The Fantasy World Fanatic Wants To Leave Work

59 – Those Who Chase Demons (1)

Warlocks.

Contrary to the white matops who worship angels, warlocks are members of the black matops who worship demons.

The former store manager once said to me that black and white warlocks may seem kind on the surface, but they didn’t think highly of me, and transcendents were also aiming for me.

However, the transcendents I have seen so far, excluding the demons, have been quite friendly, such as Celetinia and Allenia.

Seretini never forcefully demanded anything from me, nor did Alencia try to forcefully convert me to her faith, even as she suggested it would be good to have it.

I thought they were just trying to instill a sense of reverence in me, but seeing the dark wizards before me now, I think I understand why they said what they said.

Despite the fact that they didn’t quite meet my expectations of what a wizard should look like, I could feel the vacant eyes peeking at me from behind their sunglasses.

For whatever reason, they were clearly repulsed by me.

“This is your day-to-day job, searching for demons. Tell me your real reason for coming here.”

“You’re asking for our true purpose in coming here?”

Dark wizards who worshipped demons were also creepy, perhaps because demons themselves were so unsettling.

“We’re looking for someone who’s seen a demon.”

“…!”

The dark wizard who had been talking to Mariné stretched his neck out to look me right in the face.

He was asking me with a neck that has lengthened by a good 6 meters, peering at me over Mariné’s shoulder.

“Have you perchance, seen a demon?”

The vacant eyes possessed a grayish hue.

Those eyes were asking me only one thing.

Tell me what you have seen, without any lies.

Or else, you will undergo unfortunate events.

“What insolence is this, who do you think you’re looking over like that?”

“Uh.”

Whap!

Then Mariné pulled out a fan from her sleeve, and in one swift motion, she slashed off the dark wizard’s neck.

I was so surprised that I couldn’t say a word.

“We apologize. We are also on an important mission.”

It wasn’t Mariné’s sudden action that shocked me.

The reason I was surprised was not because Mariné had cut off the dark wizard’s neck so swiftly, but because the dark wizard picked his severed head back up and stuck it back on his neck as if it were a piece of clothing.

“Excuse our rudeness, princess of the beasts.”

It’s not a doll, how can he insert the severed neck so calmly?

Moreover, their voices induced headaches and resulted in discomfort.

“…Don’t you think it’s rude to call me that?”

“The only information we have says that you are the daughter of the king.”

“That’s right, I’ll forgive your rudeness this time because that’s just who you are. But there won’t be a next time, okay?”

**- Kim Hyunwoo -**

[Manager, what are those exactly? Suddenly, they’re swarming the convenience store in a group, searching for demons…]

While Marine dealt with the demon, I immediately sent a message to the manager.

If they’re up to something similar to what the demon did last time they came, it was clear that staying put would not only endanger me but also Marine.

**- Manager -**

[It’s okay. Fortunately, at present, they don’t seem hostile. They may seem more innocent and friendly than expected, so if we deceive them well, it’s likely that the concerns Kim Hyunwoo has won’t materialize.]

This time, the manager promptly replied.

Since the manager seemed to have a handle on the situation, at least it seemed unlikely for the same thing to happen as last time.

**- Kim Hyunwoo -**

[Deceive them? Wouldn’t it be better to just kick them out of the convenience store immediately? If I think about what that demon did then…]

**- Manager -**

[Unfortunately, I can’t intervene until they pose a threat to you, Kim Hyunwoo. That’s the directive from headquarters. As of now, these dark sorcerers only find Kim Hyunwoo discomforting.]

But as the manager said, the dark sorcerers weren’t currently posing any threat to me.

**- Manager -**

[Furthermore, the red button assesses and takes action against threats automatically. Pressing it in the current situation won’t be particularly helpful.]

To be honest, due to their outward appearance and demeanor, it seemed like I was overly cautious. Perhaps even if I were to press the red button now, the system might not recognize them as a danger.

Initially, I didn’t even inquire about the situation via message when a tiger stormed into the convenience store.

At that time, I did send Marine to the store to handle the situation, but maybe now, I might consider that there’s nothing particularly abnormal and refrain from taking any action.

**- Manager -**

[Remember, simply keep them from taking an interest in Kim Hyunwoo by deceiving them without lying. But if you lie, they’ll immediately notice that Kim Hyunwoo is lying. It’s essential not to lie to deceive them.]

**- Kim Hyunwoo -**

[How do I deceive them without lying?]

**- Manager -**

[You just need to avoid lying. Dark sorcerers can spot lies, but surprisingly, if it’s not a lie, they won’t detect the innocence.]

I might not fully comprehend what the manager meant, but for now, I had no choice but to follow the manager’s advice.

If those demons posed an immediate threat, I could have driven them out straight away. Surprisingly, since they hadn’t caused any significant problems, I had to treat them as customers.

**- Manager -**

[Additionally, it’s better that the dark sorcerers remain unaware that demons are targeting Kim Hyunwoo. If they find out, it won’t lead to anything good. Dark sorcerers, unlike white sorcerers, are intelligent and could target Kim Hyunwoo outside the confines of U.C. convenience store.]

Seeing the manager cautioning to this extent, there might have been friction with dark sorcerers before.

“I’ll take the bill, please.”

“Ah, sure.”

As a dark wizard was reading the message from the manager, he suddenly asked for the bill to be calculated.

It seems like he had picked something from the shelves without me noticing.

Come to think of it, it’s natural.

If someone comes to the convenience store, it means they came to buy something.

Normal people don’t gather like that to find someone.

Only Ceretinyna Allencia, Diana, and I know that I encountered a demon.

“Hyunwoo.”

“It’ll probably be fine. And since you’re asking for the bill, I should do my job first.”

Marine called me as if worried, but for now, I decided to trust the manager’s words.

I hadn’t really held any hostility, and even if they were to attack me, I had the ring I bought yesterday.

I could handle their attacks three times.

The problem would be what comes after.

“How much is it?”

But these guys, they didn’t grab anything else from the fridge but Pepsi.

I felt a sudden sense of betrayal.

Are they doing this on purpose? But they wouldn’t even inform me how I ended up here.

“It’s 2000 won.”

“Here you go.”

The dark wizard gave me 2000 won and showed an unpleasant smile, even raising the corners of his mouth to his ears.

And then he put ten bottles of Pepsi into his mouth all at once.

It wasn’t even a magic trick that a magician would show, but with their bizarre and unmatched appearance, both Marine and I showed a disgusted expression.

– Manager –

[Don’t think strangely. The laughter the dark wizard is showing right now is simply because he likes soda. Despite appearances, that’s all it is.]

– Kim Hyunwoo –

[There are other types of cola, so why Pepsi?]

– Manager –

[I… don’t know. But why does Mr. Kim Hyunwoo’s expression worsen when it comes to Pepsi? Have you perhaps had a grudge against Pepsi?]

Is it just that I’m reacting too sensitively?

Of course, if Pepsi is my enemy, it would be my enemy, but seeing him chew on something in his mouth, it seems like he just drank the cola in an unusual way.

Just somewhat eerie, it’s the way in which sorcerers drink coke.

In terms of not creating trash, sorcerers might unexpectedly be environmentally friendly.

“…So, have you ever seen a demon?”

After finishing the coke, the sorcerer brought up the previous question again.

But strangely, it made me feel uncomfortable.

I went through the trouble of bringing an umbrella stand, but he brought it into the convenience store and filled the floor with rainwater, and even put the wet umbrella on the counter.

Moreover, no matter how you think about it, there’s no reason to blatantly drink Pepsi in front of me like that.

Anyway, he started it first.

-Kim Hyun-woo-

[Excuse me, if those sorcerers are trying to harm me, can you kick them out immediately?]

-Store Manager-

[Yes, normally, during the probation period, we don’t get involved unless it’s an unusual case with demons attacking. But since we couldn’t do it before, this time we’ll handle it right away. Of course, according to company regulations, we can only handle it if they harm you first.]

-Kim Hyun-woo-

[But if they retaliate when they’re chased away, isn’t it meaningless to kick them out?]

-Store Manager-

[You don’t have to worry about that. Once they’re on the blacklist, U.C. Convenience Store’s system will take care of it afterwards. So they won’t be able to retaliate easily.]

That’s settled then.

Even if those guys retaliate, there’s a way to respond.

In conclusion, I can handle them as long as they harm me first, right?

“Oh, by any chance, are you looking for a demon? Wait a moment. I happened to see a demon before.”

“Is the demon here?!”

The guy was taken aback by the mention of a demon.

“Yes, so please wait for a moment.”

-Store Manager-

[Kim Hyun-woo?]

I don’t know why those sorcerers are looking for that monstrous demon, but something similar was sold at the convenience store.

Instead, they pretend to look for it in a hurry while actually looking at it leisurely.

“Here it is. This is the demon, right?”

[The smoke of a demon that harms not only you and your family but also your neighbors’ health! Will you still smoke cigarettes?]

[Quit Smoking Hotline: 666-666]

I pulled out a cigarette and showed the warning picture on the back.

It contained a picture of a character suspected to be a demon choking people’s throats.

I had seen it when Diana was searching for cigarettes last time.

Anyway, this is also a demon, right?

“…Human, are you playing a trick right now?”

The demon who bought the Pepsi said, blinking his eyes.

It seemed like he had high expectations for the word ‘demon’, but he was greatly disappointed.

In short, he was pissed off.

I’m sorry, even though I don’t know the reason, I apologize for disappointing you while you were eagerly looking for a demon.

But you started it first.

“Oh, is this not the demon you’re looking for? If so, I apologize. If you’re looking for a demon in a convenience store, there are many other cigarettes too. Would you like to check?”

I responded with a kind smile, like that of an angel.

Since I even refer to cigarettes in this picture as the “smoke of a demon,” I wasn’t lying.

I firmly believe that this is also a demon.

Cigarette butts thrown in front of the convenience store, the smell of cigarettes coming in through the cracks in the door, there’s no other way to describe it but as demons.

There was even a crazy guy inside the store, spitting out smoke like a steam locomotive.

If that’s not a demon, then what is?

“It seems like you’re desperate to die, huh?”

The sorcerer in front of me began to grotesquely deform his face.

“Hey, what are you doing right now-“

“Hyunwoo?!”

Marine, of course, and the other sorcerers tried to stop him, but it was already too late.

The sorcerer who bought the cola was planning to pull his tongue out of his mouth and make a hole in my head.

Kkang!

But it was blocked by a transparent shield.

“…What is this?”

The sorcerer seemed confused as he fiddled with the shield.

“Well, it’s a farewell greeting.”

I opened my hand again, which was clenched into a fist, and waved goodbye to him.

-Kim Hyunwoo-

“Isn’t it justified that I tried to kill that guy just now?”

I messaged the owner to confirm, but there was no response.

“This stupid guy!”

Instead, the owner sent another message when another warlock grabbed the guy by the collar.

Thunk!

Just a moment ago, springs burst from the floor where the warlocks were standing, hurling them far outside the convenience store without a chance to dodge.

“Goodbye.”

I waved and greeted the warlocks with a smile.

By the way, this seems like a trap you’d see in old kids’ comics, but surprisingly, it works pretty well.