episode_0043

043 – His Fishing Spot # 1

What’s the point of explaining my ill-fated relationship with the Audit Team?

I thought they would tear me apart after I walked into the lion’s den on my own accord.

But it wasn’t quite like that.

“Assistant Manager Narcissus! Those documents, please!”

“Has General Manager Hector, who went out for fieldwork, not returned yet?”

The Audit Team was too busy to pay attention to me.

After observing for a few days, I saw that cases of them sleeping at the company because they couldn’t go home were countless.

*Swiftly—.*

At that moment, a man with narrow eyes approached me.

“You’re Assistant Manager Narcissus nim, right?”

“Yes, you remembered my name well.”

Assistant Manager Narcissus.

He often approached me and told me various things.

Who was in this department.

What to be careful of, and so on.

In short, he was my new superior.

“Joy, an affiliate company’s manager is just a regular employee here. Understand? You must always remember. Everyone has a higher rank than you, except for the interns, so it would be good to memorize their names well.”

An affiliate company’s manager was a regular employee without a rank at the main office.

Someone might feel discontent about this kind of hierarchical inequality, but—

“Hey, did everyone get to work well? Let’s start the day with vigor today too!”

*Flap—.*

The Goddess, spreading raven wings, entered through the window.

It was Managing Director Alecto nim.

“Alecto nim, you’ve arrived!”

“Good morning!”

“The weather is good today!”

Like this, at the main office, there were executives in every department.

It was literally a ‘God’s Workplace,’ where one worked with deities.

There was a big difference from affiliate companies like “Happy World” or “Charon Transport,” where the only executives were the CEO and Vice President.

That’s why hierarchical differences between affiliate and main office employees were natural.

‘It’s just like Gyeryongdae, where generals were visible everywhere, no matter where you went.’

Therefore, the main office employees’ pride was immense.

Everyone was an elite among elites.

That strange skeleton visible before my eyes looks like a mob monster that might appear in some low-level dungeon, but in fact, it’s General Manager Hector, a super elite monster.

“Joy, you worked with Bones, right? Wow, it brings back old memories! He and I entered the company together. Due to various circumstances, he was transferred to an affiliate, but….”

It was General Manager Hector, his yellow eye light flashing.

He seemed to view me favorably, as I was General Manager Bones nim’s subordinate.

It seemed that connections and networks were valid even in this ‘God’s Workplace.’

“How was it working in the Audit Team these past few days? Any discomforts or anything you want to ask? Since you are as good as marked by Alecto nim, I assume you must have a lot of discomforts, though.”

*Flickering—.*

Somehow, his glowing eyes seemed to pity me.

Just as he said, I was targeted by Director Alecto nim as soon as my assignment began.

“Joy! Come into my office immediately!”

See?

Even now, she’s calling me.

General Manager Hector patted my back.

“At first, it might be difficult, but if you endure, it will get better. Well, since you’re the friend that Bones recommended, I’m sure you’ll do well.”

*Knock-knock—.*

I stopped in front of the director’s office and knocked on the door.

Then I heard the sound, “Come in.”

*Creak.*

As I pushed the door open and entered, I saw Director Alecto nim grooming her wings.

A jet-black women’s suit.

Black stockings and shoes.

Her fiery red hair undulated like living snakes, like flames.

Her skin was so pale, and her beautiful appearance, befitting a goddess, was so prim and proper that it was chilling.

“Soon your adjustment period will be over, won’t it? So, I’m going to give you a task. You know we’re fighting with the Safety Management Team right now, don’t you?”

“Yes, I couldn’t possibly not know.”

General Manager Markius of the Safety Management Team.

He revealed Thanatos’s betrayal, who was a key figure among the Night Faction.

It was a situation tantamount to declaring war on the Audit Team, which was full of the Night Faction.

“That Zagreus fellow. He doesn’t even think about us supporting him instead of Princess Melinoye nim, and yet he stabs us in the back. But that’s how this industry is. There are no eternal allies and no eternal enemies. So—.”

*Slowly—.*

Alecto nim opened her narrow eyes.

It was then that I thought her yellow glowing eyes were somehow eerie.

“If, as a member of the Audit Team, you had to investigate Princess Melinoye nim’s corruption and irregularities, what would you do? If you had to expose Melinoye nim, who was your superior, with your own hands? Can you do it?”

Princess Melinoye nim?

What should I say here to look like a good-for-nothing?

There’s only one answer.

“I cannot.”

“What? You can’t? Hey, you. The Audit Team is a place that gets paid high salaries to do such things! But what? You can’t? This fellow, this kid, is an utter blockhead!”

Good.

My score dropped significantly.

But Alecto nim, unlike shouting as if she were angry, was smiling.

“Utter blockhead! That’s why I really like it. People should have that kind of backbone sometimes. Especially mortal men who worship goddesses, they must have such loyalty.”

What? Why did my carefully planned good-for-nothing answer end up earning points again?

It’s not easy to become a good-for-nothing, huh?

Suddenly, Krauser came to mind, who became an officially recognized good-for-nothing by General Manager Bones nim within a few days of joining the company.

He was truly an amazing person.

I should go meet him on the weekend soon.

I should regard him as my master.

Suddenly, I wondered what everyone else was doing.

Even without me, “Happy World” would be running well, right?

“But. Your affiliation is now the Audit Team. You must keep that in mind. In that sense, this task will be a test to see whether you can become one of our family.”

*Plop—.*

Alecto nim handed me a document.

The contents written on it were quite surprising.

“Do you know what Prince Zagreus’s Safety Management Team considers most important? It’s that no one in this Soul Society should be able to get out. But look.”

*Tap-tap—.*

Alecto nim tapped the document with her finger.

「Escapes to the Surface: 11 times」

「It is certain that a secret passage is being used personally without reporting it.」

「The secret passage’s location is still unknown.」

“Someone is going to and from the Surface without upper management’s permission. It was accidentally discovered during the recent audit of “Happy World.” If this becomes known, it could also stain the Safety Management Team’s reputation, don’t you think?”

That no one could leave this Soul Society without the CEO’s permission was the key point.

That ironclad security must have been their pride.

The Safety Management Team was the department that maintained such security, which is why their power was immense.

But.

At “Happy World,” there was an employee secretly going to and from the Surface.

Naturally, it seems they kept it a secret from upper management.

The Surface.

The place that I so desperately wished to return to.

Only by himself, he was going there, secretly benefiting?

How despicable.

Wondering who it could possibly be, as I flipped through the documents further, the figure of a skeleton wearing a hood was photographed.

“It’s a faintly captured photo of the culprit. It’s definitely a skeleton working at “Happy World,” but there are many skeletons working there. If it was intentional, he’s a truly meticulous fellow.”

“…….”

“Joy, since you worked at Happy World until recently, it will be easy to find out who the culprit is by questioning the skeletons working there, right?”

The person in this photo.

Though he looks like a skeleton mob monster, he is actually an elite monster.

Moreover, even though he has no lungs, he’s holding a cigarette in his mouth.

This is General Manager Bones nim!

“If you say you can’t handle it, I’ll leave it to others. Since we’ve taken a blow from Prince Zagreus, if we also don’t thoroughly retaliate, we might be seen as a joke forever from now on.”

“Without needing to go to other employees, I will take on this task! My first mission! I will try to live up to the expectations of Director Alecto nim and my various senior colleagues!”

“Are you sure? If you’re not careful, you might end up fighting with your old colleagues.”

“I am an Audit Team member now!”

“Is it to that extent? Indeed, you’re so ruthless that you’re rumored to be a demon. I really like it!”

*Tremble, tremble—.*

It was Alecto nim, ruffling her feathers.

First impressions and first tasks are always important.

If I fail miserably when everyone is paying attention, my good-for-nothing level will increase, right?

Since I boasted so much, if the task fails, the criticism that will come back will be like 60 times leverage.

‘And this task. If I do it well, I too might be able to go to and from the Surface through that passage that General Manager Bones nim discovered and is secretly benefiting from. I absolutely can’t hand over this case to other guys!’

In other words, this was a no-lose opportunity itself for me.

It was something I absolutely could not miss, the forelock that the God of Opportunity showed.

# # #

“Haah, Manager Joy nim isn’t here, so time doesn’t seem to pass well.”

“Hedone! Don’t be lazy and hurry up and work!”

“Aaah! In the moonlight, a mad copier is running wild! Everyone run! This Krauser will somehow try to hold out, so everyone run away!”

“Happy World”‘s Punishment Execution Department was living the same daily life as always.

The office atmosphere became desolate due to the outflow of personnel that had occurred these past few days, which couldn’t be helped.

Even veteran General Manager Bones nim, who had experienced all sorts of hardships, felt lonely, as if his chest was wide open from this separation.

Perhaps it was because his company life over the past few years had been that enjoyable and interesting.

“Alright, everyone, let’s clock out.”

Quitting time.

General Manager Bones nim went home.

A spacious, newly built Elysium apartment he had purchased recently.

“I’m home. Boni. Libby.”

It was a house as spacious as a sports field.

His home, which he had barely managed to acquire by working his fingers to the bone in this Soul Society.

But the lights were off, and not a single person was there to greet General Manager Bones nim.

General Manager Bones nim took out milk and cereal, had a simple meal, sat on the sofa, and blankly watched TV.

Before he knew it, it was 10 PM.

The skeleton Bones nim now lay down on the bed.

*Slowly—.*

The glowing blue eye light in Bones nim’s empty skull went out.

He slept like a corpse.

He had to sleep.

But he got up.

“…….”

He moved as if he had made a decision.

And in the middle of the night, he secretly left the apartment and headed for “Happy World.”

*Rustle, rustle.*

He began to carefully walk around near the flower garden, which had been created last year as part of “Work Innovation.”

It was to find a hole located somewhere there.

“General Manager Bones nim. Where are you going? Surely you’re not trying to get out to the Surface—you’re not thinking such a thing, are you?”

“Joyy…!?”

He was surprised.

A subordinate employee who had gone to the Audit Team to suddenly appear.

Soon, General Manager Bones nim shook his head.

“Th-the Surface, what do you mean by that? I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“I came knowing everything, so it would be best not to pretend you don’t know. And I didn’t specifically come to stop General Manager Bones nim or blame him. Let me go with you. To the Surface!”

“What? Together? You shouldn’t say such things carelessly! Joy, you became a member of the main office, where only elites among elites can join, didn’t you! You mustn’t throw away the opportunity you barely obtained!”

*Scuffle—.*

It was when the two men were grappling with each other, fighting.

“What’s going on there.”

*Rumble—.*

A man with a powerful aura appeared.

【The One Who Caught the Lake’s Master】

【Master Angler】

【The God of Lure Fishing – Hades】

“Chairman nim!”

Bones nim dared not meet his eyes and prostrated himself.

Of all people, to meet the person he should absolutely not meet, now.

At that moment, as his vision became blurry in many ways.

The formidable Chairman asked him from behind.

“…Surely, you haven’t discovered a passage to the Surface near this flower garden, have you? I’m talking about the passage heading to the Surface, where a tranquil lake has two large laurel trees planted.”

“Th-that is….”

Bones nim was flustered.

Because Chairman Hades nim’s explanation was too detailed.

‘As expected, the great Chairman nim knows everything! He already knew even about my minor transgression! I will probably be punished. However, I must protect Joy.’

Joy had nothing to do with this matter.

If there was punishment, it would be Bones nim alone.

As he thought that, Joy spoke.

“General Manager Bones nim is not at fault at all! Not reporting a passage leading to the Surface, even after discovering it, is my fault. I carried out this whole matter entirely on my own initiative.”

“Even knowing it, you didn’t speak? Joy, you scoundrel!”

*Fiercely—.*

The Chairman’s glowing eyes furrowed sternly.

*Rumble—.*

Soon, everything in the Soul Society seemed to tremble.

# # #

Happy World’s employees came to work as usual.

They thought that today too, an ordinary day would begin.

But everyone was in an uproar from the morning.

“What on earth is going on?”

“Hedone! Look at this! This! Manager Joy nim in the newspaper—.”

「Main Office Audit Team Employee Joy Recovers the Lost Quine’e!」

「Quine’e, a divine artifact symbolizing the Chairman’s authority, Returns to the Chairman’s Office After 10 Years!」

「The CEO Personally Bestows a Reward to the Audit Team and Employee Joy!」

「The Audit Team, Pushed to the Brink, Miraculously Revived Thanks to Employee Joy’s Achievements!」

At that time, Joy.

He was participating in the special commendation ceremony taking place at the main office’s grand auditorium.

Princess Melinoye nim personally bestowed the commendation.

“Hehe, Joy. How long has it been since you went to the main office, and already you’ve achieved such great accomplishments. I wondered if you could adapt well among the formidable executives. It seems my worries were unfounded.”

Unlike Princess Melinoye nim, who was smiling leisurely, Joy’s expression was completely stiff.

He thought this to himself.

‘Why did things turn out this way? This time, for sure, I thought it was a disciplinary action case.’