After madly searching in the northern forest on Sat.u.r.day and Sunday, the [Devil race’s town] wasn’t found in the end.
On Monday, the next day, while searching the Devil race’s town with remote-controlled tracking beacons, I went to work as per usual.
「Maruyama-kun, sorry to make you do this first thing in the morning, but you’ve been called by the Nancy Jewelry.」
「Ah, yes.」
Immediately after coming to work, I’ve been told about this by the director.
Even though I’m an SE, don’t I seem like a sales person?
When I rushed over, the vicinity of the Nancy Jewelry was crowded with press corps.
「Are you a staff of Nancy Jewelry?」
A strong-willed-looking female reporter suddenly thrust out a microphone.
What on Earth is this!?
Does the news coverage of the terrorism incident that happened last week still continuing?
「Arc Gold had transferred money to the terrorist organization in order to hara.s.s Nancy Jewelry, do you know anything about it?」
I see, that sort of [new information] has come out, huh.
Did some weekly magazines write a scoop article or something?
「I’m sorry, I don’t know a thing.」
I pretended to not know anything and after pushing my way through the press corps, I somehow managed to get inside the Nancy Jewelry.
「Ah, Seiji, welcome.」
「Nancy, I came since you called me, but what can I help you with? No matter how many I am, I can’t make the press corps disperse.」
「Well, it’s mama, who has business with you.」
I was shown into the inner part of the room where mama-san is.
「h.e.l.lo, mama-san. I’ve come, but is there anything you need?」
「Actually, I’m leaving j.a.pan so I’m entrusting Nancy to you, alright?」
「Eh? It’s so sudden, where are you going?」
「I’m going to [Bhutan] for a short time.」
「Ah, it’s about the [Nullpo Stone], huh.」
「Eh? How did you know?」
「I saw it on the doc.u.ments you left behind some time ago. I apologize for looking at it without permission, but it’s not good to leave behind important doc.u.ments, you know?」
Well, their information management is so huge, though, so they will occasionally need outsiders to help with filing doc.u.ments.
「It’s not like that, but you can read that?」
「That?? Ahh, [Dzongkha] was it? Yes, I can read it.」
[Dzongkha] is the official language of [Bhutan] and the doc.u.ments I saw a while back were written in [Dzongkha].
「Perhaps……Seiji, you can speak Dzongkha?」
「Eh? Yes, I can speak Dzongkha, but……」
The flow of the conversation……
I have a bad feeling about this.
「Seiji, can’t you go with me as an interpreter?」
So it came, as expected!
「It’s impossible since I have work.」
「Don’t say such a thing, come~. I’m troubled because there’s no interpreter~.」
「I’m not an interpreter!」
「Then, it doesn’t have to be as an interpreter, does it?」
「Hn?? What do you mean by that?」
I have a bad feeling about this course of events.
◊♦◊♦◊♦◊♦◊
「Ah, Maruyama-kun, I’m sorry it’s sudden, but you need go on a business trip to Bhutan.」
「Huh?」
When I returned to the company, I was told about something unthinkable by the director.
Darn it, that f.u.c.ker mama-san had made preparations in secret!
「What is it all of a sudden!? I don’t want to.」
「Don’t say such a thing, I’m asking this of you. We may be able to receive an order for an inventory control system of a gem mine in Bhutan. Even the president said that he’s definitely counting on you. My success in life depends on it, too!」
「Your success in life, it doesn’t have anything do with me, does it?」
「Because it said that a special bonus will be given, too!」
B-, Bonus, huh……
If it’s the company’s directive, I have no choice, but to follow.
I was a bit interested in going to Bhutan before……
Well, I can easily go there by myself with [Teleportation].
「Uhh, what about visa formalities and the like?」
「About that, you can feel relieved because it’s said that it will be taken care of on Jewelry Nancy’s side.」
How finesse.
Thus, I’ll be going on a business trip for the duration of the lantern festival1.
However, what will Nancy’s mom do going to Bhutan hurriedly like this?
I wonder if there’s something in Bhutan?
Although I can still go to the other world from the destination of the business trip, I’d like to settle the matter regarding the Devil race before that.
◊♦◊♦◊♦◊♦◊
With that said, because of the pa.s.sport formalities and the like, I was moving around in various places.
「I’m hungry……」
I went inside a gyūdon shop and ate a gyūdon in solitude.
Sometimes, you just feel like eating a gyūdon, right~?
「Ah! Found it!」
I unconsciously stood up from my seat at the counter in the gyūdon shop and shouted while holding a gyūdon in one hand.
Thus, I garnered the attention of the onii-sans and oji-sans, who were in the gyūdon shop.
「S-, Sorry……」
I timidly sat back in my seat.
So,
what did I find, you ask?
I found that there are [Devils] reflected in one of the [Tracking Beacons] I sent out to search in the northern forest.
It’s a group of about twenty [Devils] heading northwards.
Those Devils are taking approximately three humans along.
The three people are being led along with their hands tied behind their backs, a rope tied around their necks and soulless-looking eyes.
It’s the Devil race!
They’re still doing such a thing, huh……
I’d like to help, but…… what the h.e.l.l, it’s still my working hours~.
◊♦◊♦◊♦◊♦◊
I got out of work at the appointed time and returned home,
「Onii-chan, wait up, are you going to help the people caught by the Devil race?」
「Yeah.」
Being informed, too, about it earlier via email, Aya, Elena and Hilda have completely prepared.
「Onii-san, I will also partic.i.p.ate this time.」
For the first time in a while, the bokukko, loli karate pract.i.tioner, Mai-san, had also come.
「Alright! Well then, let’s go suppress the Devil race!」
「「Ohhh!!」」
The five of us flew to the other world with [Teleportation].
1. Lasts for 3 days, but the start date varies within different regions of j.a.pan.