Chapter 16

“…Hey, Junior-kun.”

While I was doing my “work,” which consisted of nothing but sitting in a chair and spacing out, Senior Farphistanya spoke to me.

“Yes, what is it?”

“It’s too boring. Chat with me.”

“Ah, okay…”

Forget “no personal talking allowed”—my boss was actually the one initiating the conversation. This workplace is so much of a dream that I’m starting to feel a sense of guilt toward the rest of the world that is actually working hard…

But then again, I have nothing else to do while sitting here, so it’s a welcome offer. Being too bored can actually be painful in its own way.

“Junior-kun, are you a graduate of the Royal Capital International Magic School?”

“Yes, that’s right. Are you a graduate too, Senior?”

“…I don’t have many good memories of school… but technically, yes.”

Did I just step on a landmine? But she was the one who asked, so I just asked back. If this is a landmine, it’s a total trap.

“I’m sorry if I made you remember something unpleasant…”

“It’s fine. The teachers and students were all good people. They even threw me a birthday party.”

“Sounds like you enjoyed your student life to the fullest!”

Then what kind of “bad memories” could she possibly have?

“Hint: you’ll know if you just look at me.”

That’s a hard one to answer. If I say the wrong thing, it’ll be rude.

“I… failed my job hunt.”

“Ah, I see…”

Perhaps remembering the old days made her feel a bit lonely; her expression softened into a slight sadness.

“My grades weren’t bad… but because I’m shy and have a laid-back personality… nobody would hire me.”

“I was more on that side of the fence too, so I understand…”

Companies love to do endless interviews to hire “communication powerhouses.” I think that’s a problem in itself. Having that kind of personality and being good at your job should be two strictly different issues.

With her personality, she was likely judged as “lacking enthusiasm.” I probably would have done the same if I were an interviewer…

“I applied to fifty places and failed them all… Even when they told me to speak more clearly and with more energy, this is just my personality and how I talk…”

True. This is just her character. It’s rough to have that part of yourself rejected.

“And then, while I was brooding in a cafe… President Kelkel sat down across from me.”

According to her story, the President had said this:

‘By any chance, are you a student who isn’t having much luck with job hunting? I’m the president of a company in the magic industry—would you like to talk for a bit?’

The President apparently spoke about the Dark Magic industry without hiding a single thing. Drawn to her character, Farphistanya decided that she could make it here and accepted the job.

“Even now, it gives me chills to think about what would have happened if I hadn’t met the President then…”

“Life really does change because of small things like that, doesn’t it?”

“That’s why I’ve decided to devote myself to the President.”

What a heartwarming story. President Kelkel really is a person of great character. She probably couldn’t just leave a grieving student alone.

“Hearing that story makes me glad I joined this company, too.”

If the President were a jerk, the whole company would be stained with that same color.

“Yes, I’m grateful. I can still remember the President’s face when she called out to me as if it were yesterday. Even though it was fifty-seven years ago.”

Wait… what?

I feel like she just said something very strange.

“Um, did you just say fifty-seven years ago?”

“Because it was fifty-seven years ago.”

This person is quite old! In fact, she’s at an age where she could be my grandmother without it being weird at all!

“…Anti-aging via Dark Magic.”

“Is that even a level of ‘anti-aging’ anymore?!”

“…Girls care about their beauty. This much is a piece of cake.”

Perhaps she didn’t want to be asked about her age in detail, as her cheeks flushed a slight vermillion.

“That’s beyond the dimension of ‘beauty,’ Senior…”

This company still has a lot of mysteries and darkness.

“Ten years ago, when I went to my class reunion, they called me a Beautiful Witch.”

“I mean, you are a beautiful Dark Mage, but I feel like the meaning of that word is a bit different here!”

“Junior-kun, you just called me beautiful.”

Ah, it slipped out in the heat of the moment. But Senior Farphistanya is undeniably a beauty. A mysterious, mature older woman.

(Note: Her actual age is probably around 75, but I’ve decided not to think about that.)

“Thanks, Junior-kun.”

She gave me a smile.

Thump. My heart skipped a beat. Because she’s usually expressionless, the destructive power of her smile is incredible.

“Master, you almost just fell for her, didn’t you?”

Cerulia caught me immediately.

“I am a Succubus, so I can tell right away.”

I guess I can’t keep secrets from her…

“I’m happy you’ve fallen for me, but… I don’t have as much chest as that familiar of yours.”

Senior Farphistanya stared intently at Cerulia’s chest.

“Ah, just so you know, it’s not like I summoned Cerulia because she’s well-endowed or because I have a thing for that! Okay!?”

“I’ll take your word for it.”

She said that, but she didn’t believe me at all. Man, I hope rumors don’t spread through the office that I’m a “breast fetishist” or something…

“Maybe… I shouldn’t have sacrificed my chest size as an offering for anti-aging…”

I just heard something shocking, but I’ve decided not to pursue it. Can you even use chest size as a sacrifice? It’s not even a living thing.

“Master, chest size is something that girls find very hard to ignore. Even putting aside the male gaze, girls with larger ones tend to naturally act more confident among each other.”

Ah, I guess that really is a thing…

“So, you can use chest size as a sacrifice. By the way, for men, it’s fairly common to sacrifice ‘height.’ If you see a male Dark Mage who is unusually short, there’s a high chance he sacrificed his height.”

“I see… I’ve learned something new today…”

If that’s the case, I guess sacrificing it isn’t so bad. Apparently, “sacrifices” aren’t always fatal.

After that, I just spaced out while occasionally checking the trash the imps brought back. I wasn’t slacking; this was the job.

However, after about two hours had passed, I saw the imps flying around in a total frenzy.

“…This is a big job.”

Senior stood up immediately.

What on earth was happening…?