Mastore 45 - Dumpster

Magic Realm Convenience Store – Ch. 45 

Monolingual Convenience Store Worker (4)

It took less than 5 seconds to subdue the other two Jungin.

The elf stepped over one fallen Jungin, struck another’s shin with her baton, and hurled the baton at the back of a Jungin who tried to escape…

That’s definitely not what batons were made for. They’re just plastic sticks, not known for their durability, yet every time these Jungin got hit, they collapsed instantly. Is this baton magical or something?

The last Jungin, who got hit in the back, toppled over right into the front door and smashed the door for the second time. Aah, the door! The door!!

What was even more impressive was the elf's follow-up response. He twisted the Jungin's arms behind their backs and began reciting their Miranda rights.

"You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney..."

I was about to ask if those half-unconscious guys could even hear that, but as she recited the rights, white handcuff-like restraints began appearing around the Jungin's wrists. It wasn't a magic spell.

After reciting the Miranda rights to the other two in the same way, she picked up the thrown baton and fastened it back to her waist. Despite the incident, her face was remained expressionless with dark circles under her eyes.

“Is it all over now?”

“Not yet.”

"What else...?"

“I would appreciate your cooperation.”

I agreed to cooperate. I feel like I might get hit with that baton if I don't. As I stepped away from the counter, I noticed the elf was holding two passports. I’m not sure when she collected them, but now she held them out to me and asked:

“Would you mind touching these?”

Ei, crap. I’m definitely caught, aren’t I…

I didn’t really want to, but with no reason to refuse, I reluctantly grabbed the two passports while biting my lip. As expected, they exploded, with the covers getting stuck in the ceiling and pages flying into nearby snack displays, making an even bigger mess.

I felt like I was having some kind of “enlightenment moment.” No, how did things end up like this? (It’s a slang for post-nut clarity…)

"Now I understand why the wallet exploded too."

“...What did you think before?”

"I had no idea, so I stayed up all night in the investigation department trying to figure it out."

No, fine. I admit I hid it. I’m really sorry for making you pull an all-nighter. I was too scared to say anything. But come on, can't a person hide their anti-magic ability sometimes? Am I doomed to live off nothing but seolleongtang for the rest of my life?

I thought about saying that but decided to keep my mouth shut—since I might get smacked with that baton. After finishing a report over her radio, the elf dragged the Jungin by their arms and hauled them outside.

I thought about holding the door open, but it was already broken beyond repair, so there was no point. About 2 minutes after putting the three outside, a police truck pulled up, and an orc and a troll in police uniforms got out.

They stuffed the three Jungins into the truck and took them away, while the elf came back outside to smoke a cigarette. Watching her, I started craving a cigarette too...

Upon returning, she handed me a business card.

"My apologies for the disturbance caused inside the store."

"Yes..."

“For claims regarding the damaged goods, please contact the number on this card tomorrow evening at 10 PM...."

This is the third business card I've received. Am I about to summon Exodia or something? (You need five card to summon Exodia. From Yu-Gi-Oh,)

"I’ll help with the cleanup. And, one last thing…."

"Yes..."

“Thank you for your cooperation.”

She bows her head with an expressionless face. Only after seeing this did I feel the ominous feeling in my gut subside. At least it seemed like I wouldn't be dragged to the station out of spite.

“Do you have any other questions?”

“…That’s, are there many non-humans walking around with fake passports like those?”

I had to ask. If I didn’t get this off my chest, I felt like I wouldn’t be able to touch another ID for a while. The elf seemed to ponder for a moment before giving a vague answer.

"It varies depending on the situation."

“Then how is it these days?”

"Quite serious."

As she said this, she seemed to crave another cigarette, her hand moving slightly towards her cigarette pocket before stopping. I guess that’s why her dark circles were so deep.

"You can

."

"What kind of crackdown?"

“It’s a crackdown on the black market. If I may add to what I was saying earlier, the wallet you caught before must have come from the black market as well.”

It sounded like there was some kind of black market where all sorts of illegal magic tools were traded, but I couldn't even begin to guess the level of public safety in this neighborhood. Crazy things happen here every day.

“Illegal immigrants... that’s a regular occurrence. Is there anything else?"

“It’s not a question really. That’s… I’d appreciate it if you didn’t tell anyone else about me.”

"If you're requesting protection, understood."

This is over. I had a few more questions, but cleaning up the now-disastrous store took priority. Business must go on, after all.

"I’ll help you clean up."

“No, you really don’t need to. I’m sure you’re busy.”

Having a police officer picking up broken tiles and squashed chocolates would look ridiculous anyway, and besides, I had too much on my mind right now. I just wanted to be alone.

“But I broke it, so…”

She clearly wanted to help, but just then, a mechanical beep came from her waist, followed by a voice on the radio. The elf, who had been listening to the radio held up to her ear, lowered her head once again immediately after hang up the call.

“Apologies, but it seems I need to go.”

"Don't worry about it... Oh, before you go, take this with you."

Manager had prepared a potion for her. I took out a bottle filled with potion liquid from the dairy section and handed it over. The officer responded with a rare look of discomfort.

"This violates the anti-graft law...."

"If you're that worried, just drink it and go. I’ll just say the bottle was empty in the first place."

Manager gave it to me out of concern, it would have been awkward not to give it to her. When I offered it again, she reluctantly accepted the bottle, opened the cap, and downed it in one go.

Then she put on her helmet, stuffed the empty bottle in her pocket, and....

“Please contact me later.”

She dashed out. And so, I was left in the convenience store with a shattered front door, scattered snack bags, passport pages, a half-destroyed chocolate display, and my crumbled morale.

No matter how kindly I looked at it, the store was a complete mess, and at best, it looks like a construction site. Where do I even start cleaning this up...?

After pondering, I decided to fix the shattered front door first. I still need to do business, and if I just fix the front door, it might at least look like we're operating normally.

Plus, I can fix it right away with just a little fiddling on my magic phone. I opened the app, pointed the camera at the door, pressed a button, and slid the bar to restore the door…

As I was collecting the passport pages one by one, a call came in. It was Manager.

"Yes, Manager."

I said, lowering my voice. If Manager saw this mess, she would definitely pass out.

[Chan-ah...]

The way she said my name sounded like a ghost wailing. I had a feeling and asked,

“Have you seen the store by any chance?”

[ I'm looking at it right now. On CCTV. ]

"No, how did you...?"

[Yoonha said she wanted to take a look at what Chan's doing....]

Right, Manager had mentioned he was drinking with her sister. When I waved at the nearest CCTV, I heard Yoonha Noona’s voice faintly from the side.

[Oh my, Unni. Do you think he can us you waving at the camera?]

[Ah.]

Manager must have waved her hand absentmindedly. Who knew that in this godforsaken world, just knowing someone understands me could feel so heartwarming?

But wait, did they see the elf beating up the Jungins too?

"Manager, from where did you start watching?"

[I just turned it on right before calling. How did the store end up like this?]

“It's a long story…”

Top of Form

Bottom of Form

[Unni, switch it to speakerphone. I can't hear well.]

Alright, listen up, I’m going to tell you an awesome story....

But when I actually tried to explain the process, it wasn't much. The Jungins I was talking about earlier turned out to be carrying fake passports. The elf police officer taught those bad illegal immigrants with her batons. End of story.

I kept it as light as possible, but even then, Manager seemed pretty shaken.

[Are you hurt anywhere, Chan?]

"I'm fine, but the store took quite a beating."

[That’s a big deal too... but it’s a relief Chan not get hurt. Anyway, then... I guess that police officer now knows Chan have an anti-magic constitution.]

“Yes. But you know, the atmosphere wasn't bad. I don't think I'll be dragged off for crime of contempt or anything. Oh, and...."

I continued, telling him how the wallet issue had been resolved, but that both the wallet and the fake passports had come from something called a black market. Manager seemed just as puzzled by this part.

[Black market...]

"Oh, you didn't know about this either, Manager?"

[No, that’s not it. I definitely have black market destro... Ah.]

"Yes?"

Destro, what? Destroyed? Is that what she was going to say?

[No, that’s, I just meant I’ve been there a long time ago.]

It seemed like she was trying to dodge the topic, but I let it slide and continued.

“According to what the police officer said, the crackdown will start in June, so this month the streets will be a bit chaotic. What do you think, Manager?"

[...Well. If they request cooperation, we could... but what do you think, Chan?]

"I have similar thoughts. Similar thoughts, but."

When you leave the register machine idle for too long, a message like this appears: ‘If a robber demands something, give them everything they ask for!’

It's saying that a weak part-timer shouldn't get involved with criminals carelessly. This isn't a police station or immigration office, it's a place to sell goods. I agree with this too.

“I know it sounds odd after dealing with this stuff twice in two days, but this isn’t a normal occurrence. If I had stayed quiet, it could have just passed by...."

I don't regret catching the thief. I'm not naive enough to quietly offer up my nose in a situation where I could get it cut off right in front of my eyes. But today’s incident was completely unexpected, and I wasn’t prepared for it.

If you ask if I regret this too, I don't. Helping catch bad guys isn't a bad thing.

However, I hate the idea that my condition causes these unexpected situations. Things went smoothly yesterday and today, but there’s no guarantee I won’t get caught up in something bigger next time.

At this rate, I might not be able to work here anymore. As I shared my thoughts, Manager immediately responded.

[...Actually, Chan-ah, when Yoonha and I met today, we were planning to talk about you.]

“About me?”

When I asked, this time, instead of Manager, it was Yoonha Noona who answered.

[Yeah. Lee Chan, have you thought about getting a license?]



|Note