Chapter 15

“So, what should I be doing exactly?”

There’s a saying about doing things before you’re told, but as a complete rookie, I couldn’t even begin to imagine what my tasks were.

“Just watch.”

Even as she said that, Senior Farphistanya remained firmly planted in her chair. To a casual observer, it looked like she wasn’t doing anything at all. On the other hand, she didn’t seem to be slacking off either. What was the deal?

“Master, what should we do…?” Cerulia whispered in my ear.

“Let’s wait a bit. We don’t know the ropes yet.”

After about ten minutes, something finally happened. Something emerged from the far side of the swamp. It wobbled through the air, heading straight toward us. What on earth was it?

It was a purple imp, about the size of a human child. It must have been submerged, as bits of algae were clinging to its body. Its face looked quite a bit like a goblin’s. In its hands, it was lugging what looked like a tattered, broken chair.

“Lady Farphistanya, I’ve retrieved it, sir!”

“Good. Put it in the waste collection area. Also, you can take a fifteen-minute break.”

“Understood, sir!”

The imp flew off somewhere.

Soon after, another group of imps arrived, working together to carry what looked like a pile of rubble.

“Yes, put that in the waste collection area too.”

“Right away!”

“There are snacks at the break area, so help yourselves.”

“Thank you very much, sir!”

The imps vanished with their trash.

“This is how it works,” Senior Farphistanya said quietly.

“Could you be… just a little more specific, please?”

“I summon imps… and have them clean the swamp.”

Come to think of it, the President had mentioned this kind of work before.

“…Once we’ve performed the Imp Summoning, all that’s left is to… sit here and supervise. That’s it.”

“Um… are there any precautions I should know about?”

“Sitting for too long is bad for your health, so you should stand up and walk around the swamp occasionally.”

That’s the main concern?!

Isn’t this job incredibly easy…? I mean, the imps are the ones doing the actual cleaning.

“……You just thought this was an easy job.”

Gah. She saw right through me. I braced myself to be told off—something like, “It looks easy, but this is the part that’s actually hard.”

“I’m sorry. I’m a rookie and I’m already underestimating the work…”

“It’s extremely easy.”

It really is easy!

“You don’t really need any special knack for it, so you can just relax. Gelgel, the President’s familiar, even mastered chess in his spare time here.”

“He got that good while on the clock?!”

“New guy, do you know the Imp Summoning spell?”

As she stood up, Senior Farphistanya peered into my face.

“If you don’t know it yet, I’ll have to link with you and perform the Dark Magic Succession Ceremony…”

“U-um, you mean… the ‘naughty’ one, right…?”

Since she asked with a completely blank expression, I had to double-check.

“It isn’t naughty if you don’t feel lust.”

That’s fine in theory, but practically speaking, isn’t that impossible…?

“I already know Imp Summoning, so I’m fine… I assume that’s why the President sent me here…”

I shouldn’t mention who I did the ceremony with. I almost blurted out that I did it with the President, so I have to be careful…

“Want to do it again?”

“No, I’m good!”

I really wished this woman would value her body a bit more. Or do people in the Dark Magic industry just not care about that sort of thing…?

“…By the way, the staff break facility is around the back.”

She pointed toward a small shack. Though, we were basically already “on break.”

“There are extra chairs in there. Bring one out and keep watch. That’s it.”

Is it really okay to get paid for such easy work…?

“You’re wondering if it’s okay to get paid for such easy work, aren’t you?”

Again! This woman is good at reading minds!

“I think I’m lucky too. I never want to change jobs.”

“Senior, you’re incredibly honest!”

“Honest and impressive?”

She gave me a slightly smug look. Was that really something to brag about?
In any case, while she was a bit strange, she wasn’t a bad person, which was a relief. I suppose her tendency to speak her mind could be considered a “craftsman-like” trait in its own way.

●

I brought out chairs for myself and Cerulia and lined them up next to my senior. After that, all there was to do was sit and zone out, but I had to cast the spell properly first.

Specifically, the Imp Summoning spell.

I had prepared well, and I managed to summon twenty imps without any trouble. Up close, they really did look like goblins, though their skin color was much darker. They also had wings like a bat’s.

“Boss, give us your orders!”

Right, I’m the supervisor here.

“Go into the swamp and pick up anything that looks like trash. After you report to me, take it over to that waste collection area.”

“Understood, sir!”

“Senior Farphistanya’s imps are already there, so make sure you don’t get into any fights with them.”

The imps scattered into the swamp in small groups. Next—well, there was nothing left to do but idle away the time…

“This is a ver〜y laid-back job, isn’t it?”

Even Cerulia, seemingly realizing there was nothing for her to do as a familiar, sat blankly in her chair.

“I agree.”

If the word about this job got out at the magic school, I bet there would be a flood of applicants.