Chapter 63

“Um, about your summer vacation… would you mind taking it a bit later?”

When I went into the office, President Kelkel asked me with an apologetic look.

“Oh, yes. That’s fine with me.”

If anything, I hadn’t thought about summer vacation at all. Though, I suppose it makes sense that we have one. It probably isn’t as long as a student’s, though.
“Thank you! I love you!”

I flinched at the abrupt “I love you!” I knew for a fact it wasn’t coming from a place of romantic interest, though.

“President, please don’t say it like that, it’s misleading… Is it because everyone’s vacation dates overlapped or something?”

“No, it’s because it clashes with the Black Magic Industry Joint New Hire Training.”

“The Black Magic Industry Joint New Hire Training!? Sorry, I just parrotted you because of the sheer impact of those words…”

Come to think of it, even if the black magic industry is in decline, there must be plenty of new hires when looking at it on a national scale.

“Well, the training is half-play, in a way. One of the goals is simply to find friends among your peers, so I’d like you to just go and take it easy. Apparently, they even have an outdoor barbecue party.”

“Ah… one of those ‘normie’ events…”

Even back at magic school, we had school trips and such, but since I wasn’t exactly part of the “in-crowd,” I always felt out of place…

Even in professional training, hearing words like “joint” and “solidarity” made me feel like I wouldn’t fit the atmosphere.

That said, it wasn’t like I could refuse for a reason like that. Even I would think I was someone who lacked cooperativeness.

“Understood. I’ll participate.”

“You look a bit reluctant, but you’ll be fine, Franz-san! You can overcome this!”

“No, it’s not a lack of confidence, I’m just wondering if I’ll be able to communicate…”

“In that case, you’re even more fine. You don’t have to communicate at all.”

Wait, what!? Is a company president allowed to say something like that…?

“By the way, Mary-san is technically a newcomer too, so could you ask her if she wants to join? Well, I suspect if you go, she’ll say she’s going too.”

Ah, right. That means I won’t be all alone from the start. I can avoid the situation of having no one to talk to.

“I think she’ll say she’s going. Also, can I bring my familiar, Cerulia?”

“Yes, please do.”

With that, my anxieties were mostly resolved.

Two weeks later, we took a series of carriages to the designated mountainous region.

Since we were traveling on a weekday, we couldn’t ride Tototo-senpai’s Tensho-go.

After getting off the carriage and walking up the mountain path for over thirty minutes, the surroundings eventually turned quite dim and eerie…

“Man… what a nice, gloomy path.”

“It puts my mind at ease, mistress.”

So it’s actually a plus for demonic beings! True, when I went to the Demon Realm, it was dim everywhere…

Eventually, a massive, weathered Western-style mansion came into view at the end of the road.

It was three stories tall, likely once belonging to a lord who ruled this area. Surrounded by a moat, it looked more like it served the function of a castle than just a manor.

“Feels like ghosts might pop out…”

“There may be some specter-types lingering. I can act as a mediator, so it will be quite alright.”

“Oh, right. From your perspective, Cerulia, they aren’t exactly objects of fear.”

Upon entering the manor, we first encountered a reception window with a plate that read “Administration Office.”

An elderly woman was sitting there.

“Excuse me, we are from the Necrogrant Black Magic Company, here for the new hire training.”

“Ah, Franz and Mary. And the familiar, Cerulia. I shall distribute these, then. Be sure to wear them during the opening ceremony.”

What she handed over were black pointed hats—or rather, masks.

They were exactly the kind of thing a secret society would wear…

“Human black mages always do such tedious things,” Mary remarked, seemingly well-acquainted with the industry’s long history. After that, we were given room keys and headed toward the living quarters. For the record, my room was 666-23 and Mary’s was 666-24. Apparently, it was custom to prefix everything with 666.

I told Mary we’d meet up later, parted ways, and entered the room with Cerulia. It was bleak, containing nothing but a desk, a bed, and a window. There was also a landscape painting hanging up that I couldn’t tell was high-art or just bad.

“No, it isn’t just that.”

Cerulia took down the hanging painting.

Behind it, a mysterious talisman-like object was pasted to the wall.

“Ack! There’s definitely something stuck there!”

“That is not all. Generally, they are under the beds as well. Let me take a look.”

With that, Cerulia stuck her head under the bed.

She didn’t move for a while, but returned after about two minutes.

“There was a specter lurking there with an axe.”

“Scary! That’s incredibly scary!”

“Oh, specters only lurk; they don’t actually cause harm. However, I told him it would be distracting while we sleep and asked him to move to another room, so he departed.”

This is bad.

The black magic industry’s training center is clearly wrong in so many ways…

Rattle, rattle, rattle!

This time, the window suddenly began to shake loudly.
“Wah! What is it now!?”

“Ah, that would be a poltergeist. Please rest easy, as they are mostly harmless. They read the room and stay quiet while you sleep at night.”

“Wait, is that the issue…? As long as they don’t disturb my sleep, it’s okay…?”

I wonder if I can really survive this training…