Expelled Hero Is Too Strong

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Chapter

67. Exotic Races (4)

The vampire female student, who had been glancing at Kim Si-hu, quietly left the office so as not to disturb the adults’ conversation.

Shelter Director Jung Eun-young spoke with a face full of apologies.

“It’s a bit noisy, isn’t it?”

“No, it’s fine.”

“When I first heard the news, I was so surprised that I ended up telling the kids everything.”

Even though she knew that telling the children about Lixis would cause a great commotion, she couldn’t help it due to her shock.

After taking a sip of fragrant black tea, Kim Si-hu looked at her and asked, “When was this shelter established?”

“The Sky Shelter has been around for just over nine years.”

“That’s quite a long time.”

“There are quite a few places that were established a few years earlier than us.”

There are a total of 16 exotic race shelters in Korea.

Among them, the Sky Shelter located in Seoul is going to celebrate its 10th anniversary in about half a year.

“It feels strange to be inside. It’s like I’m not in Korea or something…”

“First-time human visitors to an exotic race shelter often say similar things.”

“Oh, I didn’t mean it in a bad way.”

“I know. If you had meant it that way, you wouldn’t have rescued Lixis.”

Jung Eun-young smiled softly at Kim Si-hu’s honest impression.

Clack.

Yoo Ji-han, who had put down his teacup on the table, hesitated for a moment before speaking up.

“Director, if you don’t mind, I have a question I’d like to ask.”

“Yes.”

“Has anything like today happened before?”

“…….”

Jung Eun-young looked down at the table with a bittersweet smile.

“Unfortunately, it has happened several times before.”

“What happened then?”

“I remember the last incident was four years ago… One person who was kidnapped at that time never returned. By the time we got leads on their whereabouts, they had already been sold overseas.”

“That’s unfortunate.”

Including Lixis’s case, there had been about four incidents similar to kidnapping at the Sky Shelter.

During those incidents, a total of seven victims were harmed.

Of those, six returned to the shelter, but one never made it home.

“In that sense, I’d like to thank you both once again today.”

“It’s nothing.”

Jung Eun-young, who stood up, bowed almost 90 degrees to the two of them.

It was the utmost respect she could show to the heroes who had helped her children.

She was so low that one might worry she would bump her forehead against the table.

Feeling anxious at her actions, Kim Si-hu said, “If it’s okay, we’d like to give a small donation…”

“The Sky Shelter already receives more than enough support.”

Straightening her back, Jung Eun-young shook her head.

The exotic race shelters received donations from government agencies, exotic races who had integrated into society, and donations from anonymous sources.

That’s how they could maintain a spacious shelter in the expensive metropolitan area.

“How about using those funds to hire bodyguards for the kids?”

“I’ve thought about that several times too. We have actually hired bodyguards who are former heroes before. But many kids strongly opposed that, so it fell through.”

“Why is that?”

“Just being an exotic race already makes us feel the sting of people’s gazes… If we also had bodyguards, it became apparent that other people would avoid our kids.”

If someone approached a protected individual, the bodyguards would naturally be on high alert.

In that process, the exotic races would find it difficult to blend in with the surrounding crowd and would become isolated.

While the individuals’ safety might be secured, living a normal life like everyone else would become impossible.

“Still, we plan to have bodyguards accompany the kids for their commutes for a while.”

“But if something like today happens again afterward…”

“Is there anything more we can do to help?”

“We will gratefully accept your concern.”

Jung Eun-young was immensely grateful to Yoo Ji-han and Kim Si-hu for saving Lixis.

However, they were fundamentally outsiders with little connection to the exotic race shelter.

“Politicians and guild members sometimes visit this shelter. And what they usually say to me is quite similar: ‘We will provide more sponsorships, we will make Korea a better place for exotic races,’ and such.”

“…….”

“After that, news of their visit to the shelter appears in various headlines. There are also many supportive comments on the internet articles about us. …But it seldom translates into actual help.”

Some politicians or guild executives viewed visiting the exotic race shelters simply as an opportunity to get a photo for the media or add another line to their resume.

The attention given to exotic race shelters felt just like cigarette smoke.

It appeared for a brief moment before quickly vanishing.

“The biggest help we’ve received was when we were searching for the child who has yet to return to the shelter. A large guild helped us at that time.”

“A large guild…”

“Dice, where the hero Yoon Do-ha is. Thanks to him, we learned that the missing child had gone abroad.”

So far, only Yoon Do-ha’s Dice had provided significant help to the Sky Shelter.

In such a situation, even if a small guild stepped up to offer assistance, the actual likelihood of it being helpful was very low.

“However, even back then, I felt uneasy due to the backlash from our sponsors.”

There were many exotic races that loathed heroes for various reasons.

And the sponsors of the Sky Shelter were no exception.

If the shelter actively accepted help from the guild, it could lead to disgruntled exotic races withdrawing their support.

‘It’s not easy.’

Yoo Ji-han ultimately kept his mouth shut.

Even the act of helping one another was tangled in complicated relationships.

Just because they stepped in wouldn’t necessarily lead to favorable outcomes.

But then—

Swish—

Kim Si-hu suddenly removed the hat he had been wearing.

His pointed ears and dark hair were now visible.

“A Half-Elf?!”

“Yes. I’m not human.”

Jung Eun-young covered her mouth in surprise.

She had thought of him as a human until he took off his hat.

He was definitely not an ordinary human.

“But you said the Sweet Fun guild was founded by you…”

“The guild founded by a Half-Elf. That’s all it is.”

“Oh, I see.”

Half-elves are beings that don’t wholly belong to either human or exotic race.

However, public perception tends to categorize them as exotic races.

Therefore, it could be said that Sweet Fun is the first guild in Korea founded by an exotic race.

‘A guild established by an exotic race.’

There had been heroes from exotic races before…

But it was perhaps a special condition that could symbolically mean something in the future.

Since the exotic race, often portrayed as dangerous to humans, was now taking the lead in protection.

Kim Si-hu looked at Jung Eun-young, who was lost deep in thought, and said, “I am also classified as part of the exotic races by many people. Growing up, I’ve experienced the discriminatory views towards exotic races all too well. But what would happen if a guild like this were acknowledged in the world?”

“That… I’m definitely curious about that too.”

Various imaginations blossomed in Jung Eun-young’s mind as she looked at Kim Si-hu’s hair.

Though it may be a hasty expectation, having a guild represented by an exotic race might help improve the general perception of exotic races in society.

‘Maybe really…’

A change confronting the solid wall of racial discrimination.

Jung Eun-young felt an illusion that such a wind was blowing before her eyes.

*

Yoo Ji-han and Kim Si-hu received Jung Eun-young’s permission and took a moment to explore the Sky Shelter.

The tour was led by Lixis, the one they had rescued.

It seemed she wanted to show them around as a thank you for their help.

“Hyung, I’m sorry.”

Kim Si-hu apologized to Yoo Ji-han for his sudden behavior in the office.

The fact that he was an exotic race and not human was not yet a widely known story outside.

It was an apology for speaking that without seeking Yoo Ji-han’s consent.

“You don’t have to apologize to me.”

But Yoo Ji-han shook his head.

While the party leader usually gave instructions on-site, making significant decisions and leading the guild was ultimately the guild master’s role.

“You can do what you want. I’ll only step in if the guild starts going in the wrong direction.”

“I understand.”

Whether it’s just making money or working to change perceptions of exotic races by spreading the guild’s name, no matter what…

Yoo Ji-han intended to align as closely as possible with Kim Si-hu’s desired direction.

‘This is interesting.’

And Yoo Ji-han found that having a grand goal felt more enjoyable than simply making a lot of money.

It was like tasting a new food he had never eaten before; there was a certain thrill in challenging himself.

“This is the dining hall.”

“It’s quite spacious.”

The dining hall was impeccably clean, without a speck of dust.

The tables and chairs were not cheap, rather comfortable products that offered dignity to the space.

Moreover, kitchen appliances such as microwaves and ovens were all expensive products one would typically see in high-end restaurants.

Yoo Ji-han commented in admiration, “Looks like the people supporting here must have quite a bit of money.”

“That seems to be the case. A friend who’s interested in cooking consulted with the director, and that’s how those appliances came in.”

“That’s great.”

“They even provided paint and brushes to a friend whose dream is to be a painter! And for a friend aspiring to be a program developer, they got the latest model of a laptop…”

Lixis narrated about the kids belonging to the shelter while guiding them around.

It was quite a positive thing for children with dreams to have opportunities to nurture those dreams.

In a society where exotic races could each have professions and contribute, there were recent news reports about the government preparing policies that offered tax benefits for companies hiring exotic races.

“Riksis—!!”

“Fran oppa?”

At that moment, a male student wearing a uniform entered through the entrance on the first floor.

He was a dwarf, standing around Yoo Ji-han’s belly button height.

It was Fran Fager, who belonged to the Sky Shelter.

“Ha! Ha…! So you’re alive too!”

Whoosh— Whoosh—

Fran, who was sweating profusely and panting, grabbed Lixis by both hands and shook her vigorously.

He hurried back after hearing the news that Lixis had been kidnapped, just like the other children already at the shelter.

“Are these the ones who rescued you…?”

“That’s right.”

“Wow!”

Fran knelt down before the two from Sweet Fun.

“Thank you so much——!!”

“Uh… sure.”

Thud!

Out of nowhere, Fran slammed his forehead to the floor in a bow.

His loud voice echoed throughout the whole first floor!

Others nearby heard his voice and came out to the door.

Lixis turned away, feeling a bit embarrassed at his behavior.

“Ah! We can’t just let such wonderful people go.”

“What?”

“Please wait a moment!”

Pattering—

Fran hurried off somewhere.

And shortly after, he returned, holding a small box in each hand.

“This is a gem I’ve treasured so much! It’s not money, but please accept this at least!”

Fran approached them once more and opened the lids of the boxes wide.

At that moment, Yoo Ji-han and Kim Si-hu could only widen their eyes in surprise.

“This… It’s a magic crystal.”