and confessed honestly.
"You're right."
"what?"
"I'll admit that my sister definitely seems to be smiling more often."
"... I see. Thank you for acknowledging me. It really means a lot to me."
I chuckled slightly, though I was still a little embarrassed.
It's fortunate that even Alice can say something like that.
But then, a familiar voice came from the car's radio.
This is not a smartphone, but a confidential communication using Oracle.
[Master. Are you alright for a moment?]
"There's Alice, tell me."
Han Ye-jin remained silent for a moment as she listened to my answer, choosing her words.
[The date for this year's regular meeting has been set. It's exactly 30 days away.]
"Really? That's faster than I expected. Got it."
Stop.
Alice leaned forward and asked as soon as the call ended.
"Regular meeting?"
"It's a company event. Once a year, all three masters gather to discuss Oracle's operations and future direction."
"Hmm... I can't not attend, right?"
"Absolutely not."
I already have the least say among the Oracle Masters, so if I miss such an important event, I won't be able to handle the consequences.
Oracle is at the heart of all my activities.
Attendance at regular meetings is mandatory.
Entering the new house with Alice, I was greeted warmly by Ariel.
“You worked hard today too.”
"You've done all the hard work. Have you ever been to California?"
"California?"
"Yeah. I think it would be a good place for our honeymoon."
As I said that, Alice quickly caught on next to me.
"The regular meeting place was California?"
"okay."
"I like it."
Yeriel also roughly understood the nuance and readily agreed.
I called Han Ye-jin and informed her.
"Yeriel will also attend the regular meeting."
[Ah, I understand, Master!]
This would be good, since Yeriel must have had her eye on the Oracle for a while.
But Alice, on the other hand, went a step further.
"Can't you just recommend me as a master?"
"To become a Master, one must possess the skills essential to the operation and completion of the Oracle. Not so in Yeriel's case."
"Hmm..."
While it's true that Yeriel is a powerful hunter, she's not much help there.
In fact, for me, just having her attend the meeting was a significant risk.
Ariel seemed to know that too, and restrained Alice as she headed to the kitchen.
Anyway, the honeymoon location and date are confirmed.
There's still some room, so there's no need to worry about it right now.
Alice spoke cautiously as she sat down to dinner with us.
"But, why don't you hang out with the other guild members? They're all making a fuss about missing you. After all, we live in the same building..."
"I'm sorry, but I can't do that right now."
"why?"
"Well, I'm a special investigator."
I answered for the embarrassed-looking Ariel.
Show me, a special investigator, hanging out with the Winter Kingdom guild members.
You will immediately be suspected of corruption.
Even though it is a residential complex, living in the guild building is actually quite precarious.
"Oh, I see... Then what about me?"
"You spoke well. From now on, I think you should keep your distance."
"profit..."
Of course, Alice is excluded as she is an inspector general of the special investigation unit.
We chatted for a bit and then quickly went to bed to prepare for tomorrow.
The next morning.
The office of the Special Investigation Unit was visited by many people who had sent summonses yesterday.
Yesterday, most of them were suspects, but today, most of them are witnesses.
Alice asked me, as if she didn't quite understand the difference.
"What's the difference between the two?"
"Simply put, a suspect is someone suspected of being the criminal. And a witness is someone called in for reference, as the name suggests."
"aha."
In fact, as I explained earlier, suspect and witness are concepts that cannot be strictly separated.
If you believe there is a high probability that the suspect will not respond to the summons...
This is because prosecutors often use the method of first summoning a person as a witness and then converting him into a suspect.
Even if someone is called in purely as a witness, there are frequent cases where they are suspected of being a suspect during the investigation.
"I don't really use that method."
"why?"
"If you're summoned as a witness but then converted to a suspect, you can simply refuse to testify. There's no compulsion in questioning as a witness anyway."
Moreover, even if a suspect refuses to be summoned, there are many ways to manipulate him or her later.
"For your information, if you arbitrarily refuse to summon a suspect, an arrest warrant will be issued later."
"I see. So, what's going on today? It seems like most of them are from the Golden Shield Guild."
Alice, like an active hunter, recognizes the faces of the witnesses.
Before I could even begin to explain, the victim's family came up to me and said:
"Oh my, inspector. Please find my son!"
"I will do my best."
Yes, that's right.
This case is also about an active hunter going missing.
I distributed references to my team members and explained them.
"There are a lot of missing person cases in the hunter industry. They just pick a dungeon or gate and throw the body in there, and no one will find it."
"Then this victim..."
"I'm sure you've all seen the file, but this victim has been missing for quite some time. The prosecution hasn't properly investigated her yet. Unfortunately, it's highly likely she's already dead. Still, we'll do what we can. Got it?"
"Yes, Team Leader!"
"Okay, everyone move."
As I began to investigate as one of the witnesses, Seo Ji-yu came closer to me.
I said it without even looking at her.
"Jiyu, coffee."
"yes..."
Seo Ji-yu goes out to buy coffee with a gloomy expression today as well.
The witness sitting in front of me looked at her and chuckled.
"Your team member is really beautiful."
"That's right. I didn't really pick them based on their looks."
"Haha. I'm Seong Do-yul, an A-rank hunter from the Golden Shield Guild. It's an honor to meet the hero of the Big Dipper incident."
"Thank you for responding to my summons despite your busy schedule, Seongdo-yul."
I felt my face flush as I was greeted.
He's the hero of the Big Dipper incident, that's amazing.
Seongdo Yul nodded to Alice, who was sitting next to me, and then answered my question.
"You were a coworker with the missing person, Mr. Ahn Tae-yang, right?"
"Yes, we were on the same team. We were all worried when Taeyang disappeared. I'm so glad the investigation has begun."
"Did Mr. Taeyang show any strange behavior before he went missing?"
"I don't think I really felt anything like that."
I clicked my tongue inwardly at the subtle defensive tone.
This guy... something is fishy.
There's nothing special about the content, but the tone is very strategic.
In our country, perjury is not committed in witness investigations.
Lying during a suspect or witness investigation is not perjury, but a false statement... so it can be said that there are no cases where one will be punished for this alone.
Even if you lie, if you consistently state something like, 'That's how I remembered it at the time...', it's not even considered a false statement.
But this gentleman's speech is exactly like that.
Of course, I may be overreacting.
It is natural for people to become defensive when they are suddenly summoned by investigative authorities and questioned.
But the saint in front of me didn't even show any sign of hesitation or concern about the topic.
Since he's an active hunter, he's much bolder than others... Even if I say it correctly, it's still a bit strange.
'I'm a little suspicious. Let's try it out...'
"So, what were you doing on the day Mr. Taeyang went missing? Oh, this is just a courtesy question, so you don't need to worry too much about it."
"I remember that day clearly. My favorite game came out on the day Taeyang went missing."
"Oh, a computer game?"
"Yes. I don't know if you'll know the name, but it's called Warhammer Green Tide..."
"Oh! I know that too."
Warhammer... is this where it comes from!
My heart was filled with joy at meeting my comrade.
So maybe I was wrong.
A noble Warhammer fan is behind the disappearances. That's ridiculous.
However, the testimony that followed chilled my racing heart.
"You knew that too, Detective? Green Tide is a really great game. I was so absorbed in it that I didn't even realize how much time had passed."
"I see. I understand. If you don't remember anything else, we'll end the investigation here. Thank you again for taking the time out of your busy schedule."
"Oh, no. I need to do something to help you find our guild members. If you need anything, please call me back anytime. Then..."
Seongdo Yul shook my hand briefly and left the office without delay.
I took the coffee Seo Ji-yu gave me and gave her an order.
"Jiyu."
"Yes, team leader."
"Mr. Seongdoyul, who just left, use the administrative program to dig up some information."
"Huh? Is something fishy?"
Not only Seo Ji-yu, but also Alice had a puzzled look on her face.
I nodded slightly.
"There's something about that guy."
"Where on earth are you looking?"
"That guy who played Green Tide on release day like crazy... It's a piece of shit. Most of the games in the Warhammer franchise are garbage."
I immediately used Oracle to mine his account.
As expected, the flimsy lie was immediately exposed.
[Green Tide Play Time: 103 hours]
"What, I played it right?"
"No. Look closely. There's not a single achievement broken. I just left the game running. It doesn't make sense to play this crap for over a hundred hours in the first place."
"Oh... really? You know that stuff well."
"Jiyu, go quickly and start investigating."
"All right."
Seo Ji-yu, who had finally been given a proper job, ran to her seat.
I tried to act as if nothing had happened and called out the next witness.