Chapter 2

I headed to the cafe Lise-chan told me about, a place called The Hundred-Eyed Owl.
I thought the name was a bit questionable, but the interior was actually quite stylish, despite the owl-themed decor cluttering every corner. I was told to wait at the table furthest in the back for the person from the Dark Magic industry, so I ordered some golden barley tea and took a seat.

A woman from the Dark Magic industry, huh? I bet she’ll be some shriveled-up old hag.

I had this image of the field being like a dying traditional craft where no young people ever enter. The working conditions are probably terrible, too. She probably spends all day lining up sheep heads on altars or something equally grim.

As I sat there spiraling into these unpleasant fantasies, a shadow fell over me.

I looked up and saw a girl in a robe with dog ears. She had a chestnut-colored bob that suited her perfectly. She looked slightly younger than me—maybe sixteen or seventeen. Judging by the ears, she was likely a werewolf. You see all kinds of races in the Royal Capital, so it wasn’t that unusual.

“Are you Franz-san?” she asked.

So, she was the representative of the Dark Magic company. Now that I looked closer, her robes were deep black. You’d never catch someone from the White Magic industry wearing a robe that dark.

“Yes, I’m Franz…”

“Oh! Ohhh! Thank you so much!”

She suddenly grabbed my hand and gave it a semi-aggressive shake.

Whoa, what’s with this person?!

“I am Kelkel, the representative—which is to say, the President—of the Necrogrant Dark Magic Company! I am truly, truly happy to have you come to us in this labor-starved Dark Magic industry!”

“Wait, a young girl like you is the president…?”

No matter how I looked at her, she seemed like an underclassman.

“Ah, well, my true form is a Cerberus, a hound of the underworld. This appearance is just a temporary vessel. I’m actually about five centuries old.”

I’d never met anyone who measured their age in centuries before!

“Man, you’re a lifesaver. Students usually hear ‘Dark Magic’ and run the other way. To revitalize the industry, we really need young people like you, Franz-san!”

Looking closely, I noticed her tail was whipping back and forth behind her. Apparently, she wags it when she’s happy.

“Um… I haven’t said I’m joining yet… I just came to hear what you had to say today…”

“Yes, yes, I know! Just think of this as an informal meet-and-greet! You can order whatever you like to eat, okay? Shall we start with, say, a dozen orders of the seasonal pancakes?”

“No, just the tea is fine!”

If I ordered too much, it would be harder to turn her down later!

From there, she began to explain the details of Necrogrant Dark Magic Co.

“In the old days, our company had nearly three hundred employees and fifteen branches nationwide, including the underworld… but the branches have been closed, and now we operate with about ten people between the Capital and the Sub-Capital.”

The definition of a struggling small business…

Is it really okay for me to join such a declining company?

“You just thought, ‘This is a company on the decline side,’ didn’t you?”

I flinched.

“It’s fine! In fact, the more it declines toward the night, the better! Because it’s Dark Magic! It’s almost more fitting if we’re barely holding on as a company! I mean, isn’t it kind of weird for a Dark Magic business to be recognized as a normal, respectable company anyway?”

“From a student’s perspective I can’t really laugh at self-deprecating jokes like that!”

“Ah, you’re right. My apologies. I’m a Cerberus by nature, so I have a bit of a flighty personality~.”

I wasn’t sure if being a Cerberus and having a flighty personality were related, but I didn’t feel like nitpicking, so I let it slide. The underworld is where the demons live, but lately, there hasn’t been much travel between worlds, so people don’t know much about it. We aren’t at war or anything, so I assumed it wasn’t an issue.

“By the way, what kind of work do you do? Is it… shady stuff?”

I’d be in trouble if I were forced to do something that might make me a criminal every day. I had to confirm this.

“Lately, we’ve been using Imps and Wights to clean out swamps. Oh, summoning Wights might be hard at first, so don’t worry—we’ll start you off with much simpler tasks.”

“Anything else?”

“We have familiars clean up graveyards and such.”

“…And?”

“We also manage abandoned ruins.”

Wait, this is much more mundane than I thought.

“Isn’t there anything… more like, blood spraying everywhere or lots of sacrifices?”

“Nope.”

She answered instantly.

“Look, sheep sacrifices are incredibly expensive. It was one thing back when we were flush with cash, but we can’t afford that kind of thing anymore. It’s mostly just steady, practical work.”

“What about shortening your lifespan?”

“Spells like that do exist, but we leave those dangerous ones to someone like me who is practically immortal, so it’s not a problem. Besides, those ‘risks’ are usually just a substitute for mana. If you steadily build your skills and increase your mana capacity and technique, you won’t have to take those risks.”

It sounded a lot safer than I expected…

“You just thought, ‘This sounds safer than I expected,’ didn’t you?”

I flinched again.

“Exactly! The modern Dark Magic industry is actually very safe! The bad image is just a leftover from the old days when people were obsessed with sacrifices.”

Kelkel-san gave me a bright smile.

“In fact, our standard working hours are 10:00 AM to 7:00 PM (including a one-hour break; eight hours of actual work). If you have to work at night, we compensate by giving you the following day off. Also, the salary is about double what you’d get in the White Magic industry.”

“That’s incredibly ‘white’ (ethical)!”

“We also forbid managers from pressuring subordinates to go out for drinks. Of course, if you like that sort of thing, we can make reservations. For those who use Dark Magic, private time at night is precious. Forcibly detaining someone at night for selfish reasons is a serious breach of etiquette.”

“That’s great too!”

Not having to deal with a boss dragging me out after work sounded like a dream. Wait… is this actually a great company? At this rate, I had no reason to refuse.

“So, what do you think?”

Sitting across the table, Kelkel-san leaned in closer. Since she looked like a younger schoolgirl, it made my heart skip a beat. Plus, she had big, round eyes that made her look like a small animal. I could see why she and Lise-chan were cafe buddies; Lise-chan would definitely like a girl like her.

“The probationary period is one month after you start. If you don’t like it, you’re free to quit.”

“You won’t… hunt me down and kill me if I quit, right?”

“To be blunt, we don’t have the luxury of doing anything that would make the industry’s reputation any worse. Industries that bully people are the ones confident that a replacement will always show up. We’re in a position where we have to bow our heads just to get someone to come to the door.”

That sounded like sound logic to me.

“Also, you’ll probably be moving out of the dorm next month, but we’ve secured a company dormitory in the Capital with a kitchen, toilet, and bath—three rooms total. You’re welcome to move in! The cost is just one silver coin a month, deducted from your salary.”

I gulped. Even the discounted school dorm cost four silver coins a month… For a company dorm, that was practically free. Plus, it would save me the massive headache of looking for an apartment from scratch while being unemployed.

“Well? What do you say?”

Kelkel-san asked once more. I reached out and squeezed her hand firmly.

“Please let me work for your company!”

“Hired!” Kelkel-san replied energetically.

“Technically, I’m still a student, though.”

“Then your formal employment will begin after graduation.”

I finally had a job! Now I could attend my graduation ceremony without a care in the world!