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031 – Intermediate Department Manager Exam # 4

“The time limit has entirely passed!”

“Those who failed to escape the labyrinth will all be eliminated!”

“More than half were eliminated in just the first test! This is the first time such a thing has happened in the history of the promotion exam!”

People, drastically reduced compared to before.

Of course, there were still many.

How many could there be?

A hundred people?

Two hundred people?

The important thing was that someone had directed their fighting spirit towards me.

Turning my head at a sharp gaze, I saw Mr. Admetus, who had called me his rival—.

“Joy! I will break your arrogant pride and avenge my brother Magnus.”

That’s not Mr. Admetus.

Who is that now?

If it’s Magnus, it seems to refer to the man who was a mercenary king and then became a pirate king.

“Surely you won’t say you don’t know me! I’m Marcus, an intern from the Headquarters Safety Management Team!”

As far as I know, a headquarters intern is equivalent to a branch manager.

A headquarters full-time employee is about the level of a branch department manager.

Therefore, it meant that one should never underestimate an intern.

‘It wasn’t me who beat Magnus, it was Melinoi.’

Even if I said that, no one would believe me.

Fanfare sounds.

At that moment, the sound of trumpets echoed.

“Alright, then we will have a short break until the next game!”

“Let’s watch the advertisements from the companies that provided great assistance in the progress of this event!”

# # #

“Participants within the top 10 in betting rankings will be provided with a private lounge.”

“Department Manager Joy, please come this way.”

A brief moment of leisure that arose while preparing for the next game.

My betting ranking rising wasn’t intentional, but the private lounge was very good.

Ding-ding-ding-.

The lounge, where the currently popular song by 「E&S」 was playing softly, was richly equipped, just like a luxurious hotel.

There was also a massage chair.

Various alcoholic beverages were arranged, still in their unopened packaging, and looked very appealing.

Even in this situation, my eyes are drawn to alcohol; I really am a heavy drinker.

“No! It’s precisely because of this situation!”

Pop-!

I popped the cork of the finest pomegranate wine Koreniak (aged 666 years) and drank straight from the bottle.

Gulp-gulp-.

The sudden onset of intoxication.

Lending strength to that hot, fiery passion, I was finally able to shout one thing.

“Gwaaaah! Help me!”

Why am I doing this here?!

It feels like tears are about to trickle out.

But just then, the door to my private lounge opened, and someone rushed in.

“Joy! What in the world is going on?! You said ‘help me’!”

Aghast-!

It’s Melinoye nim!

I hurriedly bowed my head.

“…Uh, just now, I was practicing a scene, acting out the department managers from other departments who will be targeting me in the next game.”

“To not even allow yourself a moment’s rest and to put effort into image training. That harshness towards yourself is the root of your skill.”

“More importantly, Melinoye nim, what brings you here…?”

The sudden visit made my intoxication completely disappear.

Then Melinoye nim waved her hand as if it were no big deal, acknowledging my greeting.

“Raise your head. I came to congratulate you, the protagonist of today.”

Stroke-stroke-stroke-.

Saying that, Melinoye nim stroked my head.

“I’ll praise you. You mortal employees, more than anything, love being stroked by a flawless goddess like me, don’t you?”

Being stroked by the goddess felt good, but it also made my stomach churn.

“Um, Melinoye nim. Didn’t you decide not to give ‘special treatment’…?”

“Praising someone who has shown great achievements is not ‘special treatment’. Rather, intentionally ignoring and excluding someone who has shown excellent achievements is more ‘special treatment’. Therefore, this is a legitimate category.”

Damn, her logic is perfect, so I can’t refute it!

Indeed, the CEO’s daughter.

She’s an elite, having learned imperial studies and management from a young age.

“However, Joy. Winning won’t be easy. There’s a very high probability that Apollo, the god of the surface, will intervene in the next game.”

“Apollo nim?”

“Since Zagreus’s ‘Work Innovation,’ many parts of various events have received assistance from the surface. The problem is that Apollo, a council member of the ‘Mountain Council,’ is close with a certain employee. And that’s unfortunate for you.”

“If it’s an employee close to Council Member Apollo, you must be referring to Mr. Admetus.”

The relationship between Apollo, Admetus, and the 「CEO」.

When Apollo’s son, Asclepius, once performed medical arts that brought the dead back to life.

The 「CEO」, furious, protested to the ‘Mountain Council’ Olympus, stating that it was ignoring the laws of the Soul Society.

The ‘Chairman’ of the great gods threw a lightning bolt and killed Asclepius.

Apollo was angry that his proud son had died, but it was impossible for him to challenge the 「CEO」 and the 「Chairman」.

So he killed the Cyclops brothers who created the ‘lightning’ that killed his son.

─The culprits who created the ‘lightning’ that killed my son! You shall die instead!

At this, the 「Chairman」 was extremely enraged and tried to throw Apollo into Tartarus at the time.

─This impious scoundrel! How dare you kill my beloved Cyclops brothers!

After persuasion from various gods, they compromised by having Apollo serve as a servant under a human for a few years.

Of course, for a god to serve as a servant under a human was a humiliation in itself.

That’s why it was a ‘punishment’.

Just imagine the great Melinoye nim working as a subordinate employee under me right now.

How humiliating that would be for her.

“……”

Anyway.

The important thing was that Apollo became a mortal’s servant.

That mortal was Admetus.

Admetus treated Apollo exceptionally well, and Apollo was greatly impressed by this, promising to become his protector.

Apollo greatly helped Mr. Admetus when he married his wife, Ms. Alcestis.

“My relative, Council Member Apollo, would do anything for Admetus, the mortal he cherishes. When Admetus was on the verge of death, he even went to meet the ‘Moirai’ and persuaded them.”

The ‘Moirai’ are beings who determine fate, which even gods cannot defy.

Going to them and asking to postpone a mortal’s already determined death was unprecedented since creation, and it must have been a great humiliation for Apollo himself to endure.

But Apollo did so for Admetus.

“You can probably imagine what Apollo can do and how far he’ll go to make Admetus win, Joy. Your path to victory will become longer.”

Excellent!

That’s exactly what I wanted!

So, as I was rejoicing, Melinoye nim spoke in a slightly disheartened voice.

“Department Manager Joy, even if you resent me for not seeking a special method for you, like Apollo did for Admetus, I believe I can’t help it. I must be impartial.”

“Resentment! That’s absurd! Melinoye nim, aren’t you aiming for the position of ‘CEO’? I cannot become a blemish on Melinoye nim’s record!”

Please, just stay still!

Of course, I couldn’t show such feelings in front of the goddess.

“Please, consider Melinoye nim’s well-being first, rather than a mere mortal like me. Just speaking with Melinoye nim and having my head stroked like this, I would have no regrets even if I were to die now!”

“Joy, you feel that strongly about me….”

Perhaps my acting worked well, as Melinoye nim’s eyes shone as if greatly moved.

“If I don’t do anything for you, who speaks so strongly… Hmm… I should think of a way too…”

Melinoye nim quietly left the room with light steps.

‘Phew, she finally left.’

I really had a narrow escape.

Every time I talk to Melinoye nim alone, it feels like my lifespan is decreasing in real-time.

Therefore, I needed healing to compose myself.

‘These ‘Hell Clovers’ were blooming all over near the stadium. Should I go pick some before the next game starts?’

It’s an idea I came up with, but it’s truly a good one.

So I went to the lawn near the stadium to pick ‘Hell Clovers’.

Fortunately, ‘Hell Clovers’ were visible among the grass, and the moment I reached out for one.

─Gwaaah!!!

Such a hellish thing!!!?

A ‘department manager-level cockroach’ hidden among the bushes sprang out and targeted me!

A situation on the verge of fainting!!!

“D-dangerous!”

But then, someone suddenly pushed the cockroach away with their body.

The hell cockroach, losing its power, fell to the ground.

Squeak-.

It must have fainted.

Serves it right!

“…Are you alright?”

A silver-haired, frail-looking woman asked me.

She was a great beauty and my lifesaver.

However, it seemed the woman herself was injured from the body tackle just now.

“Are you alright? Your nose is bleeding.”

“I-I pushed it with a tackle… I’m fine. More importantly…”

She saw the ‘Hell Clover’ clutched in my hand and her eyes shone.

“That…”

Does she want this clover?

It is only right to give up one clover to my lifesaver, who even got a nosebleed because of me.

“Take it.”

“…Oh, really? Wow, I’m so happy! My husband really loves this clover. The first gift he gave me in this Happy World was also this clover. Oh, I’m rambling unnecessarily…”

She seems a bit clumsy, but she’s the kind of person who arouses a man’s protective instincts, making him want to protect her.

Of course, this time I was the one who was protected.

“It seems you and your husband have a good relationship, ma’am.”

“He was my first love, a man I fell for at first sight. I loved him so much that I thought I’d be happy to die for him. And I actually did… Heh… Hehehe…”

What an truly embarrassing confession.

On the one hand, I was envious.

Will I ever experience a love so profound that I’d be willing to die for someone?

Why are all these attractive women married?

They must have become married because they are attractive.

Suddenly, I became curious about who her husband was.

“Where is your husband? Did he come to watch today’s game with you?”

“Well… He’s a manager working at ‘Soul Society’. I remember him being a manager… He got promoted recently, so I wanted to give him a gift… Oh, wait…”

Fading-fading-.

The woman’s body was turning translucent.

I know well what this is.

‘It’s becoming a ghost.’

Losing memories and becoming a round ghost.

“…I can’t remember. Who was my husband? Why was I picking ‘Hell Clovers’ here…?”

Plop-plop-.

The woman shedding tears.

Whoosh-.

Her body shone.

“…I really wanted to… say… congratulations… on your promotion…”

Soon, she became a round, transparent ghost.

Was it perhaps startled by the sudden occurrence?

─Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh…!

The ghost flailing and thrashing around in all directions.

Because of that, several people were startled, either falling over or hurriedly moving away.

“Kya!”

“A ghost is rampaging!”

“Ghost detected! Ghost detected!”

“Newly formed ghosts can be unstable and dangerous, so please subdue them quickly.”

Clack-clack-clack-clack-.

Soon, skeleton security guards who had been waiting here and there walked over.

And then, with a swift swing of a butterfly net, they caught the newly formed ghost woman and put her into the net.

“Capture complete.”

─Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh….

The captured female ghost looked extremely distressed.

The ‘Hell Clover’ clutched in her round, glutinous rice cake-like hand pricked my eyes.

“Hey, wait a minute! Stop!”

“Huh? Who are you to interfere with the enforcement? We are people from the Headquarters Safety Management Team.”

“It’s our duty to send newly formed ghosts to the ‘Facility’ for ‘resocialization’, you know?”

‘Resocialization’ would mean giving new names and new roles to ghosts who have forgotten who they were.

If that happens, no one will know who she was.

“I am Department Manager Joy from the Punishment Execution Department. I would like to temporarily take charge of this newly formed ghost. Is that acceptable?”

“If it’s Joy, that Joy?”

“What, why are you here when you should be in the game waiting room…?”

“I-it’s real! It’s the actual person! Can you give me an autograph…!?”

Suddenly being unable to meet someone precious.

It doesn’t feel like someone else’s problem.

‘Ignoring my lifesaver like this doesn’t seem like the right thing to do as a human either.’

Just then, I knew someone who was knowledgeable about ghosts.

‘Melinoye nim is the goddess of ghosts, after all. She must know a solution for ‘ghostification’. She’ll also be able to find out who this woman originally was.’

The ‘pager’ Melinoye nim gave me.

I never thought I’d actually have to use this.