Chapter 42

Since we had done quite a bit of shopping, we decided to have tea at a café located on the first floor of a grand hotel. Being that kind of establishment, the prices were quite steep, but considering it was a date of sorts, I figured it was fine.

If the expenses got so large that things started looking grim, I’d just have to consult President Kelkel… Summoning someone like Mary is a rare case among rare cases, so I assumed a certain amount of leeway would be granted. If possible, I’d love to receive something like a “Summoned Demon Rearing Allowance.”

As it was a prestigious hotel, staff members dressed like bellhops were providing hospitality to the visitors. This type of high-end lodging basically only exists in large cities. However, for some reason, Mary wore a dubious expression.

“Hmm… something is weird here.”

“What do you mean, weird?” I asked. I wondered if she was going to say that the Demon Realm didn’t have this kind of hospitality.

“All the employees here have exhausted faces. They look a lot like the faces of people who have seen my nightmares.”

She really was a pro at recognizing misery… but I felt a sense of disconnect at her words.

“They’re all serving customers with smiles, though. Look at the front desk over there; the female employee is responding quite politely.”

“Franz… is it possible that most of the employees here are actually slaves?”

Talk about an extreme conclusion!

“There’s no way. Slavery ended over a hundred years ago.”

“I see… Even so, I keep seeing people with faces remarkably similar to slaves. I wonder why?”

I thought she was being quite rude to the workers, but I couldn’t help but feel curious.

“Um… if you find any other shops that feel ‘slave-like’ to you, could you let me know?”

As it turned out, the professions Mary pointed out that day were varied. Some were working on replacing a new bridge, while others were serving customers in large retail stores. Of course, none of them wore chains indicating slavery. In fact, things like physical binding hadn’t been practiced since even before the formal abolition of slavery.

“Well, maybe I’m just mistaken. You don’t have to worry about it so much.”

“No, if you felt that way, Mary, there might be a reason. I’ll ask the President about it later.”

●

“I was wondering if you could tell me anything about this?”

I went to the office with Mary and handed a list to President Kelkel. I figured it would be fastest to ask her.

“Hmm, let me see. I’ll check some management-related documents. Since our company is an enterprise in the Capital, we do keep an eye on the trends of other companies to some extent.”

After a short while, President Kelkel returned with some papers.

“To put it simply, those people are either dispatched workers, fixed-term employees, or part-timers.”

Ah, I was starting to understand.

“For example, the majority of the employees at that hotel are sent from a company called ‘Live Your Own Way Staffing Agency.’ This retail store over here hires its service staff on a three-month renewal basis. This place over here is also forcing things through with part-time labor.”

“Does that mean the employment conditions are poor, and it’s naturally showing on their faces?”

For instance, if you’re on a three-month renewal system, you might be out of a job in half a year. It would be hard to stay relaxed under those conditions.

“Exactly. Companies started doing this to keep wage costs low. It’s not great because it’s hard for the workers to build a career even if they work a long time. After all, they might just get dispatched to a completely different company next time.”

The mystery was solved. Legally, there were no slaves, but there were far more people than I imagined in the Capital working under disadvantageous conditions. Mary, coming from a different world, was able to perceive that clearly.

Suddenly, the President gave a sly grin. Her eyes were locked onto Mary.

“Mary-san, I have found a target for you to destroy.”

I had a feeling I knew the answer.

“President… are you planning to tell her to destroy ‘black companies’ (exploitative corporations)?”

“Ding-dong! Correct!”

She was going to have the “Indescribable Ancestor of Nightmares,” who had devastated countless cities and nations, destroy exploitative companies! I see, it was a brilliant idea. …Wait, was it a brilliant idea?

“Um, President, no matter how you look at it, physically smashing a company is a violation of the law. We’ll get arrested…”

However, President Kelkel smiled again.

“Franz-san, ‘black companies’ are called that precisely because they make money by violating the law. Therefore, it’s only logical that they be punished for it, right?”

Well, I understood her meaning. I understood, but could Mary actually do that?

“Anyway, what’s a ‘black company’? Is it a Dark Magic corporation?” Mary asked.

If that were the case, our company would be a black company too. I explained to her what an exploitative corporation was. As she listened, Mary’s expression shifted toward indignation.

“Hmph! That’s totally outrageous! Not letting a part-timer quit even when they want to? And companies that don’t pay for overtime are crazy! If someone works, you have to pay them! Even in the Demon Realm, we don’t do things that hideous!”

The Capital is apparently more hideous than the Demon Realm.

“I get it! I’ll destroy the black companies! If I use my army of sixty-six thousand six hundred mini-demons, I can definitely do it!”

This was turning into a massive operation!

“By the way, all my mini-demons are full-time employees by the rules of this country.”

What are you, a mega-corporation?! Man, Mary really is an incredible existence.

“Hehehe, just you watch, Franz. Three days from now, when the ominous Red Moon rises, the black companies of the Capital will be visited by calamity and tragedy.”

●

On the day of the operation, a Red Moon truly was rising. Late into the night, I watched the situation from below a building where people were still working with the lights on. Mary and Cerulia were beside me.

“Look, Mary, make sure you don’t leave any evidence. I don’t want us getting arrested…”

“It’ll be fine. To put it simply, the scale is so massive that it’s impossible to prove who the culprit is. The mini-demons will appear all over the Capital at once.”

It happened exactly as she said.

From in front of us, from behind us, and even from the sky above, fancy-looking mini-demons appeared. They looked a bit like cats with wings. It seemed as if they simply surged out of nothingness.

“Whoa, what are these creatures?” “So cute!” “Mama, I want one as a pet!” “They fly pretty fast.”

Perhaps because of their appearance, the town didn’t seem to be panicking all that much.

“The mini-demons enter the companies, and when they find illegal business practices, they report them to the labor-related government offices, notify the industry unions, and basically spread the word to everyone that something is wrong. Once their task is done, they return to the Demon Realm on the spot. So, only people who know I’m a high-ranking demon and that Franz called me will ever figure it out.”

This was a victory.

“Well, it looks like it’ll end without any problems, so let’s go home, Franz.”

Since the effects wouldn’t be instantaneous, we went home that night and slept normally.

Well, compared to before, it wasn’t exactly “normal.”

“Franz, stroke my head. I worked hard today.”

I fell asleep acting as Mary’s hug pillow.