9th Grade Civil Servant In Another World Chapter 58 - Catastrophe (1)

“His Excellency the Great Supreme Leader returns today after finishing his vacation. Having spent the summer at a resort in the South Sea, the Supreme Leader worked busily there as well, handling important matters concerning Schufaben. The staff at the Supreme Leader’s residence are currently busy preparing to welcome their master.”

August 30th.

I drowsily raised my head at the sound of the radio while nodding off at the breakfast table.

After wiping away drool and yawning, I noticed everyone was looking at me.

“What are you staring at?”

Daniel and Oscar burst into laughter at my gruff question. I pondered while eating my omelet, ignoring the two who were laughing cheerfully.

‘So he’s finally coming back after enjoying a full summer, that lazy bastard. Anyway, Lieutenant General Kaiser must have finished the cover-up work by now, and regardless of wherever Kruger is, nothing will change immediately.’

Just then, Mrs. Schmidt, who had been feeding pork to Colin, spoke up.

“Lucas, Daniel. Are you coming home to sleep tonight? Or staying at the tavern?”

I reflexively checked the calendar hanging on the dining room wall.

X marks were drawn on all days of the August calendar except the last one. Today marked the end of our contract.

“We’ll both be coming home early today. Let’s have dinner together, Mrs. Schmidt.”

When Daniel answered warmly, Mrs. Schmidt nodded with a laugh, asking what had gotten into them.

***

The tavern was closed today.

Ameli had already gone on vacation before, asking what was this about taking another break, and did I have any intention of making money—she made quite a fuss.

After Oscar left for work, Daniel and I got up late in the afternoon and left the house.

“We should buy something expensive to save face. How about a necklace?”

“Wouldn’t it be difficult to match Mrs. Schmidt’s taste?”

We took the street tram toward District 3, which was said to be the most affluent area in Lüdelheim.

While District 1 was the most developed, it felt more like an administrative center. If Korea has Gangnam and America has Beverly Hills, then Schufaben has Lüdelheim’s District 3.

We passed through a neighborhood lined with sophisticated and enormous mansions, then got off at a bustling area filled with hotels and luxury shops, heading to an opulent department store.

We were there to choose a kind of farewell gift for Mrs. Schmidt.

Though we’d both worn our best clothes, stepping into the gleaming, impressive high-rise building made us feel the gap between us and the ‘real’ wealthy.

“Can we handle this? This place.”

Daniel whispered worriedly.

“Don’t worry. We’re pretty rich too, you know? Though I’m more embarrassed about wandering around with a dark-skinned guy.”

I answered jokingly, but our being wealthy wasn’t a joke.

When I first checked my assets, Lucas had only saved up 20,000 pelt in total.

Since one pelt bill has similar value to 100 Korean won, the money I had was only around 2 million won.

But after many things happened, the money I can now access amounts to 20 million pelt—equivalent to 2 billion Korean won.

The 5 million pelt I received from President Brightner for the Erika kidnapping operation, plus the investment money from Erika and Daniel to open the tavern, and after recovering the initial investment, it’s been growing at an incredible rate.

Of course, the catch is that half of it—10 million pelt—is the advance payment Fael gave me.

Anyway, even calling it joint assets with Erika and Daniel, including the tavern and hideout buildings, my net worth exceeds 20 million pelt. By Schufaben standards, I’ve not only surpassed the middle class but reached the lower echelons of the upper class.

‘Of course, it’s still nowhere near enough to shake this country. Kruger’s back too, and the attack cleanup is finished, so I should start making investments soon.’

I thought this while patting Daniel’s back firmly.

“Straighten up. Be confident. Don’t look like a mark.”

“Huh? Oh, okay.”

I dragged the befuddled Daniel toward the luxury goods section.

***

Drip, drip.

The sound of water droplets falling came from somewhere.

The concrete room was dry and chilly, but she couldn’t tell where the water was leaking from.

Luisa Schmidt felt her heart pounding with terror as she repeatedly told herself to stay calm.

Her hands and feet were tied to the chair, cutting off circulation and turning them a sickly blue.

Heavy despair weighed down her heart and her whole body trembled, but instead of shedding tears, Luisa looked back on everything that had happened.

This situation was probably because of Lucas.

***

It was her usual time buying ingredients for dinner and chatting with the market vendors.

“His Excellency the Supreme Leader is giving a speech today—aren’t you thinking of going to see it?”

The butcher she was friendly with asked while cutting pork into large chunks. Luisa smiled and shook her head.

“My knees haven’t been good lately, so I can’t ride the tram for long periods. I’ll have to listen to the radio instead.”

“Haha, that’s best for common folk like us anyway. But why are you buying so much meat? Having a party?”

“The kids said they’re getting off work early, so I want to make them something delicious for once.”

“Ah, that hero! And Daniel and Oscar, right?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Luisa smiled warmly.

Tap, tap.

Thud, thud.

Tap, tap.

Thud, thud.

Luisa suddenly stopped walking in the alley toward home.

Someone was definitely following her.

And they weren’t even trying to hide it—quite brazenly.

‘I need to act natural.’

This wasn’t uncommon these days, so she just acted as if her joint pain was acting up, tapping her knee and walking casually.

That moment.

Clatter-clatter-clatter-clatter-clatter!

Startled by the sudden sound of running footsteps behind her, she almost screamed. Before she could even reflexively turn around, something cold touched the back of her neck.

She’d never handled a gun, but she instinctively knew this was a gun barrel. The unknown person’s breathing was eerily audible right at her ear.

“Wh-who, why are you…”

“What’s your relationship with Lucas Redan?”

The barely audible voice was low and heavy. Luisa trembled as she stammered.

“He’s a boarder at my house.”

“Do you know what kind of things he’s been doing?”

“Wh-what do you mean?”

“I’m asking if you know he’s been involved in dirty acts too vile to speak of.”

At the threatening, hissing voice, Luisa actually became calmer.

Lucas’s changes and the activities he’d been engaged in, Daniel whom he’d suddenly grown close with and the new friends he’d brought.

All the pieces fit together, completing the puzzle in her mind.

She felt her careful speculation solidifying into certainty.

“We’re not unreasonable people either. We’ll just listen to your story and send you back, so if you know something, it would be best to spill everything here.”

The man behind her offered obvious coercion, but Luisa answered in a voice that didn’t tremble.

“I don’t know. I didn’t see anything. I don’t know about such things and don’t particularly want to get involved.”

“Is that so.”

The man seemed convinced and about to back off. But just as Luisa sighed in relief and bent to pick up the shopping basket she’d dropped, something cut sharply through the air.

Thwack!

She felt intense pain in her head and collapsed.

When she woke up, she was bound to a metal chair in this unknown concrete room.

As Luisa tried to compose herself, time passed and the heavy iron door opened.

The man who entered was the most terrifying-looking villain she’d ever seen in her life.

His eyes blazed with fury, and his face was covered with scars and bumps. His graying hair and round glasses didn’t soften his appearance at all—they made him look even more insane.

Perhaps it was because of his massive build and the whip in his hand.

Crack!

As soon as he entered, he lashed Luisa’s face with the whip.

“Aaagh!”

A scream burst from Luisa’s lips as she had been calmly watching him.

“How dare you stick with the ringleader of rebels! Nothing to know? You’ll regret those words soon!”

The man’s roar split her ears.

***

“Now let’s go buy a cake…”

I said in a half-dead voice. Daniel smiled awkwardly and supported my collapsing body.

Even though I’d worked in sales in Korea, so I wasn’t completely removed from ‘shopping,’ department store marathons were definitely not my thing.

Daniel, who was unexpectedly detail-oriented and well-versed in Mrs. Schmidt’s tastes, kept finding problems with everything I picked—saying it didn’t suit her or that she probably wouldn’t wear this kind of thing given her personality.

I thought I’d built up stamina through exercise, but apparently my body was still hopeless. After about five rounds, my legs started wobbling and I ended up being dragged around by Daniel.

“I think this would suit Mrs. Schmidt. The price range is reasonable too, and it’s not bad.”

When Daniel finally nodded, I almost cried.

After buying the necklace and leaving the department store, the sky was already turning colors as if sunset would soon fall.

“The bakery that makes the most delicious cakes in Lüdelheim is in District 5. I was thinking of going there to buy one… Lucas?”

“Aaagh! That’s the opposite direction from home! Let’s just buy a cake anywhere! There’s a cake shop right there!”

“But since it’s our last day, we should get her the most delicious one.”

“Ah, I can’t go. You go alone. I’ll go ahead and rest, no, prepare for the party. You buy the cake. Get the most expensive one!”

I shoved my wallet at him and walked toward the tram station. Daniel waved, apparently feeling sorry for tormenting me.

“Alright. See you at dinner then.”

I dozed off as soon as I sat in the tram car and woke up when we were entering District 13.

Outside the window, the sky was already dyed crimson with sunset. I squinted against the glare and tried to gauge where we were.

We were on the way to the station near the boarding house. The tram was running over the iron bridge that crossed the Mire River, which bisected Lüdelheim.

I was looking down at the familiar scenery, about to lose myself in sentiment, when I suddenly noticed something strange.

The ground was red.

Like the sunset.

“Huh, over there…?”

Close to the bridge and clearly visible at a glance, the center of what could be called downtown in District 13 was burning bright red.

“Fire…?”

The other passengers must have noticed too, as they started murmuring. I tried to hide my bewildered expression while observing the scene, then almost screamed.

“Shi…”

I barely swallowed the curse.

‘…t! That’s our shop!’

At that moment, the tram that had crossed the bridge came to a stop. I sprang off the tram and ran.

The wrapped gift shook in my pants pocket, hitting my thigh. The closer I got, the thicker the acrid smell and stinging smoke became.

My heart felt like it was dropping. I shouted while pushing through the crowd of onlookers filling the street.

“Erika! Erika!”

Erika practically lived at the tavern these days. Even on holidays, she just cleaned the shop or checked inventory.

“Erika!”

“Owner Redan!”

At my desperate shouts, the onlookers who turned around recognized me and tried to stop me.

“It’s dangerous over there!”

“Let go of me!”

The firefighters were struggling to contain the flames spreading to nearby shops. They were spraying water with hoses, but for some reason the fire wouldn’t easily die down.

The owner of a nearby stationery shop held me back firmly as I thrashed about.

“It’s dangerous, I tell you!”

“Erika!”

“I’m here.”

Someone grabbed my shoulder from behind. When I turned, there was Erika, ash on her cheeks and hair but apparently uninjured, trembling slightly under a blanket.

***

“I didn’t do anything. Those kids really didn’t do anything!”

Luisa wailed.

Her mouth was already torn up inside so she couldn’t pronounce words properly, but she forced herself to speak even with her mangled voice.

The man’s face was bright red with rage as he huffed and irritably ran his hand through his hair.

“Stubborn bitch! Why are you protecting those reactionaries like this?! You’re just a boarding house owner! For such petty loyalty…”

Luisa raised her bloodied face to look straight at him. Her bloodshot eyes gleamed with firm resolve and spirit.

“I’m their mother. What parent abandons their child? Is it wrong for a mother to care for her children?”

“You’ve lost your mind. You don’t have any children!”

The man laughed maniacally.

The whip fell across Luisa’s body. Convulsive screams filled the concrete room.