My Desertion Would Be Faster Than Heros' Obsession-Chapter 15Vol 2.

The siblings stood in front of a collapsed house, buried under heavy snow.

“Oh my god...”

I quickly crouched down in front of them.

“Hey, are you two okay? Where are your parents?”

“We don’t have any...”

Despite the wariness in their eyes as they looked at my uniform, they still answered diligently. Did they think they had to cooperate just because we were from the government?

“Do you have anywhere to go? How long have you been out here like this?”

“Since yesterday...”

Aquila and I exchanged glances. We needed to get them somewhere warm.

The problem was, we had nowhere to take them. This wasn’t our village.

“Where’s the village chief? Maybe he can help?”

“The chief...”

A flicker of contempt flashed in the girl’s eyes at the mention of that title.

“The chief doesn’t care about kids like us.”

“...What?”

“He’s rich.”

It was a vague statement coming from a child, but I understood the meaning behind her words.

As far as I knew, the village chief was responsible for the welfare of his people. He was supposed to report any issues to the state, and in return, the state would provide support.

Not only that, but village chiefs received financial aid for this purpose. If these kids were left to fend for themselves, then that meant he had been neglecting his duties for a long time.

Seeing how used to being abandoned they seemed, it was obvious they had been left to fend for themselves before this crisis even began.

“That settles it. We’re storming the chief’s house.”

I straightened up and narrowed my eyes. Aquila silently nodded in agreement.

Judging from his expression...

‘He’s pitying them.’

To others, his face might look intimidating, but I knew that was just how he looked when he felt too much sympathy.

After wrapping the kids in our uniform coats, we led them toward the chief’s house. I was ready to have a serious talk with him.

Knock, knock, knock.

“Who is it?” a voice called from inside.

“We’re from the government.”

I intentionally avoided specifying which department, yet the door swung open immediately.

The man who revealed himself was middle-aged, with only half his hair remaining. Upon seeing our uniforms, he plastered on a bright smile.

“Our uniforms sure come in handy,” I muttered under my breath.

“Yes, we’re here for an inspection,” I lied without so much as blinking.

Aquila didn’t even react to my lie. He simply stood beside me, exuding silent pressure.

“An inspection?” the chief repeated, his expression stiffening.

“We’re investigating the usage of government aid funds.”

I folded my arms and put on the most arrogant expression I could muster. It was an expression I had seen Victim wear often.

“And as the village chief, you have an obligation to report any issues within the village. So what exactly have you been doing? We received a report from one of the residents about the abnormal climate. And yet, we found people left completely unattended.”

I jerked my chin toward the children, and the chief’s face fell.

Glancing past him, I quickly assessed the inside of his home. I wanted to see if he was living comfortably despite the village’s dire state.

As expected, his furniture was high-end. Thanks to the time I spent shopping for furniture with Aquila, I was well-versed in current trends.

“I-I was planning to report it, but someone must have beaten me to it... As for the villagers—oh dear, I didn’t realize there were kids left behind!” he stammered, smacking his forehead in an exaggerated display of remorse.

I shut my ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) eyes for a second.

Damn it, only the romance fantasy heroine is allowed to pull off that kind of behavior. Not this sleazy old man.

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“Let’s go inside and talk. The kids are cold.”

“Oh, of course! I can’t believe I left such esteemed guests standing outside. Please, come in!”

Groveling, he led us inside.

We settled the children on the sofa, wrapped them in warm blankets, and placed bowls of steaming soup in front of them.

I surveyed the house, now that I had more time to take in the details.

At first, I had only been angry about how the chief had neglected the kids.

But now, something felt truly off.

Could someone really live this well just by skimming government aid?

The other villagers clearly weren’t well off. Only the chief was living in such luxury, completely out of place.

Which meant...

Could he be involved in something beyond just embezzling aid funds?

Even if this had nothing to do with stopping the side effects of black magic, reporting him could get us a reward.

And I did need a new summer dress.

A glint of greed flashed in my eyes. Money was something I was always sensitive about.

“So, chief, what do you do for a living? Doesn’t seem like you’re farming.”

“Oh, I sell clothing. It’s a family trade that’s been passed down since my grandparents’ time.”

Now that he mentioned it, I noticed the fine garments decorating the house. So that’s what he was selling.

“These days, warm clothes are in high demand. It’s been so cold lately.”

Even though I hadn’t asked, he volunteered that information.

“That’s how I’ve been able to make an honest living.”

...Oh, he was trying to convince me he hadn’t embezzled anything.

Too bad. My suspicions weren’t going away that easily.

“In that case, would you mind if we searched the house?” I asked.

“What? W-What do you mean? Even if you’re government officials...”

“Yes, we’re government officials.”

In a different world—say, 21st-century Korea—searching a home without a warrant would be very illegal.

But this was the Adolph Empire. The state held overwhelming authority. Aquila and I had every right to search this house.

I didn’t even wait for permission. I simply stood up and began rummaging through the house.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

I checked the wardrobe, rifled through drawers, and examined every suspicious corner.

The chief grew visibly anxious.

“Ah, y-you can’t just go through my things like that...” he stammered.

“Yes, yes, I’ll be done soo—”

I started to answer nonchalantly, but then I stopped.

Because inside the chief’s drawer was something very suspicious.

What the hell is this? Fireworks?

It looked like the kind of fireworks I had seen in 21st-century Korea. But obviously, real fireworks shouldn’t exist in this world.

And as a trained member of the Black Magic Search Squad, my instincts told me—

A black magic artifact.

Whenever something looked completely out of place like this, it almost always turned out to be a black magic artifact.

But why the hell is there a black magic artifact here?

Cue romance fantasy heroine intuition, activate!

The chief sold clothing. His business had boomed ever since this abnormal cold snap began.

What if we had been mistaken from the very beginning?

What if this climate shift wasn’t a side effect of black magic—what if it was black magic itself?

He used magic to make the weather colder!

Since he had the artifact, it was unlikely that he was the magician himself. More likely, he had bought the artifact from a black magic user to increase his wealth.

As I glared at the firework-like object in the drawer, the chief suddenly reached in and snatched it.

“...Why are you staring at that so intently?” he asked.

“...No reason,” I replied.

A strange silence settled between us.

Then, at the moment the chief’s expression fully twisted, I—

PIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII—!

I blew my whistle hard.

But since we were indoors, the sound didn’t carry outside.

I blew it a few more times before realizing it was pointless. Damn it. I frowned in frustration.

“...Why are you suddenly blowing a whistle?”

“I wanted to signal something.”

Another heavy silence followed.

Then, before the tension could snap—

Aquila appeared at my side.

“Salvia. The kids are out.”

“Good job.”

That meant he understood what was happening.

There was about to be a fight.

The chief understood as well. Without hesitation, he lit the artifact and threw it.

BOOM—!

Aquila and I barely dodged in time. The spot where we had just been standing froze solid, ice crawling up the walls and furniture.

“Shit!”

I recoiled at the sight. That artifact was way too powerful!

That thing was definitely what had caused the unnatural cold in the village. If someone took a direct hit from it, they might stay frozen forever.

I shivered involuntarily. Aquila immediately stepped in front of me.

“Salvia, step back. I’ll handle this.”

Aquila usually never tried to shield me in battle. He knew how strong I was.

But today was different.

Because he knew I hated the cold.

I despised the cold.

Because whenever I felt it, I remembered that day.

The day I had fallen into the freezing river, deciding to just let myself sink.

In that dizzying chaos, I had done nothing but shiver helplessly—while six of my comrades lost their lives.

I hated the cold. It made me anxious. It made me weak.

But this time, I didn’t want to run from it.

I had spent too long trapped by that trauma.

This time, I wanted to fight back.

“No, I’m fine,” I said.

I grabbed the rifle slung across my back.

The chief’s eyes widened in pure fear the moment I aimed it at him.

Of course. It was probably the first time someone had ever pointed a gun at him.

“Drop the artifact.”

My voice was low and commanding.

But the chief didn’t comply.

“Y-You put that gun down first!”

“No. Drop it, or I’ll shoot.”

The tension stretched tight between us—

BOOM—!

Another blast. I flinched and dodged again.

The chief sneered.

“So, you’re afraid of this?”

Shit.

He had realized I was scared of the ice.

Aquila reacted instantly. His sword ignited, flames dancing along the blade.

The fire bathed the room in a warm glow.

The chief flinched, but he didn’t back down.

“If I’m going down, I’m taking you with me!”

BOOM—!

Another explosion.

Then—

A sudden warmth wrapped around me as someone shoved me aside.

Aquila had pushed me out of the blast zone.

I whipped my head up.

Had he gotten hit?!

But instead of Aquila—

I saw something completely unexpected.

“Winter!”

Winter stood in front of the chief.

His sword, wreathed in ice, had blocked the blast.