episode_0066

It sounds quite funny for me to say this, but.

The headquarters employees were elites among elites.

The women chosen by such elites as their life partners.

They couldn’t possibly be ordinary women.

In fact, the women gathered at the women’s association were attractive enough to make it understandable that they were married women.

‘Married women are swarming around.’

Shall I observe the situation first?

“Joy Gwajangnim, please try this. It’s a dish of boiled pork and a dish of fresh spicy fermented cabbage that I made myself yesterday. By the way, my husband is an assistant manager in the welfare team, so I was hoping you’d look favorably upon him in the upcoming audit…”

“Joy Gwajangnim, by any chance, are you interested in being introduced to a pretty young lady? My younger sister happens to be living alone and quietly right now—”

“Joy Gwajangnim!”

The married women liked me.

The reason for that was simple.

Because I was the audit team’s manager.

The audit team was considered the grim reaper or a thorn in the side of headquarters employees, sometimes even despised as hyenas preying on their own kind.

Looking at it now, no matter what anyone says, the audit team manager’s authority was truly immense.

…It’s an opportunity!

‘An opportunity to become a man like a corrupt local magistrate, exploiting married women using the audit team’s authority!’

“I’ll open my mouth, so please put the food in. Ah—”

“Eat my spicy fermented cabbage!”

“No! It’s my salted fermented seafood!”

“Get out of the way!”

“Guwaaaak!”

However, with their unexpected enthusiasm, my mouth was smeared with food, and I felt like it was filling up to my throat. It seemed I had somehow underestimated these married women.

I barely survived.

I thought I was going to die from choking.

“Ahem, that’s enough food for now.”

The married women seemed disappointed.

At this moment, my gaze went to one woman.

Even amidst this chaos, there was a woman who didn’t even glance at me.

For one, she was a beautiful and mature woman with brown hair.

Dark circles had settled under her eyes, making her look somewhat like a raccoon or a panda.

‘Is that woman Hek Bujangnim’s wife, Andromache ssi? Since she’s the wife of a man with higher authority than me, she naturally wouldn’t even need to glance at me.’

At that moment, a woman approached Andromache ssi.

She was the woman with golden hair tied back who had visited headquarters yesterday to hand over lunchboxes to her husband and his friends.

She was also the woman who had given me bean candy.

“…Um, Madam. These are pants I bought. Madam said my pants were pretty last time, so I tried buying the same ones.”

They were jet-black leather pants.

A vibe that riders would like.

However, Andromache ssi’s expression wasn’t good.

The other women who noticed that became overzealous.

“Our Madam looks better in skirts.”

“Here, this is a skirt I bought!”

“Atalante Yang, those pants would rather fit me perfectly, wouldn’t they? Oh my! They’re perfect for me!”

I remembered when I was in the military in the past.

I was assigned as a division commander nim’s quarters orderly, and I often visited military apartments to drive the division commander nim’s wives.

The gatherings there were exactly like this.

The husband’s rank was precisely the wife’s rank.

If she was a two-star general’s wife, she also became a two-star general.

Andromache ssi, Hek Bujangnim’s wife, was also a department head here.

‘A work life full of envy, jealousy, checks, and intrigue was right here!’

If our office atmosphere had been like this, I could have been fired quickly.

As I was feeling such disappointment, the married woman who had given me bean candy approached me.

“You’re Joy Gwajangnim, right? I’m here to guide Joy Gwajangnim today. I’m Atalante. And I’m the wife of Hippomenes, the Welfare Department Manager.”

As expected, the bean candy woman was Atalante.

Atalante was a person famous even within Greek mythology as a heroine among heroines.

Among mortals, female warriors who could truly rival her were truly few and far between.

But?

Even such a confident woman was in a position of being mistreated in women’s gatherings.

“The other Madams seemed to be bothering Atalante Yang.”

I asked quietly.

Then Atalante Yang also replied quietly.

“It’s because I’m a newcomer who hasn’t been long in the women’s association, so they’re hazing me. I also worked until recently, so I didn’t have time for women’s association activities.”

“Then, have you quit your job now?”

“Yes. It seems that since my husband Hippomenes has become a manager, shouldn’t I put in a little more effort? From the headquarters’ manager level upwards, promotions are quite impossible without the women’s association’s help, so…”

Atalante Yang was watching my reaction as she said that.

It must be because I’m a single manager.

One who doesn’t receive the women’s association’s help.

It was then.

Andromache ssi, who had been surrounded by the wives, became flustered.

“They’re coming!”

“They’re coming, you say?”

“What on earth for!”

“Someone who rarely shows up!”

The atmosphere became tense in an instant.

As I, too, felt needlessly tense, wondering what on earth it was, Atalante Yang explained.

“It seems like the Vice President of the women’s association is coming today. The Vice President of the women’s association is the actual leader of this gathering. That’s why everyone is crawling on their knees.”

The Vice President of the women’s association.

As I wondered what an enormous being she must be.

A woman with long silver-white hair elegantly walked into the meeting place.

What I found strange was that her ears were long and pointed.

A similar yet different vibe from nymphs.

The woman sat on a chair and elegantly crossed her legs.

“Everyone, please sit.”

“Oh my, Elfridi nim! You are unusually beautiful today!”

“You changed your perfume, right?”

Women swarming like a swarm of bees.

Soon, Atalante ssi tightly clenched her fist.

“It’s Elfridi ssi. She’s Prince Zagreus’s second wife. She’s someone Prince Zagreus brought when he was on Earth. As you can see, they say she’s a foreign fairy.”

“A foreign fairy?”

“I heard she’s an elf. Prince Zagreus had an international marriage. As far as I know, they said she’s a woman who controls Prince Zagreus even more tightly than his first wife, Nixdoti nim.”

An international marriage with an elf.

My mind was completely overwhelmed.

Certainly, ‘elf’ would be considered a foreign fairy species in the Greek worldview, so the expression ‘international marriage’ was indeed correct. Anyway.

“Everyone, it’s noisy, so be quiet. And if you have things you want to give me, don’t act disorderly like this, line up.”

The elf woman said in quite a strict voice.

An attitude like a rich lady.

And she actually was.

Women started lining up smoothly.

“I should line up too! My husband Hippomenes is also having annual salary negotiations soon. There’s nothing to lose if I make a good impression beforehand. From now on, it’s a real war. Hwoo…”

Because Atalante ssi lined up, I stood behind her too.

Time flowed smoothly like that, and finally, Atalante Yang’s turn came.

“Elfridi ssi, this is nothing special, but it’s cactus fruit syrup I made myself.”

“Huh? Don’t you know I’m on a diet and don’t eat things like this?”

With a sudden snap.

The elf wrinkled her delicate brow.

Soon, Atalante ssi began to flounder.

Her fluster was visible to the naked eye.

Tears even welled up in her eyes, to the point where I, watching, felt completely sorry for her.

And at this moment.

I instinctively sensed that an opportunity had come for me.

“Did you say Elfridi ssi?”

“Who are you? Why is there a man at the women’s association gathering?”

“I am Joy Gwajang of Audit Team 1.”

“Ah—, you’re that Joy Gwajang who’s been making a fuss lately. So, what business do you have with me?”

“Elfridi ssi, I will investigate you on suspicion of improper solicitation and receipt of money and goods. Please accompany us to our audit team.”

For a moment, the world became quiet.

A situation as if someone had pressed a mute button.

“…Ha?”

Only the elf woman’s breath, sounding absurd, spread unusually loudly.

I had just dropped a bomb.

It was like plunging a honey-covered hand into a completely angry hornet’s nest.

Soon, the elf woman scoffed with a laugh.

“Do you know who I am? It’s been a long time since I’ve met such a funny fellow since Hassan. Fine, go ahead and investigate. I’ll cooperate willingly. But, you’ll have to bear the consequences yourself, okay?”

# # #

“………”

Melinoye was displeased.

It was because Joy hadn’t contacted her despite taking leave.

“Mhuhuhu, our nymphs are native fairies…! But the competing species are increasing, and it’s getting tough to make a living!”

“This Carnoy doesn’t know what’s what, but I think drastic measures are needed to save the domestic nymph farms!”

Melinoye was also angry that as NEO, the executive in charge of nymphs, she had to participate in the nymphs’ ridiculous meeting.

Even though she herself was a perfect goddess.

“First, let’s dance the dance of joy, that’s what I say…!”

“That’s a good idea…!”

Rhythmic beat.

The nymphs started dancing out of nowhere.

The adult nymphs, Euriol, Rilke, and Echo Yang also danced to the rhythmic beat together.

‘Nymphs really are foolish. Why are they suddenly dancing?’

Melinoye completely could not understand the species called nymphs.

And she thought that she, a perfect goddess, was different from them.

Rhythmic beat.

However, the strange sense of rhythm the nymphs created while dancing kept making Melinoye’s shoulders twitch.

Of course, Melinoye forcibly suppressed her shoulders from twitching by applying firm strength.

At that moment—.

「Breaking News: Joy Gwajang, an employee of the Audit Team, has summoned Elfridi ssi, the Vice President of the Women’s Association, to the investigation room!」

「Under investigation for several legal violations, in addition to suspicions of improper solicitation and receipt of money and goods─.」

The TV that was turned on stopped the program it was airing and announced the breaking news.

At this surprising news, Melinoye stopped her twitching shoulders and opened her mouth wide.

“The Vice President of the women’s association?”

Melinoye was a person not closely connected to the women’s association, but.

She knew their influence well.

And also that her older brother Zagreus’s second wife was that Vice President.

‘Second wife….’

Melinoye didn’t have any particular thoughts about Zagreus’s wives.

She just wondered how on earth they ended up marrying a guy like her older brother, and in some ways, she even felt pity for them.

But the second wife was different.

Whenever she saw that silver-white-haired elf, something impulsive and instinctive surged from within Melinoye.

‘An investigation into the second wife’s corruption and wrongdoing. There wouldn’t be a better opportunity than this to create a blemish on Zagreus. Joy has created this opportunity for me.’

Melinoye swiftly rushed out of the nymphs’ meeting room.

To help Joy and seize the opportunity.

Watching that sight, Euriol, who had her arms crossed, scoffed and laughed.

“Hating foreign elves is our native nymph’s instinct. Even the Princess nim cannot go against the nymph’s instinct. Although she herself seems not to admit it.”

Siren Rilke also nodded.

“Perhaps this incident will be an opportunity for the Princess nim to awaken her true nymph-like power. I mean, our nymphs’ ‘secret technique’.”

Actually, the nymphs’ most frightening ability originates precisely from their ‘secret technique’.

But a rumor circulated that Melinoye truly couldn’t wield it.

It was because she didn’t recognize her own essential existence as a ‘nymph’.

But what if, through this incident, she were to awaken that power?

The power dynamics of Soul Society would shake violently in an instant.

Even Hipster Euriol, whose tone was always sarcastic, uttered heartfelt admiration towards Joy Gwajang this time.

“That’s impressive, Joy Gwajang. To intentionally put his arm into a hornet’s nest just to make Princess Melinoye awaken her secret art. Risking even his life just for success… No, it wouldn’t be for success.”

Euriol knew one more man who was determined to face death for a purpose.

And what the fate of such men was like.

Cheh.

Euriol, whose heart had become needlessly restless, uncrossed her arms.

“It would be good for us to help Princess Melinoye and Joy Gwajang. This will be a fight between foreign and native species.”

“Eng, Euriol. What’s gotten into you, showing all that enthusiasm?”