15. Clumsy Audition

15. Clumsy Audition

 

 

 

 

 

 

“I’m going to hold auditions.”

“….”

 

 

After expelling all the existing guild members except for the maids, I gathered the existing executives and explained.

Well, when I say executives, I just mean Sora-nuna, Yuna-ssi, Sonya-ssi, Seohyun-i, Hyuna, and so on. And even then, fewer people actually speak up.

 

“What exactly…? Before that, I’d like to hear why you expelled all the guild members. Everyone’s raising a fuss, you know.”

 

Sora-nuna took a sip of the coffee prepared on the round table and gave me a look.

 

It was definitely too sudden.

A mass expulsion in a single day. I wouldn’t blame them for staging a picket protest.

 

 

But I won’t!

 

 

This is a very important procedure.

In order to build a new…and exclusively maid-comprised empire! It must be done!

 

“It’s to fill the ranks.”

“So…we’re already short on people, so why are you expelling the ones we have?”

 

This time, it was Yuna-ssi’s turn to object.

She was pressing hard on her temples. She looked angry.

 

 

“I have my reasons.”

“…What do you know, Mom?”

“I proposed it, so of course I know.”

“….”

 

 

Yuna-ssi pouted, sticking her lips out.

She’s cute as always.

 

 

“I didn’t know you’d do a mass expulsion in a single day, though.”

“I’m a bit fast, aren’t I?”

“And radical. Just like a virgin.”

“Virgin? It’s been a while since I lost that! Besides, you were the one who took it, weren’t you?”

“You haven’t been in a relationship, though. That makes you pretty much a virgin.”

 

 

Heehee, Sora-nunim laughed.

When she laughs like that, she looks like a hunter specializing in virgins.

 

 

“Anyway, in order to be reborn as a great empire, we need to replenish our manpower. So, what we’re going to do now is auditions!”

“Don’t you usually call that open recruitment?”

“You’re definitely going to make them do weird things like dance or sing. That’s why you call it an audition.”

 

Hik. How did she know?

 

 

“Ahem. I’ll be looking at loyalty. Loyalty!”

“Loyalty my ass. How can you be loyal to a pervert you just met? We don’t even have any.”

“Right?”

“Well, when I first saw you…”

 

 

Somehow, all the executives are nodding.

Aren’t these people either at 100 favorability or 100 loyalty?! Is this okay?

 

 

“Ahem. Everyone. A general is loyal to the lord who recognizes him. That means, if you treat them according to their abilities, they’ll be loyal!”

“Something’s subtly off.”

 

 

I’m getting heckled from several places, but let’s just ignore it neatly.

That’s not the important thing!

 

 

“If you look at the documents in front of you, you’ll see the report I (had Eunju write) prepared. It’s the treatment you can expect if you become my maid.”

“Hey…are you sure you wrote this properly?”

 

Sora-nuna started reading and asked something in less than 10 seconds.

 

“Of course.”

“It says the salary is 8 million? You don’t mean 800 won, do you?”

“You read it correctly.”

“Having a salary means…it’s an employment relationship, right?”

“Yes, that’s right. It’s a one-year contract.”

“…?”

“After a year, you’ll keep renewing it anyway.”

“What makes you so confident…?”

 

Ah. Right. These people don’t know yet.

They know that the reason they like me is because of my skill, but they don’t know exactly what kind of skill it is. So I have to explain it.

 

 

“Among my passive skills, there’s one that raises favorability and loyalty. If you’re with me, it goes up on its own even if you don’t do anything. After about a year, it’ll easily hit 100. Once favorability or loyalty reaches 100, it won’t go down no matter how weird I act. It’s absolute loyalty and absolute affection!”

“….”

 

 

Ah. The women’s eyes are rotting.

 

 

“So that’s the kind of…skill it was.”

 

Hmm. Those are some piercing eyes.

 

 

“Ahem. Anyway, that’s how it is. That’s why a one-year contract is enough. After that, you’ll be asking to renew it on your own.”

“…Do you know you’re a real son of a bitch?”

“B-but I’ll guarantee good treatment. I won’t lower your salary when you renew your contract. I’ll actually raise it. 10% of the previous year’s salary every time you renew.”

“You’re crazy.”

 

 

Sora-nuna snapped back.

Calling me crazy is too much…

 

 

“At that rate, you’ll be making twice your original salary in just seven years…can you handle that?”

“Of course, I can.”

The benefits I proposed aren’t just that.

It’s quite a long list.

 

 

 

 

 

 

3rd Class Maid

 

 

 

1. Monthly salary of 8 million won after tax.

 

2. Provision of various latest equipment (Eunju-made items: customized items)

 

 

3. Dormitory provided to all (free)

 

 

4. Meal expenses provided (3 times a day. 10,000 won per meal.)

 

 

5. Dungeon priority entry rights provided (currently limited to Gangnam, Tokyo)

 

 

6. Absolute protection against forces outside the empire.

 

 

7. Automatic enrollment in the Empire Death Insurance.

 

 

 

 

There’s more besides this.

Besides, 3rd class maids are the kids who barely passed the audition, and kids with outstanding abilities or talents are hired as 2nd class maids or 1st class maids. These guys are…

 

 

 

“You know you have to hire over a thousand people, right? The monthly salary is 8 million won, and that’s even after tax…plus 30,000 won a day for food, and if you add up the equipment and priority rights, it’s at least 12 million won per person. Every month. If you hire a thousand people, that’s 12 billion won a month in labor costs. And that’s the minimum.”

“Uh…um…m-more than I thought…”

“And I heard you told Lucrecia-ssi to hire 100 people per Justice? There are 13 Justices in total, so that’s roughly 1300 people, and if you differentiate the salaries considering they’re the Imperial Guard, it’ll cost them even more. So, you’re already spending about 25 to 30 billion won every month, what do you think?”

 

 

W-well, we collect a lot of protection money, so wouldn’t it be okay???

I glanced at Seohyun-i with hopeful eyes.

We have that much leeway, right???

 

 

Shakes head.

 

 

Aaaagh!! No way!! Don’t shake your head!

 

“M-my dream is…a dream job…!”

“Exactly how much revenue does our guild make?”

“Since Master became an Honorary Police Superintendent and became famous for his powerful strength in many ways, the number of newly opened entertainment establishments has increased, and the number of incoming customers has also increased.”

“…What’s the connection?”

“They think it’ll be safer if such a powerful adventurer protects them. Anyway, for that reason, protection money has increased, and the profits of our affiliates have also increased. If we only look at the guild’s total sales, it’s about 600 million dollars per month.”

“…What, that’s like a major corporation?”

 

 

Yuna-ssi and Sora-nuna widened their eyes in surprise.

600 million dollars is roughly 700 billion won. That means annual sales are a whopping 8 trillion won. Has our guild grown this much…?

 

 

“Net profit is about 270 million dollars. It used to be about 50 to 60 million dollars, but since Master took over the entire Gangnam guild and expelled all the executives and other male guild members, labor costs have decreased significantly. Business efficiency has also been maximized.”

“That means, if we reapply these ridiculous labor costs-”

“Of course, net profit will decrease. But I don’t think you need to worry too much.”

 

Oh? Didn’t you shake your head earlier?

 

 

“The main guild’s monthly net profit is about 330 billion won in Korean currency. Unless Master hires maids in units of ten thousand, there won’t be any major problems. Besides, there’s a lot of money left in the account. We can maintain it for a while even without any profit.”

 

Whew. That’s a relief.

 

 

“…But when did it get this big? Or was it always this big? I never noticed??”

“Hehe. Have you forgotten where you are?”

 

 

Seohyun-i smiled meaningfully.

It looks like she’s sneering, but she’s not really sneering…a strange expression.

 

 

 

 

 

 

“This is Gangnam.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

+++

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Incheon International Airport.

 

A private jet from Europe landed.

 

 

 

“Is this Seoul? The largest city in Korea, they say…”

 

 

A beauty with blonde hair shimmering, her eyes shining behind sunglasses.

The cool breeze blew, causing her hair to flutter and hit her face, but she didn’t seem displeased.

 

 

“No. This is Incheon. A city right next to Seoul.”

 

Another blonde beauty.

This time, she has a bob cut.

Her elegant perm gave her a refined yet charismatic style.

And the red earrings embedded in her ears seemed to speak of her aristocratic dignity.

 

 

“You’ve been here before, haven’t you?”

 

 

Standing next to them like a butler was an older man.

He is the husband of the bob-haired beauty.

 

 

“Yes. For work.”

“Are you talking about three years ago?”

 

 

Their daughter, a woman with long blonde hair, asked.

She had already put her sunglasses on top of her head.

 

 

“That’s right. Korea is a founding member of D10, after all. As the head of the European branch, I had to visit at least once.”

“How was it?”

“Hmm…I don’t have any particularly strong memories.”

 

 

She looked like she was reminiscing, but it seemed like nothing really came to mind.

 

 

“Tsk. That’s because you only think about work. Are you going to do that again this time?”

 

 

Agnes smiled slightly at her daughter’s grumbling.

If you knew her usual self, you’d be surprised and jump up and down at how benevolent she looked.

 

 

“It’s different. This time. I have work, but I also have to travel with my family, right?”

“Hmph. We’ll see.”

“That’s enough. You’re making your mother uncomfortable.”

 

When the man scolded her, she pretended to relent.

 

 

Usually, she would follow her mother more than her father, but she followed her father more.