Haaah!
I sat down on my office chair, meant for operating as the Human King, with a deep, deep sigh. It was an attempt to reduce my fatigue, but it only made me feel slightly better.
“You look tired. I guess it didn’t go too well, did it? Or did it have to be postponed until next time?”
Keiri, perhaps seeing my state, stood up with a wry smile and approached me.
It was a little before midnight. Suella and the others were probably asleep. They had waited for me, working until this late hour. Even when I returned at this time, they would only offer a wry smile and reach out a hand to me.
Sensing the meaning behind it, I thanked her and started to unbutton my formal wear, shedding my jacket to move more freely. She took the jacket and hung it on the coat rack.
“No, the meeting did have a few issues, but it ended without any major problems. Well, there were problems, but did it actually end?”
I felt apologetic for giving such a vague answer to her question as I recalled the outcome of the meeting.
“That’s a very indecisive way of putting it.”
“It’s the only way I can describe it. For now, Amili-san will be on defense, and Instructor Kio and the Dragon King will be on offense. We won’t make any major moves until the opponent attacks, so please only relay this to Muil-san. Don’t tell Suella and the others.”
“Understood. Still, that’s quite an offensive-minded selection of people. I can understand the Machine King being on defense, but for offense, it seems like it will be a direct confrontation. I was expecting someone like the Tree King or the Undead King to be chosen as support, with one of them on the front lines, but this truly feels like it’s going to be a battle of brute force.”
“That’s how it was discussed at first. By the way, the Dragon King will be doing the ‘mano a mano’, and the instructor’s main role will be to operate in the shadows.”
“Haa!? What are you talking about? That completely negates the Oni King’s strengths! To think the Demon Lord would make such a decision…”
As if unable to believe it, she almost spilled the tea she had poured, her surprise evident. However, with her incredible physical abilities, she caught the almost-spilled tea in mid-air and brought the cup back to me.
“There’s a reason for that.”
To her, who was pondering in disbelief, I explained the strategy I had proposed as a reference.
“So that’s what happened. Well, considering the Oni King’s personality, we also found it to be an effective strategy that we overlooked. To think the Demon Lord would approve of it too.”
“I believed what was needed wasn’t a conventional, rigid strategy, but a surprising idea that this army lacked. I didn’t expect it to be received so well when I genuinely thought about it, even though I didn’t think it would be adopted as is.”
“The fact that the Oni King would even accept it is what’s unexpected. Even considering that Jiro- proposed it, you weren’t exactly fond of roles like that, were you?”
“Well, yes. That’s the problem.”
My strategy, which I thought might be too out there, was surprisingly well-received. Instructor Kio gave me a pat on the back, hiding his bashfulness, while Instructor Fushio gave me a dissatisfied look.
Now, if you ask me if I have the foundation to devise such a strategy, I can only say that I do. Since joining this company, my days have been essentially dedicated to learning. I spend my days accumulating knowledge that wouldn’t normally be used in everyday Japanese life. It’s only natural that military strategy became part of that.
“You mentioned a ‘problem’ earlier. What exactly is the problem? We’ve decided on the general deployment, and now we’re just fleshing out the details, right?”
“Since I devised the plan, the President and the instructors have personally assigned me to provide solid support.”
“…That means…”
“My workload will increase.”
It’s not exactly a makeshift measure, but my unpolished knowledge has been adopted. Moreover, it’s a strategy in a field that’s quite unknown to Instructor Kio. The effectiveness is an unknown. Proceeding with such a strategy is almost a gamble, yet the President, for some unknown reason, seems convinced it will work and has instructed me to provide rear support to the instructor and then discuss the details with him.
The moment I explained the situation, Keiri covered her eyes with her hands and looked up at the ceiling.
“My schedule is already packed. And now, I have to support the front lines, assist other generals, manage the territories, and negotiate with Earth. I’m on the verge of dying from overwork.”
She must be picturing the same schedule as I am. Even when I calculate it in my head, there’s no way I can squeeze out more time.
“Haa, I guess I have no choice. I need to reduce my workload.”
“Reduce it? We’re already on the absolute limit. Where else can we cut back?”
“First, I’ll hand over one of my positions.”
If that’s the case, I have no choice but to reschedule.
“…The head of the First Division. That’s the least risky, but… who will you hand it over to? And you know they’ll complain about it. Are you okay with that?”
“This time, I’m going to push through a bit. There might be a lot of external complaints, but by then, something even more chaotic will have happened. We won’t have time to get caught up in it. As for who takes over, well, it has to be them.”
I have no choice but to adapt to the current situation by reducing or changing my workload. If I got surprised or angry about every little thing, I wouldn’t have lasted in my previous job. Compared to sudden spec changes or shortening deadlines, this is still within the realm of what can be managed.
As the first step, I will completely withdraw from being a Dungeon Tester. I’ll shift from being a challenger to an operator. I knew this day would come, but it arrived sooner than I expected.
“Kaido-kun and Min-chan, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, for work, those two should be fine. The ones who’ll cause trouble are those who care about status or bloodlines. Even if you back them up, there are many factions who underestimate generals with little experience.”
“We’ll just have to accept that. During the war, Instructor Kio, Amili-san, and the Dragon King’s Dungeon will be active. Testing will be impossible, so my work as a Tester will decrease, but it won’t disappear entirely. Until the last moment, we’ll continue testing other generals’ dungeons. The activities within those dungeons will be overseen by other generals, so there’s no need to worry about intervention. The only problematic issues will be within the company itself. Even then, Evia is keeping an eye on things, so there shouldn’t be anyone who would dare to overstep.”
Handing over that responsibility to those two makes me feel a bit emotional. Regarding those two, their achievements are solely from their activities as Testers. Hearing that, it’s hard to say they’re too young to be a section chief. However, it’s also true that there’s no one else in the First Division who can be entrusted with the role right now. In terms of Dungeon Testers, they have the trustworthiness to perform their duties perfectly.
“Kaido, in particular, has the position of Amili-san’s spouse. Some might see that as leveraging the Machine King’s prestige, but that can be dealt with later. The bottleneck is…”
“It’s Min-chan, isn’t it? She really doesn’t care about status or anything like that.”
“Yeah. The problem isn’t about having a backer, but about her motivation.”
However, if that trust is directed in a different direction, another kind of trust emerges. Kaido will responsibly handle the section chief position, but his magical aptitude will be a hurdle. In a Demon Lord’s Army that preaches meritocracy, that hurdle will be a burden for Kaido. He possesses the grit to overcome it, but it’s undeniable that he will be a late bloomer. On the other hand, Min has no issues with magical aptitude. She has high magical aptitude, easily ranking among the top, and she doesn’t neglect her efforts as a Mage. However, her inherent aversion to responsibility is a problem. Kaido has, after all, gained experience as a working adult. Therefore, he possesses at least some of the mindset of a leader. Min, however, lacks that. This company is her first workplace, and it’s her calling. Furthermore, my policy of letting her work freely has led to this situation.
“She has talent, though.”
“Yeah, she definitely has talent.”
If I were asked to choose between the two for section chief right now, I would reluctantly recommend Kaido. However, if that one problem could be solved, I’ve recently started to think Min would be more suitable.
“After Keiri mentioned it, I thought a bit about Min. She definitely has a broad perspective. Moreover, she possesses not only her own viewpoint but also that of a third party. Her talent as a leader is outstanding.”
“It’s a rare talent to be able to understand others and compare it with one’s own knowledge. That’s why I recommended Min-chan back then.”
While she shows glimpses of unfortunate aspects, these are areas Min intentionally exposes. By exposing her own shortcomings, she weeds out people around her and probes their personalities, a survival tactic akin to a defense mechanism.
“… I thought I knew her, but I only truly faced it when I was pushed to my limit with work. As much as I say this, her life must have been too difficult to survive without it.”
This is not the kind of ability a woman on the cusp of her youth, about to become a university student, should possess. And it’s ironic that it’s proving useful.
“Do you feel guilty about it?”
“Somewhat, but it’s already over for her, and she’s moving forward, trying to make light of it. It would be wrong for me to close off one path because of my guilt.”
From our perspective, that talent is a form of luck. It’s not a windfall, but in a way, it’s a talent that can protect the Testers who are my “weakness.”
“Well, that’s just an excuse too. Simply put, it’s more convenient for me if I rely on Min. Ah, I see. Is this what it means to be in a leadership position? You have to make these pragmatic decisions. Damn it.”
“Alright, alright, no more complaining. If you let your emotions get the better of you, the people who followed you will be in trouble. What you’re doing isn’t wrong.”
“You’re not saying it’s right, though.”
“That’s not for me to decide; it’s for future historians to determine. All we can do is do what we believe is right at this moment.”
Is it truly right to try and use that ability while calling it an excuse? That’s also for the historians to decide.
“At the very least, it’s only proper to face it with sincerity.”
Amidst this reliance on others’ judgment, do I have responsibilities to fulfill? Since my workload has increased, I need to find someone to take on that work. In the business world, this is a perfectly normal occurrence.
“As you’re rescheduling, why don’t you go and meet them? You haven’t seen them for a while because you’ve been so busy. Besides, if you don’t meet them now, you might not have another chance for a long time.”
“That’s true. In that case, I’ll have to somehow synchronize our schedules.”
There’s no need to resist that. In that case, it wouldn’t be wrong to look forward to meeting them, even if it’s been a while.
Word of the Day: It’s more efficient to decide things with a single discussion, but you might lose the opportunity for further improvement.
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Currently, I am serializing another work: Pandora Pandemic Panic. The Pandora’s Box has been opened again, but we are fighting back with various activities in secret bases and elsewhere! Please check that one out as well!
