episode_0015

015 – For the One I Love # 4

Several days had passed since I crossed the river with Orpheus.

I thought there would be criticism regarding the arbitrary release of a special inmate right before a large-scale audit—but instead.

“Not a full-term release, but a nullification? Vice-president Bones, what are you talking about? A nullification of the regulations?”

“That’s right. Orpheus’s penalty regulations have been completely nullified under the executives’ meeting! Having regained his memories, he is no longer a prisoner of ‘Happy World’! He’s just a resident, not even a former convict.”

“Are you kidding me?”

“Hmm, indeed a good point. I’ll correct myself. He’s not just a resident. He’s a resident who sings terribly. No, no. Terribly and horrifyingly bad…”

It wasn’t a full-term release from penalty enforcement, but a nullification of the regulations.

It meant obliterating the very fact that he was a prisoner of this ‘Happy World’.

As if nothing had happened.

No criminal record remains.

“Joy, you would know. Orpheus was punished because he broke a taboo. That taboo refers to arriving in this Soul Society with a living body.”

“That’s true.”

“But Joy, you’re also working here as an employee with a living body, aren’t you? If you look at past examples, Psyche, Theseus, Hercules, and others did the same.”

Quite a few individuals arrived in this underworld while still alive.

Were they all punished?

They were not.

“Hercules and Psyche became gods, and Theseus is living in luxury in Elysium. Frankly, coming to the afterlife with a living body isn’t that big a sin to begin with.”

So why was Orpheus the only one to receive a penalty?

The reason was clear.

“It’s simply because he incurred the displeasure of our great ‘CEO’. In a way, you could say the matter was handled with personal feelings. But who could object to that?”

Zap-.

It felt as if electricity was coursing through my head.

Should I say I fully grasped what situation was unfolding right now?

“However, this large-scale audit is different. The audit team’s newcomer is rumored to be fearsome, and being an external hire, she acts as if executive authority means nothing to her.”

The first large-scale audit to occur since the business overhaul.

Let’s imagine the audit team, grinding their teeth to achieve accomplishments, came to our ‘Happy World’ and searched through items related to the prisoners’ penalty regulations.

What if the fact that Orpheus was receiving an unfair penalty was caught by the new audit team employee, who is called a “demoness of hell”?

‘There’s no way she’d turn a blind eye.’

The ‘CEO’, who had handled matters with personal feelings, would be humiliated.

And the current president and vice-president of Happy World would also be unable to escape the accusation of having neglected the situation, thus having to endure humiliating criticism.

And no employee would want to upset the ‘CEO’ by arbitrarily meddling with Orpheus’s case.

In such a situation, I arbitrarily released Orpheus and helped him regain his memories—

“Joy, thanks to you taking the lead and acting first, we too were able to gain courage. We’ve been able to make the wrongful penalty enforcement as if it never happened!”

How did things end up like this?

I just wanted to transfer jobs through a noisy singer.

“To bear that burden yourself, even prepared to be disliked by the chairman.”

“If caught by the audit team, it would have been troublesome for years…!”

“Manager Joy, I will follow you my entire life. *Sniffle*!”

Now I can’t even swear.

It was at that very moment.

The first-floor lobby stirred noisily.

Soon, Marki came running in a hurry, didn’t he?

“Vice-president Bones, an employee from the audit team has arrived!”

Even Krates, who had been acting like a sharp triangle for days, was shocked.

“The audit day isn’t today, is it!? Damn it! What are you all doing?! Move quickly!”

The office atmosphere instantly turned into a battlefield.

“These documents, destroy them! Destroy! They must absolutely not be caught by the audit team employee!”

“Hide them! Hide them! Hide them in the basement!”

“Aargh! Noooo! There’s not enough timeee!”

At this very moment, the name ‘Hell’ suited it more than ‘Happy World’.

Even Vice-president Bones, whose face was only bones, was tinged with tension.

“Could it be that she’s here? The new employee! The one called the ‘demon’ of the audit team…! Though I left the audit team a long time ago, I’ve heard her reputation well. The ‘demon’ famous for being merciless…!”

The employee famous for being merciless.

Who in the Greek worldview could make Vice-president Bones tremble this much?

If she’s called a ‘demon’, she must be at least a goddess of vengeance or a goddess of war.

Click, clack-.

Soon, someone with high heels clacking burst into the penalty enforcement department’s office.

She was a woman in the audit team’s distinctive uniform, with long, flowing blonde hair, and horns on her head.

“No need to be nervous, everyone! I just came for a visit today! I came to see who messed up the prey I was targeting. Who is ‘Demon’ Manager Joy?”

Booming-!

It was a voice that boomed loudly as if thunder was striking.

She soon approached me and held out her hand.

“There’s only one person who isn’t intimidated by my voice. You need that much guts to be called a ‘demon’ in this ‘Happy World’. You’re Joy, right? Nice to meet you. I am Astaroth!”

Wait, Asta… what did you say…?

The woman smiled, revealing sharp fangs.

As I was a little flustered and couldn’t answer, she continued speaking on her own.

“I can’t believe you nullified the ‘A-09C’ case before the audit. That was an agenda item I’d marked to tear into. Truly, I’ve been outsmarted. But! It’s too early to let your guard down yet.”

She was an employee whose blue eyes, split like a snake’s, gleamed ominously.

“If there’s any irregularity, I’ll strip you of everything, from your underwear to your socks!”

She soon left, laughing uproariously.

It was a stormy incident in many ways.

# # #

“What kind of woman is Astaroth, exactly?”

She seemed to belong to a different world entirely.

In response to my question, Vice-president Bones wiped the sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief and replied.

“I don’t know much either. Manager Joy, she’s an employee chosen to emphasize talent diversity through business overhaul, just like you. More precisely, you could say she’s a seconded employee from another company.”

Is that so?

But what I was truly curious about was why Vice-president Bones, who was nothing but bones with a skeletal skull, was sweating.

Had the laws of physics broken down?

Anyway.

Astaroth was said to be an employee seconded from another company.

Although she was a new employee, she was guaranteed executive-level status due to her unique nature.

This was all because of the strange ‘business overhaul’.

Anyone could see she was a demon, that woman.

She definitely must have a hobby of tormenting people.

‘Wait.’

But could this situation necessarily be bad for me?

This situation, with a fearsome demon’s eyes gleaming to audit me.

Perhaps the opportunity I had longed for had arrived.

‘The stepping stone for a reversal is always nearby.’

Rustle-!

I rummaged through the documents that had become a mess due to Astaroth’s appearance.

After rummaging for about an hour, a peculiar document appeared.

[‘Vegetable Garden Budget Usage Plan’]

[‘Purchase of 30 units of land for 20 gold’]

[‘Address – Near Asphodel Meadows’]

Was this a document from last year, when they said they would plant flowers all over ‘Happy World’ to refresh the company atmosphere?

At first glance, it seemed like an ordinary document, but having personally scouted various properties for the ‘Kronos Office Site Selection’, I could discern how absurd this amount was.

‘The land price near Asphodel Meadows last year was only about 10 gold for 30 units of land. They bought it for 20 gold? It was inflated by 10 gold, wasn’t it?’

Upon checking, there were many properties purchased at ridiculously high prices compared to the current market value.

The most immediate thought was ’embezzlement’.

‘How could there have been so many discrepancies, and why hadn’t they been noticed until now? Whoever it is, they’re truly resourceful.’

It smelled like a scandal.

If I dive into the center of it, I might see an opportunity to transfer jobs?

I immediately went to find the real estate agent listed on the receipt.

He was a skeleton resembling Bones, and his skull had a crack.

“Madam, do you recall what happened when this land was transacted? Do you remember who came and made the payment? The person who bought 30 units of land for 20 gold.”

“I cannot disclose customer information. When I was alive, I died from being hit in the head with a hammer for doing such things.”

Being a skeleton, I couldn’t discern the gender well, but it was the voice of a finicky woman.

In her real estate office, Orpheus’s masterpiece, ‘Song of the Nymph’, was playing.

I know that, having purchased it with the budget, it must have been quite expensive.

That means she must be a big fan.

“Madam, you want Orpheus’s autograph, don’t you? If you cooperate well, I can arrange for you to meet him in person and shake his hand. I can also give you royal box tickets for a future concert.”

“…Really!?”

I immediately headed to the multi-family dwelling.

And I grabbed the clown who was lying down and pulled him up.

“Orpheus ssi, let’s go!”

“Go where, you say? Leave me alone. I am a coward. A coward who has holed up because he’s afraid to speak to his successful girlfriend. I am a cockroach… No, less than that…”

Can a person be this gloomy?

My conscience pricked me a little, feeling it was my fault, but… there was something more important now.

“Orpheus ssi, didn’t you say you’d repay your debt to me? Now is the time!”

I forcibly led Orpheus towards the real estate office.

But then, the real estate agent, who had been full of anticipation, instead got angry at me.

“How is this ridiculous-looking clown supposed to be Orpheus? I believed you because you said you were an employee of Happy World! Isn’t this just a complete scammer? Are you really a Happy World employee? Huh?”

What?

To think such a thing would happen.

It was then.

Orpheus, who had lost all motivation and was slumped ever since he returned from Elysium, opened his mouth.

“The beautiful nymph—. For whom does she shed tears—.”

“Oh, ohhh? That song, Orpheus nim’s masterpiece, ‘Song of the Nymph’… My favorite…!”

The real estate madam’s eyes sparkled.

“It’s not alike at all! You scammer bastard! Get lost! Get out! Ugh, you’ve just ruined my ears!”

This is driving me crazy.

At times like this, there’s only one answer.

Clink-!

I took out a few gold coins from my pocket.

These were my wages that I had simply saved, having no family to support and no hobby for luxury.

As I held them out, a bony hand swiftly snatched them.

“Ahem, I remember that time. A neat-looking man came and bought the land. He was a handsome man. I definitely remember. I like handsome men, you see. I have records too.”

Looking at the man’s land purchase history, it was exactly the same as the gold coin value that had disappeared from the receipt.

No, some of the land was even cheaper than the value stated on the receipts submitted to the company.

In other words, the unidentified man bought land with the company’s budget, inflated the amount on the receipt, and then used the difference to buy more land and transfer it to his own name.

To embezzle from ‘Happy World’—what audacity!

“Go to this address. The land that man bought is there. This is all I can tell you, so don’t ask any more questions. I’ve already told you a lot. Or… how about a drink with me? You never know. If I get drunk, I might remember more things… Hehehe… Hehe…. Hello, are you listening to me? Hello!”

I memorized the address well and then set off with Orpheus.

And at that address, I saw an astonishing sight.

There were flowers blooming profusely.

Orpheus, whimpering.

“These are Thousand-Year Herbs. They are very difficult to manage, plants that are hard to make bloom. My beloved Eurydice also loved these flowers very much… *Cough*!”

To think he used company money to create a beautiful flower garden.

What could be his purpose?

No, it didn’t matter.

Because I was planning to transfer this land to my name.

Manager Joy embezzled company money to buy land and cultivate a flower garden—!

Wow, the picture’s good, the composition’s good!

If Astaroth finds out, she’ll surely tear me to shreds.

Then getting fired will only be a matter of time.

Anyway, Orpheus’s story was helpful.

“You said they were difficult flowers to manage, didn’t you?”

Touching the soil, I felt that it was slightly damp.

Thanks to the grace of ‘Cultivation’ I received from Kronos, I could tell that these flowers were the kind that needed to be watered daily.

‘The caretaker will come and water them today too.’

Just as I thought I’d have to wait, not knowing who it might be, someone approached the flower garden and began watering the plants a short while later.

I asked her.

“Hello. I am Joy, manager of the penalty enforcement department.”

“Oh my, if it’s Joy… the one my husband talks about every day? Nice to meet you! Nice to meet you! What brings you here? If you’ve come to see my husband, he wouldn’t have left work yet…”

“Your husband?”

“Ah, look at me. My name is Kshali. My husband also works in the penalty enforcement department, just like Joy ssi. He’s Krates from Team 1… You know him, right?”