Since I had promised Suella I would help her with her work, I created a project proposal for the Tester Enhancement Plan with Suella, myself, and Keiri-san.
The supervisor was entrusted with the important task of searching for the Magic Sword User. In addition to the already heavy workload, this added further duties, making the schedule even more packed.
Despite this, the supervisor was giving orders from the front lines without showing any signs of fatigue. Considering the supervisor’s schedule, one week had passed since Muil-san arrived, and a satisfactory project proposal had been completed for that period.
There were, of course, no typos or missing characters.
The formatting was also solid, and it was created with supporting documents detailing the potential benefits if this important proposal was approved.
This was a moment when my experience in convincing my superiors to approve projects at my previous company proved more useful than my work as a tester.
As a final closing, I led Muil-san, whom we had eagerly awaited, to speak with the supervisor, and it was all going well…
To get this proposal approved, I understood how bomb disposal squads must feel.
The meeting between Muil-san and the supervisor was aptly like handling a bomb.
Muil-san, eager to push the conversation forward with enthusiasm and momentum, and the supervisor, who showed no signs of fatigue but was increasingly frustrated and stressed by the lack of progress in resolving the incident.
They were like oil and water, or rather, like throwing oil on a fire.
Their eyes were filled with killing intent, and the atmosphere was unstable, but they were executives of the Demon Lord’s Army, after all.
Their expressions and demeanor were perfectly normal. A regular person probably wouldn’t even notice the glint in their eyes.
The supervisor was acting as usual.
They could talk normally and were diligently carrying out their duties.
However, my Suella and I, sensing the atmosphere from the supervisor’s eyes, couldn’t relax, fearing harsh words might be thrown if there were any deficiencies.
In a space where a bead of cold sweat trickled down, the supervisor silently read through the documents without revealing their deep-seated emotions, while Muil-san, as if they were a gentle breeze, confidently presented, even though they must have known the content.
Their demeanor was so confident as professionals that one might consider them role models.
From the supervisor’s perspective, they glared at Muil-san, who was not reading the room or the timing, thinking the content was good but questioning why it was being brought up now. However, their exchange had little effect on a confident Muil-san, who stood proudly. Normally, one might have managed a wry smile at such an exchange.
But even that slight relaxation of the atmosphere was not permitted in this situation.
As a result, Suella and I, while mentally exhausted, managed to move the conversation forward and successfully got the proposal approved.
However, it goes without saying that the supervisor clearly warned us to consider the timing next time.
In any case, despite the mental fatigue, we successfully got this proposal approved.
However, just because the proposal was approved didn’t mean we could act immediately; we needed to refine the plan further to avoid any trouble.
Thus, another month passed for the preparations.
During that time, the dungeon remained closed, and despite the Demon Lord’s Army’s efforts, they continued to miss their mark.
Furthermore, as if the other party was a step ahead, the culprit behind the magic sword incident was not found within the company, and the investigation was facing difficulties.
In the meantime, the company could not continue to keep dungeons, their main objective, closed indefinitely. Therefore, a meeting was held by the higher-ups to decide whether to finally lift the dungeon closure, assuming safety had been secured, while maintaining a tense atmosphere. This was the timing when the Tester Enhancement Plan was implemented.
“Whoa! Is this the Otherworld, gozaru?! I’ve finally come to the Otherworld I’ve only dreamed of!”
“Hush, be quiet for a bit.”
After taking every precaution and using a special Teleportation Circle to enter the Dark Elf village directly, one person, unable to hide his excitement, let out a roar while looking down from a hill at the numerous treehouses formed within the magnificent forest; it was Minami.
When you go on a trip with people other than family, like on a school trip, there’s always one person who is abnormally high-strung, like Minami. And there’s usually someone who acts as their suppressor, often treated as a pair.
Minami expressed his excitement with a shout, like a famous person, saying, “One, two, three, Daaah!” Seeing his appearance, I wondered where his usual reclusive nature had gone.
“Honestly, I want to ask if you’re a child,” Kitamiya said, unable to suppress a sigh, her expression one of exasperation.
“Fufufufu, in that case, I’m an adult. I always enter dungeons, so I’m not surprised by this sight,” Kaido said, looking cheerful.
“If you’re looking at me with eyes sparkling like a child, your words lack conviction. Learn from Amī. Honestly, it’s ridiculous when the younger ones are more composed,” Kitamiya pointed out. Kaido agreed with her, but he couldn’t hide his childlike expression, as if on a field trip. He was even chided by Kitamiya, who told him to learn from the two High School Students, who were more adult-like.
“In my case, it’s because I’ve been to the Otherworld once before. If this were my first time, I might have been more excited,” Amī said.
“It’s better that you can control your reason like that. The self-proclaimed adult over there seems unable to hide their emotions,” Kitamiya replied.
“Ugh, Kitamiya-chan, you’re harsh,” Kaido muttered.
The official purpose of this project was a voluntary training session, but in spirit, it felt more like a school trip.
Within a week of the announcement, most of the Testers, except for those with unavoidable commitments, had all participated. The prospect of being able to contract with spirits, not to mention visiting the Otherworld, had raised their expectations.
Close-knit groups, in this case, Party Members who always acted together. That’s why the area around the Stone Circle, where they had gathered, was becoming so noisy.
“Ah, Mike test, Mike test. I’m not used to this amplification magic. Well, anyway, let’s take attendance. Each squad, check your personnel to see if there were any teleportation failures. Squad leaders, report to me once you’ve confirmed. Also, don’t wander into the forest out of curiosity. Unlike the usual dungeons, there’s no convenient function to revive you if you die here. There might be creatures more dangerous than wild boars. The forest is a place where danger lurks. Stay put.”
Although the surroundings were being watched by Dark Elf men provided by Muil-san, it would be more than troublesome if someone got lost. Realizing the need to get everyone together as quickly as possible, I used a magic I learned from Keiri-san that allowed me to amplify my voice without strain and began the personnel check. I knew I had to be firm to prevent things from becoming chaotic.
“It must be tough being the chaperone,” Keiri said.
“You say that as if it doesn’t concern you, but Keiri-san, you’re also a chaperone,” I replied.
“I’m the one coordinating the chaperones, in other words, the leader of this training. The personnel coordinator is Jiro-, who’s in middle management,” Keiri explained.
Even though my call didn’t immediately silence the crowd, people gathered in their squads for the personnel check, and the squad leaders’ reports came in one after another. As I cross-referenced the names with the roster, the last squad came to report, and Keiri-san casually spoke to me. It turned out that I wasn’t the one in charge of coordinating this training; Keiri-san was. Suella, the head of the Tester Department, couldn’t come because she was pregnant, and Himik was also absent to provide her with support. I thought Memoria might be able to come if there were no Testers, but conversely, she couldn’t come because she was using this opportunity to renovate the shopping street. Therefore, Keiri-san, a fellow Dark Elf and Suella’s colleague, was chosen as a chaperone, given that our destination was the Dark Elf village.
“Oh, did you forget I was here?” a Dragonkin woman added.
“Honestly, there’s a shortage of personnel, but why does it have to be you?” Keiri said resentfully.
“I am also a member of the Demon Lord’s Army involved with Testers, so this is naturally my deployment!” Kaila Nostalfer, the Dragonkin who was in charge of Himusumi’s party, declared. Seeing Keiri-san annoyed by her cheerful laughter, which sounded like an arrogant lady from a bygone era, I could only offer a wry smile. The company’s personnel were in the thick of searching for the magic sword, and while being able to borrow highly capable individuals was helpful, I felt there might have been a slight misjudgment in the selection.
“For now, the personnel roll call is complete. Let’s move to the accommodation,” I said.
Unlike the situation with the supervisor and Muil-san, the relationship between Nostalfer, who viewed Suella as a rival, and Keiri-san, Suella’s best friend, was rather poor. Sensing a slightly uneasy atmosphere, I brought up work.
“Yes, we’re just moving today, so let’s get it done quickly. I want to get to bed early,” Keiri replied.
“Indeed. Naturally, a place befitting me has been prepared, hasn’t it?” Nostalfer said.
“Don’t be ridiculous. Even though they proposed this, we’re the ones who have to deal with the aftermath. There aren’t business hotels like they have here, and we’re not going to get that kind of treatment, unlike Evia-sama. It’s just a normal private room, a private room! Be grateful you even have a private room,” Keiri retort.
“What did you say?! Don’t you have the Chieftain’s mansion here? Couldn’t you have prepared a guest room there?!”
“Are Dragonkin just a selfish species? If you don’t like it, you can just camp outdoors,” Keiri said scoffingly.
In this world, there weren’t high-rise hotels or inns that could accommodate large groups scattered around like in Japan. Instead, there were only a few inns, like Japanese inns, that could accommodate five or six people. Arranging accommodation for over twenty people in such a situation was quite difficult. Honestly, securing private rooms for just the two of them was a good deed from Muil-san. The Chieftain’s house in this village, owing to their species’ nature, was located in a tree, and while it was larger than other houses, it was still only relatively so.
“Can you two please calm down? We don’t have infinite time, and if we achieve no results, we’ll be lectured by the supervisor. If we return with no results, it’ll be us who get told off,” I said. I also needed to contract with a spirit, so I couldn’t supervise them continuously. Therefore, this training would be supervised by the two of them for a considerable period of one week. They were to provide advice in conjunction with the local residents on the Testers’ spirit contract status, and all Testers must contract, even if it was a lower-level one. If no one managed to contract, it would mean the company’s expenses were wasted on a pointless week. Knowing these circumstances, I would normally be more than a little anxious listening to this conversation.
“Haa, you’re right. There’s no point complaining here. Now, you, Jiro-, take the Testers to the carriage. I’m going to greet the Chieftain,” Keiri said.
“Hmph, I understand. Tanaka-san, let’s go,” Nostalfer replied.
“Understood,” I replied.
Mentioning the supervisor’s name made both of them flinch slightly and switch to work mode. Although their compatibility was poor, I could at least watch them with some peace of mind because they were diligent workers. After their complaints, they immediately got to work on their respective tasks. I thought their earlier argument was more like playful banter than an actual quarrel. While they had their dislikes, they trusted each other’s abilities.
“What are you doing? Hurry up and come,” Nostalfer said.
“Understood,” I replied.
“Honestly, you, as the foremost Tester, must act as a role model. Please be mindful of that,” Nostalfer admonished.
“…”
“What is it?”
“No, I’m just surprised I’m being evaluated so highly.”
“I have no intention of distorting the facts. I acknowledge those with ability. What did you think of me?” I said. I was initially anxious about working with this Dragonkin, with whom I hadn’t spoken much before, but recently, as we worked together on this project, I realized she was quite approachable. I was honestly surprised when she responded objectively, separating the situation where I weakened Himusumi’s party and strengthened my own, thinking, “That’s that, and this is this.” Receiving unexpectedly positive feedback from her made me a little embarrassed.
“After what happened, I thought you might not like me very much.”
“And you would let that distort your evaluation? I won’t do that. It’s true that unfortunate things happened between us in the past, but that is already over. I don’t intend to completely forget it, but I’m not so foolish as to rekindle a flame that has died out.” Keiri had previously assessed this person as capable of doing her job, and indeed, while her tone was provocative, her judgment was sound. Because of this personality, she likely had many enemies, but she was certainly easy to work with when it came to business. I decided to work diligently to maintain her positive evaluation. I glanced down at the settlement spread out below the hill. It was a Dark Elf settlement; unlike the company, it wasn’t a place filled with people friendly to humans. I didn’t have the power to know what awaited us there. But well.
“What are you doing? Let’s go already,” Nostalfer said.
“Understood,” I replied.
I felt I had to do my job to earn my salary, but I couldn’t help but feel a sense of gloom due to my other task.
Today’s quote: If you do the job you’re assigned, you’ll earn trust; if you don’t, the evaluation will reflect that. That’s all for today. If you enjoyed it, please leave comments, ratings, bookmarks, etc. Thank you for your continued support of this work.
