episode_0079

079 – Assistant Manager Joy and 13 Tasks # 3

Amidst the major incident where the Hydra, which had escaped from Happy World’s ‘Monster Building’, appeared by the river.

Melinoye nim, who had participated in the emergency executive meeting, also returned to the riverbank of the Asphodel Plains.

“Joy, are you hurt anywhere?”

Melinoye nim circled around my body, checking my condition. It had been a very long time since someone had worried about my body, so I felt quite touched.

“You’re not hurt at all. You blocked the advance of the Hydra that escaped from the ‘Monster Building’ all by yourself, and didn’t even shed a drop of sweat.”

“No, I probably shed about one drop of sweat. And it wasn’t me who blocked the Hydra’s advance—.”

There was no time to say it wasn’t me who did it.

Because Markius, the manager of the safety management team, and Nixdoti nim, Prince Zagreus’s first wife, made a big fuss.

“Princess! Assistant Manager Joy perfectly subdued the water snake that even great heroes and executives found difficult to deal with! Wow, I saw that scene myself, and it gave me chills!”

“Pffft! It’s thanks to the language of snakes! That’s why learning many languages is helpful!”

Actually, it was a major disaster caused by the ‘snake voodoo’ charm on Melinoye nim’s hair bracelet. The bracelet randomly hissed and chatted with the Hydra, you know?

But no one believed my words.

“A bracelet speaking the language of snakes? Pffft, where would such a thing be! Assistant Manager Joy is a friend who says strange things, aren’t you? Hassan often said strange things too!”

Even Nixdoti nim, who had personally placed the ‘snake voodoo’ charm on me, couldn’t believe my words….

It was truly unfair.

This is all because of the Hydra that arbitrarily escaped from the ‘Monster Building’.

*Swoosh!*

So, in my indignant state, I fiercely glared at the water snake.

Then Markius was startled.

“To overpower that terrifying great monster Hydra just with your gaze! Wow, Joy! I, Markius, truly acknowledge you!”

“It’s not like Joy’s competence is a new thing. Joy is a man with clear reasons and goals to aim for higher places. It’s natural for him to defeat something like a Hydra without even touching it.”

Melinoye nim, who spoke that way, somehow seemed proud as if she had done something great. She straightened her shoulders and snorted with a “humph,” making me feel unnecessarily embarrassed.

“So, why is this fellow here?”

I changed the subject to conclude this overheated ‘Joy praise meeting’.

Then Melinoye nim shrugged her shoulders.

“Joy, as you might have noticed, this is what the Tartarus guys did. They probably caused an incident at the Monster Building to release the trapped monsters and amplify the chaos.”

They are very bad guys.

If those Tartarus guys had just stayed still, my achievements wouldn’t have piled up.

Thinking about it now, every time I got involved with those rebel guys, I didn’t get a good outcome.

“Then I’ll go and put this Hydra back in the ‘Monster Building’. Joy, thanks to you stepping forward, I was able to finish the work smoothly. I also got a share from Zagreus.”

Melinoye nim stretched out her hand into the air.

Soon, ghostly beings emerged from all directions.

—Whoosh, whoosh…!

—Whooooosh…!

As the round and fluffy ghosts wrapped around the Hydra’s body—.

The Hydra cried very piteously.

—Shhhheeet!

If they drag him to the Monster Building like this, the incident will end.

But when I thought about it, for me to make up for the damage caused by the Hydra, the matter shouldn’t end like this.

“Melinoye nim. Just a moment.”

“Hmm?”

“Please leave that water snake to me. If we just lock it up like this, the fundamental problem won’t be solved. If those rebels target the Monster Building, the Hydra will escape us again.”

“Joy, are you saying we should find and solve the root cause of the Hydra’s attempts to escape the Monster Building? Even I, a perfect goddess, haven’t dared to extend my reach that far.”

What would be the reason for an animal trapped in a cage to try and escape?

‘Well, of course, because it’s trapped.’

Any creature deprived of freedom naturally wants to rush out into a larger world.

I knew best how enormous and fiery that yearning for freedom was.

In other words, the fundamental problem was due to the heart’s yearning for freedom. And unless the Hydra was set free, no one would be able to solve it.

“Melinoye nim, how about releasing the Hydra into the wild, depending on the circumstances?”

“That’s not possible. The Hydra is a Class 1 monster, dangerous even to executives. If such a creature becomes a wild beast and roams around Soul Society, accidents are bound to happen.”

Releasing the Hydra is absolutely impossible.

Good.

If time passed like this, I would end up being someone who bluffed without the ability to solve the problem.

—Shhhheeet…!

At that moment, the Hydra’s nine heads cried out loudly.

And then tears dripped from its bead-like eyes.

Seeing that sight, Nixdoti nim was greatly surprised.

“Assistant Manager Joy! The Hydra says that it doesn’t know what you’re saying, but it understands your sincere desire to step forward for its freedom!”

“What did you say?”

“So the Hydra declared that it would return to its cage in the Monster Building so as not to cause trouble for Assistant Manager Joy! It said it would go back on its own feet!”

What?!

What kind of nonsense is that—

At this point, I wondered if Nixdoti nim was just spouting any nonsense.

But was the Hydra really slowly turning its body and trying to move towards the valley where the Monster Building was? It was a sight that made my hair stand on end.

“Don’t go! Is it okay like this? Is it okay to live your entire life trapped, just eating the feed you’re given?! Tell me your true feelings! Say you want to liveee!”

I pressed the cowardly water snake.

Then one of the water snake’s long heads turned towards me.

*Shaaaak!*

Something instantly shot out from the water snake’s mouth.

Was it poison, perhaps?

It might have been that I had been too rude to the great monster from mythology, and it had spit poison at me.

“Joy, it’s dangerous!”

At that moment, Melinoye nim jumped in front of me.

At this moment, I was greatly surprised.

Because the Hydra’s poison was so painful that even gods feared it.

“Melinoye nim! Are you alright!”

Melinoye nim would block the poison with her own body for me.

It was very embarrassing, apologetic, and tense.

“It’s alright. It wasn’t poison. This is… what is it? It looks like a transparent, round orb.”

What the Hydra spat out was a glass orb the size of a soccer ball.

It was an unknown object, but it was radiant and beautiful.

# # #

“Many guests flocked to the Monster Building to see the ‘Hydra’ that escaped from its cage.”

“Sympathy for the Hydra yearning for freedom is also spreading, and the company’s welfare team has promised to improve the Hydra’s living conditions.”

“Meanwhile, the Monster Lovers’ Association is advocating for the release of monsters into the wild—.”

The day after the large water snake escaped.

People flocked to the ‘Monster Building’, where all sorts of monsters from Greek mythology were kept trapped. In truth, it was only called the ‘Monster Building’, but its actual form was this Soul Society’s zoo.

“Mwahaha, you’re tasting the special candy our nymphs prepared…!”

“This Carnoy doesn’t know what’s what, but if you eat this ‘strange candy’ often, the Hydra might evolve into a Lurker…! Of course, this Carnoy doesn’t know what a Lurker is…!”

The Hydra, seen on the news, smiled broadly, eating fruits and candies thrown from everywhere with its numerous mouths.

—Shhhheeet.

I still didn’t know the language of snakes.

I could tell that the creature had chosen to be a satiated water snake rather than a Socrates yearning for freedom and hunger.

A snake without spirit.

I won’t become like the Hydra.

Because no matter how sweet and shiny the honey and gold coins offered in this Soul Society are, I will never give up my yearning for the surface world.

Knock, knock, knock—.

Just as I was preparing for work, someone knocked on our house door.

‘Could it be Melinoye nim?’

No, that couldn’t be.

Because Melinoye nim said she would enter a few days of closed-door training to absorb the 5.5 percent share she received from Prince Zagreus.

Then who could it be?

“It’s me.”

—Woof…!

It was Morose nim.

There’s also a dog-squirrel.

“Morose nim, what brings you to my house so early?”

“I came because there was something to confirm about the Hydra incident yesterday. I heard you received a glass orb from the Hydra. Can you show it to me?”

“Yes.”

I showed the sparkling glass orb to Morose nim.

Then Morose nim let out a sigh, her purple eye-light strangely flickering.

“I had a feeling… This belongs to my sisters. The Fates, Moirai. They went missing yesterday. The news hasn’t gone out yet, but it will be known everywhere soon.”

The Goddesses of Fate missing?

If that’s true, it’s a huge incident.

“Joy, as you might have already discerned, this is the work of those Tartarus guys. They probably attacked the Monster Building and released the Hydra to draw everyone’s attention while they kidnapped my sisters.”

“Morose nim, I heard that the Moirai can control fate. If the Goddesses of Fate have fallen into the hands of those rebels, hasn’t something truly dangerous happened?”

“That’s right. But good fortune was on our side. The crystal orb my sisters value most is here. Without this item, my sisters are no different from powerless women.”

This glass orb was such a great item?

I should hide the fact that I played bowling with that last night as a lifelong secret.

“I don’t know why this orb was with the Hydra. But Joy, it’s fortunate that you, who understand women’s hearts and the language of snakes, were able to persuade and sweet-talk the Hydra.”

“Women’s hearts?”

“Yes, because the Hydra is female.”

…What does the Hydra’s gender have to do with me?

Of course, I wasn’t foolish enough to say such a thing to the God of Ruin.

As if he understood my silence as some form of affirmation, Morose nim said.

“Assistant Manager Joy, the reason I came to find you like this is to entrust you with a task. You are wholeheartedly aiming for an executive position, aren’t you? This will be a job that can be of great help to you. However!”

Morose nim made a solemn expression.

“This task involves executives. Therefore, while there will be many benefits, you must remember that it could also become a very arduous blaze. To be honest, the risks are several times greater.”

“So, what kind of work should I do?”

“Go to the Monster Building starting today. You, of all people, would already know what to do without me adding any more words.”

…I have no idea what I’m supposed to do?

It might even be good.

I’ll go to the Monster Building and do absolutely nothing!