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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 78
Chapter Title: Noblesse Oblige
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Not a single person dared to break the silence.
It was in that moment of suffocating quiet.
“Oh my, look at this child…”
Lee Mi-yeon, who had been cautiously observing the situation, began to speak in a rather unnatural tone.
“I didn’t say anything that terrible. Why burst into tears all of a sudden…?”
Her trailing words were followed by a gaze that shifted to the young man who had suddenly appeared and the top-tier hunters standing guard by his side.
‘Wait…’
For some reason, the child was calling the nation’s top hunters by familiar names like ‘Big Uncle,’ ‘Uncle,’ and ‘Auntie.’
‘Could she be the child of someone important…?’
Realizing the situation was veering in an unexpected direction, a cold sweat began to trickle down her spine.
“Princess.”
Just then, Kang-jun crouched down in front of Seol-i and gently stroked her hair as he asked again.
“Did this woman make you cry?”
“Yesss…”
“Alright, it’s okay now. Stop your tears.”
Trying her best to be brave, Seol-i said, “Stwop,” but as if suddenly overwhelmed by emotion, she began to cry even more sorrowfully.
“Hwaaaaaah…”
As Kang-jun continuously whispered that everything was okay into Seol-i’s ear, gently patting her back, a voice called out.
“Seol-a.”
It was Yun Hui-su, speaking in a tone that felt entirely friendly.
She then crouched down in front of Seol-i, meeting her eyes.
“Ugh…”
Perhaps because of her partially broken ribs, a groan thick with pain escaped her lips the moment she squatted.
“Auntie, does it huwrt?”
Seol-i stopped crying and asked.
“No, I’m okay.”
Yun Hui-su, forcing a smile, showed the ‘phone charm’ dangling from the edge of her smartphone and asked.
“Seol-a, isn’t this cute?”
It was a figurine modeled after the main character of an idol anime that had been popular among girls Seol-i’s age for a few years.
“Wow…”
Yun Hui-su then asked in a sweet voice.
“Seol-i, do you want this?”
“Seol-i wan it…”
“Then should Auntie give this to you?”
“Yesh, pwease give to Seol-i…”
After pretending to think for a moment, Yun Hui-su snapped her fingers with a “Tak!” and continued.
“Okay, I’ll give it to you if you stop crying.”
“Seol-i stopped cwyin now…”
“Want to play with this with Auntie?”
“Yesh, I’ll play wif you!”
Yun Hui-su skillfully untied the knot of the phone charm attached to her smartphone and placed the figurine in Seol-i’s hand.
“Here, let’s go play over there with Auntie.”
Naturally taking Seol-i into her arms, Yun Hui-su gave Kang-jun a subtle glance before leaving the spot.
“Noona.”
Kang-jun then turned to his sister, Lee Su-bin, who was standing beside him with a bewildered expression, and asked in a gentle tone.
“What happened?”
At his words, Lee Su-bin stammered, “Well…” and, as if worried the situation might escalate, explained cautiously.
“It wasn’t really a big deal. I think she was just startled by the adults arguing…”
Muttering softly, “Arguing…” Kang-jun suddenly spun around to face Lee Mi-yeon and snapped.
“Lady, are you out of your mind?”
Startled, Lee Su-bin took a step forward and said, “Kang-jun!” just as he continued.
“Knowing you, Noona, you wouldn’t have started a fight for no reason. It’s obvious this woman must have started it…”
Lee Su-bin hurriedly protested.
“K-Kang-jun, I think there’s a misunderstanding. It wasn’t like that. It takes two to tango, and I’m definitely also at fault…”
However, Kang-jun paid her no mind and continued to glare at Lee Mi-yeon, pressing her.
“What’s your problem?”
“No, I…”
“I asked, what is your problem?”
At that, Lee Mi-yeon fanned her face and muttered a low, “Oops…” before retorting in a tone of disbelief.
“I don’t know if you’re her father or what, but as a parent, I was simply deeply concerned about the quality of the kindergarten my son will be attending…”
“Quality?”
“Yes. It would be terrible if children from orphanages or other welfare facilities were to be educated in the same space as my son, wouldn’t it?”
She then answered as if it were nothing.
“Well, now that I know that’s not the case, it’s fine. It seems to have been a small misunderstanding, so let’s just forget it ever happened…”
To which Kang-jun replied.
“What’s wrong with a welfare facility?”
“Well, they don’t have parents…”
“That’s disgusting. I can’t listen to any more.”
Kang-jun said in a remarkably calm tone.
“Is lacking something a sin?”
He then added.
“I dare say, lacking something can never be a sin.”
“I just…”
“No one is born simply to be punished.”
The mammonism of this world, which Kang-jun had glimpsed through the screen of his small smartphone, was truly horrifying.
The internet news reported that a term was trending among young children: ‘resi-beggar’.
It was a word used to call children living in government-subsidized rental apartments ‘beggars’.
Was that all?
They would also classify people based on their parents’ monthly salaries, calling them two-million-won-bugs or three-million-won-bugs…
And it was said that there were countless cases where children were called monthly-rent-beggars if their family rented, or lump-sum-beggars if they lived on a deposit lease.
It was a generation sick with gold.
But…
The children were not to blame.
“Parents are a mirror for their children.”
His tone was utterly solemn.
“If the new generation also becomes sick with gold, it will be solely the fault of ignorant adults like you…”
He continued in a commanding tone.
“Simply possessing more gold does not give you the right to mock the poverty and deficiencies of others.”
This was the etiquette of an emperor.
“Noblesse oblige.”
His voice, though low and soft, carried on with an overwhelmingly authoritative feel that could not be defied.
“If you are a noble in this godforsaken world, then instead of being preoccupied with dividing people by class, you should be fulfilling the duties you are bound to carry.”
The ‘verdict’ began.
“I will not speak at length.”
“What…?”
“Return to your home.”
At his words, Lee Mi-yeon let out a scoff, “Heh,” and began fanning her face again…
“Wh-who do you think you are…!”
Just then, from a distance, a goblin in a neat tuxedo began to approach with a leisurely stride, and the hall suddenly grew solemn.
*Step, step.*
The figure who had invested an astronomical sum of money to make Snow White Kindergarten a premier educational institution.
“It’s quite noisy.”
It was Kajan, the goblin who served as the general manager of the large-scale private bank in the Market, ‘The Society of Secretive Financiers.’
“Director-nim!”
Spotting him, Lee Mi-yeon’s face lit up for a moment.
“Have you been well?”
Her husband was a silver-tier member of the private bank, and their relationship with the general manager was close enough that they often played golf together.
In fact, wasn't it her husband's construction company that had been commissioned by the private bank to undertake the construction of ‘Snow White Kindergarten’?
“I heard you went out to the course with my husband last weekend…”
“Yes.”
“And the tonic I sent, did it suit your taste…?”
Kajan then looked at her with cold eyes.
“I’m sorry, but would you please return home?”
At the thunderous words, Lee Mi-yeon’s eyes wavered.
“D-Director-nim…?”
Kajan added in a chillingly cold tone.
“Out of consideration for our past relationship and acquaintance, I will not have you dragged out. I sincerely hope you will leave on your own two feet.”
Just then, Lee Mi-yeon’s husband, who had followed Kajan, looked around with a bewildered expression before asking his wife about the situation.
“What happened?”
“Well, so…”
At that moment, Kajan turned to her husband and said.
“The remaining construction will be handled by another company.”
“Director-nim!”
“There will be no further contracts, so please be aware.”
At those words, Lee Mi-yeon’s husband fell to his knees and began to plead desperately.
“I-I’m not sure what’s going on, but if my wife has made some mistake, I will apologize on her behalf, so please forgive us just this once…”
The ‘Snow White Kindergarten’ project his construction company was in charge of was a major project drawing attention from the global construction industry.
Simply completing the construction on schedule was a golden opportunity that could increase the company’s value several times over.
Moreover, hadn’t he engaged in an unbearable level of lobbying and even taken out risky corporate loans just to win this contract?
‘The amount of money I’ve given that cunning goblin and the public officials… if this project falls through, it’s really all over…’
His husband’s neck veins bulged as he began to shout at Lee Mi-yeon.
“What are you doing just standing there!”
Startled, Lee Mi-yeon also dropped to her knees and began to beg.
“D-Director-nim, please…”
But Kajan shook his head.
“Unfortunately, your wife has made an ‘absolutely unforgivable mistake’.”
As soon as Kajan’s firm reply ended, murmurs of various pitches began to spread through the hall like a contagion.
The Market’s private bank, ‘The Society of Secretive Financiers,’ had long been criticized for being a corporation that pursued only profit.
This was because they meddled in any business that made money and frequently used their capital to seize or crush others.
“The rumors were rampant that they made a fortune by setting up a munitions business in a military conflict zone, but surprisingly, they seem to care a lot about the marginalized…”
“I know, right…”
“Well, if that wasn’t the case, they wouldn’t have invested such a huge amount of money to establish a children’s educational institution of this scale…”
Just then, Kajan whispered the reason in a voice low enough for only the kneeling, begging couple to hear.
“How dare you make the young lady cry.”
He added.
“If this were the past, the system of collective punishment would have been applied, and your entire extended family would not have escaped immediate execution.”
As the couple showed no sign of leaving and just kept repeating, “Please, please…” Kajan gave a firm command.
“Remove them.”
And so, the two were seized by goblins by their limbs and promptly dragged out of the auditorium…
“O Immortal…”
As Kajan began to speak in a barely audible voice, Kang-jun said, “Shh,” and brought his index finger to his lips.
“It’s the goblin mister!”
Just then, Seol-i, who had been playing with the figurine with Yun Hui-su from a distance, spotted Kajan and came running over.
“Mister, lookie at dis.”
“Young Lady…”
“It’s a Pripara toy!”
As the crowd, witnessing her casual conversation with Kajan, was assuming she must be the ‘child of someone of high status.’
*Thud-!*
Kajan suddenly performed a deep, formal bow and shouted at the top of his lungs.
“I am deeply sorry for the hardship you have endured, Young Lady!”
“Oh, you went boom…”
“Please, punish this one’s sins with death!”
At the sight, everyone in the hall was utterly and completely shocked.
Seol-i then gently caressed Kajan’s reddened, swollen forehead and said in a worried tone.
“Mister, does it huwrt a lot…?”
“Young Lady…”
“Seol-i will blow on it to make it all better…”
At that, Kajan’s eyes widened.
“Young Lady…”
The goblin race was accustomed to being treated with contempt and scorn.
It was the same no matter how much wealth they accumulated.
They were always criticized for being driven by nothing but ‘material greed.’
They were even plundered of their wealth for their lack of strength.
*The entire clan must unite to protect the wealth they have built.*
That was the ultimate reason for the birth of The Society of Secretive Financiers, which had spread throughout the Abyss.
Five hundred years old.
For the first time in his life, the aged goblin experienced such a warm touch and caress.
“Young Lady, though this one’s martial prowess is insignificant…”
The old goblin added, his words filled with sincerity.
“I shall serve you in my own way…”
If his past loyalty had stemmed solely from the Immortal’s overwhelming power and wealth…
“I will protect you, no matter what…”
That was no longer the case.
Furthermore.
This shocking scene…
“No, just how prestigious is her family…?”
“The manager of that haughty private bank…”
“Seeing all those ranker-level hunters gathered for an entrance ceremony…”
…was a topic of conversation perfectly suited to spread far and wide from mouth to mouth.
