Chapter 353 – Farewell
Quite some time has passed since the trial disguised as a hearing ended. The verdict against the Chief was basically the confiscation of all his assets and removal from office. Additionally, he received the punishment of chemical castration to block any sexual stimulation. In simple terms, that’s chemical castration.
Even so, the Chief tried to hire a lawyer one last time, but that attempt was cleanly shot down. The law firm flat out refused him. Attempting to hire someone to kill a civilian—even if it was just attempted murder—was something that outweighed the charges against him in court. In the end, the law firm just gave up, saying this was impossible.
[Seems like they couldn’t handle it either.]
‘If you get too greedy, you might burst and die.’
That said, the Chief didn’t get the death penalty. Although he was removed from his position, he was still considered a public servant since he belonged to the Hunter Academy. As a result, he received a punishment that was surprisingly humane.
Thanks to that, the Chief found himself with plenty of free time, allowing him to exercise and enjoy reading every day. Even without a penny from his confiscated wealth, he could still eat every hour, and he could even indulge in any sexual relations he desired without fail every day for the rest of his life.
“Isn’t it the best?”
“Kim Shinwoo, you piece of shit! Quit it!!!”
For a criminal, he received a pretty lenient punishment.
“Best my ass! I’m still stuck here!!!”
“Seems like you’re quite sensitive. To the point you’d leave here.”
“Hey, you motherfucker!!!!!!!”
The only slight issue was that the place was a prison. I went to visit the Chief just to tease him, and to my surprise, he didn’t look all that different from before—except for the fact that he was wearing a diaper on his lower half.
[……Is this the Beastman Kingdom?]
‘Prisons do tend to resemble animal kingdoms, anyway.’
The Chief received a life sentence, which was quite lenient. He was in a prison filled with sex offenders, but since they were all happy, maybe it was a good thing overall.
“Let me out, you bastard!!! I can’t rot here!!!”
“Seems like you’ve already started rotting on the other side?”
“FUUUUUCCCCK!!!!!!!!!!”
The Chief was screaming at me with murderous intent in his voice, but his cries didn’t last long.
It was no wonder.
“Hey, Chief NaHol. Your time has come.”
“W-wait! It hasn’t even been a few minutes!!!”
A guard next to him poked him to take him away.
“Just give me a bit more time to recover! At least a few more minutes!”
“The White Pig has had enough rest.”
I had suspected that criminals would prefer someone chubby like the Chief, but since they were calling for him urgently during my visit, it seemed he was immensely popular inside the prison.
At least he wouldn’t be bullied while in there.
‘He lived so tightly that he must really be a legendary figure now.’
[I’m relieved he’s doing well, at least.]
Anyway, looking at the Chief doing better than I expected eased my heart somewhat. This story is a light novel after all. Terrible events where someone dies just don’t fit in a light novel. It should end bright and hopeful to be a proper light novel.
[……Not a single word fits, huh.]
‘Anyway, it’s true.’
Since I had no further business with the Chief, I started leaving the prison, my steps as light as the genre itself. With that, my dealings with the Chief were resolved.
*
As for the Chief’s wife, as soon as she heard the news of her husband’s assets being seized, she immediately spread videos around. As a result, there was even brief news about the Chief’s wife being arrested for animal abuse. Not stopping there, I heard a trial was set to occur for her, but surely the outcome wouldn’t be favorable.
Given that she now had no assets, she wouldn’t even be able to hire a decent lawyer. I was a little curious about how the verdict would turn out, but today, something far more important was happening.
“Oh, you’ve arrived.”
“Hello.”
I was set to meet the representative of the Monster Rights Association. She and I met in a deserted open space, along with the monsters I rescued from the Academy.
“How have you been?”
Growl growl!
Woo woo!
“I’m always healthy.”
After exchanging greetings with the monsters, I bowed my head slightly to express my gratitude to her. Even though Hunters shouldn’t behave this way, I definitely received her help.
“Thank you so much for protecting the monsters during the trial.”
“What are you talking about? I’m the one who should be thanking you for saving our monsters.”
As I spoke, the woman lowered her head, and the monsters also started to bow deeply to me in unison. It was as if they were truly grateful.
At that moment, just as we lifted our heads and shared warm smiles, Piece quietly spoke to me.
[You know, I realized you didn’t leave the animals behind either.]
‘Oh, right.’
Recalling Piece’s words, I quickly asked the woman.
“By the way, I don’t see any animals around. What happened to them?”
“Oh, most of them are now public servants, except for a few.”
The woman replied with a slight smile. But something felt off. I never heard about any vacant public servant positions.
Noticing my doubt, the woman quickly continued, “They got hired by the state-run zoo through a special admission from the Academy.”
“Good choice. They probably won’t get fired under normal circumstances.”
“Exactly. And they even get a pension later, so it’s a real blessing in these tough times.”
That was a relief. Not only did they become public servants, but they did so as experienced hires, not newbies. There might be some turf battles, but they’d definitely have it easier than fresh recruits.
However, not everything was going so smoothly. The woman sighed deeply, her face filled with disappointment. “But it seems the monsters can’t get hired.”
“Because they’re illegal residents?”
“Yes, exactly. The world is so messed up.”
“Well, there is the option of accepting them as refugees.”
“Right? There are so many things that need fixing.”
[Why not try manual labor? Is it that they can’t handle the insurance part?]
‘……Wouldn’t you need to point out why monsters can’t get jobs in human society, Piece?’
[Ah, right. F*ck.]
Anyway you slice it, the monsters were in a situation where they couldn’t coexist with human society. The only choice left for them was to return to where they originally belonged.
“So does that mean they’re going back?”
“Yes, fortunately, we have a Gate Creating Ability User in our association, so it will happen soon.”
And that time was…
“Do you know when they’ll be sent back?”
“As soon as that ability user arrives, we plan to send the monsters off immediately.”
“…I see.”
It’s happening a bit sooner than I thought. They would likely return to suitable places like appropriate dungeons or living spaces. Although they’d been through a lot during this short time, no one knows how it will all unfold after this.
Whether they’ll continue to suppress their ferocity and live peacefully, or slowly revert back to their monster natures… Either way, this implies that now is our last chance to communicate peacefully with them.
[That’s unfortunate.]
‘It can’t be helped.’
The monsters seemed to sense the approaching farewell, each lowering their heads and beginning to whimper slightly.
“Kikiiiing…”
“Kyu-uiii…”
“Don’t cry, little ones. I’m probably going to cry too.”
I started saying goodbye to each of the monsters when suddenly—
“Representative! I’m so sorry! I’m so late!”
“Huh. No, you came at just the right time.”
Finally, the moment of farewell was drawing near.
Nonetheless, this means they would be leaving, and if we were to meet again, worst-case scenario, we might end up with blades drawn at each other.
It would feel as if all the joyful times we shared so far had been nothing but a lie.
Moreover, there’s an even bigger problem. This is an issue stemming from the fate of the monsters and Hunters.
[Isn’t there a chance others will hunt them down?]
‘That is an issue. I figured I could just avoid it when meeting them, but…’
The immediate concern was that other Hunters might try to hunt them down. Even if they don’t show hostility, Hunters might feel free to kill those who don’t resist.
That’s just the kind of people Hunters are.
Fearing for the monsters and what other Hunters might do, I took a step back from them and said something a bit harsh, praying it would raise their chances of survival.
“Hey, still, if we meet again, remember we’ll be enemies.”
Growl.
The monsters seemed to get the hidden meaning in my words as they nodded, each responding with faint smiles in a similar manner.
Next time we encounter each other, I might be the one they have to watch out for.
“Have you all said your goodbyes?”
“Yes, please take us away now.”
“I understand.”
No sooner had I finished speaking than the Gate Creating Ability User created a gate. The monsters began to walk towards it slowly.
Just as I was about to turn away…
Click!
Without saying anything, we turned and faced each other simultaneously. As if we had promised to do so.
Beneath the beautifully distant sky, I stood silently facing the monsters, extending my hand and mimicking a gunshot motion.
“Bang!”
In that moment, the monsters gently smiled, each mimicking getting shot in the side, and simultaneously, one of the monsters took the lead in answering me.
“Oops!”
With that, we no longer spoke any further, turning our backs and starting to head to our separate destinations.
And that was our farewell.
[Think we’ll ever meet again?]
‘Who knows?’
Still, if there’s another chance, meeting again wouldn’t be so bad.
That’s what I thought.
