Chapter 76

President Kelkel giggled.

“Franz-san, as I said, she’s an employee of Necrogrant Black Magic Co. It’s not strange at all for her to use Black Magic.”

“Which means she can use both Blue and Black magic—so why on earth is someone that talented working here…?”

It’s common sense that someone proficient in Blue Magic rarely seeks employment at a company with “Black Magic” in its name.

“Since we’re here, why don’t you hear the details from the lady herself?”

As the President spoke, she waved to Sanson-sou-senpai.

The senior noticed us and walked over with steady, rhythmic steps.

“President, it’s been a long time. I never expected to run into you in a place like this.”

“I was planning to call for you later anyway. It’s a tough season with so many sharks about, isn’t it? This is our new employee—”

“I’m Franz!” “And I’m his familiar, Cerulia!” “I’m Mary, the ‘Ancestor of Indescribable Nightmares’!”

Since there were several unfamiliar faces, we quickly gave our names and brief introductions.

“Heh~ So you’re a genuine fresh-out-of-school hire. Must be nice. I’m a mid-career hire through and through.”

Sanson-sou-senpai scratched her head and laughed; a thick, reptilian tail swayed from the base of her spine, making it clear she wasn’t an ordinary human.

Actually, since Farphistanya-senpai called her “Senpai,” she was almost certainly much older than a typical senior citizen.

“My name is Sanson-sou. I’m from a Crocodile Beastmen settlement in the South Seas and currently handle maritime management—I’m in charge of several stretches of coast. It’s more fun working near the water, after all.”

Crocodile Beastmen are rare—a minority of perhaps three thousand in total.

“Um, Senpai, you’re a Blue Mage, right? Why are you… here now?”

I was surprised; I hadn’t expected to find a Blue Mage among my seniors.

“Since we have the chance, Sanson-sou-san, why don’t you tell Franz-san and the others why you’re working here?”

“Well then, there’s a cafe nearby where you can enter in swimwear. Let’s go there. I’m a regular, so I know the master.”

For some reason, even though this is my hometown, the roles have reversed and I’m the one being guided…

“Master, you’re quite familiar with this place too, aren’t you? Is it a shop you know?”

When the innocent Cerulia asked that, I winced slightly.

“I… probably don’t know any of the ‘fashionable’ places…”

I left for the Capital’s magic academy before I turned fifteen, so I never spent time at cafes.

The cafe was, as expected, a place I didn’t know—and extremely stylish.

Tables of repurposed timber and casually displayed fishermen’s tools gave the place a trendy, “aesthetic” vibe—bring a girl here and you’d be popular.

Kids in other circles probably started frequenting cafes like this at thirteen or fourteen, but my crowd preferred sugary drinks on the beach—cheaper.

“To think a new recruit like you is actually from Lightstone. You’ll have to tell me if you have any recommended spots.”

“No, I don’t have professional recommendations—just cheap, tasty diners at best. I’m sure you know the area better than I do, Senpai.”

Even if you live here as a kid, you don’t really go into shops like this.

Mary dangled her legs and sipped palm juice, looking remarkably childlike compared to the rest of us.

“Since you’ve only just joined, I’m sure it’s confusing why a Blue Mage is at this company. So, I’ll explain the reason. It’s basically a story of failure, so it’s a bit embarrassing…”

Sanson-sou-senpai began to speak bashfully.

“By the way, why do you call yourself ‘boku’?” Cerulia asked curiously. Wait—you start with that question?

“In my tribe, girls are raised as boys until they’re ten, so the ‘boku’ speech just stuck with me.”

I see. I’ve heard of tribes with customs like that—some even raise everyone as girls when they’re young.

Maybe that’s why she gives off a gallant air despite being clearly female; being a Crocodile Beastman also explains her height.

Many Crocodile Beastmen use Blue Magic from a young age, so I moved to a reasonably large coastal city and joined a Blue Magic company.

She’d come from the countryside—not to a city as large as the Capital, but similar enough. The Capital is inland, so coastal jobs for Blue Mages are scarce there anyway.

“I was doing the same work I do now, but to put it simply, I clashed with the others there.”

Sanson-sou-senpai gave a wry smile.

“That company was deeply tied to the city through coastal management, but to be blunt, the relationship was mired in backroom deals and vested interests.”

Makes sense—specialized rural companies face little competition, so those sorts of ‘connections’ are inevitable.

“I don’t think they were doing anything legally criminal, and it’s a hassle for the town to ask a different company to manage the sea every year, so that part was fine. But—” Her face soured; she must have remembered something irritating.

“The Blue Mages handling management were sloppy. They figured that since they monopolized the work and no one would bid against them, a little carelessness was acceptable.”

“Senpai, I think I get the gist. You snapped at them to do their jobs properly since it was work, right?” Sanson-sou-senpai nodded slowly.

As expected, this company attracts serious, diligent people.

To put it another way, it shows there are people in the world who live diligently but somehow end up suffering for it.

The President, sipping her juice, added a nonchalant footnote.

“By the way, that company went bankrupt about fifteen years later. The town’s budget shrank, and when they opened proper bidding, other companies devoured them. Even if they’d wanted to act, the talented people had already left, so there was nothing to be done.”

Thinking about it rationally, that makes sense: a lord with only incompetent retainers will inevitably fall when another attacks.