Entering a Company From Another World! – Chapter 62

Jiro Tanaka, 28 years old, has a girlfriend.

Girlfriend: Suella Hendersonberg.
Memoria Tris.
Occupation: Dungeon Tester (Full-time employee).
Magic Aptitude: 8 (General Class).
Position: Warrior.

“A hero has been summoned? Are you sure?”

“It’s still at the stage of possibility, but it’s highly likely.”

“Then… is that sensation, like an explosion of magic power, the effect of the summoning magic?”

“Yes.”

“We’re still in the process of verifying, but that wasn’t the magic power of an attack-type spell. The scale we detected was abnormal. It was too broad to find even a dragon. If it were widespread healing magic, we would have heard at least one or two rumors about such a disaster. Since we haven’t, only one possibility remains. We can understand that there was no significant damage from the magical wave if they forcibly summoned from another world. If an attack spell of that magnitude were cast, smoke would be visible no matter how far away it was. Concealment would be impossible.”

“It feels a bit early to definitively say… but all the circumstantial evidence is there. Then, what concerns me is…”

I could barely keep up with his explanation, but I could understand what Barus was saying.
The next thing that concerns me is why the summoning happened.
There must be a cause for every event.
Or rather, a reason in this case.
Did our company president make a move?
That’s the first thing that comes to mind when I hear about a hero being summoned, but I haven’t received any contact.
It’s possible I’m just not being informed.

“Did the president make a move, Memoria?”

“No, that’s not it. There was no contact. And considering the current lack of time and preparation, I can’t surmise a situation where they would act.”

“It’s also hard to understand why we haven’t been contacted.”

“Barus.”

Memoria says it’s unlikely, and Barus says it’s impossible for him to act without following the proper procedures.
Before we came here, the company wasn’t ready for dungeons. Given the situation where it was deemed operational, would the president take an action that would render the testers they gathered for thorough preparation useless? It’s not impossible, but the possibility is low.
Before I knew it, this place had become a place where speculation flew around.
We discussed why the summoning occurred so close by, or if this magical energy was something else.
Amidst this, we, Memoria, and Barus continued the discussion as a group of three.

“I wish we had more information, but it’s pointless to wish for what we don’t have.”

“It happened so suddenly, it will take time for us to gather information here.”

“If only we were back there, a phone call would suffice.”

“We have communication orbs here, but they are limited in number…”

The difference in information exchange is significant.
When we already have differences in transportation, it’s only natural that there would be even greater disparities in communication methods.
It’s frustrating to just wait.
If I could use a phone, I would contact them myself, but without any cell towers, smartphones here would just be high-end cameras.
Well, they have many uses, but they are fragile, so I didn’t bring one.

“Can’t you contact the company?”

“We are in contact with them, but other than in emergencies, we have to go through the official channels. It takes time.”

“Isn’t summoning a hero an emergency?”

“It depends. Currently, the Demon Lord’s Army is not present in this land. It’s difficult to judge whether giving them that information is valuable enough.”

“If it were a false alarm, we would need to be cautious even as we hurry.”

“Indeed.”

The information that a hero has been completely summoned hasn’t reached us yet. Barus and the others probably can’t take rash actions.
At a dead end, waiting for instructions.
As such words crossed my mind, I noticed my mind spinning uselessly and growing irritated, so naturally, my hand reached for a cigarette.

“Oh, you’ve got some good stuff there.”

“Want one?”

“Thanks, sorry.”

It was inevitable that I’d be noticed when I tried to light up, or rather, tried to light up boldly.
Although limited in number, I offered one, as smoking alone felt rather dull.
He took it without hesitation.
I used a lighter, and he used magic, but the gesture was the same, despite the different heat sources.
Of course, I made sure the smoke didn’t blow towards Memoria.

“The cigarettes from back there are really good.”

“Can you smoke them here?”

“I’ve got connections. They’re rare, so it’s a special luxury.”

“I see. When you run out, I’ll have to mooch off of that luxury of yours.”

I brushed off Barus’s joke, lamenting that I might have stirred up trouble, and reordered the information in my mind, calmed by the cigarette.
That was about all I could do now. I dismissed the back-and-forth about whether the premise was flawed.
If the conditions for summoning a hero are unrelated to the Demon Lord’s Army, there must be some other reason. Some factor that is resolved within this world alone, not by the Demon Lord’s Army. It’s not based on anything concrete; if I had to say, it’s intuition. While the natural enemy of a hero is typically the Demon Lord, I feel a different factor is involved this time. There must be one.

“Honestly, nothing but bad things have been happening lately. The price of wheat is going up, and there are rumors of inquisitors. Sales have dropped because of it. I can’t take it anymore.”

“I remember that.”

“Huh? Remember what? My store’s sales?”

“The reason a hero was summoned, unrelated to our president.”

“What are you talking about?”

Barus’s words made something click in my mind, and a thought, though still speculative, occurred to me. It’s not always the case that heroes are summoned with the phrase, “Please save the world, hero!” Heroes fight evil, or rather, what is considered evil from their side’s perspective.

“If my prediction is correct, the summoned hero won’t be in a very good situation.”

“Hey, don’t just come to a conclusion by yourself, explain it.”

“My prediction is that they–”

“Barus-san!! They did it!!”

“What is it now, one thing after another!! What is it!? Did a god descend this time!!”

Before I could utter my prediction, the shop door was violently opened. A grown man, breathing heavily, but with no loss of momentum, yelled to Barus. Barus, equally exasperated by the ceaseless changing of planned situations, responded to the man.

“A hero was summoned!”

“What? It’s as you predicted. What’s the big deal?”

“It’s not just that! They didn’t just summon one! They used the magic of the sacred mountain to summon multiple heroes!”

“What? Hey! The sacred mountain, you mean Mount Arush?”

Mount Arush? The summoning of a hero seemed to be predicted, but judging from the conversation, summoning a large number of heroes was less of an issue than the method.

“Memoria, what is on Mount Arush?”

“…A seal.”

“…As expected.”

I don’t want to know what it is. Memoria’s face looks paler than usual. It seems humans just can’t refrain from repeating their mistakes.

“What is sealed there? Is it an evil god or something?”

At this point, I can’t afford to do nothing. If Memoria or Barus are this concerned, remaining ignorant would put me in danger. I felt a sense of desperation, wanting to shout “Bring it on,” and ask what it was. I wouldn’t be surprised by any fierce magic beast or dungeon at this point.

“It’s the First Generation Demon Lord, in the form of a thought-entity.”

“Hey, what are you talking about? You just broke a seal. You should have kept it properly preserved.”

Beyond surprise, I felt compelled to retort. Wasn’t that seal something the Demon Lord’s Army was supposed to break? Why would the side of heroes, the enemies of the Demon Lord, break it? It’s from about five thousand years ago, isn’t it? Does its thought-entity, its consciousness or intellect, remain? Even if it does, it’s unlikely to be sane. From that, we can deduce…

“…Is it bad?”

“…It’s bad.”

“How bad?”

“…I don’t know. But, at least if the First Generation’s thought-entity remains…”

“If it remains?”

“It becomes numerically feasible to destroy humanity.”

“You’re an idiot. The people who summoned him are idiots. What were they thinking, using the energy that maintained such an important seal for summoning?”

I said it twice because it’s important, but it’s not a joke, nor is it funny. What were they thinking, breaking the seal of such a dangerous being? Now, humanity faces the crisis of extinction. My company president will have to witness the world’s destruction before he can even lift a finger.

“…But there are heroes, aren’t there? It shouldn’t be that dangerous?”

Well, the people who summoned him probably thought it would be fine because there were heroes, but it doesn’t change the danger. Fortunately or unfortunately, it seems there are enough heroes.

“I hate to say it, but from what I’ve heard, the First Generation Demon Lord was acting to seek peace when he was killed by a human trap, along with his wife and child, and then sealed. So, you shouldn’t expect rational judgment from him. Furthermore, can a hundred level one heroes defeat a highly trained Demon Lord?”

“Impossible… Alright, let’s go back, Memoria.”

“I’d like to, but it doesn’t look like we can, you know?”

Even a flock of chicks destined to become great eagles cannot defeat a mature wolf, even if they are numerous. Moreover, a wolf that hunts rationally is one thing, but a Demon Lord acting out of revenge offers no room for playfulness or mercy. Naturally, a future of being trampled awaits. The residents of this world have unleashed a Demon Lord that can only be described as a disaster, not one that ravages the surrounding areas. Why are they pressing the end-of-the-world button themselves? In such a situation, continuing our business trip is impossible, but when I suggested returning as soon as possible, it wasn’t Memoria who answered, but Barus.

“More information. I’ve found out why they used the magic of the sacred mountain to summon heroes.”

“What?”

He waved a piece of paper at me. Memoria took the paper from Barus, and I peered at it from her side.

“…”

“…”

After reading silently for a few seconds, I took out a cigarette, and Memoria, as if to quell a headache, shook her head.

“The punchline is terrible.”

“I can’t comprehend what humans think.”

Exhaling smoke, I and Memoria, her headache subsided, simultaneously voiced our impressions of the paper’s contents.

“To defeat the Empire, which created evil golems using the corpse of a Demon Lord from thousands of years ago, the Eclair Kingdom and the Theocratic Nation Tris formed an alliance and summoned heroes. So, let’s all cooperate and fight together?”

What we read was, frankly speaking, a plea. The wording was more complex, but this is roughly the gist of it. To be blunt, it feels too much like a one-sided justification. Besides, I don’t know which generation of Demon Lord’s corpse it was, but is the First Generation, or any Demon Lord, something that can be used so casually? The alliance hasn’t proposed a solution for what to do with the First Generation’s thought-entity. There are also questions about whether the Empire actually possesses such golems. The lack of foresight is glaringly obvious. The alliance probably intended to create a clear good-vs-evil story where the Empire attacks with something completely dangerous, but…

“Why is it, that I can imagine a kaiju-versus-kaiju movie more easily than a hero’s story?”

The title would probably be First Generation Demon Lord (Ghost) vs. Demon Lord Golem. The First Generation Demon Lord, who destroyed the alliance, will then set his sights on the Empire, which possesses a golem made from a Demon Lord’s power. Burning villages, fleeing people, what will happen to Isal tomorrow!? Come to think of it, this sounds like a low-budget B-movie. Also, the heroes are being sidelined despite the Demon Lord’s appearance.

“I sympathize with myself, who might get caught up in this, but I also sympathize with the summoned heroes.”

“I hate to interrupt your sympathy, but your way back has been temporarily rendered unusable by the aftershocks of the hero summoning.”

“…”

“When you summon heroes who can cross worlds, that’s what happens.”

“Isekai transfers always require meticulous care. If you force a summoning like this, the path will collapse from the aftershocks. It’s better than losing the destination information.”

“You damn scoundrel!”

What a misfortune. If you’re going to do it, do it in a way that doesn’t cause trouble.

“On top of that, with war about to begin, everyone is starting to evacuate this city.”

“No way.”

“This city is surrounded by four countries. If war breaks out here, armies will likely converge to secure strongholds. And no fool would stay here knowing they’ll be caught in a war. The strongholds here will be abandoned.”

Seriously, what bad luck. I have to leave this city as soon as I arrive. Barus patted me on the shoulder sympathetically, saying I arrived at a particularly bad timing. If you sympathize, give me peace, is what I want to say.

“What should we do, Memoria?”

“It will take at least a month for the road to recover, but we’ll prepare our return plans within that month.”

“I guess we have no choice.”

Given the circumstances, I doubt there will be any punishment for interrupting the business trip. Naturally, our priority will be returning home.

“Can we return from here?”

“We cannot. We need to head to a stronghold where the ley veins flow.”

“The place originally planned?”

“That would be the best if it’s usable.”

“There’s a possibility it might not be usable…?”

Since coming here, it’s been a series of disasters. I swear to go for an exorcism when I get back to Japan.

“Worrying won’t get us anywhere. I’ll gather information, so why don’t you rest for today?”

“But…”

“Let’s go, Jiro-san. You should rest now.”

“…Alright.”

Even with a goal decided, we can’t act immediately. We need to prepare for the journey and gather information to navigate this increasingly chaotic world. I was reluctant to follow Barus’s advice to rest and heal the fatigue of the journey, but Memoria, thinking I might be able to do something more, took my hand and led me back to the room. As we left, listening to Barus giving instructions to the gathered members behind us.

“This was quite a disaster.”

“I wish I’d won the lottery instead of running into something like this.”

Back in the room assigned to us, I lay down on the bed without hesitation. Memoria, sitting near my head, offered words of comfort, but I replied with a joke. I heard somewhere that the probability of being hijacked is lower than winning the first prize in a lottery. Then, I wonder, what is the probability of being caught up in a war in this otherworld?

“Are you worried?”

“Yeah, why are you bringing up things I was trying to avoid… Sorry, it’s not your fault for getting upset.”

I almost lashed out at Memoria, who had unhesitatingly stepped into the thoughts I was trying to mask with jokes, but I stopped myself halfway through. Then came a sense of regret. While I thought it uncool to lash out at my girlfriend, as Memoria pointed out, I am indeed worried. Troubles keep coming, and now, war on top of it all. The way back is blocked, and no one can guarantee our safe return.

“I don’t mind.”

“…Is that so? Thank you.”

“Yes.”

Her smile showed relief when I expressed gratitude instead of apologizing. It seems I had been worrying Memoria. And the reason I was trying to act was to distract myself from that anxiety, but perhaps Barus had also seen through it. He might have wanted to let me rest to calm down, seeing how reckless I could be. Really… unlike him.

“I guess I just have to do what I can.”

Once I calmed down, the tasks ahead became clear. It was the right decision to switch my mindset.

“Then, first, please fulfill your promise to me.”

“Hey, are you going to bring that up at this timing?”

Even if this is an emergency…

“If I miss this timing, it will be difficult for a while. So, or…?”

When she looked up at me with a worried expression, asking if I wouldn’t, I, as a man, could do nothing. I silently pulled her into my arms. They probably didn’t mean “rest” in this sense, but I’m taking it broadly. Knowing that things will get busy from now on, resting and regaining our energy seems like a valid choice.

Jiro Tanaka, 28 years old, has a girlfriend.

Girlfriend: Suella Hendersonberg.
Memoria Tris.
Occupation: Dungeon Tester (Full-time employee).
Magic Aptitude: 8 (General Class).
Position: Warrior.

Today’s motto:

“Well then, first, let’s confirm what needs to be done, shall we?”

This concludes this installment.
Starting from the next chapter, I intend to increase the seriousness.
Thank you for continuing to support this work.