Episode 159
Chapter 54: Impersonation, Part 2
“What do you think you’re going to do about it?”
Jin’s expression remained blank as he replied, and in an instant, the atmosphere inside the tavern turned icy.
The tavern owner, who had been taking orders, momentarily doubted his own ears. The cadets froze in place, blinking in disbelief.
A few seconds of silence stretched on, during which the owner grew visibly uneasy. With only Jin’s group and the cadets inside, he couldn’t help but worry that a fight might break out.
“What do you mean, ‘What do I think I’m going to do?’ Well, I suppose I was rude. Let me ask more politely this time. Which faction’s scum are you?”
“We’re just going to leave quietly, so stop acting so unpleasant and have your meal. Didn’t you say you’d ask politely just now?”
“Consider yourself lucky I haven’t slapped you yet. Answer me. You’re trying to run away the moment we arrived—what are you hiding? Don’t tell me you’re from the Dark Magic Society?”
Seeing the cadets pick a needless fight and stubbornly refuse to back down, Jin found it so ridiculous he couldn’t even bring himself to laugh.
In truth, it wasn’t surprising they behaved so rudely. After all, these noble scions, barely cadets themselves, had been fawning over the lord, so how could they take a shabby-looking magic student seriously?
They didn’t even consider Jin a formidable opponent or someone with a strong background.
“Oh dear, cadets. Haha, they’re just passing travelers, I told you. Please don’t make a fuss—I’ll bring out some delicious special dishes right away…”
Smack!
One cadet slapped the tavern owner’s cheek. Enya flinched and instinctively tried to stand, but Jin raised his hand to stop her.
“Don’t get involved, you lowly commoner.”
“Sorry.”
“Hey, your reckless behavior got an innocent man hit. You seemed pretty confident—state your affiliation. I’ll have to question your superior as well.”
How should he respond?
Jin’s hesitation was brief. A certain organization immediately came to mind—one he could easily crush and then use for his own purposes.
Step, step.
Jin strode past the cadets seated at the table and closed the tavern door behind him. Click, clack! He bolted the latch and spoke calmly.
“I’m from the Viment Empire’s Royal Special Operations Unit, Magic Division 1, Team 3.”
“What?”
“What nonsense is this? You’re claiming to be from Special Ops Division 1, Team 3? You’re insane…!”
Enya, caught off guard by Jin’s lie, hastily pulled her hood over her head.
‘J-Jin Gongja!? What’s this all of a sudden!?’
But Jin’s gaze remained steady. Lying and impersonation were just another of his specialties. Though, oddly enough, he always seemed to use names that sounded less intimidating than his real identity.
“You expect us to believe that? I’m speechless! Special Ops Division 1, Team 3?”
“You’ll believe it soon enough.”
Bam!
Jin’s fist slammed into the solar plexus of the cadet who had spoken. Though he didn’t channel any mana, the punch, honed since his stormy youth, was more than enough to break through the cadet’s weak body.
“Ugh, ugh!”
The cadet doubled over, frothing at the mouth and dropping to his knees. The other two cadets hurriedly began chanting spells, but Jin’s hand was faster, already gripping his staff.
A small, bright point of light appeared at the tip.
‘I’d like to knock them out with a reflux spell, but… better to use a standard method for now, since I’m impersonating Special Ops.’
Thrust, thrust!
Jin jabbed his staff into the chests of the remaining cadets. As the seven-star mana surged into their bodies—these cadets barely had three or four stars—the reflux effect spread rapidly.
“Gah! Gahk!”
“Ugh, ugh!”
Nosebleeds streamed down their faces as their legs gave out. Jin’s cold gaze looked down on the cadets collapsing like limp slugs.
‘So these are the guys who’ve been tormenting Enya.’
It took Jin only four seconds to subdue all three cadets.
By then, the tavern owner was completely stunned, his mouth moving wordlessly.
“P-please, s-save me…”
“Don’t make a fuss. This is just the early stage of reflux. To think such weak mana could cause reflux… Director Dolce’s warning about the academy’s bleak future was true.”
Jin’s knowledge of Dolce Lilista, head of Special Ops Division 1, came from information he’d gathered before his reincarnation. Even now, the name was well-known. Unlike regular operatives, division heads occasionally appeared at official events.
Wobble, wobble.
Two cadets crawled on the floor while the one who’d taken the punch barely managed to stand. His eyes wide with terror, he looked up at Jin.
“Are you really from Special Ops…?”
“Want my codename too? If so, you three won’t avoid a trip to the Special Ops headquarters’ underground interrogation room. Seems you haven’t grasped the situation yet.”
Aside from the Emperor’s personal guard, the Special Ops Unit wielded the most powerful enforcement authority in Viment.
Among them, Magic Division 1, Team 3 was known as the “Reapers” among Viment’s mages. Their main job was to root out corruption and misconduct among mages and punish offenders immediately.
If Jin were truly Special Ops, he could kill or spare these three with a word—and even destroy their entire families. After all, they weren’t from the great houses of Viment like Hiran, Hensark, or Lilista.
“No, no! We made a mistake. We didn’t know you were Special Ops!”
“Does that mean it’s okay to treat ordinary people like dirt?”
“No, that’s not what we meant…”
“There’s a saying among Special Ops: ‘Bugs that threaten the peace and security of the nation. Pus-filled sores!’ And you cadets, who should be protecting His Majesty and the people, are just showing off in a tavern?”
Jin’s scolding made the cadets squeeze their eyes shut. He glanced again at the insignias embroidered on their robes.
Beneath the golden eagle symbol of the academy, each robe bore a small family crest. The cadets suffering reflux were from the Maura, Orel, and Chip families—the one who took the punch was from the Chip family.
“Maura, Orel, Chip. The heads of those houses were Whisus Maura, Russo Orel, and Mata Chip, right? Or was Maura the eldest son, Garon Maura?”
Jin had memorized the heads of Viment’s magic families since his previous life. He’d even checked the list of dignitaries before the Garden of Swords banquet.
“P-please, sir. Don’t inform our families…”
“Get up.”
“Get up! Hey, you! You guys, get up! Hurry!”
Chip shouted as he helped Maura and Orel to their feet. Though still weak from reflux and unable to speak, they sensed the grave danger they were in.
And they regretted it.
Why had they picked a fight with this man? Why had they escalated things when he was trying to leave quietly?
Trembling, the three cadets linked arms and shook their legs nervously.
They had no choice but to believe Jin was Special Ops. He’d named the division head, knew their families inside and out, and unlike ordinary mages, was skilled in hand-to-hand combat.
“First, you violated the empire’s sacred law to protect the people. Second, you broke the academy’s cadet code. Third, you caused a disturbance and interfered with a Special Ops agent’s mission.”
Aside from the last, these laws were practically meaningless to noble mages. But in this situation, it was a different story.
The cadets, bleeding from their noses, eyes, and even sniffling, kept apologizing profusely.
“Normally, I’d take you to headquarters for interrogation, reform you into worthy imperial assets, and conduct a full audit of your families.”
Jin paused, glaring at them.
“It’s regrettable that I can’t act immediately due to my mission. I’m here on orders from the director to conduct an unofficial inspection into the Dark Magic remnants among academy mages and cadets.”
“Ah…”
As the cadets groaned, Enya covered her mouth. The tavern owner, not wanting to hear about the Special Ops’ duties, had covered his own ears.
“Do you finally understand the gravity of your actions?”
“P-please give us a chance to atone. We’ll do anything.”
“Anything?”
Jin smiled.
He had a good idea.
“Fine. I’ll give you one last chance.”
“Please tell us what to do!”
Chip, the most coherent of the three, nodded frantically.
“From today, my friend and I will become your subordinates. As subordinates, we’ll participate in the purge and carry out Special Ops missions. Do you understand what that means?”
“Yes, of course.”
“Have the faces of previous subordinates become known to other cadets? If so, you won’t get another chance.”
“N-no, fortunately not. I haven’t brought any subordinates before. Even if I hurriedly hired some porters here, no one would suspect a thing…”
Jin grabbed Chip’s chin roughly.
“Are you sure?”
“Of course.”
“If you disappoint me again, none of you will escape ruin. But if you prove useful to my mission, I’ll overlook your earlier mistakes.”
“T-thank you…! Thank you!”
“Hey, tavern owner.”
The owner hurried over and bowed deeply to Jin.
“Yes, yes!”
“You got caught up in this because of me.”
“I didn’t see or hear anything!”
“Excellent. How’s the bruise? Feeling any better?”
“I don’t know anything! I swear, I won’t remember a thing until I die. I—I was just…”
The special ops agents weren’t just a source of fear for the cadets. Among the common folk of Bimunte, it was well known that if you got tangled up with the special ops, you could vanish without a trace.
“You’re better than the cadets, then. I’ll take that as you’ve forgotten everything. Now, bring out the dishes I ordered earlier. Oh, and you lot—head to the kitchen and get those robes and clothes washed. There’s no way you’re going back wearing those.”
Jin clicked his tongue, nodding toward the cadets’ soaked uniforms.
As the innkeeper and the cadets rushed off to the kitchen, Enya finally exhaled, releasing the breath she’d been holding.
“J-Jin Gong. Ah, no—brother…”
Is this really okay? Impersonating special ops is a serious crime!
Jin had expected her to say something like that.
“You’re the best, brother! Wow, I can’t believe this! I’ve never felt so relieved in my life! It’s exhilarating! Wooah!”
Jin gently covered Enya’s mouth to stifle her excited shout. If the cadets heard her yelling, it might cause some misunderstandings.
“How was the act? Did it feel okay?”
She nodded eagerly.
“And your heart? Feeling a little lighter?”
“Absolutely! Those three were notorious bullies in my year. They tormented me so badly that I’d wake up in a cold sweat just thinking about them. I can’t believe I actually ran into them like that.”
“Want me to rough them up some more? Austin can handle it personally if you want.”
“No, this is enough for now. True revenge will be when I can crush them on my own, without leaning on you.”
“That’s the right attitude. Yeah, real revenge is when you can handle it all by yourself. Honestly, I think you’re already there.”
“Heh. Right now, it’s not about those guys. What matters more is toasting with you and enjoying a beer afterward.”
Clink.
Jin and Enya tapped their glasses together, chuckling softly. From the kitchen came the sizzling sound of meat cooking and the scrubbing of robes being washed.