episode_0040

040 – Internal War! # 2

Apate, the Director of Strategic Planning.

He was regarded as a key mastermind within the Nyx faction, proficient in deception and schemes.

Therefore, this audit of “Happy World” was entirely entrusted to him.

‘The audit date for “Happy World” is four days away. But that’s merely a superficial date, a mere pretense. The core of this situation is entirely a retaliatory disciplinary measure.’

The essence of this audit was to punish Assistant Manager Joy, who disregarded and insulted the audit team’s authority, and the Punishment Enforcement Department that protected him.

Announcing the audit date and then enjoying the sight of the targets frantically struggling and preparing until that day was the core of the strategy Apate devised.

‘Then, what if I suddenly postpone the audit date? Or move it up even more?’

The longer or shorter the preparation period became, the more haggard people would surely become.

In other words, this was that kind of punishment.

But a surprising story reached Apate’s ears.

“What? Everyone in the Punishment Enforcement Department is enjoying a company dinner at a high-end restaurant? Is that definite information?!”

The opponent’s reaction far exceeded the expectations of Apate, the God of Deception.

The audit date, hotter than fire, was fast approaching, yet they were having a carefree company dinner?

His direct subordinate, Narcissus, bowed his head and asked.

“What should we do? Should we raid these despicable fellows right now and catch them by surprise? With Apate nim’s authority, you could surely conduct a surprise audit on a mere department of an affiliate company, couldn’t you?!”

“Yes, I’ll take care of these scoundrels right now—”

Wait.

Apate’s hand suddenly stopped.

Since the top position of the Strategic Planning Department wasn’t won through gambling, Apate could immediately see through the opponent’s move.

“No, we won’t raid. This is the opponent’s deception tactic.”

“What? A deception tactic?”

“Narcissus, you must have heard about Assistant Manager Joy’s reputation. Although he’s just an affiliate company employee, he’s a man rumored to be a meticulous ‘devil.’ He even won the promotion exam recently.”

“I wasn’t interested in rigged promotion exams, but I think I might have heard about Assistant Manager Joy…”

“Would such a fellow, like someone with no plans, have a company dinner at a high-end restaurant just before the audit date? It’s unbelievable by common sense. Therefore, this is…”

Thwack!

Apate hit his desk with his palm.

“It might seem like he’s off guard, like he’s showing weaknesses, but it’s surely a thoroughly calculated action. If we act hastily, we’ll be the ones who get caught. This is clearly a trap.”

If so, why exactly in this situation was there a need to have a company dinner at a high-end restaurant?

What could the enemy’s intention be?

Zap!

Suddenly, an inspiration swept through Executive Apate’s mind.

“Last year, where was the place we were entertained on the condition of being lenient with the Headquarters Safety Management Team’s audit? We received a lot of precious alcohol and gifts there, didn’t we?”

“That place where we ate truffle-topped caviar…!? No way, the place they are currently having their company dinner is also the same place we secretly met with the Safety Management Team—”

“Yes! That scoundrel Assistant Manager Joy clearly knows about our audit team and the Safety Management Team secretly meeting and making solicitations! Where on earth did the information leak from!?”

As expected, he was indeed an excellent assistant manager, even having individual interviews with the CEO.

But Apate still thought he was one step ahead.

Because he had fully grasped Assistant Manager Joy’s scheme.

“If information only we know leaked, then there’s only one answer. There’s a mole among our own people.”

“M-mole!”

“Before invading the outside, strengthening internal solidarity and eliminating undesirable elements is the first principle of strategy. We will find the mole. Until we find them, there will be no leaving work for us!!!!”

“…Indeed, Apate nim! You are very wise and intelligent!”

Thus, a severe mole hunt began within the Special Audit Team.

For several days, they distrusted and suspected each other.

However, the mole Assistant Manager Joy planted hardly showed any trace.

‘Who on earth is it! Is it perhaps that scoundrel Narcissus? There’s no one else who knows so many of our sensitive secrets as much as Deputy Narcissus, who served as my deputy for a long time!’

Apate suspected his secretary, Narcissus.

If he thought about it carefully, there were quite a few suspicious points.

‘That scoundrel Narcissus, why does he always walk around with squinted eyes? Very suspicious.’

Distrust is bound to spread like black ink mistakenly dropped on white paper.

It continuously bothered him.

“Apate nim! What on earth are you suddenly talking about! You mean you’re going to search my house! And you mean you’re going to examine my device! What are you talking about!”

“Shut up! Narcissus! If you are truly innocent, there won’t be any problem even if I inspect your house and device, will there?! Otherwise, are you perhaps the mole?”

“What? Apate nim, do you not know my loyalty that much? How can I be a mole! Then go ahead and check! See whether I’m the mole Assistant Manager Joy planted or not!”

Thus, Narcissus’s device was confiscated.

For some reason, on his device, there were only abundant selfies of himself.

And those were nude photos.

The photos hanging in his house were also all his nude selfies.

“Deputy Narcissus still hasn’t gotten rid of his lifelong habit, it seems.”

“That thing where he likes himself?”

“Even though he drowned in a lake because of that.”

“His own nude photos…Pffft!”

The employees whispered.

Narcissus’s face flushed red.

“Look! Has my innocence been proven? Since you’ve tarnished my honor this much, I can’t stand it anymore! I also have many people I suspect! It’s do or die! You there!”

“M-me?”

“You have a ‘Hermes Net’ account, don’t you? Disclose everything you’ve posted and commented on so far! Everything! Don’t even think about hiding it, disclose everything!”

“What are you talking about! That’s a violation of privacy!”

“What’s this post! ‘I want to be brutally beaten by very angry nymphs?’ Were you the kind of person who wrote such perverted posts?”

“Kyaaah!”

A brutal infighting erupted within the audit team.

It was a situation where they turned their knives on each other.

However, Assistant Manager Joy’s mole still didn’t show even a trace.

Thus came the day of the audit.

The employees of the Special Audit Team, rumored to be more fearsome than flames, were in a state where their will was torn apart due to internal conflict.

Having been unable to leave work for several days, their fatigue level was also at its peak.

On the other hand, the Punishment Enforcement Department of “Happy World” seemed to have greater solidarity than ever.

Thanks to continuous company dinners at high-end restaurants over the past few days, it was safe to say their morale was quite high.

‘All of this too must have been that scoundrel Assistant Manager Joy’s scheme!’

Apate went to Assistant Manager Joy, who had induced this situation, and expressed his anger.

“When and where on earth did you plant a mole in us?! To make us distrust each other and fight. Assistant Manager Joy, you devil-like scoundrel!”

“Who, me?”

But.

Assistant Manager Joy was genuinely making a surprised expression.

And regarding this matter, he even showed an expression of being unfairly treated, as if he was innocent.

“What on earth are you saying I did? Great Executive, please pity the plight of a foolish mortal and explain properly.”

It was an act of an innocent victim, to the extent that even Apate almost fell for it for a moment.

However, Apate was not deceived, because he was an expert in deception and tricks.

“Shut up! Do you think I don’t know you have dirty intentions and hidden motives?! Now that it has come to this, I will absolutely not back down! Even for the dignity of Narcissus, who was sacrificed because of the mole you planted!”

“The sacrifice of my dignity wasn’t because of Apate nim’s suspicion, was it?!”

# # #

An executive who seemed to be the leader of the audit team came and raged wildly.

I truly felt wronged, not knowing what on earth he was saying I did.

On the contrary, lately, I didn’t do anything, did I?

Just before the audit date, on the contrary, I had been letting go of all work.

Far from working overtime, on the way home from work, I even took the employees and bought them a lot of delicious food.

I felt sorry because they would suffer in the future because of me.

To ease my conscience even a little, I almost completely emptied out my salary and bank balance.

My colleagues and juniors, who knew nothing, were causing a fuss, swearing loyalty to me.

‘…But why are they angry at me…Ah, did they perhaps figure out my plan?’

The plan was to deliberately prepare for the audit like a sham, allowing many flaws to be caught.

Perhaps Director Apate might have seen through my strategy.

Perhaps.

It might have been exposed that I deliberately tried to get fired and pulled a clumsy trick.

If that becomes known to everyone, what will happen?

If it gets into Melinoye nim’s ears…!?

─Deliberately get fired? To attempt such a despicable act. For you, I’ll make you have a ter. ri. ble. time. Become an assistant manager-level cockroach, Zap!

─Aaaaaargh!!!

That, at least, must be avoided!

So I had to admit it to some extent.

“Truthfully, I did intend some of it. But if you ask if I intended all of it, that’s not quite right. But since nothing happened as a result, couldn’t you just overlook it!?”

“Nothing happened?! Assistant Manager Joy, when I think of how we couldn’t go home for these past four days and worked through the night, all because of your trivial trick—”

Director Apate clenched his fist.

However, he approached me and whispered in my ear.

“So, how much do you know about the connection between our ‘Night Faction’ and the ‘Safety Management Team’? I’m asking how much the mole you planted told you.”

What connection?

I didn’t know anything.

So when I frowned, Apate added, looking impatient.

“Don’t pretend you don’t know. Did you think I, Apate, was so foolish that I couldn’t distinguish a mortal’s trivial poker face? I am the god of deception and strategy!”

No, I really don’t know what you’re talking about.

So I looked at Department Head Bones for help.

Department Head Bones, however, was busy flailing wildly with his glowing blue eyes.

“Assistant Manager Joy is manipulating the terrifying Special Audit Team and Director Apate! My goodness, who knew the power dynamic could shift this much!”

This is maddening.

Let me think.

This audit is especially severe, to the point where even Melinoye nim referred to it as a ‘war.’

The ‘surgeons’ conducting this audit must have suffered for days and sharpened their resentment.

Could it be that the excessive workload and pressure made Director Apate act strangely?

That’s why he’s seeing things, imagining things, and caught in delusions.

It seemed plausible, even to me.

But then.

Executive Apate suddenly burst out laughing.

“Good, I wasn’t going to tell you this, but did you know there’s also a mole in your ‘Happy World’? It’s a mole from the ‘Returnists’, ‘Tartarus’.”

The Returnists, ‘Tartarus’…

They’re the rebels who argue that this ‘Happy World’ should be reverted to its original name, ‘Tartarus,’ right?

The ones who deny innovation in work itself and claim we should return to the past.

It was because they hid weapons in Krates’s field that my ‘get fired through real estate investment’ plan went completely down the drain.

In that sense, those rebels were like my sworn enemies.

A mole from those guys in our ‘Happy World’?

“The intelligence to use Deputy Krates, a mere nobody, as a pawn by exploiting his corruption. This was only possible because an insider within ‘Happy World’ had been watching Krates for a long time.”

That makes sense.

It was something I had vaguely expected too.

“Furthermore, they even stole armaments like ‘Dud Thunderbolts’ and ‘Cyclops’ Iron Stakes’ from ‘Happy World’s’ supply warehouse and hid them in the field as weapons for their grand scheme. Such audacious actions would be impossible for anyone but an insider of ‘Happy World’!”

It was astonishing.

Soon, the squint-eyed man, Narcissus, was also astonished.

“…Apate nim. Wasn’t that information supposed to be kept confidential until more details came in? If you reveal it already, they might destroy evidence and escape…”

“It’s simply a matter of catching them before they escape. After compiling various pieces of information and personal details, I will make it clear right here who the member of the traitorous faction is. It’s you!”

Snap!

Director Apate’s finger pointed at someone.

The person pointed at flinched in surprise.

“I-I, Krauser, was a member of the traitorous faction! Even I didn’t know this! To think I had acting talent that could deceive even myself! What a twist!”

“Hmph, not you, clown! The one behind you!”

“Me?”

Markius frowned.

His already fearsome eyes glinted menacingly.