Chapter 14

Until the first day of the following month—my official start date—my job was to make sure I truly mastered the Dark Magic spells I had learned while staying at the student dorm.

Generally, new employees start at the beginning of the month, and being told to practice your magic at home until then is a very common form of training.

For about two weeks, I lived a life that felt like a honeymoon, flirting with Cerulia every day.

“Master, we have delicious dried fish today. When you grill these, the oil rises to the surface and they become quite savory.”

“Oh, nice. My hometown was near the sea, so I grew up eating a lot of fish.”

Since the Royal Capital is a bit inland, fresh fish isn’t always in circulation, but the dried fish they get is high quality to make up for it.

“When the people at the market see me, they always give me a discount and say they’ll pick out the best ones for me. Though, after that, I noticed their wives pinching their arms.”

Ah… well, if a beautiful girl like Cerulia (who wears such revealing clothes) shows up, any shopkeeper is going to turn into a bumbling mess. Besides, making men act like that is practically Cerulia’s job…

“Cerulia, you really know your way around the cuisine of this world. Did you study it in the Underworld?”

Cerulia gave a soft “fufu” and her cheeks flushed a slight vermillion.

“I have been studying ever since I came here, just for you, Master.”

“Th-thank you…”

Sometimes she makes such an unfairly cute face that it’s hard to handle. Not that I’m complaining. If anything, I want her to keep doing it. I still get that feeling of a “first love” whenever it happens; I haven’t gotten used to it at all. Whoever came up with the proverb that you get bored of a beauty in three days clearly never met a real beauty.

“Well, I know very well how hard you are studying your Dark Magic, Master… so I thought I should learn to cook…”

“I’m sorry if I made you feel like you had to.”

“No! I do it because I want to! Please, do not worry about it at all…”

Between Cerulia and President Kelkel, there are so many good people that I’m actually starting to worry about the state of the Dark Magic industry. Can an industry full of such nice people really survive?

The dried fish we had for dinner that night was incredibly fragrant once grilled, with a deep, concentrated flavor.

“Cerulia, you’re a really good cook.”

“I am honored by your praise…”

●

And finally, the day of my official start arrived. From today, I would be working as an employee of Necrogrant Dark Magic Co.

Up until now, I’ve only ever earned money through part-time jobs. I wonder if I’ll be able to do this well.

As usual, I arrived at the company building, which looked like a rugged “fortress.” Cerulia was floating right beside me, which was a huge comfort. Starting a job with her there compared to being all alone was like the difference between heaven and earth.

“I wonder what my seniors—other than the President—are like… I’m about 80% anxious and 20% excited.”

“That is quite a lot of anxiety.”

“Well, the President is so nice that there’s a chance she lets people with ‘problems’ slide. There might be people here who literally can’t work anywhere else except under her wings.”

Plus, since it’s an understaffed industry, the President might not have the luxury of being picky with talent. What if it’s someone who tries to punch me the moment our eyes meet…?

When I entered the office, once again, only the President was there.

“Good morning! You’re officially an employee starting today! I look forward to working with you!”

The President greeted me energetically while wagging her dog tail vigorously.

“Um… this company doesn’t only consist of you, right, President?”

I wondered if it was normal to not meet anyone else.

“Everyone is out on-site. But, since you’ll be heading to a site today too, Franz-san, you’ll definitely meet the person in charge there.”

I see, it’s strictly field work. I suppose Dark Magic doesn’t exactly scream “office supplies and paperwork.”

“There’s a swamp in the forest about a thirty-minute walk from here. One of our employees is there, so please ask them for instructions. This little guy will guide you.”

Smoke billowed from the President’s hand, and a shaggy dog familiar appeared. If I recalled correctly, his name was Gelgel.

“Gelgel, please guide them to Hangman’s Swamp.”

“Got it, woof!”

And so, I headed toward a swamp with a very ominous name for my first assignment.

After walking for a while, a forest appeared, and the path grew dim under the shadow of the trees.

“By the way, what kind of person is the employee working here?”

I asked the familiar. Since he was the President’s familiar, I addressed him politely.

“He’s the blunt, craftsman-specialist type, woof.”

Yikes, that might be exactly the type I’m bad at dealing with…

Craftsman types always seem so strict. I wondered if I could get along with them. I just hoped I wouldn’t get hit.

With my anxiety mounting, I pushed deeper into the forest. In an area that could only be described as a sea of trees, I found a dull, murky swamp. It was vast enough to justify its creepy name, “Hangman’s Swamp.”

“Ah, the employee is sitting over there, woof.”

Sure enough, an old-fashioned chair was placed unnaturally at the edge of the swamp, and someone was sitting in it. From a distance, it looked like a woman.

“Alright, my job is done, woof.”

Hey, wait! At least introduce us properly! The hurdle had just been raised slightly.

“Master, it would be rude if we didn’t go and greet her ourselves. Let’s go,” Cerulia said.

She was right. Gathering my courage, I stepped in front of the sitting person.

She was a woman with a calm atmosphere, characterized by long black hair. She looked to be in her mid-twenties. Despite the President saying the company was struggling with a lack of staff, there seemed to be a lot of young people. Though, everyone other than her might be an old-timer.

“Hello! I’m Franz, the new employee! I look forward to working with you!”

“And I am Cerulia, his familiar.”

“I see…”

Her voice was so small it would have been impossible to hear in a busy town.

“My name is… Farphistanya.”

“Um, I don’t mean any offense, but that’s an unusual name. Where are you from?”

“…Somewhere far away.”

Another tiny voice, and a response that made it very difficult to expand the conversation…

I’ll just say it. This senior isn’t just “blunt”—she’s a “low-energy” character through and through…