TRPM 290

chapter 290

To be honest, the one at fault first was Eliot, who ignored the clear warning not to approach.

Whoosh…!

Even so, I still think it’s a problem for a kangaroo to throw punches like that.

“Whoa?!”
“Who told you to get that close?!”
“No, help me!”

The other kids assumed Eliot was at fault, so they didn’t question the kangaroo’s behavior… but what if the kangaroo had attacked a civilian instead of a skilled Awakener like Eliot?

Then it wouldn’t be funny at all.

Even a regular kangaroo is dangerous, but one trained by a druid? In most cases, that would be fatal.

‘Moreover, the kind of person who approaches a kangaroo like that…’

…is probably a child who knows nothing, rather than an adult.

Whoosh…!
Whoosh…!

Even as I thought that, the kangaroo continued pressing Eliot.

Eliot didn’t recklessly attack back and focused solely on evasion, retreating carefully. However, in the direction Eliot retreated, there were spectators…

“Uh… uh?”
“Isn’t this dangerous?”

The spectators who couldn’t move away in time were on the verge of being swept up.

“…Hah…”

Seeing that, I exhaled a killing intent toward the kangaroo.

“…!”

The kangaroo froze in place, stopping its attack.

“Huh?”
“Oh, it stopped.”
“Is it really okay?”
“Everyone, step back—this is dangerous.”

After confirming the kangaroo had halted due to my presence, I made sure everyone kept their distance and then reported the incident to the Association.

“…I’ve subdued the kangaroo, so please send a truck and personnel to take it away.”

[…Understood. Please wait about thirty minutes.]

“Thirty minutes…?”

They want me to wait that long?

[We’re receiving similar reports continuously right now, sorry…]

“….”

It seems the kangaroo attacking people wasn’t just happening in our neighborhood.

“We’re here…”
“Excuse us…”

Yeon Mirae and Sophia returned home later than usual, visibly exhausted.

“You two okay? Have you eaten?”
“We haven’t eaten.”
“I’ll prepare it right away. Sit on the sofa or at the table and rest.”

Mother said this as she began preparing a meal for them, and Yeon Mirae and Sophia flopped onto the sofa without responding.

“What happened to tire you out so much?”

I pressed along their blood points to relieve some of their fatigue.

“Ah…”
“Phew…”
“…Are you asleep?”
“No… it’s just that your massage relaxed us too much.”

Yeon Mirae began explaining what had happened today.

“First, you know our guild switched from a criminal-specialized guild to a dungeon-specialized guild, right?”
“Yes, I heard last time.”
“Because of that, starting today, most guild members were deployed to dungeon missions. But…”

She trailed off with a sigh and continued.

“Reports started coming in that kangaroos were attacking people.”

Although the Iron Blood Guild had officially changed to dungeon specialization, many people didn’t know. Previously, the guild often responded to reports like the police, so they received calls this time as well.

“So we had to put dungeon missions on hold all day to go subdue the kangaroos on-site.”

Even though the guild was now focused on dungeon missions, they couldn’t just watch the kangaroos attack people.

“If you got that tired, how many kangaroos were running wild?”
“Not only the ones attacking anyone who approached, but some strayed from their designated areas and caused chaos. This all happened because certain politicians forced unprepared people to release kangaroos.”

“…Huh? Politicians?”

Why politicians all of a sudden…

“I’ll explain that part,” Sophia said, seeing my puzzled look.

“It seems some politicians pressured the newly naturalized druid. The druid, still inexperienced, couldn’t fully control the kangaroos, which led to this incident.”

A part of what Sophia said caught my attention.

“An inexperienced druid?”
“Yes. The newly naturalized druid isn’t the one who previously maintained security in Sydney. He’s the master’s disciple, who inherited the kangaroos but cannot control them as skillfully as his master.”
“So politicians insisted on deploying the kangaroos, and this disaster happened.”

I sighed. The politicians likely acted to benefit themselves financially by redirecting the budget meant for the criminal-specialized guild to the druid, but it ended up causing harm to many people.

“The fortunate part is that the previous druid trained the kangaroos not to kill, so while some were seriously injured, no one died.”
“That is really fortunate.”

But even without deaths, this wasn’t an ordinary incident. Many witnessed the kangaroos attacking people. Plus, the kangaroos had been heavily promoted as a boon for public safety in Korea, so the irony is notable.

“And the politicians who forced this situation haven’t been identified yet, but they won’t get away with it.”
“Why?”
“Many of the severely injured were children.”

“…Right.”

As mentioned, children were the ones most likely to approach the kangaroos, not adults. Naturally, parents were furious, and even non-parents concerned about their own children’s safety would likely protest. The anger would likely be directed at the druid, though, rather than the politicians.

“Don’t worry. The druid is clearly a victim. Evidence shows he refused to control the kangaroos himself. This shifts public anger toward the politicians who forced the situation.”

Sophia said this, and Yeon Mirae added:

“Additionally… this incident has drawn public attention to the current National Assembly matters. While the copyright law may seem reasonable on the surface, upon closer examination, it appears to be a tax-increasing law to enrich lawmakers. Given the situation, the law’s enactment might be stalled.”
“…How does this connect to copyright law?”

Yeon Mirae made a V-sign with her fingers. Ah…

“You did this?”
“Well, I am an influencer, after all.”

Honestly… she acted immediately at the first opportunity—her decisiveness is impressive.

“Alright, let’s stop the heavy talk and eat first.”

Seeing me shake my head, Mother called us to dinner.

“What? Four bowls? Didn’t you eat dinner?”
“We didn’t expect you to come home this late.”

Yeon Mirae and Sophia apologized and promised to inform us next time if they’d be late.

One week later.

[Prosecutors have arrested around 20 National Assembly members involved in the Kangaroo Gate. Investigations revealed they planned to reduce allocated budgets while increasing collected taxes, simultaneously boosting funds for maintaining lawmakers’ dignity.]

News reported that all the lawmakers involved in proposing the copyright law and the Kangaroo Gate had been arrested.

“…Apparently, one person is not charged.”
“One person?”
“Yes. Among the lawmakers who agreed to propose the copyright law, one wasn’t involved in Kangaroo Gate.”

…I didn’t understand.

They supported the law but weren’t involved in the kangaroo incident?

“We investigated from multiple angles… and they were genuinely clean. But they were interested in laws hostile to Awakeners, aside from the copyright law.”
“Could it be…?”
“Yes. Probably an Awakener-discriminator.”

There’s no evidence yet, Sophia said.

“Huh… I see.”

“Without evidence, there’s no punishment. Still, suspicion has arisen. Even if they are discriminatory, they won’t act recklessly while under scrutiny.”
“Don’t relax too much. Just like Awakener supremacists, discriminator types can still do crazy things.”
“I know.”

I returned my gaze to the TV.

[Next, the druid controlling the kangaroos stated that they can only release kangaroos in limited areas of Seoul due to limited control. However, some citizens still oppose accepting the Kangaroo Gate kangaroos.]

The news focused on the druid, who was both the cause and the victim. Fortunately, few blamed the druid. While some online criticized him, his week of public apologies and cooperation with police investigations garnered sympathy.

‘…Being a young boy helped too.’

The druid was just a year older than me. As a student, showing courage and apologizing publicly, few could blame him. Many admired his efforts instead.

Seeing me reflect, Yeon Mirae smiled and said:

“You said his dream was to attend the academy with you, right?”
“…Yes.”

I had almost forgotten about that.

“Artist, shouldn’t you focus on what’s immediately in front of you rather than the news?”

I shook my head, meaning it was fine.

“Study is for regular practice, not last-minute cramming before exams.”
“…Wow… that was a really obnoxious thing to say, you know?”

Yeon Mirae complained, but I ignored it. Instead, I took out my phone to check the exam schedule. Nothing serious… the final exams start tomorrow.